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

Nuannuan's body stiffened for a moment.

Old Mrs. Lin's fingers dug into her arm, her nails almost digging into her flesh. The hot, fishy smell sprayed near her ear, making her earlobe burn.

"Only I know your father's whereabouts."

Grandma Lin lowered her voice even further, so low that Wang Guixiang next to her couldn't hear it.

"If you go with them, you'll never know anything about your biological parents again in your life."

The courtyard was eerily quiet.

Dozens of people held torches, and all the light fell on Nuannuan. The small figure stood at the door of the side room, her arm held tightly by Old Lady Lin, unable to take a single step out.

Su Xiulan knelt on the ground, supporting herself on the muddy ground as she stretched forward. Her mouth was open but she couldn't make a sound; her throat was completely ruined, and she could only make hissing noises.

Gu Jianguo's hand, gripping the machete, trembled, veins bulging from the back of his hand to his forearm. He took a step forward, but Gao Yuan stopped him with a hand.

"Let the children choose for themselves."

Gao Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but Gu Jianguo stopped.

Nuan Nuan kept her head down, and no one could see her expression.

After a while, she finally raised her head.

Her little face was covered in tear stains, her nose was bright red, her lips were pursed, and her chin was twitching.

When Grandma Lin saw her look up, she quickly came closer, forcing a smile that gave people goosebumps.

"My dear grandson, you've thought it through. Stay here, and Grandma will tell you everything."

She loosened her grip on Nuannuan's arm and instead patted her head, the gesture exaggerated and affected.

"As long as you stay, this house and that letter are all yours. Grandma will even kowtow to you for them."

As Grandma Lin spoke, she actually started to squat down.

This scene stunned everyone in Niulan Village: an elderly woman in her sixties or seventies was about to kowtow to her five-year-old granddaughter.

The people in Gujia Village were extremely anxious.

"Nuan Nuan, don't listen to her, that old hag is lying to you."

"Little Bodhisattva, come here quickly, your parents are over here."

The shouts were chaotic, and the firelight flickered back and forth.

Nuannuan stood there, a tiny girl, while dozens of adults on both sides were shouting at the top of their lungs, but she didn't look at anyone.

She was thinking.

The envelope was taken by Old Lady Lin and placed in the second drawer of the broken cabinet in the side room, which she had seen when she was locked in the side room.

She had to get the envelope back.

But she couldn't go get it now; Old Mrs. Lin was watching her, Wang Guixiang was guarding the door, and the yard was full of people.

unless……

Nuannuan's mind raced for a moment before she suddenly looked up at Su Xiulan.

Su Xiulan knelt in the mud, her face covered in tears, her hands outstretched towards her.

Nuannuan's tears welled up again; this time, she really wanted to cry.

She turned her head away from Su Xiulan, afraid that if she looked at her, she would run over without caring about whether she believed it or not.

"Warm and cozy."

Gu Jianguo's voice came from the crowd, hoarse and raspy, and he uttered just two words.

Nuannuan's body shivered slightly.

She suddenly swung her arm, shaking off Old Lady Lin's hand.

With her short legs, she took a step forward, staggering and unsteady, her bare feet treading on the gravel and mud, and stumbled as she ran towards Gu Jianguo.

"dad!"

That shout was shrill and thin, as if the throat had cracked, yet it was the loudest sound in the courtyard.

Su Xiulan burst into tears instantly, collapsing to the ground and wailing.

Gu Jianguo threw down his machete, rushed out in two steps, squatted down, and scooped Nuannuan into his arms.

He held on very tightly.

Her warm little face was buried in the crook of his neck, and her little hands were clutching his collar until her knuckles turned red.

Gu Jianguo rested his chin on the top of her head, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

He felt as if his heart had been shattered and then squeezed back together; it hurt terribly, yet he felt at peace.

Su Xiulan crawled over, knelt down, and repeatedly touched Nuannuan's back, arms, and calves, muttering in a hoarse voice.

"Are you alright? What about your arm? What about your leg? Let Mom take a look."

Cheers erupted in Gujia Village.

"They're back, the little bodhisattva is back."

"Well done! Nuannuan, that's our daughter for you."

Gu Xiaoan rushed over and squatted down beside her. The flashlight was shining randomly, and she didn't know where it was shining. In the end, she simply turned it off and reached out to touch Nuannuan's little head.

"Little sister, I'm here, I'm here."

Gu Da'an appeared behind Gu Jianguo at some point, his gaze fixed on his younger sister.

Nuannuan nestled in Gu Jianguo's arms, crying and hiccuping.

Just when everyone thought the dust had settled.

Nuannuan's little mouth came close to Gu Jianguo's ear.

She lowered her voice so low that even Su Xiulan next to her couldn't hear it.

"dad."

"Um."

"The letter was fake, but there was something else in the envelope that Nuannuan didn't have time to read."

Gu Jianguo's body stiffened.

"It's in the second drawer of the cabinet in the side room. Nuannuan needs to get it back. You all have to wait for Nuannuan."

After saying that, Nuannuan slid off Gu Jianguo's arms.

Everyone was stunned.

Nuannuan wiped away her tears, turned around, and walked back step by step with her short legs.

He walked back to Grandma Lin's side.

She lowered her head and tugged at the hem of Old Mrs. Lin's clothes with her small hand.

The cheers in the courtyard came to an abrupt halt.

Su Xiulan's hand froze in mid-air, reaching for nothing.

Gu Xiaoan's mouth was open, and she couldn't close it for a long time.

The firelight shone on the back of Nuannuan's head, revealing her slender neck, which was slightly crooked in her little bun.

"Nuan Nuan" Su Xiulan's breathy voice was sharp and piercing.

She doesn't understand.

Nobody understands.

Grandma Lin was stunned for two seconds, and then a smile slowly appeared on her wrinkled face.

The laughter grew louder and more unrestrained until finally she tilted her head back and laughed hoarsely at everyone in the courtyard.

"Did you see that? Did you all see that?"

She grabbed Nuannuan tightly and yelled at Gu Jianguo and the others.

"Blood is thicker than water; relatives are relatives."

"She is a member of the Lin family, she chose herself, and none of you can take her away from me."

These words struck Gu Jianguo squarely in the face, leaving him rooted to the spot, his face draining of color little by little.

Su Xiulan knelt in the mud, her hands supporting her on the ground, her fingers digging into the soil, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

The warmth of Nuannuan, which I had just been holding in my arms, was still lingering in my hands, but I walked back to her.

He walked back to the old woman's side.

Why?

These three words were all that remained in Su Xiulan's mind, swirling around in her head.

Gu Xiaoan dropped his flashlight on the ground. He stood there without moving, his lips bleeding from where he had bitten them.

Gu Da'an clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, and took a step forward, only to be pulled back by something.

It's Gu Jianguo.

Gu Jianguo reached out and pressed down on Gu Da'an's shoulder.

Those few words kept going over in his mind.

The letter is fake.

There was something else in the envelope.

A side room, a cabinet, the second drawer.

His five-year-old daughter was locked up by the old hag for a day and a night. She didn't cry or make a fuss, and even found the key thing and remembered its location.

Now she went back.

It wasn't because she chose Old Lady Lin.

It's because she still hasn't received something.

Gu Jianguo's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed back the rising sourness.

He turned his head, put his hand on Su Xiulan's shoulder, and brought his mouth close to her ear.

"Don't panic."

Two words.

Su Xiulan looked up at him, her face covered in tears and her eyes full of confusion.

But she saw that Gu Jianguo's expression had changed. It wasn't the despair he had shown earlier, but something she couldn't quite describe. Yet, her heart inexplicably calmed down.

Gu Jianguo then said two more words: "Trust me."

Su Xiulan bit her lip, forcefully suppressing the urge to rush out.

The torches in the courtyard swayed in the wind. The people of Niulan Village whispered among themselves, while the people of Gujia Village looked at each other in bewilderment.

Grandma Lin hugged Nuannuan, her smile so wide she couldn't stop.

She felt she had won.

But she didn't notice that when Nuannuan bent down and tugged at her clothes, her other hand was secretly pointing towards the side room.

Little Grey was squatting at the entrance of the hole at the base of the fence, its two little eyes fixed on that direction.