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

The brigade leader dropped his work point book on the table, his face darkening. "Jianjun's son, what nonsense are you spouting? What kind of society is this? Who dares to force you to your death?"

"Let's go take a look!"

The brigade leader was the first to stand up, and the other village cadres also got busy.

Su Xiulan struggled to her feet, crying her heart out, but that didn't stop her from recounting what had happened that day.

She didn't embellish the story, but her desperate expression was heartbreaking to anyone who saw it.

Everyone in the village knew about Su Xiulan's family situation.

I don't know what Grandma Gu was thinking. Her third son was the most successful, but she preferred the other two.

When the third child was doing well, she often insisted on helping him out. Later, when the third child was injured, the doctors said he was only in a coma and might recover soon. But the old lady insisted on giving up and even wanted to give the job to the second child.

It caused quite a stir in the village at the time. If it weren't for Su Xiulan's insistence, the situation of the third son's family would be even more difficult now.

Looking at the disheveled state of the third son's wife, I guess it was the old lady who caused the trouble again.

It was completely dark outside by then. A large group of people had arrived. The villagers, having finished their meals, heard the commotion and curiously peeked out to see what was going on.

"What's going on? Why aren't you sleeping at night?"

"Don't you know? It's all because of that old lady from the Gu family!"

"What happened to the old lady this time?"

"I heard they robbed Jian Guo's house again while his wife was away!"

……

The captain frowned deeply. He had warned the old lady not to cause trouble, but only a day later, she had committed robbery again.

This is truly outrageous!

The courtyard gate was even more dilapidated, hanging on the door frame, looking like it could fall down at any moment.

As soon as I stepped into the yard, I saw broken tiles all over the ground, the ground was dirty, there were frozen pickled mustard greens, clothes that had been trampled and soiled, and a broken clothesline.

Anyone who didn't know better would think a thief had come to rob them!

The captain's face darkened further. He swung his flashlight and went inside.

Winters in Northeast China are very cold, and every household hangs curtains at their doors. The fire in the stove is always burning, but once you enter the Gu family's house, it's as cold as an ice cave.

The captain stepped into the room and stood there, stunned.

The situation inside the room was even worse; the cabinet doors were open, the drawers were on the floor, and tattered clothes and scraps of cloth were scattered all over the place.

The only earthen bed was turned upside down, revealing a large hole in it.

The most frightening sight was Gu Jianguo lying in front of the kang (a heated brick bed), his face covered in blood, and a large patch of frozen blood on the ground, it was unclear whether it was blood or water.

The two children stood protectively in front of their father. Da'an's face was swollen on one side and had several handprints on it. Xiao'an's face was also covered in blood. The two children stood guard beside their father, and Xiao'an was holding a kitchen knife in his hand.

When the flashlight shone on them, the two children trembled with fear.

"Damn it!" The women's director burst into tears at the sight, covering her mouth and turning her head away, unable to bear watching any longer.

The captain's expression changed drastically, and he asked coldly, "What's going on?"

"Quickly, call the doctor over!"

The brigade leader gave the order in a cold voice, and the villagers who had been watching the commotion were also quite shocked.

"What kind of mess have we made?! Has our house been burgled?"

"What do you mean, 'robbed'? Thieves only steal things, they wouldn't injure someone like this!"

"Don't you know? I heard from the kids that Grandma Gu brought her two grandsons over!"

"Oh dear! Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was the pillar of the family. That old lady is so heartless; how could she bully people like this?"

"This is an attempt to drive the third son's family to their doom!"

Captain Gu Chengye was terrified and rushed forward. He checked the person's breath and, finding them still alive, breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned and roared, "Who did this? Who the hell did this? This is a slap in the face to me, Gu Chengye!"

Xiao An, who had been silent until now, crawled forward two steps, pointed with his blood-stained finger at two figures watching the commotion from outside the crowd, and roared:

"It was Dayong and Xiaoyong! It was them! They stole the canned food and flour that the forest farm uncle brought! They even stole my and my brother's cornbread! When Dad tried to stop them, they grabbed his legs and dragged him to the ground. Dayong even kicked Dad in the head! They said Dad was a cripple and it would be better if he died!"

"They also beat me and my brother!"

The room fell silent instantly.

Everyone turned to look at the two young men who were hiding at the back of the crowd, trying to slip away.

Those were the two sons of the second oldest in the Gu family, chubby, dark-skinned, and strong. They were used to being domineering in the village, but now they were still holding half a sugar cake in their hands, their mouths greasy.

Su Xiulan sat on the ground, her face still wet with blood and tears, glaring fiercely at the two of them.

This isn't over yet!

"Nonsense! That's just a child being silly and playing around! How can a nephew try to kill his own uncle? Su Xiulan, you troublemaker, I think you're just trying to smear my grandson!"

The crowd parted to make way, and Old Lady Gu, leaning on her shiny cane, stormed in angrily. Behind her followed her second daughter-in-law, Zhang Aidi, the mother of Dayong and Xiaoyong, who was rolling her triangular eyes with disdain.

As soon as Old Mrs. Gu entered the house, her triangular eyes swept around the room. Seeing the blood on the floor, her eyelids twitched, but her expression remained fierce.

In her view, this was a family matter. Even if someone was beaten to death, it was still a family matter for the Gu family and it was none of the business of outsiders.

"Mother, you've come at the right time." Su Xiulan didn't move, nor did she call out to anyone as usual. She just sat there coldly. "In front of the brigade leader and the whole village, you be the judge. Dayong and Xiaoyong barged in and stole things. My husband and children tried to stop them, and they beat them. Did Jianguo hurt himself with this cut on his head?"

"Oh dear, sister-in-law, your husband is too precious." Zhang Aidi stood behind Old Lady Gu, hands in her sleeves, and spoke sarcastically. "Dayong and Xiaoyong are still growing, aren't they? They thought Uncle San's house had some good food, so what's wrong with them coming over to take some? Shouldn't family members help each other out? Look at how stingy you are. Besides, with the way the third son is now, he's a bottomless pit. Even eating dragon meat wouldn't help him. Giving him those malted milk powder and canned food would be a waste. It's better to give them to our kids. When they grow up, they'll remember Uncle San's kindness and take care of him in his old age."

These words caused an uproar both inside and outside the house.

Even the most gossipy old women couldn't stand it anymore. Was this some kind of human language? Wasn't this just bullying someone to death?

Gu Chengye trembled with rage, pointing at the still-bleeding wound on Gu Jianguo's head, and roared at Old Lady Gu, "Auntie! Do you listen to human speech? Jianguo was injured while fighting for the collective; he's a hero! Now he's still lying on the ground unable to get up, and instead of thinking about treating him, you're condoning your grandson's violent acts and robbery. What's the difference between you and bandits?"

"Captain, you're really putting a huge accusation on him!" Old Mrs. Gu slammed her cane on the ground, stubbornly sticking out her neck and acting like a rogue. "That's my son, his things are my things. What's wrong with my grandson eating some? He just pushed him a little, who knew the third son was so fragile, falling over at the slightest touch, and now she's blaming it on my precious grandson? I think Su Xiulan is up to no good, deliberately injuring the third son to extort money!"