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

Su Xiulan's scream pierced the ears of everyone in the courtyard.

The laughter of everyone in the courtyard stopped abruptly.

The hand holding the bowl froze in mid-air.

A woman's basket of eggs fell to the ground with a thud, yolks and whites mixed with dirt, smearing the ground everywhere.

Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at the woman who seemed to be going crazy at the courtyard gate.

The courtyard, which was bustling with warmth just a moment ago, suddenly turned cold, chillingly cold.

"Warm and cozy—!"

Su Xiulan's voice was no longer human. She stumbled into the house and frantically searched behind the stove, under the bed, and beside the water tank.

"Nuan Nuan! Are you playing hide-and-seek with Mommy? Come out now! Mommy won't look for you anymore! Mommy won't look for you anymore!"

She called out again and again, her voice going from shrill to hoarse, until finally only desperate sobs remained.

Gu Jianguo's mind went blank.

The blankness lasted only a second, and then all that remained in his heart was panic and anger.

He shoved aside the person blocking his way, rushed into the house, and looked around every corner.

No!

That figure was nowhere to be seen!

"Where is she?!" Gu Jianguo, his eyes red, grabbed Gu Xiaoan's arm, who had just run in from outside, with terrifying strength.

"Brother, I... I just saw my sister feeding Xiao Hei at the gate of the yard, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared!" Gu Xiaoan was also frightened, and his voice was trembling.

"Where's Xiao Hei?!"

Gu Jianguo suddenly looked up at the sky above the courtyard.

No!

The crow that used to circle near my house every day was nowhere to be seen today!

Gu Jianguo's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

They didn't get lost!

She was... she was taken away!

"try to find!!"

Gu Jianguo roared as he rushed out of the yard, grabbed a hoe from the corner of the wall, and shouted hoarsely at the villagers who were already terrified.

"Search everywhere! Inside and outside the village! Haystacks! Riverbank! Search every inch of the place! Dig three feet into the ground and find him!"

That roar woke everyone up!

"Damn it! Who's got the guts to mess with our village's little darling!"

"Jianguo, don't panic! We'll help you find it!"

"Let's go! Grab your weapons! Block off the village entrance! Don't let anyone escape!"

The villagers, who had been beaming with joy just moments before, now had tears in their eyes.

Who is Nuannuan?

He's a living saint who saved dozens of lives in the mine! He's the benefactor of their entire village!

Now, their benefactor has vanished right under their noses!

This is not just a slap in the face to Gu Jianguo's family, it's a trampling of the faces of the entire village!

The men went home and picked up shovels and carrying poles, while the women shouted from house to house.

"Warm and cozy! Where are you?"

"Little Bodhisattva! Come home for dinner!"

The entire village, which had been filled with the joy of victory, was instantly plunged into the oppressive atmosphere and panic of a thorough search.

Without saying a word, Gu Da'an climbed onto the roof of his house and stood at the highest point, scanning every corner of the village over and over again.

Gu Xiaoan ran wildly all over the village, whistling a tune that only he and Xiao Hei knew.

However, there was no response.

There was not a single response.

Time passed second by second, and the sun slowly began to set in the west, casting long shadows.

They searched the entire village.

The fields, woods, and ditches outside the village were all turned upside down.

No.

Not even a single warm strand of her hair could be found.

Hope is slowly slipping away.

Despair slowly engulfed everyone's hearts.

"Who...who is it..." Su Xiulan slumped to the ground at the courtyard gate, lost and disoriented, repeatedly muttering this sentence.

Sun Cai'e, who had just returned from the town hospital, looked at the chaotic scene and her face gradually lost its color.

A terrible thought suddenly popped into her head!

She recalled yesterday at the hospital, hearing her mother-in-law, Granny Gu, laughing in the next room, her face twisted and contorted, and the indistinct curses coming from her mouth.

"A devil... a devil who has bewitched souls..."

Sun Caie was startled, and the hairs on her body stood on end!

She rushed to Gu Jianguo, grabbed his arm, and her voice was sharp and trembling.

"It was Mother! It must have been Mother who did it!"

Gu Jianguo suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on her.

"What did you say?!"

"It's our mother!" Sun Cai'e stamped her feet anxiously, tears streaming down her face. "Yesterday at the hospital, she cursed Nuannuan, calling her a demon! Saying your whole family is possessed! She even sent Jian'an to find that sorceress Wang, trying to steal Nuannuan's credit! She hates Nuannuan to death! It must be her!"

boom!

Sun Cai'e's words exploded in everyone's hearts!

Yup!

How could they forget that old hag!

The entire village, no, the entire mining area, was grateful to Nuannuan. Only that old hag treated Nuannuan like a jinx from beginning to end!

Just a few days ago, she made such a big joke in order to steal the credit, and became the laughing stock of the whole town!

With her personality, how could she possibly swallow this insult!

"Let's go! To the hospital!" Gu Jianguo threw the hoe on the ground and turned to run towards the village entrance.

The angry villagers swarmed after them, dozens of them, a large and imposing group, exuding a murderous aura!

……

The town hospital.

Grandma Gu was lying in her hospital bed, asking Gu Jian'an to feed her porridge.

The ward door was kicked open from the outside with a loud bang!

The wooden door slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

Gu Jianguo was the first to rush in, followed by a large group of villagers who completely blocked the small ward and corridor.

"Mother!" Gu Jianguo stared intently at the old woman on the bed, his eyes red. "Where's Nuannuan? Where did you take Nuannuan?!"

Grandma Gu was startled by the scene and almost dropped the bowl in her hand.

When she recognized the person as Gu Jianguo, a look of resentment immediately appeared on her crooked face.

"Why are you yelling at me?! What do I care if that little jinx is lost?!" she mumbled, "I think it's just that God opened his eyes and took that monster away!"

"You still dare to be stubborn!"

A relative of one of the rescued miners rushed out of the crowd and started cursing at Old Lady Gu.

"We've all heard! You went to that old witch Wang to steal credit from our family's benefactor! You heartless old hag! Are you just jealous of our success?!"

"It was you! You must have hidden the little Bodhisattva! Hand her over right now!"

The crowd was outraged!

If Gu Jianguo hadn't stopped them, the angry family members would have torn Old Lady Gu off her bed on the spot.

Looking at those faces that seemed to want to devour her, Old Lady Gu felt both fear and hatred.

She never imagined that the little devil had reached such a high level of popularity in the villagers' hearts!

She gritted her teeth and insisted, "I don't know! I've been in the hospital since yesterday and haven't gone anywhere! Stop trying to smear me!"

Gu Jian'an, trembling, stepped forward and stood in front of the bed: "Third Brother, please don't get agitated. Mother really hasn't left the hospital. I can testify to that!"

Gu Jianguo stared intently at Old Lady Gu's face, which showed no remorse.

He knew that his mother was the kind of person who wouldn't shed a tear until she saw the coffin.

He turned to the village chief, Li Dashan, behind him and asked in a deep voice, "Village chief, has anyone seen my mother or Gu Jian'an have been in contact with strangers today?"

Li Dashan immediately pulled over a villager who was standing nearby.

The villager quickly spoke up: "I saw it! Around noon, I saw Gu Jian'an acting suspiciously at the village entrance, talking to two men with out-of-town accents! Those two men looked shifty and obviously not good people! They even slipped a cloth bag to Gu Jian'an!"

All eyes instantly focused on Gu Jian'an!

Gu Jian'an's face turned completely white in an instant!

His legs went weak, and he almost lost his balance. His lips trembled as he stammered, "I...I didn't...you must have mistaken me..."

"search!"

Gu Jianguo didn't waste any words with him; his tone was icy and chilling.

Two strong villagers immediately rushed forward and forcefully pinned Gu Jian'an down.

Someone reached into his pocket and quickly pulled out a bulging cloth bag.

The cloth bag was opened, and a stack of brand-new ten-yuan notes was scattered all over the ground.

There was also an envelope.

Gu Jianguo picked up the envelope, tore it open, and pulled out a slip of paper.

The note contained only one line of crooked handwriting: "West Hill Back Slope, Abandoned Lime Kiln."

It was completely dark.

Su Xiulan remained sitting motionless at the entrance of her own courtyard.

They searched the entire village, but couldn't find even a single hair of Nuannuan's.

Her cries were carried away by the wind in the cold night.

"My Nuannuan, where are you...?"