The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

They returned to the Sun Family home. Just as they stepped inside, Grandma Dingzi came out to greet them, asking repeatedly, "How was it? How was it? What was the girl like?"

’Seeing the old woman’s anxious gaze, Gu’er knew Grandma Dingzi was desperate for Dingzi to get married soon. But this Qian Meiyu didn’t seem like the simple type. Qian Meiyu wasn’t interested in Dingzi, and if he married her just for the sake of it, their future would likely be miserable.’

Dingzi shook his head at his grandma, signaling it hadn’t worked out.

"Why not? Was she not good-looking? Let me tell you, Dingzi, when it comes to building a life together, looks don’t matter. It’s about being a good person. We can’t be picky! Look at you, you’re already well into your twenties; it’s time you got married."

Grandma Dingzi was truly getting antsy. She was hoping to hold a great-grandchild soon.

"That’s not it, Grandma. The woman was attractive enough,"

Gu’er explained.

"Attractive enough? Then why wasn’t it a match? Did she reject us? Did she look down on Dingzi for being tongue-tied and awkward? Did you say what I told you to? Did you chat with the girl?"

Grandma Dingzi directed her last question at Dingzi.

"We chatted."

Dingzi nodded.

"What did you talk about? Tell me everything."

Grandma Dingzi probed. She wanted to know why it had failed.

"I asked her if she’d eaten, how old she was, and what she did for work. I covered everything you told me to."

Dingzi answered with the utmost seriousness. He had followed his grandma’s script to the letter. Not a single misstep.

"And then?"

Grandma Dingzi continued to press.

"And then? Then I said we were leaving. Goodbye."

Dingzi thought for a moment. ’Yeah, that seems to be everything I said.’

"Oh, you child! I told you to say all that, and you only said all that? Would it kill you to add a few more words? Don’t you know you’re supposed to talk more with the girl? If you’re always like this, how are we ever going to find you a wife? You’ll just end up a lifelong bachelor!"

Grandma Dingzi was so furious she started swatting at Dingzi.

Dingzi didn’t even dodge. It wasn’t like his grandma could hurt him anyway.

"Grandma, don’t get worked up. Please, sit down. This isn’t Brother Dingzi’s fault. The main issue is that while the woman we met today was attractive, she seemed a bit too calculating, so Brother Dingzi wasn’t interested. It just means he hasn’t met the right one yet. Don’t worry, when the time comes, Brother Dingzi will definitely bring home a wonderful granddaughter-in-law for you."

Gu’er quickly steadied Grandma Dingzi, worried she would get too upset.

"Sigh, I know I shouldn’t rush, but with Dingzi’s personality, I’m afraid if I don’t worry about it for him, he’ll be a bachelor forever."

Grandma Dingzi sighed.

"Of course not. Brother Dingzi is such a good person, he’ll definitely find someone wonderful."

Gu’er tried to console her. ’She understood the old woman’s urgency. Especially since Dingzi’s parents were gone, Grandma Dingzi must have been even more worried.’

"That’s right, Gu’er is right. I used to be anxious about Jia Ming, too, afraid I’d close my eyes for good before he’d found a wife. I pushed him so much back then, and I was just as anxious as you are. But being anxious is useless. If fate isn’t ready, it won’t happen. Then he met Gu’er, and that was fate. Dingzi will definitely marry someone good."

Grandma Sun chimed in consolingly.

"Grandma, look at me, I’m still single too! It’s perfect, I can keep Dingzi company. If he gets married, I’ll be the only one left. How miserable would I be? Grandma, don’t you worry. In a year or two, Dingzi and I will definitely both bring someone back home."

Li Zhi added from the side.

"I know what you all mean. Sigh... Alright, enough about that. If it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out. The New Year is almost here. After it’s over, I’ll have someone pick out another good candidate, and we’ll just take another look then."

’Grandma Dingzi couldn’t really argue. Since the girl’s character wasn’t up to par, they’d just have to let it go. Her grandson wouldn’t *really* be a bachelor forever. As everyone said, it just wasn’t his time yet.’

Seeing that Grandma Dingzi had come around, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. In those days, marrying for love was relatively rare; most unions came from arranged introductions. With matchmaking, it was usually enough if the parents approved. Couples like Gu’er and Sun Jiaming were few and far between. As for Dingzi, back when his family had no money, he figured he would just marry anyone. They couldn’t afford to be picky. But now, they wanted to find someone good. It wasn’t about stunning looks; at the very least, her character had to be sound, and there had to be a spark. So they couldn’t be too hasty.

Seeing his grandma was no longer on his case, Dingzi finally relaxed. ’Making him go on a blind date is worse than sending him on a dangerous mission. It’s sheer torture. I hope there are fewer of these things in the future.’

Dingzi’s blind date was a failure, just as Gu’er had expected. The Qian Family and Qian Meiyu’s aunt both asked the matchmaker to inquire about Li Zhi’s situation. The matchmaker asked around, found out Li Zhi wasn’t interested, and tried to brush them off. But they insisted the matchmaker tell them where Dingzi and Li Zhi lived. As annoyed as the matchmaker was by their pestering, he didn’t dare say a word. He couldn’t afford to offend Gu’er’s group.

Qian Meiyu’s family and her aunt’s family were both getting desperate, but without Li Zhi’s address, they couldn’t find him and could only fret helplessly.

Of course, Li Zhi couldn’t care less about any of this; it had nothing to do with him. He, Gu’er, Sun Jiaming, and Dingzi were busy preparing a shipment for the Soviet Union. This was the last one before the New Year. They hoped to make some money to have a good celebration and also ship some goods back to stock up. The department store was also starting its holiday promotions in preparation for the New Year.

Dingzi was the one accompanying the shipment to the Soviet Union. Li Zhi didn’t go with him this time; an old army buddy of his father’s had come to visit from Beijing City, and his dad had asked him to keep the man company. Besides, Dingzi already knew his way around the Soviet Union route. He could handle it by himself, so everyone felt at ease.

Gu’er stood on the fifth floor of the department store, looking at the bustling shop across the street. That store selling Soviet goods had been booming for several months, and it had stolen most of their department store’s business.

Now, the Soviet products on their third floor were selling very poorly. Even with the New Year promotions, not many people were buying; they all went across the street instead.

"Gu’er, our warehouse is already packed with goods, and the fourth floor is getting full, too. When Dingzi gets back from this trip, I’m afraid the fourth floor will be completely stuffed. We have too much capital tied up in this inventory. If this keeps up, we’re going to have a problem."

Sun Jiaming stood behind Gu’er, a worried expression on his face.

"Did Li Zhi find anything out?"

Gu’er didn’t answer Sun Jiaming, instead asking a question out of the blue.

"He did. They’re also going through Harbin; they have their own people there, too. You know how we sent a whole train car of goods? Li Zhi said they invested several hundred thousand and sent way more goods over, hoping to make a huge profit before the New Year. He said they’ve also been spreading the word that they’re going to drive us out of business. Sooner or later, they’ll force our department store to close, leaving us with no way out."

Sun Jiaming’s voice was heavy. Their rivals were bolder; their shipments were several times larger than theirs, but so were their profits. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before they were replaced.

"No rush. Let them have their moment."

Gu’er said, her face cold. ’I’ve made extensive preparations for the collapse of the Soviet Union. As long as I can hold out until it happens, I’ll have no trouble selling my inventory. As for them... he’d better pray the Soviet Union doesn’t collapse this year, but next year. Otherwise, sending all those goods over, trying to make a killing and drive us out of business... well, we’ll just see who’s left standing in the end.’