The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er felt a pang in her heart seeing her adoptive mother’s expression. ’She has such a hard time with her in-laws, and now she has to endure this when she comes back to her own family.’ Gu’er really didn’t want her adoptive mother to suffer like this.

"Aunt, no matter what, my mother is your older sister, isn’t she? Should you be addressing her so disrespectfully? We are guests in your home, and I’ve never seen a host criticize a guest’s gifts. So who is it that lacks manners here, us or you? What do you mean we’ve lost face? Are you saying our gifts are too meager? Even if they’re meager, we put a lot of thought into preparing them. You may think those chives aren’t worth much, but they’re not ordinary chives. Plenty of people would line up to buy them. And what’s wrong with bringing scallions? We brought scallions in the hope that Grandpa and Grandma will have sharp ears and clear eyes, and grow younger with each passing day. We hope our cousins will all be clever and grow up to be successful. We brought the corn grits because Grandpa and Grandma love to eat them. Was it wrong for us to bring six eggs? Grandpa is celebrating his sixtieth birthday this year. The six eggs represent sixty, and six is also a lucky number. My mother chose them specifically for the good omen. She put so much thought into everything, yet you’re finding fault with it all. Does this mean you don’t wish for Grandpa and the rest of the family to have good fortune?"

Gu’er simply couldn’t hold back any longer. She didn’t want her adoptive mother to suffer such humiliation. She couldn’t care less about this third aunt-in-law; if it weren’t for her adoptive mother and her grandmother, she wouldn’t even know who Cui Mei was. However, she also knew that Cui Mei was used to throwing her weight around in this family, so she chose her words carefully. Everything she said was logical and well-reasoned, framing the gifts as things Li Hua had painstakingly prepared, leaving others with no room to find fault.

Everyone was stunned. No one had expected Gu’er to speak up. Why? Because of Gu’er’s awkward status. Even Zhou Feng’er, Zhou Duo’er, and Zhou Cai weren’t very welcome in the Li Family, let alone an adopted daughter like Zhou Gu’er. On previous visits, Zhou Gu’er had always been the picture of meekness, just working silently. If she was invited to sit at the kang table, she would only dare to eat the leftovers after everyone else was finished, never saying an extra word. What was wrong with her today? She actually dared to voice a grievance. Not only that, but she spoke so articulately. This didn’t seem like the same Zhou Gu’er who was usually too afraid to even speak.

"What do you mean, I don’t want good fortune? Don’t you try to fool people here. Pretty words are useless. If you really wanted to wish us well, you would have brought sixty eggs! Besides, what business is this of yours? Why are you sticking your nose in? Even Nana is more important than you, is that it? If you don’t want to be here, then get the hell back to where you came from! A picked-up stray girl dares to give me attitude? Have you forgotten who you are!"

Cui Mei hadn’t expected Gu’er to humiliate her like this, and she was instantly furious. But there were parts of Gu’er’s speech she couldn’t refute, so she could only rely on the volume of her voice and her higher seniority to berate Gu’er.

"Gu’er, don’t talk. Don’t say another word."

Seeing Gu’er about to speak again, Li Hua quickly grabbed her arm, covered her mouth, and repeatedly shook her head. She knew Gu’er was doing this because her heart ached for her, but if Gu’er stood up for her and ended up arguing with Cui Mei, Cui Mei would surely cause a huge scene. In the end, all the blame would be placed on Gu’er because she was an outsider. Li Hua didn’t want her daughter to be dragged into this because of her.

Gu’er sighed to herself. ’If it weren’t for Li Hua, I really wouldn’t want to be here. Why suffer this kind of abuse?’ But she couldn’t make things difficult for her adoptive mother.

Gu’er fell silent. Cui Mei, however, felt she had won. She curled her lip smugly and muttered a stream of nasty comments under her breath.

"Enough! You’re a grown woman, can’t you control that mouth of yours? Are you just idle with nothing to do? Get to work. If you keep babbling, you can go work in the fields. You’ve all been spoiled."

To everyone’s surprise, Li Shan walked in through the doorway just then and rebuked Cui Mei.

He had heard the argument in the courtyard earlier. He wasn’t particularly fond of Li Hua either, so he hadn’t said anything. But his third son’s wife was speaking outrageously, and he found it irritating. Then, he was surprised by Gu’er’s speech. He had spent time in the city when he was younger, and though he hadn’t made much of himself, his perspective was broader than that of most villagers. Gu’er’s words had been exceptionally well-put, instantly masking the meagerness of their gifts. The symbolic meanings she described were not only impossible to fault but actually pleasant to hear. Who doesn’t want to hear auspicious words? Everyone likes to hear nice things, and he was no exception. He thought this granddaughter of his was quite articulate. Hearing his third daughter-in-law’s relentless attacks, and seeing how his own daughter, Li Hua, was too weak to let Gu’er defend her, Li Shan felt his daughter-in-law was getting far too arrogant. That’s why he had finally stepped in.

"Dad, how can you say that? I was just trying to do what’s best for the family! If you talk to me like that, how can I even stay in this house?"

No one in the courtyard had expected Li Shan to speak, just as they hadn’t expected Gu’er to. Li Shan was usually a man of few words who never meddled in others’ affairs.

Cui Mei hadn’t expected it either, but she wasn’t particularly scared. She believed no one in this family dared to offend her.

"You’re the one who’s always stirring up trouble! If you can’t stand being in this house, then go back to your mother’s family! Go back and ask your mother if this is how she taught her daughter to behave—to cause trouble on her own father-in-law’s birthday! If your mother also thinks you’re in the right, then she can keep you there. The Li Family can’t afford a daughter-in-law like you!"

Li Shan’s words were harsh. He had never liked this daughter-in-law, but as her father-in-law, he couldn’t lower himself to her level. Today was his birthday, yet she wouldn’t even let him have a moment of peace, so he finally spoke severely.

"Dad, I... I gave the Old Li Family a grandson! You can’t bully me like this! I don’t want to live anymore! I..." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Having never been treated this way at home, Cui Mei immediately started wailing.

"If you want to cry, get out and cry somewhere else! I’m not dead yet, what are you wailing for a funeral for?"

Li Shan was truly furious now. For his daughter-in-law to cry like this on such a happy day, wasn’t she cursing him? The elderly were very superstitious about such things.

"Third Son, talk to your wife. It’s your father’s birthday today. Isn’t she just bringing him bad luck?"

Zhou Ercao’s face darkened as well. This daughter-in-law was just too much.

"Alright, alright, stop wailing! Take a look at what day it is! If you really piss Dad off and he actually sends you back to your mother’s house, I’m not going to be the one to go get you."

Li San Chui finally stepped forward. It had just been a squabble among the women before, so there was no need for a man like him to get involved. But now that his father was furious, he had no choice but to talk to his own wife.

Cui Mei had wanted to continue making a scene, but seeing her husband glaring at her with a dark face, she thought for a moment and stopped crying. Even though she was a daughter of Liu Shu Village, she was also a daughter-in-law of the Li Family. If she was really sent back to her parents’ house on her father-in-law’s birthday, it would be inexcusable. If she went back and Li San Chui refused to come get her, she would be utterly humiliated. It’s not like she could stay at her parents’ house forever, right? Her own sister-in-law wouldn’t let her stay. She only ever used the threat to scare the Li Family.

’I lost face today. I’ll remember this. After today, we’ll see how I deal with Li Hua and that little bastard, Zhou Gu’er.’

Having thought this through, Cui Mei shot a vicious glare at Gu’er before forcing a smile and offering a few more pleasantries to Li Shan.