The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

By the time she got home, Gu’er saw Chen Fengjiao’s concerned expression and gave her a smile. "Mom," she called out. Perhaps it was because she had gone out for a walk, or perhaps because she had now fully accepted Lin Shan, but her feelings toward Chen Fengjiao had shifted. Coming back to this house, she no longer felt so suffocated.

"Oh, where have you two been? And you had a drink! If I’d known you were eating out, our whole family could have gone together."

Chen Fengjiao was taken aback by Gu’er’s smile for a moment before she spoke.

"Heh, it got a bit cold around noon, so I had Gu’er join me for a drink. The whole family can go together next time."

Lin Shan explained.

"Your hands are freezing! Honestly, you shouldn’t have been out wandering in the snow. Come on, warm yourselves up. I’ll pour you some hot tea."

Chen Fengjiao grumbled as she went to pour the tea. As Gu’er watched Lin Zheng run to her side to brush the snow off her clothes, she suddenly felt quite happy. Of course, that was only possible by ignoring Lin Sui’er’s resentful glare.

The days that followed were peaceful. Gu’er helped Chen Fengjiao clean the house, doing a major cleanup before the New Year. She also helped fry some holiday snacks, and the way Chen Fengjiao looked at her began to soften.

In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve. Around noon, Gu’er and Chen Fengjiao worked together to prepare a large feast.

Chen Fengjiao poured some strong liquor for Lin Shan and herself, and opened bottles of soda for Gu’er and the other children. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

In those days, soda was considered quite a treat.

As the head of the family, Lin Shan said a few words. They were mostly about his hopes for a better new year and for his children to be healthy and live together in harmony.

Chen Fengjiao also offered a few words, all of them warm wishes for the new year.

Gu’er sipped the soda from her cup. The sodas of that time had a sharp fizz that stung the throat, nothing like the fruit juices of the future.

Gu’er added a few words of her own, wishing her parents good health and her siblings a happy childhood.

Then it was Lin Sui’er’s turn, and finally, Lin Zheng added a few words as well. With smiles all around, everyone began to eat.

Gu’er watched the family. For the past two days, even Sui’er had stopped being so passive-aggressive. ’Maybe it’s because of the New Year,’ she thought. ’Everyone wants good luck for the holiday.’

After they finished their meal and cleaned up, the family sat in the living room. They chatted happily while eating candy, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and watching television.

"Is your older sister coming back this year?"

Chen Fengjiao asked Lin Shan while cracking sunflower seeds.

Gu’er’s heart stirred as she listened. ’Mom must be talking about my aunt,’ she thought. ’Dad’s older brother—my eldest uncle—has already passed away, and it seems he didn’t have any children. That means this aunt is Dad’s only close living relative.’

This aunt, however, had married someone who lived far away. Travel wasn’t very convenient in those days, so she only came back to visit once every several years.

"I called my sister. She knows we found Gu’er and was planning to come back this year, but Zhongshan’s health isn’t good, so she can’t make it. She asked me to tell you that once he’s feeling a bit better, she’ll bring Zhongshan and Xinghua for a visit."

Lin Shan sighed.

Gu’er understood. The Zhongshan her father mentioned was her aunt’s son. Apparently, he had suffered a serious illness at age eight, and his health had been fragile ever since. Even though he was twenty-four now, he was still frequently ill, unmarried, and required constant care, which was a great source of worry for her aunt.

Xinghua was the aunt’s daughter. She was fifteen this year and was said to be a fine girl. But Gu’er had never met her, just as she had never met this sole aunt of hers.

"Sigh. After the New Year, find some time to wire some more money to your sister. We’re too far away to help with much else, and her life is hard. We can only send a little money to show we care."

Chen Fengjiao sighed. She knew her sister-in-law had a difficult life and that her husband worried about her constantly.

"Okay."

Lin Shan nodded, giving Chen Fengjiao a gentle smile. ’My wife is really good about this,’ he thought. Over all the years he had been helping his sister, she had never once complained.

Gu’er glanced at Chen Fengjiao. ’It seems Mom is a reasonable person after all,’ she thought.

"Are you going to visit your family this year?"

Lin Shan then asked Chen Fengjiao.

Gu’er froze for a moment. ’That’s right, Chen Fengjiao’s family home... my maternal grandparents’ place,’ she thought. ’It isn’t in this city. Is Mom going to take us back there for a visit?’

"I’m not going back. Traveling during the holiday is a nightmare, and besides, my parents are gone. I don’t get along with my sister-in-law. We’ll see if there’s a chance to go some other time."

Chen Fengjiao put the sunflower seed shells in the trash can, her expression unpleasant.

’So that’s how it is,’ Gu’er thought, nodding to herself. It was common for married women to be less willing to visit their parents’ home after their parents had passed away. ’It’s probably for the best,’ she mused. ’I would’ve felt awkward meeting relatives I don’t even know.’

That evening, they made dumplings while watching TV. Chen Fengjiao rolled out the wrappers while Lin Shan and Gu’er filled them. Sui’er and Lin Zheng didn’t lift a finger to help, but the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.

Eating dumplings and watching the Spring Festival Gala on the black-and-white television, the sounds of laughter from the show brought a sense of joy and delight.

The Spring Festival Gala was much simpler in those days. The stage looked crude and the costumes were outdated, but as Gu’er listened to the old-fashioned acts she remembered and the songs from years long past, her heart filled with nostalgia.

When the first day of the New Year arrived, everyone woke up very early. Before they even ate breakfast, Chen Fengjiao gave Gu’er, Sui’er, and Lin Zheng ten yuan each.

’Is this lucky money?’

Gu’er held the ten-yuan bill, her expression shifting with a mix of emotions.

Back with the Zhou family, she had never received any lucky money. It wasn’t just her; even Zhou Feng’er and Zhou Duo’er never got any. Zhou Mazi refused to give it, and as for Li Hua, she not only had no money of her own, but she would be beaten by Zhou Mazi if she dared to give the girls anything. The only child who ever received lucky money was Zhou Cai.

She never thought a day would come when she would receive lucky money from her own parents.

"I’m too old for this, you don’t have to," Gu’er said hesitantly, looking at the ten yuan in her palm.

"Take it. No matter how old you get, you’ll always be our child. You have to accept the lucky money."

Chen Fengjiao patted Gu’er on the head.

Gu’er almost flinched away out of instinct, but she stopped herself. Though she wasn’t used to physical affection from Chen Fengjiao, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse such a kind gesture.

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom."

Gu’er dropped the polite protests and accepted the money. This was the first time her birth parents had given her lucky money, and she would treasure it.

Gu’er took the lucky money back to her room. When she came out, she gave Lin Sui’er and Lin Zheng ten yuan each, presenting it as their lucky money from her.

She had considered skipping Lin Sui’er and only giving money to Lin Zheng, but it was the first day of the New Year, and she didn’t want to cause any unhappiness. No matter what, in that moment, Lin Sui’er was her sister, so she gave it to her.

"Thanks, Big Sis."

Lin Zheng was delighted. His big sister had given him lucky money!

"Thanks, Big Sis."

Lin Sui’er thanked her as well, though reluctantly. Still, no one ever complained about having too much money, and she could buy a lot of things with ten yuan. ’I didn’t expect this Lin Gu’er to be so rich,’ she thought with a scoff. ’Mom and Dad must have given it to her secretly. Where else would she get money?’ Lin Sui’er was disgruntled, and it never crossed her mind that Gu’er might have earned the money herself.

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Thank you to Karl King for the He Shi Bi, and thank you all for your support. There will be three updates today. The third is for reaching sixty monthly tickets. The bonus Chapter for the He Shi Bi will be released tomorrow.