The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

By the time Li Zhi and Dingzi brought Grandma Dingzi over, Chen Fengjiao and Gu’er were preparing lunch.

Gu’er welcomed Grandma Dingzi into the house.

Grandma Dingzi was a petite old woman. She wasn’t tall and looked a bit thin, but she was tidily dressed. You could tell at a glance that she was a very neat person. She seemed to be about the same age as Grandma Sun, but she was in much better health.

When Grandma Dingzi first came in, she was a bit reserved, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet. She had lived her whole life as an ordinary person. The home she currently lived in was a one-story house of only a dozen or so square meters. She didn’t know any important people; the only ones she usually interacted with were her neighbors. Now, seeing such a nice house and hearing that Gu’er’s father was an official, she couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.

Grandma Sun noticed her discomfort and took her hand, starting a conversation. The two began reminiscing about old times. Before long, Grandma Dingzi relaxed. She became more talkative, her voice grew louder, and she even offered to help with the cooking.

Gu’er and Chen Fengjiao both showed off their culinary skills, preparing a sumptuous lunch that everyone praised endlessly.

Lin Shan didn’t come back for lunch. He called to say he had to go inspect some work and would be back in the afternoon. He told everyone to stay and that they would all have dinner together in the evening.

After lunch was cleaned up, Gu’er poured tea and brought out melon seeds and snacks. Everyone started to chat.

The two old ladies, Grandma Sun and Grandma Dingzi, went to the heated kang-bed in Gu’er’s room. When Gu’er went to check on them, Grandma Sun was half-reclining while Grandma Dingzi sat cross-legged. The two of them were chatting away warmly.

Meanwhile, Chen Fengjiao was talking with Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, and Dingzi. Dingzi hardly said a word, but Gu’er could see that his expression was quite relaxed.

When Lin Sui’er returned, she saw Li Zhi and nearly threw herself into his arms, which startled Li Zhi so much that he pushed Dingzi forward.

Dingzi’s icy face really did give Lin Sui’er a fright.

After that, whenever Li Zhi couldn’t handle Sui’er’s enthusiasm, he would push Dingzi out in front of him. And what do you know, all it took was one look from Dingzi, and Sui’er would immediately sit up straight and start speaking normally, no longer using that coy, affected tone.

’This Dingzi’s lethal power is incredible,’ Gu’er thought. ’He’s like a statue of a Buddha that scares away all the monsters and demons. If we had Dingzi around the house, maybe Lin Sui’er would actually change.’

When Lin Zheng got home, he greeted everyone. Of all the people there, he was most interested in Sun Jiaming and Dingzi.

Sun Jiaming was his future brother-in-law. His big sister had told him a lot about him. Now, seeing that his future brother-in-law had thick brows and big eyes, looked like a normal guy, and spoke well, his impression was quite good.

As for Dingzi, he was a little scared of him at first glance. But kids are like that—the more they fear something, the more curious they become. Perhaps sensing that Dingzi wouldn’t hurt him, he boldly tried to talk to him.

It seemed Dingzi didn’t know how to interact with people. He wanted to show Lin Zheng he was friendly, so he gave him a smile. But his smile nearly scared Lin Zheng away. For a good while, the boy didn’t dare speak to Dingzi again, sitting by Gu’er’s side and sneaking glances at him from time to time.

Gu’er pulled Lin Zheng into her arms and whispered a few words in his ear.

Dingzi glanced at Gu’er. He’d overheard her telling Lin Zheng that he was incredibly strong, much stronger than Li Zhi, and that he could take on several Li Zhis by himself.

A look of admiration flashed in Lin Zheng’s eyes. He had originally admired Li Zhi, but he thought Li Zhi talked too much, which he didn’t like. Now, here was Dingzi, who was quiet and even stronger than Li Zhi. He was thoroughly impressed.

Lin Zheng took the initiative to talk to Dingzi again. When it was time for dinner, he even put food on Dingzi’s plate, telling him not to be polite and that his big sister’s and mom’s cooking was delicious, so he should eat more.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Dingzi kept his head down and ate, his face expressionless. However, Gu’er’s sharp eyes noticed that the area behind his ears turned a bit red. He seemed to be embarrassed. Perhaps he felt a little awkward being taken care of like a grown-up by someone as young as Lin Zheng, who was even serving him food.

Lin Shan felt that having this whole table of people together was a joyous occasion, so he brought out his treasured baijiu. He, Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, and Dingzi all drank quite a bit. Even Chen Fengjiao had a glass with them.

After dinner, everyone sat together chatting again. Gu’er noticed that Dingzi was much warmer toward Lin Zheng. Although he was still mostly silent, he looked at Lin Zheng a lot more, and his gaze now held a hint of emotion, unlike the cold, gloomy feeling he usually gave off.

Everyone chatted late into the night before heading their separate ways.

When it was time to leave, Grandma Sun and Grandma Dingzi held hands, calling each other "old sister" and "little sister," reluctant to part. The two had hit it off splendidly.

Neither Sun Jiaming nor Dingzi had expected their grandmothers to get along so well.

Dingzi glanced at Sun Jiaming, who was also looking at him. Perhaps because their grandmothers had bonded, at that moment, the two of them felt a little closer.

Gu’er said goodbye to Li Zhi, Dingzi, and Grandma Dingzi. She didn’t go back home; instead, she and Lin Shan went to see Sun Jiaming and Grandma Sun off.

The Sun family had originally told her not to, but Gu’er was worried. Grandma Sun couldn’t walk, and it would be difficult for Sun Jiaming to manage on his own. Besides, she wanted to see the place where he lived.

Lin Shan, worried about his daughter, went along too, figuring he could lend a hand if needed.

The group got out of the car. Gu’er looked at the street. ’This looks like Fufeng Street. It hasn’t been developed yet, so it’s not a high-end area, and the housing prices aren’t high. But it becomes a great location later on. By the time I was reborn, the property values here were some of the most expensive in the city. Sun Jiaming is pretty good at picking spots.’

"Let’s go, it’s on the second floor. I originally wanted to buy a unit on the first floor, but by the time I came to look, there were none available."

Carrying his grandmother on his back, Sun Jiaming went up the stairs with Gu’er and Lin Shan.

When he opened the door, Gu’er smelled the faint scent of paint. The room was a bit cold, which she knew was because the windows were open. And the windows were open to air out the smell inside.

The apartment wasn’t huge, around fifty square meters, but it wasn’t small either. It had two rooms, a small living room, a small bathroom, and a small kitchen. Everything inside was new, and all the necessities were there. Gu’er was surprised that Sun Jiaming had found the time to get the place set up. She had expected to see just a simple bed or a bare kang to make do.

"The carpenter did a pretty good job," Lin Shan said, looking around with satisfaction. "But Jiaming, this place still has a bit of a smell. Why don’t you stay at our house for a few days first?"

"No need, Shan," Grandma Sun refused. "This is more than good enough. It has everything! What’s a little smell to be afraid of? We can just close the window, and it won’t be cold. It’s perfectly livable."

Sun Jiaming also nodded. He didn’t want to trouble Gu’er’s family too much either.

Gu’er also thought it was good for them to stay in their own place. ’Even if it isn’t perfect, it’s more comfortable to live in a space that’s your own.’

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Thank you to Karl King, Ying Boyi, and Gao Gao Fei Yang Piao for the monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support. My hand hurts, my head hurts, and to top it off, when I went to cut watermelon for my daughter around six, I dropped my phone. The screen is shattered and it’s unusable now. It cost a thousand yuan and I’ve only had it for a little over a year. My heart aches. I’m going to my mother-in-law’s this weekend, so starting tomorrow I can only do two updates a day. I’ll see if I can add extra Chapters in a few days.