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

"Year-end bonuses are being distributed!"

Cheng Tiezhu's loud voice, broadcast through the brigade headquarters' loudspeaker, reached every corner of Chengjiawan.

In the dead of winter, with the north wind howling, the entire Chengjiawan was like a pot of boiling water, filled with joy and celebration.

The commune members carried sacks and pushed carts, their faces beaming with the brightest smiles of the year.

They flocked to the threshing ground at the village entrance.

Gu Niannian was wearing the new red cotton-padded jacket her father had bought for her. Her little face was red from the cold, but she was clutching a brand-new account book tightly in her hand.

That winter, besides going to school, she spent her time helping Cheng Tiezhu calculate the work points for the entire brigade.

Her brain, comparable to a computer, only took three days...

Even after a month of calculations, the work points were still a mess.

It's all very clear and perfectly logical.

More importantly, she also considered the work attendance and efficiency of each household.

A new work point calculation model has been designed.

This model greatly motivated the members.

Those who used to dawdle at work are now scrambling to get things done.

In addition, Gu Yanqiu, being at the agricultural machinery station, was always able to secure the best fertilizers and the most advanced agricultural tools for Chengjiawan as soon as possible.

With the help of both inside and outside forces, Chengjiawan's harvest this year is a full 15 percent higher than last year!

That's an incredible number!

"The Gu family, Gu Yanqiu!"

Cheng Tiezhu called out Gu Yanqiu's name first.

"The basic grain supply is 380 jin, and according to work points, it will be further distributed as follows: 120 jin of dried sweet potatoes, 100 jin of corn, and 80 jin of sorghum!"

"Whoosh—"

A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

The grain they received was more than a family of five in the village!

"And another one!" Cheng Tiezhu cleared his throat, his face beaming with undisguised pride.

"Because Comrade Gu Niannian made outstanding contributions by voluntarily calculating work points for the brigade, the brigade committee has decided to award the Gu family an extra twenty jin of refined rice and ten jin of wheat flour!"

These words caused an uproar among the crowd!

"My God! Twenty pounds of polished rice!"

"Yanqiu has really raised a golden nugget!"

"That guy, Nian Nian, is a child prodigy, a reincarnation of the God of Literature, he deserves it!"

The faces of the commune members were full of envy and goodwill.

Today, the Gu family father and daughter are synonymous with "ambition" in Chengjiawan.

Under everyone's gaze, Gu Yanqiu stepped forward and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Looking at his petite daughter standing beside Cheng Tiezhu, he felt an indescribable sense of pride and warmth.

Amidst this joyous atmosphere, several gazes, like poisoned nails, were fixed intently on the Gu family father and daughter.

Gu Yanchun and his wife Sun Xiufen's faces were as black as the bottom of a pot.

When it was their family's turn to receive the grain, the atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.

"Gu Yanchun's family received 300 jin of basic grain, plus 60 jin of dried sweet potatoes and 30 jin of corn according to work points..."

The numbers read out were almost half of what they were last year!

The reason was simple: when Gu Niannian was calculating work points, she removed all the work points that Gu Yanchun had falsely reported and fraudulently claimed in the past, relying on his position as the militia captain!

Sun Xiufen immediately tried to throw a tantrum, but Cheng Tiezhu glared at her and shut her up.

"What? You have a problem with the allocation? The ledger is right here, every single item is recorded! Anyone who disagrees, step forward now, and let's settle this in front of the whole brigade!"

Sun Xiufen looked at the brand-new account book in Gu Niannian's hand and swallowed her words.

Would she dare to cause trouble?

She dare not!

Those ledgers are all irrefutable evidence of how their family took advantage of others!

After the grain distribution meeting ended, every household happily hauled their grain home, except for Gu Yanchun's family, who pushed a small cart of grain and walked dejectedly at the back, like two defeated roosters.

We returned to that low, mud-brick house.

Gu Yanqiu was happily pouring bags of grain into the vat, while Niannian stood on tiptoe, diligently keeping accounts.

"Dad, with this, our food reserves will last until next autumn harvest!"

Gu Yanqiu smiled and patted his daughter's head: "That's enough! I'll buy you meat when Dad gets his salary!"

The father and daughter were chatting and laughing when the light at the door suddenly went out.

Sun Xiufen's sharp and mean face appeared at the door.

She abandoned her arrogance at the grain distribution meeting, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, while carrying a small basket of wilted wild vegetables.

"Yanqiu...are you home?"

Gu Yanqiu's smile instantly turned cold as he stepped in front of Nian Nian.

"Sister-in-law, is something the matter?"

Sun Xiufen rubbed her hands together, but her eyes kept glancing at the rice jar in the room.

"Um... Yanqiu, look, it's almost Chinese New Year..."

She paused, then put on a pitiful look.

"Your older brother... he was removed from his position as militia captain and now he does hard labor every day, earns few work points, and his family is almost starving."

"You work at the county's agricultural machinery station and get a salary every month. Don't you think... you should... help out your older brother's family?"

Before Gu Yanqiu could speak, Gu Niannian's clear voice came from inside the room.

She peeked her head out from behind the door, her large, clear eyes staring unblinkingly at Sun Xiufen.

"Aunt, do you mean you want my father to help your family out?"

Upon seeing that it was a child, Sun Xiufen immediately nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes, yes! Niannian is so smart! Your father is a very capable man; he can't just watch us starve to death!"

Gu Yanqiu frowned, about to refuse.

Gu Niannian spoke first, smiling and saying, "Sure, I'll help out."

Sun Xiufen's eyes lit up!

I didn't expect this little girl to be so easy to talk to!

However, Gu Niannian's next words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.

"But before you lend me the money, Auntie, shouldn't you apologize to my father for stealing my mother's belongings last year?"

Sun Xiufen's face suddenly turned a deep liver color!

Stealing his belongings!

This matter is the biggest thorn in her heart!

Although Cheng Tiezhu suppressed the matter and it didn't reach the commune, everyone in Chengjiawan knew that Sun Xiufen was dishonest and had stolen things from her deceased sister-in-law!

"You...you little kid, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Sun Xiufen was so angry and embarrassed that her voice changed.

"When did I steal anything! That was...that was what I took!"

Gu Niannian's smile remained unchanged, but her eyes were as cold as ice.

"Oh? Is that so?"

She took out her account book from behind her back and turned to one of the pages.

"I remember it very clearly."

"On October 12th last year, the weather was sunny. My aunt took away my mother's silver bracelet, half a foot of Dacron fabric, and... three yuan and fifty cents that my father had hidden under his pillow from our house."

She read each word clearly.

"Whenever you return these things, my father will 'support' your family again."

"You, you, you..."

Sun Xiufen pointed at Gu Niannian, trembling with anger, unable to utter a single word.

Neighbors were already peeking over and pointing at us.

Sun Xiufen felt her face burning, as if she had been stripped naked in public, and she was filled with shame and indignation!

She dared not mention borrowing money again, glared fiercely at Gu Niannian, turned and ran away, forgetting even to take the basket of wild vegetables.

Watching her fleeing figure, Gu Yanqiu couldn't help but laugh.

He knelt down and hugged his daughter tightly in his arms.

"My daughter is amazing."

Gu Niannian buried her face in her father's broad shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "Dad, I'm not stingy."

"I know." Gu Yanqiu's voice was gentle yet firm. "We don't cause trouble, but we can't be afraid of it either. Whoever owes us must pay it back!"

He knew that his daughter was doing this in her own way to protect him and their family.

However, seeing the resentful look in Sun Xiufen's eyes as she left, Gu Yanqiu felt a faint unease rising in his heart.

As the year draws to a close, a mad dog driven to the brink is capable of anything.

This year is unlikely to be peaceful.