I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Silver Bracelet

"Dad, did Third Brother really kill the wolf?"

Zhao Wenjun knew his second brother wouldn’t lie, but he still couldn’t help asking again.

It was just that this didn’t fit his third brother, Zhao Wendong’s, usual persona at all!

He had been ready to beat Zhao Wendong up just a moment before. Now, his third brother was the family hero. The transformation was so quick he was having a little trouble keeping up.

Zhao Dashan’s body was a little weak, but his spirits were fine. He shot his eldest son an annoyed look.

"Dongzi saved me, and... and he killed the wolf too! You be nicer to Dongzi from now on. Stop nagging him all the time!"

Seeing the shocked expression on his eldest son’s face, he felt much more satisfied.

’Serves you right!’

’You were always saying your brother was a good-for-nothing, saying your mother and I spoiled him. Now you see how capable he is, don’t you?’

’But my youngest son’s performance today...’

After being scolded by Zhao Dashan, Zhao Wenjun looked at Zhao Wendong with a complicated expression, momentarily at a loss for words.

Zhao Wendong raised an eyebrow at him, a smug, mischievous grin on his face. He looked incredibly pleased with himself.

’Even though my big brother always looks at me with that "you’re-a-disappointment" expression, in my past life, he gave me his last bit of grain and his only hope of survival. If I wasn’t afraid of scaring him, I’d give him a hug too. And my sister-in-law... better not hug her. That would cause trouble.’

Little Tuanzi came pattering over, tilted her little face up, and hugged Zhao Wendong’s leg, her eyes sparkling with adoration. "Third Brother! You’re so amazing! Little Tuanzi really gets to eat meat now!"

"Hahaha, when Brother San promises Little Tuanzi something, he always delivers!"

Zhao Wendong’s heart swelled with joy. He bent down, scooped up his little sister, and rubbed his freezing, red face against her little cheek, making the little girl shriek.

"Help! Third Brother, you’re so cold! I’m freezing to death!"

Her high-pitched, squeaky protests made the whole family laugh, with Zhao Wendong’s laughter being the loudest.

’My father is saved, history has already changed.’ A weight was finally lifted from his heart. ’The future will be completely different from my past life!’

Suddenly, he felt his hands start to ache and itch. Zhao Wendong looked down. ’Whoa!’

His hands were covered in bloody gashes. In some places, the skin was peeled back, and the flesh was terribly red and swollen.

"Waaaah, Third Brother, what happened to your hands!"

Little Tuanzi had sharp eyes. Zhao Wendong had only glanced down for a second before she spotted them. She immediately cradled his hands and started crying in distress.

The rest of the family quickly gathered around. When they saw Zhao Wendong’s hands, the calm expressions vanished from their faces.

Zhao Wendong really had changed. Before, he would whine for half a day if he got pricked by a thorn. Now, his hands were covered in cuts, but he hadn’t made a sound.

"Dongzi, let Mom take care of that. Wenjun, make the kang a little hotter."

Chen Yanmei’s eyes welled up with tears of distress. She pulled Zhao Wendong to sit on the kang.

Zhao Wenjun nodded and hurried out, returning with a bundle of corn stalks to fuel the fire. The kang quickly warmed up, and the head of the bed even started to get hot enough to scald your bottom.

Zhao Dashan lay in the middle of the kang, with the whole family sitting in a circle around him.

Normally, they would all have been asleep by now. During the bitter winter of a famine year, eating less and sleeping more was the only way to survive.

Chen Yanmei kept her head down as she treated the wounds on Zhao Wendong’s hands. Seeing the gashes, sticky with dried blood, she felt both heartbroken and gratified. Tears she couldn’t hold back streamed down her face.

"Comrade Chen Yanmei, please don’t cry. If you keep crying, people will think I’ve made you angry again!"

Chen Yanmei wiped her tears and forced a pained smile.

"Mm, I’m not crying. I’m just happy! You didn’t make me angry. You’re all grown up and sensible now. You can save people and even kill wolves. I’m thrilled!"

It wasn’t just her; everyone in the family was happy and proud that Zhao Wendong had suddenly stepped up.

Chen Yanmei’s mention of the wolf immediately rekindled Zhao Wenwu’s desire to talk.

"Third Brother told me not to move, to wait for him and Dad, so I didn’t move! The wolf came to bite me, and I still didn’t move! I was about to hit it, and then BANG! Third Brother shot it dead with one shot!"

Zhao Wenwu started recounting the night’s events again, his face, which was dotted with dark spots, beaming with pride. Little Tuanzi listened with excitement, bouncing restlessly on the kang.

"Third Brother is so amazing! My Third Brother is the best!"

But after a couple of bounces, she ran out of energy. She was hungry.

Zhao Wenjun’s five-year-old son, the sturdy-looking Shitou, also had a look of pure adoration on his face.

"Youngest Uncle, I want to go hunting in the mountains with you too! To get food for the family!"

Song Xiaoyu sat sideways at the corner of the kang, her back to the room as she breastfed her child. Two-year-old Yadan was nursing contentedly, making little smacking sounds.

Hearing her son’s words, she turned and glanced at Shitou with a gratified look.

"Good boy. You have ambition!"

Outside, the wind rattled the paper on the window panes. The family chatted and laughed, a feeling of warmth echoing in everyone’s heart. Only the occasional GURGLE from an empty stomach broke the mood.

After she finished nursing, Song Xiaoyu gently placed Yadan on the kang, covered her with a small, worn-out blanket, then put on her shoes and got down.

"Dad needs some nourishment, and Third Brother must be hungry too. I’ll go to the outer room and make something to eat!"

At these words, Chen Yanmei’s expression darkened.

"There’s no food left. We ate the last of it this morning."

Song Xiaoyu was silent for a moment, then walked to the outer room and called out to her husband.

"Zhao Wenjun, come out here. Go to our place and get the rest of the rice."

Zhao Wenjun froze, then walked over to the stove outside and lowered his voice, leaning close to Song Xiaoyu’s ear.

"Wife, are you mistaken? Where would we have any rice left? Didn’t we already bring it all over and finish it?"

Song Xiaoyu kept her head down and didn’t speak, slowly sliding the Silver Bracelet off her wrist.

"Uncle Wang’s family got a larger grain ration, so they must still have a lot stored up. Aunt Wang has always admired this bracelet of mine. Take it and trade it for some grain."

"What! But this is your..."

When Song Xiaoyu married him, this Silver Bracelet was the only thing she received. She always wore it, cherishing it like a treasure.

"Shh!"

Seeing Zhao Wenjun open his mouth to shout, Song Xiaoyu quickly covered her husband’s mouth.

"What are you shouting for? Just go, and be quick about it. Don’t let Mom and Dad hear!"

"It’s just a material possession. You can’t eat it!"

Zhao Wenjun felt a sting in his nose. A wave of frustrated anger swelled in his chest with nowhere to go. He wiped his eyes, clenched his wife’s bracelet in his fist, and bolted out the door.

Outside, the Northeast wind howled, lashing against Zhao Wenjun’s face with a searing pain, but it was nothing compared to the agony in his heart.

Back inside, Song Xiaoyu repeatedly stroked her now-bare wrist and let out a soft sigh.

Chen Yanmei finished cleaning the wounds on Zhao Wendong’s hands and wrapped them with a strip of cloth. She sighed, her voice laced with worry.

"Ai, there’s still more than a month to go after the twelfth lunar month before spring arrives, and now your father’s leg is broken! How are we going to manage?"

Zhao Wendong pointed to himself..

"My dearest mother, have you forgotten that your youngest son has stepped up now? With me here, I guarantee our family won’t go hungry! When I get back from the Commune tomorrow, I’ll go back up the mountain to get more food."

"Mm-hm, Mom’s not worried. My youngest son is the best!"

"Third Brother is the most amazing!"

Zhao Wenwu wasn’t having it.

"What about me!"

"Right, my second son is great too. The smartest one!"

"Hehehe! Little Tuanzi, you haven’t said I’m amazing yet!"

"Third Brother is the most amazing. Second Brother isn’t as amazing as Third Brother!"

Little Tuanzi stood her ground.

"Hahaha, Little Tuanzi, you’re such a good girl. Come give me a kiss!"

"Mwah!"

Little Tuanzi threw her arms around Zhao Wendong and planted a kiss on him, making him so happy a dopey grin spread across his face.

Zhao Dashan had something on his mind and couldn’t sleep. He had been lying with his eyes closed, resting.

When he heard Zhao Wendong was going to the Commune, he opened his eyes to give him some instructions.

"A pristine wolf pelt like that should sell for at least five or six yuan. Don’t sell it for less!"

"And remember to go to the clinic to get your hands checked. Put some medicine on them so they don’t get infected and turn necrotic."

"Mm, got it!"

Zhao Wendong nodded obediently, but a mischievous grin appeared on his face the very next second.

"Dad, you’re not asleep? Well, that reminds me of something. Didn’t you say before that if I brought you back, you’d call me..."

"Get lost! You little rascal!"

Zhao Dashan’s old face flushed red as he started yelling.

"Hahaha!"

Zhao Wendong let out a triumphant laugh.

"Third Brother!"

After a moment, Zhao Dashan spoke slowly, his tone serious.

"Tell Dad the truth. You... what’s really going on with you? Why have you suddenly become a completely different person?"