The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Wu Sanduo really didn’t want to say anything, but the one asking was a village elder, so she couldn’t show him too much disrespect. ’With Gu’er’s situation having blown up like this, it’ll probably be hard for her to live in the village from now on. If the villagers treat her poorly, maybe she’d be willing to marry into Aunt Sun’s family. If Gu’er is truly willing to marry him, she would surely make that family her own, live a good life, and take good care of her husband. All things considered, that wouldn’t be so bad.’

After thinking for a moment, Wu Sanduo finally spoke. "Second Grandpa, my old friend’s husband is named Liu. Their family is one of the more prominent ones in Liu Shu Village, and they’re quite well-off. The one they’re proposing for Gu’er is their youngest son. He’s good-looking, too, but he came down with a strange illness a few years ago and is now paralyzed in bed. He’s been paralyzed for years. They’ve taken him to see doctors in the city, but they all said he can’t be cured. It looks like he’ll be bedridden for the rest of his life. That’s why my friend wants to find someone honest and hardworking to take care of her youngest son. To be honest, I didn’t think it was a good idea at first. But then I thought, if Gu’er marries him, she won’t have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life. My friend isn’t a difficult person, either, so no one will be giving Gu’er a hard time anymore. That’s a good thing, right, Gu’er?"

Wu Sanduo directed her last question to Gu’er.

Gu’er’s lip twitched when she heard Wu Sanduo. ’So he’s a paralyzed man. No wonder Cui Mei was so eager to make the introduction. She never had good intentions.’

"What’s his temper like?"

Gu’er asked calmly.

Wu Sanduo gave Gu’er a pitying look, too embarrassed to say.

Aunt Sun had always spoiled her youngest son. He had a terrible temper and was quick to get physical. He’d even hit his own mother when she didn’t go along with his wishes.

After he was paralyzed, his temper became even more explosive. He once threw something and hit his mother in the head; Aunt Sun still has a scar on her forehead. ’If Gu’er marries him, she wouldn’t have to worry about food or clothes, but she would definitely have to put up with his abuse. But how could I say all that? If I did, would Gu’er still agree to marry him?’

"Gu’er, you can’t stay here anymore. Aunt Sun’s youngest son might have a bad temper, but it’s not like you haven’t endured your father’s temper before. It’s better than starving here, isn’t it?"

This was the only way Wu Sanduo could try to persuade Gu’er.

Gu’er let out a small laugh.

’In my last life, I married a bastard. In this life, I’m supposed to marry a paralyzed bastard. Is this my fate?’

’It’s not that I’m unwilling to take care of someone, but it has to be of my own free will.’

’If the family from Liu Shu Village had been upfront about the situation, if I had met the paralyzed man and found him to be reasonable and easy to get along with, I might not have refused. I never planned on having children anyway. As long as he treated me well, I wouldn’t mind taking care of him. It’s not like I’ve never taken care of anyone before. But that’s not the situation now.’

’This man isn’t just paralyzed; he’s also bad-tempered, just like Zhou Mazi. I’d rather never marry than marry someone like that.’

She looked at Zhou Mazi.

Everyone else also looked at Zhou Mazi, thinking to themselves, ’Even though the family’s surname is Liu, the son is paralyzed. Who knows how many years he has left? And he’s got a bad temper, just like Zhou Mazi. If Gu’er marries him, she’s destined for a life of suffering. She won’t be able to make anything of herself. So we don’t need to worry about her.’

At this thought, Second Grandpa, Sixth Grandpa, Zhou Da Kui, Zhou Erpao, and the others became assertive again.

"This is the family you found for me?"

Gu’er asked Zhou Mazi mockingly.

Zhou Feng’er stared in disbelief. ’A paralyzed man! How could this be?’ Annoyance flashed in her eyes. ’That Third Aunt went too far! How could she introduce someone like that to me? She was trying to ruin my life!’ She was suddenly relieved they hadn’t chosen her; otherwise, she would have been doomed.

’If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone to see Zhou Mei. Just letting Zhou Gu’er marry a paralyzed man would have been satisfying enough. Why did I have to make such a scene? Now I’m injured, and I’ll get a beating from Dad when I get home.’ At this moment, Zhou Feng’er was filled with regret.

"So what if he’s a cripple? He’s still from Liu Shu Village! So what if he has a bad temper? It’s not like he can beat you to death. Who do you think you are to be so picky? You should be grateful they’re even willing to take you. You won’t have to worry about food or clothing if you marry him, what more could you want? You think you’re some kind of princess? You’re so full of yourself you don’t even know who you are! Today, you’re going to kowtow to them until they say you don’t have to pay. Don’t you dare get up otherwise. Tomorrow, after your Aunt Wu settles things with their family, you’re going to marry him like a good daughter, or you’ll have hell to pay!"

Zhou Mazi cursed at Gu’er. In his mind, a marriage was a marriage, no matter who it was to. Gu’er’s only role was to obey.

"If someone’s getting married, it can be you. But me? No way! You can marry my corpse for all I care."

Since Gu’er had resolved to cut ties with Zhou Mazi, she no longer showed any weakness. ’I will not marry him. Period.’

"You’re rebelling against me! I’m your father, and if I tell you to marry, you marry! If you refuse, I’ll break your legs and have you carried there. You’ll still end up married."

Furious, Zhou Mazi raised his hand again, but someone held him back.

Gu’er glanced at him and said nothing more.

"Auntie, thank you, but please don’t involve yourself in this anymore. I will definitely not marry him."

Gu’er thanked Wu Sanduo. Regardless of her motives, she had at least stepped up and said a few words.

Wu Sanduo opened her mouth but didn’t say anything more. ’She’s already made up her mind, so there’s no point in me trying to persuade her further. I did what I was supposed to do. If Gu’er doesn’t appreciate it, I’ll wash my hands of it. It’s not my family’s problem anyway.’

Zhou Mazi started to speak, but Zhou Gu’er stepped in front of him, staring at him coldly.

"Save your curses. And don’t bother threatening me. You want to solve this, right? Then let’s talk business. This is all about that fifty yuan, isn’t it? If I give you fifty yuan and cut myself twice to settle the matter with those two families, will you sever all ties with me? From that moment on, whether I marry, live, or die, you will have nothing more to do with it. Is that right?"

Zhou Gu’er stared at Zhou Mazi as she asked. She knew that without the money, Zhou Mazi would never disown her. ’Fifty yuan. I’m confident I can earn it.’ But she had to make Zhou Mazi publicly agree to sever their relationship. She needed to establish a firm position for herself to avoid future trouble.

’This is also my way of showing I won’t submit to the people in this village. You want me to kneel? You want me to lose all my dignity in front of everyone? I refuse!’ Gu’er knew that if she knelt today, she would never be able to hold her head high in this village again. Anyone could look down on her, bring up the time she knelt, and humiliate her. She would become a second-class citizen. She wasn’t Han Xin; she still had to live here. She would rather everyone treat her with cold indifference than live without being able to look them in the eye.

’Because if they’re just indifferent, they’ll naturally start smiling and welcoming me once I’ve made something of myself. But if I lose my dignity, even if I become successful later, people will still use the fact that I knelt to humiliate me. Especially Zhou Mei and Zhang Da. I will never kneel to them.’

’Even though I no longer care about the people in this village, I’ve never thought about running away. If I ran, it would mean I was in the wrong. I have nothing, and if I fled, people would assume I did something wrong and look down on me. So I won’t run. I will live in this village. I will live with strength. I will become stronger, little by little. I want the people of this village to witness my transformation with their own eyes. I want them to see me live a good life. I will stand right here in this village and let them watch—watch me live well without them!’

It must be said that Gu’er’s perspective was still limited. But in her past life and this one, she had never been exposed to anything beyond her small world. All she knew was that when people looked down on her and bullied her, she had to be strong. She had to work harder. She had to live well just to show them, to prove them wrong.

That was how she thought—a little foolish, a little stubborn. Her determination was both tenacious and simple.

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