I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

"They’re here."

Zhao Wenjun urged Zhao Wenwu to get dressed. Luckily, they were both done washing and were just air-drying. They quickly wiped themselves down, threw on their clothes, and the three of them grabbed their guns and Dahei, rushing toward Zhao Wendong. Zhao Wendong had blown his whistle and was now standing his ground, locked in a standoff with the Northeast Tiger. After a few minutes, he heard his brothers’ footsteps from behind. When the Northeast Tiger saw more people arrive on Zhao Wendong’s side, it backed up a couple of steps and began to pace but kept its eyes fixed on them, showing no sign of leaving.

"Brother San, we’re here."

Zhao Ergou was running at the front. Seeing Zhao Wendong calmed his nerves considerably. Just then, Zhao Wenjun followed Zhao Wendong’s gaze and spotted the golden-striped beast in the distance.

"Holy shit, a tiger!"

Even Zhao Wenwu, hearing his big brother’s shout, quickly aimed his gun forward. Hunting tigers has been synonymous with danger since ancient times. Seeing that the tiger still wouldn’t leave, Zhao Wendong waved his hand.

"Let’s go. Fan out and surround it."

The four men spread out with practiced coordination, forming a skirmish line and steadily closing in on the tiger.

ROAR—!

The Northeast Tiger let out a long roar, sending distant flocks of birds scattering in terror. It was like a show of force aimed at Zhao Wendong’s group, or maybe a warning. They remained unfazed, continuing to advance slowly with their guns raised. The Northeast Tiger grew anxious and began pacing in circles, apparently torn between fleeing and attacking. Zhao Wendong still couldn’t hear its thoughts, wondering if the distance was too great. When they closed to about fifty meters, Zhao Wendong bellowed.

"Fire!"

BANG BANG BANG—!

A volley of shots rang out. The tiger cried out in pain, collapsed, then struggled back to its feet and fled into the distance, a clear trail of blood marking its escape.

"It’s wounded! After it!"

The four brothers excitedly gave chase. Dahuang, leading Dahei, bounded after it, baying loudly. Zhao Wendong quickly called out a warning to Dahuang.

"Dahuang, slow down."

Dahuang glanced back at Zhao Wendong, but it was unclear if the dog understood his meaning. After a frantic chase that left them feeling like their lungs would burst, Zhao Wendong and his brothers finally reached a rock cliff. Dahuang and Dahei were at the edge, barking incessantly toward the cliff face. Dahuang kept looking back over its shoulder.

’Master, hurry!’

Zhao Wendong heard Dahuang’s thought the moment he arrived, a sense of relief washing over him. ’Good boy, Dahuang.’ He wasn’t sure if his earlier warning had worked, but the dog had known to wait for him here. The four men joined Dahuang and Dahei and saw the Northeast Tiger huddled in a sheltered spot at the base of the cliff. It had been shot in the stomach and was lying there, panting as it watched them. It bared its teeth in a threatening snarl, warning them not to approach, but it had lost its earlier domineering presence.

BANG BANG BANG—!

Zhao Wendong fired three consecutive shots at the tiger’s head. At such close range, the tiger had no time to dodge, and every bullet found its mark. With a final, mournful cry, the tiger collapsed with a THUD. It twitched a few times and then fell completely still.

The four men cautiously approached and prodded it a few times. Once they confirmed it was dead, they all broke into excited grins. It was an adult male tiger, its body seeming to stretch over three meters long, and they estimated it weighed at least five or six hundred pounds.

The north wind still howled overhead, but the cliff provided a decent windbreak. Ice crystals clung to Zhao Wenjun’s stubble, formed from his breath freezing during the long chase. He crouched down, his hands trembling, and shakily stroked the tiger’s pelt.

"Oh my god... did we really just kill a tiger?!"

Beside him, Er Gouzi’s legs gave out, and he plopped right down into a snowdrift. He was grinning from ear to ear, but as he laughed, tears started to fall onto the snow. He wiped them away with a rough swipe of his hand.

"Hahaha! No wonder we came up empty yesterday! It was all building up to this! We got a tiger! We’ve hit the jackpot!"

Among the four, only Zhao Wenwu might not have fully understood the value of a tiger. To put it simply, the grain they could trade for this single animal would be enough to feed their family until spring, if they were frugal. It was no wonder they were ecstatic; even Zhao Wendong couldn’t hide his excitement. This was the first tiger he had hunted in two lifetimes. The man-eating tiger from before didn’t count—that one had been shredded by a submachine gun. This time, although they still had the advantage of powerful firearms, it was at least a proper hunt.

"Quick, tie it up and bleed it out. Be careful not to mess up the pelt."

"You got it."

Zhao Wenwu shouldered the tiger’s carcass, found a large tree, and tied it up. The four brothers excitedly began to drain its blood, making a precise cut on the major vessels of the neck to avoid damaging the pelt. Once all the blood was collected, they started skinning it. A light incision ran from the chin to the base of the tail, cutting only skin, not flesh. After removing the hide, they laid it flat to dry. Zhao Wendong personally handled the most valuable parts, like the gallbladder. Then there were the bones, the fat, the tendons, and more—every part of a tiger was a treasure. The last step was to butcher the meat, cutting it into manageable pieces for easy transport. ’Life is hard for humans now, so the animals suffer too,’ Zhao Wendong mused. ’It’s only later, when life improves and they’re protected, that they’ll start to have it good again.’

"This thing is definitely over six hundred pounds. What a beast."

"Hahaha, I can’t believe we just stumbled upon it today."

As Zhao Wenjun and the others were talking excitedly, a white figure suddenly appeared. Dahuang and Dahei barked at it twice, then ignored it. It was Xiaobai, who had been missing for several days. How it had managed to track them all the way here was a mystery.

’So scary! Isn’t that the King? Don’t you look at me, you stinky human!’

Seeing Zhao Wendong’s gaze land on it, the white fox gave a very human-like shiver, turned, and ran off again. It didn’t even look back when Zhao Wenwu called after it. Zhao Wendong found it amusing. ’This tiger must have been the king of this mountain. As the saying goes, one mountain can’t hold two tigers. This whole area was probably its territory. It seems that cunning little fox knew this tiger.’