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

"Don't move! Listen to your mother!" Gu Jianguo gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

My wife is right. We all live in the same village. Just dividing the family property isn't enough. My mother and second brother's family are shameless. We have to make a complete separation.

Su Xiulan looked at the shameless mother and son, her chest tightening with anger. They stole her nephew's job and then came to kick him while he was down—they weren't relatives, they were worse than enemies!

"Gu Xiaoyong, don't get too cocky." Su Xiulan slammed the fire poker on the ground. "That was the wood Xiao An carried. Someone like you, who only knows how to cheat and shirk, will be a menace at the factory. You'll be kicked out sooner or later!"

"Oh, oh, oh, are you jealous?" Zhang Aidi curled her lip, covering her nose with a handkerchief. "Sour grapes. Anyway, the list is finalized, what can you do about it? Go ahead and complain, the group leader is my cousin, you can complain to the ends of the earth and it won't do you any good!"

Just then, a little figure popped out from behind Su Xiulan. Nuannuan was wearing a big cotton-padded coat and a tiger-head hat, revealing a pink and tender little face.

She toddled over to Zhang Aidi with her short legs and looked up at her.

Zhang Aidi was startled and reached out to push him away, "Go away! You unwanted wild girl, don't get my new clothes dirty."

Nuannuan neither dodged nor got angry; instead, she smiled sweetly and said, "Second Aunt, you look so beautiful in this outfit today."

"It must have cost a lot of money, right?"

These words stunned Zhang Aidi. Her hand, which was about to push the girl away, froze in mid-air. It is said that one does not hit a smiling face. This girl usually avoids her when she sees her. Why is she so enthusiastic today? Could it be that the sun has risen in the west?

"Hmph, at least you have some sense!"

Zhang Aidi withdrew her hand and proudly touched her shiny hair. "This is a new smock I made."

Nuannuan blinked her big, bright eyes, stretched out her chubby little hand, and pointed at Zhang Aidi's clothes, "Second Aunt, you're so rich, did you redeem Sister Pearl?"

Zhang Aidi's expression changed; she had completely forgotten about it.

Last time, they failed to get rid of that brat, and the matchmaker took their daughter away. Actually, they were quite heartbroken. But the mother-in-law said, "She's a money-losing burden anyway; she'll just be given away when she grows up, so it's better to sell her now. If they really want another child, they can have another one; maybe it'll be a son."

Grandma's favorite child is her grandson; she always saves the best food for Jinbao.

"How dare you talk about Pearl like that! She suffered in your place."

Nuannuan waved her little hand, "My mom didn't take any money from the matchmaker, it has nothing to do with Nuannuan!"

"Second Aunt, you have flowers in your hair!"

The little girl's eyes were practically sparkling.

"Flowers?"

Zhang Aidi was puzzled. Could it be that the colored paper was accidentally stuck on, and she hadn't noticed it?

She raised her hand to touch it, when suddenly a piercing squeal came from mid-air.

She subconsciously looked up and saw a large bird swooping down, its two sharp claws aimed straight at Zhang Aidi's forehead.

"Ah..." Zhang Aidi screamed in fright. It was that wretched crow again.

After a few days, that beast had actually grown quite a bit.

Zhang Aidi covered her head and ran, but the crow was faster.

In the blink of an eye, he received several blows to the head, and his once smooth and shiny hair was now a bird's nest.

My scalp is burning; it must have been scratched too.

Zhang Aidi was on the verge of collapse, clutching her head and screaming. Suddenly, she felt a heat on her hand, and a large clump of bird droppings landed precisely on her forehead, flowing down her hair and hand, all the way onto her brand-new blue cloth smock.

An indescribable fishy stench made those behind feel dizzy.

Caw, caw… The crow cawed excitedly, flapped its wings, and flew to the roof. It lowered its head to preen its feathers, its two black beady eyes glancing around the yard from time to time.

"Aaaaah! My hair! My new clothes!"

"It's that hairy beast again! I'm going to beat you to death!"

Zhang Aidi hastily wiped her face, leaving her hands sticky and the stench even stronger. She was just joking; she wouldn't dare fight with a crow.

We've faced off several times, and I've never come out on top.

When Grandma Gu heard the crows cawing, she had already shrunk her neck and hidden in the shed; this time, she was unusually clever.

Gu Xiaoyong, who had just been so frightened that his face turned pale, saw that the crows had stopped attacking people and quickly moved a few steps to the side, looking disgusted. "Mom, stay away from me, you stink."

"Hahaha! What karma!"

Seeing their disheveled state, Su Xiulan felt incredibly relieved. She bent down and hugged Nuannuan tightly. "Look at you! Even God can't stand your bullying, so He sent a bird to teach you a lesson!"

Nuannuan nestled in Su Xiulan's arms, glancing approvingly at Xiao Hei on the roof.

[Little Blackie is awesome! You'll get a treat later, meat strips!]

Little Black barked proudly twice.

That's right! When I strike, I never miss!

Nuannuan... what you said makes so much sense.

Zhang Aidi was still having a breakdown and going crazy, but Grandma Gu didn't want to give up. That bird shouldn't attack people anymore, right?

Her eyes darted around, trying to find something to protect herself from the bird's attack, but she accidentally saw something on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the room!

She rushed into the room with her small feet, only to find that it was a black box.

Although only a corner was visible, Grandma Gu recognized the shiny shell and the antenna.

It's a radio!

Look at its condition, it's even newer than the brigade leader's! There's also a lot of money lying next to it!

The old lady's mind went blank for a second.

Wow! Aren't the third brother's family dirt poor? Where did they get the money to buy such a big item?

These days, speculation and profiteering are serious crimes!

Upon seeing this, Old Lady Gu forgot all about the stench of bird droppings and even her fear. She banged her cane loudly, pointed at the radio, and began to wail:

"Well, I knew you guys weren't getting the money to buy meat! Turns out you were up to speculation!"

"Such a brand new radio! And that table full of money! Su Xiulan, Gu Jianguo, you two are really bold! Daring to undermine socialism!"

This shout was even louder than Zhang Aidi's howl just now.

The neighbor who had secretly followed them to watch the commotion outside the gate immediately exploded upon hearing the words "speculation and profiteering."

"What? Speculation and profiteering?"

"Something really bad is about to happen to the Gu family!"

Su Xiulan's heart sank, and she knew something was wrong.

She remembered telling Nuannuan to put the radio and money away, so why were they still on the kang (heated brick bed)? And the old lady had caught her red-handed!

Seeing Su Xiulan's expression change, Old Mrs. Gu became even more certain that she had guessed correctly. She triumphantly put her hands on her hips, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and threatened fiercely:

"You don't want to be shot, huh? Fine! Hand over all that money, that radio, and the meat you bought the day before yesterday!"

"Or, I could go report you to the Revolutionary Committee right now! Let the Red Armbands arrest you all and parade you through the streets!"