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

Both adults were stunned. Gu Jianguo looked at his daughter, then at the crumpled white paper clutched in his hand.

"Nuan Nuan, is this also something you lied about... that you took from your second aunt's house?"

Gu Jianguo originally wanted to say it was a lie, but then he felt it wasn't a good idea.

My daughter is so innocent and kind, she's a warm little sun and a comforting little cotton-padded jacket. How could she possibly do something to deceive people?

That must be someone else's fault. He quickly changed his wording, afraid that the little girl would be sad.

Unfortunately, the little girl was oblivious and didn't catch on to this.

Gu Jianguo reached out and took it. The item was very light, looked somewhat familiar, and felt slightly cool to the touch.

"No, Daddy," the little girl shook her head, "These are clothes that Little Green didn't want anymore, and Nuannuan picked them up! Isn't Nuannuan very thrifty?"

"Little Green said this is very valuable."

Little Greenie? That green ginseng?

Before Nuannuan put it away, it had grown for over 100 years in their broken clay pot in just two days. It could even change its size on its own, it felt like it had become a spirit.

"My little ancestor, those aren't clothes, they're the skin I shed!"

The little green thing in the space is almost hitting the wall.

[This is from a hundred-year-old ginseng root, what you two-legged creatures call the root bark. Even if it can't compare to the body itself, its medicinal effects are still fantastic.]

[Even a random piece can sell for an astronomical price!]

As he spoke, he glanced disdainfully at the ginseng seedlings in the black soil.

[More valuable than all of them combined!]

Nuannuan's eyes shone even brighter; she didn't care about anything else, as long as it was valuable.

"Little Green's clothes?" Su Xiulan leaned closer and looked at them carefully. "They look like dried tree bark, but the color is white."

Gu Jianguo was originally the director of the forest farm, so he had more experience. He picked up the leather, put it to his nose and smelled it. The fresh fragrance rushed into his nasal cavity, and his mind instantly became clear.

His hand holding the leather began to tremble, and his expression became grave.

"Xiulan! Close all the doors and windows tightly!"

Su Xiulan rarely saw her husband so serious. She quickly bolted the door and blocked the windows with rags, then asked anxiously, "Jianguo, what's wrong? Is this thing... unlucky?"

"What's unlucky about it? This is a precious treasure!"

Gu Jianguo lowered his voice, his eyes shining, "If I'm not mistaken, this is the bark of a high-aged wild ginseng root. I've heard the old folks in the forest farm say that century-old ginseng has a spiritual power, and its shed bark can even bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded."

"While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, the efficacy of the medicine... is absolutely undeniable."

"This is a lifesaver!"

"A hundred...a hundred years?" Su Xiulan was speechless for a long time, almost dropping the rag in her hand. "How much would that be worth?"

Gu Jianguo thought for a moment, then looked at his wife with an unusually solemn expression: "Xiulan, you know our family's current situation. We can't take out what Nuannuan has without a proper reason."

"If you suddenly start eating lavish meals or spend too much money, people will definitely get suspicious, and you might even be reported... for speculation and profiteering."

The moment the words "speculation and profiteering" were uttered, Su Xiulan's hands turned cold.

"This piece of ginseng skin is our best excuse." Gu Jianguo held his wife's hand and squeezed her rough hand. "Go to town tomorrow and try to sell it. With this money in a legitimate way, we can buy the children some food and clothes and say it was money from selling medicinal herbs. No one can find fault with that."

Su Xiulan looked at her husband, her heart warmed, and she grasped his hand in return: "Okay, I'll listen to you. It's just... I'm not sure if I can go alone."

"Let Sister Hongxia accompany you," Gu Jianguo immediately said. "She has a kind heart and keeps her mouth shut. With her there, she can serve as a witness, preventing the second brother's family from smearing you again later."

"I'm going too! Nuannuan wants to go too!" Nuannuan raised her little hand and bounced around on the kang (heated brick bed). "Nuannuan wants to buy nice things!"

Da'an and Xiao'an also stared longingly.

Seeing the eagerness in his three children's eyes, especially the lingering marks on his youngest son's face, Gu Jianguo's heart softened. "Alright, they can all go. Consider it a trip to help them relax. But Xiulan, you need to be careful."

"Da'an and Xiao'an, you two stay with your mother and take good care of your little sister, understand?"

Su Xiulan's eyes reddened, and she lowered her head to touch her husband's forehead. "Don't worry, with you at home, I'm not afraid of anything outside."

Gu Jianguo felt a warmth in his heart. Looking at his wife's thin face, he only regretted that his legs were weak and he couldn't protect her from trouble.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Under the old locust tree at the village entrance, an oxcart bound for town was parked.

The driver was Old Liu from the village, and there were already several people on the cart going to town on business.

It's too cold these days, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone's finances are tight, so not many people are going to town.

Su Xiulan, along with her three children and an excited Liu Hongxia, had already secured their spots early.

"Xiulan, are you really going to sell that stuff?" Liu Hongxia asked softly, glancing at the bundle Su Xiulan was clutching tightly. "Is that really the skin of wild ginseng?"

Last night, Su Xiulan went to see her and briefly explained the situation, only saying that Gu Jianguo had picked it up in the mountains before and had never been willing to sell it.

"Well, Jian Guo said it's a good thing. Things are too hard at home right now, so we can only use it to exchange for some money to pay for the children's medical treatment." Su Xiulan sighed and explained the family's difficulties.

When the other villagers on the bus saw the Gu family—one adult and three children—wearing patched cotton-padded coats and with injuries on the children's faces, they didn't ask too many questions. They just looked at them with a hint of sympathy.

The oxcart swayed for two hours before finally arriving in town.

The town wasn't big, but it was much more lively than the village. The supply and marketing cooperative, the state-run restaurant, and the purchasing station were all on the same street.

Su Xiulan didn't go to the supply and marketing cooperative; instead, she took Hongxia and the children to the medicinal herb purchasing station. These days, the purchasing station was state-owned, offering fair prices, but the rates were fixed.

As soon as they reached the door, they saw a middle-aged man wearing a gray woolen overcoat and shiny leather shoes anxiously walking out from inside.

The purchasing station director followed behind him, constantly apologizing.

"Comrade Hu, it's not that I don't want to help you. It's the dead of winter, and the mountains are blocked by heavy snow. Let alone century-old ginseng, we can't even get ginseng that's only a few decades old!" The director said with a troubled expression.

Comrade Hu frowned and sighed, "I know it's difficult for you. Alas, my old man is waiting for help. Not a whole ginseng root, just some ginseng rootlets or skin will do! As long as it's old enough!"

Nuannuan's ears perked up, and her little hands immediately tugged at Su Xiulan's clothes.

"Mom, that uncle seems to be very rich."

Su Xiulan and Liu Hongxia exchanged a glance.

I just arrived, and business is already coming my way.

Selling to a recycling center guarantees a fixed price, but selling to a private individual...

Su Xiulan's heart was pounding, and her palms were sweating. This was a private transaction; what if they got caught...?