The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

After saying her piece, Chen Fengjiao flung Gu’er’s hand away, covered her face, and ran crying into the bedroom.

Gu’er sat silently on the sofa, her expression grim.

This only made Liu Fang feel more relieved.

"Should... should I go try and talk to her?"

Liu Fang asked Gu’er, testing the waters.

"There’s no need. You should just worry about yourself. My dad told me to be a little nicer to you, so my hands are tied. The truth is, I don’t welcome you here."

Gu’er said coolly.

"I know. But if I had any other choice, I wouldn’t be doing this. Gu’er, please, rest assured. I don’t want anything. I... In the future, I’ll be good to all of you. I can help you watch the child."

Liu Fang hastily declared.

"Heh, thanks for the kind offer, but I don’t need it."

Gu’er was cold toward Liu Fang.

"I know you don’t like me. But time reveals a person’s true character. You’ll eventually see the kind of person I am."

After saying this, Liu Fang felt even more at ease. Gu’er’s coldness was what allowed her to relax. If Gu’er had been warm and welcoming, she would have been suspicious. This reaction confirmed what Gu’er had said: Lin Shan had given the order. Even if Gu’er and the others were unhappy, they had no choice but to tolerate her presence. ’This is perfect,’ Liu Fang thought. ’It looks like I have a good chance of staying. As for Chen Fengjiao and Gu’er... if I become the mistress of the Lin Family in the future, I won’t be too cruel. I’ll put in a good word for them with Lin Shan, let them come over for a meal from time to time.’

’Of course, they’ll have to know their place. Otherwise, they can’t blame me if I tell Lin Shan not to bother with them.’

As Liu Fang schemed, a glint flashed in her eyes.

Gu’er didn’t know what Liu Fang was thinking, but it didn’t matter. Whatever her plans were, they were doomed to fail.

"You must be tired after a long day. You should wash up and get some rest. As for where you’ll sleep, you’ll have to figure that out yourselves. My mom’s in a bad mood, and I’m not feeling great either. I’m going to go check on her, and I still have to look after the child. So, I won’t keep you company."

Gu’er said, her tone impatient as she got to her feet.

"Alright. We can just stay in the living room."

Liu Fang nodded.

Just as Gu’er was about to walk away, Chun Ya asked Liu Fang, "Mom, are we going to live here from now on? Aren’t we going home?"

Gu’er paused, curious to hear Liu Fang’s answer.

"Yaya, be a good girl. From now on, this is our home. We’ll live here from now on, okay?"

Liu Fang replied to her daughter.

"Okay! It’s nice here. There’s yummy porridge, and it’s not cold."

Chun Ya nodded. She was already used to people treating them poorly. No matter where they were, others were never kind, so she didn’t think much of it.

’So this is their home now?’

Gu’er gave a sarcastic smirk and continued walking.

Liu Fang’s eyes followed Gu’er, watching as she opened the master bedroom door.

"Mom."

Gu’er called out.

"Get out! I don’t have a daughter like you! All of you just suck up to your father. You only care about him. He can help you, but I’m useless, so none of you need to bother with me."

Chen Fengjiao yelled through her tears.

Gu’er was silent for a moment. She closed the bedroom door, shot a glance at Liu Fang, and then went to Lin Zheng’s room.

’It’s good to let Mom cry and vent a little.’

Liu Fang let out a long sigh of relief. ’Let the Lin Family descend into chaos,’ she thought. ’The messier, the better. The more chaos, the more opportunities I’ll have.’

"How did it go?"

The moment Gu’er entered the room, Lin Sui’er looked up and asked.

Gu’er nodded and said in a low voice, "Mom’s crying. Don’t tell her the plan. First, we need to keep Liu Fang steady. I’ll find someone to get rid of her in the next day or two. In a little while, you should go comfort Mom. You can also yell at Liu Fang a bit. Just don’t let her get suspicious."

Gu’er didn’t want to arouse Liu Fang’s suspicions. If Liu Fang got spooked and ran off, it would be a problem.

"I get it. Don’t worry."

Lin Sui’er nodded, then got up and left the room.

A moment later, Lin Sui’er’s voice could be heard outside, yelling at Liu Fang. But after just a few curses, she went into the bedroom to comfort Chen Fengjiao.

This made Liu Fang feel even more secure. ’The Lin family’s second daughter is rather witless and has a bad temper,’ she thought. ’She’s yelling at me because she feels bad for her mother. It would be strange if she *didn’t* yell.’

Liu Fang understood this perfectly, but she still had a part to play. She had to act wronged and aggrieved.

’Tomorrow, I’ll have Li Zhi and Dingzi drive to the village. They’ll find Liu Fang’s brother and sister-in-law and tell them to take her back home and keep a close eye on her. We can offer her brother a job, a way to earn some money. But if they fail to watch her, and she runs away or something happens, the job is off the table. In fact, we’ll make them pay compensation. I’m sure they’ll watch her carefully then. Even if Liu Fang has a miserable time back home, or resists by going on a hunger strike or banging her head against a wall, it will have nothing to do with us. Once she’s back with her own family, whatever happens can’t be pinned on us.’