I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: The Youngest Son Loses Favor

The scratching at the door grew louder, mixed with pitiful whimpering. It suddenly dawned on Zhao Wenwu. He jumped to his feet, shouting as he ran outside.

"Hahaha, Xiaobai! It’s Xiaobai!"

His family put down their bowls in confusion and looked at Zhao Wendong. He just smiled, a very happy smile.

"It’s Second Brother’s friend, but it’s not a person!"

His family was even more confused.

Zhao Wenwu pulled open the door in a few quick strides. Flecks of snow blew in through the opening. Covered in a coat of fluffy white snow, Xiaobai rolled in like a little snowball and, as if it owned the place, headed straight for the inner room.

"Oh my god, what is that thing!"

The family cried out in alarm as a white blur shot past them.

At first glance, Song Xiaoyu thought it was a stray cat, her face etched with confusion.

"Where did this cat come from?"

"It’s a white fox!"

Zhao Dashan propped himself halfway up, shouting after a quick glance.

The family was startled all over again.

"YIP YIP YIP!"

’It smells so good! Hurry up and give this young master a bite.’

Xiaobai circled the dinner table incessantly, letting out a constant stream of yips.

Zhao Wendong shot the scheming little fox a glare and ignored it, going back to his food. ’The damned thing had been outside earlier, trying to get at his family’s chickens.’

"This is Xiaobai! He’s my friend!"

Zhao Wenwu lifted the little fox, its four paws pointing forward, and showed it off to the family with a proud expression.

’Damned stupid human, put me down! This young master doesn’t want to show my willy to so many people.’

"PFFT!"

Zhao Wendong sprayed out the mouthful of rice he was eating. No one noticed his predicament, however. They had all stopped eating and gathered around Xiaobai, staring at it as if it were some great novelty.

"Second Brother, give him to me! Give Xiaobai to me!"

Little Tuanzi stretched out her little hands, repeatedly asking for the fox. She called out to Zhao Wenwu in her high, childish voice, so eager that her whole body tensed with effort.

Zhao Wenwu handed the fox to her. Little Tuanzi took it with her two small, stubby arms and hugged the little fox. She was so small and the fox was a bit big, making it a struggle for her to hold, but she insisted on not putting it down.

The rest of the family stared nervously, afraid the little fox might suddenly attack and hurt her. Only Zhao Wendong remained calm and unconcerned. ’If Xiaobai had any intention of harming Little Tuanzi, he would know instantly from its thoughts.’

The scheming little fox narrowed its eyes into slits, its expression looking like a smile. It obediently nuzzled the palm of Little Tuanzi’s hand, a soft, sweet purr rumbling in its throat.

’This little human girl is so soft. I’ll get on her good side first, then there’ll be no shortage of good food in the future.’

Zhao Wendong heard Xiaobai’s thoughts loud and clear and couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ’That scheming little thing was pretty good at finding a patron.’

"Aiyo, this little thing is so beautiful!"

Chen Yanmei was so amused by Xiaobai’s appearance that her eyes crinkled with laughter. She reached out to touch its tail, and Xiaobai actually offered it to her, even giving it a deliberate shake. The fluffy tail brushed against the back of Chen Yanmei’s hand, making her roar with laughter.

At this, even Song Xiaoyu couldn’t resist and reached out to start petting the fox. Only Zhao Wenwu looked aggrieved. That was *his* Xiaobai.

Seeing Xiaobai staring longingly at the serving bowls, Zhao Wendong glared.

"What are you looking at? Grain is precious, you know. There’s barely enough for people, you think we can spare some for an animal? Now scram!"

"YIP YIP YIP!"

Xiaobai cried out pitifully.

"Wendong, why are you scaring him!"

"That’s right, Third Brother! He’s such a well-behaved fox!"

"Third Brother, don’t scare Xiaobai."

The scheming fox had clearly become the Zhaos’ darling. Zhao Wendong found himself ganged up on by the women. Even Chen Yanmei, who was always frugal and pinched every penny, shot him a cold glare before picking up a piece of wild boar meat for the fox.

’The bad human wants to stop me from eating meat? In your dreams!’

Xiaobai snatched the meat and shot a quick glance at Zhao Wendong. Then it looked up at Chen Yanmei, blinked its eyes, and let out a couple of yips as if in thanks. That remarkably human-like display charmed Chen Yanmei so much that she couldn’t stop giggling.

’Damn it,’ Zhao Wendong thought. ’My own family has turned on me!’

Zhao Wendong inwardly cursed the fox for its slyness, but seeing the women of his family so happy, he felt that this was actually pretty good.

When was the last time they had laughed like this? Zhao Wendong couldn’t remember. Maybe it had never happened before.

He shot Xiaobai a helpless glare. Zhao Wendong decided he would get even with it later. ’In any case, with his special ability, how could a little fox possibly compete with him? It was destined to fail.’

The meal was lively and long. Between all the bustling about and the arrival of the little fox, they ate until the sun went down and the sky turned dark.

On the kang, even after finishing her meal, Little Tuanzi still clung to Xiaobai, refusing to let go. Having successfully scrounged a meal, Xiaobai snuggled up against Little Tuanzi and refused to budge.

The sight was quite frustrating for Zhao Wendong, but even more frustrated was Zhao Wenwu. His second brother was on the verge of tears. Xiaobai was clearly *his* friend, but since they got home, he hadn’t even had a chance to pet it, and Xiaobai was ignoring him completely.

A good number of the hazelnuts, walnuts, and other nuts that Zhao Wendong had brought back from the squirrel’s stash also ended up in the little white fox’s belly. The family continued to sit around the kang, talking and laughing. In the blink of an eye, it was around six or seven o’clock, and the children started to get sleepy.

Normally, Song Xiaoyu and Zhao Wenjun would have taken Shitou and Yadan home, but they were both anxious to find out what exactly Zhao Wendong and his brother had been through, so they let Shitou and Yadan sleep over.

Before falling asleep, Little Tuanzi still refused to let go of Xiaobai, insisting on sleeping with it. It took a great deal of persuasion from Zhao Wendong to coax her into placing Xiaobai in a makeshift straw bed on the floor. Soon, the children quieted down, their breathing even and steady.

There was a smile on each little one’s lips. They were probably dreaming about eating meat.

"That meat today was so delicious!"

Zhao Dashan sighed emotionally as he lay on the kang, rubbing his belly. He had thought that after his accident, the family would face a food shortage. But as it turned out, he had probably gained several pounds just by lying on the kang these past few days.

"Dad, from now on, whatever you want to eat, your son will get it for you. What did the doctor say about your leg when he came?"

"It’s nothing serious. He just set it and said to let it heal slowly. But you should tell us what happened this time you went into the mountains. All these guns and canned goods, and you even brought back a wild boar. Now a fox has followed you home, too."

"It’s a long story. It all started at that crevice you fell into, Dad. I saw a fox den there last time and thought I’d try to catch a fox first. And, well, here he is!"

Zhao Wendong jutted his chin with a look of disgust toward the scheming little fox, which was already snoring contentedly.

"This little guy led Second Brother and me to an old Japanese army holdout. Then he even led us to a huge wild boar that had killed itself by running into a tree. Our luck was just incredible!"

"Xiaobai can find treasure!"

Zhao Wenwu said with a firm expression. Everyone else nodded along. It sounded a bit fantastical, but with the proof right before their eyes, what else could they do but believe it?

Besides, they had all seen the White Fox’s human-like behavior today. So when they heard the little guy could find treasure, they all believed it.

"Xiaobai is truly our lucky star!"

"Xiaobai led you to the whole wild boar? Then, Wendong, look how stingy you were being! You weren’t even willing to give him one piece of meat. When did you become so cheap!"

Chen Yanmei started scolding Zhao Wendong, with Song Xiaoyu nodding along and chiming in to demand justice for Xiaobai.

Zhao Wendong quickly raised his hands in surrender, repeatedly promising to treat Xiaobai better in the future before they finally let him off the hook. ’Sigh, being the youngest son wasn’t so special anymore.’

He then recounted the events in great detail. The family was overjoyed to hear about all the supplies in the cave, especially all the wild boar meat. But when he got to the part about the confrontation with the Northeast Leopard, they all grew tense, terrified by the thought of it.

"Once the snow stops, Eldest Brother and I will go into the mountains again. We’ll take a sled and bring back the rest of the supplies from the holdout. That should be almost enough to last us until the New Year."

"Good, good."

Zhao Dashan and his wife nodded repeatedly, their eyes filled with relief and pride as they looked at their youngest son. The family’s life finally had a glimmer of hope.

Song Xiaoyu was also delighted. ’Her second brother-in-law wasn’t very bright, and her youngest brother-in-law was a lazy bum. Although she never complained, she was always ridiculed by others because of them. But now, their family’s good days were finally here.’

"By the way, Third Brother," Chen Yanmei suddenly brought up. "Uncle Weiguo and Third Master both came by. Have you really taken a fancy to that capitalist’s daughter?"