I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Transforming Zhao Wenjun

After he spoke, Zhao Wenjun reached out to stroke the wild boar meat, his expression more like he was caressing a woman than a pig. After a good while, he picked up a Type 38 rifle and examined it closely. "Third Brother, can I go hunting with you guys, too?"

As the eldest brother, he’d always believed he had the greatest responsibility to provide for the family. But now, he had become the one who just ate what was put in front of him. Even his second brother was contributing more than he was. The thought was truly unbearable. He had joined the militia, and while his marksmanship was only average, he at least knew how to use a gun. He should be able to help when it counted.

Zhao Wendong understood how he felt and offered a comforting smile.

"Eldest Brother, some people are destined to be the nation’s leader, while others are meant to be farmers. There’s no high or low, noble or humble—just a division of labor. Of course, there’s nothing you can do if you’re just not smart enough!"

"Get lost!"

Seeing Zhao Wendong tease him, Zhao Wenjun’s face instantly turned red with anger.

"Hahaha, I’m just kidding. Don’t worry, Eldest Brother, there will definitely be a place for you to contribute. In a couple of days, you can come out to sea with us. And when we’re not at sea, you can come up the mountain if you want. Besides, when it’s time to plant the fields in the spring, I’m useless. That’s when we’ll have to rely on you."

"I’m not afraid of hard work."

Zhao Wenjun was happy now. He puffed out his chest, and his simple, honest smile returned to his face.

Zhao Wendong had already considered letting his eldest brother tag along. They needed more hands for fishing, and for hunting, they now had plenty of firepower. Plus, with his ability to hear inner voices providing timely warnings, Zhao Wendong was confident he could guarantee his two brothers’ safety. If there were too many people, however, he definitely wouldn’t be able to look out for everyone.

Hunting in the mountains was no child’s play. Almost every year, a Hunter would go up the mountain and either meet with an accident or get eaten by a wild beast, with not even a bone fragment left to be found.

After hanging the pheasant up in the cave to prevent the cunning fox from stealing it, Zhao Wendong shouted.

"Second Brother, boil some water!"

"You got it!"

Zhao Wenwu went out carrying the large iron pot. Zhao Wenjun first looked at the perfectly intact pot with a bit of envy, then he froze.

"Wait a minute. Third Brother, what are you boiling water for?"

"To cook!"

Zhao Wenjun thought for a moment, confirmed that they had already eaten before they came, and quickly reached out to stop Zhao Wendong.

"Third Brother, we can’t waste food! Didn’t we already eat dinner before we came?"

"We did! This is supper."

Seeing Zhao Wendong’s completely serious expression, Zhao Wenjun was speechless. ’This brother of mine seems even more wasteful than before.’

"It’s not a holiday, so who in their right mind eats three meals a day in the winter? Third Brother..."

"We do!"

Zhao Wendong cut Zhao Wenjun off. He had decided to start with his eldest brother to change his family’s views on consumption.

"Anyway, Second Brother and I have to eat. If we don’t, we won’t have any energy for work tomorrow. Suit yourself!"

After saying his piece, Zhao Wendong paid his eldest brother no more mind. For the evening meal, they were having stewed roe deer. This time, Zhao Wendong had brought all the spices from home, so the stew was exceptionally fragrant.

Zhao Wenjun drank the basinful Zhao Wendong had served him, licked his lips, and seemed reluctant to have any more. Seeing this, Zhao Wendong tapped the pot, which was still full of stew.

"Second Brother, you should drink more. There’s no way we’ll finish this whole pot by morning. Anything left over will just be thrown out, so the more we drink, the less we waste."

"Hehe. Third Brother, I’ll drink my fill! Give me another basinful."

Zhao Wenwu handed his basin to Zhao Wendong and immediately unbuckled his cowhide belt. He treasured that belt. There had been a few close calls where he almost didn’t get his pants down in time, but he’d still refused to switch back to using a hemp rope. He was getting more and more skilled with the buckle lately.

Zhao Wenjun said nothing. While Zhao Wendong and Zhao Wenwu were busy slurping from their basins, he quietly ladled another one for himself.

But just then, Zhao Wenwu pulled his face out of his basin. Seeing his brother, he declared smugly, "Eldest Brother, you’re eating too slowly! You have to eat this much, this fast, just like me. That’s the only way to take a good crap every day!"

Zhao Wendong: ...

’Damn it,’ he thought. ’Suddenly, this roe deer stew doesn’t taste so good anymore.’

The next morning, having eaten his fill, Zhao Wenjun had a rare, sound night’s sleep. By the time he woke up, his two younger brothers were already packing up their things.

"Haha, now that you’re awake, Eldest Brother, stop spacing out and come help. You can tie up those two roe deer."

Zhao Wendong said with a laugh. Zhao Wenjun nodded, looking a little embarrassed. Just yesterday he had called Zhao Wendong wasteful, but he had ended up eating until he was stuffed and sleeping more comfortably than anyone.

Once everything was packed, the three brothers heated up the leftover stew from the night before. Zhao Wenjun couldn’t bear to let Zhao Wendong throw out the last little bit, so they used their cornmeal rations to wipe the pot clean. Only then did everyone grab their things, close the stone slab door, and begin the journey home.

Zhao Wenjun walked in the lead, a roe deer tied to his back and a box of canned goods in his hands, his round belly sticking out. Zhao Wenwu was in the middle. He was even more of a beast, having found a log to use as a simple carrying pole to haul the remaining over two hundred pounds of pork all by himself.

Zhao Wendong brought up the rear, holding a rifle and standing guard. He also had a roe deer strapped to his back—a slightly lighter one, around fifty-five pounds, while the one on Zhao Wenjun’s back was larger, weighing a little over sixty-six pounds. A pheasant, not yet dead, was hung directly from his belt.

With this one trip, the family would have over three hundred pounds of meat in reserve. Zhao Wendong was sure that his mother and sister-in-law would no longer eat just a tiny morsel each day as they used to.

It looked like Xiaobai was determined to stick with their family. The fox’s figure flickered in and out of sight around them, clearly intending to follow them home. A confident smile spread across Zhao Wendong’s face. ’No matter how cunning this little fox is, it’s bound to fail against an old hunter like me. Trying to get one over on me? Dream on! Maybe in your next life!’

When they got to the place where they’d left the sled, it was still right where they’d put it. This path was generally only used by villagers heading up the mountain, but hunting in the winter just wasn’t worth the effort, so no one was out. Zhao Dashan had only considered trying his luck in the mountains because he’d been backed into a corner. People who were short on firewood, like Grandma Liu’s family, would stick to the edge of the village or the mountain’s outer perimeter to gather dead branches. The villagers never came this deep into the mountains.

They secured the meat and canned goods on the sled, then piled the two roe deer on top. Zhao Wenwu pulled from the front while Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Wendong pushed from behind. The three of them, filled with joy, headed for home.

"Stop, stop, stop! This won’t work. We’ll be seen too easily!"

They hadn’t gone far when Zhao Wendong, looking at the sled piled high with their haul, suddenly realized that being seen was not a good thing. He quickly yelled for them to stop.

"But if they see us, they’ll know how capable we are!"

Zhao Wenwu’s comment was completely ignored. Zhao Wenjun, however, had already figured out the implications and asked directly.

"So what do we do?"

It was true what they say: having nothing to eat is a problem, but having too much to eat is also a problem.

Wasn’t there a saying in later generations? You’re afraid to see your brother suffer, but you’re even more afraid to see him driving a Land Rover. Sometimes, it’s best not to test human nature, even if people back then were much simpler and more honest than in the future.

Zhao Wendong scanned the surroundings. Seeing a lot of broken branches, he thought of a less-than-ideal solution.

"Let’s gather a bunch of these branches and cover everything up. If we run into anyone, they’ll just think we were out gathering firewood."

"Alright!"

The three of them got right to work. Soon, the sled was piled high with dead branches. From a distance, it just looked like a large sled full of firewood.

"Third Brother, why can’t we let people know? We hunted so much stuff. It shows how amazing we are!"

Zhao Wenwu was still confused. He was dying to show off in front of the whole village again.

"Just listen to Third Brother. He’s right!"

Zhao Wenjun patted Zhao Wenwu, who immediately nodded.

"I always listen to Third Brother! So, Third Brother, you’ll take me to the Commune with you this time, right?"

"Sure. And not just you, Eldest Brother is coming too!"

"Huh? Me too?"

Zhao Wenjun was taken aback.

"That’s right. Why sit around at home? We can all go together. I want to trade for a lot more food and supplies this time. Plus, I need your help bringing back a barrel of oil!"

"We’re not walking this time, either. We’re taking a cart!"

"What? You’re going to hijack another cart?"

Zhao Wenjun stared at Zhao Wendong in disbelief. ’Is breaking the rules addictive or something?’