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

"We must recommend Gu Niannian!"

Principal Wang slammed his hand on the table, his tone resolute.

In the office, math teacher Mr. Li was so excited that his face turned red. Just as he was about to agree, a slightly authoritative voice came from the doorway.

"Oh? Principal Wang, what kind of student could make you so excited?"

The two turned around at the sound and saw a middle-aged man wearing a four-pocket Zhongshan suit and black-rimmed glasses standing at the door with a look of curiosity on his face.

"Oh! It's Manager Qian! What brings you here?"

Principal Wang quickly stood up from his chair and strode over to greet him.

This Mr. Qian was sent down by the county education bureau to inspect the work and was in charge of the teaching quality of primary and secondary schools throughout the county.

The power is neither large nor small, but a single sentence can affect a teacher's future.

"I just happened to be passing by and thought I'd drop by." Officer Qian waved with a smile, but his gaze fell on a stack of composition books on Principal Wang's desk. "I heard your school has a math genius. I'm more curious about what kind of golden phoenix can fly out of this remote mountain village."

His tone carried a hint of superiority and indifference typical of city officials.

Principal Wang understood the underlying meaning and felt somewhat unconvinced, so he immediately embellished the story of Gu Niannian solving the difficult problem.

After listening, Officer Qian simply nodded noncommittally: "Hmm, they do have a bit of cleverness. But when it comes to math, being good at it early doesn't guarantee future success. Let me see how the children's writing is; that's a true reflection of their overall abilities."

As he spoke, he walked straight to the table and casually picked up a book of essays.

The cover of the notebook had "Second Grade, Class One, Gu Niannian" written crookedly in pencil.

"Oh? This is the child?" Officer Qian raised an eyebrow and opened his notebook.

The essay topic was assigned just two days ago—"My Father".

At first, Officer Qian just glanced at it casually, but gradually, his expression changed.

That nonchalance was gradually replaced by an indescribable focus and emotion.

In the office, only the rustling sound of him turning the pages could be heard.

Principal Wang and Old Li exchanged a glance, both seeing the tension in each other's eyes.

I saw Officer Qian flipping through the pages one by one, reading very slowly and very carefully.

Gu Niannian's essays contain no fancy words, only the simplest descriptions.

"My dad's name is Gu Yanqiu. He's not the strongest dad in the world because he's very thin, and it looks like he'd fall over if the wind blew him down. But he is also the strongest dad in the world because he can carry a sack weighing over 100 pounds from the foot of the mountain to the top without ever complaining of being tired."

"My father's hands are rough, covered with cracks and yellow calluses. His hands are clumsy; the cloth shoes he sewed for me have crooked stitches, like a centipede learning to walk. But his hands are also very skillful; he can take a tractor-sized iron lump apart into a bunch of parts and then put it back together, making it rumble and sing again."

"My dad doesn't say nice things. When I get first place in a test, he just pats my head and says, 'Hmm, not bad.' When I'm sick, he just changes the wet towel on my forehead over and over again. But I know that he saves all the good food for me, gives me the only warm coat he owns, and gives me all his love."

……

When Officer Qian read the last sentence, his hand trembled slightly.

"My dad is the best dad in the world. Because of him, I have a home."

The office was deathly silent.

"Clatter".

A drop of water fell onto the composition book, spreading into a small ink blot.

When Officer Qian suddenly looked up, Principal Wang and Old Li noticed that this usually serious county official had tears in his eyes.

"This...this was really written by a six-and-a-half-year-old child?" Qian's voice was slightly hoarse and trembling.

"Absolutely true! Mr. Qian, this child is the math genius I was just telling you about!" Principal Wang said hurriedly.

"No!" Officer Qian abruptly waved his hand, slamming the composition book shut, and said in an unquestionable tone, "She's not just a math genius! She's a literary genius!"

He looked at Principal Wang and said, word by word, "Principal Wang, your school must recommend her to participate in the county-wide elementary school essay competition next month! No, not just recommend, it's an order! If such a promising talent is buried in your remote mountain village, it would be a dereliction of duty on your part as principal!"

The news spread like wildfire, instantly reaching the entire commune primary school and then the entire Chengjiawan area.

Gu Niannian, this name, for the first time, caused a huge uproar in the small village as an officially recognized "genius".

Gu Yanqiu was completely stunned when he heard the news.

He excitedly walked back and forth in his own courtyard more than a dozen times, tamping the soil beneath his feet.

He scooped up his daughter, who had just come home from school, and kissed her face several times. His stubble-covered chin prickled Gu Niannian, making her giggle.

"My daughter! My daughter is a genius! Hahahaha!"

Gu Yanqiu laughed so hard that tears almost came out.

He felt that these were the proudest words he had ever heard in his life.

That evening, Gu Yanqiu made a major decision.

"Niannian, come on, Daddy will take you to the county town!"

The next morning, before dawn, Gu Yanqiu borrowed a 28-inch bicycle from the brigade headquarters.

He wrapped Gu Niannian tightly in an old cotton-padded coat and placed her on the front beam.

He himself was kicking with great force.

The father and daughter rode towards the county town, braving the biting morning wind.

After a bumpy two-hour journey, they finally arrived in Qinghe County.

Gu Yanqiu did not take his daughter to the supply and marketing cooperative, nor to the state-run restaurant.

Instead, he rode straight to the entrance of the largest Xinhua Bookstore in the county.

This was the first time in Gu Niannian's two lifetimes that she had ever walked into a place where the walls were lined with bookshelves.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of ink and paper unique to new books.

Rows of floor-to-ceiling wooden bookshelves are neatly stacked with all kinds of books.

Gu Niannian felt like a little bee that had fallen into a honey pot, and she didn't know where to look.

Her little hand stroked over a book of "100,000 Whys," then lingered in front of "Three Hundred Tang Poems."

Finally, she was captivated by a colorful copy of Andersen's Fairy Tales, which featured beautiful princesses and castles.

Seeing his daughter's fascination, Gu Yanqiu felt a pang of tenderness and emotion. He touched the few small bills in his pocket, slightly damp with sweat, and said generously to his daughter, "Niannian, tell Daddy which book you like! Daddy will buy it for you!"

Gu Niannian's face lit up instantly.

She excitedly wandered between the bookshelves, and finally, carrying three books, she ran to her father.

One was the book she loved so much, "Andersen's Fairy Tales," another was "Elementary School Idiom Stories," and the third was "We Love Science," which had a rocket on the cover.

She held the three books in her arms like precious treasures, tilted her little face up, and looked at her father with expectant eyes.

Gu Yanqiu's smile froze slightly as he looked at the prices of the three books.

He only had enough money in his pocket to buy one of the books.

Gu Niannian was incredibly clever; she immediately noticed her father's predicament.

Her face suddenly fell dark.

She looked at this book, then at that book, her small brows furrowed tightly together. Her conflicted and struggling expression made Gu Yanqiu's heart clench.

After a long while, she seemed to make up her mind and put the book "Elementary School Idiom Stories" and "We Love Science" back on the bookshelf.

All she left behind was that copy of "Andersen's Fairy Tales".

"Dad, I want this one." Her voice carried a hint of barely perceptible disappointment.

"Niannian..." A strong sense of guilt welled up in Gu Yanqiu's heart.

"Daddy, are fairy tales true?" Gu Niannian asked, looking up at the brand-new book.

"Is...it's true, right?"

"The book says that good people will eventually be rewarded and bad people will be punished. Is that true?"

Looking into her daughter's clear, bright eyes, Gu Yanqiu nodded emphatically: "It's true! It must be!"

He had no idea what was going through his daughter's little head.

All he knew was that he had to work harder, so that one day he could bring home all the books his daughter liked from the bookstore!

After leaving the bookstore, Gu Yanqiu wrapped the book "Andersen's Fairy Tales" in three layers of oil paper and carefully put it in her arms.

On the way home, Gu Niannian sat on the crossbar of her bicycle and whispered, "Dad, can I win a prize in the essay competition?"

"Yes! Definitely!" Gu Yanqiu answered without hesitation.

"So... if I win the award, will I be able to buy more books in the future?"

"Yes! When the time comes, Dad will buy you a big bookcase and fill it to the brim!"

Gu Niannian smiled, her smile radiant in the biting cold wind.

Little did she know that this little bit of "fame" would bring about earth-shattering changes to the lives of her father and daughter.

And what kind of new door will the upcoming essay competition open for her?