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

The men around remained silent, heads bowed, afraid of getting into trouble.

Everyone knows that Zhang Sandong is the new factory director's confidant; who would dare to offend him?

Xiao An clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, but he was completely unaware of it.

He was indignant! How could the world be so blatantly corrupt? He worked himself to the bone, his skin and flesh were raw, and his legs were so sore he could barely move, yet he was still worse off than someone who had a good relative.

"Alright! Silly boy, stop getting in the way of us."

Zhang Sandong pulled a crumpled bill from his pocket; it was only one yuan. He tossed it to Xiao An like he was giving money to a beggar.

"Take this and get out! Don't let me see you again!"

"Even if you fight to the death, don't even think about getting a job here."

The banknote fluttered to the ground, and a gust of wind flipped it over. Xiao An stared intently at the coin, her face burning as if she had been slapped hard.

He worked himself to the bone all day, his shoulders were all rubbed raw, and he was only worth one dollar?

But they did less than me, and at least they got 1.5 yuan.

"I don't want your filthy money!" Xiao An kicked the banknotes away, glaring at Zhang Sandong with red eyes. "I'm not having this! I'm going to report you!"

After saying that, he turned and left. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he tilted his head back, stubbornly refusing to let them fall. This was blatant bullying.

"Hey, you shameless brat!" Zhang Sandong spat. "You idiot, like a stubborn donkey."

"Hey, Xiao An, you still want to work here?"

Xiao Yong ran over quickly, his face full of schadenfreude.

Xiao An stared intently at him, while Xiao Yong smirked smugly and took two steps forward. "Just take the money they gave you!"

He shoved the one yuan into Xiao An's arms, leaned closer, and said maliciously, "Do you know how I left this?"

"All the things you carried on are now being pinned on me."

"Little brother, I should thank you."

"If you hadn't worked yourself to the bone, how could your brother have gotten such a good job?"

Xiao Yong's smile was so irritating that Xiao An's eyes turned fierce. Unable to hold back any longer, Xiao An punched Xiao Yong in the face.

"You...you actually dared to hit me!"

Xiao Yong didn't expect Xiao An to dare to make a move, and got hit squarely. He was already a reckless person, and now he was even more furious, raising his fist to smash Xiao An.

The two instantly engaged in a fierce fight, each punch landing with full force.

People nearby saw it and quickly came over to pull the person away.

Both of them were injured. By the time Xiao An returned home, it was already dark, the yard was quiet, and the lights in the house were not on.

Xiao An's heart skipped a beat. Could something have happened at home?

"Dad? Mom? Nuannuan? Big brother?"

He hurriedly pushed open the door. The room was pitch black, with only a few embers remaining in the stove.

"Xiao An?"

Gu Jianguo's voice came from the kang (a heated brick bed), sounding very anxious, "Why are you only coming back now? Did you run into anyone?"

Xiao An lit the kerosene lamp in the dark, and the dim light illuminated the room.

Only his father and older brother were on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Where are Mom and Nuannuan?" Xiao An asked anxiously, forgetting the pain in her shoulder.

Gu Jianguo sighed and recounted how Sister-in-law Hongxia had come to deliver the news earlier that day.

"They went into hiding in the mountains, and I wonder how they are now..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao An's eyes welled up with tears.

Another one driving a Jeep!

He was bullied at the forest farm during the day, and then something happened at home at night.

"Dad, I'm going into the mountains to find them! It's so cold, and the wooden house is drafty. How can Nuannuan stand it?"

Xiao An turned around and was about to rush out.

"Come back!" Gu Jianguo shouted, stopping him. "Why are you so reckless? It's pitch black outside, and it's all snowdrifts. Going into the mountains is suicide! What if those people are waiting outside? If you go out, you'll just be leading them the way!"

Xiao An stood frozen at the doorway and slammed his fist on the door frame.

"Are we just going to be bullied like this?"

"Endure it!" Gu Jianguo gritted his teeth. "As long as our family is still here, we'll have a chance to turn things around. Da'an, get some medicine for your brother; his shoulder is bleeding."

Da'an, who had been silent in the corner, stood up.

He walked behind Xiao An, looked at his younger brother's bloodied and mangled shoulder, reached out and gently touched the wound.

"pain."

Da'an uttered a single word.

Xiao An was taken aback and turned to look at his older brother.

My older brother rarely speaks first and rarely cares about others.

"Brother, it doesn't hurt," Xiao An forced a smile. "It really doesn't hurt."

Da'an didn't say anything, but turned around and started rummaging through the cabinet.

He pulled out a small porcelain bottle, which was the "miracle water" that Nuannuan had given him before, saying that drinking it would relieve the pain.

Actually, that's spiritual spring water.

Da'an handed the bottle to Xiao'an, "Drink."

Xiao An looked at the small bottle; it belonged to her younger sister.

He remembered that soft little dumpling, and her sweet smile when she called him "Second Brother".

My sister must be freezing up in the mountains right now, right?

"I won't drink it, I'll save it for my sister." Xiao An pushed the bottle back.

Da'an shoved the bottle to his lips, "Drink! Okay, now make money to support your sister."

Da'an wasn't quite used to showing concern for others, and his speech was halting, but it warmed Xiao'an's heart. Even her older brother, who was usually indifferent to the outside world, knew how to earn money to support his younger sister, so what was this little grievance he suffered today?

Xiao An tilted her head back, drank the water, and immediately felt a warm current flow down her throat, warming her stomach, and even the sharp pain in her shoulder was relieved.

He clenched his fists, his eyes becoming even more determined.

We absolutely cannot let this go. Why should others benefit from the timber he painstakingly moved in the forest?

Zhang Sandong, Gu Xiaoyong, you just wait!

……

It's cold during the day in the mountains, and even colder at night. The hunter's dilapidated cabin was not windproof to begin with, and the cold wind blew in through the cracks, making people shiver. The cabin was like an icebox, not much warmer than outside.

Su Xiulan took all the dry grass out of her basket and spread it on the ground, then hugged Nuannuan and huddled in a corner.

"Nuan Nuan, are you cold?" Su Xiulan asked worriedly, afraid that the child would get cold. She simply took off her cotton-padded coat, put the little girl in her arms, and used her own body heat to warm her up.

Her little face was rosy and she looked incredibly cute.

"It's not cold, Mommy, hug me, it's not cold at all."

Su Xiulan felt a lump in her throat, blaming herself for being useless, letting Nuannuan suffer in the cold outside with her in the dead of winter.

【Sweetie, this place is so shabby, why don't you come warm up in my space?】

Nuannuan swallowed hard, her mouth watering, but alas, she couldn't.

No! Mommy can't go in. If Nuannuan goes in, Mommy will be even colder!

Nuannuan spoke quietly, and Xiaolü also fell silent.

It was very quiet outside when suddenly I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from afar.

Su Xiulan froze, quickly covering Nuannuan's mouth with her hand and grabbing the wooden stick beside her with her other hand.

Could it be that person has caught up? Su Xiulan was so nervous that she didn't dare to breathe too loudly. But the wooden house only had one door, and not even a spare window.

The footsteps stopped at the door, followed by a rhythmic knock. "Is anyone home?"

Su Xiulan held her breath, too frightened to respond.