I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: The Dumbfounded Villagers

Outside, the bitter wind howled like a banshee, carrying flurries of snow.

The villagers, crowded at the entrance to Third Master Zhao’s courtyard, hugged their arms against the cold, hands stuffed into the sleeves of their cotton-padded jackets. They craned their necks, stretching them as far as they could to peer toward the village entrance.

"They’re here! They’re really back!" someone shouted.

By the faint moonlight and the white glow of the snow, a horse-drawn sled appeared before them with a CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP.

The production brigade’s brown horse snorted thick clouds of white air. Two people sat at the front of the sled it was pulling, and one person was lying in the back.

Zhao Dashan lay on the sled, wrapped up tightly. At the edge of his hat, matted blood caked with his hair was faintly visible.

Zhao Wenwu’s face was speckled with black spots. He held his head high and chest out, grinning like a fool.

Zhao Wendong held the whip. His hat brim and eyebrows were covered in frost, making him look like a white-bearded old man. His complexion wasn’t great, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

"Dashan! It really is Dashan!"

Chen Yanmei cried out, rushing forward while holding Little Tuanzi. Tears instantly streamed down her face.

"Husband, what happened to you?!"

Little Tuanzi also cried out in a tiny voice, "Third Brother! Second Brother, Daddy!"

The crowd automatically parted to let Chen Yanmei and the child through. Zhao Wenjun and his wife, Song Xiaoyu, also squeezed their way to the front.

"Oh my god, Dashan’s really hurt!"

The villagers exclaimed in shock, and Zhao Weiguo quickly pushed forward to check on Zhao Dashan’s condition.

"A few of you, lend a hand! Dashan is injured, help me get him back—"

Before he could finish, as he started to move Zhao Dashan, Zhao Weiguo saw a dark animal carcass revealed on the sled.

THUD!

His hands went slack, dropping Zhao Dashan back onto the sled with a muffled grunt.

"Ouch, fuck, Weiguo! Are you trying to kill me?"

"Wh-what is that?"

Zhao Weiguo ignored Zhao Dashan, pointing at the carcass in astonishment.

Zhao Wenwu stood up, lifted the thing with one hand, and shoved it right in front of Zhao Weiguo’s face.

"Uncle Weiguo, it’s a wolf! Are your eyes going bad? I’ll hold it closer so you can see clearly!"

"It wanted to eat me! Now, watch me eat it!"

With that, Zhao Wenwu opened his mouth wide and, like a madman, tried to stuff the wolf’s head into it. Zhao Wendong’s reflexes were faster; he grabbed his second brother’s body and stopped him from performing his "devour a wolf in three bites" act.

"My god! It’s a wolf!"

"Holy hell, what a huge wolf!"

"Dashan shot a wolf!"

The villagers instantly erupted.

At a time when everyone was starving, the Zhao family had managed to get such a massive wolf. Who wouldn’t be green with envy?

A flash of envy also crossed Zhao Weiguo’s eyes. He gave a thumbs-up to Zhao Dashan, who was glaring at him.

"Dashan, you’re still a badass. Getting a wolf even when you’re this injured."

Zhao Dashan’s old face flushed red, and he forgot all about settling the score with Zhao Weiguo.

"Ahem, I didn’t shoot it!"

"You didn’t? Did Wenwu? Is his aim that good?"

"It wasn’t Wenwu either. It was... it was Wendong who shot it!"

BUZZ—!

The moment Zhao Dashan’s words fell, a wave of gasps swept through the crowd.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Does Zhao Wendong even know how to shoot a gun?"

"Zhao Dashan, even an honest-looking guy like you has learned to lie!"

"That profligate Zhao Wendong, that street loafer, shot a wolf? If he’s the one who shot it, I’ll eat shit upside down!"

Zhao Wendong’s family was instantly furious. Even Zhao Wenjun shot a glare at the man who had just spoken. Zhao Dashan pointed at the man and cursed.

"Zhao Liuzi, you’re full of shit! You said it, and I’ll remember it! If you don’t eat it tomorrow, I’ll fucking go to your house and feed it to you!"

As a father, he had seen Zhao Wendong’s performance today with his own eyes. Although he was inwardly puzzled as to why his son had acted so miraculously, that was a matter for them to discuss behind closed doors. If any outsider dared to question Zhao Wendong, he, the father, would not stand for it.

People could criticize him, Zhao Dashan, all they wanted, but they couldn’t say a word against his youngest son. Right now, Zhao Wendong was his pride and joy.

Seeing that Zhao Dashan still had the energy to argue and curse, Zhao Weiguo wasn’t in such a hurry to send him home to bed anymore.

He took a deep breath and knelt to carefully examine the wolf’s carcass. The fur was intact. A single shot straight to the heart. The marksmanship was sharp, the work of an old hand.

After a long moment, he slowly stood up, his complicated gaze falling on Zhao Wendong.

"Dongzi... did you really shoot this wolf?"

Zhao Wendong nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Wenwu had already cut in, shouting.

"Third Brother shot it! BANG, one shot, and the wolf went ’awoo awoo’ and died!"

He gestured wildly, and the villagers’ gazes on Zhao Wendong shifted from suspicion to bewilderment.

Zhao Dashan might lie, but Zhao Wenwu definitely wouldn’t. Which meant... the wolf really was shot by Zhao Wendong!

’How is that possible? The sky must be falling!’

’It’s like the kid who always comes in last suddenly got first place in the whole school. Who could even process that?’

Even Zhao Wendong was starting to make something of himself. Many of them began to think of their own children, and the more they thought, the more bitter they felt, and the more they felt their own sons deserved a good beating!

Zhao Wendong handed the horsewhip to Zhao Weiguo, an apologetic look on his face.

"Uncle Weiguo, I’m sorry. My dad was in danger, so I had no choice but to use the brigade’s horse without permission. Whatever the brigade decides to do, I, Zhao Wendong, will accept it."

His tone was neither servile nor overbearing, his attitude utterly sincere.

The villagers were even more shocked. Was this the same Zhao Wendong they knew, the one who couldn’t get three sentences out without cursing? When did he learn to speak so properly?

A deeper sense of unease settled in their hearts. Not only could he hunt a wolf to save his father, but he had also become articulate and capable. The good fortune from the Zhao family’s ancestral graves must be burning so bright it was practically on fire.

"NEIGH!"

The big brown horse snorted.

’Aren’t they cold standing out here? These people are going to freeze this horse to death!’

Zhao Weiguo heard it and nodded at Zhao Wendong. "Let’s unhitch the horse first and get it inside to rest. We’ll talk about the other matters later."

"Uncle Weiguo, could you do us a favor and let us take Dad home first before we return the horse? His leg is broken, and he can’t move! It’d be a huge pain to carry him back in this weather."

"What? His leg is broken? Of course, why not? The horse isn’t unhitched yet anyway, it’s no trouble at all! Come on, come on, everyone make way! Let’s get Dashan home first!"

Zhao Weiguo’s heart clenched. He had thought Zhao Dashan only had a head injury; he hadn’t realized his leg was broken.

"Alright, all brigade cadres, follow me to Dashan’s place. The rest of you, scram and go hole up for the winter! You think watching the drama will fill your bellies?"

The villagers dispersed in twos and threes, chattering all the way. Some marveled at the Zhao family’s good luck, while others discussed Zhao Wendong’s performance.

The horse-drawn sled soon stopped at the Zhao family’s door, and everyone worked together to carry Zhao Dashan onto the kang bed.

Chen Yanmei went outside to grab corn husks to heat the kang, while Song Xiaoyu bustled about, pouring hot water for Zhao Weiguo and the others.

Seeing Zhao Weiguo hesitate to speak several times, Zhao Wendong took the initiative and pointed to the wolf on the sled outside.

"Uncle Weiguo, consider this wolf my apology to the brigade. There’s plenty of meat, enough for every household to get a taste. Is it okay if I keep the pelt to trade for some medicine money for my dad?"

It wasn’t that Zhao Wendong was being generous; he knew full well how serious the three words "making a mistake" were in this era. Besides, he knew them well enough to be sure that even if he offered it all, they wouldn’t take it all.

As soon as he said this, the faces of Zhao Weiguo, Third Master Zhao, the head of the women’s association Liu Xiufen, and the other brigade cadres lit up with joy.

A year of great disaster was looming. No household had enough grain stored up, and many families were on the verge of running out of food.

A share of this wolf meat could help them hold on for a few more days.

They looked at Zhao Dashan, then at the wolf, and finally at the somewhat unfamiliar Zhao Wendong.

The young man had truly saved his father, and now he was offering to share the wolf with them. He had handled the matter beautifully, with an attitude that left no room for complaint.

So... who could still say Zhao Wendong was a good-for-nothing punk who had "made a mistake"?

Zhao Weiguo thought for a moment and nodded directly.

"Alright! We’ll do it that way! On behalf of the brigade, thank you and your family!"

"But we don’t need that much. We’ll take half the meat, and we’ll consider this matter settled. No one will be able to gossip about it again. You don’t have to process the wolf yourselves, either. The brigade will handle it tomorrow and send the pelt, your share of the meat, and the innards back to you."

"Dashan, you rest up. I’ll come see you tomorrow!"

Zhao Weiguo patted Zhao Dashan’s shoulder and got up to leave. Before he left, he gave Zhao Wendong a look filled with complex emotions.

’This rascal, speaking and acting so properly... he’s like a completely different person. He’s actually quite impressive.’

Liu Xiufen happily patted Chen Yanmei’s hand.

"Yanmei, ah, Wendong has really made something of himself now. You’re going to have an easy life! Let me see... I’ll think about which girl is a good match for our Wendong and make some introductions for you!"

She went from door to door and was familiar with every family, often acting as a matchmaker on the side.

A smile blossomed on Chen Yanmei’s face. "Oh, that would be wonderful! Thank you for the trouble, Sister Xiufen!"

Zhao Dashan, still on the kang bed, perked up his ears. Unfortunately, the two women walked farther and farther away, their voices fading until he could no longer hear them. ’Don’t walk so fast!’ he thought. ’Let me hear a bit more! I’m concerned about Zhao Wendong’s marriage prospects, too!’

Third Master Zhao, who was walking last, pointed a finger at Zhao Wenwu and Zhao Wendong, signaling that he would deal with them later. Only then did he walk away slowly, his hands clasped behind his back.