The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er was holding Jiji while he nursed. Sun Jiaming hadn’t gone out; he sat beside them, watching. Jiji kept his eyes open, looking at his dad as he ate.

"Hey sweet boy, is it good? How about Daddy has a taste, too?"

Sun Jiaming was teasing Jiji. He reached out to touch the baby’s face, but Jiji thought his dad was trying to steal his food. He immediately grabbed onto Gu’er’s other side, grunting as he shot Sun Jiaming a defiant look. His glare seemed to say, ’Nice try, pal. This is mine. Both of them are mine. Don’t even think about it. Only I get to eat.’

Sun Jiaming was dumbfounded. ’This kid... he’s really afraid I’m going to steal it, isn’t he? That’s way too possessive.’ Besides, would he really steal it?

He could.

Sun Jiaming subconsciously touched the corner of his mouth. He’d just had some himself, after all. But he wouldn’t do it in front of his son; he was only teasing him.

Gu’er blushed, trying to stifle her laughter. This father-son pair was just too amusing.

"You little rascal, eating from one while claiming the other. Just you wait until tonight."

Sun Jiaming muttered under his breath. It wasn’t like he could actually go and fight him for it.

"Don’t say that. He can understand you."

Gu’er chided Sun Jiaming for talking nonsense in front of their child.

Jiji looked at his dad. He suddenly detached, gave Sun Jiaming a little smile, and then latched onto the other side. As if that wasn’t enough, he used his little hand to hold onto the one he’d just released, acting as though someone was about to snatch it away.

Seeing Jiji’s antics, Gu’er and Sun Jiaming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They had no idea where this child got all his cunning little schemes from.

Still, they were both very happy. It meant their son’s mind was sharp. Jiji wasn’t skinny, and he was very healthy—what could be better than that?

After Jiji finished eating, he looked at his dad, feeling very confused. ’Why isn’t Dad leaving today? Usually, he’s not around when I’m eating. Does he want to steal my food?’

Jiji’s little brow furrowed. ’I’m full now, and I want to go play, but I don’t want to leave my rations for Dad to eat. What do I do?’

The little fellow tilted his head to look at Sun Jiaming, who, curious to see what his son would do, decided to play along. Suddenly, an idea seemed to strike Jiji. He grabbed Gu’er’s hand and began to babble and gesture at her.

Gu’er couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. Jiji couldn’t talk yet, aside from simple words like "Dada," "Mama," or "milk."

When Jiji saw that his mother didn’t understand, he grew anxious. He started pulling Gu’er, trying to lead her outside. When he couldn’t move her, he began to grunt with effort.

"Sweetheart, where are you trying to take Mommy?"

Gu’er quickly stood up and followed Jiji, afraid her son would wear himself out.

Jiji didn’t make a sound, simply kept pulling Gu’er along.

"That little troublemaker."

Sun Jiaming chuckled and followed them out.

"My sweet grandson, are you full now? Come here, come to Grandma."

The moment Cao Qiu saw her grandson emerge, she eagerly opened her arms.

Jiji looked at her and seemed to consider it. ’Should I play with Grandma? No, better not. My rations are more important. I can play with Grandma any day.’ He looked away from his grandmother and continued pulling Gu’er toward the front door.

"Where is my dear grandson off to?"

Cao Qiu followed, confused.

"He probably wants to see Dian Dian. I’ll take him over there to play for a while."

Gu’er was starting to understand Jiji’s intention. She took him to see Dian Dian almost every day, so he probably missed her. Even though Dian Dian was well past her first month, she slept a lot, and they worried it would be too noisy for her here.

"Go ahead, just be back soon."

Cao Qiu nodded. If her grandson wanted to go, she wasn’t going to stop him.

And just like that, Jiji and Gu’er headed to Dingzi’s house. Sun Jiaming followed behind them, a wry smile on his face. ’This son of mine is becoming a little mastermind,’ he thought. ’I can’t even get away with a little mischief. Just like Gu’er said, I really need to watch myself from now on.’

When they arrived at Dingzi’s house, Dian Dian was sleeping. Marina was delighted to see Jiji and picked him up to play. But Jiji kept one hand firmly on Gu’er, not letting go. He had spotted his dad following them and was afraid that the moment he let his guard down to play, his dad would whisk his mom away and his rations would be stolen.

"What’s wrong? Don’t you like your godmother?"

Marina asked, confused, seeing how Jiji kept clinging to Gu’er.

Gu’er stifled a laugh and shot Sun Jiaming a look. He got the hint and went into the living room to chat with Dingzi.

Only when his dad was out of sight did Jiji finally relax. He let go of his mother’s clothes, broke into a smile, and started babbling with Marina. He felt he’d made the absolute right decision. ’If I come to see my little sister, Dad can’t steal Mom away from me!’

"What’s gotten into Jiji?"

Seeing Jiji leaning over the side of the crib to look at Dian Dian, Marina whispered to Gu’er.

"Oh, it’s... it’s nothing."

Gu’er was too embarrassed to explain, and her face flushed red.

"It’s definitely something. Come on, tell me."

Marina pulled at Gu’er’s arm, her curiosity piqued. Ever since having her baby, she couldn’t go anywhere and could only stay home to look after the child. Even with Dingzi to keep her company, she was still bored. A chance to chat and laugh with Gu’er would be a welcome relief.

Blushing, Gu’er briefly explained the situation to Marina.

"Wow, our Jiji is so clever! How did you get to be so smart?" Marina cooed.

With her Western mindset, Marina didn’t find the situation embarrassing at all. She just thought Jiji was incredibly smart for knowing to stake his claim, refusing to share with his dad, and even dragging Gu’er all the way to her house.

"I don’t know who this little guy takes after. I was certainly pretty clueless when I was a kid."

Gu’er had to agree her son was quite clever. He was just a little over a year old, after all.

"Gu’er, you should let Jiji be my son-in-law when they grow up. I just adore him."

Marina’s Chinese was excellent now; she had even picked up colloquialisms like "adore."

"Her son-in-law, huh? Jiji, your godmother is asking if you want Dian Dian to be your wife someday."

Gu’er asked Jiji playfully.

Jiji looked at Gu’er, then at Marina. He didn’t understand what they meant, and when he couldn’t figure it out, he stopped trying. He turned and grabbed Dian Dian’s hand. ’Her little hand is fun to play with.’

"I have a feeling this little rascal is going to spoil Dian Dian rotten in the future," Gu’er mused. "As for whether we’ll become in-laws, we’ll have to leave that up to fate."

Gu’er mused that she would never arrange a childhood betrothal for Jiji. Whatever kind of person he liked or wanted to be with in the future, she wouldn’t object. All that mattered was her son’s happiness; she didn’t want to constrain him.

"That’s true. Whether she ends up as his little sister or his wife, it’s all the same to me."

Marina nodded. She was very open-minded. She was fond of Jiji, but she wouldn’t interfere with whatever the future held for them.

That night, Jiji snuck glances at his father, who was lying on the other side of the bed, as he nursed. ’Why isn’t Dad sleeping yet?’ he wondered. ’Is he waiting for me to fall asleep so he can steal my milk?’

’No, I can’t fall asleep. I have to protect my food!’ Jiji thought, tightening his grip on Gu’er. He would nurse for a moment, then sneak a peek at Sun Jiaming. Nurse for a moment, then peek again. When he finally couldn’t fight off sleep any longer, his hand was still clenched tight, guarding his rations. The sight left Sun Jiaming not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

When Gu’er gently placed the baby in his little bed, the little fellow subconsciously clutched at the air a couple of times before settling back to sleep. Gu’er stifled her giggles, leaning over the crib, practically doubled over with laughter.