The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Lin Shuying hadn’t expected her son to say that, and her mind drifted back to that time.

She remembered it well—the time Zhongshan had mentioned. The boy had been sick, and she had asked Zheng Daniu to go with her to see a doctor, but he refused. He’d even cursed at her, saying their son wouldn’t live long, so it was useless to see a doctor and just a waste of his money.

With no other choice, she had to carry the child on her back herself. But she was just one woman, and her son was already ten years old. The doctor’s house was over a kilometer away from their home. She carried him for a few hundred meters before she couldn’t go on, and they both fell. She sat there, hugging her son and crying, utterly heartbroken and filled with despair, wondering when this kind of life would ever end.

It was Zheng Changsheng who saw them. Without a second thought, he lifted Zhongshan onto his back and went with her to the doctor’s office. He even paid the fee for her and brought food from his home for both her and Zhongshan.

When she returned, not only did Zheng Daniu not thank Zheng Changsheng, he accused her of having an affair with him and called her shameless.

From then on, Zheng Changsheng often helped her take her son to the doctor. It was safe to say that, during that time, she might not have been able to carry on without him.

"Mom, my brother is right. Ever since I was little, anytime I had something good to eat, it was from Uncle Changsheng. I didn’t understand back then, but I always knew Uncle Changsheng was a good person. Now you’re alone, and Uncle Changsheng hasn’t remarried either. If you two could get together, we would be happy for you."

Xinghua agreed. She felt no affection for Zheng Daniu. Even though he was her biological father, he had treated her, her mother, and her brother poorly since she was a child. Later, he even threatened to sell her for money to buy a cow, which made her resent him all the more. In contrast, Zheng Changsheng had been good to her when she was little and had helped them a great deal. If her mom and Uncle Changsheng could rely on each other in the future, she could rest easy.

"Good, good. You’re both such good children."

Lin Shuying hugged Xinghua and began to cry. She never expected her two children to be so understanding, or that they would still remember the kindness Zheng Changsheng had shown them.

"I’m just... I’m afraid people will think it’s shameful for a mother to remarry. I’m afraid it will embarrass you. And Zhongshan, what if your future wife finds it disgraceful and wants nothing to do with our family? What then? Mom is afraid of holding you back."

Lin Shuying voiced her concerns.

Gu’er knew it was true. In this day and age, remarrying wasn’t considered a respectable thing to do, especially after a divorce. Some children would find it so disgraceful they would forbid their parents from ever finding someone new. There was one such family right where the Lin Family lived. An Aunt Mei Hua had been widowed at a young age, raised her son all by herself, and eventually saw him married off, considering her life’s great duty fulfilled.

A certain man had been very good to her, helping support her for over a decade. Now that her son was married and her daughter-in-law was pregnant, she finally thought about her own happiness and discussed it with her son. But her son and daughter-in-law were vehemently opposed. They said she was too old and would become a laughingstock if she remarried. They even told her that if she went through with it, she could forget she ever had a son or daughter-in-law.

Aunt Mei Hua was heartbroken, but she couldn’t bear to disown her son, so she told the man what had happened. The man thought her son was a real scoundrel. For so many years, he had helped her raise that very son. He had worried over the boy and looked out for him constantly. Even though he and Aunt Mei Hua had never married, he was no different from a stepfather. Now that the son was grown and had a family of his own, what was so wrong with two older people wanting to be companions?

So the man went to find Aunt Mei Hua’s son. But he never expected the son to show zero gratitude for all his past help. Instead, the son cursed him out, calling him an "old bastard" and an "old pervert" who had been lusting after his mother all along. The verbal abuse angered the older man so much that he had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital.

At that moment, Aunt Mei Hua was both frantic and furious. She felt she owed the man so much after all those years and couldn’t believe her son would behave this way. She uttered a few words of reproach to her son, but her daughter-in-law flew into a rage. She called her mother-in-law "old and shameless," a corrupting influence, and a total disgrace. Aunt Mei Hua was already overwhelmed with anger, grief, and guilt toward the man. When her daughter-in-law attacked her like that while her own son stood by and said nothing, she felt all her years of sacrifice to raise him had been for nothing. In a moment of utter despair, she bought a bottle of pesticide and drank it.

Aunt Mei Hua died after drinking the pesticide. Yet her son and daughter-in-law still didn’t see the error of their ways. They believed their mother had done something so shameful that she couldn’t bear to live anymore.

Many people held such views, which was why Lin Shuying was so worried—especially now, with her son about to get married.

"Mom, if she can’t understand, if she thinks it’s a disgrace, then she doesn’t have to marry into our family. I would never abandon my own mother for a wife. I think it’s a wonderful thing for you and Uncle Changsheng to be together. If she doesn’t agree, then I just won’t get married. I’m sure I can find someone who is willing to accept our family."

Zheng Zhongshan’s voice wasn’t loud, but his words were filled with conviction. ’If the woman he was to marry couldn’t understand, then this marriage didn’t need to happen. He could never let his mother give up her own happiness just for the sake of his wedding. His mom had suffered far too much for him over the years.’

Lin Shuying pulled her son into a hug. Hearing him say that, she was truly content.

Gu’er nodded. ’No matter what anyone says, her aunt’s two children are genuinely good people.’

After crying for a while and composing themselves, Gu’er figured it was about time and opened the door. The moment she did, she heard voices in the hallway. Gu’er glanced out and saw Sun Jiaming and Dingzi returning. Trailing behind them was another person. This man wore a large felt hat and had a thick scarf wrapped around his face. He was bundled in a bulky, black cotton-padded jacket and matching pants. The material of his clothes was shiny, not because it was new, but because it had been worn smooth over time. He had large, padded cotton shoes on his feet, and his whole appearance was very rustic.

He was dressed like one of the old farmers from the nearby villages. ’Zheng Changsheng’s life must have been hard,’ Gu’er thought.

As the man drew closer, he pulled down his thick scarf. It was Zheng Changsheng. His face looked fine; it hadn’t changed much at all.

Lin Shuying’s eyes reddened again as she looked at his face. Her lips trembled, but she was speechless.

"Shuying."

Zheng Changsheng called out her name. ’This was the face he had thought of day and night, the one he constantly worried about. Today, he was finally seeing her again.’ He noticed that the Lin Shuying before him hadn’t aged in the last two years. In fact, her complexion was much healthier now.

"Uncle Changsheng."

Zheng Zhongshan and Xinghua stepped forward to greet him.

"Ah, yes," Zheng Changsheng said, nodding with a smile. "Zhongshan, you look so much more full of life. And Xinghua, you’ve grown into a young lady."

Zheng Changsheng smiled and nodded, his heart filled with emotion.

"Hurry, come inside."

Lin Shuying wiped away her tears and ushered them into the room.

"Let’s have you sit over here, then," Gu’er said, thinking it was better to host them in her room.

Everyone entered the room, took their seats, and was poured some tea.

"I really had no idea it was this cold here. I’m about to freeze to death."

Zheng Changsheng held the cup of hot water, warming his hands.

"People who aren’t from around here can’t handle the cold when they first arrive. Hurry and warm yourself up," Lin Shuying added.

The others laughed and chimed in as well.

Lin Shuying studied Zheng Changsheng. ’He’s even thinner than he was back then,’ she thought, ’though his complexion isn’t too bad. But judging by his clothes, life must have been difficult. Don’t tell me he scraped together just enough for a train ticket and had to beg for food the rest of the way here? He must have suffered so much.’

"No matter what, the important thing is that you’re here now. You must have gone through a lot to come all this way. Don’t you worry. From now on, you can just stay here with peace of mind. As long as we have food to eat, we’ll never let you go hungry."

Lin Shuying’s heart ached, but her words were sincere. ’No matter what he looked like now, he was still the same Zheng Changsheng she had always known.’

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Thank you to Angel’s Sleepless Night for the peace charm, and to Midnight Blues 3355 and Baby Cat 2012 for the monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support.