The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Lin Shuying was relieved to see Gu’er agree.

Now that everything was settled, Xinghua took out a sweater she had knitted to show Gu’er.

Gu’er’s eyes lit up. She had taught Xinghua this stitch and pattern before she left, but she had only explained it briefly. She never expected Xinghua to knit so well. The sweater looked incredibly neat, far better than she had anticipated. ’It looks like she really has a talent for this.’

"Sis, this one is for you. Try it on for size in a little while. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll unravel it and knit it again. I learned a few new patterns from someone else a few days ago, so I can make you a few more later on."

Xinghua was also very excited, a trace of pride on her face. This was the very first sweater she had ever knitted with her own hands.

"Alright, I’ll try it on."

Seeing how happy she was, Gu’er grew curious and tried it on right then and there.

The sweater was a vibrant orange. It was a youthful color, but Gu’er was in the prime of her life and could pull it off. Wearing it, she looked as delicate as a flower.

"Wow, it’s a perfect fit. I’ll be able to wear it once the weather gets colder."

Gu’er did a little twirl for everyone to see. After they had a look, she took it off. It couldn’t be helped; it was just too hot.

"I’m still not very skilled, so I knit slowly. I’ve seen others who can finish one in three to five days. Once I get the hang of it, I’ll take care of all the sweaters for our family."

Xinghua felt a great sense of accomplishment at the thought of everyone wearing sweaters she had knitted.

"Wonderful. In that case, this old grandma will be waiting," Grandma Sun chimed in with a smile.

"Is there one for me?" Grandma Dingzi chimed in playfully.

"Of course, Grandma! I’ll knit two for each of you. I’ll make new ones for you every year, until you’re tired of wearing them."

Xinghua was also very fond of the two elderly women.

"Alright, alright, we’ll be waiting then."

Grandma Dingzi chuckled. Her grandson hadn’t come back yet, so she was still staying at the Sun Family’s home to keep Grandma Sun company.

Gu’er glanced at the sweater Xinghua had made for her, then thought about the one she was supposed to be knitting for Sun Jiaming. ’I haven’t even properly cast on the stitches for his yet.’

’I have to find time to knit one for Sun Jiaming. Whether it turns out good or bad, it’s the thought that counts. It’ll be something I made for him, stitch by stitch. He’ll definitely love it.’

No sooner had Gu’er thought of it than she acted on it. There wasn’t much to do during the day anyway, and she didn’t feel like going out. So she sat on the kang, chatting with the others. She and Xinghua both picked up their yarn, knitting as they talked.

Zheng Zhongshan returned around dinnertime. Knowing Gu’er was worried about Li Hua’s situation, he filled her in.

That morning, Zheng Zhongshan had gone to the department store specifically to look for Li Hua. He was initially worried she might have taken the day off, but to his surprise, she was at work. She didn’t look too well, though. He asked about her situation and whether she had found a place to live. Li Hua told him she had rented a house nearby that was big enough for them. She also said she had enough money to get by and told him to let Gu’er know not to worry about her, and to just focus on living a good life with Jia Ming.

Gu’er was relieved to hear that Li Hua had a place to live and wouldn’t be homeless. ’As for whether her life is hard or not, that was my adoptive mother’s own choice.’ 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Gu’er then called Lin Shan. She told him that her aunt wanted to visit him, and that they also wanted to find a day to come see him. Lin Shan said he was currently busy overseeing road construction for the village. They needed the road to transport the village’s products out to be sold. He estimated it would take about another half a month to complete, and told them to come then.

Gu’er sighed to herself as she listened. ’Truthfully, Dad’s post is just a formality. He only has to stay for two years, and as long as he doesn’t make any major mistakes, he’ll be promoted when he comes back. But Dad isn’t the type to just coast by. No matter where he is, he’s always thinking about doing something tangible for the people.’

「A week later.」

Li Zhi and Dingzi returned. Besides a large truck full of goods, they also brought back several burlap sacks.

When they opened the sacks in Gu’er and Sun Jiaming’s bedroom, even Gu’er couldn’t help but hold her breath. These sacks weren’t filled with just anything—it was all cash.

One could only imagine how much money it took to fill several burlap sacks.

"Is this all from this one trip?"

Sun Jiaming’s breathing grew ragged. He wasn’t someone who normally cared much about money, but the sight of this much cash was staggering. This was more money than all of them had combined.

"Gu’er, Jia Ming, am I awesome or what? This time, we’ve become millionaires! And it’s all thanks to Gu’er’s brilliant idea. You guys have no idea. As soon as the white sugar arrived over there, we did a little promoting and people went absolutely crazy for it. At first, I was worried it wouldn’t sell, but we ended up not having nearly enough. Tons of people placed orders with us. If I had known, I would have brought nothing but white sugar. The white liquor sold well too, but it takes up too much space and doesn’t have as high a profit margin."

Li Zhi’s face was absolutely beaming with excitement. He was truly impressed with Gu’er; her choice of products was just too good. If it had been up to him, he could have hauled a whole train car of goods and likely only made half the profit, with no guarantee they would even sell well.

Gu’er was thrilled to hear how well everything sold. And then she heard Li Zhi’s words. ’Millionaires? Am I about to become a millionaire, too? It just feels so unreal. In my past life, at this same time, I was probably still worrying about not having a few cents to my name for oil and salt.’

"We’re all millionaires?"

Sun Jiaming also felt like he was dreaming. ’Aren’t these profit margins a little too high?’

"We are, I mean, all of us combined. We’re a little short if you look at us individually. But don’t worry! A couple more trips like this, and I guarantee we’ll each be one."

Li Zhi chuckled before continuing with a bold declaration.

’That’s more like it,’ Gu’er thought. ’This aligns with my own estimates. Still, it’s not a small amount. On this one trip, after deducting all the costs, we can each get several hundred thousand. The money feels like a windfall. I’m more than satisfied.’

"You two worked hard," Gu’er said. "But seeing this much cash is making me dizzy. It would be no laughing matter if we got robbed. We should deposit this in the bank as soon as possible."

"Look at you, getting all worked up. Dingzi and I managed to bring all this money back without getting robbed, didn’t we? But fine, if you’re scared, we’ll put it in the bank."

Li Zhi teased Gu’er, but inwardly, he wasn’t entirely at ease either. He mainly wanted to show off in front of Gu’er and Sun Jiaming. Of course, the money would have to be deposited in the bank eventually.

Li Zhi drove them to the bank. The bank manager personally received them. They were now VIP clients, so they didn’t have to wait in line at the counter; a dedicated staff member was there to assist them.

With the money deposited, Gu’er held the deposit slip and smiled at the long string of zeros. It wasn’t about the amount of money itself; she was so happy because it was money they had earned together.

Li Zhi didn’t go home, heading straight to the Sun Family’s house instead. That evening, Gu’er cooked a big spread of delicious dishes to reward him and Dingzi for their hard work.

For the next few days, Li Zhi and the others didn’t go out much. The renovations on his and Dingzi’s houses were nearly complete. After letting them air out for a while, they prepared to move in.

「Another week passed.」

Li Zhi and Dingzi each drove a car, taking the whole group to see Lin Shan.

They arrived at the township office, but Lin Shan wasn’t there. They were told he had gone to one of the villages to inspect the work. So, Li Zhi and the others drove on to the village.

When they reached the village, they saw not only Lin Shan’s car but two other vehicles parked there as well.

——————

A special thank you to reader 160401161915754 for the monthly pass, and thank you to everyone for your support.