Cannon Fodder Husband Ch.157-158

Chapter 157 – Sun Shengnan Sees Clearly

When Sun Shengnan returned home, her family’s reaction was more surprised than delighted. They saw her empty-handed and immediately turned cold towards her, even though they knew she had traveled for days on the train and must have been exhausted. Instead of giving her rest, they immediately put her to work.

During her time at home, she was constantly busy with never-ending tasks.

Her parents didn’t seem to miss her, and her younger siblings showed no concern about whether she had suffered in the countryside. They asked her coldly why she came back and when she would leave.

What upset her even more was the discovery that she no longer had a place in her own home.

Her room was off-limits, and her parents used the excuse that she couldn’t stay for more than a few days before telling her to sleep in the rudimentary living room and not disturb her younger sister, who was preparing for the high school entrance exam.

She had never imagined that she would become a stranger in her own home!

Facing such family members, Sun Shengnan felt somewhat despondent.

She couldn’t understand how the family she remembered as being close suddenly became like this.

After spending just a few days at home, her parents were already asking when she would leave, and they said the family couldn’t help her, afraid that she would come begging for money.

So, although she had originally planned to stay until the Lantern Festival, she left on the fifth day of the first lunar month.

During the three-day journey back, she had already come to terms with it.

Perhaps they really thought she could never return to the city again.

That was why they treated her this way, as nobody in the city wanted a poor relative from the countryside.

Upon hearing her story, Lu Xia also felt a bit sad.

Indeed, she deliberately asked Sun Shengnan to return home empty-handed to see her family’s true nature and cut off any lingering attachments.

After all, she genuinely liked Sun Shengnan as a person – honest, thoughtful, and kind. It was rare for someone like her to maintain her true self during the years in the countryside.

Thus, when she heard that Sun Shengnan had sent most of her earnings and saved goods back home and was living frugally herself, Lu Xia felt sorry for her.

But she hadn’t expected that Sun Shengnan’s family would be even worse than she had imagined. They even refused to let her into her own room and hurt her so deeply.

Immediately, Lu Xia comforted her, “Don’t think too much about it. Sometimes, the relationship between parents and children is a matter of fate. From now on, live for yourself.”

Taking a deep breath, Sun Shengnan replied slowly, “I know. At first, it was hard for me to accept, and I felt very sad. But after these past few days, I’ve come to accept it.

I understand why they treat me this way. They must think that I can never go back to the city, that I’ll spend my whole life in the countryside. They think I’m useless, and they look down on me. They’re afraid that I’ll drag them down.

Even my younger sister, who got married that autumn, didn’t thank me for the carefully chosen gift I gave her. Instead, her first question was why I bothered coming back home if I couldn’t stay in the city.”

At this point, Sun Shengnan laughed at herself. Thinking about how she had scrimped and saved for so long just to afford that pair of pillowcases made her feel like she was wasting her genuine feelings.

But despite her laughter, she couldn’t help but shed tears.

Seeing this, Lu Xia sighed and took out a handkerchief to wipe them away, saying, “Don’t cry. You’re a good person. They are the ones who can’t see your worth. Since they look down on you so much, you must live well in the future and prove them wrong!”

Hearing these words, Sun Shengnan couldn’t help but chuckle, “You really are…”

After the laughter, Sun Shengnan gradually regained her composure. “I’m sorry. I’ve been holding back my emotions these past few days, so I’ve been a bit overwhelmed.”

Lu Xia shook her head, “It’s okay. It’s good to vent sometimes; otherwise, it’ll be suffocating.”

*

Chapter 158 – Getting Ideas

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By now, Sun Shengnan’s mood had improved somewhat, but her expression still showed some confusion. “Do you think we’ll be stuck here forever? Unable to return to the city for the rest of our lives?”

Thinking about it, Sun Shengnan felt a bit despondent, and the ambitions that Lu Xia had just inspired were dampened.

“How could that be? We definitely won’t be like this forever,” Lu Xia said decisively, seeing Sun Shengnan’s confusion. “We must believe in our country. It won’t let us, educated youths, waste away in the countryside forever.”

“Really?” Sun Shengnan asked with skepticism.

“Of course!” Lu Xia affirmed. “Think about it, does the country’s development not require knowledge? And where are all those knowledgeable people now? What kind of people are in universities?”

Hearing her words, Sun Shengnan was taken aback and thought about it carefully. She was surprised by what Lu Xia had implied.

“Are you saying…?”

Lu Xia shook her head. “I’m not sure if I’m right, but I just have a feeling that we won’t stay like this forever. I don’t know how long it will take, maybe one or two years, maybe three or four years, maybe even longer, but there will be a day when we can go back.”

“Then it will be the time for us to fulfill our ambitions!” Sun Shengnan said, considering Lu Xia’s words.

After Sun Shengnan left, Lu Xia sat there in a daze. She had never thought that she would be able to inspire others like this.

Thinking about how she had roused Sun Shengnan’s spirit with her words, she couldn’t help but smile.

She felt like she had the potential to be a persuasive person.

Fortunately, Sun Shengnan seemed somewhat swayed by her words and was not as despondent as before.

Lu Xia felt relieved. It was important to give Sun Shengnan some aspirations; otherwise, she might just marry some rural guy out of frustration, and that would be a waste! She would surely regret it in the future.

But Lu Xia didn’t say much, just briefly shared her thoughts, and left it up to Sun Shengnan to believe it or not.

Before leaving, Sun Shengnan made a point of telling Lu Xia not to share what they had talked about with others. After all, under the current policies, being sent down to the countryside was considered an honorable status. If Lu Xia accidentally let it slip, it might cause trouble.

Lu Xia, of course, wouldn’t casually spread it around. She only said those things because she saw how despondent Sun Shengnan was, like a person without any hope. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have mentioned it.

However, she accepted Sun Shengnan’s goodwill and promised to keep it to herself. This put Sun Shengnan’s mind at ease before she left.

After she left, Jiang Junmo returned to the room. He had noticed that Sun Shengnan wanted to talk to Lu Xia, so he went to the kitchen voluntarily.

Although they were separated by just one door, the two rooms were close enough that he could probably hear what they were saying. So he had a general idea of their conversation.

Entering the room, he saw Lu Xia lost in thought and asked, “Still worried about her?”

Lu Xia shook her head. “No, she’s actually very strong inside. Even if I didn’t say much, she would have figured things out on her own. I was just contemplating something – every family has its own struggles. I just can’t understand how parents can easily give up on their child. After raising a child for so long, can they really just abandon them as if they were never wanted? Are they not heartbroken?”

Hearing Lu Xia’s words, Jiang Junmo walked over and patted her head.

“Don’t worry, I won’t!”

“What won’t you do?” For a moment, Lu Xia didn’t quite grasp his meaning.

Once she understood, she immediately pushed him away with a bit of annoyance. “Go away, I’m talking about Sun Shengnan’s situation here, why are you everywhere? What are you thinking about all day?”

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