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

The messenger was Zhao Tieqiang, a fellow worker at the mine who had a good relationship with Gu Jianping.

He was out of breath from running, his face pale and bloodless in the dim light.

"Jianping! The old tunnel over at Xishanping... collapsed! It's completely buried! Hundreds of people! Not a single one has come out!"

Zhao Tieqiang's words instantly silenced the courtyard.

Gu Jianguo and Su Xiulan's minds went blank.

collapse!

Hundreds of people!

For families who rely on the mountains for their livelihood and whose men work in the mines, these two words are like the sky falling down.

The bag of brown sugar and malted milk powder in Gu Jianping's hand fell to the ground with a "thud" and rolled into the muddy water.

He stood there, completely still, without moving.

"Which...which tunnel?" His lips trembled, and his voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

"It's the No. 5 coal mining area! Aren't you supposed to be going to No. 5 today?" Zhao Tiezhu stamped his feet anxiously.

No. 5 Coal Mining Area!

Gu Jianping's body swayed violently. If Gu Jianguo hadn't caught him in time, he would have fallen to the ground.

He grabbed Gu Jianguo's arm with such force that it felt like he was going to crush his bones.

"Third brother... third brother..." He kept repeating these two words, his eyes wide open and bloodshot.

"Brother, don't panic. What happened? You didn't go down the well, so you avoided it, didn't you?" Gu Jianguo's heart also jumped.

Su Xiulan instinctively hugged Nuannuan tightly, her palms covered in cold sweat.

"It wasn't me..." Gu Jianping abruptly shook off Gu Jianguo, clutching his head with both hands and letting out a hoarse howl, "It wasn't me who went down the well! It wasn't me!"

His appearance completely baffled everyone.

Zhao Tieqiang was also stunned. "Jianping, what nonsense are you talking about? Your shift is on today's schedule! The mine manager even called roll this morning!"

"It's me! It's my class!" Gu Jianping suddenly raised his head, his face contorted, laughing and crying at the same time, his face covered in snot and tears.

"But I had something to do when I got back! I've been having Dacheng go in my place lately! I even had Dacheng go down the mine for me!"

"Dacheng! My son! My Dacheng is still down there!"

That last sound was very poignant.

The entire courtyard was deathly silent.

Even the wind has stopped.

Su Xiulan covered her mouth, her whole body trembling.

Gu Dacheng!

Gu Jianping's son, who is only seventeen years old!

In order to secure a temporary worker position and to be able to take leave to borrow money from Lao San's family, he actually made his underage son go down the well in his place.

This family has gone mad!

This isn't just selfishness, it's inhumanity!

Gu Jianguo was also stunned. He held onto the door frame, feeling somewhat unsteady.

He wanted to curse, and he wanted to punch Gu Jianping in the face.

But seeing his expression, my anger gradually subsided.

"You beast! You beast!"

Gu Jianping slapped himself twice hard across the face, then roared and scrambled out of the yard.

"Dacheng! Daddy's here to save you! Daddy's here to save you!"

He ran stumbling and falling, getting up again and again, rushing towards the town like a madman.

His silhouette in the dim night was indescribably tragic.

"My lord..." Su Xiulan's voice trembled.

Gu Jianguo didn't say anything. He stared in the direction where his older brother had disappeared, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Past grievances and that thousand dollars became insignificant in the face of a human life.

That's his elder brother's son! His own nephew!

"I'll go take a look!" Gu Jianguo said, then turned and ran into the house.

"I'm going too!" Gu Xiaoan shouted.

"No! You all stay home! It's dangerous at the mine!" Gu Jianguo's voice came from inside the house.

He came out quickly, carrying all the tickets and cash from his home, and also a thick cotton-padded coat.

Saving lives definitely costs money.

He couldn't just stand by and watch Da Cheng's life end like that.

Su Xiulan didn't stop her; she knew that at this point, she couldn't stop her.

With red eyes and a hoarse voice, she urged, "Honey, you...you need to be careful too."

"Um."

Gu Jianguo responded and strode out.

Just then, a small hand tightly hugged his thigh.

He looked down and saw his daughter looking up at him with a pale face.

Her warm, big eyes held no tears, but rather a calm and unwavering determination.

"Holy crap! Human cub, don't do anything reckless! It's so dangerous down in the mine, if your little body went down there, you'd be blown away in a breath!" In his mind, Little Green's ginseng whiskers were all knotted with fear.

Nuannuan ignored the loud and boisterous Xiao Lü.

She simply clung to her father's leg, using all her strength, and spoke each word clearly and loudly in her baby voice.

"Daddy, Nuannuan wants to go too!"

"Nuan Nuan, save them!"

The voice, though young, carried an undeniable power.

Gu Jianguo's heart was struck hard.

He crouched down, trying to persuade his daughter.

But when he met those resolute eyes, all the words stuck in his throat.

He knew that his daughter was different from other children.

"Okay." He finally uttered only one word, then scooped Nuannuan up in his arms, wrapped her in his thick cotton-padded coat, and said, "Let's go!"

"I'll go too, maybe I can be of some help?"

"And me!"

"I'm going too!"

Su Xiulan, Da'an, and Xiao'an also came over.

Gu Jianguo looked at the group of people with determined gazes and nodded vigorously.

Without further hesitation, the family locked the gate and went out to help at the mine.

On the way, Nuannuan buried her face in her father's neck, and no one could see her little actions.

She quietly gave commands that only animals could understand, directed towards the corner of the wall.

"Little mice, once you get to the mine, find someone! Listen for their voices!"

"Little Black! Take your friends and look from the sky! Find a hole you can get into!"

"Squeak!"

"quack!"

In the darkness, countless subtle sounds responded to her.

Then, Nuannuan's little hands touched Gu Jianguo's clothes, and a thought struck her.

She instantly stored the several clever scout mice into her spatial storage.

This is her trump card, her secret rescue team!

……

Xishan Coal Mine.

A torrential downpour began.

The cold rain mixed with mud made the already difficult mountain path even more muddy.

The mine entrance was already in complete chaos.

The beams of light from dozens of miners' lamps and flashlights swayed haphazardly in the rain, illuminating anxious faces.

The women's cries and the men's curses were mixed together, with the cries of children also mingling in between.

When Gu Jianguo arrived with Nuannuan in his arms, along with Su Xiulan and Gu Xiaoan, this was the scene that greeted him.

Gu Jianping was kneeling in the mud, digging with his hands to remove the rubble and mud blocking the mine entrance. His hands were already covered in cuts and bruises.

"Let go! Let me in! My son is still down there! Da Cheng!"

Several miners pulled him away forcefully, preventing him from getting closer.

"Jianping, calm down! The ground is still collapsing! Going in is suicide!"

"Let me go! I'd rather die with my son!"

Just then, a man dressed in cadre uniform stood on a high rock, holding a large tin megaphone.

Rain streamed down his face as he screamed at everyone with all his might, his voice hoarse.

"Folks! Quiet down! Listen to me!"

"The rain is too heavy, the situation underground is unclear, and there is a risk of another collapse at any time!"

"For the safety of the rescue personnel, orders from above—"

He paused, then closed his eyes.

"Rescue team, evacuate for now!"

The moment those words were uttered, the last glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts vanished.