The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

After getting off the train, Gu’er suggested they first make a trip to the bank to deposit the money they were carrying.

They were heading to the Soviet Union again in a few days to buy more goods, and no matter how much the three of them could carry, they couldn’t haul this much cash around. It would be best to leave just enough for purchasing inventory; bringing all that cash home was not a good idea.

Li Zhi and Dingzi had the same thought. It was best to get rich quietly without showing off, so the three of them headed straight for the bank.

They had all their documents with them for their trip abroad, so opening an account at the bank wasn’t a hassle.

At first, the bank teller assumed they were depositing a few hundred yuan, but when they pulled all the money out of their bags, the staff was dumbfounded.

It wasn’t just in the smaller sacks—even the large travel duffel was stuffed with cash.

On this one trip, they had earned a grand total of 108,487 yuan. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Setting aside the odd change, they each received a share of just over thirty thousand yuan from the main sum.

That amount might not sound like much in later years, but in this era—an era before the "ten-thousand-yuan household" had even become a concept—one could only imagine what a fortune over thirty thousand yuan represented.

Gu’er deposited thirty thousand yuan. She kept the remaining six thousand-plus in cash. She planned to give some to Chen Fengjiao, and Grandma Sun’s hospitalization had also cost a lot. She’d set aside three thousand for restocking inventory and use the rest to furnish her little home. Her father had bought it for her, but she still hadn’t had a chance to see it.

The more Gu’er thought about it, the happier she became, and a smile she couldn’t suppress spread across her face.

"Let’s take a week off. We’ll head out again after that. I’ll buy the tickets. In your free time, remember to source some good inventory. We’ll come get you when it’s time to go."

Li Zhi and Dingzi walked Gu’er to the ground floor of her apartment building.

"Alright. You’re not coming up for a glass of water?"

Gu’er asked. She planned to go upstairs, put her things down, grab a drink of water, and let Chen Fengjiao know she was back before heading to the hospital. She’d come home first to see if Grandma Sun had been discharged yet.

"I’d better come up," Li Zhi decided. "When we left, I promised your mom I’d bring you back safe and sound. I should check in with her, so she can’t say I don’t keep my word."

"Dingzi, you’re coming with me."

Li Zhi pulled Dingzi along as he spoke. ’Why? Because he was afraid of that clingy Lin Sui’er. The way she looked at him gave him a headache every time. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand her intentions, but how old was she? Fifteen? Sixteen? Even if things didn’t work out with Gu’er, there was no way he could be interested in a girl that young. Besides, Lin Sui’er wasn’t his type. But she was Gu’er’s sister, so he could never say anything. He just had to grit his teeth and bear it whenever she spoke to him. Now, with the stone-faced Dingzi around, maybe Lin Sui’er wouldn’t dare approach him.’

’Thinking of this, Li Zhi felt a surge of delight. From now on, he decided, he would have to bring Dingzi every time he visited.’

Dingzi was oblivious to Li Zhi’s scheming. ’Gu’er seemed like a decent person,’ he thought. He had come to respect her. ’If we’re going up, so be it. The most I’ll have to do is say a few words and greet everyone.’

And so, the three of them—Gu’er, Li Zhi, and Dingzi—carried their bags upstairs.

When they reached her floor, Gu’er took out her key. The moment the door swung open, before she could even step inside, she heard loud voices. It sounded less like talking and more like arguing.

Gu’er frowned. ’That sounds like Cao Qiu. I haven’t been home, so what is she doing here?’

Perhaps the sound of the door opening alerted the people inside, because the voices stopped, and all eyes turned toward the entrance.

"Gu’er, you’re finally back!"

The moment Chen Fengjiao saw Gu’er, her face lit up with joyful surprise. Gu’er had been gone for over ten days, and of course she had been worried, terrified that something might have happened to her daughter. She had consoled herself with the thought that Li Zhi was there and would keep her safe. But these last few days, Cao Qiu had been visiting every other day, and Chen Fengjiao was about to lose her mind. Seeing Gu’er now was like seeing her savior.

’Now that Gu’er was back, she wouldn’t have to deal with Cao Qiu herself.’

She moved quickly, but Cao Qiu was quicker. Like a gust of wind, Cao Qiu shot to the doorway, grabbed Gu’er’s arm, and launched into a tirade, the words firing like a string of firecrackers. "Gu’er, you’re finally back! You left without even telling your auntie, I was worried sick! And you—your grandmother is in the hospital, and instead of staying home to care for her, you run off? You ran off with another man! If people find out, they’ll say the ugliest things. They might even say you eloped with some hooligan! Even if nothing happened, who knows what they’ll think? Why can’t you be more considerate? It’s only because Sun Jiaming spoils you. You can’t go running wild like this anymore. You’re shaming your man, you know that? Oh, by the way, how much money did you make on this trip? Did you make five hundred yuan?"

Gu’er had to hand it to Cao Qiu. The woman was truly unbelievable, leaving her utterly speechless.

’Who’s the one with the dirty mind? It must be Cao Qiu herself. If everyone thought like her, men and women in the future wouldn’t be able to function—they work together all the time. After lecturing me endlessly, she has the nerve to ask how much I earned. What business is it of hers whether I made money or not? It’s not like I’m giving her any.’

Gu’er didn’t say a word, simply stepping aside to let Li Zhi and Dingzi into the apartment.

"Xiao Zhi, you’re here too! Quick, come in. And this is...? I’m so grateful to you both for taking care of Gu’er on her trip. Thank you so much. Don’t you dare leave; you have to stay for dinner."

Chen Fengjiao bustled about, welcoming Li Zhi and Dingzi with a broad smile.

Cao Qiu’s expression, however, soured when she saw Li Zhi and Dingzi. ’I saw that Li Zhi fellow last time,’ she thought. ’And Gu’er went out with him again. Spending so much time together... it’d be a miracle if she didn’t have a change of heart.’

"Hmph. What kind of decent man follows a young woman around all day?" Cao Qiu sneered. "Gu’er, don’t let your judgment be clouded. You can tell just by looking at him that he’s no good."

’Why did I have to run into Cao Qiu the moment I got back?’ Gu’er thought, frustrated. She really didn’t want to embarrass the woman.

"Auntie, they’re my friends, and Brother Jia Ming knows them. Please don’t speak like that. It’s disrespectful to them, and it’s disrespectful to yourself."

The only reason Gu’er didn’t want to humiliate Cao Qiu was because she didn’t want to embarrass Sun Jiaming.

"Why are you siding with outsiders against your own family? I’m going to be your mother-in-law! We’re on the same side. Don’t you know who’s family and who isn’t?"

Cao Qiu was not pleased.

"I just know that people should be reasonable. And respect is something you earn for yourself."

After saying her piece, Gu’er stopped arguing. She ushered Li Zhi and Dingzi inside; now that they were here, they at least had to stay for a drink of water.

Once they were seated on the sofa, Chen Fengjiao poured them some tea.

Cao Qiu was still muttering under her breath when she spotted the bags in Gu’er’s hands. Her eyes lit up. ’I heard Gu’er went abroad, to the land of the Old Russians,’ she thought greedily. ’She must have brought back some good stuff. I can’t let the Lin Family get all the good things. I’m her future mother-in-law, after all. I deserve a share.’

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