The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er wasn’t worried by what Zhou Duo’er said, but Li Hua was frantic. She hadn’t expected things at home to be in such a mess.

"Du’er, I’m not going back, and Mom can’t go back either. Don’t you understand your father by now? Do you really think Mom can control him? If she goes back and he beats her again, she won’t survive. Mom is already lying here in this state. What more could anyone ask of her? I’m not a member of the Zhou family, so I can’t manage the Zhou family’s affairs. Aren’t all the village elders still there? You should hurry back. They’ll sort things out for you."

Gu’er didn’t let Li Hua move. ’What a joke.’ If Li Hua went back now, the surgery would have been for nothing. She’d be as good as dead.

Li Hua panicked a little. It was instinctual. But she wasn’t the same person she used to be. In the past, she would have crawled all the way home.

"Big Sister."

Zhou Duo’er called out pleadingly.

"What good will that do? I already said I can’t get involved."

Gu’er’s voice was cool and detached.

"Then let Mom go back. Dad wants her back."

Zhou Duo’er didn’t want to have made the trip for nothing.

"Fine."

Gu’er nodded at her, then added, "If your father wants Mom to come home, tell him this: Mom’s surgery cost over thirteen thousand eight hundred in total. Once he brings the money, I’ll let her go back. Otherwise, he can forget it. You can go now. He can come for Mom whenever he brings the money."

Gu’er simply didn’t believe Zhou Mazi would dare to come and demand her back.

Zhou Duo’er’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn’t even have a few pennies to her name, and Gu’er was saying the surgery cost over ten thousand. How much was that, exactly? She couldn’t do the math, but she knew it was a huge amount of money.

"If that’s too much, you can go find our uncle and aunt. I’m sure they’ll be willing to intervene."

Gu’er added. ’Isn’t our aunt, Cui Feng, known for being a real piece of work? Once she hears about this, she’s bound to get involved. Let her go and stir things up at the Zhou family’s place.’

In the end, Zhou Duo’er left. She was frightened by the amount of money, for one. For another, she felt that what Gu’er said made sense—she should go find her mother’s family.

After Zhou Duo’er left, Li Hua still couldn’t quite snap out of her shock. The amount of money Gu’er had mentioned hadn’t just scared Zhou Duo’er; it had terrified her, too.

"Gu... Gu’er... you... how much did you say it cost?"

Li Hua was stammering. ’Even if I were sold, I probably wouldn’t even be worth a hundred yuan. Over ten thousand... where did Gu’er get that kind of money?’

An idea suddenly sparked in Gu’er’s mind. She had been trying to figure out how to keep Li Hua in the city after she recovered, and now she had a plan.

"Mom, you had a blood clot in your brain and several broken bones. It was really serious. The doctor said you needed surgery, but it was going to cost a lot. Zhou Mazi said he didn’t have any money and just left. I borrowed the money from several people, and my dad pitched in too. It’s all been spent now."

As she finished speaking, Gu’er’s expression grew somber.

Just then, Sun Jiaming walked in carrying some food. He immediately understood what Gu’er was doing.

He let out a soft sigh as well. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"What are we going to do? How will we ever pay back so much money? If I’d known, you shouldn’t have saved me. I’m not worth this much."

Li Hua was consumed with worry. She believed Gu’er was telling the truth; she knew her daughter didn’t have any money.

"Mom, I had to save you, no matter the cost. But with a debt this large, once you’ve recovered, I’ll have to go out and work to pay it back. Brother Jia Ming is going with me, but then there will be no one to look after Grandma. We had originally planned to ask Aunt Zhao for help, but we’re out of money now. We can’t expect someone to look after her for free, can we? I just don’t know what to do."

Gu’er lowered her head. She wasn’t intentionally trying to deceive Li Hua.

"I can look after her," Li Hua offered, "but back home..."

Li Hua knew she was good at caregiving, but her heart was still tied to the Zhou family.

"Mom, don’t you feel any hatred for him at all? You married him; you weren’t sold to him. A woman’s marriage doesn’t mean she has to stick by her husband no matter what he does. If he treated you well, then of course you should live a good life with him. But a man like that... he doesn’t even treat you like a human being. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with him?"

Gu’er felt it was time for Li Hua to wake up to reality. Divorce might be considered shameful, but if Li Hua didn’t come to her senses, she would lose her life.

This time, Zhou Mazi’s beating had truly broken Li Hua’s heart. When she thought about all the money that was spent, and how she had burdened Gu’er, how could she not feel hatred?

"But... there’s still Feng’er, Du’er, and Cai Zi..."

Li Hua was still worried about her three other children.

"Mom, you gave birth to them and you raised them, but how do they treat you? Feng’er said you deserved to be beaten to death. Why are you still worried about a child like that? If they cared about you in the slightest, would they have ignored you? You were lying there on the brink of death, and they didn’t even bother to ask how you were. If it weren’t for Uncle Zhao, you would have died this time! When Du’er came over just now, did she ask about you even once? Besides, they are children of the Zhou family. Their surname is Zhou. You’re not in their hearts, so why are you still worrying about them?"

Even as she said the words, Gu’er understood. ’No matter how terrible a child is, a mother can never truly let go. Back then, with Zhang Juan... didn’t I get involved with her problems time and time again?’

Li Hua fell silent. Her heart was chilled with disappointment, but they were still her children.

"Let’s do this, Mom. For now, don’t worry about the Zhou family’s affairs. If you agree to divorce Zhou Mazi and let him have custody of the children, then I’ll help Zhou Feng’er. I’ll make sure she doesn’t have to marry that old gambler, and I’ll see to it that Zhou Mazi doesn’t go to jail. But after that, you can’t get involved in their lives anymore. Once you’ve recovered, you can stay here in the city and help Brother Jia Ming and me take care of Grandma Sun, while we go out and work to pay off the debt. What do you say?"

’Gu’er didn’t actually care who Zhou Feng’er married. As long as she was under Zhou Mazi’s control, her fate would be bleak anyway. The important thing was that Zhou Mazi couldn’t go to jail. If he did, the Zhou siblings would become Li Hua’s legal responsibility.’

’As long as Li Hua agreed to the divorce and the children remained with the Zhou family, Gu’er could move her mother over to the Sun Family’s place. The Zhou family didn’t know where the Sun Family lived. Over time, Li Hua’s mindset would gradually change. The Zhou children would grow up, Li Hua’s attachment to them would fade, and she would finally be free from the Zhou family.’

"Let me think about it."

Li Hua didn’t reject the idea outright, which showed just how completely she had given up hope on the Zhou family. In the past, she wouldn’t have dared to even think about divorce.

Seeing that Li Hua didn’t refuse, Gu’er knew she was tempted. ’There’s no need to rush,’ she thought. ’As long as the idea is in her head, this can work. And once it’s done, I’ll have nothing more to worry about.’

"Let’s eat."

Sun Jiaming knew Gu’er and Li Hua had finished their conversation, so he set out the food. ’Gu’er’s plan might actually work,’ he thought. ’There are hardly any good people in the Zhou family. If they can get Li Hua out of there, Gu’er won’t have to worry about them anymore.’

Li Hua tossed and turned all night, unsure if she should listen to Gu’er. The next day, to everyone’s surprise, the Li Family arrived. Her visitors included Gu’er’s maternal grandfather, Li Shan; her uncle, Li Datie, and his wife, Bai Erni; along with Li Jin, Li Zhi’er, and Li Ying. Her third uncle, Li San Chui, and his wife, Cui Feng, did not come.

Gu’er cleared the space by the bed so the Li Family could speak with Li Hua. She then pulled Li Zhi and Li Ying aside to ask them what was going on.

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Once Li Hua’s situation was resolved, Gu’er would be able to focus on making money.