I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Father and Son

His youngest son, Zhao Wendong, was unconscious with a high fever, and with the family’s food supply gone, a worried Zhao Dashan decided to head into the mountains to try his luck.

But after a full day and night, he had nothing to show for it. There were simply too few animals on the mountain’s periphery in winter, so he decided to venture deeper.

Who would have thought that a deep crevice, hidden by a blanket of snow, lay in his path? He didn’t see it, stepped into thin air, and plummeted straight down.

The fall was brutal. Zhao Dashan felt as if his body had been shattered. His forehead was split open, warm blood steadily trickling out, and a searing pain shot through his left leg. He figured it was broken.

There was a rank, musky odor in the air. ’Probably a fox den nearby,’ he guessed.

This was the very reason for the old saying about "stinky foxes."

Zhao Dashan was a veteran Hunter from Dragon King Pond Village. Now, trapped alone in a mountain crevice, unable to move, he knew exactly what this meant.

He was going to die. To be honest, he wasn’t afraid of death itself. But he was terrified that if he died, his family would starve to death along with him.

Without him to hunt for food in the mountains, his eldest son’s family, his mentally slow second son, his comatose youngest son, his wife, and Little Tuanzi... he feared none of them would survive this famine year.

’No, I absolutely cannot die!’

"AGH! AGH!"

Zhao Dashan gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as he let out a pained roar.

He propped himself up with his hands, trying to use his core to stand up again. Sweat poured down his head, rapidly sapping his strength and body heat.

"AGH! Get up! Damn it! Let me get the hell up!"

"Zhao Dashan, you can’t die here! Your whole family is waiting for you! God damn it, Zhao Dashan, get the hell up!"

Zhao Dashan roared, but even after exhausting all his strength, he couldn’t manage to stand.

His left leg was completely useless. The slightest movement sent a searing pain through him. The situation was even worse than he had imagined.

Because he had struggled so violently, the bleeding from his forehead quickened. His hair started to feel sticky, and his head grew dizzy.

"HUFF... HUFF..."

Zhao Dashan struggled to sit up, leaning his back against the wall of the crevice, a helpless, bitter smile on his face.

He fumbled for his pipe. Packing the tobacco and striking a match, a task that usually took a few seconds, now required a long, painstaking effort before he finally got it lit.

Zhao Dashan put the mouthpiece to his lips and took a deep drag. A sense of calm finally washed over him. He knew he would die in this ravine soon. He didn’t know how many days it would take for someone to find him; he just hoped he wouldn’t be gnawed on by wild beasts.

Making a living in the mountains, accidents were inevitable. This was fate. He wasn’t happy about it, but he accepted it.

"Wife... I’m sorry. I’m leaving you alone to take care of the children. After all these years with me, I never gave you a good life. In the next life, I’ll be the wife for you."

"Eldest... you’re the big brother. You have to take care of your younger siblings. Take care of Shitou and Yadan. And don’t always be picking on Dongzi. He’s not a bad kid."

"Second son... you’re strong, but you eat too much, and you’re a bit slow. What are you going to do after your dad is gone?"

"Dongzi... you’re the one who worries me the most, damn it. After I’m gone, you have to stand tall like a man. You have to help me... support our family, keep it going. You can’t be lazy and greedy anymore, wandering the streets and fucking around all day!"

"And Little Tuanzi... Daddy’s so sorry. Everyone in the village prizes boys over girls, so I was afraid people would laugh if I spoiled you too much. But the truth is, I’ve always loved you dearly. You have to... you have to survive!"

Zhao Dashan mumbled to himself, his voice growing fainter and fainter. An overwhelming drowsiness washed over him, and he slowly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, an impossible shout echoed from the distance.

"Dad!"

"Zhao Dashan, are you mute?! Say something, damn it!"

Zhao Dashan’s eyes flew open in disbelief.

It was the voice of his youngest son, Zhao Wendong!

’That’s not right...’

’Isn’t Wendong in a coma? Even if he woke up, how could he have found me here?’

’Could this be a hallucination before I die?’

"Zhao Dashan!"

"Dad!"

The shouts came again, closer and clearer this time.

Holy shit. A jolt shot through Zhao Dashan’s entire body.

That’s right. It really was his son’s voice.

"Dong... Dongzi!"

"I’m here! Your dad’s over here!"

Zhao Dashan yelled back at the top of his lungs, but he was in such a terrible state that even he could barely hear his own voice.

Hearing Zhao Wendong’s shouts grow fainter as he moved away, Zhao Dashan’s eyes filled with desperate tears.

Suddenly, he had an idea and struggled to crawl toward his hunting rifle, which had fallen nearby.

"Dad!"

"Where are you! Dad!"

"Answer me! I’m here to save you!"

Zhao Wendong stumbled through the woods, shouting, his heart sinking with panic.

He fell and got back up countless times, seemingly oblivious to the pain. His throat was raw from shouting, his body was covered in snow, and the tears and snot on his face had frozen into crystalline patterns. He was a pathetic sight.

He paid it no mind, focused only on finding his father. He was sure Zhao Dashan had fallen somewhere in this area, but he just couldn’t find the narrow ravine.

In the vast, snow-covered mountains, only the dimming daylight and his increasingly desperate shouts echoed back at him.

"AHHH! Dad! Answer me, you old bastard! I’m here to save you!"

The suffocating feeling of losing his father all over again washed over him, nearly driving Zhao Wendong mad on the spot.

If he couldn’t save his father even after being reborn, then he didn’t want to live either. This time, he was determined to die before his family did, unwilling to endure the endless nostalgia and regret of his past life.

The sky grew darker and darker as the sun began to set.

Once it was completely dark, his vision would be gone, and the hope of rescuing his father would become even more remote. Zhao Wendong’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees in the snow.

SLAP—!

He slapped himself hard across the face. Five clear finger marks immediately appeared!

"Zhao Wendong, you’re such a fucking waste! All you did was dream of being reborn, and when Heaven finally granted your wish, you still can’t save him!"

SLAP—!

"Why didn’t you go look at the crevice where Dad had his accident more often? Why didn’t you memorize the surrounding terrain?!"

SLAP—!

"SOB... Dad, I really am useless! I was even reborn, and I still can’t save you! I’m sorry... SOB..."

"BANG!"

Just as Zhao Wendong was on the verge of a complete breakdown, a gunshot suddenly rang out from behind him.

He flinched, instinctively diving forward to the ground, then immediately leaped back up and ran like a madman toward the source of the sound!

’It’s Zhao Dashan!’

’It must be his dad, Zhao Dashan, signaling him!’

Zhao Wendong scrambled and crawled, closing in on the location the sound had come from.

The echo of the gunshot slowly faded, and the mountain returned to silence.

With the sound gone, Zhao Wendong lost his guide. He stopped and scanned his surroundings. Nothing. Still nothing!

’No, this isn’t the spot. It must be a little further!’

"Dad, where are you?! Dad!"

"Fire another shot! Dad, Zhao Dashan, hurry up and shoot again!"

"Just one more! Fire one more shot, and I know I can find you!"

Zhao Wendong yelled anxiously, but a second shot never came.

His heart seized with anxiety again. ’My father must be in bad shape, or he would have fired a second time.’

Suddenly, a white shadow flashed past Zhao Wendong, leaving behind a few stray thoughts.

’Damn, a Hunter firing a gun right at my doorstep! Scared the hell out of me!’

’So what if you have a gun? I know where there’s one too, I just don’t know how to fire it.’