I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Millet Porridge

’Vast experience in the mountains, pinpoint marksmanship... could his son really be a natural-born prodigy?’

"Don’t worry, I’m still me. I just had a dream these past two days while I had a high fever!"

"In my dream, I went up mountains and down to the sea. There was nothing I couldn’t do. It was just a really long dream, and decades passed in a flash!"

Chen Yanmei suddenly understood.

"So you also dreamed that your dad fell into a mountain crevice?"

"Yep!"

Zhao Wendong nodded seriously.

Zhao Dashan breathed a sigh of relief. Although it still sounded absurd, at least his son was still his son.

"Dad, I was lazy before, not stupid. Now that you, the pillar of this family, have a broken leg, I have to step up. Otherwise, the whole family will have nothing but air to eat, right?"

"You old geezer, hurry up and abdicate your throne. From now on, this kingdom is mine!"

Zhao Wendong couldn’t stay serious for more than a moment before putting on his usual devil-may-care attitude. The smug look on his face made Zhao Dashan want to jump up and kick him, broken leg and all.

"Get lost, you little rascal! There you go again, acting all goofy!"

Zhao Dashan was so exasperated he laughed, but he actually felt relieved inside. ’This unreliable demeanor... this is definitely my youngest son, no doubt about it!’

"Third Brother’s amazing!"

Zhao Wenwu blurted out, recalling the events of the afternoon.

"Today, that horse stuck its butt out and farted, and Third Brother dodged it instantly. He was super fast!"

Song Xiaoyu, who had just walked in, was amused by his words and casually asked.

"So, Wenwu, did you dodge it?"

"Nope. The horse’s stinky fart blasted right into my mouth and all over my face. It made me throw up!"

The moment Zhao Wenwu finished speaking, the smile on Song Xiaoyu’s face froze.

Chen Yanmei also snapped her head up to look at her second son’s face—or more accurately, at the suspicious black specks on it.

The next moment, she snatched the feather duster from the wall!

"Zhao Wenwu, you got crap blasted on your face and you didn’t even wipe it off? How disgusting! You filthy pig, I’m gonna beat you to death!"

Zhao Wenwu scrambled up and started running back and forth on the kang, taunting his mother as he dodged.

"Heh heh, can’t catch me, can’t catch me!"

"You little rascal, you’re still trying to provoke me! Stop running!"

"I’m gonna run, I’m gonna run, heh heh!"

"Go, Second Brother!"

"Go, Second Uncle!"

"Haha, OWW! Zhao Wenwu, you motherfucker, you stepped on me, your own father!"

"Hahaha!"

Watching his chaotic family, Zhao Wendong laughed so hard he pounded the mat on the kang, unable to straighten his back. As he laughed, tears started streaming down his face.

’To be able to live again, with my family still here... it’s so good!’

’I, Zhao Wendong, swear that in this life, I will never let them go hungry or cold again. I’ll make sure our family can always live together happily like this!’

Zhao Wenjun walked in carrying a triangular string bag of millet to this very scene of utter chaos.

Zhao Dashan was on the kang, rubbing his good leg. Chen Yanmei was chasing Zhao Wenwu with a feather duster, trying to beat him. Zhao Wenwu was wiggling his butt and flailing his arms, dodging everywhere. The children were clapping their hands excitedly, shouting encouragement. His wife was standing on the floor, a speechless look on her face. And his third brother, Zhao Wendong, was clutching his stomach, laughing so hard he was crying.

He could only follow his wife’s example, rolling his eyes speechlessly and saying in an exasperated tone.

"No one’s hungry, I take it?"

Then he looked at Song Xiaoyu.

"Honey, I brought the millet back!"

At the mention of food, the room instantly fell silent.

Everyone’s eyes couldn’t help but turn to the grain in Zhao Wenjun’s hands. Shitou and Little Tuanzi even licked their lips.

"Huh? How come you guys still have so much millet?"

Chen Yanmei took the millet and examined it closely, her face full of confusion.

This year, the production team had no grain, so the communal "great pot rice" was stopped. The grain was divided among the families, leaving each to fend for themselves. The grain allotted to her eldest son and daughter-in-law had already been pooled and eaten. They shouldn’t have this much left in storage.

"Um, my brother came over a few days ago, and my parents had him bring some food!"

Song Xiaoyu lowered her head and told a white lie. Chen Yanmei nodded and said no more.

Song Xiaoyu’s family wasn’t from Dragon King Pond, but from another village called Wang Family Tomb, which was closer to the neighboring country. The two villages weren’t far apart and both belonged to Qianjin Commune.

Wang Family Tomb had more arable land than Dragon King Pond, so it was plausible that they would send a little grain to help Song Xiaoyu out.

"Dad and Wendong both need to eat something. I’ll go cook... I’ll cook one bowl!"

No one refuted Song Xiaoyu’s words, nor did they think there was anything wrong with only cooking for Zhao Wendong and Zhao Dashan.

It was a common understanding, for adults and children alike, not to eat before bed.

The logic was that you weren’t hungry when you were asleep, so food should be saved for the daytime whenever possible. That made it easier to get through another day.

But Zhao Wendong had been reborn. How could he watch his family go to bed hungry again? He didn’t want to live another day of those memories—waking up in the middle of the night from hunger, his stomach churning with acid reflux.

Zhao Wendong sat right up, his expression serious.

"Sister-in-law, cook four bowls of rice. The whole family will eat together!"

"What?"

His family members spoke in unison, thinking they had misheard.

"Sister-in-law, cook four bowls of rice. We’ll all eat. You sleep better on a full stomach, and you have more energy!"

"Don’t worry about having nothing to eat later. I’ll go to the Commune tomorrow and get some grain. I can also go hunting in the mountains and fishing in the sea. I can definitely support our whole family!"

"What? Why are you all staring at me? You don’t believe what I, Zhao Wendong, say?"

"I believe you! Third Brother is the best!"

Little Tuanzi immediately raised her small hand, supporting Zhao Wendong without a hint of hesitation.

Song Xiaoyu was undecided and looked to Chen Yanmei. Cooking at night—and for the whole family, no less—was something that would get them scolded by the entire village for being unable to manage their household properly.

Chen Yanmei was also conflicted. She was incredibly pleased with Zhao Wendong’s behavior today. Even though he was still being a spendthrift—wanting to cook four bowls of rice for the whole family at once—he had just started showing initiative. She couldn’t bring herself to refuse, especially for fear of crushing her youngest son’s newfound confidence.

"Alright, let’s listen to Dongzi. We’ll consider it a celebration for the head of the house’s safe return!"

"Yay! We get to have porridge!"

"Porridge is the best! Little Tuanzi loves porridge the most!"

Shitou and Little Tuanzi cheered with excitement, and Zhao Wendong broke into a happy smile as well.

Well water was poured into the stove, which had been silent for two days. Chen Yanmei and Song Xiaoyu carefully washed the millet, afraid of wasting even a single grain.

As the firewood burning in the stove generated heat, the water in the pot began to bubble, and the aroma of millet slowly filled the air.

Zhao Wenwu, along with Shitou and Little Tuanzi, squatted in a row, sniffing the fragrant air with all their might as if in a competition, afraid they would miss out if they took a smaller whiff.

Soon, a large pot of steaming, golden, and thick millet porridge was brought to the table. A kerosene lamp was luxuriously placed on a paint-chipped floor cabinet, casting a dim light throughout the room.

It was called a dining table, but it was just a few wooden planks nailed together. This era was completely different from the future; not only was finding enough food and warmth an issue, but the scarcity of materials was also unimaginable.

Chen Yanmei ladled out a full bowl first and handed it to Zhao Dashan.

"Honey, eat up. You need to get your strength back!"

She then ladled out another full bowl and handed it to Zhao Wendong.

"You were unconscious for almost two days and haven’t eaten a thing. And you tired yourself out going up and down the mountain today. Drink up and replenish your energy. There’s more when you’re done!"

Next were Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Wenwu, and finally the women and children.

Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Wenwu got large half-bowls, while she and the children got small half-bowls.

"Mommy, if we eat today, will... will there be more tomorrow?"

Little Tuanzi asked worriedly. Her voice was adorable, a soft, sweet, childish lilt.

She remembered that the last time she’d eaten porridge this thick was a very, very long time ago.

"Yes, don’t worry and eat up! From now on, Brother San won’t just let you have porridge today, he’ll make sure you have a full belly at every meal!"

Before Chen Yanmei could answer, Zhao Wendong patted his sister’s head and cut in.

"Yay!"

Little Tuanzi happily picked up her bowl and started drinking from the unchipped side.

"Mom, this is too much porridge for me. I’m little and can’t eat this much. You help me eat some."

Shitou pushed his bowl in front of his mother, Song Xiaoyu.

Zhao Wendong’s heart stirred. He looked up at this nephew who was so hazy in his memories.

’He knows how to dote on his mom at such a young age. Looks like this nephew is a good kid. The worst one in the Zhaos’ family really was me!’

"Mom has enough to eat. You eat it, Shitou!"

Song Xiaoyu looked at her son with gratification.

Seeing Shitou still trying to give it away, Zhao Wendong also patted his little head.

"Shitou, listen to your mom and eat it yourself. You have to eat a lot to grow up fast. The faster you grow up, the sooner you can go up the mountain with me to get food for the family!"

"Okay, Uncle!"

Shitou nodded and also picked up his bowl, starting to drink carefully.

For a moment, the room was filled with the sound of slurping. The low, dilapidated adobe house, the wobbly table, a simple bowl of millet porridge, no comfortable surroundings, no side dishes—but this bowl of porridge, enjoyed in the company of his family, was exceptionally fragrant. It was the best meal Zhao Wendong had ever eaten in his life.

Everyone drank very slowly. Partly because it was hot, and partly because it had been so long since they had tasted such thick, sweet millet porridge, they wanted to let the delicious flavor linger in their mouths for a little longer.

At Zhao Wendong’s insistence, the rest of the millet porridge was also divided up and eaten by the family. Adults and children alike licked their bowls so clean they were shinier than if they had been washed.

After this meal, everyone was about sixty or seventy percent full, and the volume of their voices unconsciously grew a little louder. After eating, Zhao Wenjun took his wife and child back to their own house next door.

Little Tuanzi felt warm all over, the usual cold and hunger gone. She gave a sweet smile and looked at Zhao Wendong.

"Third Brother, Little Tuanzi is so happy."

The next second, when Zhao Wendong looked at her again, she had already closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

That night, everyone in Zhao Wendong’s family slept an especially sound and peaceful sleep.

The next morning, as soon as Zhao Wendong woke up, he frantically looked beside him. He saw Little Tuanzi curled up like a shrimp and his second brother with drool all over his face, and only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.

’Even though I’m sure it’s not a dream, I was still worried I’d wake up and be back in my future life. Thank goodness what I was worried about didn’t happen. Thank heavens!’

Zhao Wendong slowly sat up, quietly got dressed, and put his feet on the floor.

"My youngest, what are you doing up? Sleep in a little longer!"

Chen Yanmei, who was busy outside the house, chided him with a hint of concern.

"Heh heh, I woke up because I had to pee!"

After saying that, Zhao Wendong ambled to the back of the house and untied his waistband.

The next second, his pupils abruptly widened, all sleepiness instantly gone.