The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Before it was even afternoon, all the goods they had brought were sold out.

But just as Qu Shui had said, such good business also attracted a lot of police. Gu’er’s group ran into several patrols and had to give away a few bottles of white liquor, as well as thirty US dollars.

"Let’s go. Today was pretty good. I definitely have you guys to thank. In the past, I would’ve had to spend over a hundred US dollars, easy. Lunch is on me today."

The smile on Qu Shui’s face was particularly sincere. Since he had set up his stall with Gu’er and her group, when the police took the white liquor and left, they considered him one of them and didn’t ask him for anything else. He had saved a lot of money today, so his offer to treat them was genuine.

Li Zhi and Gu’er readily agreed. It was always good to make another friend. Although it seemed like Qu Shui had taken advantage of them today, they wouldn’t have known about this place if he hadn’t brought them. Goods sold quickly here, and for high prices—it was a gold mine.

Qu Shui led them to buy some large loaves of local bread, some regional sausage, and some of the local beer. Then they carried everything back to their lodgings.

"Go on, eat. We’ll go again tomorrow. One more trip tomorrow and my goods will be pretty much sold out. How about you all?"

Qu Shui asked the three of them.

Gu’er estimated that their own stock would be nearly gone after another day of selling. Then they could start purchasing new goods.

"Sounds good. I’ll come get you tomorrow. After we’re sold out, I’ll take you shopping. I know a place where the goods are high-quality and cheap."

With that, Qu Shui left.

"That Uncle Qu is a really helpful person. Thanks to him, we’ve saved ourselves a lot of trouble."

Gu’er remarked.

"Yeah, I never really thought about it before, but once you leave the country, you realize your fellow countrymen feel like family."

Li Zhi added, while Dingzi said nothing.

"This beer is disgusting."

Gu’er took a sip of the local beer and nearly spat it out. She wasn’t a beer drinker to begin with, and this local brew tasted completely different from the beer back home, making it even harder for her to stomach.

She had also forced herself to eat the large loaf of bread. Whether it tasted good or not was one thing, but eating it every day was getting tiresome.

"Just drink water. This beer is for us men. When it’s time to go back, we’ll take some for my Uncle Lin and for Jia Ming and the others. It’s a waste to let you drink it."

Li Zhi now spoke to Gu’er with an easy familiarity.

"It’s too bad it’s so heavy, or we could take some back to sell."

Gu’er felt like all she could think about now was making money.

That afternoon, they didn’t go back to set up their stall or buy anything. Instead, they went out for a walk. Even though Qu Shui could act as their guide, Gu’er wanted to familiarize herself with the area. If they were going to do business here for the long term, she needed to know the lay of the land herself.

That evening, they skipped the bread and found a small restaurant for dinner. To be honest, the food wasn’t really to their taste and it wasn’t cheap either. But since they had traveled all this way, they felt they ought to at least try it.

On the way back, Gu’er started asking Dingzi to teach her some simple Russian phrases. Although Dingzi could handle their interactions, he was so taciturn. If she could speak a little Russian herself, it would make things much easier.

For Dingzi, teaching Gu’er Russian was more trouble than killing a man. He wasn’t afraid of killing, but he was terrified of talking. Still, he couldn’t just ignore Gu’er. He also realized that if she learned to speak the language, he wouldn’t have to open his mouth anymore. So, he had no choice but to teach her.

Whether she learned them correctly or not, by the time they got back to their lodgings, Gu’er had managed to learn two phrases.

Before they retired to their rooms, Gu’er took out a pen to do the books, Li Zhi counted the cash, and Dingzi was in charge of watching over the process.

Even blood brothers have to keep clear accounts. They had to record what they sold each day and for how much, just so all three of them were on the same page.

The next day, Gu’er and the others followed Qu Shui to the same street. After selling out their goods and buying some food, they returned. They didn’t do any purchasing, having agreed to go together the next day.

"The total is two thousand one hundred thirty-five US dollars, and three thousand nine hundred forty-two rubles."

Li Zhi had finished counting all the money they’d made over the past few days.

Gu’er did a quick conversion in her head. ’That’s almost fifty thousand yuan in total.’

’Fifty thousand yuan! That’s enough to buy a big house back home. Even split three ways, that’s nearly twenty thousand each. And we’re not even taking this cash home—we’re going to buy more goods to sell, which will earn us another fortune.’

All three of them were thrilled. Although Dingzi didn’t show it, the slight narrowing of his eyes revealed that he was just as excited.

"Li Zhi, Brother Dingzi, now that we’ve made some money, I’d like to discuss how we should divide the profits. Is that all right?"

Gu’er began after a moment’s thought.

Li Zhi stared fixedly at Gu’er. Dingzi looked at her too. Though his face remained expressionless, a flicker of something passed through his eyes.

"Go on,"

Li Zhi’s heart tightened. ’We originally agreed to split the money into two shares: one for me and Dingzi, and one for Gu’er and Sun Jiaming. Why is she bringing it up again? The extra profit we made this time was all thanks to that bubble gum, the small bottles of liquor, and those other little things Gu’er picked out. We wouldn’t have earned nearly this much otherwise. Does she think she deserves a bigger cut because her items sold so well?’

’Sun Jiaming didn’t even come this time, so taking half is already a huge amount for her. If she asks for more, that’s just being greedy... But then again, I don’t think Gu’er is that kind of person.’

"Li Zhi, Brother Dingzi, we originally agreed to split the profits into two shares—one for me and Brother Jia Ming, and one for the two of you. But now, I don’t think that’s fair."

As she spoke, Gu’er glanced at the two men, but their expressions didn’t change significantly.

"Brother Jia Ming didn’t come this time, so it’s just me. There’s no way I can accept half the profits for myself. I think we should split what we earned into three equal shares, one for each of us. What do you say?"

Li Zhi and Dingzi were both stunned. They clearly hadn’t expected her to say that. In effect, Gu’er was giving up a significant portion of her profit. She was entitled to half, but now she would only be taking a third.

"I... I don’t need a full share. I didn’t put up any of the initial capital,"

Dingzi managed a full sentence. Although he didn’t particularly need the money, he had never expected Gu’er to make such an offer.

"Don’t say that, Brother Dingzi. We were only able to haul all this stuff here thanks to you. You’re also responsible for our safety. You’ve worked the hardest and contributed the most. I’m just a woman. If you two hadn’t brought me along, I probably wouldn’t have come at all. I’m not strong; I have to rely on you for protection. I’m more than happy to take just one share."

Gu’er spoke with great sincerity, and she truly meant it.

"All right, Gu’er, I wasn’t wrong about you. Dingzi, don’t refuse. We’ll each take one share. That’s final!"

Li Zhi could see Gu’er’s sincerity and agreed heartily. In that moment, he was filled with admiration for her. ’She could have taken half, and we’re not talking about a few hundred yuan here, but she yielded. Though she gave up profits now, with a gesture like this, Dingzi and I will make sure she never gets the short end of the stick in the future.’

Little did Gu’er know that this single act of generosity would solidify their "iron triangle" for years to come. With it, she earned Dingzi’s friendship and his true loyalty. From that day on, no matter the circumstances, he never once betrayed her.

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Thank you to Hai Feng sea·breeze, Long Yin Yue, Dong Han Yue, Lan Niao Fei, and Ximen Jingshang for the monthly tickets. Thanks, everyone. I was running around outside all morning and almost got heatstroke. It’s the first day of the month, so should I post three Chapters, or... three Chapters? It’s three Chapters today. Back to writing.