I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Selling the Wolf Pelt

"See if you can get the gun fixed. The stock is cracked."

Zhao Wendong handed the gun to Zhao Dashan. Zhao Dashan took it and inspected it carefully, grimacing in distress.

"Tsk, it must have broken when it fell into the ditch yesterday. Damn it, this repair won’t be cheap."

"It’s fine. I’ll go take a look. If we can afford to fix it, we will. If not, we’ll figure something else out."

Zhao Wendong slung the gun on his back under his clothes and pulled his cotton-padded jacket on over it. Once Zhao Wenwu was also dressed, the two brothers stepped out of the house.

Their worn, patched-up jackets didn’t offer much protection from the wind, so they both put on an extra layer. Since Zhao Dashan couldn’t leave the house now, his clothes were fair game for his two brothers.

Just as they left the house, they ran into Aunt Wang, who was happily carrying a piece of wolf meat home. When she saw the two of them, the smile on her face grew even wider.

"Wendong! Do you have enough millet to eat? You’ve really made something of yourself, taking down a wolf just like that. Thanks to you, our family gets to have a taste of meat, too!"

"Hehe, I’m pretty amazing, right? Aunt Wang, in that case, how about your Sister Xiaoyuan considers me?"

Zhao Wendong said with a lecherous grin.

The moment Aunt Wang heard Zhao Wendong had his eyes on her daughter, her face turned pale with fright. Forgetting all pleasantries, she scurried away as fast as her legs could carry her. She was like most of the other villagers—while they might believe a prodigal son could return, they were more convinced that a leopard can’t change its spots.

Walking on the road to the Commune, Zhao Wendong suddenly realized something.

What did Aunt Wang mean by asking if he had enough millet?

Recalling yesterday’s events, he figured there must have been a problem with that bag of millet. ’Did Eldest Brother borrow it from Aunt Wang?’

No, that couldn’t be right. In times like these, grain was life; no one would lend it out. Zhao Wendong made a mental note of the matter, planning to investigate it thoroughly when he got back.

They hadn’t gone far from the village when a sturdy Silver Gull with long, broad wings swooped by the coast. From a distance, Zhao Wendong heard its inner voice.

’Aww~ Aww~ It’s so freezing cold, this bird can barely fly! Aww~ Thank goodness the school of fathead carp is coming! This gull can finally feast on all those plump little fish.’

Zhao Wendong stopped dead in his tracks and took off running after the Silver Gull.

"You damn bird, come back! Say a couple more things, goddammit! FUCK! Don’t go! At least tell me when they’re coming!"

"Third Brother, what’s wrong with you? Who are you talking to?"

Zhao Wenwu, his hands stuffed in his crotch, was thoroughly confused. Seeing the Silver Gull fly far away, Zhao Wendong stopped and looked at Zhao Wenwu.

"Second Brother, you want to eat some fathead carp?"

"Fathead carp? Yes, I want some! Stewed with some soybean paste like last year, and sprinkled with some chili and spices. Oh my god, that’d be so damn fragrant!"

"Third Brother, you’re drooling. Let me wipe it for you."

As he spoke, he pulled his hand out of his crotch. Zhao Wendong scrambled away in fright and wiped the drool himself. It was all his second brother’s fault for painting such a vivid picture; it had really stirred up his cravings.

’Let’s do it! Since I know a school of fathead carp is coming to the nearby waters, I have to seize this opportunity to make a big score. In winter, most fish move to the deep sea. The chance to see them near the shore is just too rare!’

’Why do the most people starve to death in winter? Isn’t it precisely because it gets cold and there are too few living things in the mountains and waters? Now that I’ve gotten such a huge piece of intelligence, it would be a disservice to the Silver Gull’s thoughts if I don’t use it.’

The road from Dragon King Pond to the Commune was over ten li long. In the summer, it was an easy walk on dry days, but in winter, the road was extremely slippery. You couldn’t walk too fast, or you’d land right on your ass hard enough to split it in three. By the time they saw the first signs of Qianjin Commune, Zhao Wendong and his second brother had been walking for a full two hours.

Qianjin Commune was a large village. Unlike Dragon King Pond, you could still see a few people milling about on the streets during the winter hibernation season.

Everyone was dressed more or less the same in blacks and grays, their clothes covered in patches of various sizes. Their postures were similar, too: arms crossed, with hands tucked into the opposite sleeves and held in front of their chests.

He had been to the Commune many times in his later life. Relying on his faint memories and after asking for directions, the two of them quickly found the purchasing station.

It was a brick-and-tile house with a courtyard, even more impressive than the Commune’s main office and second only to the supply and marketing cooperative. The purchasing station still bought everything at this time; in a couple of years, it would be slowly divided into separate departments, like a materials station, a scrap recycling point, and so on.

A sign reading "Purchasing Station" hung by the entrance, where a large black watchdog was tied up. The big black dog, Dahei, was currently lying there yawning, looking listless.

’So hungry. Master is giving me less and less food. Last night, he still had the energy to run next door and fight with that woman. She cried even more miserably this time. It made this dog lose sleep. How outrageous!’

Hm?

The sudden thought from the big black dog made Zhao Wendong pause, a colorful expression appearing on his face.

’How exciting! This is the kind of gossip he liked. Quick, Gouzi, tell me more.’

The room inside the purchasing station was filled with a musty, earthy smell. A middle-aged man wearing sleeve protectors and an apron was dozing by a stove behind the counter. The man was balding slightly, which was uncommon for the era.

Hearing someone enter, the man glanced up at Zhao Wendong and his brother before closing his eyes again.

He asked nonchalantly, "What are you here for?"

"To sell a wolf pelt!"

"Oh?"

The man looked up, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

A wolf pelt was a valuable item. In the Northeast, a wolf-pelt vest was a status symbol in winter.

"What’s the quality like? Let me see it!"

Zhao Wendong took the wolf pelt off Zhao Wenwu and handed it over.

The man took the pelt and carefully examined its color, elasticity, and integrity. After a long moment, he reluctantly put it down.

"Hmm, the pelt is not bad, but the fur is a bit thin for winter. It’ll sell for this much."

The man held up five fingers.

Zhao Wendong knew in his heart that the man saw his young, unfamiliar face and was deliberately trying to take advantage of him.

"Five yuan? That’s a little too low, isn’t it?"

Zhao Wendong frowned.

"What do you mean? You doubt the eye of this Old Zheng? Go ask around. These eyes of mine are a ruler; they’ve never been wrong!"

"This pelt has been well-tanned. It’s top-notch for making a mattress pad, a hat, or a vest. It’s not easy to go into the mountains in winter, either. Five yuan is really too little."

"Fine, fine, fine. Six yuan, and not a penny more. Your wolf was a bit on the light side, and we haven’t collected many pelts this year..."

The man put on a take-it-or-leave-it expression and sat back down in his chair.

Zhao Wendong knew the man was lowballing him, but there was nothing he could do. This wasn’t the future. Although the market had been opened, it was only held once a month, and you could only trade non-centrally-planned goods like poultry you raised yourself.

An item like a wolf pelt had to go through the purchasing station; private sales were not allowed.

Seeing the man’s expression that screamed, ’I’ve got you right where I want you,’ Zhao Wendong tapped on the counter, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

Zhao Wenwu’s spirits lifted. He knew that smile all too well. Every time his third brother smiled like that, he was about to cause some trouble.

"Hehe, Comrade, why so sleepy this early in the morning?"

"It’s none of your damn business if I’m sleepy! Are you a leader or something, telling me what to do? Six yuan was too much. Five yuan, take it or leave it. If you’re not selling, then get lost!"

Zhao Wenwu got angry and was about to charge forward, but Zhao Wendong held him back, still wearing that same wicked smile.

"So sleepy... maybe you didn’t get a good night’s rest? Aren’t your eyes a ruler? They’re not just good at judging goods, are they? They must be pretty good at judging women, too, right?"

The man froze, his face quickly showing a mix of nervousness and anger.

"What are you talking about, Comrade? What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing. It’s just that I’m a fan of storytelling. I was thinking of composing a ballad about a certain comrade who dozes off at work during the day and sneaks into his neighbor’s house at night to ’diligently practice his ruler-like eyes.’ I could perform a couple of verses at the monthly Commune market!"

The man’s expression changed dramatically, his face flushing red and then turning pale, like he was constipated. His hands on the counter clenched, relaxed, and clenched again. After a long moment, the gloom on his face suddenly vanished, replaced by an affable, kindly smile.

"Aiya, little brother, you’re quite the kidder! Come, come! Sit down and have some hot water!"

He enthusiastically poured water for Zhao Wendong and his brother and even brought out a plate of roasted melon seeds.

"Here, I don’t have much else to offer in the middle of winter. Have some melon seeds."

Zhao Wendong really wanted to tell the man to go back to how he was before; he preferred his previous defiant and unruly demeanor.

Seeing the melon seeds, Zhao Wenwu’s eyes lit up, and he turned to look at Zhao Wendong.

’Might as well,’ Zhao Wendong thought, and nodded. Zhao Wenwu grinned, excitedly reached out, grabbed a handful of seeds, and started cracking them open. CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

Roasted melon seeds, roasted corn kernels, and roasted soybeans were the most common snacks in the Northeast during this era.

In previous years, every family would roast some, but this year, there wasn’t enough grain to go around. Zhao Wenwu hadn’t eaten roasted melon seeds in over a year. As he ate, he also started stuffing them into his pocket.

"Hehe, Third Brother, these melon seeds are so good! Quick, have a few. I’ll take the rest home. Don’t leave a single one behind!"

The corner of the man’s eye twitched involuntarily. ’Where did these two clowns come from?’

’The big, burly one is just bagging up the melon seeds I offered them. Don’t you have any manners? Did you ask for my permission? And if I’m not mistaken, didn’t that kid just pull his hand out of his fucking crotch?’

’And then there’s the younger one. He speaks and acts like a seasoned veteran. He exposed my secret flawlessly and has me backed into a corner.’

’One is a simple-minded brute, and the other is sharper than a monkey. They look alike, so they’re clearly brothers. What kind of parents could produce such a peerless pair?’

"Little brother, what’s your name? Which village are you from?"

the man asked casually.