The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Aunt Sun was gone. Only after her figure had vanished from sight did Zhou Mazi lead Li Hua back into the courtyard.

"Do you think this will work out? I have a bad feeling about this."

Li Hua asked Zhou Mazi.

"Hmph. What would a woman like you know? You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

Zhou Mazi snorted, his gaze shifting to Zhou Gu’er. He’d noticed that Aunt Sun seemed to have taken an interest in Gu’er. ’Did she pass on our second daughter and pick the eldest instead? Whatever. It doesn’t matter who she picks, as long as I get my money.’

At this thought, Zhou Mazi felt much better.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Zhou residence, Aunt Sun walked to the village entrance. She paused, then turned back around. She remembered there was a woman in the village who came from the same hometown as her own family. She could go ask her about the Zhous.

The Zhou family had no idea that Aunt Sun hadn’t left, and neither did Gu’er.

The house Aunt Sun went to was none other than Liu Yuan’s maternal aunt’s home.

Liu Yuan’s maternal aunt was named Wu Sanduo. She had two older sisters, Wu Dahua and Wu Er Ye. Liu Yuan’s mother was the eldest.

As luck would have it, Wu Sanduo’s family and Aunt Sun’s family were from the same village, so they were somewhat acquainted.

Wu Sanduo had just set the food on the low table on the kang and was calling her husband and child to eat. She was surprised to see a visitor at the door, but when she saw it was Aunt Sun, she hurriedly invited her to join them for a meal.

Aunt Sun then realized it was mealtime. A look of slight embarrassment crossed her face; she hadn’t come to get a free meal.

"Du’er, why don’t you let your husband and son eat first? Could I have a word with you?"

Aunt Sun was too embarrassed to eat.

"I can’t have that! If you come all this way and don’t eat, you’d be insulting me. How could I face your family when I go back to our hometown? Come, sit down. We can talk about whatever it is after we’ve eaten."

Wu Sanduo was very warm, pulling Aunt Sun up onto the kang to join them at the table.

Seeing her sincerity, Aunt Sun didn’t overthink it. She got up on the kang, and they all ate and talked, even having a couple of sips of strong liquor.

After the meal was finished, Wu Sanduo’s husband and child went out, leaving the two women alone in the room.

Once they were alone, Aunt Sun began to ask Wu Sanduo about the Zhou family.

"Zhou Mazi? Why are you asking about him? He’s no good. His parents died young, and he’s lazy, greedy, and doesn’t lift a finger. He has a terrible temper, too. He couldn’t find a wife, so he ended up marrying a widow who already had a child. To be fair, she’s a decent, hardworking woman. She even gave him two daughters and a son after they married. But he curses and beats her whenever he pleases. He drinks all day and acts like a fool, and he gambles, too. They have nothing to their name. I can’t stand the man."

Wu Sanduo didn’t know why Aunt Sun was asking about Zhou Mazi, but she told it like it was and didn’t have a single good thing to say about him.

Aunt Sun frowned. ’Why on earth would Cui Mei suggest such a match for my son? I wouldn’t normally give a family like this a second glance.’ But then she thought of her son’s situation, and her heart sank. She couldn’t afford to be picky now.

"What about the Zhou family’s daughters?"

Aunt Sun wasn’t too concerned about Zhou Mazi. ’Once a wife is married into the family, she becomes one of us. I’ll be the mother-in-law. Won’t I be the one in charge?’

"The Zhous have three daughters. The eldest is Gu’er, the one the wife brought with her. Now, Gu’er is very capable and good-looking, but it’s a pity she has such a wretched fate. The second daughter, Feng’er, is... passable, I suppose. But I’ve heard that Feng’er and the youngest girl, Du’er, aren’t very diligent. All the work in that house falls on their mother and Gu’er."

Wu Sanduo was starting to understand. Aunt Sun had come to ask about the Zhou family’s daughters. ’Who could have put her up to this?’

"So she’s the stepdaughter..."

Aunt Sun frowned, her voice trailing off. She had taken a liking to Gu’er. She needed a diligent, hardworking daughter-in-law, but she hadn’t expected Gu’er to be a stepdaughter, not Zhou Mazi’s biological child.

"Sister," Wu Sanduo lowered her voice and asked, "don’t tell me you’ve set your sights on Gu’er? For your son?"

"I won’t hide it from you, Sister. You know my son’s situation. I’ve worried my hair white trying to find him a wife. The other day, a matchmaker proposed a match with the Zhou family’s second daughter. But I went to see for myself today, and I wasn’t impressed. For one, she’s too young. For another, she didn’t look like a hard worker. I don’t want a daughter-in-law who’s lazy and just wants to live a life of ease. As I was leaving, I saw their eldest daughter, and she seemed more suitable. But I wasn’t sure, so that’s why I’ve come to talk to you."

Aunt Sun didn’t hide anything. After all, Wu Sanduo already knew her family’s situation, so there was no point in being secretive.

"Gu’er really is a good girl. If you were to marry her to your son, I can tell you this much: she’s definitely hardworking. She’d take care of him without a single complaint. Gu’er is also an honest girl, not the sly or cunning type, and she won’t have a wandering eye. But, Sister, I have to warn you. Someone from our village proposed to her before, and he was no good—cut from the same cloth as Zhou Mazi. I heard he offered over thirty yuan, and Zhou Mazi still refused. Others have come since, but they offered less, so he turned them down too. If you’re serious about Gu’er, Zhou Mazi is going to ask for a lot of money."

Wu Sanduo explained the situation to Aunt Sun.

Aunt Sun’s brow furrowed. She truly didn’t want to become in-laws with a family like that; the thought of it was repulsive. But when she thought of her son, she felt powerless. ’What decent family would be willing to marry their daughter to him?’

"As long as the girl is truly capable and honest, and can take good care of my Chunsheng, I don’t mind paying more. If he asks for forty or fifty yuan, I’ll pay it."

Even though Aunt Sun said this, she felt a bit resentful. ’If there was nothing wrong with my son, there would be lines of young women waiting to be my daughter-in-law. But things aren’t what they used to be. I can’t afford to be picky.’

Wu Sanduo sighed. She opened her mouth, wanting to mention the rumors that Gu’er jinxed people, but she swallowed her words. ’That girl Gu’er has had it hard enough. I’d better not say anything. Besides, if she really was a jinx, how come nothing has happened to the Zhou family?’

Thinking of Gu’er, Wu Sanduo sighed again. ’It looks like Aunt Sun has really set her heart on her. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. If she marries into Aunt Sun’s family, she won’t have to worry about food or clothing. But spending her whole life with a paralytic...’ Just thinking about it made Wu Sanduo feel a bitter pang of sorrow.

Wu Sanduo wasn’t wrong. The reason Aunt Sun was so desperate to find a wife for her son was that a few years ago, he had come down with a strange illness. For some unknown reason, his legs suddenly stopped working. He had been paralyzed and bedridden for several years. A perfectly fine young man was now a shadow of his former self.

Even though their family was from Liu Shu Village and they were relatively well-off, who would want to marry a paralyzed man? Wouldn’t that be like being a living widow for the rest of her life?

That’s why Aunt Sun was worried sick about finding her son a wife, asking everyone she knew to act as a matchmaker. It was because of this situation that she had come to see for herself the moment she heard someone had proposed a match for her son. How could she rest easy otherwise?