The Cannon Fodder Alpha Who Made the Heroine Pregnant - Chapter 22

22:

Chu Zhao’s mother lived in a compound that resembled a twisted fairytale, where the princess’s cottage sat in the shadow of the villain’s castle.

If the main mansion glittered like gold bullion, this modest three-room courtyard was the forgotten copper coin kicked to the roadside. The cruel irony? That coin represented half the fortune legally belonging to the woman now confined here.

Zhou Lan followed Chu Zhao’s slowing footsteps toward the secluded dwelling. Unlike Yang Kang’s mother in ‘The Legend of Condor Heroes’—who chose her humble abode beside a prince’s devotion, this was imprisonment disguised as accommodation.

The courtyard evoked rustic charm:

– Layout: Central living area flanked by bedrooms, thin walls permitting no privacy.
– Amenities: A small kitchen completing the “quaint” illusion.

Yet no amount of pastoral aesthetics could mask the truth, this was a gilded cage for the broken former mistress of the house.

As they entered, a nurse claimed Madam Chu was asleep. Chu Zhao brushed past the lie.

Zhou Lan waited in the common area, granting mother-daughter privacy—until a melodic voice startled her:

“Daughter-in-law is here?”

After a short while, a pleasantly surprised voice roused Zhou Lan from her light doze. She opened her eyes to see a beautiful middle-aged woman with excellent posture looking at her with delight.

Chu Zhao followed behind with a resigned expression.

The three small rooms were connected – the central sitting area flanked by bedrooms with virtually no soundproofing. While resting her eyes earlier, Zhou Lan had heard the caretaker forcibly make Madam Chu sleep.

In the past when Madam Chu refused, the caretaker would pinch and hit her. Only recently had the treatment improved slightly because the Chu’s needed Chu Zhao to cooperate with the Zhou family’s demands.

Seeing the childlike excitement on Madam Chu’s face as she approached, Zhou Lan hesitated before saying, “Mother.”

Madam Chu immediately brightened and hurried back to her room, soon returning with a silver bracelet. With shy, careful steps, she approached Zhou Lan again.

“Mother,” Chu Zhao called, not wanting her mother to get too close to Zhou Lan.

Zhou Lan was also at a loss, unsure whether to retreat. Before she could decide, Madam Chu had already taken her wrist and slipped the bracelet onto it.

Zhou Lan froze for a moment before understanding.

This was like the traditional “meeting gift” parents give when meeting their child’s partner for the first time, a symbolic welcoming into the family.

Her throat tightened. How did Madam Chu, confined to this estate for years and long stripped of her assets, manage to keep this bracelet? All her valuable jewelry had surely been stolen by the rotating staff over the years.

This simple silver bracelet might be one of her last remaining possessions.

“Thank you, Mother,” Zhou Lan said softly, her voice catching slightly.

Chu Zhao watched Zhou Lan’s reaction with surprise, having expected disdain for such a modest gift.

This silver bracelet held deep meaning, it was the first thing Madam Chu had bought with her own salary after becoming financially independent, representing her hard-won freedom from her birth family’s favoritism toward sons over daughters. That she would give this precious item to Zhou Lan…

Zhou Lan, who could afford countless such bracelets given her wealthy background, wore it without hesitation or condescension.

This contradiction made Chu Zhao truly begin to wonder, what kind of person really is Zhou Lan?

Hearing this thought, Zhou Lan’s mood lifted slightly. If Chu Zhao was willing to reconsider her character, perhaps things were moving in a positive direction.

Madam Chu kept repeating “daughter-in-law” happily, clearly pleased but unable to express it more articulately in her mental state.

The pure joy on her face made Chu Zhao’s heart ache. It had been so long since she’d seen her mother this happy.

Yet the thought that Zhou Lan was the source of this happiness created complicated feelings. While her impression of Zhou Lan had changed significantly these past few days, some things could never be forgiven or forgotten.

For now, she would set aside those grievances to allow her mother this moment of happiness. But forgiveness? It will never be an option.

Zhou Lan heard this internal resolution and paused while touching the bracelet. Of course, without knowing the truth about her identity—how could Chu Zhao possibly forgive what had happened? That was only natural.

Their visit was cut short when Chu Meng summoned them. Zhou Lan insisted Madam Chu accompany them, her stern look preventing any objections from the staff.

Madam Chu rarely left her courtyard these days, clearly fearful of the main house—but now is torn between fear and not wanting to be separated from her daughter and daughter-in-law.

As they approached the mansion, she clutched Chu Zhao’s hand tightly, trembling visibly.

Seeing this, Zhou Lan took Madam Chu’s other hand and said gently, “Don’t be afraid, Mother. I’m here.”

That simple reassurance sent an inexplicable tremor through Chu Zhao’s heart, so fleeting she almost thought she’d imagined it.