The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Li Zhi and Squad Leader Shang were deep in conversation.

Dingzi acted as if he heard nothing. He knew Li Zhi was a talkative person, but he also knew Li Zhi would never say anything out of line. So, Dingzi never worried about him lacking discretion. On the contrary, Li Zhi was an extremely shrewd man. Anyone who tried to take advantage of him would only find themselves being taken advantage of in the end. That was why, although Li Zhi had said a lot to Squad Leader Shang, it was he who had managed to learn almost everything about the local military unit, while only offering a few vague comments about his own situation.

Gu’er trusted Li Zhi as well, so she didn’t pay much attention to their conversation. She felt the vehicle start to shake and saw the dust kicking up. They must have reached a dirt road.

The further they went, the more violently the truck bounced. Gu’er had to hold onto Lin Shuying tightly, while Sun Jiaming held onto Gu’er, afraid she might fall.

The roads here were even worse than in their village. Gu’er felt like the jolting was going to make her lungs jump out of her chest.

Every so often, the driver would have to shout and ask for directions. He had never been here before and was afraid of taking a wrong turn. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"We’re almost there. It’s just past this village."

Lin Shuying said to Gu’er after they had been driving for quite a while.

Gu’er nodded but didn’t reply. Besides the bumping, there was dust everywhere. You could breathe it in without even opening your mouth. If she did open her mouth, she figured the dust would go straight down her throat and into her lungs.

"We’re here! This is the village. That house up ahead is the one."

Lin Shuying shouted, and the truck came to a stop.

Once the tailgate was lowered, Gu’er helped Lin Shuying get down first.

Sun Jiaming was just about to reach out to help Gu’er, but she had already hopped down. She smiled at him. For someone who spent her years in the mountains, a small jump like this was nothing.

Gu’er looked around. The village wasn’t large, and judging by the houses, it was very poor.

’Their house isn’t even made of brick and tile, and it’s so old,’ she thought. ’And a family like this still can’t live a decent life? He wants two wives and even beats Auntie? I can’t imagine what goes on in his head.’

While Gu’er was lost in thought, Lin Shuying was overcome with emotion. Coming back this time, she felt as if the world had changed completely. She truly didn’t know how she had endured more than twenty years in this place. Thinking back on it now, it all felt like a dream.

"Is that you, Shuying? Didn’t you go back to your family’s home? What’s all this? Why are there so many people? Did you or Zhongshan get into some trouble?"

Just as Lin Shuying was lost in her reflections, an old woman in her fifties came forward and asked.

Lin Shuying looked at her. She recognized the woman; she was a relative of Zheng Daniu’s clan whom Lin Shuying called Seventh Auntie. In fact, it wasn’t just Seventh Auntie. Many other people were looking over, but they didn’t approach.

"Seventh Auntie, neither Zhongshan nor I are in any trouble."

Lin Shuying replied.

"Then why are there so many people, and dressed like that? They’re soldiers, aren’t they? If you weren’t in trouble, would they come to arrest you?"

Seventh Auntie looked at the men, feeling a little intimidated. She had assumed Lin Shuying and her family had committed some crime.

"It’s nothing. You should get back to what you were doing, Seventh Auntie."

Lin Shuying didn’t want to say more.

"Lin Shuying, you damn hag, you actually know how to come back? I thought you’d died out there! The moment you leave, you don’t come home. Were you out finding some other man? Watch me break your legs!"

Just then, a voice came from the doorway in front of Lin Shuying, and a middle-aged man walked out, cursing as he came.

Without needing to guess, everyone knew who this was. It was Lin Shuying’s husband, Zheng Daniu.

Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, and Dingzi exchanged a glance. Without a second word, the three of them rushed toward Zheng Daniu.

Why did they go?

Because they had already decided on the way here. The moment they saw Zheng Daniu, before anything else, they would give him a good beating to vent their aunt’s anger. Their aunt had suffered so much; she couldn’t have endured it all for nothing.

They had just arrived and hadn’t even seen his face yet, and he was already cursing them. It was clear what kind of life their aunt usually led. He deserved a beating; there was no injustice in it.

Before Zheng Daniu could even react, the three men surrounded him. He was subdued before he could fight back. Two wretched screams were heard, but a third never came out because his mouth had been gagged. He couldn’t shout, only whimper as he was beaten.

Lin Shuying jumped in shock. She had no idea that Sun Jiaming and the other two had planned this. Seeing them attack right away, she was completely unprepared. Besides, many villagers were watching. ’Will they come over to help him?’ she worried. Still, watching Zheng Daniu get beaten by the three of them, she didn’t feel bad. On the contrary, she felt a sliver of satisfaction.

"It’s fine, Auntie. Didn’t he just say he was going to break your legs? We’re your family from home. We can’t just let him break your legs, can we?"

Gu’er, however, was very calm. She had no sympathy for Zheng Daniu. His actions were inhuman.

Uncle Qi, Squad Leader Shang, and the group of soldiers all looked at Gu’er. They weren’t surprised that Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, and Dingzi had started a fight. They were men, after all—young, hot-blooded, and impulsive. But Gu’er was a woman. ’Aren’t women supposed to be timid? Don’t they usually get scared when things like this happen? How can this young girl be so calm?’ they wondered. She had even skillfully shifted the blame onto Zheng Daniu. If anyone asked, she could say that Zheng Daniu had threatened to break her aunt’s legs, and they had no choice. They couldn’t just stand by and watch their aunt get beaten, so they fought back.

After hearing what Gu’er said, Lin Shuying fell silent. The children wanted to stand up for her. All she had to do was watch.

"Where did you goddamn bastards come from, daring to hit our man?! Help! Someone’s being murdered! We’re being robbed! Somebody help!"

Just then, another woman came out of the house. She took one look at the situation and immediately started screaming.

She ran over, still screaming. She saw Zheng Daniu lying on the ground, beaten, then looked at the men who had hit him. She didn’t dare get any closer. Then, her eyes landed on Lin Shuying.

"Lin Shuying, you shameless bitch! Why aren’t you dead yet?! Where did you find these lovers of yours? How dare you have Da Niu beaten? You must have a death wish! Didn’t you say you’d die out there and never come back? What are you doing here?! Hurry up and tell them to stop! Everyone, come quick! Lin Shuying brought her lovers here to run wild! Everybody, come look!"

This screaming woman was the widow Lin Shuying had mentioned, Chang Juhua. She was yelling for help and cursing Lin Shuying, all while sporting a large, pregnant belly.

Lin Shuying was so angry her fists clenched. This woman had shamelessly moved into her home and was now calling *her* shameless. In the past, if she had dared to say a single word against her, Zheng Daniu would have beaten her. So, she could only endure it. Even now, she hadn’t thought about what to do to the woman.

Lin Shuying didn’t respond, but Gu’er was different. A shameless woman had appeared before them—a woman who had stolen her aunt’s husband and her aunt’s home, and was now cursing her aunt and calling Sun Jiaming and the others her aunt’s lovers. How could she possibly tolerate that? But Gu’er wasn’t going to get into a shouting match with her. First, she wasn’t good at cursing. Second, if you want someone to shut up, direct action is more effective than arguing. So, Gu’er strode forward and rained a series of slaps across Chang Juhua’s face, left and right. Chang Juhua promptly shut her mouth. Her face stung from the slaps, and she could no longer get the curses out.