The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Hearing Sun Jiaming say the baby was fine, Gu’er finally let out a long sigh of relief. As her heart settled, she started to feel the pain.

Her body felt like it had been brutally beaten, aching all over. Her stomach also felt uncomfortably empty.

"Bring the baby over, let me take a look."

Gu’er lay back down. Even though Sun Jiaming said the baby was fine, she still felt uneasy. She wanted to see what the baby looked like for herself.

"Okay."

Sun Jiaming nodded, and Gu’er saw him move the bassinet over with both hands.

Sun Jiaming gently picked up the baby. His movements were clumsy, causing the baby to whimper uncomfortably for a moment before falling asleep again.

Gu’er’s heart melted as she looked at the little person Sun Jiaming placed on the bed. This was her child, a brand new life, a life completely different from Zhang Juan’s.

"She looks just like you. It’s true what they say about daughters taking after their fathers."

Gu’er murmured as she looked at the baby, though in truth, the child wasn’t a carbon copy of Sun Jiaming. There were parts that resembled her, too. The baby’s hair was black and thick, a trait from both her and Sun Jiaming, as they both had good hair. The baby’s eyebrows were also well-defined, though the shape was a bit broad. ’Those eyebrows would be perfect for a boy,’ she thought, ’but they’re a little too thick for a girl.’

The bridge of the nose was straight, and the mouth wasn’t large. It was so rosy red that it made you want to lean in and give it a kiss.

As for the eyes, they were closed, so it was impossible to tell who they took after. But no matter who the baby resembled, they were sure to be beautiful.

"He looks like you, too. Oh, right, Gu’er, you didn’t have a daughter. It’s a boy. We have a son."

Sun Jiaming remembered that Gu’er had just woken up and didn’t know the baby’s gender yet.

"A boy?"

Gu’er froze. Then she lifted the swaddling blanket, looked down, and saw... ’It really is a boy! But... didn’t everyone say it was a girl?’

Gu’er was still in shock. She had truly believed it was a girl all along.

"Yeah, we all thought it was a girl. You have no idea—when the nurse brought the baby out, Mom and I both said he wasn’t ours. The nurse was so mad! But when Mom found out it was a boy, she was ecstatic. She held him and wouldn’t let go. If I hadn’t told her to go home and bring some chicken soup for you and Feng Ling, she’d still be holding him."

Gu’er laughed as Sun Jiaming recounted the story with the nurse and the baby. But hearing Sun Jiaming mention Feng Ling, she remembered that Feng Ling had been injured too.

"How is Feng Ling?"

Gu’er asked while stroking the baby’s tiny hand. It was so small, soft, and chubby that she couldn’t resist touching it.

"Her injuries aren’t light. She broke a bone, and she’s hurt in a lot of other places too. The doctor said it’ll take at least three to six months to recover."

Sun Jiaming explained Feng Ling’s condition.

"That serious? A broken bone?"

Gu’er was surprised.

"Yeah, but the doctor said she’ll make a full recovery as long as she’s well taken care of."

After he finished, Sun Jiaming looked at Gu’er and asked, "Gu’er, what exactly happened? They said Zhou Fugui and Zhou Mei tried to run you over. How did you end up over there with Feng Ling?"

Sun Jiaming hadn’t had a chance to go to the police station yet, so he didn’t have the full story.

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

"Have Zhou Fugui and Zhou Mei lost their minds? Just watch how I’ll deal with them. And as for Feng Ling... what can you even say about her?"

Sun Jiaming was furious when he mentioned Zhou Fugui and Zhou Mei, but he couldn’t bring himself to blame Feng Ling. Feng Ling had made a mistake, but she had also helped Gu’er and gotten hurt in the process. They couldn’t say she was in the wrong anymore.

"Who’s looking after Feng Ling?"

Gu’er asked. No matter what, Feng Ling had gotten hurt helping her.

"Grandpa Guan is too old; he doesn’t have the energy. Li Zhi said he’ll take care of her for now, and Aunt Zhao will be in charge of cooking, making soup, and all that. If that’s not enough, we’ll hire someone. Don’t worry, we won’t abandon her."

Although he said that, Sun Jiaming still had a knot of unease in his heart regarding Feng Ling.

Gu’er nodded and didn’t say anything more.

"Oh, right, have we picked a name for the baby yet?"

Gu’er asked about the name again. She and Sun Jiaming had discussed it before, but all the names they came up with were for a girl. Now that they had a boy, they needed to choose a new one.

"Grandma said Suo’er would be good. Dad said Xin Cheng. Mom said Damin. I think Zhan Peng is nice. What do you think?"

Sun Jiaming’s face bloomed into a wide smile at the mention of his son. The family was overjoyed to hear Gu’er had given birth to a boy.

’Well now, everyone’s suggested a name. I might as well join in on the fun,’ Gu’er thought with a chuckle. "I think Jixing is nice."

Sun Jiaming burst out laughing. He had just asked Gu’er, and now there was one more name on the list.

"Alright, we’ll keep it in mind. Mom said she wants to find someone to do a reading, see what the baby’s destiny is lacking, and then decide. How about we just pick a nickname for now?"

Sun Jiaming figured there was no rush to decide on a name.

"Okay! So, should we call him Little Ji, Little Star, or Xiao Peng?"

Gu’er had no objections.

"Any of them are fine. Call him whatever you feel is best."

Sun Jiaming wasn’t pushy. Gu’er was the mother, the one who had gone through the most hardship. She had the most right to name the child. Whatever she wanted to call him was fine, as long as she was happy.

Gu’er gently patted the baby, making small talk with Sun Jiaming until Cao Qiu arrived.

"Oh, my dear grandson! Grandma missed you to death! Come on, let Grandma dote on you."

Cao Qiu handed the chicken soup and food to Sun Jiaming and immediately went to pick up the baby.

Gu’er didn’t say anything. Sun Jiaming poured the chicken soup into a bowl for her, blowing on it gently before giving it to her to drink.

The grease had been skimmed off the top of the chicken soup, and only a little salt had been added, but it still tasted quite good.

Gu’er had just taken two sips when she heard the baby start to cry with a loud "WAAAH!"

"Oh, my, Grandma’s dear grandson, what’s wrong? Let me see... you’re not wet, and you haven’t pooped... why are you crying?"

Cao Qiu said as she felt the baby’s bottom.

Hearing Cao Qiu’s words and the baby’s wails, Gu’er’s heart grew anxious. In her sudden panic, she felt her chest swell, and with a SPURT, her milk sprayed out.

Gu’er’s face instantly turned red. For the past few days, she had felt a little bit of milk coming in, but she hadn’t paid it much mind. She thought it was a good sign, meaning she wouldn’t have to worry about breastfeeding once the baby was born.

But she never expected that now, just from the baby crying and her own anxiety, her milk would come out on its own. She didn’t even need to do anything to stimulate it.

"Oh, right! My grandson must be hungry. Quick, quick, let my grandson nurse."

Seeing Gu’er’s state, Cao Qiu remembered. The baby had only been given a little water since birth; he was definitely hungry by now.

Gu’er took the baby, lowered her head slightly, unbuttoned her clothes, and skillfully began to breastfeed him.

The first time a baby latches on, it’s painful for the mother. But that pain was nothing; she had already endured the pain of childbirth.

"You know, Gu’er holds the baby like a natural. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d breastfed a child before."

Gu’er flinched. She *had* breastfed a child before, but she couldn’t say so. She pushed Cao Qiu’s unintentional words from her mind, lowering her head to watch the little person in her arms suckling with all his might, her face glowing with a mother’s love.

After the baby had been fed, Cao Qiu took him. Gu’er went back to her chicken soup. She had just taken two sips when she heard Cao Qiu exclaim that the baby had pooped—his meconium. She asked Sun Jiaming to help her get some warm water to clean him up.

And so it was. The mother-and-son duo, Cao Qiu and Sun Jiaming, were busy cleaning the baby’s bottom, while on the other side, Gu’er sat sipping her chicken soup. The scene was comical, yet so harmonious that it brought a sense of peace to anyone who saw it.

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