The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

"What’s it to you? Who do you think you are? Why should I tell you?"

Sun Jiaming’s face darkened. He desperately wanted to shout that he was going to marry Gu’er, but he couldn’t. He hadn’t told his parents yet. As a man, his word was his bond—once said, it had to be honored. He held his tongue now because he didn’t want to embarrass Gu’er or make it seem like he was only marrying her because he’d been forced into it.

He liked Gu’er, genuinely. He wanted to treat her well, not out of obligation. If he announced it in front of everyone like this, his parents would surely be upset when they found out. They would definitely think poorly of Gu’er, and he couldn’t let his parents get a bad impression of her. He needed to get their approval first, then have a matchmaker formally propose. Even if Gu’er was all alone now, he would do it properly and honorably.

This would give Gu’er the dignity and respect she deserved, something that couldn’t be achieved by just blurting it out now.

Besides, he had no idea what Gu’er thought of him or if she was even willing. He had to know her feelings first. Announcing it publicly now would be forcing her hand. How would that make him any different from those other people?

So, Sun Jiaming wouldn’t say it in public. It wasn’t a lack of courage, but a sign of his maturity.

Sun Jiaming’s words made Zhou Mei furious, but she couldn’t pry his mouth open. As long as Sun Jiaming didn’t say anything publicly, she couldn’t claim that Gu’er had seduced him.

"Jia Ming, tomorrow I’m going into the city to find your parents! They’ll give me an explanation."

Zhou Erpao’s face was flushed red with anger, but there was nothing he could do about Sun Jiaming. Still, he wasn’t about to give up. He would go argue his case with Sun Jiaming’s parents. He believed the Sun Family would never accept Gu’er as their daughter-in-law. Then, even if Sun Jiaming didn’t marry his daughter, they would blame him. They might even come back and kick Gu’er out of the old house. Without any support, she would be at their mercy again, and he could finally get justice for his daughter.

"If you don’t mind the trouble, Second Uncle, then by all means, go."

Sun Jiaming wasn’t afraid.

"Hmph. Let’s go."

Zhou Erpao snorted. Staying any longer would just make them a laughingstock.

Zhou Erpao was the first to turn and leave. Zhou Da Kui followed, his hands clasped behind his back. As he left, he shot a deep look at Sun Jiaming. He knew that if he wanted his word to be law in the village, Sun Jiaming was a threat.

Zhou Mei was helped away, her venomous gaze never leaving Gu’er. She hated Sun Jiaming now, too. Sooner or later, she would make them both pay!

Many of the people with the Zhou family left. They were no longer swaggering and aggressive like when they arrived, nor were they as arrogant as when they were bullying Gu’er. Instead, they slunk away, somewhat dejected.

"Alright, it’s late. Everyone should disperse. Go on home and get some rest."

At this point, someone else spoke up. He was a man in his fifties, considered an elder in the village, but because his family wasn’t large, he didn’t hold a high status.

The matter was more or less over. Murmuring amongst themselves, the crowd began to disperse.

"Gu’er, are you okay? I wanted to help earlier, but you know how domineering those rascals from the Zhou family are. I was afraid they’d come looking for trouble with me later, so I kept quiet. Please don’t hold it against me. Oh, right, you’re staying in Jia Ming’s old family house, right? There’s nothing in there, is there? I have an extra bedroll at home. I’ll bring it over for you in a bit."

"I have some big bowls at my place. I’ll bring them over for Gu’er to use."

"I have a bedsheet. It’s used, but it doesn’t have any patches yet, so it’s still good. I’ll bring it over, too."

Several women came forward, all talking at once, each offering to bring something for Gu’er.

"There’s probably no firewood in the yard, right? Tomorrow, I’ll bring a cartload over for you to use. Gu’er, your Uncle here is just an honest man. I can’t take on the Zhou family. Don’t you blame me, alright?"

"If you need anything done in the future, just give me a shout. If I can do it, I won’t hesitate."

A few men also spoke up, their dark, weathered faces breaking into simple, honest smiles.

"Don’t you worry, Sister Gu’er. We guarantee no one will dare bully you from now on."

A few young lads said to Gu’er.

"Sister Gu’er, if you’re scared living alone, you can call me to keep you company."

Two girls, about fifteen or sixteen, came up to Gu’er and spoke shyly.

Gu’er looked at the twenty or thirty people around her, an indescribable feeling welling up inside.

She believed their words were sincere. She also understood that even though no one in the village had helped her just now, it didn’t mean they were all bad people.

Some just wanted to watch the drama and not get involved. Others might have pitied her but were too afraid of the Zhou family to offer help.

Gu’er understood. It was normal. In a village, there are many clans. Her adoptive father, Zhou Mazi, had the surname Zhou and was part of that clan, but he wasn’t close to the other families in the village.

She had offended the powerful figures of the Zhou family, so other members of that clan certainly wouldn’t help her. As for the other villagers, they were reluctant to get involved, seeing it as an internal Zhou family dispute they wanted no part of. It was human nature.

’If I were in their shoes,’ she thought, ’if I were a bystander today and another girl was being bullied, what would I do?’

’I’d probably just feel sorry for her in my heart, unable to actually help.’

They hadn’t stood up for her, but they hadn’t joined in the bullying, either. She was no relation to them, and they hadn’t interacted much before. For them to help her and offend the rest of the Zhou family in the process—they would naturally feel it wasn’t worth it.

Earlier, Gu’er had heard many people murmuring that she was pitiful, that Zhang Da and his men got what they deserved, that Zhou Mazi was a scoundrel, and that the Zhou family had gone too far. They had only whispered among themselves, that’s all. They hadn’t stepped forward.

Gu’er didn’t blame them. She couldn’t. What right did she have to demand that others must take her side and help her?

Gu’er considered them normal people. Her thoughts drifted to the future, to a time years from now when she would be living in the city. She would accidentally run into a woman from the village, who would tell her that Zhou Da Kui, having been a tyrant for too long, finally offended the wrong person and got a severe beating. While he was bedridden, not a single person went to visit him. Even after he recovered, no one in the village would have anything to do with him.

Many villagers would say the Zhou family were rotten people who acted without reason, citing many examples and treating the family like the village’s cancer.

The Zhou family would no longer hold such power in the village. Many people would simply ignore them, and they would lose their former arrogance.

Not until Zhou Mei’s male cousin returned to the village.

Zhou Mei’s cousin had been a soldier but came back from the army after just two years. It wasn’t an honorable discharge, though; it seemed he was kicked out.

But he was ruthless and reasonably sharp. He made money in business and even bought a house in the city, but for some reason, he still returned to the village often. At that time, many in the Zhou family would start sucking up to him again, but plenty of others would keep their distance, speaking ill of him behind his back.

Later, he would get involved with his cousin, Zhou Mei, which would ruin his reputation completely.

But that was all in the future. The people here now probably couldn’t imagine what would become of the Zhou family.

***