The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

The argument was still raging. Cao Qiu was threatening to hang herself while Sun Zhuzi held her back. Sun Jiaming couldn’t agree to her demands, but he couldn’t truly turn against her, either. She was his mother, after all.

"Gu’er, go on. Go get Fifth Grandpa and the others."

Grandma Sun shot Gu’er a meaningful look. If this wasn’t resolved, her daughter-in-law would never stop making a scene. If Cao Qiu really kept this up for a few more days, she figured she would die from sheer anger.

"Okay, I’ll go right now."

Gu’er nodded. This commotion wasn’t a solution. Family matters were the hardest to handle; as the saying goes, even an honest official has trouble settling a family dispute.

Although Grandma Sun wasn’t afraid of Cao Qiu, she was, after all, paralyzed and bedridden, unable to even go outside. Cao Qiu didn’t care if people called her unfilial, and Sun Zhuzi always listened to her. The situation was definitely not in Grandma Sun’s favor.

Gu’er did as Grandma Sun asked and went to get help.

After hearing what Gu’er had to say, the elders all nodded and promised to head over immediately.

That was how things were in the village. Whenever a family had a problem they couldn’t solve, they would ask the village elders or the village chief to come and help mediate. Once they settled the matter, their decision was final, serving as a formal resolution. Sometimes, they were even more effective than actual officials.

By the time Gu’er led the elders and a few people from families close to the Sun Family into the courtyard, the racket was still in full swing.

Everyone watched Cao Qiu, who was still shouting her head off, and they all knew exactly what was happening. But when Cao Qiu saw the crowd, she was dumbstruck. Even if she didn’t care about her reputation, being seen like this by so many elders was still humiliating.

Cao Qiu glared viciously at Gu’er. At that moment, she wanted to eat Gu’er alive. She knew Gu’er must have invited these people to back up that old hag.

’That damned old woman, does she think I’ll be scared just because she invited these people? As long as I don’t come back to the village in the future, what’s there to be afraid of! No matter what, I’m making Jia Ming leave. If these people are so capable, they can take care of the old woman themselves. Let’s see what they can do to me.’

As hateful as she felt, Cao Qiu stopped her shouting. She greeted everyone, then grabbed one of the other women by the hand and burst into tears, complaining about how difficult her life was.

The old men didn’t even look at her. They glanced at Sun Zhuzi, who mumbled a greeting. The elders shot him a disappointed glare and ignored him, patting Sun Jiaming on the shoulder instead.

"Is our old sister in the house?"

The man Gu’er was supposed to call Fifth Grandpa asked the question.

"She is. Third Grandpa, Fifth Grandpa, Eighth Grandpa, Tenth Grandpa, Uncle Shitou, Uncle Qing. Aunts, please, all of you, come on inside."

Sun Jiaming addressed everyone in turn. He hadn’t known Gu’er was the one who invited them, but he trusted that she had a good reason.

Once everyone was inside, Cao Qiu shot Gu’er another glare, snorted, and followed them in. She had to go. Sun Zhuzi trailed after her, his head hanging low.

"Are you okay? Don’t listen to what my mom said. She... she didn’t mean it. She’s just angry with me. It’s my fault you got dragged into this."

Sun Jiaming lingered behind to speak with Gu’er. He knew it was unfair to her. His own mother had cursed her out, yet here he was, asking her not to be angry or take it to heart. ’Who wouldn’t be angry in her place?’ But this was the woman who had given him life. He couldn’t just tell Gu’er, ’Don’t be afraid, just fight back. I’ll protect you.’ That would make him a monster. All he could do was try to mediate later and make it up to Gu’er by treating her twice as well. ’A person’s prejudice can be changed over time,’ he thought. ’I believe Mom will come around sooner or later. And even if she doesn’t approve, as long as Gu’er cares for me, I’ll marry her. We don’t have to live together after we’re married. We can have our own little life. If Gu’er wants to visit my parents, she can. If not, that’s fine too. Since we won’t live together, we can see them less and avoid conflict. Filial piety is my duty, I’ll handle it myself. I won’t ask her to do it, and I’ll never force her to just go along with my mom. I won’t let her be wronged like this.’

"It’s fine, I understand. Don’t worry, Brother Jia Ming, I’m not upset. By the way, Grandma was the one who asked me to invite them. We should go inside."

Gu’er smiled at him. She truly didn’t care what Cao Qiu said. In her past life, she had heard insults a hundred times worse. It wasn’t that she was used to being cursed at; it was just that words from someone who wasn’t family couldn’t hurt her. All that mattered was repaying the kindness of those who were good to her. As for Cao Qiu, Gu’er paid her no mind.

Gu’er knew that the people she’d invited were all close to the Sun Family and had been good friends with Sun Jiaming’s grandfather. They wouldn’t side with Cao Qiu. Grandma Sun had specifically told her not to invite anyone from the Zhou family, nor Second Grandpa and the others from that one night. Inviting them would only complicate things.

"Okay."

Sun Jiaming nodded, studying Gu’er. Her expression was normal; she didn’t look upset at all. His gaze fell on the red silk scarf draped over the bicycle seat. Gu’er must have been the one to pick it up. ’Does she mind?’ he wondered.

With that thought, Sun Jiaming went inside as well. Gu’er was the last one in, stopping just inside the doorway without going any further.

She heard Cao Qiu in the middle of a tearful complaint. Grandma Sun, by contrast, was silent, sitting quietly propped up against her quilts.

After Cao Qiu finished her tearful tale, the room fell silent. An awkward feeling crept over Cao Qiu, and she cursed inwardly. ’I’ve been away from the village for so many years, of course these people aren’t on my side. They’re not going to support me. Otherwise, why is no one speaking up now that I’m done? But Jia Ming is my son. I’m his mother. I have the right to arrange his marriage.’

"Now that Zhuzi’s wife has had her say, we have a general idea of the situation," Third Grandpa said. He was the eldest of the group, so it was natural for him to take the lead. "Her intention is that she has found a job for Jia Ming in the city, as well as arranged a marriage, and she wants him to go. In principle, this is a good thing. Moving to the city means a better future, a chance to become a city dweller—it sounds impressive. If Jia Ming is willing, we have nothing to say against it."

"Exactly, Third Uncle! Why do you think I’m doing all this? Isn’t it so the family can have a better life? Why else would a woman like me stick her neck out? You have no idea how much effort I’ve put in, I..."

The moment Cao Qiu heard him seemingly agree with her, she immediately started rattling on, but Third Grandpa cut her off before she could finish. "Zhuzi’s wife, you say it’s a good thing for Jia Ming to go to the city. Let me ask you this, then: what about your mother-in-law? What are your arrangements for our old sister? Is she going to the city with you? I won’t meddle in other things, but when my big brother passed, he entrusted his wife to our care. If she’s going to the city, we have to ask a few things. Where will she live? With your family? Is her room ready? Who will look after her? Or have you bought a separate house? You need to be clear about where she’ll be staying, because we’ll need to go and see for ourselves. If her living conditions are poor or there’s no one to care for her, we will not stand for it. And if she moves to the city, we’ll send someone to check in on her every so often. If anyone dares to wrong her... well, let’s just say the entire village will show up at your door demanding an explanation. So, Zhuzi’s wife, tell us. What’s the plan?"

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A big thank you to Karl King for the He Shi Bi! A bonus Chapter will be out tomorrow or the day after; I need to catch my breath today. Thank you to musang and ann555141 for the monthly tickets, and thanks to 6763hs for the like. Thank you to all my dears for your concern. I’m feeling a bit better today. Reading your comments really touched me. Love you all.