The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er fell silent. What could she say? Her adoptive mother didn’t know about her experience in a past life, nor the deep-seated trauma Zhang Da had caused her. At that moment, she hadn’t really thought it through, but later, when she’d attacked Zhou Mei and Zhou Feng’er, she had held back. She knew they wouldn’t die.

As for kneeling, Gu’er couldn’t explain the concept of dignity to her adoptive mother.

"Auntie, Jiaming, thank you so much for today. Gu’er is young and has never been through something like this. And with her father being the way he is... if it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would have become of her. She might not even have a place to stay. I really don’t know what to say."

Li Hua expressed her gratitude to Grandma Sun and Sun Jiaming.

Grandma Sun and Sun Jiaming both offered a few polite words in return.

"Gu’er, come home with Mom. I spoke to your father, and he told me to bring you back. Staying at your grandma’s isn’t a long-term solution. Whatever we need to say, we can say it at home."

Li Hua tugged at Gu’er’s arm. In her heart, she believed that a family could work through anything behind closed doors; they could talk things out and move on.

Gu’er had expected her adoptive mother to ask her to return, but she couldn’t. She had just managed to escape the Zhou family, and with things having blown up like this, going back would be asking for more suffering. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Grandma Sun and Sun Jiaming remained silent. No matter what, this was a matter between mother and daughter, and it wasn’t their place to interfere.

"Mom, I’m not going back. I’ve already signed the papers with him. From now on, I’m my own household, and I have nothing to do with the Zhou family. But Mom, don’t worry. No matter what, you’ll always be my mother. I’ll always acknowledge you."

Li Hua never imagined Gu’er would say such a thing, and with such conviction. ’She’s not coming back? Her own household, no longer a member of the Zhou family?’ How could this be? It was something she had never even considered.

"Gu’er, what your father did was wrong, but no matter what, he did raise you for all these years. He can’t afford to offend those people. Yes, he’s a bastard—he hits you and curses you—but without him, how will you survive in the village? You still have to get married someday! Without him, how will you find a husband?"

Li Hua couldn’t comprehend Gu’er’s way of thinking.

Gu’er took a long, deep breath. Her adoptive mother was the type to passively accept her fate, just as she herself had been in her past life.

"Mom, I’m really not going back. He may have raised me, but I’ve paid back everything I owed him. I don’t owe him anything anymore. As for marriage, if I can get married, I will. If not, I’ll live on my own. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be able to live a good life. And I will still be a filial daughter to you."

Gu’er didn’t want to hurt her adoptive mother, but she had to say it.

Li Hua stared blankly at Gu’er, as if she were a stranger.

"Hua’er, can I have a word with you, dear?"

Seeing the mother and daughter sitting in silence, Grandma Sun thought for a moment before speaking up.

"Auntie."

Li Hua replied, still in a daze.

"Hua’er, you know what kind of man your husband is. Even if Gu’er goes back with you, what then? Today, he severed ties with her over fifty yuan. What about tomorrow? What kind of person will he marry her off to? I heard he originally wanted to marry her to Zhang Da, and then he was talking about marrying her off to someone in Liu Shu Village—a paralytic! If Gu’er has to depend on him, she’ll be ruined. What kind of good life could he possibly give her? If he married her off to a blind man, or a cripple, would you be okay with that?"

At this point, Grandma Sun glanced at Li Hua. Seeing that Li Hua was about to speak, she continued, "I know you truly dote on Gu’er. What mother doesn’t love her daughter? You must not want to let her go. But Gu’er is a girl with her own mind. Things have already come to this, and she doesn’t want to go back. If you force her, she’ll just be miserable. It would be better to let her stay here. If nothing else, Jia Ming and I won’t mistreat her, and we certainly won’t let her go hungry. We’re all in the same village. If you miss her, you can come see her anytime. Living on her own, Gu’er will definitely be better off than she was over there. At least no one will hit her, and she won’t have to put up with any abuse. If she manages to make a good life for herself someday, you’ll be happy to see it, won’t you?"

Grandma Sun’s words sent Li Hua into deep thought. What she said wasn’t wrong, but the idea of letting Gu’er live on her own, outside the family home, felt strange and unsettling no matter how she thought about it.

"Auntie, my grandma is right. If Gu’er goes back, her marriage will definitely be decided by my uncle. I’m afraid he won’t find a good family for her. It’s not like Sister Gu’er can’t get married just because she’s on her own. Now that she’s separated from them, she can make her own decisions about her marriage. You can even help her look for someone suitable. We have plenty of food here, so you don’t have to worry, Auntie. I won’t let anyone bully Sister Gu’er."

Sun Jiaming also spoke up, agreeing that Gu’er shouldn’t return to the Zhou family. If she fell back into Zhou Mazi’s hands, what future would she have?

Hearing them both say this, Li Hua lowered her head, and a single, heavy tear fell.

From the moment she brought Gu’er home, the girl had never left her side. Back when Cui Tie died, someone had tried to arrange a new marriage for her. The proposed family was a good one, but they weren’t willing to let her bring Gu’er along—a girl, and not even her own flesh and blood. They refused.

That night, Li Hua had cried while holding Gu’er. The little girl had clung to her tightly, terrified that she would run away, terrified that she would be abandoned.

Seeing the child’s pitiful state, she couldn’t bear it. And so, she ended up marrying Zhou Mazi.

Gu’er was always a sensible child. She followed her into the Zhou family, and because Zhou Mazi didn’t like her, she started doing chores at such a young age, terrified he would kick her out.

In the blink of an eye, her daughter had grown up. She had always thought her daughter would only leave her, leave the Zhou family, after getting married. But now...

Her heart ached. She didn’t understand how things had come to this. What Sun Jiaming and Grandma Sun said made sense, but she just couldn’t bear to let Gu’er go. She couldn’t bear it.

But Li Hua also knew that even if she couldn’t bear it, keeping Gu’er in the Zhou family meant a terrible life for her. She had no way to refute what they’d said, so all she could do was weep.

Seeing her adoptive mother like this, Gu’er felt as if a knife were twisting in her own heart.

"Mom, don’t cry. Please, don’t worry. I’ll be fine, I really will. I’ll earn money, I’ll support myself, and in the future, I’ll support you too."

Tears fell from Gu’er’s eyes as well.

Watching them, Grandma Sun gently shook her head. Li Hua was an honest, simple woman. It would have been so much better if she had married an honest man, but instead, she had married someone like Zhou Mazi.

Sun Jiaming stood by without a word. Seeing them like this made his own heart ache a little.

"I know, I know. I’ve been useless my whole life. I married your father, and he’s a bastard. But once I married him, I became part of the Zhou family. Whether he hits me or curses me, I just accept it. At home, I couldn’t protect you. I let you get beaten from the time you were little until you grew up. Now you’re grown, and you think it’s better to leave the Zhou family... then I won’t try to persuade you anymore. You’re more capable than I am, and you have a stronger will than me now. As long as you think you can survive after leaving the Zhou family, as long as you think this is for the best, I won’t say another word. I don’t want anything for myself. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters."

By the time she finished, Li Hua was choking on her sobs.