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

"My God..."

Su Xiulan covered her mouth in shock, rubbed her eyes, and thought she was still half asleep.

Is this the same ginseng from last night? It looked only fifty or sixty years old yesterday, but now it's at least 100 years old.

The leaves are as thick as palm fans, and the fruit at the top is so red it's almost dripping blood. The most terrifying thing is the root system, which is as thick as a child's arm. The original broken clay pot has long been cracked by the force of the roots.

Even someone like her, a layman, could tell at a glance that this ginseng was of the highest quality and could fetch an astronomical price if taken to town.

"Hmm? Mother, what's wrong?"

Da'an also woke up and saw the ginseng when he opened his eyes. The usually quiet and indifferent boy instantly widened his eyes.

"This ginseng... has it become a spirit?"

Su Xiulan quickly covered her eldest son's mouth, "Shh, keep your voice down!"

She glanced nervously out the window.

Luckily, it was just dawn, and there was no one on the street at that moment.

"Da'an, quick, find a tattered burlap sack." Su Xiulan's heart was pounding.

This thing is too conspicuous; it's definitely not suitable to put it on the kang (heated brick bed).

If any visitor were to see this, it would be a terrible disaster.

The mother and son hurriedly covered the earthenware pot tightly with burlap sacks, leaving only a tiny bit of the leaves sticking out.

Su Xiulan moved the basin to the top of the large cabinet in the inner room and covered it with a pile of old clothes.

"Remember, if anyone asks, tell them the grass died and was thrown away, understand?"

Su Xiulan gave serious instructions.

Da'an nodded solemnly. Although he was a man of few words, he understood.

My sister is no ordinary person; if this gets out, our family will never have peace.

"Wait a minute... Da'an, you actually greeted me first?"

Su Xiulan belatedly looked at her son. This kid rarely spoke up, and often ignored people when asked questions.

Da'an didn't say anything this time and quietly went out.

Looking at her eldest son's retreating figure, Su Xiulan wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Da'an's condition had improved considerably.

After breakfast, Da'an was fiddling with a piece of wood in the yard. Nuannuan squatted beside him, watching curiously.

"Big brother, what are you doing?"

Da'an didn't speak, but the knife in his hand moved quickly, sending wood chips flying.

Before long, a rough outline emerged.

It is a pony.

Da'an is very skillful; even without professional tools, he carved a lifelike little horse.

The horse held its head high, its mane flying, and its four hooves off the ground. It looked incredibly majestic.

Da'an carefully sanded the wood until all the splinters were smoothed out.

It feels smooth to the touch and isn't prickly at all.

"Here you go." Da'an handed the rocking horse to Nuannuan, his face turning bright red.

"Little sister, play."

Nuannuan took the little wooden horse with delight and touched it again and again, unable to put it down.

Wow! What a beautiful pony!

"Thank you, big brother! Nuannuan loves it so much!"

Nuannuan rushed over and gave Da'an a quick kiss on the cheek.

Da'an's face instantly turned red to the roots of his neck. He stood there helplessly, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Having a younger sister is wonderful.

That day, Nuannuan carried her little rocking horse everywhere she went. Even when she slept at night, she would put it next to her pillow.

"Little horse, let's go to sleep together."

Poor little ginseng, it has been completely forgotten by the little girl.

Nuannuan hugged the rocking horse and quickly drifted off to sleep.

……

The moon rose high in the sky, and the wind howled, as if someone was crying.

The entire village fell into a deep sleep.

Only the occasional bark of a dog broke the silence of the night.

At this moment, outside the courtyard, two furtive figures were creeping along the base of the wall.

"Ouch, are you blind? You stepped on my foot!" Zhang Aidi scolded in a low voice.

"Shh! You little tigress, keep your voice down! Are you afraid they won't know someone's there?"

Gu Jian'an shuddered in fright and quickly covered his wife's mouth.

"Or do you want to bring the whole village here?"

The two were wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats, and their noses were running from the cold.

The temptation of over five hundred yuan from Matchmaker Li was simply too great.

Even in the freezing cold, the couple had to make this trip.

"Honey, are we really going to steal the child?"

Although Zhang Aidi was greedy, it was still illegal, so she felt a little guilty.

"What are you afraid of? That's what our mother told us to do!" Gu Jian'an glared at her.

"Besides, that girl is suffering at the third son's house. We're helping her find a good family to enjoy a better life."

"That five hundred yuan or so is real money!"

When money was mentioned, both of them perked up.

In rural areas, courtyard walls are not high, and with a few people around, they can keep out honest people but not scoundrels.

The two of them easily climbed over the wall and crouched down to the window.

Gu Jian'an had a thin piece of iron in his hand, and he was about to pry open the bolt on the main room door.

Suddenly, voices came from inside the house.

The couple froze instantly, as if they had been frozen in place, and were so frightened that they quickly crouched down and shrank under the window.

"Is that bitch Su Xiulan out of her mind? Who's she chatting with in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Zhang Aidi felt uneasy, and her teeth chattered.

Inside the house, Su Xiulan had just finished feeding Gu Jianguo water. Afraid of startling the child, she kept her voice very low, but it was exceptionally clear in the night.

"Jianguo, the child's grandmother has gone too far this time. After your accident, it's one thing that she didn't help us, but she actually conspired with outsiders to sell Nuannuan."

"I will never forgive this."

Zhang Aidi was so angry she wanted to curse, but in the end, she didn't sell it. Wasn't she the one who got hurt?

Su Xiulan is just being hypocritical!

The wind was howling outside, and it wasn't comfortable for the two of them.

Not daring to stomp their feet, they could only hunch over, hoping that Su Xiulan would fall asleep soon.

Zhang Aidi was impatient and muttered under her breath, "Su Xiulan is the only one who can handle things. Let's go in, knock her out, and take her away."

Gu Jianguo turned and glared at her. "What if I didn't knock her out right away? What if she calls for help?"

"You have two more children, can you control them?"

Zhang Aidi: "What should we do then?"

"Wait a little longer..."

"Xiulan, you've been wronged."

"Mother went too far this time. Don't worry, once I'm better, I'll go and have a word with her..."

The voice was… Gu Jian'an's body stiffened, his eyes widening in shock.

Even Zhang Aidi was paralyzed with fear, her lips trembling and her teeth chattering. "That sounded like... Third Brother's voice?"

Damn it! Gu Jianguo, who had been in a coma for more than half a year and the doctors were telling him to prepare for his death, could actually speak!