The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Aunt Zhao wanted to stay and cook.

"That’s enough. You should head back. Your family hasn’t eaten yet. Go home and cook for them. Gu’er is here, so we don’t need you. She’ll make a meal for the two of us in a bit."

Grandma Sun sent Aunt Zhao home. She had a large family of her own, after all. Before, there was no other choice, but now that Gu’er was here, Aunt Zhao could go back and cook for her own family.

"Alright then, I’ll head back first. Gu’er, if you need anything, just give me a shout."

Aunt Zhao didn’t stand on ceremony.

"Okay."

Gu’er saw Aunt Zhao off, then went to make lunch.

Fresh vegetables were in season now, and many families enjoyed eating them raw with dipping sauce. However, Gu’er didn’t prepare that, because Grandma Sun’s teeth were weak and she couldn’t chew them.

She steamed some rice, adding extra water to make it soft. If it was too firm, Grandma Sun wouldn’t be able to eat it.

She also used an egg to make a savory steamed egg custard. In addition, she made a vegetable soup, boiling the vegetables so all their nutrients would be in the broth, allowing Grandma Sun to just drink the soup.

"Your cooking is just so delicious. Jia Ming has been cooking for years, but he only knows how to make the same few dishes over and over. Cooking really is a woman’s job. Men just can’t do it."

Grandma Sun ate with great satisfaction. The seasoning in Gu’er’s cooking was just right—tasty and easy to digest.

Gu’er, however, felt that Sun Jiaming had it tough. ’His parents aren’t around, and he has to take care of his grandmother all by himself. A young man like him not only has to provide care but also cook. Doing it for a day or two is one thing, but keeping it up year after year must be really difficult.’

Gu’er couldn’t remember when Grandma Sun had passed away in her previous life because she hadn’t paid much attention to the Sun Family back then. But looking at her now, Grandma Sun seemed to be in good spirits.

’She’s a very kind old woman. If she’s well taken care of, she could easily live for several more years. Why on earth did Sun Jiaming’s mother just abandon her mother-in-law and move to the city?’

After clearing the dishes and wiping the kitchen clean, Gu’er found herself with nothing to do again.

"Grandma, do you have any scrap cloth and old cotton batting?"

Gu’er asked Grandma Sun.

"We do. What do you need them for?"

Grandma Sun didn’t understand what Gu’er was planning.

"I want to make a small quilt. Not a big one, just about this size."

Gu’er gestured to Grandma Sun to show her the size. She wanted to make a small quilt to cover popsicles with.

Gu’er had left the Zhou family suddenly and had no intention of going back. Her old clothes and belongings were still at the Zhou house, but she had no desire to retrieve them.

"What’s the point of making a quilt that small? It wouldn’t even cover your stomach."

Grandma Sun asked as she pointed out where the cloth and cotton were stored.

"I went to the city the other day and noticed that not many people were selling popsicles. The weather’s getting hot, isn’t it? So I was thinking of buying some popsicles wholesale and selling them from a cart. If it goes well, I could earn a little each day. I’m afraid the popsicles will melt in a wooden box, so I want to make a small quilt to cover them."

Gu’er didn’t hide anything and told her the truth.

Grandma Sun looked at Gu’er in surprise. She hadn’t expected Gu’er to have such a business-minded head on her shoulders. She had heard from Jia Ming that Gu’er had earned some money selling wild vegetables, and now she was planning to sell popsicles.

"There’s some white cloth over there. It’s new and has never been used. Since it’s for selling popsicles, you should use the new cloth. It’ll be nice and clean, which will look better to customers. But selling popsicles means being out in the sun all day, which is tough. When Jia Ming gets back, have him find a straw hat for you. It’ll give you some protection from the sun."

Grandma Sun didn’t say much more. Since Gu’er had made up her mind, all she needed to do was support her.

Gu’er couldn’t win the argument with Grandma Sun, so she used the new white cloth and new cotton batting, then started working on the heated brick bed.

She spread the cloth flat and filled it with cotton batting. Grandma Sun gave her some pointers, and once the batting was evenly distributed, Gu’er began to sew it up.

Grandma Sun nodded to herself. Although her eyesight was a bit blurry, she could still tell that Gu’er was experienced at this. Her stitches were quite neat.

When Gu’er finished sewing, she showed it to Grandma Sun.

Grandma Sun nodded repeatedly and praised Gu’er.

Folding the small quilt and setting it aside, Gu’er got off the bed. She looked at the sky; it was about time to make dinner.

’I wonder how my adoptive mother is doing.’ Gu’er really wanted to go and check on her, but she held back. ’I can’t be soft-hearted right now.’

Gu’er went to the kitchen to cook. She made some millet porridge, which was easy on the stomach, for Grandma Sun. She also prepared some raw vegetables with dipping sauce, which she thought Sun Jiaming would like. In addition, she made another easily digestible dish for Grandma Sun.

Just as the dishes were placed on the low table on the bed, footsteps were heard outside. Gu’er went out to look and saw Sun Jiaming standing at the door, silhouetted against the setting sun.

He was startled to see Gu’er, but his face quickly broke into a smile.

His smile was bright and warm.

Strictly speaking, Sun Jiaming wasn’t handsome—not compared to Liu Yuan. But his features were well-proportioned, giving him a very masculine air. Bathed in the light of the setting sun, Gu’er thought he seemed to be glowing.

Gu’er’s heart fluttered.

Before she could think too much, she called out, "Brother Jia Ming," and fetched some water for him to wash up. The round trip to the city on such a hot day must have left him drenched in sweat.

"Is everything alright at home? You’ve worked hard today, Sister Gu’er."

Sun Jiaming spoke to Gu’er as he washed his face.

"Everything’s fine. It was no trouble at all."

Gu’er’s face flushed, though she wasn’t sure why. ’Right now, my relationship with Sun Jiaming feels like... how should I put it? It’s like I’m a new bride waiting for her husband to come home. When he returns, I fetch water for him to wash up, and we exchange a few quiet, tender words.’

’But we’re not husband and wife. Should I be acting like this? I didn’t even think about it before.’

’Well, it won’t be like this after today. Once I move into the other house, this kind of situation won’t happen again.’ At this thought, Gu’er felt a sense of relief.

Sun Jiaming didn’t know what Gu’er was thinking, but his own heart was stirring. In the past, when he came home, he had to do everything himself. He’d have to wash up quickly so Aunt Zhao could go home, then after talking with his grandmother, he’d have to rush to cook dinner. But today, he walked in the door to find someone had fetched water for him, someone had greeted him, and dinner was already prepared. A warmth spread through Sun Jiaming’s chest. ’All this time, I thought what I wanted was simple. This is it. This is the life I’ve wanted.’

Suppressing the flutter in his heart, Sun Jiaming went inside with Gu’er.

Grandma Sun asked a few questions, and then the three of them sat on the bed to eat.

The village didn’t have a custom of eating in silence, so Sun Jiaming recounted what had happened while they ate.

Just as expected, Zhou Erpao had gone to the city today. He left early, arriving before Sun Jiaming, and gave an exaggerated account of events to Sun Jiaming’s parents, saying a lot of bad things about Gu’er.

Sun Jiaming’s father, Sun Zhuzi, was an honest man and just listened quietly.

But Sun Jiaming’s mother was hot-tempered and exploded immediately. She resented her son and felt that Gu’er was a menace.

Sun Jiaming’s sister-in-law, Tian Hua, chimed in with sarcastic remarks, wondering how Jia Ming could have taken a liking to someone like that—someone who would attack people with a knife. If she really married into the Sun Family, Tian Hua wouldn’t dare to be around her. Who knew if she would go crazy and try to kill them all?

Sun Jiaming’s older brother wasn’t home because of work, but Zhou Erpao could tell that the rest of the Sun Family was unhappy with Gu’er.

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Bonus Chapter tonight for He Shi Bi rewards! Please vote. Recommendation: Counterattack in the 80s. Synopsis: Traveled to the 80s? Female Lead: I’ve seen enough of life and death. Getting rich is a must! However, she’s plagued by one suitor after another, and each one wants a commitment... Male Lead: An elite without love, light and free as a single man! However, when he meets her... he’ll use every trick in the book, pulling out all the stops to win her over. The female lead, face flushed, barks, "Hey, soldier boy! Follow my command! About-face!"