The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er held Jiji’s hand and pointed at Dian Dian, reminding him again.

Marina was at home, recovering after childbirth. Dian Dian was already over twenty days old and looked even cuter. Her only "flaw" was that her skin wasn’t very fair. Perhaps it was because neither Dingzi nor Marina were fair-skinned, but she didn’t seem as pale as Jiji.

Jiji was already nine months old and could stand with support. Hearing his mother’s words, he reached out, grabbed Dian Dian’s tiny hand, and tried to put it in his mouth.

"No, that’s your little sister’s hand! You can’t eat it. Let go, quick."

Gu’er panicked. Jiji already had several teeth; it would be a disaster if he bit Dian Dian.

"It’s fine. Our Jiji is just playing, he won’t bite."

Marina wasn’t angry. Jiji smiled at her while Dian Dian slept on, seemingly undisturbed.

Gu’er made Jiji release Dian Dian’s hand and finally breathed a sigh of relief, terrified that he might have actually bitten her.

"Ah, Dada... Dada..."

Jiji wanted to grab his little sister’s hand again, but since he couldn’t talk, he yelled out in frustration, and the word that came out was "Dada."

"Oh my, Jiji can say Dada! Say it again, let me hear."

Gu’er was delighted. For over a month, she had been trying to get Jiji to say people’s names, but he would just stay silent and ignore her, which made her feel like a failure. Cao Qiu had even told her that when the time was right, the child would speak naturally, so there was no need to rush.

Grandma Sun had also told her not to rush and to take it slow. It wasn’t that Gu’er was impatient; while she didn’t know much about early childhood education, she figured there was no harm in talking to him and teaching him more. She just never expected he would actually say "Dada" today.

"Dada."

Jiji said it again. He wanted to say other things but couldn’t, because "Dada" was the easiest sound to make.

"That’s wonderful, Jiji, you’re so smart! Now, say Godmom."

"He should say Mama first. He can’t even say that yet, let alone Godmom. Jiji, say Mama."

Gu’er coaxed Jiji.

"Dada."

Jiji shouted again. It was still "Dada."

Gu’er and Marina tried teaching him many times, but Jiji only ever said "Dada." Eventually, he started ignoring them completely, turning his attention to Dian Dian. He played with her tiny hand and tugged at her little blanket, perfectly happy on his own.

"Well, saying ’Dada’ is a good start. I’m sure Jia Ming will be thrilled later."

Gu’er knew "Mama" was harder to say than "Dada," so she wasn’t worried anymore. Since he’d already said "Dada," "Mama" was only a matter of time.

"When he learns to say ’Mama,’ bring him over so I can hear it."

Marina was very excited. ’It’ll be a long time before my little one can talk,’ she thought. ’I’ll get my fix by listening to Jiji. Besides, a godmom is still a mom.’

As the two of them were talking, there was a sound at the door. Dingzi opened it, and Feng Ling came in, carrying some things.

Perhaps because of the friendship they’d forged on their trip to Russia, Feng Ling and Marina got along wonderfully. Ever since Marina had her baby, Feng Ling often came to visit, sometimes bringing homemade soup for her. Feng Ling was especially fond of Dian Dian.

"Dada."

The moment he saw Feng Ling, Jiji opened his mouth and shouted.

"Oh great," Gu’er said. "Now he calls everyone ’Dada’."

Gu’er felt a bit helpless. ’The kid just learned to talk and all he can say is ’Dada’. It’s fine at home, but what if we’re out and he sees a strange man and just blurts out ’Dada’ at him? The guy would probably freeze, completely baffled. And what if his wife is with him? The couple might start a fight right there, asking him where this random kid came from.’

"Oh, Jiji can say Dada now! Come on, say Auntie."

Feng Ling was also delighted and tried to coax Jiji.

But Jiji wasn’t playing along. When he was happy, he’d shout "Dada." You couldn’t get him to say anything else.

After chatting for a while longer, Gu’er took Jiji home. Since they lived nearby, she came over every day to keep Marina company.

When they got back to the Sun Family home, Jiji saw his grandmother and happily shouted, "Dada!"

"Oh, my dear grandson! You can say ’Dada’! You’re making your grandma so happy! Jia Ming, come out here, quick! Your son is calling for you! Come on, sweetie, say Grandma... Grandma."

Cao Qiu was overjoyed. She called out for Sun Jiaming while trying to get Jiji to say "Grandma."

But Jiji would only say "Dada." When Sun Jiaming heard it, he was absolutely ecstatic. He kept teasing his son, getting him to say "Dada" over and over, which made Cao Qiu a little jealous.

And so, Jiji learning to say "Dada" became a joyous event. Cao Qiu announced it to everyone, upstairs and down. Within a few days, everyone in the neighborhood knew that the Sun Family’s Little Jiji could say "Dada."

A little over a month later, Jiji learned to say "Mama" and "Grandma." The moment he finally said "Mama," Gu’er was so moved she could have cried. She thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

Cao Qiu was also grinning from ear to ear all day. Her dear grandson could finally say "Grandma"! Grandma Sun was also very happy. Even though he couldn’t say "Great-grandma" yet, hearing "Grandma" was close enough, and she felt perfectly content.