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

Su Xiulan readily counted out the bills and handed them over, still having some left over.

Nuannuan tiptoed and poked the oil paper package with her little hand.

Wow! So much meat! We can have braised pork belly for dinner tonight!

Su Xiulan held the large bag in her arms; it felt heavy, but her heart was sweeter than honey. She peeled two White Rabbit candies, putting one into Xiao An's mouth and the other into Da An's.

The rich milky aroma dissipated instantly.

Xiao An squinted her eyes happily: "Mom, it's so sweet!"

"Eat as much as it's sweet! We'll eat it every day from now on!" Su Xiulan patted her son's head, peeled another one for Nuannuan, and said, "Let's go home!"

The mother and her three children walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative with their heads held high and chests out.

As soon as they left, the saleswoman picked up the sweater again and spat at their retreating figures: "Pah! You nouveau riche bumpkins, you think you're something special just because you have a little money. Instead of buying pots, you buy a bunch of food. You'll squander it all sooner or later!"

Nuannuan's little ears twitched.

She didn't turn around, but silently made a mental note of this mean aunt.

[Hmph, Little Green, write this down in your little notebook. Next time, have Little Black airdrop some local specialties on her head!]

Inside the space, Little Green, who was gnawing on a ginseng peel, shivered: […Little ancestor, where did you get this vengeful streak from?]

Once outside the supply and marketing cooperative, a cold wind blew, and Su Xiulan finally calmed down.

She looked at the huge pile of things in her arms and felt troubled again.

"How are we going to carry all this stuff back? If the people on the oxcart see it and it gets back to the village, what will happen at the old house..."

Before they even stepped inside the house, Grandma Gu and Zhang Aidi would probably be there, drawn by the smell of meat.

"Mom, over here!"

Nuannuan pulled Su Xiulan and they went into a dead-end alley.

"Hey? Nuannuan, where are you going?"

Su Xiulan followed, carrying the things. This alley was a dead end, piled with junk, and nobody ever came here.

Nuannuan made sure no one was around, then turned around and winked at the pile of things.

"Mommy, can you let Nuannuan keep the meat and candy? You forgot Nuannuan has magic!"

Before Su Xiulan could figure it out, Nuannuan waved her little hand.

Suddenly, her arms felt light! The five pounds of pork, two pounds of milk candy, and those two large bags of cotton were gone in an instant!

Only one roll of fabric remained, which he was still holding in his hands.

"This..." Su Xiulan was terrified. "Where are the things? Nuannuan, this..."

Suddenly she remembered Nuannuan hiding the steamed buns; how could she have forgotten about that?

"Shh—" Nuannuan put her index finger to her lips and whispered, "It's in Little Green! If you put the meat in there, it'll always be fresh!"

Da'an, standing beside him, stared wide-eyed, but kept his mouth tightly shut, as if this were a huge secret. Xiao'an, on the other hand, looked on with adoration; his little sister was truly a fairy!

Su Xiulan pressed her wildly beating heart and took a while to calm herself down.

She crouched down, grabbed Nuannuan's shoulders, and warned in a low voice, "Nuannuan, this has to be kept a secret. Don't tell anyone except our family! Understand?"

"I know!" Nuannuan playfully stuck out her tongue. "I'll only tell Mom and Dad, and my older brothers! I won't tell anyone else if they ask."

Su Xiulan gently ruffled her daughter's soft hair, looking at the two little pigtails she had styled for her daughter. The more she looked at them, the cuter they seemed. "You can't wear them in front of others!"

"And you two, if your sister needs anything, make sure to cover for her."

Both sons obediently nodded, and Su Xiulan finally breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at her empty hands.

When we go back later, we can take some cloth with us. Although it will attract envious people, it's still better than taking five pounds of meat.

"Shall we take a car home now?"

The business in town is almost done. I never expected to make so much money from the ginseng peel. I bought a lot of things and still have some left over. This is great news!

Although we didn't buy a pot, an earthenware pot will do. I'll stew some tonight to give my husband and the kids a good boost.

To everyone's surprise, the little girl shook her head vigorously. She turned around, raised her little hand, pointed to the scrap metal collection station at the end of the street, her eyes practically gleaming with excitement, "Mommy, let's go there!"

"Why are you going to the junkyard? It's a place that collects scrap; there's practically nothing usable there. It's dirty and messy there. If you get hurt, Mom will be heartbroken!"

Nuannuan smiled, her eyes crinkling to reveal two dimples. "Mommy, you're silly. Don't buy that ugly and flimsy pot."

"There are treasures over there! Lots of really valuable treasures!"

Xiao Lü has called her several times, urging her to hurry up and come over.

The little girl didn't know what good stuff it was, but it was very valuable.

Su Xiulan saw that it was still early and the oxcart wouldn't leave until the afternoon, so she took the children there. After all, it wouldn't hurt to take a stroll around.

"Okay, I'll do as Nuannuan says!"

The gate of the scrap metal recycling station was ajar, and there was junk everywhere. Usually, apart from old men and women who collect scraps, few people visit it.

Before even entering, a musty smell mixed with the rusty odor hit me, and the smell was very pungent.

The old gatekeeper was wearing a tattered cotton coat so dirty that its original color was unrecognizable, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and his eyelids drooping.

"Sir, may I go in and browse for some household items?"

Su Xiulan stepped forward and greeted the old man politely.

The old man raised his eyelids slightly, glanced at the mother and her children, saw that their clothes were all patched, and waved his hand impatiently.

Once given permission, Nuannuan's eyes practically lit up with excitement. She let go of her mother's hand and ran inside with her short little legs.

Little Green in the space was even more excited.

[Go for it! I want good stuff!]

Little Green was even more excited than Nuan Nuan, and screamed:

[On the left! Under that pile of tattered newspapers in the corner!]

[There's one in the right corner too, oh my god, are those two-legged beasts blind? What a waste! I can't stand it anymore!]

"What a lousy place! If my family wasn't so desperate for food, I wouldn't be suffering here!"

A sharp, complaining voice rang out, and a woman wearing a blue floral cotton-padded jacket, with hair as messy as a bird's nest, walked in, cursing and swearing.

She was very fat, but her bones were extremely high. She rolled her eyes at people, and her spittle flew everywhere when she spoke. She carried a large bag in her arms, which contained empty wine bottles and old newspapers.

As soon as she entered the gate, the woman saw people in the yard and spat out a disdainful spit.

"pauper."

It seems their lives are even worse than hers; anyone with a little money would never come here to scavenge.

Nuannuan, who had just run to the left corner of the wall, heard this familiar voice and her little body shrank back in fright.

She would never forget that voice, even in death.

It's my aunt!

She's a wicked aunt who constantly hits her, twists her, pulls her hair, doesn't give her food, and even dragged her to the edge of a cliff and abandoned her in the snow.

Nuannuan was so frightened that her face turned pale. She quickly turned her head away and curled up under the tattered newspaper, trembling.

The fat woman threw the tattered bag on the ground, then suddenly turned her head and looked towards the east corner of the wall.

"Warm and cozy?"

"Ha, I knew it! You little jinx, you're tough as nails, you're definitely not dead! Get out here! I'll beat you to death!"

The fat woman started running, her eyes fierce. As she spoke, she pulled out a dark red waist rope and swung it around in her hand.