I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Great Wild Boar

’This human is not to be trifled with. Never mind.’

After a moment, the Northeast Leopard was the first to look away, turning and leaving without hesitation.

Once he was sure the leopard was gone, Zhao Wendong let out a long sigh of relief. He was covered in a cold sweat, and when the wind blew, he couldn’t help but shiver.

’No wonder Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law never came back from the mountains in my past life. We’ve barely entered the deep forest, and we’ve already run into a wild boar, a leopard, and a tiger. Who could possibly survive this? If a few black bears showed up in the summer, things would get even crazier. Humans coming into these mountains aren’t so much hunters as they are offerings.’

By the time they returned to their base camp, Zhao Wenwu was so exhausted he plopped right down on the ground. It was a good thing it was him; Zhao Wendong would never have been able to haul this massive wild boar back on his own.

After all that effort, the sun was nearly setting. Zhao Wendong decided they would rest at the base camp for the night and head back to the village first thing in the morning.

"Wendong! This boar is massive! HAHAHA! This will be enough to feed our family for days."

"This is all thanks to Xiaobai. Xiaobai, you’re incredible!"

Zhao Wenwu gazed excitedly at the huge boar by the cave entrance, then turned, scooped up the little White Fox, and gave it a big kiss. Since it was leashed, the White Fox couldn’t get away and could only let out a helpless wail.

’Damn you, stupid human! Let go of this young master!’

Zhao Wendong was thrilled as well. The boar had to be at least three hundred pounds, maybe even closer to four hundred. He just couldn’t wrap his head around how a boar could run into a tree so hard that it just... died!

He took out his knife and began butchering the carcass. Zhao Wenwu pulled out his own bayonet to help.

The bristles and hide were valuable, so they skinned it first and set them aside. They cut off the head and put it to one side. One of the boar’s two large tusks was broken; Zhao Wendong had also grabbed the piece that had snapped off on the tree. It should be worth a bit of money.

The wild boar’s stomach could be used in medicine and would certainly fetch a good price, so that was also set aside. The few small basins they had were nowhere near big enough to hold all the meat, so they just laid it on the frozen ground. A little over two hours later, the massive boar had been reduced to a pile of cuts.

’What a haul. A massive haul. All thanks to that scheming little fox.’

Thinking of the little fox, Zhao Wendong realized he’d been so preoccupied with the boar that he’d forgotten all about it. He looked up and saw the little fox lying obediently on the ground, its head tucked into its fur. He couldn’t tell if it was asleep or just terrified by the sight of them butchering the boar.

Zhao Wendong walked over, removed the collar from the fox’s neck, and gave it a pat.

"Go on, now. Thanks for the help!"

To his surprise, the little fox actually rolled its eyes at him before zipping into the cave with a WHOOSH.

A moment later, Zhao Wenwu, who was moving meat into the cave, let out a delighted cry from inside.

"Xiaobai!"

’Looks like it’s chalking up another favor,’ Zhao Wendong thought, shaking his head and getting back to work.

The two brothers worked until it was dark. They covered the bloody ground outside with dirt to avoid attracting unwanted predators after they left, then sealed the entrance with the stone slab and went back inside.

Inside the cave, they lit the stove, and the temperature rose quickly. The brothers took off their coats and collapsed comfortably onto the straw.

"Wendong, if only we had some blankets!"

Zhao Wenwu grumbled, a little dissatisfied.

"Hahaha, once we sell this pork at the Commune, we’ll buy new quilts. Then we can bring the old ones from home here."

"Really?"

Zhao Wenwu was instantly thrilled.

"Really!"

’Zhao Wendong wasn’t just humoring his older brother. He really did want to replace their quilts. The ones at home were so worn out they did little more than block the draft, offering almost no warmth. They were also short and narrow; if you moved at all in your sleep, either your feet or your arms would be exposed. It was incredibly uncomfortable.’

’They’d had a good haul this time, which would solve their food problems for a while. Getting new quilts so the whole family could have a warm winter... the very thought of it filled him with joy.’

That night, they stewed some of the wild boar meat. The only problem was the lack of seasoning. With nothing but salt and soy sauce to add, the taste wasn’t particularly amazing.

Still, the two brothers ate with gusto, and even the little fox ate until its snout was slick with grease. In a famine year, being able to eat your fill of meat was already an incredible luxury. You couldn’t ask for more.

The next morning, Zhao Wenwu, who was eager to get home and show off their haul, woke up even earlier than Zhao Wendong. The brothers heated up some flatbread and pork, ate their fill, and immediately started packing.

"Wendong, why don’t we just take it all? We can move it back slowly."

Zhao Wenwu looked at the large pile of supplies left in the cave, his heart itching with the desire to take it all back and show it off.

"We can’t, Wenwu. We really can’t carry it all. Let’s just leave it here for now. Next time we come up the mountain, we’ll ask Eldest Brother to come and help us."

"Alright then!"

Zhao Wenwu nodded in reluctant agreement, and the brothers started packing things into the burlap sacks.

They only had two burlap sacks. They filled half a sack with mushrooms, then added pork, the pigskin, the pig’s stomach, and other parts. They also took some of the canned beef.

When both sacks were full, there was still a large pile of wild boar meat on the ground. Zhao Wenwu looked worriedly at Xiaobai, who was off to the side.

"Wendong, once we’re gone, it’s not going to steal our pork, is it?"

"What do you want to do then? Kill it?"

Zhao Wendong was just teasing him, but to his surprise, Zhao Wenwu’s expression twisted. Gritting his teeth, he actually drew his bayonet.

"YIP YIP YIP!"

The little White Fox shrieked and scrambled into a corner of the cave.

"Hahaha, no, no! Wenwu, I was just kidding!"

"Just let it eat. It’s just one fox, how many pieces can it possibly eat? Besides, without it, we never would have gotten this boar in the first place!"

Zhao Wendong quickly stopped his brother. Hearing this, Zhao Wenwu breathed a sigh of relief and reattached the bayonet to his rifle.

"I’m sorry, Xiaobai," Zhao Wenwu said. "I don’t want to kill you, but if you eat this meat, then Mom and Dad, Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law, Little Tuanzi, Shitou, and Yadan won’t have anything to eat!"

Zhao Wenwu’s words silenced Zhao Wendong. He didn’t know what to say.

’His family was still getting by on scraps every day, struggling through the famine. For the sake of one extra mouthful of food for them, his brother was willing to kill a little fox he was fond of. The reality of life was just that cruel.’

Zhao Wendong went over and unfastened the little fox’s collar. It bolted and was gone in a flash.

Zhao Wenwu looked at Zhao Wendong, a little dejected.

"Wendong, do you think Xiaobai will ignore me from now on?"

Zhao Wendong smiled and patted his brother’s shoulder. "Nah, it was just in a hurry to take a dump!"

Zhao Wenwu immediately brightened up.

"Oh, good. When I have to go, I run even faster than that!"

Then, seeing the two full burlap sacks on the ground—such a bountiful harvest—Zhao Wenwu grew excited again.

"Hehe, Wendong, let’s hurry home! With all this food, everyone is going to be ecstatic!"

"Yeah!"

Outside the base camp, snowflakes were drifting down. The heavy snow had been falling for a day and a night with no sign of stopping.

Zhao Wenwu blocked the cave entrance with the stone slab, deliberately leaving a small gap at the bottom for Xiaobai. Braving the wind and snow, the two brothers set off on the road home.

The snowflakes fell like downy fluff, blanketing the world in white. The snow on the path in front of their home was already ankle-deep.

Zhao Wenjun, wrapped in a cotton coat covered in layer upon layer of patches, clutched a worn-out broom. He would sweep the snow a few times, then peer in the direction his brothers would be coming from. The weather was so cold that he had to constantly stomp his feet to stay warm.

"Wenjun, why don’t you go inside and wait? What if you get sick from the cold before they even get back?"

Song Xiaoyu came out of the house and walked to his side. "Wendong is smart. I’m sure they’re fine," she coaxed.

Zhao Wenjun shook his head. The white puff of his breath mingled with the snowflakes and dissipated. With his eyebrows and mustache caked in frost, he looked like an eighty-year-old man.

"It’s fine, I’m not cold. Dad said Wendong wouldn’t be back last night, which means he’ll definitely be back today. It should be soon."