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

"Niannian, tell me, what should we do with the person who harmed us?"

Gu Yanqiu's voice carried a hint of weariness that was hard to conceal.

He looked at his tiny daughter in his arms; the harrowing ordeal he had just experienced felt like a nightmare.

It exhausted all his energy.

He just wanted to forget about it completely, and just wanted to work peacefully at the agricultural machinery station and earn money.

Let Niannian live a good life.

Investigate? Seek revenge? He dared not think about it, nor did he feel he had the energy for it.

However, Gu Niannian lifted her little face from her father's arms. In her clear black and white eyes, there was no sign of retreat. Instead, a cold and resolute light shone through.

"Dad, think about it. If a poisonous snake bites you and you chase it away, will it avoid you the next time it sees you, or will it bite you again, even harder?"

Gu Yanqiu's heart skipped a beat.

Yes, someone as ruthless as Wang Jianguo, would he be content if he failed to kill himself this time?

He'll only be like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting for the next opportunity.

The next time, it might be a fatal blow!

"But... but what can we do?" Gu Yanqiu's voice was weak. "We have no proof that he wrote the letter, and he's a senior worker at the station..."

"We don't need evidence."

Gu Niannian shook her head, her small face showing a calmness beyond her years.

"We only need to let those who need to know know."

She looked up and asked softly in a guiding tone, "Dad, is Uncle Wang popular at the agricultural machinery station? Besides Xiao Li, who else is close to him?"

Gu Yanqiu frowned, trying hard to recall.

"He's not popular. His skills have declined, he has a bad temper, and he always tries to take advantage of others. Everyone hates him. Apart from that Xiao Li, it seems... it seems like no one is particularly close to him."

"Did he ever boast about having any powerful relatives? Like those who were cadres in the commune or county?" Gu Niannian continued to press, like a seasoned investigator.

"relative?"

Gu Yanqiu was stunned for a moment, and a blurry image flashed through his mind.

"Oh, right! I remember now! Once, at a station-wide dinner, he got drunk and started bragging, saying his wife's younger brother was a messenger in the commune! He said nothing, no matter how trivial, could be kept from him!"

Correspondent!

This word, like a bolt of lightning, instantly illuminated all the fog!

The anonymous letter was sent directly to the commune. If there wasn't someone inside helping them, how could it have attracted the attention of the leadership so quickly, leading to the establishment of a special investigation team?

Gu Yanqiu instantly understood everything, trembling with rage: "So that's it! It was an inside job! That bastard!"

He wished he could rush back to the agricultural machinery station right now, grab Wang Jianguo by the collar, and expose all the filth he had done!

"Dad, don't be impulsive." Gu Niannian's little hand tightly grasped her father's big hand, and that calmness gradually calmed Gu Yanqiu down as well.

"If we report him, he'll deny it to the death, and it'll all end up being a mess."

"This is not something we can say."

That evening, Gu Niannian found Chen Zhiyuan reading the newspaper.

"Uncle Chen, I would like to write a letter to Director Han of the agricultural machinery station."

Chen Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised, but still spread out paper and pen: "Okay, what do you want to write?"

"Just write... a thank-you note."

Gu Niannian leaned over the table and whispered her thoughts, while Chen Zhiyuan wrote them down stroke by stroke.

The letter was simple, first thanking Station Chief Han and the investigation team for their impartiality in clearing Comrade Gu Yanqiu's name.

Then, at the end of the letter, Gu Niannian added the following passage in the most innocent and casual tone:

"...Thanks to an upright leader like Station Chief Han, we were able to clear our names this time. I heard from Dad that Uncle Wang Jianguo's brother-in-law works as a messenger in the commune. He must have been very worried about us too, right? What a coincidence, the letter of complaint was also sent to the commune. When Dad gets back, I'll definitely ask him to thank Uncle Wang properly for me."

As Chen Zhiyuan wrote the last sentence, his hand holding the pen paused slightly.

He looked up and, through his thick glasses, took a deep look at the little girl with the seemingly innocent face.

This is hardly a thank-you note.

This is clearly the sharpest knife wrapped in cotton!

A few days later, the letter was delivered to Station Chief Lao Han.

Old Han was a rough man, but he was also a veteran reconnaissance soldier who had survived countless battles.

Her mind is more meticulous than the tip of a needle.

He stared at the words "What a coincidence" in the letter, the cigarette dangling from his mouth, motionless for a long time.

The office was filled with smoke.

After a long while, Old Han folded the letter and put it in the drawer, his face expressionless.

But a chilling glint flashed in his eyes, which had seen countless people and events.

What he hates most are spineless cowards who stab their comrades in the back!

From that day on, the winds blowing around the agricultural machinery station quietly shifted.

Wang Jianguo discovered that he was no longer responsible for the maintenance and repair of the station's most important Dongfanghong tractors.

Old Han called him over and said, "The old master is getting old and needs to rest more," and asked him to take charge of looking after those old machines in the warehouse that were about to be scrapped.

His apprentice, Xiao Li, was also transferred to work with Gu Yanqiu, ostensibly to "learn advanced technology."

Wang Jianguo was suddenly left with no one to command him.

He sensed something was wrong, as if he were being slowly tightened by an invisible net, unable to breathe, yet unable to find the source of the net.

He went to argue with Lao Han, but Lao Han just raised an eyebrow and said, "This is a work arrangement. If you have any opinions, you can raise them with the commune."

How could Wang Jianguo dare to actually bring it up?

Feeling guilty, he could only suppress his anger and let the pile of scrap metal mold away every day.

His skills were already declining, and after not working with core equipment for a long time, he had become extremely rusty.

Three months later, with the autumn harvest approaching, the commune urgently allocated a harvester and required the agricultural machinery station to immediately complete its repairs and put it into use.

The station was short-staffed, so Lao Han "reluctantly" assigned the task to Wang Jianguo.

Wang Jianguo had been holding back for three months, wanting to take this opportunity to prove himself again, so he worked exceptionally hard.

But the more anxious he became, the more mistakes he made.

He relied on his old experience and thought that a critical bearing was still usable, so he didn't replace it.

As a result, as soon as the harvester drove to the edge of the field, there was a loud "crack" and the engine stalled, with thick smoke billowing out!

A major technical incident!

The delay in the harvest and the resulting losses make Wang Jianguo the responsible party.

This time, with both witnesses and physical evidence, he had no way to defend himself.

The results came quickly: a major demerit was given, the person was transferred from the county agricultural machinery station, and reassigned to an agricultural machinery repair shop in the most remote Shuanghe Town.

That's practically equivalent to exile.

The day Wang Jianguo packed his things, the sky was overcast.

He carried a tattered canvas bag and slunk away like a defeated rooster.

Xiao Li, who used to follow him around, would now avoid him whenever he saw him.

Just as he reached the front door, a crisp sound rang out.

"Uncle Wang!"

Wang Jianguo looked up and saw Gu Niannian standing not far away, carrying a lunchbox.

The little girl was wearing a patched floral jacket today, with two little braids, her face flushed from running, and she was smiling at him.

That smile was clean and radiant, like sunshine.

"Uncle Wang, are you going on a long trip?"

Wang Jianguo's face was stiff, and he forced out a smile that looked worse than crying.

Gu Niannian seemed oblivious to his disheveled state, ran up to him, tilted her little face up, and said sweetly:

Goodbye, Uncle Wang. When you go to your new place, you must work hard and not make mistakes like you did here.

"Remember to come back and visit us when you have time!"

After saying that, she waved her little hand and skipped into the yard to find her father.

Wang Jianguo stood there, stunned, staring at that small, lively figure.

A gust of autumn wind blew by, and he felt a chill instantly rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He shuddered violently, and the cold sweat on his back instantly soaked his clothes.

Why?

He didn't know why.

He just looked at that innocent smiling face and suddenly felt an indescribable fear from the depths of his soul.

He always felt that his current predicament was somehow connected to this little girl who smiled like an angel, a connection he could never understand.

But she... she's only five years old!