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

Even though she was already very disappointed in Old Mrs. Gu, Su Xiulan still felt a chill in her heart upon hearing these words.

Her own man is her own son. How could a mother say such heartless things?

Su Xiulan opened her mouth, about to speak, when Gu Jianguo on the kang (a heated brick bed) moved. He grabbed a wooden stick by the edge of the kang and slammed it heavily to the ground.

The loud thud startled everyone inside and outside the house.

"Mother, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want!" Gu Jianguo's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, his voice not loud, but as cold as a knife, "Who did you just call a speculator?"

Gu Jianguo was always gentle and respectful towards Old Madam Gu.

Her sudden outburst of anger startled Old Mrs. Gu, but seeing the brand-new radio, she couldn't help but feel envious. Jinbao had mentioned wanting a radio more than once. Unfortunately, the family wasn't well-off.

"Gu Jianguo! How dare you talk back! Where did this radio come from? And the money on the kang (heated brick bed)? Don't think I don't know, your family is so poor that even mice avoid you, you can't even afford to eat, how could you afford such fancy things?"

"Unless you're reselling it on the black market!"

The more the old lady talked, the more she believed it; anyone who didn't know better would think she had seen it with her own eyes.

"The radio was a junk I bought from the scrap yard, and Da'an fixed it." Gu Jianguo pointed to the things on the kang (a heated brick bed), his veins bulging. "The money was exchanged for ginseng peels I picked up in the mountains before, with Sister-in-law Hongxia with me. What, this isn't acceptable either?"

"Oh my god! Are you kidding me? Da'an's a complete idiot, he can't fix a radio? If he could, pigs would fly!"

Grandma Gu looked disdainful, spitting all over the room.

"Exactly!" Zhang Aidi chimed in, "Third brother's family, you're really good at making things up. Look at this radio, it looks brand new. Who would be so bored as to throw such a good thing away at the junkyard? I bet you guys just smuggled it on the black market."

Zhang Aidi still harbored resentment about being cheated out of her money through speculation and profiteering, and wished she could lock up the entire third son's family.

"I don't believe you!" The old woman clearly intended to renege on her promise. "I don't care, this stuff of yours is of dubious origin! If you don't hand it over to me, I'll report you to the commune! I'll send your whole family to jail!"

Su Xiulan was so angry she laughed again.

She walked a few steps to the door and shouted to the crowd watching the commotion outside, "Aunt Zhang! Don't just stand on the wall watching the show. You saw Da'an repairing the radio with your own eyes that day! We even made a bet: if Da'an fixed it, you'd owe me five yuan! You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

Aunt Zhang, who was watching the show from the top of the wall with her neck hunched over, turned green with rage.

I was just there to watch the fun, how did I end up getting myself all tangled up in this mess?

All eyes turned to her, and Aunt Zhang couldn't avoid them. She could only manage a dry laugh: "Well... that's true. Old Gu's Da'an did tinker with a bunch of parts, and I never expected it to actually make a sound."

"Did you hear that?" Su Xiulan turned to stare at Old Madam Gu. "We have witnesses! Go ahead and report us if you want! I'll accuse you of false accusation and have Hongxiugu arrest you and lock you up for a few days. That way, we can save on food for the family!"

Grandma Gu choked, her eyes darting around.

She stared at the money and radio on the table, then plopped down on the doorstep, slapping her thigh and wailing, "Oh my God, I can't live anymore! I raised my son with so much hardship, and now he's got money and he's turned his back on me!"

"So what if we split up the family property? I'm still your mother! You have money to eat meat and buy radios, but you watch your own mother go hungry. You deserve to be struck by lightning!"

"You have to give me this radio, and you have to give me half the money! Otherwise, I'll hang myself on your doorstep and make you bear the blame for driving your own mother to her death!"

Su Xiulan was so angry she wanted to punch someone, but Nuannuan, who had been watching the commotion without saying a word, peeked out from behind her.

The little girl clung to the doorframe with both hands, tilting her head to look at the old lady, and said in a childish voice, "Bad grandma, shame on you. Last time when we divided the family property, Uncle wrote a note, why are you asking for money again now?"

"Shut up, you good-for-nothing!" Old Mrs. Gu grabbed a broken shoe sole and was about to throw it at her. "Who gives you the right to interrupt adults!"

Su Xiulan shielded her daughter behind her, her eyes blazing with anger: "Mother, if you keep making a scene like this, then we can't live together anymore. The division of the family property was clearly agreed upon back then; do we need to pull out the IOU and read it again? You still haven't paid us back the money and things you owe us!"

"I don't care!" Old Mrs. Gu was now as stubborn as a mule, determined. "I don't acknowledge that document! I'm your mother, your things are mine! If you don't give it to me, I'll... I'll..."

The old lady glanced to the side and saw Gu Xiaoyong still standing there in a daze. She immediately scolded, "Xiaoyong! Are you dead?! Those are our things, go and get them!"

Gu Xiaoyong had been eyeing that radio for a while.

He had seen it at the supply and marketing cooperative. If you took this thing out, you'd be the most impressive guy in the whole village!

Hearing his grandmother speak, the boy, driven by a mischievous impulse, took advantage of the adults' confrontation at the door and, like a mouse, darted under Su Xiulan's arm and headed straight for the kang table.

"Mine! All of them are mine!"

Gu Xiaoyong reached out and grabbed the radio.

"Shameless!" Xiao An shouted anxiously, trying to rush over to stop him, but he was too far away.

Gu Xiaoyong's finger was about to touch the antenna.

Suddenly, a large hand reached out from the sky, like an iron clamp, and grabbed Gu Xiaoyong's wrist.

A soft "click" sounded.

"ah--!"

Gu Xiaoyong screamed and knelt down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Gu Jianguo sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), his face grim, his fingers gripping Gu Xiaoyong's wrist tightly.

"I already said, these are my things." Gu Jianguo stared at Gu Xiaoyong and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Who gave you permission to take them?"

Everyone inside and outside the house was stunned.

"Third brother! What are you doing! Let go of me, or your hand will break!" Zhang Aidi lunged forward to scratch Gu Jianguo.

Su Xiulan held the fire poker horizontally forward, pressing it against Zhang Aidi's chest: "Try moving!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Grandma! Help! Uncle is going to kill me!" Gu Xiaoyong cried with snot and tears streaming down his face, his wrist aching terribly.

Grandma Gu jumped up from the ground in fright, pointing at Gu Jianguo and trembling, "You've gone too far! You've gone too far! Third son, how dare you hit your nephew! You unfilial son! I'll report you to the commune!"

Gu Jianguo suddenly flung his hand, sending Gu Xiaoyong rolling twice on the ground before crashing into Zhang Aidi's leg.

"Then go sue!"

Gu Jianguo gripped the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) tightly, his eyes wide with anger:

"Let's go to the commune today and settle this matter! You stole Xiao An's job, robbed my house, and now you're trying to extort money from me? Fine, I'm not going to be your relative anymore!"

Gu Jianguo roared at the top of his lungs, "Sever all ties! Completely sever ties! I no longer acknowledge this rotten family!"