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

"Warm and cozy!"

"younger sister!"

The family screamed in alarm. Su Xiulan's eyes welled with tears of heartache as she searched for something to bandage the child. "You silly child, what are you doing! Are you trying to scare your mother to death?"

Nuannuan pressed her finger directly onto the ginseng leaf.

The little girl's eyes were brimming with tears from the pain, but she stubbornly refused to cry, her voice trembling with sobs: "Little Green, drink up! Drink until you're full, then take me to find the Golden Doll to save Daddy!"

Da'an stood to the side, his lips pressed tightly together, feeling both heartache and self-reproach. He silently found some gauze at home and stayed by his sister's side.

The drop of blood vanished instantly upon touching the leaf. Immediately afterwards, the entire ginseng plant emitted a faint green glow, not bright, but enough to invigorate everyone in the room.

As soon as the light faded, the earthenware pot was empty.

"Where's the ginseng?" Xiao An rubbed her eyes and exclaimed, "It was just there!"

Su Xiulan panicked and searched everywhere: "Where did it go? Did it fall on the ground?"

The family was frantic; this was a lifesaver!

Nuannuan suddenly laughed, pointing to her forehead: "Mommy, don't look for her anymore, Little Green is right here!"

[Hahaha! Awesome! So awesome!]

[Is this the spiritual energy space? It's perfect for my retirement! The spiritual spring water and the black soil are simply a paradise for ginseng!]

In Nuannuan's mind, Xiao Lü's triumphant voice echoed.

She felt a hazy gray space had appeared in her mind, with a small well in the middle and a patch of black soil beside it. Little Green was planting itself in the black soil, its two leaves soaking in the well water, humming contentedly.

"Little one, this place is great, I'll follow you from now on!"

Don't worry, I keep my word! I'll take you to find that golden idiot tomorrow!

Nuannuan blinked her big eyes and explained to her anxious family, "Xiao Lü said it was tired and went to sleep in my pocket. It also said it would take me to find the Golden Doll tomorrow."

Although no one saw how the ginseng got into the pocket, nor did they see any pockets on Nuannuan's body, there were just too many strange things happening tonight, and everyone was a bit numb.

As long as the child is alright, who cares where it went?

After tossing and turning for most of the night, it was almost dawn.

Su Xiulan finished bandaging Nuannuan's finger, her heart aching as she looked at the layers of gauze. She turned to look at her husband on the kang (heated brick bed), his expression complex, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Jianguo," Su Xiulan made up her mind, "I want to separate the family."

These days, if your parents are still alive, separating from the family is considered unfilial and will make you a target of gossip.

Gu Jianguo stiffened for a moment, but did not scold her.

In the past, he would have definitely advised his wife to be patient. But tonight, his own mother was forcing him with a contract of indenture, and his own brother wanted to sell his daughter; each scene was like a knife tearing into his heart.

"I know this is difficult," Su Xiulan said, her eyes red-rimmed, but her voice was firm. "But I've had enough. I endured it all before for you, for the sake of harmony in the family. I could even tolerate your mother scolding and hitting me. But they shouldn't have done anything, absolutely shouldn't have hurt my child!"

"Nuannuan is only five years old! Da'an and Xiao'an are still growing, eating meager rations every day, and they have to watch out for their own grandmother's schemes. I don't want to live like this for another day!"

"Even if the whole village curses me, even if I have to live in a cowshed, I'll take my children and move out to live separately!"

Looking at his wife's haggard face and his three thin children, tears streamed down Gu Jianguo's face.

He closed his eyes, and after a long while, finally uttered a single word: "Okay."

"But Jian Guo..." Su Xiulan said with some worry, "Your mother will definitely disagree, and besides, your health..."

"No rush." ​​Gu Jianguo opened his eyes, his gaze clear. "This can't be rushed; we have to figure out a way slowly. I know my mother's temperament; if we force her, she'll tear the roof off. We need to find a reason that will force her to break up with us."

Su Xiulan nodded, having made up her mind: "I'll go ask the brigade leader for help later. Let's get your illness treated first, and once you can stand up again, we'll have more confidence!"

After the two discussed it, Su Xiulan decided not to delay any longer.

Saving lives is the priority; every day the golden ginseng is delayed, her husband will suffer for another day.

She tidied up quickly, tucked Gu Jianguo in, carried the still-sleepy Nuannuan on her back, and called Da'an over.

"Xiao An, you stay home and stay with your father. Lock the door and don't open it for anyone!"

"Mom, don't worry!" Xiao An stood in front of the kang (a heated brick bed) holding a kitchen knife, looking like a little door god.

The wind was still blowing outside, it wasn't fully light yet, the mountains were shrouded in thick fog, and it was bone-chillingly cold.

Su Xiulan carried Nuannuan on her back and walked up the mountain, her steps uneven.

Nuannuan nestled on her mother's warm back, her little head bobbing back and forth, secretly whispering to Xiaolü.

"Little Green, is that golden doll your friend too? If we try to catch it, will it be upset?"

Inside the space, the little green leaf, which was taking a bath, froze and swayed a little guiltily.

[Ahem... well... how can we not be friends? We all live on the same mountain, although he lives in a villa on the summit, while I live in a dilapidated temple halfway up the mountain...]

"We caught it... to save a life! It's a spirit, it has sentience, it should... maybe... perhaps it can understand?"

Actually, Little Green wasn't sure either. That golden ginseng was the tyrant of the mountains, with a terrible temper; people usually avoided it. Leading humans to raid its lair—wasn't that betraying a friend?

No, this is called a referral! Yes, it's a referral!

Nuannuan seemed to sense Xiao Lü's guilt, patted Su Xiulan's shoulder with her little hand, and comforted her in a childish voice, "It's okay, Xiao Lü. We won't take it away, we'll just borrow a little bit of its whiskers, okay? Just like we borrowed your leaves, they'll grow back!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lü immediately perked up.

【That's right! The little one is so clever! What's wrong with borrowing a few whiskers? It's not like it'll die! Besides, saving your father, who has accumulated so much merit, will also benefit its cultivation!】

"Let's go! I'll lead the way! Turn left, there's a path behind that big rock!"

Although Su Xiulan couldn't hear Xiao Lü's voice, seeing her daughter pointing the way so skillfully, a fire ignited in her heart.

For the sake of this family, for the sake of her child's father, even if it's a den of dragons and tigers, she's going to brave it today!

Deep in the mountains, in a secluded ravine, a golden ginseng plant emitting a faint fluorescent glow suddenly sneezed.

It shook off the dewdrops clinging to its body and inexplicably felt a chill run down its back.

Which troublemaker has set their sights on this time?

No, we need to find another place.

……

The cold wind howled, and the Gu family's second husband and wife were unwilling to be sent home.

The old lady was also cursing and swearing, repeatedly promising that she would never let this matter pass by.

The couple were still worried and couldn't sleep, so they put on their clothes and sneaked back.

"Honey, we can't let this go like this."

Zhang Aidi was furious. She thought that with her mother's help, the job was a sure thing.

"That's the director, sitting in his office drinking tea and chatting, making over 80 yuan a month. You're just a temporary worker now, working your butt off and only making around 30 yuan."

"Once you become the director, the villagers will respect us more. Our sons will also have more face outside."

Gu Jian'an squatted in the corner, his face still burning with pain.

The third brother has really grown up; he actually dared to lay a hand on me.

"I think the third son is just having a final burst of energy before death. Even if he wakes up, what then? He'll still be a cripple."

The second son of the Gu family had a fierce look in his eyes. If the third son still disagreed, he wouldn't mind eliminating him completely.

The two were whispering to each other when the door to the third brother's house creaked open. The couple quickly shrank behind a pile of firewood, too scared to even breathe.