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

Nuannuan's little mouth gaped open in an "O" shape, and she covered her mouth with her two little hands, exclaiming in surprise, "Wow! Big brother fixed this big box!"

Da'an salvaged this thing from a junkyard. When he brought it back, it was just a pile of junk, and everyone thought it was scrap. But he actually managed to fix it.

Da'an looked at his younger sister, smiled innocently, and reached out to press a button.

"Sizzle sizzle..."

After a brief hum of electricity, loud singing came from the two speakers.

"I love you, my motherland..."

The singing was clear and melodious, carrying far into the quiet snowy night.

The whole family was stunned.

Su Xiulan looked at the black box playing music, then at her eldest son, her heart pounding.

How much is this thing worth?

"Brother!" Xiao An rushed over and hugged Da An. "You're amazing! You even fixed this! If we sell it, we'll have money to build a house!"

Da'an was a little dizzy from being shaken by his younger brother. He pointed to the tape recorder and said two words: "Yeah, build a house."

These two words brought tears to the eyes of Gu Jianguo, a grown man.

Who says our son is stupid? He's always had this family in his heart!

"Great! We'll sell it tomorrow!" Gu Jianguo slapped his thigh. "With the money, we'll build five big houses! From now on, you three siblings will each have your own room!"

The wind was howling outside, and the dilapidated thatched house looked like it was about to be blown away.

Inside the house, the family had just finished enjoying themselves around the fire when their stomachs started growling.

Nuannuan quickly covered her lower abdomen, blushed, and snuggled into Su Xiulan's arms.

"It's being naughty; it's making noises on its own."

Su Xiulan slapped her forehead, finally realizing, "What a forgetful thing I am! I was so happy that I didn't eat all day. Who could stand that?"

She hurriedly rummaged through her basket, but after reaching inside and searching for a while, her face changed. She had left in such a rush that she had only brought some coarse grain flour, not even a pot. This hunting lodge had been abandoned for who knows how many years; the stove was so clean you couldn't even find a broken piece of a bowl.

"What should I do?" Su Xiulan frowned at the dark stove. "Without a pot, I can't just conjure up rice out of thin air."

Gu Jianguo, leaning on his cane, suddenly remembered, "I'll go out and ask if I can borrow an earthenware pot..."

"No, no!"

Nuannuan jumped out of her mother's arms and ran to Da An's large bundle. She stuck out her little bottom and pretended to rummage through the rags, but actually, she quickly pulled out the big iron pot from the space.

She strained with all her might, dragging a large black iron pot out: "Mommy, the pot's here!"

This pot is thick and heavy, and it has two handles, so it looks very durable.

Su Xiulan stared in disbelief. This bundle was carried by Da'an; wasn't it usually full of scrap metal? When did they stuff such a huge pot inside?

Da'an scratched his head, looking completely bewildered. Before he could figure it out, Nuannuan pulled out a cloth bag as if by magic.

"There's meat too! And rice too!"

Nuannuan presented the items to Su Xiulan like a precious treasure: a little over a pound of streaky pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and a small bag of white rice.

Su Xiulan's hands were trembling slightly.

I already knew about my daughter's abilities, but I still can't help but get excited every time I see them.

How could she forget her daughter?

Originally, we didn't have many things at home; the good stuff was all kept by our daughter. Now it seems that she's secretly hoarded quite a few more things.

"Warm and thoughtful! Let's have a nice meal tonight!"

I was originally thinking of making dumplings, but it's too late now. So I'll make some porridge instead, but I can cook it until it's thick and add some minced meat. It tastes amazing.

Su Xiulan didn't say much. She rolled up her sleeves, picked up the pot, and put it on the stove.

"This place may be dilapidated and drafty, but it has one excellent thing about it!"

"The best part is that it's far enough away from the village that we can eat meat behind closed doors without the aroma wafting out. We won't have to worry about anyone sneaking over to smell it and asking for meat. We can eat whatever we want from now on, and nobody can even think about it!"

Gu Jianguo laughed and said, "Yes, from now on this will be our home. Even if we eat meager fare, we'll feel at peace!"

Su Xiulan looked at Nuannuan, "Did you put away our water bucket?"

The little girl nodded again and put out the bucket and carrying pole as well.

Su Xiulan affectionately stroked her hair. "I remember there's a well in the backyard. Go fetch some water!"

Xiao An quickly followed to help, but Su Xiulan glared at him. "You still have injuries. I'll apply medicine for you after we finish eating!"

"Don't run around!"

Fortunately, the well was not frozen, and Su Xiulan quickly drew two buckets of water and carried them back, placing them next to the stove.

She deftly scrubbed the pot, rinsed the rice, and put it in the pot. Da'an and Xiao'an were not idle either, quickly stuffing dry grass and dried hemp into the stove.

Just as the flames began to emerge, a thick plume of smoke suddenly billowed out of the stove.

"Cough cough cough..."

Several people choked on the choking drenched themselves, and tears streamed down their faces.

Instantly, the room was filled with smoke, a hazy, choking atmosphere that made it impossible to open one's eyes.

"Quick! Put out the fire!"

Gu Jianguo shouted anxiously, "This chimney is definitely completely blocked!"

Da'an quickly pulled the unburnt firewood out of the fire.

After the smoke finally cleared up a bit, everyone in the family had black and white streaks on their faces.

Gu Jianguo sighed, "This chimney hasn't been used for years, so it must be full of bird nests and ash. To clear it, we'd have to climb onto the roof and poke it. But it's pitch black, and the roof is covered in snow and ice; it's too slippery, and we could easily fall down."

If he weren't lame, this wouldn't be a problem.

But now...

Da'an stood up. "I'll go."

"No!" Su Xiulan grabbed her son. "It's pitch black. If you fall and get hurt, how will I live?"

If this won't work and that won't work, does that mean we can't make the first meal?

Nuannuan was squatting in the corner rubbing her eyes; she had just been stung by the smoke.

Suddenly, she saw the mouse hole at the base of the wall move slightly.

A small, grayish-brown, pointed head peeked out, its two beady green eyes darting around.

Nuannuan sniffed, reached into her pocket, took out a handful of cornmeal, and gently sprinkled it at the entrance of the hole.

The little mouse was startled and shrank its pointed little head back halfway.

But after only a few breaths, he couldn't resist sticking his head out again, drawn by the rich aroma.

The mouse noticed that someone was still watching, and its confused little head kept going in and out.

Finally, he couldn't resist taking a cautious step forward, taking a bite, and wagging his tail excitedly.

[It smells so good! It's amazing! I haven't had such delicious food in ages!]

People come here when it's warm, but when it gets cold, you can hardly see anyone, let alone get any food.

After taking one bite, the little mouse couldn't stop and opened its mouth to eat again.

"Little mouse, this is cornmeal, is it as delicious as you say?"

Nuannuan looked at it with a smile, "Haven't you ever eaten this before?"