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

Chen Xiuying's arrival was like a ray of warm sunshine, illuminating Gu Niannian's somewhat lonely life.

Her kindness towards Gu Niannian was real, tangible, and exceeded everyone's expectations.

On the third day after the marriage, Chen Xiuying heard Gu Niannian's whole story from Gu Yandong.

From being abused by her grandmother and aunt, to being sold into a ghost marriage, to traveling thousands of miles to find her father...

The kind and simple country girl listened, tears streaming down her face. She hugged Gu Niannian and cried for a full half hour, repeatedly murmuring, "My poor sister... my poor sister..."

From that day on, Chen Xiuying treated Gu Niannian as her own daughter.

Gu Niannian's somewhat dry and yellow hair was finally combed into a neat and beautiful braid by a pair of skillful hands, and the end of the braid was tied with a playful bow with a red ribbon.

Her clothes were always washed clean, and Chen Xiuying would carefully mend any holes with needle and thread, sometimes even embroidering a small flower as an embellishment.

What makes Gu Niannian happiest is the dinner table every day.

Knowing that Gu Niannian was growing, Chen Xiuying always prepared different delicious meals for her.

I would fry eggs until they were golden brown and fragrant, stew potatoes until they were soft and flavorful, and sometimes I would even use the leftover flour to make her a thin scallion pancake.

Every morning before going to school, Chen Xiuying would unfailingly stuff a steaming hot boiled egg into Gu Niannian's schoolbag.

"I need to eat an egg to replenish my brain after paying tuition."

This simple habit, which Chen Xiuying maintained for many, many years, became the warmest memory in Gu Niannian's childhood.

As Gu Yandong watched his wife and niece grow closer day by day, he felt both warm and emotional. He felt that the best thing he had ever done in his life was marrying Chen Xiuying.

However, this warmth has become a glaring thorn in the eyes of some.

"Wow, they really treat other people's kids like treasures!"

That day, Sun Xiufen held a bowl and leaned against the door frame of the Gu family's old house, watching Chen Xiuying in the yard patiently and meticulously braiding Gu Niannian's hair with a small wooden comb, and her mouth started to water again.

"They're so attentive to other people's children, but they don't seem to care about their own babies. It's been almost a month since they got married, and there's still no sign of pregnancy."

These words were harsh and malicious; they were practically an insult to Chen Xiuying, accusing her of being infertile.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly froze.

Chen Xiuying, who was braiding Gu Niannian's hair, stopped what she was doing.

Gu Niannian's face turned red with anger, and she turned around to argue with Sun Xiufen.

But Chen Xiuying gently pressed her shoulder, signaling her not to act impulsively.

Chen Xiuying stood up, neither angry nor making a fuss. She simply turned her head, looked at Sun Xiufen with a calm and indifferent gaze, and said lightly:

"Sister-in-law, I've tolerated you all this time because I respect you as an elder."

"Niannian is my sister-in-law, Yandong's niece, which means she's like my own daughter. It's only natural for me to treat her well."

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and powerful.

"Besides, what's wrong with other people's kids?"

Chen Xiuying's gaze swept from Sun Xiufen's face to Gu Mingyuan, who was squatting on the ground playing in the mud behind her, with snot running down his face.

"Our Niannian always gets first place in school, receives awards every year, and is sensible and capable. Is she any worse than anyone else's child?"

These words, without a single dirty word, were like a resounding slap across Sun Xiufen's face.

Sun Xiufen was speechless for a long time. Her own son, Gu Mingyuan, was a terrible student and spent all his time causing trouble in the village. Compared to Gu Niannian, he was like heaven and earth.

"You...you..." Sun Xiufen was so angry that her face turned purple. In the end, she could only stomp her foot angrily, mutter "ungrateful," and then take the bowl home.

From that day on, Gu Niannian gained a sister-in-law who was extremely protective of her own.

The villagers gossiped about it privately, all sighing, "Old Gu really struck gold, marrying such a sensible and protective wife."

Chen Xiuying's kindness built a warm harbor for Gu Niannian, but it also fueled the jealousy of her uncle's family.

More importantly, as Chen Xiuying said, Gu Niannian's genius at school has made her famous not only in Chengjiawan.

On this day, Principal Wang of the commune primary school personally came to the second-grade classroom to observe a class.

When the math teacher wrote a fourth-grade level word problem on the blackboard, involving parentheses and mixed multiplication and division,

The whole class was dumbfounded, scratching their heads in disbelief.

Only Gu Niannian raised her hand without even writing a draft.

Under the astonished gaze of Principal Wang and the entire class, she walked to the podium and picked up the chalk.

The entire solution process was written down clearly and in complete steps.

The handwriting is neat and the logic is rigorous.

Principal Wang nodded repeatedly as he looked at the small, thin figure in front of the blackboard, his eyes filled with amazement and admiration.

After class, Principal Wang called the math teacher to his office.

"This child named Gu Niannian... I remember her, she skipped a grade last year and even won the Outstanding Student award."

"Yes, Principal, this child is simply a prodigy!" the math teacher exclaimed excitedly. "I've been teaching for twenty years and have never seen such a bright child. He grasps everything instantly and can apply what he's learned to other situations!"

Principal Wang pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Isn't the county education bureau organizing a county-wide elementary school math competition next month?"

The math teacher's eyes lit up: "You mean?"

Principal Wang slammed his hand on the table and made a decision.

"Our school must recommend this child! Let her go to the county and compete with the children from the city!"

"Old Li, do you think it's possible for her to bring a prize back for our commune's primary school?"