The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

When Zhou Gu’er reached the village entrance, she saw Sun Jiaming waiting for her.

They had agreed yesterday to meet at the entrance, mainly to avoid the idle gossip in the village.

"Sister Gu’er, let me get that."

After greeting Zhou Gu’er, Sun Jiaming took the handles of the wheelbarrow from her and started pushing it.

"Thank you, Brother Jia Ming. You can push for a while, and then I’ll take over."

Zhou Gu’er didn’t refuse. It was a long way, and she appreciated that Sun Jiaming was willing to lend a hand.

"Alright."

Sun Jiaming nodded.

This part of the Northeast was vast and sparsely populated. The villages were far apart, and as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but land and very few people.

As they walked, they exchanged a bit of small talk at first, but they eventually fell silent, having run out of things to say.

After all, this was only the third time they had ever met. They hadn’t known each other before, so there really wasn’t much to talk about.

After they had walked for about seven miles, the sun was high in the sky, and Zhou Gu’er began to feel hot.

This region didn’t have scorching summers, and it wasn’t even the hot season yet. But from walking continuously at a brisk pace, they were both sweating quite a bit.

"Brother Jia Ming, let me push for a while. You should wipe your sweat and rest a bit."

Zhou Gu’er felt a pang of sympathy when she saw the sweat beading on Sun Jiaming’s forehead.

"It’s fine, I’m not tired. And how could I let you do the pushing?"

Sun Jiaming used a towel to wipe the sweat from his face and neck, then gave Zhou Gu’er a smile.

"Is this your first time coming to the city? We’re more than halfway there; another hour or so and we should arrive. If you’re tired, you can sit on the wheelbarrow, and I’ll push you."

Sun Jiaming was worried Zhou Gu’er would be tired. It was a long journey that would exhaust a grown man, let alone a young woman like her.

"I’m not tired. I’m used to it from going up the mountains all day."

Zhou Gu’er refused. It was already kind enough of him to push the wheelbarrow for her; it would be too much to ask him to push her as well. Besides, as someone who spent her days on the mountain, she found the walk tiring but not unbearable.

"Alright. If you get tired, just say the word, and we’ll take a break."

Sun Jiaming didn’t insist.

Zhou Gu’er nodded. ’Sun Jiaming is such a warm-hearted person, truly a good man,’ she thought. ’How did I never notice that in my past life?’

But thinking back on her past life, Zhou Gu’er shook her head. ’With my personality back then, I never dared to interact with other men. When I saw someone like Sun Jiaming, I would feel so insecure that I couldn’t even speak to him. It’s no wonder our paths never crossed.’

It was almost noon by the time they entered the city. Zhou Gu’er did a quick mental calculation. ’It should be a little after ten, not quite eleven yet. That’s good. We made it before noon, so I probably haven’t delayed Sun Jiaming’s own business.’

"Sister Gu’er, you should sell your things here. You won’t have to worry about anyone chasing you off from this spot. The West Market has more foot traffic, but it’s also chaotic. It’s not a good place for a young woman on her own."

Sun Jiaming helped Zhou Gu’er park the wheelbarrow in a place called the East Market. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Zhou Gu’er knew of this place. Just as Sun Jiaming had said, it was a good spot. The foot traffic wasn’t massive, but it was decent. This part of the city was considered a more upscale area, and the people who came and went were generally more respectable.

Actually, Zhou Gu’er had originally wanted to go to the West Market. In her past life, her house had been closer to that area, so she was more familiar with it. But just as Sun Jiaming said, while the foot traffic there was heavy, it was also a place with all sorts of shady characters—thugs and thieves were common. If a woman were to sell vegetables there alone, she could easily be taken advantage of.

"Thank you, Brother Jia Ming. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble for me."

Zhou Gu’er thanked him sincerely. Sun Jiaming had really helped her a lot.

"Don’t be so polite. Alright, you can set up here. I’m going to head off now, but I’ll come back this afternoon to get you."

Once Sun Jiaming saw that Zhou Gu’er was all set, he left.

Watching Sun Jiaming’s retreating figure as he strode away, Zhou Gu’er felt the corners of her mouth lift into a slight smile.

"Are you selling wild vegetables?"

A middle-aged woman of about forty approached Zhou Gu’er’s stall.

Wild vegetables weren’t usually considered much of a delicacy, but there weren’t many other vegetables available this time of year. The sudden sight of these green plants struck her as rather nice, so she stepped forward to ask.

"Yes, Ma’am. These are all wild vegetables from the mountain, all cleaned and ready. Please, take a look."

Seeing a customer, Zhou Gu’er immediately perked up and began to introduce her wild vegetables.

"They look strangely fresh, but this stuff doesn’t taste very good, does it? This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone selling it."

The woman was actually quite taken with Zhou Gu’er’s vegetables, not for any particular reason other than how clean they were. Usually, when farmers came from the countryside to sell produce, the vegetables would be caked with mud and dirt. Even the sellers’ fingernails would be black with grime. The sight of that usually killed any desire she had to buy.

But this young woman selling vegetables was not only good-looking, but her hands were also clean. Most importantly, her vegetables were clean and neatly arranged. They would only need a quick rinse at home before cooking, which saved a lot of trouble.

"Ma’am, these wild vegetables aren’t anything precious. They’re all over the village. But at this time of year, other vegetables aren’t ready yet, so people eat these for a taste of something fresh. I have some prepared wild greens here. Would you like to try some? If you think it tastes alright, you can buy a bunch to take home, just to add another dish to the table. If you don’t like it, that’s no problem either."

Zhou Gu’er smiled and held out the metal basin in her hands.

She had washed the basin and the chopsticks thoroughly. She knew that city folk were particular about these things; if her things were dirty, they might not even be willing to try a sample.

The woman looked at the basin Zhou Gu’er offered. It was reasonably clean. Inside, she saw bright green vegetables mixed with red chili peppers, and a fresh, fragrant aroma wafted up to her. It seemed like it might actually taste pretty good.

"Well, I’ll have a taste then."

The woman took the chopsticks and picked up two pieces of bracken fern, putting them in her mouth.

"You know, it’s quite crisp. The saltiness is just right, and it’s a little spicy, but very refreshing. I’ve tried making this in past years, and I added oil and salt, but the flavor was nothing like this. How did you make it?"

After eating, the woman actually asked Zhou Gu’er for the recipe, as if she were just there for a friendly chat.

"Ma’am, there’s no real trick to it. First, you have to be careful about the blanching time, and second..."

Zhou Gu’er smiled and explained her cooking method.

Besides the middle-aged woman, several other women had gathered around, and they were all listening intently as well.

"Young lady, you just told me the recipe like that. Aren’t you afraid I won’t buy your vegetables now?"

After Zhou Gu’er finished, the woman looked at her, a hint of something unreadable flickering in her eyes.

"Heh, it’s alright if you don’t buy any, Ma’am. The recipe is no secret, nothing precious. Besides, these wild plants grow all over the village. Anyone who’s willing to put in the effort can dig them up. I’m only trying to sell them for a little money because my family is having a hard time. I just hope you don’t laugh at me for it. If you ever have time to visit the village, Ma’am, I’ll give you a few baskets of them for free."

Zhou Gu’er gave a simple, honest smile, a hint of bashfulness on her face. ’She knows that by asking that question, the woman definitely intends to buy,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, she would have just walked away. The more sincere I am, the more she’ll like me. People are still pretty straightforward these days. If this were in the future, no one would care about all this.’