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

Zhang Aidi curled her lip in disdain, straightened her two long braids, and looked smug.

"Of course it's true! My cousin patted his chest and assured me. Not only Xiaoyong, but Jian'an's matter is also in his hands. By then, both father and son will be workers, making our Gu family the best in the village!"

Upon hearing this, Grandma Gu's wrinkles relaxed, and her anger dissipated.

"Oh, the second son's family is really capable. Fine, those junk items are gone, out with the old, in with the new. As long as Xiaoyong succeeds, it'll be a blessing for our Gu family's ancestors!"

Grandma Gu stopped making a fuss, took out two pieces of fruit candy from under her pillow, and stuffed them into the hands of Gu Jinbao, who was peeking around.

As night deepened, Old Mrs. Gu blew out the lamp and went to sleep. In the east room, Zhang Aidi nudged Old Mrs. Gu, who was snoring.

"Honey, don't sleep so soundly."

Old Gu turned over and groaned.

"Why aren't you sleeping so late? You have to get up early to go to the factory tomorrow."

"I saw that brat Nuannuan today, and it suddenly reminded me of Pearl."

Zhang Aidi sighed and pulled the blanket up a little higher.

"That girl cried so hard when she was taken away. I wonder how she's doing over there. Should we go visit her sometime?"

Old Gu waved his hand impatiently.

"What are you looking at? She's someone's child bride. They'd think it's bad luck if you went. They've already taken the money; it's like spilled water."

"But that's our own daughter..."

"So what if she's my own daughter? She's a money-loser!"

Old Gu rolled over and pinned her down, his yellow teeth emitting a foul stench.

"If you really want to, you might as well have another one sooner rather than later. Let's make an effort this time and have a boy, so Jinbao will have a companion in the future."

Zhang Aidi reluctantly agreed.

"At your age, aren't you ashamed..."

The noise the two made was neither too loud nor too soft, but it reached Gu Xiaoyong's ears from his bed in the outer room.

Gu Xiaoyong was sixteen. He stared at the dark ceiling, listening to the sounds coming from the inner room, his throat dry.

He turned over, and the noise in the inner room grew louder.

Gu Xiaoyong thought of Cuihua at the east end of the village; her buttocks swayed as she walked, and he couldn't help but look at them.

There were also educated youths at the educated youth settlements, with two long, shiny braids, faces as white as if they had been powdered, and soft, delicate voices that made people's hearts itch.

If only I could find a former educated youth, I might be able to go back to the city with them and become a city dweller!

"It's good to be a worker!" Gu Xiaoyong's mouth was dry, and he couldn't help but swallow several times. "When I get paid and put on my new work clothes, I'll find a beautiful wife and cuddle with her every night..."

Thinking about this made me feel even more unbearably hot...

……

Before dawn, Su Xiulan had already woken up.

Since she had just moved to a new place, not her familiar home and warm kang bed, Su Xiulan was a little uncomfortable with the kang.

In addition, it was really cold inside the house in the morning. Although the hole was plugged with plastic sheeting, the cold air still seeped in.

Nuannuan nestled in Su Xiulan's arms, clinging to her like an octopus, and slept soundly.

Su Xiulan carefully removed Nuannuan's hands and feet, but the little girl suddenly opened her eyes.

Her big eyes were initially filled with confusion, but after recognizing the person in front of her, the little girl immediately smiled, revealing two pretty dimples.

Good morning, Mom!

A sweet, childlike voice interrupted Su Xiulan's thoughts. Nuannuan rubbed her eyes, crawled out of bed, a tuft of hair sticking up on her head.

"You're awake? Quickly put on your coat, don't catch a cold." Su Xiulan quickly took the floral cotton-padded coat and wrapped it around her daughter.

The whole family woke up one after another. Gu Jianguo moved his stiff, injured leg, and Da'an and Xiao'an also got up, preparing to go outside to wash their faces with snow.

"Wait a minute!" Nuan Nuan suddenly called out mysteriously.

The little girl closed her eyes, and the expression on her face changed again and again.

Everyone was looking at her.

The little girl blushed, then suddenly exclaimed "Hey!" and pulled out a lush green plant from her little hand.

It was a spinach plant.

But this spinach grew strangely; its leaves were bigger than palm-leaf fans, so green they were dripping with oil, and water droplets clung to them, giving it a vibrant, fresh feel even in the dilapidated house.

A fresh scent of grass immediately filled the earthy room.

"This is..." Gu Jianguo was stunned. Where did spinach come from in the dead of winter? And this vegetable looked unusual.

Nuannuan hugged the spinach tightly; the largest leaf was bigger than her face. She blinked her big eyes and explained earnestly, "This is Mighty Spinach! Little Green gave it to Nuannuan!"

"Mighty Spinach?" Xiao An leaned closer, sniffing the air. "It smells so good. Sis, can you eat this?"

"You can eat it! But you can't just eat it however you want!" Nuannuan held up a little finger and shook it seriously. "There's only one spinach plant here. Little Green said that if one person eats it, they'll become a super strong person forever, as strong as an ox! If two people share it, they'll only be strong for a month. If three people eat it, then they'll only be strong for three days!"

The room fell silent immediately.

The eternal strongman?

If someone else had said that, Gu Jianguo would have slapped them across the face long ago. What kind of strange thing is this?

But if my own daughter said those words, then it's not food, it's a miracle drug!

Su Xiulan and Gu Jianguo exchanged a glance, and their breathing became heavier.

In this era where physical strength is essential for making a living, what does being strong mean? It means earning more work points, being able to kill wild boars in the mountains, and being someone no one dares to bully!

"Give it to Dad!" Da'an suddenly spoke up, pointing at Gu Jianyue. He was a man of few words, but he knew in his heart that his father was the pillar of the family. His father's legs were not good, and if he became stronger, no one would dare to look down on his father in the future.

Gu Jianguo's eyes welled up with tears, but he waved his hand and said, "Nonsense! I'm already this old, and my leg is still lame. It would be a waste for me to eat it. Such good stuff should be given to you young people."

He looked at his two sons, "Da'an, you eat. You're already the eldest, if you eat this, you'll be able to carry heavy loads at the docks all by yourself, just like three people!"

Da'an shook his head vigorously, "I won't eat it, give it to Xiao'an instead."

He wasn't afraid of hard work, but he felt he could do other things and make money in the same way.

All eyes were on Xiao An.

He was born prematurely and was thin from birth. Even though he's grown up a bit over the years, he's still as thin as a stick. He gets out of breath if he walks fast and was bullied a lot by Gu Xiaoyong and his friends at school.

"I..." Xiao An looked at the tempting green spinach, her palms sweating profusely.

Does he want to eat it? Yes! He dreams about it!

He also longed to be incredibly strong, able to punch the bullies who harassed his sister. He also wanted to help his parents carry water and chop wood, no longer being a good-for-nothing looked down upon and bullied.

But such a precious thing...

"This is for second brother!" Nuannuan shoved the spinach into Xiao An's arms. "Big brother is already very strong, second brother is too thin, he'll be blown away by the wind! If second brother eats this, he can protect Nuannuan!"

The little girl's words made Xiao An clench his fists tightly.

Protect my sister, protect my home.

"I'll eat it!" Xiao An suddenly raised his head, his usually timid eyes now revealing a fierce determination. He grabbed the spinach, his knuckles white. "Dad, Mom, Brother. I can't always be a burden. I want to become stronger, so that if anyone dares to bully our family again, I'll beat them to death!"

Su Xiulan was a little worried, "Nuannuan, is it okay to eat this?"