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

"Hey, have you heard? That girl from the second branch of the Gu family is incredibly wicked!"

Under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, several women who were sewing shoe soles and picking beans were sitting together whispering.

The speaker was Granny Zhang, a notorious gossip in the village. She deliberately lowered her voice, but her face wore a mysterious and excited expression.

"Liu Cuihua told me the other day that that girl has a tough fate, her birth chart is full of evil spirits!"

First, she caused the death of her own mother. Look at the chaos at her maternal grandmother's house; isn't it because they're afraid to have her, this jinx?

"Now look what's happened, even her own father can't stand it anymore. He'd rather go to the county town to work as a temporary worker than stay home and take care of her!"

Isn't this obvious?

Another woman immediately chimed in, "That's right! My husband was saying the day before yesterday that right after Gu Yanqiu left, their house started leaking so badly that it almost collapsed! What else could it be but bad luck?"

"Oh dear, we'd better keep our child away from her!"

"Yes, yes, whatever you do, don't associate with her. If you get tainted by her evil aura, what will become of you!"

Liu Cuihua did not personally appear.

But the poison she spread was like dandelion seeds in spring, carried by the wind to every corner of Chengjiawan, quickly taking root and sprouting in the hearts of those who were ignorant and prejudiced.

A vicious isolation campaign against a five-year-old child began silently.

Gu Niannian quickly sensed this change.

In the past, when she walked on the street, although no one was particularly close to her, children would always greet her or watch her from afar.

Now, whenever she appears, the children who were originally gathered together laughing and playing suddenly scatter as if they've seen a ghost.

They kept their distance, pointing and whispering at her with a mixture of fear, curiosity, and disdain in their eyes.

She went to the well to fetch water.

An auntie who was usually quite kind immediately moved her water bucket aside when she saw her coming, muttering to herself:

"Hey, stay away from me, don't get involved. This girl has a tough life, she's really unlucky..."

Gu Niannian paused, her hand holding the small wooden bucket still.

She didn't run away crying like other children, nor did she argue.

She simply turned her head and quietly looked at the aunt with her clear, bright eyes.

"Auntie," her voice was calm and without any emotion, "she's lucky to be alive."

The woman felt a little uneasy under her gaze and subconsciously asked, "Good...good what?"

"Only when I'm hard can you break me down."

After Gu Niannian finished speaking, she stopped looking at her, put down the bucket, and started fetching water.

Her movements were not fast, but each one was steady and precise.

The woman was speechless for a long time after hearing her words. Her face turned pale and then red. In the end, she picked up her water bucket and left in a fluster.

Being isolated is definitely not a pleasant experience.

After school—with Chen Zhiyuan's help, she had begun to audit the village's literacy classes—she walked home alone.

Ahead, a group of children were jumping, laughing, and playing.

Behind them, there was an empty field ridge.

She was like a lone goose that had fallen behind its flock, excluded from the world.

Only two people were the exceptions in this isolation.

One of them is Granny Wang.

She would deliberately carry a bowl of fragrant noodles with a poached egg to Niannian's doorstep around mealtimes, crossing most of the village, and shouting at the top of her lungs:

"Niannian! Come and eat! Grandma Wang made you egg noodles! Eat more, get strong and healthy, and see what kind of nonsense those long-tongued people can spout when their tongues are rotten!"

The other one is Chen Zhiyuan.

He brought Nian Nian more and more difficult books.

There was "Children's Science Pictorial", "World History Stories" with illustrations, and even a Russian version of "The Story of Zoya and Shura".

"Niannian, ignore those idiots."

Chen Zhiyuan adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, pointed to the map in the book, and said to her:

"The world in books is much bigger than this village. Look, this is Beijing, this is Shanghai, this is the Soviet Union... When you grow up and become capable, you can go wherever you want. By then, who will still remember this little Chengjiawan?"

Niannian nodded.

She channeled all her grievances and loneliness into a fervent thirst for knowledge.

She no longer drew those crying faces in her little notebook.

Instead, there are complex Chinese characters, difficult math problems, and unfamiliar place names representing distant places.

That evening, she sat alone under the oil lamp reading a book.

As she looked through the notebook, she turned to a certain page and stopped.

On that page, she drew two trees.

One is a large locust tree at the village entrance, with a lush canopy and intertwined branches. Under the tree, she drew many small trees holding hands.

In a corner far, far away from the big tree, she drew a lonely little tree.

That little tree, without any companions, stood alone against the wind.

Beside that lonely little tree, she carefully wrote a crooked word with a pencil, stroke by stroke:

I.

She gazed quietly at the painting, her small lips pressed into a stubborn straight line.

Just then, the loudspeaker at the village brigade headquarters suddenly started crackling.

This is a signal that the village is about to announce something important.

"Hey! Hey! Attention, fellow members! Attention, fellow members!"

The booming voice of brigade secretary Cheng Tiezhu came from the loudspeaker, echoing throughout the quiet village.

"We have received a notice from the commune! In celebration of National Day, the county has decided to hold the first 'Young Pioneers Knowledge Competition'! The competition will cover all primary schools and literacy classes throughout the county!"

The competition will include literacy, arithmetic, and a current affairs quiz!

"Each brigade can recommend one student to participate!"

"The winner will not only receive a certificate, but also... a twenty-dollar prize and a brand-new Forever brand bicycle!"

boom!

This news was like a boulder thrown into the peaceful Chengjiawan!

Twenty yuan!

A Forever brand bicycle!

This is an astronomical figure for villagers who can barely save any money throughout the year!

Instantly, the entire village erupted in excitement!

Inside the room, Gu Niannian slowly raised her head.

The light in her eyes, which had been dimmed by loneliness, was instantly ignited when she heard the words "knowledge competition"!

It's the kind of gleam that only wolves possess when they've found their prey!

As she looked at the lonely little tree in the notebook, an incredibly clear and audacious idea took root and sprouted wildly in her mind!

She slammed the notebook shut, jumped off the bench, grabbed a piece of clothing, and ran outside.

She's going to find Uncle Chen!

She wanted to ask him a question!

She wants to fight back against all those who isolate and mock her in her own way!

She ran all the way to the educated youth settlement and saw Chen Zhiyuan reading a newspaper under the lamp. Without thinking, she rushed in.

Chen Zhiyuan was startled by her: "Niannian? What brings you here so late?"

Gu Niannian ran so fast that her face turned red and her chest heaved violently.

She raised her head, and in her bright black eyes burned an unprecedented flame.

She looked at Chen Zhiyuan, and asked in an extremely serious, yet slightly trembling tone:

"Uncle Chen, what do you mean...?"

"If I win first place in that quiz, will they... will they still call me a jinx?"