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

The room was like an icebox, barely warmer than outside. The man in the Zhongshan suit tapped his fingers on the table, each tap a sharp, resounding sound that pierced the hearts of those eavesdropping outside the door.

"A hundred-year-old ginseng, and a wild ginseng of excellent quality." The man repeated, his voice not loud, but his authority heavy. "That woman was with a child, probably not very old. Brigade leader, is there really no such person in your village?"

The brigade leader was so anxious that he scratched his head and was about to say that there were plenty of women in the village who took care of children when the curtain was suddenly lifted open a crack.

Hongxia's sister-in-law originally wanted to come back to get the scarf she had left behind, but she never expected to hear such a death knell.

Those features, plus ginseng, who else could it be but Xiulan?

This is practically trying to kill someone! Selling privately is speculation, but if you get accused of undermining socialism, you'll be shot.

Sister-in-law Hongxia's face turned ashen. She didn't even bother to grab her scarf. Crouching low, she slipped out of the brigade headquarters courtyard.

As soon as she turned the corner, she took off running.

The snowy road was slippery, and she fell twice without feeling any pain. She got up and kept running, feeling like her lungs were about to burst.

Inside the Gu family's house, the group was still happily chatting. With money and tickets, they finally had hope for the future.

"Bang bang bang!"

The courtyard gate was smashed so hard that the door panels trembled.

"Xiulan! Open the door quickly! Something's happened!"

Su Xiulan's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the money. She rushed out and pulled the door latch.

Sister-in-law Hongxia burst in, panting heavily, and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Run...run!" Sister Hongxia grabbed Su Xiulan's arm, her nails digging into her flesh. "People from the county are here to arrest you! They say they're looking for the woman who sold century-old ginseng, with a child! The car is at the brigade headquarters, it'll be here soon!"

Su Xiulan's mind went blank for a moment.

Has the century-old ginseng story really made a splash?

That was meant to save the nation's life and earn money, how did it become a death warrant?

"Don't just stand there!" Sister Hongxia shoved her, stamping her feet anxiously. "Take Nuannuan and run to the back mountain! Hide in the woods! As long as you don't get caught red-handed, just deny everything and you'll be fine! Hurry!"

Su Xiulan suddenly came to her senses, turned around and rushed into the house.

Gu Jianguo was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) repairing farm tools when he was startled by his wife's panicked appearance.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone's coming to arrest us." Su Xiulan hurriedly grabbed two thick cotton-padded coats, picked up Nuannuan who was still playing with the green frog on the kang, wrapped her in a quilt, and stuffed her into her arms.

Gu Jianguo's face was frighteningly dark, and he slammed his cane into the ground. "Xiulan, you take Nuannuan into the mountains first. Go to that dilapidated wooden house left by the hunters. It's remote, and most people can't find it."

"Then what about you and Da'an?" Su Xiulan's voice was trembling with tears.

"I'm a cripple, what can they do to me? And Da'an, they won't get anything out of me. The main concern is you and Nuannuan. If they get arrested, how will our family survive?"

Gu Jianguo gave his wife a push, "Let's hurry up and walk, before it gets completely dark and we can still see the road."

Su Xiulan gritted her teeth, put Nuannuan in the basket on her back, and wrapped her tightly in a thick cotton-padded coat.

"Da'an, you must listen to your father, lock the door, and don't open it carelessly."

Da'an was still holding a piece of candy in his hand, looking up blankly at his mother and sister.

Nuannuan peeked her little head out from the seam of her cotton-padded jacket, looking a little confused.

[Little Greenie, are they talking about the uncle who drives the car? Is he a bad person?]

A stranger came to the village today.

Little Green was also very anxious. "I don't know! Humans are very cunning."

Nuan Nuan seemed to understand, but not quite. Before Su Xiulan left, she told Nuan Nuan to pack up her things, leaving only some food.

I'm afraid someone might come and take advantage of the situation.

The whole family was so busy that they didn't even notice that Xiao An was missing.

At this moment, Xiao An was still looking at the wood.

The cold wind stung his face like a knife, and Xiao An, with a cloth cushion made by Su Xiulan on his shoulders, struggled to carry the logs that were heavier than him.

The log was heavy, covered in ice, and walking on it chafed the skin on my shoulders.

Sweat dripped into the wound on his back, causing him to gasp in pain.

He gritted his teeth and persevered, thinking that once he finished this job, he would get paid and could also work as a temporary worker in the forest farm.

I became a temporary worker, and I received a monthly salary, which allowed me to buy delicious food for my younger sister and pay for my father's leg treatment.

Good news came from the forest farm today: because there is an abundance of timber, three more staff members will be added.

"The thirtieth one!"

Xiao An threw the last piece of wood onto the woodpile.

He was so exhausted that he sat down on the snow and gasped for breath.

The men around him looked at him with admiration; this kid was ruthless.

Zhang Sandong, wearing a military overcoat and carrying a teacup, walked out of the workers' shed.

"Is everything done?"

He glanced at the people sprawled on the ground, then looked at Xiao An and curled his lip.

"Team Leader Zhang, shouldn't the list be released now?"

Xiao An struggled to get up from the snow, staring at the red paper in Zhang Sandong's hand.

"What's the rush? Are you desperate to be reborn?"

Zhang Sandong sneered and slammed the red paper onto the bulletin board.

"Check it yourself. If your name is called, bring your household registration booklet to complete the procedures tomorrow."

A group of people surrounded them.

Xiao An, being short, was squeezed on the outside, and he stood on tiptoe to peek inside.

Li Dazhuang, Wang Ergou, Zhao Tiezhu...

As Xiao An looked at each name, her heart sank.

No.

How could there be none?

He looked at it again from the beginning, but it was still not there!

But at the end of the list, he saw three words—Gu Xiaoyong.

That's my second uncle's youngest son, Zhang Aidi's second son!

Xiao An's mind went blank, and her blood rushed to her head.

Gu Xiaoyong spent the whole day sleeping by the fire in the work shed, without carrying a single stick. Why is he on the list?

"Team Leader Zhang! This list is wrong!"

Xiao An pushed through the crowd, rushed to Zhang Sandong, pointed at the red paper, and said in a trembling voice, "I carried thirty logs! Gu Xiaoyong didn't carry a single one! Why was he chosen and not me?"

Zhang Sandong blew on the steam rising from the teacup, without even looking at him.

"Why? Because Xiaoyong is physically fit and has the makings of a worker."

"He's healthy?" Xiao An laughed in exasperation, pointing at Gu Xiaoyong, who was fast asleep in the work shed. "He's just lazy! If he were healthy, how come he can't carry any wood?"

"So what if he's not feeling well today and wants to take a day off?" Zhang Sandong slammed his teacup on the table, his face darkening. "I said he's fine, so he's fine. You say I'm being unfair? Then go ahead and sue me!"