Cannon Fodder Group Ch.8

Chapter 8 – Xu Jinning’s Speculation

Xu Jinning lowered her head to take a look. In her arms, Xu Xiangdong had placed the bowl of chicken soup, and surprisingly, it was the same bowl of chicken soup from before.

After all, the chicken leg she had been thinking about was still on top.

[What’s going on? Didn’t Xu Xiangdong give the chicken leg to Sea Queen Sun before? Why is he giving it to me now?]

Hearing Xu Jinning’s inner thoughts, Xu Xiangdong snorted in his heart.

‘Why is Educated Youth Sun being called Sea Queen Sun now?’

He didn’t understand; the term sounded a bit strange. But since he had seen through Educated Youth Sun’s true colors, he couldn’t send his things out.

If the person wasn’t his future partner and wife, then that person was an outsider.

At least Xu Jinning was his own younger sister.

Giving it to a younger sister to eat was better than giving it to an outsider.

Moreover, he could only discover Educated Youth Sun’s true face because of Xu Jinning.

So, giving her the chicken leg was no problem.

Look at this little girl, so thin, eating a bit more chicken leg and chicken soup would be good for her.

On the other hand, although Xu Jinning was drooling over the chicken leg, she didn’t dare to eat immediately.

She tentatively said, “Second brother, didn’t you give the chicken leg to Educated Youth Sun? Why… bring it back?”

Xu Xiangdong looked at her with a deep gaze, ‘there’s no reason for you not to know’.

He gritted his teeth and said, “I overheard Educated Youth Sun telling Educated Youth Fu that she wants to be in a relationship with him.”

“Since she doesn’t want to be with me, then I won’t give her the chicken leg to eat, and I won’t help her with work anymore.”

Xu Jinning’s eyes widened.

[He actually overheard it. No wonder he’s so angry and… feels so wronged.]

[But, it’s a good thing to see through Sea Queen Sun.]

“Oh, oh, so that’s how it is. Then, can I eat this chicken leg?”

“Yeah, go ahead.” Xu Xiangdong pondered, wondering if he looked wronged.

Absolutely not. He was a man, a real man, how could he feel wronged?

His anger was just because he was deceived.

Afraid that Xu Xiangdong might regret taking back the chicken leg, Xu Jinning immediately picked it up and started eating.

The moment the chicken leg entered her mouth, she closed her eyes in satisfaction.

[Wow, it’s so delicious!]

[I’ve never had such a tasty chicken leg!]

[…]

Listening to Xu Jinning’s continuous inner thoughts and looking at her thin and almost bony figure, Xu Xiangdong felt that his recently recognized younger sister seemed to have a decent personality. Moreover, her past days probably weren’t very pleasant; otherwise, she wouldn’t be so ecstatic over a chicken leg.

Xu Xiangdong thought that in the future, if there was anything delicious, he should share some with her. After all, she was his own younger sister, and a bit of care was only natural.

Watching Xu Jinning happily devour the chicken leg, Xu Xiangdong didn’t linger and intended to leave.

Eating the chicken leg, Xu Jinning saw him about to leave and asked symbolically, “Second brother, are you leaving?”

“Yeah, I have to go to work.”

“Oh, okay.”

[Go ahead, go ahead. Work hard. People who have just experienced a breakup shouldn’t have too much free time. Otherwise, they’ll think about this and that. It’s better to focus on working hard and turn sorrow into strength!]

As Xu Xiangdong walked towards the door, hearing the phrase “turn sorrow into strength,” he suddenly felt that it made a lot of sense.

In the afternoon, while Xu Xiangdong was working, he indeed worked more diligently than usual.

Meanwhile, Xu Jinning, eating the chicken leg, gazed at Xu Xiangdong’s departing figure, lost in thought.

She didn’t expect Xu Xiangdong to witness the scene where Educated Youth Sun confessed to Educated Youth Fu.

Nor did she expect Xu Xiangdong to declare that he would no longer care about Educated Youth Sun.

Because, according to the original story, Xu Xiangdong was set up as a devoted licking dog of Sun Meiwen.

Regardless of what Sun Meiwen did, he didn’t care and had no emotions of his own. He forgave and followed blindly as always.

The character of Xu Xiangdong in the novel was easily fooled by Sun Meiwen.

At that time, reading about Xu Xiangdong’s storyline made her really angry.

Later, it was discovered that Xu Xiangdong was just a cannon fodder character set by the author, not even reaching the level of a malicious supporting female character like Sun Meiwen.

Cannon fodder should follow the plot set by the author without having their own thoughts and emotions.

But now…

Why did Xu Jinning feel that Xu Xiangdong was no longer like a mechanical NPC but more like a living person with thoughts, emotions, and feelings?

So, would Xu Xiangdong change this time?

Would he distance himself from Sun Meiwen?

Xu Jinning pondered, secretly anticipating.

If Xu Xiangdong could change, could other cannon fodders change too?

Actually, what Xu Jinning didn’t know was that from the moment she became Xu Jinning from the 1980s, everything had already changed.

In this world, though still set by the author, the cannon fodders she encountered would awaken their own consciousness, live according to their own thoughts and emotions, and no longer be mere NPCs following the plot.

But at this point, Xu Jinning was still unaware of this.

At the moment, she continued to joyfully eat the chicken leg, in a blissful mood.

After finishing the chicken leg, Xu Jinning lay down to rest.

Her emotions were surprisingly stable. She didn’t feel anger or resentment for her murder before she transmigrated, nor did she feel anxious or uneasy about the sudden time travel. She also didn’t worry about the unchangeable world plot.

Well, Xu Jinning’s mindset was pretty good.

A complete Buddhist mentality, optimistic, or, in other words, being indifferent and laid-back.

Anyway, Xu Jinning wouldn’t worry about things that hadn’t happened yet. After all, if the destined outcome three years later was death, she would absolutely not succumb to depression and die like the original owner.

Moreover, if it was fated that she would die no matter what happened in three years, then whether happy or unhappy, it would be just another day. So why not embrace each day with an optimistic and laid-back attitude?

As for the rest, just let it be.

*

While Xu Jinning was sleeping, Zhang Ailian successfully obtained some fabric by exchanging Xu Fangfang’s clothes.

Her actions also stirred up discussions among the villagers who saw it.

The Qinghe Production Brigade was not too big nor too small but gossip spread quickly.

In the morning, if someone lost something, by the afternoon, everyone in the production brigade would know about it.

However, the entire production brigade usually gossiped about trivial matters.

So, not long ago, the incident where Xu Aiguo held the wrong child became big news throughout the production brigade.

Xu Aiguo’s daughter, Xu Fangfang, was well-known in the entire production brigade.

Whether it was Xu Aiguo, Zhang Ailian, or the older brothers and sisters above Xu Fangfang, they all liked Xu Fangfang very much.

Xu Fangfang received the best treatment since childhood. Besides occasionally doing some household chores and cooking, she didn’t even have to step outside.

Though she was a girl, Xu Aiguo even supported her education, and she continued her studies until high school graduation. If it weren’t for the cancellation of the college entrance exam for so many years, they might have even supported Xu Fangfang in taking the college entrance exam.

Xu Fangfang was indeed well-raised by the Xu family. At the age of 15, she had blossomed into a graceful figure with a plump body. In an era where many people struggled to get enough food and clothing, Xu Fangfang’s plump figure and fair skin clearly indicated she had been well taken care of by her family.

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**TN

Sea King/Queen (Harem King/Queen) – a “player” who professes to want a monogamous relationship but has hidden liaisons with multiple potential partners on the side (casting a wide net to trawl for fish)