I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the ground was covered in a blanket of white. A large truck sat alone on the road as fine snow, carried by the biting wind, whipped into the open cargo bed. Zhao Wenwu started pulling out the tattered quilts they had brought to keep warm.

Zhao Tiehua’s cloudy eyes stared at Zhao Wendong for a long moment. She suddenly reached out to touch his face, her rough, chilblain-covered fingers trembling. “Are you really my nephew, Wendong? You do look a bit like Dashan.”

“Of course, Third Aunt!”

Zhao Wendong took her hand, which was ice-cold to the touch. “This is my second brother, Zhao Wenwu, and this is my cousin from my third uncle’s family, Zhao Ergou.”

“Third Aunt!”

Zhao Ergou and Zhao Wenwu both smiled at Zhao Tiehua.

“Oh my god! My nephews are here to save me!”

It suddenly dawned on Zhao Tiehua. Tears streamed down her face as she threw her arms around Zhao Wendong. “Oh, my dear nephew! How did you all get here? I thought I’d never see my family again in this lifetime!”

After a few cries, her head lolled to one side and she fainted dead away.

“Mom, Mom!”

Beside them, Wei Laishun turned pale with fright. He shouted and was about to start shaking Zhao Tiehua.

“It’s okay, don’t move her! She just got overwhelmed. Quick, let’s get Third Aunt into the cab.”

They carried the unconscious Zhao Tiehua into the cab. Niu Yuesheng also came over to help check on her and reassured them with a smile that it was nothing serious. Zhao Tiehua had simply fainted from a combination of weakness and excitement. Her breathing was steady now, and it looked more like she was just asleep.

They laid Zhao Tiehua flat in the cab, letting her head rest on Zhao Wendong’s lap. Wei Laishun faced away from the front, half-crouching, half-squatting to shield her and prevent her from falling off the seat.

The big truck slowly started moving. Zhao Wenwu and Zhao Ergou remained in the cargo bed, wrapped in quilts. With the straw Niu Yuesheng had prepared underneath them, they weren’t too worried about the cold. In the cab, Wei Laishun and Zhao Wendong watched over Zhao Tiehua. Wei Laishun would glance at his deeply sleeping mother, then turn to look at Zhao Wendong.

“Are you really my cousin?”

Wei Laishun couldn’t help but ask again. As far as he knew, his maternal grandfather’s family were also poor farmers. But looking at his cousin, he didn’t seem like one at all.

“Yep, the one and only. You’re Wei Laishun?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me what’s been going on with your family.”

At these words, Wei Laishun’s eyes instantly reddened. He took a moment to compose himself before speaking slowly.

“After my dad died, my older brothers and sisters forced my mom to divide his compensation money. None of them were willing to take care of the two of us, so we lived on our own. This New Year, we completely ran out of food. I took a bracelet that my grandma had secretly passed down to my mom and sold it for something to eat. I never imagined that my eldest brother, Wei Laixi, would… would…!”

Wei Laishun trailed off, unable to continue. He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. ‘How can a blood brother be so ruthless?’

“It’s okay. I’m here now. We’ll settle the score with them later.”

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Wendong’s eyes. Just then, Zhao Tiehua gave a long sigh and slowly began to stir. The two of them immediately fell silent and looked at her.

“Laishun, I just had a dream. I dreamt that you were about to be taken away, and then your cousin, my nephew, came and saved us both.”

Zhao Tiehua opened her eyes, saw her son, and immediately started talking. But as she spoke, she realized something was off. She turned her head to look around. The truck cab… the smiling young man next to her… who else could it be but her nephew from the dream, Zhao Wendong?

“Ah, it wasn’t a dream!”

“Haha, Third Aunt, of course it wasn’t a dream. You were just exhausted and took a little nap. Here, sit up. Have some water, and you and my cousin can have some dry rations to tide you over.”

As he helped Zhao Tiehua sit up, Wei Laishun could finally sit down properly. He had been crouched in an awkward position for a long time and was exhausted. After sitting down, he couldn’t stop stretching his arms and legs. Zhao Wendong found the dry rations and water he’d brought and had them eat a little to fill their stomachs.

Zhao Tiehua and her son hadn’t even been willing to eat much during the New Year. Now, looking at the dry rations and water in their hands, they were still reluctant to eat. Niu Yuesheng, who was driving, chimed in with a laugh.

“Go on and eat, Third Aunt. Eat your fill. The Wendong Brothers are capable men; this little bit of food is nothing to them.”

“That’s right, Third Aunt. You and my cousin, go ahead and eat. Look at our clothes, look at me traveling around in a big truck. Are you really afraid you’ll eat me into poverty?”

The two of them exchanged a glance and then began to eat the cornmeal cakes, carefully. They finished in just a few moments. Seeing that they still seemed to want more, Zhao Wendong didn’t give them any. The main reason was that the cakes were too cold and hard. They could have a proper hot meal once they reached his second aunt’s house.

“Dongzi, are we going home?”

Zhao Tiehua watched the truck speeding along, a flicker of hope appearing in her eyes. It was as if she, Zhao Tiehua, suddenly had a home again.

“First, we’re going to my second aunt’s house to pick them up, and then we’ll all go back together.”

“Oh, good, good.”

Zhao Tiehua was getting emotional. She hadn’t seen her relatives in over thirty years. Having married so far away, she never had the chance to go back and visit. As she thought about it, she remembered her ungrateful wolf of an eldest son, and a fresh wave of anger washed over her. Wiping her tears, she said bitterly,

“Dongzi, you’re a good boy. My second brother was truly blessed. Not like me… after your uncle passed away, my son and I nearly starved to death!”

Zhao Wendong patted her on the back. “Third Aunt, I heard the whole story from Laishun. Don’t you worry, I’ll take care of things for you. Stop being angry for now. Come back with me to Dragon King Pond. From now on, as long as I have food to eat, you and your son will too!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Besides, I’m getting married tomorrow. It’s the perfect chance for you to share in the happy occasion and wash away all the bad luck.”

“Married?”

Zhao Tiehua’s eyes lit up. “Oh my, my dear nephew is starting his own family! Wonderful, wonderful! This is truly joyous news!”