Sold into a ghost marriage? Four-year-old and his thuggish father go on a killing spree.

"Gu Yanqiu! What a fine daughter you raised! She poured ice water on my son in the dead of winter! Who will take responsibility if he gets sick from the cold!"

Sun Xiufen's voice was so loud it could lift the roof off.

She stood in front of Gu Yanqiu's dilapidated house, hands on her hips.

His face was contorted like a rag—pale and then pale, his nostrils flaring, like a bull about to butt someone.

Gu Mingyuan stood behind her, his cotton-padded coat was mostly wet, his lips were purple from the cold, and he was covered in snot and tears, looking like a drowned rat.

Sun Xiufen held her son with one arm and pointed at the dilapidated door of the house with the other, cursing as she did so, spitting as she did so.

"Well, Gu Yanqiu! It's one thing to be a spineless coward and good-for-nothing yourself—but you brought home a wild girl who dares to bully my son? Do you think you're having too much of a time in this house?"

The door creaked open.

Gu Yanqiu stood in the doorway.

He had just returned from the threshing ground—his body was covered in dust, the cuffs of his cotton-padded jacket were worn with white cotton lint, and the stubble on his face was as rough as sandpaper.

He glanced at Sun Xiufen, then at Gu Mingyuan.

Then his gaze passed over them and landed on Niannian, who was carrying a bucket of water and walking back in the distance.

Niannian had a cut on her knee.

There was mud on my cotton pants.

Gu Yanqiu's brow twitched slightly.

"Mingyuan." His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady. "You tell me first—what did you do?"

"Why are you asking him?!" Sun Xiufen blurted out, "Your daughter splashed ice water in my son's face—in the dead of winter—on the eve of the Lunar New Year—if he gets pneumonia from the cold, can you afford to compensate him?!"

"I was asking about Mingyuan." Gu Yanqiu repeated, his voice still not loud, but there was something new in his eyes—something that had only appeared in the last two days, like a piece of polished iron, with a cold light.

Gu Mingyuan shrank his neck.

He is nine years old, old enough to know what "feeling guilty" means.

"I...I only said a couple of things to her..."

"What did you say?"

"I……"

"What did you say?" Gu Yanqiu's voice became more forceful.

Gu Mingyuan's lips trembled.

A neighbor's child who had come to watch the commotion—seven-year-old Liu Xiaomao—spoke quickly and blurted out:

"Gu Mingyuan called her a bastard! A motherless bastard! And he even pushed her and made her fall!"

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Sun Xiufen's expression changed.

It wasn't a guilty conscience—it was the anger of being exposed in public.

"You actually took what the kids were saying seriously?" Her voice shrilly. "Which kids don't bicker? Your daughter, on the other hand—she came right up and threw ice water! In the dead of winter! Feel my son's clothes—they're frozen solid!"

Footsteps came from the direction of the courtyard gate.

Wang Guifang has arrived.

She dragged her shoes and wobbled over, her mouth already reaching out before she even got close.

"What's all this commotion about now? It's the Lunar New Year, and you still won't let up—"

As soon as Sun Xiufen saw her mother-in-law arrive, her voice immediately rose three octaves, and her anger seemed to have been fueled—"Mom! Look at you! Your good granddaughter poured ice water all over Mingyuan in the dead of winter!"

Wang Guifang walked up to him and looked Gu Mingyuan up and down, who was soaking wet.

His brows furrowed.

"Who did it?"

"Who else could it be? It's that one—"

Sun Xiufen pointed her finger at Niannian, who had just entered the courtyard.

Niannian stood at the gate of the courtyard, carrying a small wooden bucket.

Her knees were covered in mud, her cotton trousers were torn, and the chilblains on her hands had deepened, with the oozing blood staining a small patch of dark red on the bucket rope.

Wang Guifang's face darkened.

"Gu Niannian! Come here!"

Niannian put down the bucket and walked up to Wang Guifang.

Not too fast, not too slow.

I've stopped.

Wang Guifang raised her hand—

Gu Yanqiu took a step forward.

He stood in front of Niannian.

Wang Guifang's hand remained raised in mid-air, not falling.

"Mom." Gu Yanqiu's voice turned somber, like a stone pressing down on the ground. "Let's hear the facts first."

"What's all this 'black and white' nonsense?" Wang Guifang's eyebrows shot up. "Mingyuan is your nephew! Your daughter splashed him with ice water in the dead of winter—"

"Mingyuan pushed Niannian first." Gu Yanqiu's voice was flat, but each word was pronounced clearly. "A group of children around ten years old surrounded a four-and-a-half-year-old girl, calling her 'bastard,' 'motherless bastard'—and pushed her to the ground. Mom, look at Niannian's knee."

He turned his body slightly to the side.

The tear on Niannian's knee was revealed—through the rip in her cotton pants, her knee was bruised and bleeding from the scrape she had suffered from hitting a stone.

Wang Guifang's eyes flickered.

But she won't admit it.

This rule has been in place in the Gu family for over a decade—the children of the first wife are always right, and the children of the second wife are always wrong. She was the one who set this rule.

"What's wrong with her being pushed, a wild girl like her?" Wang Guifang's voice was harsh, like a hammer striking an anvil. "Mingyuan is a legitimate member of the Gu family!"

Upon hearing this, several neighbors in the courtyard who had been watching the commotion exchanged glances.

Several women whispered among themselves—some of them pursed their lips.

Gu Yanqiu's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this.

He turned around and glanced at Wang Guifang.

That one glance—was different from before.

In the past, Gu Yanqiu would lower her head, remain silent, and swallow her grievances when she heard such words.

But today—

"Niannian is also a legitimate member of the Gu family."

Gu Yanqiu's voice was not loud.

But each word landed firmly on the ground.

"Her father's surname is Gu."

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly became tense.

Wang Guifang's face twitched.

Sun Xiufen opened her mouth, then closed it again.

The old lady narrowed her eyes—a dangerous kind of narrowing that seemed to say, "You dare talk back to me?"

The atmosphere was tense and ready to fight.

"What's all the noise about? Even going to the graves on New Year's Eve didn't involve this kind of commotion!"

A loud, gruff voice boomed in from outside the courtyard gate.

Cheng Tiezhu strode into the courtyard.

He was wearing a cotton-padded jacket made from an old military uniform, and his expression was unpleasant on his square face. He had just come from the brigade headquarters—someone had gone to complain that the Gu family was causing trouble again.

Cheng Tiezhu was the brigade leader, in charge of all matters, big and small, in Chengjiawan. What he hated most was disputes during the Spring Festival—in his view, trouble during the Spring Festival was the most unlucky thing.

"What happened? Tell us one by one."

Sun Xiufen spoke first, tearfully recounting how her son was splashed with ice water—of course, her version was carefully embellished, only mentioning "splashing water" and omitting "pushing him first."

After listening, Cheng Tiezhu turned to look at Niannian.

"Niannian, you speak."

Niannian glanced at Cheng Tiezhu, her voice not loud, but clear and logical.

"Brother Mingyuan and his men blocked the road and wouldn't let me pass. He called me a bastard and shoved me. I got up and splashed him with water from a bucket."

simple.

clear.

Not a single word was superfluous.

Cheng Tiezhu's brow twitched slightly.

He glanced at the gash on Niannian's knee, then at Gu Mingyuan's soaked cotton-padded coat.

Then he turned to Gu Mingyuan.

"Mingyuan, you struck first?"

Gu Mingyuan shrank behind Sun Xiufen, his eyes darting around.

Liu Xiaomao, who was standing nearby, spoke up again: "Uncle Cheng, I saw it with my own eyes! Gu Mingyuan pushed her first! And he even called her a motherless bastard!"

Cheng Tiezhu's face darkened.

He looked at Sun Xiufen.

"Sun Xiufen, your son is about ten years old. A group of people surrounded and bullied a four-year-old girl, pushing her and cursing her first—she fought back and threw a bucket of water at you, and you came to cause trouble? Aren't you ashamed?"

Sun Xiufen's face flushed red and then turned pale.

"But it's the dead of winter—"

"Why didn't you say 'it's freezing cold' when you were pushing people in the dead of winter?" Cheng Tiezhu's voice rose a notch. "If Mingyuan gets cold, you'll have to go back and give him a bowl of ginger soup! Niannian scraped her knee, who's going to take care of it?"

Sun Xiufen opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Wang Guifang snorted beside her, as if she wanted to say something.

Cheng Tiezhu turned his head and his gaze fell on Wang Guifang's face.

"Aunt Wang—I'm the brigade leader—I don't want to deduct anyone's work points on New Year's Eve. But if you cause trouble again, no matter who started it, both of your work points will be deducted."

Wang Guifang's lips moved, but she swallowed the words back.

Cheng Tiezhu's words carried weight in Chengjiawan—he was in charge of work points, grain distribution, and year-end performance evaluations. Offending him meant your entire family's food supply would be affected.

The courtyard was quiet.

Sun Xiufen hugged Gu Mingyuan, turned around angrily and left—giving Niannian a fierce glare as she went.

Wang Guifang snorted, dragged her shoes, and walked back, muttering to herself as she went:

"This incompetent person, keeping a money-losing burden, and they still have the nerve to complain..."

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone to hear.

Cheng Tiezhu frowned but didn't reply.

Niannian stood there, her face pale, but her back was straight.

Gu Yanqiu placed his hand on the top of her head.

His palms were rough, covered with cracks and calluses.

But when placed on Niannian's head, it's perfectly secure.

Niannian looked up at him.

What Cheng Tiezhu saw in that glance.

It's about trust.

It's not the dependence of a four-year-old on an adult—it's the trust that two people have built up after rolling around in the mud together.

Cheng Tiezhu turned and left.

As he walked out of the courtyard gate, he glanced back—

Gu Yanqiu squatted there, rolling up Niannian's cotton trousers to examine the injury on her knee.

Niannian looked down at him.

She didn't cry.

Cheng Tiezhu walked away.

One thing was on his mind—

This family will eventually break up.

If they don't separate, Gu Yanqiu and his daughter won't be able to survive.

At the other end of the courtyard, Sun Xiufen dragged Gu Mingyuan into the main room, scolding him as she changed his clothes—

She wasn't cursing Gu Mingyuan.

She was scolding Niannian.

"That little brat—stay away from her from now on—don't mess with her!"

Gu Mingyuan stared wide-eyed: "Mom, she's only four years old—"

"What's wrong with a four-year-old?" Sun Xiufen pulled her dry cotton-padded coat over her son's head, her voice low. "Didn't you see that girl's eyes? A four-year-old with those eyes—that's not normal."

She tugged hard on the buttons of her cotton-padded jacket and added:

"This isn't over yet. But not now."

The curtain in the main room was drawn down.

In the courtyard outside, Niannian carried a small wooden bucket into the kitchen and began washing the dishes.

The water is very cold.

The chilblains on my hands cracked open.

But there was no expression on her face.

She washed all six bowls and arranged them neatly.

Then she stood in front of the stove and added a handful of firewood to the firebox.

The firelight shone on her face—her thin face with prominent cheekbones, which was bathed in a warm glow.

But her eyes were cold.

She was thinking about something.

The cracks in the Gu family's relationship are widening.

Grandma won't just stop there.

My aunt doesn't know.

This house is like a pot that's been boiled dry; it's bound to explode sooner or later.

A father can protect her once or twice—but not for a lifetime.

She has to think of another way.

The fire in the stove crackled and popped, sending out a spark that landed on the stove and went out.