A jinx, me? But I bring good fortune to my whole family!

The old man pushed open the car door and walked straight to Gu Jianguo. He had the air of someone who had long held a high position, and just by standing there, he silenced the noisy discussions around him.

His gaze fell on the bundle of bright green chives on the back of the bicycle and he couldn't look away.

This color, this vibrant energy, is dazzlingly green in this drab winter.

"Comrade, where did you get this chives?"

The old man spoke, his voice loud and clear, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Gu Jianguo's heart tightened, but he hadn't had a chance to answer yet.

Gu Jianping, who was lying on the ground throwing a tantrum, felt a surge of anger when he realized he was being ignored.

He suddenly scrambled to his feet, his face flushed, and pointed at the basket of chives, launching into a tirade of curses.

"Where did this come from? It was stolen! These were grown on the land of our old Gu family house, and he stole them to sell for money! This is stolen goods!"

He lunged forward frantically, reaching out to overturn Gu Jianguo's vegetable basket.

What he cannot have, he absolutely cannot let Gu Jianguo get away with!

"You dare!"

Gu Jianguo roared angrily, clenching his fists as if about to strike.

Before he could move, a black shadow, even faster than him, flashed past.

He was the driver following behind the old man, and also his bodyguard.

The guard was tall and burly, wearing a uniform, and had no expression on his face.

He stepped forward, reached out with his large hand, and precisely grabbed Gu Jianping's wrist, twisting it in the opposite direction.

Click!

A soft cracking sound as if a bone had been dislocated.

Ow—

Gu Jianping let out a scream as he was forced to the ground by a force, his face covered in mud.

The guard's knee was pressed firmly against his lower back, rendering him unable to move, and the pain caused him to cry and snot to stream down his face.

The whole process was very fast.

The surrounding villagers were all dumbfounded and gasped in shock.

These people from the city are amazing!

The old man didn't even glance at Gu Jianjianping on the ground.

He bent down, stretched out two fingers, and pinched off a small piece of chive leaf from the basket.

He put the leaf in his mouth and chewed it slowly.

At first, his face held a scrutinizing expression.

He chewed a couple of times, then stopped.

After a burst of spiciness, there was an unexpected sweetness. The sweetness slid down the throat, and then a warm current rose from the stomach, instantly spreading throughout the body.

His stomach, which had been a problem due to years of meetings, surprisingly felt a long-lost sense of comfort.

"Great! Good stuff!"

The old man's eyes lit up instantly.

He straightened up, looked at Gu Jianguo, and spoke with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Comrade, how much are your vegetables?"

Gu Jianguo was somewhat bewildered by this series of unexpected events. He suppressed his shock and honestly replied, "I... I was going to take it to the state-run restaurant in town and see what price they would offer."

"No need to go to a restaurant."

The old man waved his hand, very directly.

"Whatever the supply and marketing cooperative's price is, I'll give it to you three times! I'll take this whole basket!"

three times!

These words immediately caused an uproar among the villagers.

"What? Three times the price?"

"Did I hear that right? Chives are expensive in winter, at most one cent per pound, so three times that is three cents? This basket must weigh at least ten pounds, so that's more than three dollars, right?"

"My goodness! More than three yuan! That's equivalent to a strong laborer's work points for almost half a month!"

The onlookers were buzzing with discussion, some envious, others jealous. Gu Jianping, lying on the ground, was also stunned.

For just over three yuan, all you get is this basket of weeds. Why should I pay?

Why is it that the third son's family got such good luck even though they were separated from the family?

This is clearly just ordinary chives; nobody would want it if it rotted in the ground.

It's just that the weather is cold now, and the chives aren't growing anymore.

Gu Jianping was consumed by insane jealousy. He yelled at the top of his lungs, "We can't sell to him! These vegetables belong to our family; they're grown on our land. He has no right to sell them!"

Upon hearing this, the old man looked down at Gu Jianping, who was covered in mud, frowned slightly, and his voice turned cold, "You mean these vegetables were grown by your family, and this person stole them to sell?"

"Yes, that's it!"

Gu Jianping's eyes flashed fiercely as he nodded frantically. If his own family was struggling, he absolutely couldn't let his third son's family have an easy life.

"Oh?" The old man suddenly smiled, a smile that held a profound meaning.

But he didn't continue looking at Gu Jianping; instead, he looked at Gu Jianguo and asked, "Comrade, is what he said true?"

Gu Jianguo's chest heaved violently with anger. He pointed towards the direction of Beishan Mountain and said in a steady voice, "I separated from their family a long time ago, or to be precise, we severed all ties."

"When I was injured and paralyzed, not a single one of them offered any help. My own mother even wanted to abandon me and refused to give me any medicine."

"They even tried to sell my daughter! When they severed ties with us, they didn't even leave me a house to live in, and kicked our whole family out in the dead of winter."

"Later, when the village distributed land, they went even further and prevented my family from getting good land. I had no choice but to contract the wasteland in Beishan. All of this was cultivated by me in the mountains. Everyone in the village can testify to this. If you don't believe me, you can ask the brigade leader and the village head."

"I'm no longer part of their family."

These words were spoken with absolute certainty, and the villagers watching sighed in disbelief. Everyone in the village knew that the third son of the Gu family was the most filial, yet that family had driven an honest man to this state.

I wonder if Grandma Gu regrets it?

"Jianguo is right, they have nothing to do with each other anymore."

"That's right, nothing grows on that mountain. It was contracted by the third brother's family, and I heard that all the procedures have been completed."

"Now they're trying to curry favor again, wanting to take it all for themselves. How can they be so shameless?"

A knowing look appeared on the old man's face.

He looked at Gu Jianping on the ground again, his eyes cold.

"So young, yet so unruly."

The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a lot of weight.

"First he lay on the ground pretending to be an accomplice, and now that the items are valuable, he's trying to rob them?"

"A staged accident? A robbery?"

These two words carry immense weight in this day and age.

This is a matter of conduct, a problem with one's mindset!

Gu Jianping trembled with fright, his face turning pale instantly.

He just wanted to extort some money; he never expected to be accused of such a serious crime!

"I...I didn't...I'm not..."

"You know who you are," the old man sneered, then ordered the guard, "Release him and tell him to get lost."

The guard loosened his knees and stood up.

Gu Jianping felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Ignoring the pain in his body, he scrambled to his feet and limped towards the village.

They looked so pathetic that they didn't dare utter a single harsh word.

The old man took out a wallet from his pocket, counted out four ten-yuan bills, and handed them to Gu Jianguo.

"Comrade, take this money, and consider the extra as my advance deposit."

He looked at Gu Jianguo, his attitude becoming very earnest.

"To be honest, I have an old comrade-in-arms who has always been in poor health, especially with a weak stomach. He has no appetite for anything. Your vegetables are fresh and vibrant, perfect for nourishing his body."

"I'd like to ask, will you still be able to make this vegetable in the future? I'm willing to buy it at this price long-term."

Gu Jianguo held the four ten-yuan bills in his hand, his palms burning.

He never expected that a basket of chives would sell for a sky-high price of four yuan!

This is faster than robbing someone!

He never expected that this seemingly extraordinary old man would actually want to make a long-term acquisition.

This means that the cave and the treasure trove that their family owns will continuously bring them wealth in the future!

Gu Jianguo's heart pounded. He nodded vigorously, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes! I'll send it to you whenever you want!"

"Good! That's great!" The old man smiled and asked the guard to bring him paper and pen. He wrote down an address and phone number. "From now on, deliver the vegetables to this address, or call this number to contact me. My surname is Liu."

After saying that, Old Liu instructed his guard to carefully put the basket of chives into the trunk of the car.

The black Volga sedan slowly drove away amidst the envious gazes of the entire village.

Gu Jianguo stood there, clutching the four yuan and a piece of paper with an address on it, and remained in a daze for a long time.

He felt that all of this was unreal.

The villagers around him looked at the money in his hand with a changed expression.

One by one, the previous mockery and disdain vanished, replaced by envy and a hint of awe.

Those with quick minds have already started thinking, since chives are so valuable, why don't they grow some too?