The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

This was the first time Gu’er would be visiting the Li family since her rebirth.

Gu’er still remembered the Li family.

In her memory, her grandfather, Li Shan, was a rather quiet old man. He loved his tobacco pipe, spoke very little, and wasn’t in the best of health. Gu’er remembered that he would pass away in about two years.

Gu’er’s maternal grandmother’s surname was Zhou, and her name was Zhou Ercao. She had also led a very hard life, but she was a good person. In fact, she was the one who had found Gu’er and brought her home, and she treated Gu’er no differently than any of the other children.

Gu’er originally had four maternal uncles, but two hadn’t survived to adulthood. The two who remained were her first uncle, Li Datie, and her third uncle, Li San Chui.

Li Datie had married a woman named Bai Erni, who had fled a famine from inside the Pass. She had given him two daughters and two sons. One of the boys hadn’t made it, passing away at the age of three. The remaining son was named Li Jin, and the two daughters were Li Yu and Li Zhi.

Li San Chui had married Cui Mei, and they had two sons and a daughter. The sons were Li Yin and Li Tong, and the daughter was named Li Ying.

Gu’er also had a maternal aunt, Li Lan, who had married into a village several miles away, so they rarely kept in touch.

Li Hua rarely visited her parents’ home. Times were tough for everyone, and it was a burden for her family to host so many people for a meal. Therefore, she wouldn’t go back unless it was for a major holiday.

But today was Li Shan’s sixtieth birthday. Even though people didn’t make a big deal out of birthdays back then, children were still expected to visit their parents on such a day.

Li Hua had kept the date in mind. She had asked Zhou Mazi several times for some money to buy a gift to bring, but he had just cursed her out and flatly refused.

Li Hua was heartbroken. But as heartbroken as she was, she still had to go. Showing up empty-handed would earn her scornful looks at worst, but not showing up at all would get her badmouthed by everyone.

Gu’er looked at the items her adoptive mother carried in her basket: a bundle of chives, a bundle of green onions, some corn grits, and a few eggs.

Of all the items, only the eggs were a halfway decent gift, and there were far too few of them. The rest wasn’t at all suitable for visiting relatives.

There wasn’t even a box of pastries or a can of preserved fruit. How could this possibly pass for a birthday visit to her parents’ home?

But Gu’er knew her adoptive father had already chewed out her adoptive mother just for these few eggs. Anything more was out of the question.

’I can’t believe I forgot about Grandfather’s sixtieth birthday. Otherwise...’

’Otherwise, what could I have done? Could I have taken out my own money to buy something? Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Zhou Mazi would have raised absolute hell.’

’I’ll just have to wait. Once I’m out of the Zhou family, I’ll be able to bring something nice when I visit Grandma and Grandpa.’

Gu’er walked behind Li Hua, already imagining the scornful looks they were bound to receive today. Her grandmother and grandfather wouldn’t say anything. Her first uncle and his wife were honest people who knew how hard her adoptive mother’s life was, so they wouldn’t say anything either. Her third uncle was tolerable, but her third aunt-in-law was a nasty piece of work who would surely have plenty of unpleasant things to say. Then there was Li Yu from her first uncle’s family, and Li Yin from her third uncle’s. Just thinking about those two gave Gu’er a headache.

"Ma, do you think Grandma will have meat today? I haven’t had meat in forever! I can finally stuff myself, right?"

Zhou Cai asked Li Hua as they walked, letting out a small slurp. He had even skipped school to go to his grandmother’s house, just so he could eat something good.

Li Hua remained silent. ’There will probably be some meat, but certainly not much. With so many people, everyone might not even get a single piece. How could he possibly eat his fill?’

Zhou Feng’er and Zhou Duo’er glanced at Zhou Cai but said nothing. If there was meat today, it would likely all go to him; they probably wouldn’t get any. Still, it would be better than what they ate at home, so they were happy to come along.

Gu’er felt a pang in her heart. She had been reborn, and all she wanted was to escape this family. She had never once considered trying to improve their lives. ’It’s not that I’m cruel,’ she thought, ’it’s that the Zhou family is just too cold-hearted by nature.’

From Zhou Mazi to Zhou Feng’er, Zhou Duo’er, and even Zhou Cai, every last one of them was selfish. Not a single person could make her feel even a glimmer of warmth.

’If the Zhous were all honest, hard-working people, with me to guide them, how could we not live a good life? We wouldn’t have to be scrounging for a bite of meat at Grandma’s house; we’d have meat to eat right at home.’

’What a pity.’

At this thought, Gu’er’s expression hardened again. The Zhou family was cold and unfeeling; they didn’t deserve her compassion or sympathy. Showing them any would be like throwing herself into hell. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Aside from the talkative Zhou Cai, everyone else was quiet for most of the walk.

"Sis, do you think our aunt is going to give Mom a hard time again?"

Zhou Duo’er whispered to Zhou Feng’er, pointedly ignoring Zhou Gu’er.

A flicker of emotion crossed Zhou Feng’er’s eyes. She hated going to the Li family. Every time, that third aunt-in-law of theirs would tear them down relentlessly. That’s why she dreamed of marrying into a good family and living a prosperous life. Then she could grind that aunt under her heel and make the woman grovel before her. ’If she ever dares to show up at my door,’ she thought, ’I’ll kick her out and humiliate her so badly she’ll wish she were dead. Only then will I be satisfied.’

But Zhou Feng’er also knew that even though her name, Feng’er, contained the character for "phoenix," she was no mythical bird destined for greatness. With a father like hers, how could she ever hope to marry well?

But Zhou Feng’er didn’t dare to hate Zhou Mazi. Instead, she hated Zhou Gu’er. She believed it was all Gu’er’s fault that she had to live this way. If their mother hadn’t insisted on bringing Zhou Gu’er along when she remarried, she would never have married their father. Then, Feng’er was certain she would have been born into a good family. It was all because of Zhou Gu’er that she was born into a family like this. This was the root of all her hatred for Zhou Gu’er.

"Let her talk. Just pretend you don’t hear her. Sooner or later, I’ll shut her up for good!"

Zhou Feng’er spoke with a vicious edge, but her voice was low enough that only she and Zhou Duo’er could hear.

Zhou Duo’er shivered. Her older sister’s expression was terrifying. She instinctively shrank back, but then immediately straightened her posture. ’I’m the youngest of the three sisters,’ she thought. ’Even though I’m not as pretty as Zhou Gu’er, I’m better looking than my second sister. By the time I’m old enough to marry, they’ll both be gone and the family’s situation will surely be better. I’ll have the advantage then. I’ll definitely marry better than either of them. And if all else fails, there’s still Sun Jiaming. If Zhou Gu’er marries him, that would be very convenient for me.’

Zhou Duo’er recalled something she had overheard while playing at a friend’s house. She’d heard a story about a younger sister who went to visit her older sister. The older sister went out to work in the fields, and when she returned, she found her husband and her sister in a room together, their clothes not even fully on. The older sister flew into a rage and started cursing them out. Their parents’ family came and raised a huge fuss, but what could they do? Both were their own daughters. They were planning to take the younger daughter home and marry her off, but in the end, it was the older sister who hanged herself. The younger sister then married her brother-in-law and helped raise her late sister’s son. Three years later, the new wife had her own child and began treating the first son horribly, nearly starving him to death several times. The boy was always covered in bruises.

The villagers would talk about it with pity, repeating the old saying: "a new mother makes for a new father." They’d say that even your own sister could turn on you. But ultimately, it was another family’s business. All they could do was gossip behind her back, calling the woman shameless and heartless.

’Talk is cheap. Who cares what they say as long as you get to live a good life?’ Zhou Duo’er thought dismissively. She took the story to heart, however. She felt she could learn a thing or two from that younger sister. When the time was right, she would snatch Sun Jiaming for herself. As for Zhou Gu’er... she couldn’t care less if Gu’er lived or died. In fact, it would be best if she ended up just like that older sister in the story and hanged herself.