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

Under the big locust tree at the village entrance, the cold wind swirled up the snowflakes on the ground, stinging people's faces.

Su Xiulan stopped in her tracks as soon as she reached this point.

Not far away, Old Lady Gu was talking furtively to a man. The man had a fleshy face and his eyes darted around, glancing in the direction of Su Xiulan's house every now and then.

Grandma Gu hunched her shoulders, her face full of flattery, muttering something under her breath.

Then the man took out a cloth bag from his pocket and handed it to Old Lady Gu.

Grandma Gu took it and quickly stuffed it into her bosom. Only after she had tucked it in tightly did she breathe a sigh of relief. As she turned around, she was face to face with Su Xiulan and the others.

Grandma Gu's face froze. She didn't dare look at anyone and cursed, "What are you looking at? You jinx! Going out so early in the morning brings bad luck!"

After saying that, she lowered her head, stuffed her things into her pocket, and hurried away.

The man glared at Su Xiulan before turning and leaving.

Su Xiulan's heart sank; she sensed something was wrong.

"Mommy, that mean grandma, she's so weird."

Nuannuan tugged at Su Xiulan's sleeve and whispered.

Ye Qing glanced in the direction where Old Madam Gu had left, said nothing, but her expression grew even colder.

Suppressing her unease, Su Xiulan said to the children, "Let's go, we have important business to attend to."

Upon arriving in town, Su Xiulan intended to go directly to the black market, but Ye Qing stopped her.

"On the black market, they'll only drive the price down, preying on people like you who're in a hurry to sell."

The boy's voice was hoarse, but he remained calm.

"Then, where do we go?"

Su Xiulan was at a loss.

"Come with me."

Ye Qing led them through a maze of turns and stopped in front of a pharmacy called Huichuntang in town.

Su Xiulan was unsure. This was a legitimate pharmacy; would they accept things of dubious origin?

Ye Qing, however, walked straight in without any hesitation.

The pharmacy clerk looked at their clothes, especially Ye Qing's, with disdain. "Go away, this is not a place for beggars."

Ye Qing ignored him and spoke directly to the old man behind the counter who was using an abacus: "Shopkeeper, I have a few wild gastrodia elata plants here. They're old and in good condition. Would you buy them?"

The old shopkeeper raised his eyelids slightly, not paying much attention, and said, "Let me take a look."

Ye Qing opened the cloth bundle, revealing the gastrodia elata.

The old shopkeeper sat up straight after just one glance. He picked up a plant, smelled it, and examined its veins. His expression changed from nonchalant to surprised.

"This gastrodia elata is indeed of excellent quality."

"It's more than just good."

Ye Qing spoke softly, "These parrots with concave beaks, sunken navels, and rings on their bodies are all high-quality goods. Shopkeeper, you are an expert, you should know what price these things can fetch in the capital."

The old shopkeeper was startled. This young man was quite arrogant for his age and even knew about the capital.

He put down the gastrodia elata, tapped his fingers on the counter, and said, "Young man, name your price."

"This number."

Ye Qing held up three fingers.

The old shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "Thirty yuan? You're being too greedy. My shop doesn't even earn that much in a day."

"The shopkeeper has misunderstood."

Ye Qing shook his head. "I meant, it's three times the price on the black market."

Upon hearing this, not only the old shopkeeper but also Su Xiulan gasped in shock. The black market would only give a dozen or so dollars at most, so three times that would be close to fifty dollars.

The old shopkeeper stared at Ye Qing, trying to read something from his face, but his face remained calm.

"You've got quite the nerve, kid."

"Shopkeeper, if you miss this batch of goods, you won't have another chance."

Ye Qing said, "If you think it's too expensive, I'll leave now. There are plenty of people who would love to have it."

After saying that, he made a move to put the gastrodia elata away.

"etc!"

The old shopkeeper grew anxious.

He gritted his teeth. This Gastrodia elata was a valuable commodity. With the New Year approaching, several county leaders had asked him to find this wild mountain product as a gift. If he missed this opportunity, he would never get another chance.

"Okay! Deal!"

Fifty yuan!

Su Xiulan's hands were still trembling when she received the five ten-yuan bills from the old shopkeeper; she had never seen so much money in her life.

She looked at Ye Qing, this young man, who seemed quite extraordinary to her at that moment.

After leaving the pharmacy, Su Xiulan felt lighter on her feet.

"Come on! Mom will take you to buy some delicious food!"

She held the money tightly, her back straight.

After buying rice and noodles, and also getting two pounds of pork, Nuannuan leaned against the counter as they passed the supply and marketing cooperative, staring longingly at a box of face cream and a jar of fruit candy.

"Mom, that ointment smells so good."

"purchase!"

Su Xiulan waved her hand, "Buy some for our little lucky star, even candy!"

Nuannuan jumped up happily, hugged the jar of face cream, and rubbed her face against it, "Thank you, Mommy! Mommy is the best!"

On the way home, Nuannuan hugged the face cream and grabbed some candy, eating something in her mouth.

Ye Qing walked beside Su Xiulan and suddenly said, "That old woman this morning was strange."

Su Xiulan was startled. "You noticed too?"

"The way she looked at you was not only disgusted, but also calculating."

Ye Qing said coldly, "You'd better be careful."

Su Xiulan's heart sank.

She knew Old Lady Gu well; that old hag was capable of anything for money. The way she and that man acted today, she definitely didn't have good intentions.

When Su Xiulan returned home, she told Gu Jianguo about her worries, and Gu Jianguo's expression turned grim.

"Jianguo, I always feel uneasy. What do you think she's up to?"

Gu Jianguo clenched his fists; he dared not even think about it.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry!"

Nuannuan raised her little hand, "Nuannuan will let Little Mouse go and listen!"

She ran to the corner of the wall and started chattering away at the mouse hole.

Soon, a little mouse popped out, patted its chest, and assured Nuannuan.

【My sweetheart, don't worry about this! I'll go to that mean grandma's house right now and gather information for you!】

After the little mouse finished speaking, it ran out along the base of the wall.

The family waited anxiously.

The sky gradually darkened.

Just as Su Xiulan was feeling restless, the little mouse ran back, its fur standing on end and panting heavily.

【Warmheart! Oh no! That wicked grandma is going to sell you!】

Nuannuan tilted her head, not quite understanding.

The little mouse was so anxious it was running around in circles.

She said you're a money-loser, a waste of food to keep you around, better to sell you for money.

She owes someone fifty yuan and wants to sell you to human traffickers to pay off the debt.

They also said they would do it tonight and steal you out of the house under the cover of darkness.

The little mouse's words entered Nuannuan's mind, and she repeated them to her parents.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

With a bang.

Gu Jianguo slammed his fist on the table, trembling with rage, the veins on his neck bulging.

"Good, what a wonderful grandmother!"

"He's going to sell my daughter over a fifty-dollar debt!"

He remembered that she was his own mother, and even though they were no longer related, he still wanted to show her some leniency.

But now, even the last vestiges of affection have been destroyed by Old Mrs. Gu herself.

"If she's heartless, don't blame me for being unjust!"

Gu Jianguo's voice turned cold.

"If she dares to reach out, I'll chop off her paws!"

Su Xiulan was also trembling with anger. She hugged Nuannuan tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her face.

That's her precious darling; no one can touch it!

"Jianguo, what should we do?"

"Don't be afraid."

Gu Jianguo stood up, leaning against the wall.

"They're coming, aren't they? Fine, I'll let them come!"

He glanced at the firewood bucket in the corner and the manure pit in the yard, and an idea came to him.

"Tonight, I'll prepare a grand gift for them, one that they won't leave alive!"