The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Li Hua was being scolded, but she didn’t dare say a word.

"Who do you think this isn’t over with? Gu’er lived in your house all these years. You dare tell me you never hit her or yelled at her? How many beatings did she endure from you? This one I gave you was just a taste. If it weren’t for your wife’s sake, I wouldn’t have let you off so easily. And you still want money? Have you ever spent a single cent on Gu’er? When she was being bullied, did you ever stand up for her? You forced her to give you fifty yuan—what kind of man are you! You say this isn’t over? Let me make myself perfectly clear. If you go back and dare to take this out on your wife, if you dare to lay a hand on her, I’ll beat you every time I see you."

Lin Shan seemed incredibly imposing. Zhou Mazi couldn’t help but tremble again. ’This man strikes without a moment’s hesitation and shows absolutely no mercy,’ he thought. ’It really hurts.’

He had originally planned to go home and beat Li Hua to vent his frustration—he couldn’t be the only one who got beaten for nothing. But now, after Lin Shan’s threat, he didn’t dare.

"If you really think this isn’t over, then feel free to come find me. I live on Guanggu Road. Just ask around and you’ll find it. Just don’t be scared you won’t be able to make it back when the time comes."

Lin Shan knew exactly how to handle men like Zhou Mazi. The tougher your stance, the more they feared you, becoming as meek as a lamb and not daring to let out a peep. Conversely, if you showed even a hint of being approachable, they’d latch onto you like a leech and never let go. You couldn’t give this kind of person an inch. If he gave Zhou Mazi a hundred yuan today, the man would be back demanding two hundred tomorrow. If he refused, Zhou Mazi would be at his doorstep, screaming obscenities and calling him ungrateful. That’s why Lin Shan had to intimidate him, to make him truly afraid. It was the only way to avoid trouble down the line.

As expected, Zhou Mazi didn’t dare make another sound. People from the village had an instinctive sense of inferiority and fear towards city folk. He didn’t know his way around the city. If he really tried to cause trouble, they could easily have someone stuff him in a sack, beat him, and dump him in a ditch. He’d be finished. ’I don’t want to die,’ he thought. ’I still have gambling and drinking to do.’

The fifty yuan Gu’er had given him last time was already gone—he’d gambled it all away without giving a single cent to his family. He’d been flat broke for the past couple of days and had thought he could squeeze some more money out of them, but this guy was a tough nut to crack. ’I’d better just behave. I’ll take the loss and keep my mouth shut. I’ll find some other way to get money.’

With that, Zhou Mazi just groaned in pain and didn’t dare say another word.

"Ma’am, if he ever dares to bully you in the future, just come find us. We’ll stand up for you."

Lin Shan said this to Li Hua not only to stand up for her but also to make Zhou Mazi a little more hesitant.

Li Hua thanked them and helped Zhou Mazi away. Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao expressed their gratitude but made no other promises to Li Hua.

They knew that if they promised Li Hua anything, Zhou Mazi would just force her to ask for favors. They would keep her in mind, and if Li Hua ever needed help, they wouldn’t turn a blind eye. As for Zhou Mazi and his cronies, they wouldn’t lift a finger. They wanted to stay as far away from them as possible.

As they left, Gu’er watched her adoptive mother’s retreating back and sighed to herself. ’This is for the best. If they don’t promise her anything, Zhou Mazi probably won’t make things difficult for her.’

"Dad... Mom... Please, sit down."

It was the first time Gu’er had called Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao that. Her voice was quiet, and the words felt awkward on her tongue, but she said them.

Gu’er understood in her heart that at this point, it didn’t matter whether she acknowledged them or not. If she didn’t, her parents would just make a few more trips, and in the end, she would have to accept them anyway.

’I’m not a child anymore; I don’t need my parents to support me,’ she thought. ’I’ll accept them. If we can get along, that’s great. If they don’t treat me well, then I don’t have to care too much. I’ve lived all these years without my biological parents. I still have Brother Jia Ming and Grandma Sun.’

A look of delighted surprise appeared in Chen Fengjiao’s eyes. Gu’er was finally accepting her.

"Gu’er. My daughter. You’re finally willing to call me Mom."

Chen Fengjiao hugged Gu’er, and tears started streaming down her face again.

Nearby, a look of relief washed over Lin Shan’s face, and his eyes reddened slightly. Gu’er had been born in the village. She was his first child, and he had doted on her when she was little. He would hold her whenever he had a free moment, even letting her ride on his shoulders as he took her out to play. He never imagined that after he moved to the city, his daughter would be lost. So many years had passed in the blink of an eye, and now his little girl was all grown up.

’This child has suffered so much,’ he thought. ’From now on, I have to make it up to her.’

Gu’er led Chen Fengjiao to a seat.

But once they were seated, a silence fell over the room.

The moment Sun Jiaming heard Gu’er call them that, he knew she had accepted her parents. ’It makes sense,’ he thought. ’With a man like Zhou Mazi for a father, Gu’er has always longed for paternal love. Now that Lin Shan has appeared and is willing to stand up for her, it’s only natural that she’d accept him.’

"Auntie, Jia Ming, thank you so much for taking care of Gu’er all this time. I won’t say more about the debt of gratitude we owe you. But in the future, if you ever need anything from me, Lin Shan, I won’t hesitate to help."

Lin Shan once again thanked Grandma Sun and Sun Jiaming.

"Oh, listen to you. I think of Gu’er as my own granddaughter. She doesn’t mind an old woman like me and takes care of me every day. There’s no debt of gratitude between us, so don’t say such things."

Grandma Sun smiled, but she was sighing inwardly. ’Back then, my daughter-in-law looked down on Gu’er’s humble background and insisted that Jia Ming marry a city girl. Now Gu’er is a city girl herself, and her father is even some kind of official. It’ll be their turn to judge Jia Ming. If they take Gu’er back home with them, will they still let her marry him?’

She glanced worriedly at her grandson.

Sun Jiaming shared her worry, but he didn’t let it show. He believed in Gu’er, and he believed in himself.

At first, Gu’er hadn’t been thinking about any of this. But then she looked at Grandma Sun, then at the somewhat silent Sun Jiaming, and she understood.

"Auntie, Jia Ming, we’d like to take Gu’er home to live with us. We haven’t been by her side for so many years, and she’s suffered too much. As her parents, we’ve failed her. From now on, we should do our duty and take good care of her."

Lin Shan’s gaze towards Gu’er was filled with fatherly love. It was as if he could see the little girl she once was, calling him "daddy," asking to be held, and smiling up at him.

"Yes, that’s right. We’ve finally found Gu’er after all this time; we want her to live with us. Having her stay here in the village, in your house... it’s just not a long-term solution. Auntie, Jia Ming, if you ever want to visit the city, just come to our home anytime. We’ll also come back to visit you often, Auntie."

Chen Fengjiao chimed in. ’Now that we’ve found our daughter, of course we have to take her back. What would people think, letting her live in someone else’s house?’ Besides, she had also heard about Sun Jiaming and Gu’er. It seemed everyone in the village was saying that Sun Jiaming had feelings for her.

Chen Fengjiao took a closer look at Sun Jiaming. ’He’s decent-looking, and he seems alright... but his family is from the village. And he has a paralyzed grandmother. I’ve also heard his mother is a difficult person. Do I really want to marry Gu’er to a man like that? She’d have to serve a paralyzed grandmother and deal with a mother-in-law like that the moment she married. My daughter has suffered for so many years; I don’t want her to suffer anymore. Once we’re back in the city, it won’t be hard for us to find a good family for Gu’er to marry into.’

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Thank you to Chunteng1 for the monthly ticket, and thank you all for your support.