The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er woke up very early the next day. By the time she went over, Sun Jiaming was just waking up.

She went to check on Grandma Sun. Grandma Sun woke up early, but she needed someone to help her, so she had only just sat up.

Sun Jiaming didn’t need Gu’er to make breakfast, so she washed the clothes Grandma Sun had taken off. After breakfast, Sun Jiaming used a rope to tie the wooden box to the bike’s rear rack. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Sun Jiaming then helped her sling the straw hat onto her back.

Sun Jiaming walked Gu’er to the door and stuffed a handkerchief into her hand.

Gu’er was startled. ’Is this for wiping my sweat?’ But it didn’t feel like it. The handkerchief felt hard, as if there was money inside.

"It’s all small change. I already got it for you. When you go buy the popsicles, use the large bills. Keep the change for when people buy from you with big bills, so it’s easier to make change."

Sun Jiaming instructed Gu’er in a low voice.

A wave of warmth washed over Gu’er’s heart. She had completely forgotten about the money, but Sun Jiaming had remembered and even gotten change for her. ’He’s so thoughtful.’

"I’m heading out then."

Gu’er didn’t say any more polite words. A simple "thank you" was not enough to express how she felt.

Watching Gu’er ride away, Sun Jiaming finally went back into the courtyard. He wanted to go to the city with her, but with his grandmother at home to care for, he could only let Gu’er venture out on her own.

Gu’er was cheerful. She gripped the handlebars tightly and pedaled fast. She felt an endless supply of energy coursing through her. Right now, she felt like a little bird freed from its cage, ready to fly into a vast, new world.

Gu’er arrived in the city and rode her bike to the popsicle wholesaler. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and told the person how many popsicles she wanted.

It was her first day. Even though it was hot, Gu’er didn’t plan on getting too many. She asked for fifty plain ice pops, thirty red bean pops, and thirty banana pops.

If they sold well and it was still early, she could make another trip. Having a bicycle made it convenient.

Gu’er paid, secured her cargo, and rode off.

’Where should I go to sell them?’

Gu’er thought about all the different places in the city. She rode her bike to a crowded market, stopped, and looked around. There was no one else selling popsicles here.

"Popsicles! Popsicles for sale! Delicious popsicles!"

Gu’er looked at the crowd and started to call out.

Her face flushed a little with the first shout, but after getting it out, her voice grew louder. ’What’s there to be embarrassed about? This isn’t shameful.’ Gu’er plucked up her courage and shouted again.

"What flavors do you have? How much for one?"

A few people gathered around. The weather was hot, and now that someone was selling popsicles, everyone wanted one.

"The plain ice pops are three cents, the red bean are five, and the banana are five."

Gu’er stated the prices.

"How about two ice pops for five cents?"

Someone tried to haggle with Gu’er. She shook her head. This was the standard price, and it wouldn’t be good to sell them too cheaply, especially since she was just starting. Maybe she could lower the price at the end of the day if she had leftovers, but not now.

"Alright, then. Give me one ice pop and one red bean pop."

Seeing that Gu’er didn’t agree, the man didn’t press the issue. He wasn’t short one cent.

Gu’er handed him the popsicles. Several other people were craning their necks to look inside her box.

The box was new, and the quilt covering the popsicles inside was also pristine white. Many people nodded in approval. Although you don’t eat the quilt and it doesn’t directly touch the popsicles, if one had been used for a long time, it would look dark and grimy, which was enough to make anyone lose their appetite.

Gu’er handed out popsicles to several customers, continuously taking their money.

"Wow, these are frozen solid."

Someone exclaimed. Gu’er looked over and saw that he had peeled off most of the paper wrapper from his popsicle, but a small part was stuck and couldn’t be removed, frozen right to the ice.

But the person didn’t seem to mind and just bit into it, wrapper and all.

Gu’er couldn’t help but smile. Popsicles back then were all wrapped in paper, unlike later when many would come in plastic bags. Paper had a drawback, though—when frozen solid, it was hard to peel off. But few people cared or thought it was unhygienic and just ate them anyway.

In just over ten minutes, Gu’er had sold nearly thirty popsicles.

Gu’er’s heart soared with joy.

She didn’t stay in one place. She pushed her bike along while calling out her wares. By the time she left the market, only a few popsicles were left in her box.

Gu’er didn’t go anywhere else, riding straight back to the popsicle wholesaler.

This time, she asked for two hundred popsicles.

Because this order was much larger, and because Gu’er had a pleasant way of speaking, the owner had a good impression of her. Seeing Gu’er about to leave with the box, he called out to her, brought out a small porcelain bottle from inside his shop, and handed it to her.

"Here, young lady. This is a gift from me."

The popsicle wholesaler said to Gu’er.

Gu’er was taken aback when she saw the bottle. She knew it contained yogurt.

The yogurt of this era was different from what came later. It was in a small porcelain bottle, sealed with a paper cover, and a label on the side read "Longdan Yogurt."

Gu’er remembered this type of yogurt. Longdan was one of the earliest yogurt brands in the Northeast. In the early 1980s, it entered a joint venture with a foreign company to produce strawberry yogurt, making it one of the first yogurt products in the country.

But Gu’er had heard that Longdan yogurt was originally only supplied to sports schools and wasn’t sold in regular places. By the time it became widely known, she had never had a chance to try it. Later on, there were too many different kinds of yogurt. Gu’er had tried Wandashan, Yili, and Mengniu, but never Longdan.

’They’ve actually started selling it to the public?’

"Go on and drink it, young lady. This stuff is good for you. Give the bottle back to me when you’re done. There’s a deposit on it."

The popsicle wholesaler was a man in his fifties surnamed Wang. He was quite friendly. He found Gu’er to be refreshingly straightforward, unlike some people who came to wholesale popsicles, humming and hawing just to save a few cents. Gu’er asked the price and took the goods without haggling. He liked people like that, which was why he gave her a yogurt. It was also a way to build a good relationship so that Gu’er would continue to buy from him in the future.

"Thank you, sir."

After speaking, Gu’er picked up a straw, pierced the paper cover on the yogurt, and took a gentle sip.

It tasted different from the yogurt she had drunk in her later years. The milky flavor was richer, and it was also a bit more sour, but it was quite delicious.

Gu’er let out a long breath. She never expected to be able to drink yogurt here.

"Sir, do you wholesale this yogurt too? How much is it?"

Gu’er asked. Yogurt was a good thing, highly nutritious and good for digestion, but not many people knew about it yet. Gu’er thought she could try selling it too. Even if she didn’t sell it, she could buy a few every day to take home for Sun Jiaming, Grandma Sun, her adoptive mother, and herself.

"The wholesale price is ten cents. I’ve seen people sell it for twenty cents, but it’s expensive, so not many people buy it. Some people aren’t used to the taste, so it’s not an easy sell. Also, you can’t give the bottles to the customers; they have to be returned."

The man explained to Gu’er. He himself wasn’t used to the taste. He had tried it once, found it unpleasantly sour, and never drank it again. He was surprised this young lady liked it.

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Author’s Note: The first time I had yogurt, I almost threw up. But after drinking it more often, I came to find it quite delicious. Ha. Xue has set up a group chat: 307, 842, 761. Anyone interested is welcome to join. The entry password is any character’s name.