I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Before they had finished processing the tiger, Xiaobai, who had left, returned and started calling out incessantly to Zhao Wendong and the others.

’Food, food!’

Zhao Wendong heard its thoughts and smiled. ’This little guy hasn’t helped me find food in a long time. Why is he so eager today?’

"Looks like Xiaobai found something. Wenwu and I will go take a look."

After speaking, Zhao Wendong left Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou behind. As for the butchering, although Zhao Wenwu was strong, his work was too crude. He was feeling a bit idle at the moment, so when he heard this, he leaped to his feet and shouted excitedly.

"Let’s go, let’s go!"

The two of them followed Xiaobai for a few minutes and arrived in a grove full of dead trees. Xiaobai stood on a dead log, flashing an ingratiating smile at Zhao Wendong and his brother. Its face normally looked like it was smiling, but now, Zhao Wendong found its grin a bit cheeky.

Zhao Wendong walked over to the log it was standing on to investigate. He saw a few black dots peeking out from the snow covering the deadwood. A delighted look crossed his face as he brushed all the snow away, revealing large patches of black wood ear mushrooms on the log. They were frozen brittle and fell off at the slightest touch.

"Wendong, are these wood ears?"

Zhao Wenwu craned his neck to get a closer look, his face full of uncertainty.

"Yes, they’re wood ears."

Zhao Wendong gave an affirmative reply, and Zhao Wenwu scratched his head.

"How come they’re so small?"

"They’re frozen from the winter. Let’s hurry up and pick them. They’ll swell up once we soak them."

Zhao Wendong called out to Zhao Wenwu, and the two of them squatted down to start harvesting. They were in a large grove of basswood trees with plenty of dead trunks, nearly all of which were covered in wood ears. Before long, they had picked over half a burlap sack. Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou, who had finished processing the tiger, sent one person over to help. Zhao Wendong didn’t go on the last trip; instead, he brought a bag of mushrooms to the stone cliff to make lunch while waiting for Zhao Wenjun and the others to return.

They had been so busy chasing the tiger that they hadn’t been able to eat lunch on time. They still had a long way to go to get home, so it was best to eat their fill now before setting off. The next time they came into the mountains would be after the New Year, after they were married. By the time Zhao Wendong had heated up the rations and water, he still had to wait a good while before Zhao Wenjun and the other two returned, hauling their sacks.

"We’ve pretty much picked the area clean. There aren’t any more around. Three whole burlap sacks, that’s enough to last a long time."

"Yeah, hurry up and eat. I’ve already had to reheat everything once. After we eat, we’ll head down the mountain and go home."

"Whoo-hoo, we’re going home!"

Zhao Wenwu let out a cheer, and a look of anticipation appeared on Zhao Wenjun’s and Zhao Ergou’s faces as well. When they were at home, they couldn’t wait to get out; once they were out, they missed home. Coming up the mountain was like going to work in a later era—just a means of survival. It was home and family that everyone in this era truly yearned for. Although Xiaobai had returned, feeling it had performed a meritorious deed, it still kept its distance from Zhao Wendong. It crouched beside Zhao Wenwu, looking cautious and wary, occasionally glancing at the dismembered "Great King." Its eyes were filled with the sorrow of a fox mourning a dead tiger.

Dahuang and the other dog had performed very well, so Zhao Wendong specially rewarded them with some of the tiger’s scraps and organs. The two of them were so happy they were wagging their heads and tails; for them, the New Year had come early. By the time they finished eating, it was already past one o’clock. The day’s harvest had completely exceeded their expectations. Zhao Wendong and the others started their journey back with all their things. When they were about halfway, Xiaojin returned, not only dropping off a wild rabbit but also bringing a message.

’Found a target.’

Zhao Wendong said with a smile.

"Let’s go, let’s follow it and see. Xiaojin’s found something. Er Gou, you were right—all of yesterday’s luck must have been saved up for today."

The four of them, laden with all their gear, didn’t have to follow Xiaojin for long before they found the target it mentioned. It turned out to be a lone, massive wild boar, weighing at least three or four hundred pounds. The boar wasn’t as alert as the tiger. By the time it noticed Zhao Wendong and the others sneaking up on it, it was too late to run. It was brought down by a volley of shots, killed instantly.

"Hahaha, today has been a truly bountiful day!"

"This big boar is so fat!"

Zhao Wendong was also incredibly excited. ’They say the ranking "one boar, two bear, three tiger" refers to their danger to humans, not their combat prowess—for that, the order would surely be reversed. But regardless of the ranking, to have encountered and bagged both on this trip... this is a huge harvest.’

At first, everyone was overjoyed, but by the time they finished bleeding the wild boar, the sun was already setting in the west. Staring at the pile of meat and supplies, their excitement faded, replaced by a growing sense of dread. The harvest was truly massive, but it was also going to be a massive pain to carry.

As darkness fell, Zhao Wendong had a wild rabbit and a pheasant tucked into his belt. He held a torch in one hand, while Xiaojin perched on the other. Ahead of them, the two Gouzi also had two small bags of wood ears saddled on their backs. With two full burlap sacks slung over his own, he had to stop and catch his breath every few steps.

"Keep it up, brothers! We’re almost there!"

Behind him were the other three; Zhao Wenwu was carrying the four-hundred-pound wild boar by himself, while Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou were also laden with sacks and gear. Each of them was panting heavily, drenched in sweat.

"Wendong... HUFF... PUFF... if we keep up a haul like this, you think we can add three more rooms to the house come spring?"

"Yeah... Big Bro, you’re right. We’re almost at the stronghold, don’t stop now. Come spring... HUFF... HUFF... we’ll each build a brick and tile house."

Zhao Wendong’s words instantly injected the three brothers with a huge dose of motivation. The thought that they too could live in spacious, bright houses like the supply co-op’s made them feel a sudden surge of energy.

"Go home, build a house!"

Zhao Wenwu let out a great roar and quickened his pace. The others hurried to keep up, heading toward the cave stronghold. Zhao Wendong smiled. ’Though my words were partly for comfort and encouragement, and I know the game will only become scarcer, I wasn’t lying either. The recent harvests have been good, and I have been seriously thinking about adding a couple of rooms.’

By the time the four of them got back to the stronghold, the sky was completely dark. They had originally hoped to get back to the village earlier, but now they were destined to travel in the dark. The four of them took a short rest, and Zhao Wendong prepared some more food for everyone to replenish their energy. He knew there would definitely be food waiting for them at home, but just getting this much stuff back was going to take a tremendous amount of effort.

"Haha, Wendong, you’re the sharpest one!"

Zhao Wenwu hefted a carrying pole onto his shoulder. The wild boar was on one end, and several large chunks of tiger meat were on the other. Even though it added several hundred more pounds, it was actually much easier to carry than the boar alone had been. He couldn’t help but praise Zhao Wendong for the idea.

"Heheh, let’s go."

Zhao Wendong chuckled, and the four of them put the stone door back in place and concealed it again with branches. Only then did they slowly start heading down the mountain. The two carrying poles made a huge difference. Zhao Wenwu and Zhao Wenjun shouldered most of the heavy items, while Zhao Wendong and Zhao Ergou just barely managed the rest. When the four of them reached the foot of the mountain and found their sledge, things became even easier. They loaded all the heavy items onto the sledge, and bathed in the moonlight, the four brothers headed toward Dragon King Pond—toward home.