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

Nuannuan hid the envelope and huddled even tighter under the covers.

Little Green's mind raced with anxiety: "Human cub, what are you going to do? Just wait around? What if that old hag goes crazy and locks you up?"

Nuannuan didn't answer, her little hands clutching the corner of the blanket, her mind preoccupied with something.

She couldn't run away; the situation outside was unclear. If she ran out and was caught, Old Lady Lin would definitely be even more vicious.

She couldn't just stand there and argue. Her crying earlier had already aroused the suspicion of Old Lady Lin. If she continued to make a scene, the old woman might tie her up.

Then there's only one way left: delay.

It dragged on until Dad came looking for us.

"Little Green, I need to pretend to be good."

"Pretending to be innocent?" Little Green's ginseng whiskers stood up. "You're just a five-year-old brat, and your acting is so good?"

"Nuan Nuan acted in it."

Nuannuan muttered to herself that she used to pretend every day when she was in the Lin family, pretending to be obedient, pretending not to be hungry, pretending not to be cold, and pretending not to be in pain.

She couldn't speak back then, but now she can.

The sound of bowls and plates clattering came from the kitchen, and Grandma Lin came in carrying a bowl of very thin corn porridge.

"Nuan Nuan, come and eat."

Nuannuan crawled out from under the covers, took the bowl, and took a sip.

It's cold.

The corn porridge had no salt or sugar added, so it tasted very bland.

Nuannuan wrinkled her nose but didn't say anything, drinking sip by sip.

Grandma Lin sat beside her, her eyes fixed on her, muttering to herself.

"Your father said in his letter that he will come back for the New Year. Be a good boy and listen to your grandmother. She will kill a chicken for you to eat then."

Nuan Nuan put down the bowl, wiped her mouth with her sleeve, sniffled, and her voice still had a nasal tone from crying.

"Then, when will Nuannuan be able to see her father?"

Grandma Lin felt relieved.

They've taken the bait, this time they've really taken it.

She quickly came over and patted Nuannuan's back: "It'll be soon, your father will be back once you've cured your uncle."

Nuannuan pouted and asked again, "Is Uncle's illness very serious?"

"It's serious, it's really serious," Old Mrs. Lin quickly added fuel to the fire, afraid that she might change her mind. "Your eldest uncle used to be such a strong and healthy man. He had an accident in the coal mine and broke his leg. Your second uncle also injured his back. The whole family depends on your grandmother to support them. It's so hard..."

As she spoke, she actually started wiping away tears.

Nuannuan rolled her eyes inwardly at her forced crying face, but obediently nodded.

"Then Nuannuan should go see her uncle."

Nuannuan wanted to complain. The bad grandma was lying again. She had heard that the two uncles were not going down the well at all, but going to the forest farm to steal wood.

They fell from the tree; if it weren't for their family's dire situation, both of them would have ended up in jail.

Grandma Lin's eyes lit up, and she stood up abruptly, grabbing Nuannuan's hand and leading her into the inner room.

"Alright, alright, come on, Grandma will take you!"

As soon as the curtain to the inner room was lifted, that smell wafted out again.

This time, Nuannuan was prepared. She covered her nose with her sleeve and walked in with her short legs.

The old man on the bed, whose leg was broken, heard the noise and turned his head with difficulty.

His face was so thin it was unrecognizable, his cheekbones were high and prominent, and his lips were chapped. When he saw a little girl come in, his cloudy eyes flickered.

"Mother, this is..."

"Yes, this is your niece, Nuannuan," Grandma Lin's voice cracked with excitement, "She's skilled; she can heal the sick. She saved so many people at the mine!"

The uncle's lips trembled, but he didn't say anything, and his head slumped back onto the pillow.

Nuannuan? When did that skinny little bitch become so beautiful? She doesn't look like her at all.

My second uncle, who was on the other bed, didn't move at all from beginning to end.

Nuannuan stood between the two beds, looking left and right.

"Little Green, the black aura around them is so thick."

"Nonsense! One of you has had a broken leg for at least half a year, and the other has a lumbar spine injury. These are both old injuries. Plus, this place is damp and gloomy, and the illness has seeped into your bones. Even if I wanted to help you, I would have to accumulate your spiritual energy for three to five years first!"

Nuannuan understood.

She turned around and faced Old Lady Lin, her small face displaying a troubled yet earnest expression.

"Grandma, Nuannuan wants to go out and find medicine."

"Looking for medicine?" Old Mrs. Lin was taken aback. "What medicine?"

"Nuan Nuan needs leaves to cure her illness." Nuan Nuan stretched out her little hand seriously and gestured, "Green leaves, the freshest ones."

Grandma Lin was also skeptical, but remembering the strange stories they had spread, she decided to believe them for now.

After all, some things are better believed than not. Besides, he has no other choice now.

"Okay, I'll take you to look in the yard!"

It's called a yard, but the area outside isn't very large. In the southwest corner, there are a few wilted cabbages with leaves eaten by insects.

Nuannuan slowly walked over, touched the cabbage leaves with her little hands, and mumbled something under her breath.

Grandma Lin and Wang Guixiang stood behind, watching nervously, not daring to breathe too loudly, for fear of disturbing Nuannuan's spellcasting.

Nuannuan touched it for a long time, but still managed to pull off a leaf. The leaf was a bit yellow and had two insect holes on it.

Seeing the little girl dust herself off and stand up, Old Mrs. Lin's lips twitched violently.

I wanted to curse, but I didn't dare. What if this was the little girl casting a spell?

However, these rotten vegetable leaves didn't look like a miracle cure at all. Old Mrs. Lin felt she had been tricked, but she had no proof.

Wang Guixiang muttered to herself, "Mom, why do I think this little slut is unreliable?"

"Shut up!" Old Mrs. Lin slapped him across the face.

Nuannuan had already climbed back to the broken kang in the outer room, tucked into the quilt, and only half of her little head was sticking out.

Her little hand twitched. While she was looking for medicine in the yard, Nuannuan saw a hole at the base of the wall and secretly slipped a few pastries in.

Little Green told her that rats lived in that hole.

"Little Grey," Nuannuan called out in her heart.

Inside the space, a dusty little mouse pricked up its ears.

"Get out of here quickly! Find your companions! Go out through that cave and run east. Find my father, Gu Jianguo, the tall, thin man with calloused hands!"

Little Grey squeaked twice and darted out through the spatial passage opened by Warm Warm.

Nuan Nuan breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the blanket up, leaving only her eyes showing.

Little Black is in the sky, Little Gray is on the ground.

There are two roads, one of which will always lead you home.

Suddenly, voices came from outside.

Old Mrs. Lin's tone changed suddenly, becoming warm and obsequious, completely different from the person who had just scolded Wang Guixiang.

"Oh, Qiaomei's here! Come in and have a seat!"

The curtain was lifted, and a young woman entered.

He was in his early twenties, not very tall, with tanned skin, two braids, and wearing a faded blue cotton jacket.

As soon as the girl entered the room, her eyes darted around, scanning everything in the room before finally landing on Nuannuan, who was curled up on the bed.

"Is this the little Bodhisattva who's all the rage?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but she spoke quickly, with a crisp and efficient manner.

"Yes, yes, yes." Grandma Lin pulled her hand and led her inside, her face crinkling with a smile. "It's her, Nuannuan, your future fourth aunt has come to see you! Quickly, greet her!"

Fourth Aunt.

Nuannuan tilted her little head and looked at the girl.

"Little Green, who is she?"

"Your deadbeat fourth uncle's girlfriend, her name is Li Qiaomei. I can smell her scent; that woman is cunning. You'd better watch out."

Li Qiaomei stood by the bed and looked Nuannuan up and down.

Nuannuan was also looking at her.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, and Li Qiaomei smiled first.

"She's quite pretty," she said, turning to Old Mrs. Lin. "Mother, the rumors outside are so outrageous. I thought she was much bigger than me. Is she really this small?"

"You can't judge a book by its cover," Old Mrs. Lin quickly pulled her aside and embellished Nuannuan's great achievements at the mine, spitting as she spoke with excitement.

"Once we have her, our lives will be turned around. People will come to our door to pray for medical treatment or peace. Money will just be flowing into our house!"

Li Qiaomei listened without replying.

She glanced at Nuannuan again, this time looking at her more closely.

Nuannuan huddled under the covers, clutching the corner of the blanket, deliberately putting on a timid look.

Li Qiaomei suddenly spoke up.

"Auntie, since she's a lucky charm, why don't we let her do some fortune-telling?"

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"When will your family become wealthy?"