The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er looked at Li Zhi, a warmth spreading through her heart. Li Zhi was still young, but she understood that Gu’er was in a tough spot. She saw Gu’er’s bicycle but still refused a popsicle, even though she desperately wanted one. ’If only the Zhou sisters were like her,’ Gu’er thought, ’things with the Zhou family never would have gotten so bad.’

She gave Li Zhi’er a fond hug and pressed the popsicle into her hand.

Seeing that Gu’er was sincere, Li Zhi smiled and took a bite of the popsicle. The icy, sweet flavor melted in her mouth, and a look of pure contentment washed over her face.

"Well, well, look who’s here."

A grating voice cut through the air as Cui Mei came out of the house.

Following her out were Gu’er’s maternal grandmother, Zhou Ercao, and Li Ying. Her eldest cousin, however, wasn’t home. ’I wonder if she got married or just went out,’ Gu’er mused.

"Gu’er, you’re here! Why are you standing? Have a seat," Zhou Ercao said, motioning for her to sit. "Did you come by yourself? Your mother didn’t come with you?"

"Grandma, I came over from the city and haven’t gone home yet," Gu’er replied, handing a popsicle to her grandmother. "My mom’s been doing alright recently, so don’t you worry."

"You’ve already cut ties with her, but you still call her ’Mom’? So chummy. You’ve really got some nerve."

Cui Mei sneered at Gu’er. Even though she saw Gu’er’s bicycle, she was still resentful. She’d been blamed for the botched matchmaking attempt with Aunt Sun’s family in Liu Shu Village, and on top of that, Zhou Mazi had asked her to find a match for Zhou Feng’er in Liu Shu Village too. ’Pah! Who would want a girl like that? He can keep dreaming!’

It was all this Gu’er’s fault she’d lost face. She hadn’t even dared to visit her own family recently. It would be a miracle if she wasn’t furious.

Gu’er then gave a popsicle to Bai Erni and one to Li Ying.

They all protested, saying they didn’t need one, but Gu’er pressed the treats into their hands anyway.

"What about mine? Are you blind? Don’t you see your aunt standing here? And what about your uncle, and your younger brother?"

When Cui Mei saw Gu’er simply sit down on a stool after handing out the popsicles, her expression soured. It was one thing for her to look down on Gu’er, but for Gu’er to act this way was a blatant show of disrespect.

"They’re all gone. I only brought a few."

Gu’er spread her hands helplessly.

"What’s that supposed to mean! You come to your grandmother’s house with just a few popsicles, give one to everyone else, and deliberately skip me? Are you trying to pick a fight?!"

Cui Mei pointed at Gu’er, furious. This was a public slap in the face.

’I’d feed these popsicles to a dog before I gave one to you. You try to hurt me, and you expect me to give you a treat? In your dreams.’

Of course, these were Gu’er’s private thoughts; she would never say them aloud.

"What are you shouting for! Gu’er is a guest. It’s nice enough that she brought a few popsicles; where would she get the money to buy so many? Here, you can have mine."

Zhou Ercao glared at her third daughter-in-law. The woman acted like a child, squabbling over every little thing. She had no dignity whatsoever.

Cui Mei glanced at the popsicle in her mother-in-law’s hand. She’d already taken two bites out of it. ’There’s no way I’m eating her leftovers,’ she thought disdainfully.

Gu’er knew it too. Since all the remaining popsicles had been bitten into, Cui Mei would certainly refuse to eat any of them.

Li Ying lowered her head, embarrassed. She had also taken a couple of bites. ’If I’d known there weren’t any more,’ she thought, ’I wouldn’t have started eating mine.’

"Even if there’s none for me, shouldn’t there be one for your grandson? But no, she comes here, hands them out to this person and that person, but deliberately skips me! What is that supposed to mean!"

Cui Mei complained unhappily to her mother-in-law.

Gu’er glanced at her. She really didn’t want to waste her breath on this aunt.

"That’s enough," Li Shan cut in, his voice filled with displeasure. "You’re always the one with the most to say. You look down on everyone. If you keep this up, who’s going to want to be family with you? Gu’er, don’t pay her any mind. Just stay seated."

Cui Mei opened her mouth, but no more words came out.

"Gu’er, are you getting used to living on your own? And where did you get this bicycle?" Zhou Ercao asked.

She was still genuinely concerned about Gu’er.

Gu’er briefly explained her situation.

As Cui Mei listened, her eyes darted back and forth, her mind clearly scheming.

"So how much can you make in a day?"

Cui Mei asked.

"Why are you asking that? What business is it of yours how much Gu’er makes?" Li Shan warned Cui Mei. "And I’m telling you, don’t you get any funny ideas."

Cui Mei pouted, but her mind was racing. ’We don’t have much income at home right now, and I’m short on cash. If Gu’er is making money, it’d be great if I could get a share of it.’

"Gu’er, how about I go into business with you? I’ll put up one yuan for the initial cost, you go buy the popsicles wholesale and sell them, and then you just give me half the profits. How about it?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Cui Mei said with a smile, sitting down next to Gu’er.

Gu’er looked at Cui Mei’s smiling face and laughed inwardly. ’How can she even smile like that? How can she say something so shameless? She puts up one yuan, wants to be a "partner," does absolutely nothing, and still wants half the profits? I never knew such a sweet deal existed in this world.’

"Gu’er, don’t listen to her. She’s always spouting nonsense."

Zhou Ercao was truly at her wit’s end with her daughter-in-law.

Li Ying’s face flushed with embarrassment. ’Why is Mom like this?’

"It’s alright, Grandma," Gu’er said. "Lately, the weather hasn’t been as hot, so the popsicles aren’t selling well anyway. In another half-month or so, I’m afraid they won’t sell at all."

Gu’er was telling the truth. The hot season in the Northeast was short—only about two months a year. Once the summer heat passed, popsicles became impossible to sell.

"Sigh... It’s not easy for you, all on your own," Zhou Ercao said. "We really have the Sun Family to thank this time. As for your mother... she’s too mild-tempered for her own good. Life isn’t easy for her, either. You mustn’t blame her."

Zhou Ercao sighed. ’If I hadn’t taken Gu’er in back then, her fate... it probably wouldn’t have turned out like this.’

People said she had found Gu’er and saved her, but Zhou Ercao knew in her heart that Gu’er’s birth parents were likely well-off. The clothes the child had been wearing were far nicer than anything her own family owned. She remembered Gu’er standing there all alone, looking so pitiful. Some passersby stopped to ask her questions, while others just gave her a glance before moving on. When she asked the little girl her name, she just said, "Gu’er, Gu’er." But when asked for her surname, she didn’t know.

The girl knew her age and that her name was Gu’er, but she didn’t know her parents’ names. Zhou Ercao had waited with her until dark, but no one came looking for the child. Taking pity on the poor girl, she finally brought her home.

Later, she went back to that area to ask around, but no one had heard anything about a missing child. She figured that since her own daughter was barren, perhaps this was fate. So, she gave Gu’er to her daughter to raise, not even changing her name. She was still called Gu’er.

She never found out who Gu’er’s birth parents were, or whether they had abandoned her or simply lost her. She never tried to find out more after that, and Gu’er herself never asked. After so many years with her daughter, none of them wanted to stir up unnecessary trouble.

The moment Cui Mei heard that the popsicles would soon be impossible to sell, her friendly expression vanished.

With a huff, she stood up and moved away, as if Gu’er were a walking jinx.

Gu’er chatted with everyone for a little while longer before getting up to leave. She had no intention of staying at the Li Family home for dinner; she hadn’t come to scrounge a meal, only to deliver the popsicles.

Seeing she was determined to leave, the members of the Li Family didn’t press her to stay and walked her out.

"Gu’er, you take care of yourself," Zhou Ercao told her. "No matter how hard things get, a person can always survive. As long as you’re not dead, you can find a way to live."

Zhou Ercao urged her.

"Okay, I will. Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, Zhi’er, Yingzi, you should all head back inside. Don’t see me out. I’m leaving now."

Gu’er nodded to the group, then got on her bicycle and rode away.

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My child has had diarrhea dozens of times since last night. I didn’t sleep well, and I kept her home from school today. She has gastroenteritis. The poor little thing, my heart just breaks for her. I’m on long-acting anti-inflammatory medicine myself, and even so, I’m feeling all inflamed—my nose and throat are both sore. I hope all children everywhere can be healthy and well.