I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Cheers and Laughter

Inside the room, Chen Yanmei sat on the edge of the kang, stitching a shoe sole. She pricked her hand several times, her gaze constantly drifting toward the door.

Zhao Dashan lay on his side on the kang, his pipe sizzling as he puffed on it, muttering and cursing under his breath.

"No need to panic. That rascal claimed to be a great hunter, bragging about how much experience he has. He knows there’s no prey when it snows this hard, so he’s bound to come back early!"

Ash kept falling onto the kang mat, but he didn’t seem to notice at all.

Little Tuanzi was perched on the windowsill, her small face pressed against the cold, damp paper covering the window as she peered outside. She couldn’t really see anything clearly, just blurry shapes, but she chanted in her sweet, childish voice.

"Third Brother, Little Tuanzi misses you. Please come back soon."

Shitou gently patted his younger sister, trying to lull her to sleep, while also looking up anxiously toward the window from time to time.

Suddenly, Zhao Wenwu’s booming voice echoed from outside.

"Big Brother, what are you doing out here in the cold? Getting a tan with that broom?"

"Haha, get outta here! Second Brother, Third Brother, you’re finally back! Quick, get inside!"

Zhao Wenjun’s excited voice rang out in turn.

A flurry of footsteps sounded from outside, and the room instantly erupted into chaos.

"They’re back!"

Chen Yanmei shot to her feet, tossing the shoe sole onto the kang, and rushed to the outer room in a few quick strides.

Zhao Dashan noticed the ash on the kang and hurriedly swept it onto the floor. Little Tuanzi scrambled off the kang, frantically searching for her shoes. Shitou, not controlling his strength, slapped Yadan awake with one pat, making her burst into loud wails.

Song Xiaoyu, who had been waiting in the outer room, had already pulled the door open. A frigid wind carrying snowflakes rushed in. Zhao Wendong and Zhao Wenwu stood there, bulging burlap sacks on their backs, various items hanging from their waists, and a rifle slung over each of their shoulders. Their hair and eyebrows were caked with snow, making them look like two snowmen.

"My son!"

Chen Yanmei grabbed Zhao Wendong’s hand, her eyes instantly turning red. "Why did it take you so long to come back! You scared me to death!"

Song Xiaoyu helped brush the snow off them, fussing over them as she spoke.

"You must be frozen solid! Quick, come inside and get on the kang. We’ve kept it nice and hot, just waiting for you!"

"Third Brother, Third Brother!"

Little Tuanzi ran out without her shoes on, about to leap onto Zhao Wendong, which made him shout in alarm.

"Go back to the kang and wait for Third Brother! I’m too cold right now, I can’t hold you!"

"Okay, Third Brother! Little Tuanzi will be good and listen to you."

Seeing her Third Brother safe put Little Tuanzi at ease, and she obediently went back inside.

The two brothers placed their things in an empty space in the middle of the outer room. Zhao Wenwu couldn’t wait and started yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Mom, Dad, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, come look! Look at the meat we brought back! Wild boar meat!"

Hearing this, Chen Yanmei, Zhao Wenjun, and Song Xiaoyu all froze, staring dumbfounded at the two full burlap sacks on the ground.

Zhao Wenjun’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but no words came out. Song Xiaoyu stepped forward and opened one of the sacks, then gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh my god, it’s really meat! So much meat."

Little Tuanzi and Shitou squeezed into the doorway of the inner room, poking their heads out and cheering.

"Third Brother is so amazing! Little Tuanzi gets to eat meat again!"

"Pork! It’s wild boar meat!"

On the kang, Zhao Dashan heard everything clearly. He wished he could jump down and see for himself, but considering his broken leg and the dignity of his position as head of the household, he could only press his lips together tightly and knead his pipe over and over in his hands.

"My son, you actually... you actually hunted a wild boar?"

As Chen Yanmei spoke, she couldn’t help but start sobbing. Before, she had only hoped for her two sons to return safely. She never imagined that not only would they come back, but they would bring such a bounty with them.

Zhao Wendong wiped away his mother’s tears, a smug look on his face as he said triumphantly, "Haha, and it’s not just pork. Look, what’s this!"

"Wow, mushrooms!"

"Huh? What’s this?"

"Canned food! This is canned food!"

The cries of amazement continued from the outer room until Zhao Dashan couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed his hand on the kang mat and roared.

"Can you all come in here and talk?! I’m still on the kang!"

Zhao Wendong entered the room with a smile and placed his hands on the head of the kang. The searing heat of the mat instantly chased away the biting cold from his long walk home. The others began to haul the things into the room, laying them out like an exhibition.

When the hazel mushrooms, pork, pork skin, pork belly, and cans of beef with Japanese writing on them were laid out one by one on the table, the entire family’s eyes went wide.

They couldn’t even have imagined it. How could they have gotten such a haul in just three days?

"What’s the deal with these cans?"

Zhao Dashan voiced the question on his mind.

Zhao Wenwu jumped in to answer, "Xiaobai led us to them! Xiaobai is so much fun! It can find treasure, and it can track wild boars. It was getting along great with me, but then it seemed to get mad at me..."

As he spoke, Zhao Wenwu’s head drooped, his mood sinking. Zhao Wendong glanced at him, then looked out the window, laughing to himself. ’Second Brother, you’re getting sad a little too early. That cunning little creature followed us the whole way. It’s probably scouring the yard for a chicken to get revenge on me right now.’

The family listened, completely bewildered. Zhao Dashan rubbed his head, which was starting to ache.

"My son, you tell us. What happened!"

Chen Yanmei quickly urged Zhao Wendong to explain. He smiled and glanced at Little Tuanzi and Shitou, but ultimately decided not to reveal everything.

"I’ll tell you the details tonight."

The family members exchanged glances. Thinking of the rifles on the brothers’ backs, they knew there had to be more to the story and tacitly agreed not to press the issue.

That afternoon, another sumptuous meal was prepared. The house was filled with a rich aroma as the wild boar and mushrooms stewed in the large iron pot, the broth bubbling. The scent of meat and fungi drifted far and wide.

Cornbread served with steaming hot canned beef whetted everyone’s appetite.

"Time to eat!"

Song Xiaoyu came in carrying a large basin of stew. The moment she placed it on the kang table, Shitou and Little Tuanzi crowded around, their eyes glued to the chunks of meat at the bottom of the basin.

"Haha, dig in! Eat as much as you want!"

Seeing the two little ones, Zhao Wendong felt a surge of magnanimity, waving his hand like a member of the nouveau riche.

This time, Chen Yanmei didn’t scold him for being wasteful. She just kept smiling, her face filled with contentment.

Zhao Wenwu couldn’t hold back any longer. He grabbed a piece of cornbread, picked up a large chunk of wild boar, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing heartily. "Delicious! So delicious!" he mumbled.

Zhao Wendong took a bite. The firm texture of the wild boar, paired with the tender freshness of the hazel mushrooms and the rich flavor of the canned beef, was so savory that he squinted his eyes and couldn’t help but exclaim.

"Damn, now this is what I call living!"

Chen Yanmei fed Little Tuanzi a small piece of the canned meat. The little girl chewed with her cheeks puffed out, shouting indistinctly, "Third Bwother, so yummy! Third Bwother is the best!"

Zhao Wenjun and his wife were also hunched over, wolfing down their food. Shitou’s eyes were shining, his little mouth greasy from eating.

Watching his family feast, a smile played on Zhao Wendong’s lips. The images of his family’s tragic deaths in his past life were still fresh in his mind. To be able to sit together now, eating a fragrant meal, made all the hardship and danger feel worth it in this moment.

Halfway through the meal, Zhao Wendong suddenly heard that creature’s thoughts coming from outside again.

[’This bad human’s house doesn’t even have a single chicken! I can’t even get my revenge! It’s making me so mad! Sniff... it smells so good. I want to eat too.’]

’Serves you right,’ Zhao Wendong thought. ’You followed me home just to get revenge? In a famine year, people barely have enough to eat. Where would we find grain to raise chickens? You can just starve for all I care.’

SCRITCH SCRITCH SCRITCH~

The sound of something scratching at the door was heard.

Zhao Wenwu’s ears twitched. He put down his bowl.

"Third Brother, did you hear something?"

"Your friend is here to see you!"

Zhao Wendong said with a smile. Zhao Wenwu froze.

Friend?

He’d never had any friends his whole life!