I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Little Shanghai

Having come back from a future life, how could Zhao Wendong not know? He nodded silently.

These were things a mere farmer like him could neither control nor change. His goal was to feed his family so they wouldn’t starve to death again.

The grain they’d just traded for would be enough to feed their family of eight for four or five days, provided they ate their fill. After that, he would still need to find more food. People decades in the future had countless worries, but a person with an empty stomach really only has one.

The thought of finding food reminded Zhao Wendong of something. He looked at Little Shanghai expectantly.

"Brother, can you get your hands on some diesel fuel?"

"Diesel?"

Little Shanghai’s hand paused, and he looked at Zhao Wendong in surprise.

"What do you need that stuff for?"

Diesel was still a regulated good, not easy to obtain. And besides, what use would a farmer have for something like that?

The small amount needed for a diesel lamp hardly warranted such a serious question from Zhao Wendong.

Zhao Wendong clinked his bowl against Little Shanghai’s. After they each took a sip of the strong liquor, he explained his purpose.

"Brother, I’m not good at much, but I can handle myself in the mountains and at sea. It’s about the only skill I have. Our production team is on the coast, you see, and we have a motorized fishing boat, but it has no fuel. I was thinking I could get some fuel and head out to sea to catch more food."

"Are you sure? I know there isn’t much to catch in the sea during winter. Diesel is precious, you know. If you go out and come back empty-handed, you’ll lose a fortune!"

Little Shanghai sat up straight. If a motorized fishing boat was going out to sea, he was definitely interested.

Wooden sailboats couldn’t stray far from the coast. In the winter, schools of fish either migrated to the deep sea or hid motionless on the seabed. You couldn’t catch anything unless you ventured farther out. But to do that, you needed a boat with a diesel engine. Without one, it would be easy to go out and never come back.

Lately, there were frequent stories of starving villagers taking wooden boats out to sea, only to return with nothing—or die on the waves.

"It’ll work! It’ll definitely work!"

"How much do you need?"

"At least a full barrel!"

Zhao Wendong’s confidence was infectious. Little Shanghai mulled it over for a moment before slapping his chest.

"Damn! Your business is my business! You came to the right guy. If you’re asking who in the whole Commune has the most diesel, it’s gotta be our agricultural technology station! We have some right now. I’ll start putting it aside for you. Once I’ve saved up a full barrel, you can come pick it up. If you really manage to bring something back, I’ll keep collecting more for you!"

Zhao Wendong was overjoyed. He remembered the intel from Silver Gull and pressed him.

"Great! But be quick about it. The sooner, the better!"

"Damn, you’re a demanding one. Alright, how about this: come see me in a week. I’ll definitely have the fuel ready for you!"

"Holy shit, Master Hu, you’re the man! When the time comes, half the haul is yours!"

The two of them raised their bowls and drained the liquor. They were both smart men; one provided the fuel, the other the skill. It was essentially a business partnership. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out; the understanding was mutual.

The liquor flowed freely, as it does between new friends. Before they knew it, they had almost polished off the bottle.

Zhao Wendong was mostly unaffected, but Little Shanghai’s head was already drooping, about to hit the floor.

He smiled and shook his head. ’That kind of tolerance wouldn’t last a day in the Northeast. Good thing liquor is rare these days.’

Zhao Wendong woke Zhao Wenwu with a pat and had his second brother carry Little Shanghai to the bed. Noticing there was still a mouthful or so of liquor left in the bottle, Zhao Wendong shook it, tightened the cap, and tucked it inside his coat.

"Come on, Wendong, drink! My good brother, you have to come see me often!"

Little Shanghai was fast asleep, yet he was still talking to Zhao Wendong in his dreams. It was a small wonder he could even remember Zhao Wendong’s name while dreaming.

Zhao Wenwu pointed a finger at the drunk Little Shanghai.

"Third, he’s a good kid!"

His second brother was the soul of kindness and purity; if he liked someone, their character was surely sound. Zhao Wendong smiled and nodded, pulling the blanket over Little Shanghai.

Little Shanghai turned over and mumbled softly.

"Dad... Mom... I miss you!"

Zhao Wendong’s hand paused. He sighed. Even Zhao Wenwu understood what Little Shanghai was saying in his sleep.

"Third, what’s he saying? Is he homesick?"

"Yeah."

Zhao Wendong nodded. He understood Little Shanghai’s feelings, his pain. In his previous life, he too had been all alone in the world, without any family. Hadn’t he felt the exact same way?

’But right now, I can’t help anyone else. I have to focus on survival, for myself and my family. Little Shanghai is providing the fuel; if I make a good haul, I’ll make sure he gets his fair share. Once we both have some money, he’ll be able to go home for a visit sooner.’

After clearing the table and putting the leftovers in a pot, the two brothers finally left the agricultural technology station.

As they passed Big Sister Hua’s doorway, they happened to see her about to go out, wearing a thick green headscarf. Her limpid eyes swept past Zhao Wendong without a second glance, fixing instead on the burly frame of Zhao Wenwu.

"Oh my, look at this young bull. He must be real strong when it’s time to plow the fields!"

Her voice was a little husky, holding a devilish charm. Zhao Wenwu didn’t understand her words, but her constant stare made him deeply uncomfortable. He grew flustered, his face turning beet red.

"Hee hee, he’s still green!"

Seeing Zhao Wenwu’s face turn the color of an eggplant, Big Sister Hua giggled, pursed her lips, and sashayed away.

Zhao Wendong watched with admiration. The woman was truly bold, not the least bit prudish.

"Whew... Third, that woman is terrifying! Did she want to eat me alive?!"

Zhao Wenwu had been holding his breath. Only when Big Sister Hua was a good distance away did he let out a long sigh, patting his chest with lingering fear.

Zhao Wendong howled with laughter at his brother’s reaction, laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. Thankfully, his second brother was busy pulling the sled and didn’t have his hands shoved down his pants like he usually did. Otherwise, Zhao Wendong feared Big Sister Hua might have just reached out and copped a feel.

’Big Sister Hua hadn’t given me a second look, which, to be honest, stings my pride a little. But I know I can’t be everyone’s cup of tea; not every woman is going to fall for me.’

’As long as Lin Zhiyin likes me, that’s all that matters. I didn’t get married in my past life. Now that I’m reborn, I’m determined to marry Lin Zhiyin and no one else.’

Although he was anxious to see Lin Zhiyin again, Zhao Wendong didn’t take Zhao Wenwu straight home. They still had a lot to do.

First, they went to the militia brigade to find the old gunsmith. But when they heard it would cost ten yuan for repairs and fifty for a new gun, they turned right around and left. They needed that money for Zhao Dashan’s medical expenses.

They went to the health clinic next. The doctor only agreed to make a house call to see Zhao Dashan the next day after they paid five yuan up front. Half their money was gone just like that, before his hand could even warm it.

Zhao Wendong pestered the doctor, trying to get his own hand treated for free, and was nearly thrown out for his trouble. In the end, it cost him thirty cents to get the wound medicated and the gauze replaced.

"A rip-off! A total rip-off!"

Zhao Wenwu clenched his teeth as they left the health clinic, the cost stinging him badly.

He could do the math for any amount under a yuan, and he knew his mother, Chen Yanmei, had never managed to save up a full yuan. Thirty cents for a bit of medicine and a bandage, and five yuan for his father’s broken leg—with the doctor saying that might not even be enough! The injustice of it all made him sick with anger and regret.

Zhao Wendong smiled placidly. ’A rip-off? That’s because Second Brother has never seen a hospital from my time. In my past life, besides missing my family, the biggest lesson I learned was this: whatever you do, don’t get sick, and whatever you lack, don’t lack money. I was both sick and broke, and it was fucking miserable.’

When they reached the grain station, many people were squatting outside in the wind and snow, all staring eagerly inside. Seeing this, Zhao Wendong became cautious. He had Zhao Wenwu wait at a distance and keep an eye on the sled and the sack.

He went into the grain station alone. The room was also packed with people, all pestering the grain station staff.

"Just sell me some grain!"

"My family’s about to run out of food!"

"Can’t we even pay a high price?"

The staff member looked impatient.

"What’s all the shouting? I already told you, you need coupons to buy. Without a coupon, even my own father couldn’t buy a single grain of rice."

Zhao Wendong squeezed to the front, holding up his coupon for two pounds of grain.

"Buying rice!"

The worker was stunned for a moment. He took the coupon and examined it carefully for a long time before saying reluctantly,

"We only have sorghum. Want it or not?"

"I’ll take it!"

Zhao Wendong nodded immediately. ’From the looks of things, even the sorghum supply might be cut off soon.’

"Ten cents, exactly."

Zhao Wendong took out the handkerchief his mom had given him and pulled a bill from the small notes inside.

As soon as he walked out of the grain station carrying the sorghum, the people squatting in the yard immediately swarmed him.

"Young brother, how many pounds of sorghum you got there? I’ll buy it for fifty cents a pound."

"I’ll pay fifty-five cents!"

"I’ll pay sixty!"

Everyone was chattering and raising the price, but Zhao Wendong waved them all away.

"Not for sale, not for sale! Really sorry, excuse me, excuse me. My family’s out of food, we’re waiting on this grain to survive!"

The common folk were not fools. On the contrary, many possessed a practical wisdom for survival passed down through generations. Like a duck that first senses the spring thaw, they had already keenly felt the coming of a disaster year and were beginning to make preparations. It was a survival instinct honed over a millennium.

Zhao Wendong’s heart felt heavy. ’This is just the beginning of the famine. Who knows what things will be like by the time it’s over.’

Leading Zhao Wenwu, the two walked to the center of the Commune. Here stood a row of more than ten brick-and-tile houses with clean, transparent glass in their windows. Compared to the low-slung mud houses around them, they stood out like a crane among chickens, looking magnificent.

"Wow!"

Zhao Wenwu couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

"Third, will we ever be able to live in such a grand, bright house in our lifetime?"

"Don’t worry, we definitely will!"

Zhao Wendong patted his second brother’s back and led the way inside. A stove was burning inside the supply and marketing cooperative. Black stovepipes crisscrossed the ceiling. The rows of clean, bright glass counters and the dazzling array of goods on the shelves behind them left Zhao Wenwu dumbstruck.

"Are you buying anything? If not, hurry up and get out!"

A woman near the door, who was sewing a shoe sole, shouted with a displeased look. When the two of them had opened the door to come in, a cold draft had blown on her.

Zhao Wenwu, a little worried, stepped behind Zhao Wendong. Zhao Wendong’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman, ready to let her have it.

"Dongzi?"

Suddenly, a somewhat surprised voice came from behind a counter inside.