I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Zheng Guangrong Loves to Study

After the three of them had driven off in the horse-drawn carriage, two figures emerged from behind a reef on the distant shore. The female educated youth, Li Juan, patted her chest in fright and complained indignantly to the other educated youth with her.

"Good thing he didn’t see us. Otherwise, he might have yelled at us again."

"Forget it, let’s just ignore him. We should keep looking and see if there’s anything to eat on the shore. There’s only enough food at the Educated Youth Point to last for three days."

"I thought he was here for Lin Zhiyin again. I don’t know what’s so great about her that he’s so protective, even bringing her sticky buns and nuts to eat."

A while later, a dejected Li Juan and her companion returned to the Educated Youth Point. Seeing Lin Zhiyin sitting on her bunk mending clothes, Li Juan, who had found nothing, grew angrier the more she thought about it.

"Sigh. We go out and work so hard to find food but come back with nothing, while some people just sit at home and have food delivered to them. Life is so unfair, no matter the era!"

The educated youth with her also felt resentful and quickly chimed in.

"Exactly! And they say the brigade’s horse-drawn sleigh is public property and can’t be used for private reasons. So how did Zhao Wendong get to take it out today?"

"That loafer was just standing on the shore for a long time, too. Staring blankly, who knows what he was waiting for!"

"That’s right. He was standing on the reef by the sea, looking in our direction the whole time."

The needle in Lin Zhiyin’s hand froze, the tip nearly pricking her finger.

’Zhao Wendong waited by the sea for a long time. What was he waiting for?’

’Could he have been waiting for me?’

’Should I go see him? What if he says he wants to marry me? But I don’t even like him, and I’ve never thought about marrying into this mountain village. Isn’t the bustling life of Kyoto better? Should I go and make things clear with him? Tell him to stop wasting his effort on me? Right now, all I want is for my parents to return safely...’

’But what if he gets rough and forces things? He doesn’t seem like that kind of person, but you can know a person’s face without knowing their heart. What if he stops caring about me, and these people go back to bullying me? These past few days have been so peaceful. I’d hate for these good days to end.’

Lin Zhiyin’s mind was a mess. She was so caught up in her internal debate that she tuned out everything the others were saying. After a long while, having stood up and sat down several times, she pretended to go out for a stroll. However, after wandering around the shore for a bit, there was no sign of Zhao Wendong anywhere.

Meanwhile, at the Zhao Family’s home, Chen Yanmei and Song Xiaoyu returned to the house, both feeling restless and uneasy. Zhao Dashan, calmly puffing on his pipe, spoke in a composed voice.

"Don’t worry. The eldest is level-headed, the second is strong, and the third is as cunning as they come. Nothing will happen to the three of them when they’re out."

"Easy for you to say. They took all the family’s money and so much stuff with them. I’m afraid they’ll be targeted by crooks. I told you we should have let our third son take the gun, but you wouldn’t let him. What’s wrong with a hunter carrying a gun?!"

"What do you mean, ’what’s wrong’? Don’t you understand that our third son can’t be seen with that gun right now?"

Zhao Dashan said no more. The three adults all turned to look at Xiaobai, who had helped the family find the gun. Xiaobai was currently lying listlessly on the kang, letting the young children ruffle its fur every which way.

It was a little hurt that Zhao Wendong and the others had gone to the Commune without it. Suddenly, its ears twitched. It slowly got to its feet, then shot down from the kang like a white streak, rushing into the outer room.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!"

"YIP YIP!"

The squeaks of a rat and the yips of a fox sounded at the same time. Chen Yanmei and Song Xiaoyu chased them into the outer room to see Xiaobai chasing and biting a large gray rat, which was squealing and fighting back as it darted left and right.

"My goodness, what a huge rat!"

"It must have known we have food in the house now and came to steal our grain. Way to go, Xiaobai, kill it!"

All along the way, Zhao Wendong was busy planning the details of his trip out to sea. He had no idea that back at the Educated Youth Point, the girl he was determined to protect was in a state of inner turmoil because he had appeared by the sea, and he certainly didn’t know that a fox and a rat had gotten into a fight back at his home.

The three of them rode in the sleigh, the big brown horse trotting happily across the snow, its hooves making a rhythmic CLIP-CLOP sound.

The journey that had taken them over two hours on foot last time took only thirty minutes this time. Soon, Qianjin Commune, nestled on the vast, snow-white landscape, appeared before them.

"Big Brother, don’t just say whatever comes to mind later, got it?"

Zhao Wenwu, acting like a seasoned veteran, smugly kept telling Zhao Wenjun how to act at the Commune, earning a massive eye-roll in return.

They soon arrived at the purchasing station again. Zhao Wendong drove the horse-drawn sleigh directly into the courtyard. There were too many people and prying eyes out on the road, unlike in the village where everyone stayed inside. It was better to be careful.

Hearing the commotion, the big black dog at the entrance, Dahei, crawled out of its doghouse. It was just about to snarl when it saw the tall and burly Zhao Wenwu. Terrified, it immediately tucked its tail between its legs and scurried back into its kennel.

[Oh no, it’s that big oaf who almost broke my leg.]

[Huh? That’s the smell of meat. It’s not wolf meat... I think it’s wild boar.]

Zhao Wendong glanced at Dahei. ’As expected of a dog on the purchasing station’s payroll,’ he thought. ’He sure knows his stuff.’

Without knocking, Zhao Wendong pushed the door open and went straight into the purchasing station. Inside, Zheng Guangrong was absorbed in reading something. Hearing the door, he fumbled to hide a small booklet under a ledger on the counter. When he looked up and saw it was Zhao Wendong, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a hint of complaint.

"Oh, it’s you, little brother. You walk without making a sound."

"Hahaha, it’s because you were so focused on your studies, Brother Zheng!"

"Weren’t you just here a few days ago? Why are you back again today?"

After speaking, Zheng Guangrong’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Little brother, did you catch some bigheads?"

"Not yet, but if things go well, I should be able to get them tomorrow. Brother Zheng, why are you so fixated on bigheads?"

"Well, it’s because..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Wendong, catching him off guard, quickly pulled out the booklet from under the ledger.

Zheng Guangrong’s face fell. He reached out to snatch it back, but Zhao Wendong, already prepared, dodged him. Then, a thought struck him: Zhao Wendong was probably illiterate. Composing himself, he feigned calmness and said.

"What are you doing, little brother? That’s our work notebook. Why’d you grab it?"

Zhao Wendong opened the little booklet and glanced at it, then looked at Zheng Guangrong with a smirk.

"Is that so? Your work notebook is pretty... unique!"

"How to Increase Size?"

"Apply hot towel compress, then grip tightly until exhausted, then stretch..."

"How to Last Longer?"

"Master the rhythm, vary the depth, nine light and one heavy..."

"Tsk, tsk. Brother Zheng, this work notebook of yours really has some serious stuff in it!"

Zheng Guangrong was dumbfounded. The abacus in his hand fell to the floor without him even noticing. He stared at Zhao Wendong in utter disbelief.

"You... you can read?"

Zhao Wendong gave him a knowing smile.

"What do you think?"

Zheng Guangrong was utterly defeated. He cupped his hands and begged for mercy.

"Brother, I was wrong! No, Big Brother, I was wrong! From now on, you’re the big brother, and I’m the little one. Please, spare your little brother, won’t you? I’ve discovered you’re my natural-born nemesis! You’ve found out all my little secrets."

"Haha, Brother Zheng, you’re so much older than me, how could I call you little brother? From now on, let’s not worry about age. You call me Brother Dong, and I’ll keep calling you Brother Zheng!"

"Hey, you got it, Brother Dong!"

Huh?

After saying it, Zheng Guangrong paused. ’Something doesn’t seem right...’

"Ah, you’ve twisted me in knots again, Brother Dong. How are you so sharp?"

"What good is a sharp brain? It’s not like Big Sister Hua is interested in me..."

Zheng Guangrong’s face darkened, and he immediately began begging for mercy again.

"Brother Dong, Brother Dong, let’s drop it! Let’s talk business. Didn’t you want to know why I’m so keen on the bigheads?"

"Yep, go ahead. Oh, right. After I get married, let me take a look at that ’work notebook’ of yours too."

"Okay, okay, Brother Dong! I actually made a copy. When the time comes, I’ll give it to you along with my personal review and user experience!"

Zhao Wendong felt deeply gratified and patted Zheng Guangrong’s shoulder.

"Not bad. A diligent and studious comrade after all. Hahaha!"

He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Zheng Guangrong forced a couple of laughs himself before continuing.

"Brother Dong, the reason I’m so keen on the bigheads is that seafood is in extremely short supply in the county right now!"