The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er, Sui’er, and Lin Zheng, the younger ones, walked Li Zhi all the way downstairs.

Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao, as the elders, only saw him to the door.

Once Li Zhi had left, Gu’er hunched her shoulders. It was freezing outside.

"Come on, let’s hurry back up."

Gu’er pulled Lin Zheng along, afraid he would get cold.

Lin Zheng took Gu’er’s hand, and they started up the stairs together.

"Move it! You’re so slow, blocking the way. How annoying."

Lin Sui’er saw that Gu’er and Lin Zheng were taking up the whole stairway and shouted impatiently. She even shoved Gu’er. She was angry with Gu’er because she knew, in her heart, that Li Zhi had come for Gu’er today. This made her hate her older sister even more. ’She steals everything from me.’

Gu’er stepped aside to let her pass.

"Second Sister, why did you push Big Sister? I’m going to tell Mom and Dad you’re bullying her."

Lin Zheng’s little face puffed up with anger. Their parents had told them to be united and love each other, but his second sister was always starting trouble. He didn’t like her.

"None of your business, you little brat."

Lin Sui’er glanced back at Lin Zheng from higher up the stairs, then dashed the rest of the way up.

"Alright, Xiao Zheng, don’t be angry. Tell me, why were you so quiet during dinner today?"

Gu’er thought about how talkative Lin Zheng usually was, a regular chatterbox, but he had been exceptionally quiet at dinner.

"Brother Li was here."

Lin Zheng trusted Gu’er a lot now, so he answered her honestly when she asked.

"Why? Don’t you like Brother Li? He’s a police officer, you know."

Gu’er hadn’t expected that Li Zhi’s presence was the reason Lin Zheng had been so quiet.

"Police officers are cool, but Brother Li talks too much."

Lin Zheng said this with a completely serious face. He admired police officers and thought they were impressive, but the talkative Li Zhi didn’t match his image of one.

Gu’er burst out laughing. She hadn’t expected that was what Lin Zheng was thinking.

"Big Sister, don’t laugh at me."

Lin Zheng looked at Gu’er’s face and blushed slightly, feeling as though he’d said something wrong.

"I’m not laughing at you. I just think you’ve grown up, Xiao Zheng. You have your own thoughts now. There’s nothing wrong with that. Hey, Xiao Zheng, when I have time, how about I take you to see the village?"

Gu’er asked Lin Zheng, her expression incredibly gentle.

"Okay! What’s in the village?"

Lin Zheng had never been to a village and was curious.

"The village is different from the city. The houses are different, and there are vast farm fields. There’s a very kind grandma there and a wonderful big brother. There are mountains where you can find wild vegetables and mushrooms, and there are animals, too—wild chickens, ducks, deer, and roe deer. There’s even a river full of fish..."

Gu’er spoke softly, a look of longing on her face. She truly missed the village. ’It would be nice if I could go back to the Sun Family for the New Year.’

’But that’s just a thought. For one, Chen Fengjiao would never let me go. Besides, there’s bound to be heavy snow around the New Year. The snow would block the roads, and it would be incredibly difficult for me to get back to the village alone. If I accidentally stepped into a snow-filled ditch, I could be buried alive. On top of that, I don’t even know if the Sun parents will be back for the holiday. If they are, then I can’t go. The New Year shouldn’t be unpleasant.’

’Thinking of the Sun parents, Gu’er found it strange. Cao Qiu was a snob, yet they had never come looking for her. Could it be they didn’t know she was in the city?’

’And then there was Liu Yuan. Gu’er thought of him, the friend she’d met right after she was reborn. She had gone near his house several times in the last three months but had never run into him. One time, she ran into Chen Dahua and got an earful. Gu’er said she wanted to see Liu Yuan, but Chen Dahua refused outright and told her to give up hope.’

’She had asked around and learned that Liu Yuan wasn’t married yet. Gu’er planned to wait near the Liu family’s home again after the New Year. He should be on holiday then, so she might be able to catch him.’

’Even if she couldn’t tell Liu Yuan everything right now, she wanted to have a proper talk with him. She couldn’t let him marry Huang Mingyu. If Liu Yuan married someone else, his fate might change. Of course, she also had to be constantly on guard. The explosion from her past life... it would be best if that didn’t happen again.’

’I need to get in touch with Liu Yuan and let him know I’m in the city. Then we can figure out a way to meet. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to tell him what I need to, because I can’t even see him.’

"Big Sister, we passed our floor."

Lost in her thoughts about Liu Yuan, Gu’er had kept pulling Lin Zheng up the stairs, not realizing they had already passed their own front door and were still climbing.

"Haha, I wasn’t paying attention."

Gu’er laughed. She really hadn’t noticed.

Back inside their apartment, Gu’er saw Lin Sui’er clinging to Chen Fengjiao on the sofa. Lin Sui’er had her arms around Chen Fengjiao’s and was whispering something in her ear. Chen Fengjiao was smiling with doting affection.

Gu’er’s eyes stung a little. ’This is what a mother and daughter are supposed to be like,’ she thought. ’They say a daughter is a mother’s sweet little comforter. Chen Fengjiao and Lin Sui’er are a real mother and daughter. I’m afraid Chen Fengjiao and I will never have a day like this.’

Lin Zheng ran over and sat on the sofa, but not next to Chen Fengjiao. He sat off to one side and watched TV.

Gu’er went back to her room, where Lin Shan was sitting on a stool, reading a book.

"Come, sit."

Seeing Gu’er enter, Lin Shan smiled at her gently.

’Does he have something he wants to talk to me about?’ Gu’er wondered.

Gu’er sat down.

"Gu’er, Dad wants to ask you, what do you think of Li Zhi as a person?"

Lin Shan got straight to the point. There was no need to beat around the bush with his own daughter; you saved the schemes and calculations for outsiders.

Gu’er hadn’t expected Lin Shan to ask about Li Zhi.

"I think he’s quite smart, calculating, and a bit selfish, but he’s not a bad person. It’s fine to be friends with him, but you can’t get too close. Otherwise, he’s likely to use you to his advantage if something major happens. He seems cheerful and easygoing, but his personality is actually very determined. He’s not exactly easy to get along with. Once he has a goal, he’s not easily swayed. He’s the type of person who can get things done."

Gu’er stated her feelings and observations. Since Lin Shan had asked her, he must be serious, so she had no reason to hide anything.

A flash of astonishment crossed Lin Shan’s eyes. ’I never thought my daughter could be so perceptive. I myself had only learned to see people clearly after reaching middle age and experiencing the ways of the world. How old is my daughter? She’ll only be nineteen after the New Year, right? Where did she learn to read people like this?’

’If she can see through Li Zhi, it means she has good judgment and knows what she’s doing. She chose Sun Jiaming... It seems that this Sun Jiaming isn’t what I originally thought. He must have some extraordinary qualities.’

Lin Shan thought about that storefront. ’A guy from a village actually had the money to buy a commercial property in the city and even get the deed for it. This Sun Jiaming certainly has foresight.’

’I’d told Sun Jiaming he should come visit, but ever since Gu’er returned, he has never once stepped through the Lin family’s door. Even when he brings Gu’er home, he never comes inside, only dropping her off at the entrance to the building. This shows he understands that he and the Lin Family are not on equal footing. He doesn’t want to take advantage of us, nor does he want to suffer any humiliation here.’

’He helped Gu’er when she was in a difficult situation and managed to intimidate the villagers without going too far. It seems I’ll have to find some time to learn more about this Sun Jiaming. I need to see if my daughter’s judgment is sound.’