The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Inside the kitchen, Li Hua took the food that had been warming in the stove and gave it to Gu’er.

"Gu’er, there’s no one else here. Tell Mom what really happened."

Li Hua handed the food to Gu’er and asked in a low voice.

"Mom, you know that Zhou Mei has a crush on Brother Jia Ming. When she saw him and me coming back together, she lost it. She said a lot of nasty things, knocked over my cart, and then the four of them ganged up on me. At first, I didn’t want to fight back, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I was afraid they’d seriously hurt me, so I fought back. It was me against the four of them. If I hadn’t used some force, I never would have won. As for Feng’er... I didn’t mean to hit her. There were so many people, I couldn’t see clearly."

Zhou Gu’er explained it again, sticking to more or less the same story. She would never admit that she had hit Zhou Feng’er on purpose. No matter how much Li Hua doted on her, she was still Zhou Feng’er’s biological mother. If she knew Gu’er had intentionally hit Feng’er, she would surely hold it against her.

"Sigh... You’ve suffered so much with me. Feng’er is just like that, don’t take it to heart. She’s still your sister, and in the future, you two will be the closest ones. It’s different from how it is with outsiders."

Li Hua tried to console Gu’er. She didn’t want a huge rift to form between Gu’er and Feng’er. She knew Feng’er had many faults, but Feng’er was her own daughter, and she still wished the best for her.

"I know, Mom. Don’t worry."

Even though Zhou Gu’er had already decided she would never get along with Zhou Feng’er and Zhou Duo’er, she wouldn’t say so in front of Li Hua. It would only break her mother’s heart.

"You’re a sensible girl, so I’m not worried about you. Finish eating and go to bed early. I’m going to go check on your sister."

After speaking, Li Hua left. She had consoled Gu’er, and now she had to go console Feng’er. After all, the girl had been slapped twice. Even if Gu’er hadn’t meant it, Feng’er had still been wronged, and Li Hua’s heart ached for her as a mother.

Gu’er was left alone in the kitchen. She ate a little, washing it down with hot water. The food was hard to swallow, but the feeling of hunger was worse. She didn’t want to wake up starving in the middle of the night. She had to go up the mountain tomorrow and into the city the day after. Both were physically demanding jobs, and she couldn’t afford to be poorly rested.

The faint, starlike embers in the stove cast a glow on Gu’er’s face. The light made her flushed cheeks look very pretty, but the glint in her eyes was cold. Reflected in the firelight, it created a strange, unsettling effect.

She felt utterly disheartened today, but also powerless. ’I can’t break away from the Zhou family just yet,’ she knew. ’This incident wasn’t nearly enough to make Zhou Mazi let me go.’

She knew Zhou Mazi all too well. He wouldn’t let go until he’d gotten money, until he’d squeezed every last bit of value out of her.

If she dared to cause a scene and try to leave now, he would viciously sell her to Zhang Da. Even if she fought back, she was too weak. Zhang Da was a ruffian, and no one in the village would stand up for her. She would be the one to suffer in the end.

To leave the Zhou family, the time wasn’t right. She needed an opportunity, a catalyst. Zhou Gu’er hadn’t figured out what that would be yet, but she believed it wasn’t far off. She *would* break free from the Zhou family.

The next day, Zhou Gu’er woke very early. She ate a little, got ready, and headed up the mountain with a basket on her back.

She left so early for two reasons. First, she wanted to gather more wild vegetables. Second, she didn’t want to be there if Zhou Mei came looking for trouble. Whether she came or not, if Gu’er wasn’t home, Zhou Mei couldn’t cause a scene. Besides, she really couldn’t stand the sight of Zhou Mei’s face.

By noon, Gu’er had filled both her back-basket and her hand-basket.

When she got home, her head and face were covered in sweat, and her clothes were soaked through.

Her heart aching for her, Li Hua took a towel to wipe her face. Zhou Mazi, however, looked gloomy. But seeing how many wild vegetables Zhou Gu’er had brought back, he ultimately held his tongue.

"Your ’uncle’ came by this morning, but you weren’t home. He didn’t say much. He said a few words to your father, telling us to discipline you better and not let you be so ’wild.’ Your father lost a bit of face, but he also explained that Zhou Mei and her friends started it, and you only fought back after that. After hearing that, your ’uncle’ didn’t say anything else and left."

Li Hua told Gu’er in a low voice.

’Zhou Mei’s father actually came himself?’ Gu’er thought, surprised. ’And Zhou Mazi even defended me a little? I never would have expected that.’ She knew in her heart it was because of the money. Otherwise, Zhou Mazi would have beaten her yesterday, let alone speak up for her in front of Zhou Mei’s father.

"I understand, Mom. Don’t worry. No matter how you look at it, Zhou Mei is in the wrong. So, there’s nothing to be afraid of."

Zhou Gu’er now understood the principle: if you’re weak, people will only bully you more. If you’re strong, they’ll have to swallow their anger, even if they don’t like it. And if you’re even stronger, they can only look up to you in awe! Therefore, when it came to Zhou Mei, she would not act as she had in her past life.

"Sigh, just be careful. That Zhou Mei isn’t an easy person to deal with. Watch out for her trying to cause trouble for you. I’m afraid you’ll be at a disadvantage if you go up against her."

Li Hua was still worried, but there was nothing she could do.

"I’m not afraid of her."

Zhou Gu’er said this as much for her own benefit as for Li Hua’s. In this life, deep down, she wasn’t even afraid of Zhou Mazi anymore, let alone Zhou Mei.

Li Hua stared blankly at her daughter.

She felt that Gu’er had changed, changed so much that she hardly recognized her. It was as if she’d become stronger, as if she didn’t need her help anymore. Just like yesterday, when she had tried to take the beating for Gu’er, Gu’er had pulled her away. She had thought her husband would never let either of them off, but then Gu’er took out the money. With just a few words, his anger vanished, and for the first time in forever, he didn’t hit them.

When she ran into Zhou Mei and the others, if it had been the old Gu’er, she would have been bullied half to death, come home covered in injuries, and wouldn’t have dared to say a word. She probably would have just cried secretly by herself.

But this time, not only was she not the one who got bullied, she actually hit both Zhou Mei and Feng’er.

And now today, she was saying she wasn’t afraid of Zhou Mei. Li Hua could see it clearly in Gu’er’s eyes—she wasn’t just talking tough; she truly wasn’t afraid.

’When had her eldest daughter changed? When had she become so tough?’

Normally, a daughter becoming tough should be a good thing, but Li Hua felt an indescribable sadness in her heart.

For one, because Gu’er was her stepdaughter, being too headstrong would surely make her life difficult, and she was afraid Gu’er would suffer for it. For another, she felt as if her daughter had become more capable than she was, as if she no longer needed her as a mother. This left her with a keen sense of loss.

Gu’er didn’t notice her adoptive mother’s thoughts. After wiping her face, she went to help set the table for the meal.

It was hot in the afternoon, so she rested for an hour before heading up the mountain again. This time, she brought a rope and a ragged piece of clothing, because she had discovered that the Aralia elata trees on the mountain had already sprouted tender leaves. She planned to pick some of the young shoots to sell.

Speaking of Aralia elata, they were nothing like dandelions. They were very difficult to pick because the entire tree was covered in thorns. Even when using clothing for padding, you would often get your hands pricked.

Furthermore, each tree only grew a few tender shoots, and some were right at the top. To pick them, you had to use a rope to bend the tree down. This required a special knack; one wrong move and you could snap the trunk, killing the tree. Gu’er would never do something so destructive.