The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Zhou Gu’er spent the whole afternoon gathering angelica tree shoots. Looking at the harvest in her back basket, Gu’er gave a soft smile.

She had gathered nearly five pounds this afternoon.

Five pounds might not sound like much. If it were a different plant, she could have gathered tens of pounds. But for angelica tree shoots, five pounds was considered a huge haul.

She looked at her hands. Because she worked year-round, they were rough and calloused, not at all like the hands of a girl her age. Even so, she had been pricked many times this afternoon, and two of the spots still throbbed with pain.

All girls want to be beautiful, and Zhou Gu’er was no exception. But she knew she couldn’t afford such a luxury. She didn’t even have time to care for her face, let alone her hands.

She shook her head and sighed. ’This isn’t the time to think about such things. Making money is more important.’

Zhou Gu’er also gathered a good number of scallions. Sun Jiaming had told her to take as many as she wanted, and since she had accepted his kindness, she couldn’t just ignore his offer. Besides, the scallions here were truly excellent.

"Gu’er, why’d you gather so many angelica tree shoots? Are your hands okay?"

Li Hua took the back basket and looked at her daughter’s hands. Of course she knew how difficult angelica tree shoots were to harvest.

"I’m fine. I used my clothes as padding, so I barely got pricked. No one else has been picking them, and they’re hard to harvest, so I thought they’d definitely sell better than dandelions."

Gu’er just smiled, not really bothered. ’As long as I can make money and escape my fate of marrying Zhang Da, what does a little hardship matter?’

"Sigh... Go wash up. It’ll be time to eat soon."

Li Hua sighed, her heart aching for her daughter, but there was nothing she could do to help.

After dinner, Gu’er lay down early on her hard plank bed.

The wooden planks were so hard they made her backache even more pronounced.

Gu’er felt as if her entire body had been beaten; not a single spot was free from pain. ’It must be from going up the mountain. I usually only go once a day, but I went twice today. It’d be a miracle if I wasn’t exhausted.’

Gu’er tried to turn over, but the pain in her lower back made her grimace.

’Better not move. I’ll just sleep like this,’ Gu’er thought. But the soreness in her body kept her mind uncomfortably alert. In the end, however, exhaustion won out, and Gu’er slowly drifted off to sleep.

She didn’t sleep well that night. Several times, she tried to turn over, only to be jolted awake by the pain in her back. But she was so exhausted that she would just drift back into a hazy sleep each time.

Gu’er didn’t want to get up early, but then she remembered the pile of vegetables that still needed sorting. She also didn’t want to get back too late, so she allowed herself to linger in bed for only a minute before forcing herself up.

"Mom, why are you up so early?"

When Gu’er went outside, she was surprised to see Li Hua already in the courtyard.

She was sitting on a small stool, sorting the wild vegetables.

"You went up the mountain twice yesterday. I was worried you’d worn yourself out. Go back to sleep for a while. I’ll be done sorting these soon. I’ll call you when I’m finished."

Hearing Zhou Gu’er’s voice, Li Hua straightened her back slightly and spoke with a smile.

Gu’er’s eyes grew moist. She knew gathering wild vegetables was tiring, and sorting them was just as exhausting. You had to sit hunched over for two or three hours at a time, and when you finally stood up, your back felt like it would snap. ’My adoptive mother was worried I’d be too tired, so she got up early to help me. Seeing how much she’s already done, she must have been sitting here for an hour or two already.’

"Mom, please stop. Your back isn’t good. I can do this."

Gu’er went over and crouched down. She took the small knife from Li Hua’s hand, set it on the ground, and then began to gently rub her mother’s lower back.

"It’s nothing. I’m used to it, I barely feel it. You’re still young. If your back starts acting up now, you’ll suffer for it later in life."

Li Hua took Gu’er’s hand. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel the fatigue, but she was used to it; the ache would eventually pass. Besides, this was the only way she could help her daughter. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Gu’er didn’t say anything more, but she pulled Li Hua up and wouldn’t let her continue working.

"Gu’er, some of these angelica tree shoots are a little old, but they’re still edible. I’ve already separated them for you. When you go to sell them, just sell the older ones for a little cheaper. Don’t throw them away, you hear?"

Li Hua reminded her daughter because she’d noticed that the last time Gu’er was sorting vegetables, she had picked out the less-than-perfect ones and thrown them away—a terrible waste, in Li Hua’s opinion.

"I know, Mom."

Gu’er nodded. She hadn’t planned on throwing the angelica tree shoots away either. Just as Li Hua said, it would be better to sell them cheaply or even give them away as a bonus to customers.

"Alright, I’ll go make breakfast. You finish up here."

Seeing her daughter agree, Li Hua stood up and went to the kitchen.

Gu’er watched her adoptive mother’s retreating figure. She noticed that her mother wasn’t walking with a straight back. ’She must have been bent over for too long,’ Gu’er realized. ’She’s exhausted.’

Gu’er lowered her head. ’This is why I haven’t left the Zhou family, even though I’ve been reborn and could support myself. My adoptive mother is a huge reason. If I cause too much of a scene when I leave, Zhou Mazi will definitely take all his resentment out on her. And with those three Zhou siblings being the way they are, I can only imagine how difficult her life would become.’

’But if I keep holding back for my adoptive mother’s sake, I’ll just be at the mercy of Zhou Mazi, and that’s not what I want. I don’t want to be controlled by anyone ever again. So, when the time is right, I have to leave the Zhou family. But I need to find a way to do it so that Zhou Mazi doesn’t take his anger out on Mom. Otherwise, I’d never be able to live with myself.’

Gu’er finished sorting the wild vegetables and loaded them onto the wheelbarrow. She peeked into the kitchen and saw that Li Hua had already made their meal.

There was a plate of potatoes stewed with cabbage stalks, a dish of pickled vegetables, and another plate of fresh vegetables for dipping in sauce. The only difference today was the addition of blanched angelica tree shoots.

’Stir-fried angelica tree shoots with egg is actually the best way to eat them,’ Gu’er thought, ’but this family would never spare the eggs.’

Gu’er didn’t wait to eat with everyone else. Other members of the Zhou family were still asleep, and it would take too long to wait for them. She quickly ate two corn buns and some of the dipping vegetables, then placed her sorted produce and a basin full of water on the wheelbarrow before pushing it out the door.

This time, Gu’er was going into the city by herself, which was different from her last trip. Sun Jiaming had been with her then. They had chatted, and even when they were silent, just having someone there had given Gu’er a sense of security.

But this time she was on her own. Every time she passed through the desolate, empty stretch of land, a chill of fear ran down her spine.

When she finally reached the city, she parked her cart in the same spot as last time. Gu’er rubbed her aching arms. ’Sun Jiaming was such a huge help before. I’m only now realizing just how exhausting it is to push this cart all by myself.’

Gu’er finished arranging her goods. When her eyes fell on the basin of water, she felt a sudden urge to cry.

’Our family doesn’t own a water flask or anything like it, so I had to use a basin to carry water. I thought at least I’d have something to drink today.’

But the road had been difficult in several places, full of bumps and ruts. She’d nearly overturned the cart several times, and of course, all the water in the basin had splashed out.

The day was hot, and she had sweat so much. ’I really just want one sip of water.’

Gu’er blinked, forcing back her tears of frustration. ’I have to be strong. So what if I don’t have water? I didn’t die from thirst last time. I’ll just drink my fill when I get home.’

Gu’er set the basin aside and began her business for the day.