I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

As they were talking, Niu Yuesheng, who had been watching the road ahead, suddenly looked grim. “Brother Wendong,” he warned loudly, “there are logs blocking the road up ahead. Someone put them there.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wendong’s expression hardened. He immediately grabbed the Type 56 carbine, flipped off the safety, and chambered a round. The series of movements was incredibly smooth and practiced. Beside him, Wei Laishun couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Why does my cousin have the air of a bandit?’

The large truck slowly came to a halt. Two logs, each as thick as a water vat, lay across the middle of the road ahead. Figures moved in the woods nearby. It was clearly a holdup.

Zhao Wendong slapped the back of the truck bed. “Er Gou, we’re being robbed. You two stay alert. Second Brother, don’t get out of the truck.”

“Oh.”

Zhao Wenwu was the most obedient to Zhao Wendong. He had been about to jump down the moment he heard “robbery,” but he immediately stopped. Following Zhao Ergou’s lead, he took the Type 38 rifle from his back and worked the bolt. In the driver’s seat, Niu Yuesheng also pulled a Type 54 pistol from his coat. The transport team issued one to every driver, as the large trucks were important assets and were usually escorted on long journeys.

In these years of famine, anything could happen. It wasn’t unusual for desperate people with nowhere to turn to resort to robbing travelers on the road.

Seeing the truck slowly stop, four men eagerly rushed out from the woods. They were all sallow and emaciated, wearing multiple layers of tattered cotton jackets. They carried wooden clubs and kitchen cleavers. Their faces were wrapped in so many layers of old rags or scarves that only their eyes and frost-covered eyebrows were visible.

The leader shouted, “Leave the stuff in the truck! Or don’t blame us for what happens next!”

Zhao Tiehua, frightened, hid behind Wei Laishun, who nervously clenched his fists.

Zhao Wendong simply stuck his rifle out the window. The four men were instantly scared stiff, not daring to move. Zhao Wendong waggled the muzzle, his tone tinged with amusement. “Robbing me? You’ve got a death wish. Scram, before I start shooting!”

“Brother Yong, they have a gun.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

Hearing his men, the leader hesitated. They had been waiting for a long time and had only just caught Zhao Wendong’s group. He really couldn’t bear to let them go.

Thinking of his wife and children at home, the leader, Brother Yong, braced himself and shouted, “So what if you have a gun? You think you’d dare to shoot? You…”

BANG! BANG! BANG—!

Before he could finish, three shots rang out. Zhao Wendong fired as if the bullets were free, kicking up three plumes of white from the snow around the four men.

“Holy crap!”

The four men cried out in alarm and took off running, disappearing into the woods in the blink of an eye. Brother Yong was the fastest of them all. They truly hadn’t expected Zhao Wendong to be so ruthless, firing his gun just like that.

“I’ll move the logs.”

Seeing the men had fled, Zhao Wenwu jumped down from the truck bed. Zhao Wendong and Zhao Ergou remained on guard, their guns trained on the surroundings. Wei Laishun shifted, closing his jaw which had been hanging wide open, and volunteered, “I’ll go help Second Brother move them.”

“No need. Second Brother can handle it himself.”

Zhao Wendong shook his head, turning him down. Wei Laishun was stunned again. Those logs had to weigh at least three or four hundred pounds. ‘What does he mean, Zhao Wenwu can handle it himself?’

Zhao Wenwu quickly answered his unspoken question. He strode over, bent down, wrapped his arms around one of the logs, and bellowed, “UP!”

He hoisted the massive, vat-thick log directly onto his shoulder, then, as if it were a piece of firewood, casually tossed it to the side of the road. It landed with a THUD in the snow, sending up a spray of white powder.

He dealt with the other log even more simply, lifting it with both hands and just flinging it to the roadside. The whole sequence of movements was perfectly fluid, leaving Wei Laishun dumbfounded. “S-Second Brother… th-that’s… that’s an insane amount of strength, isn’t it?”

“Second Brother is a badass!”

Zhao Wendong gave the returning Zhao Wenwu a thumbs-up. Zhao Wenwu grinned, proudly held his head high, and climbed back into the truck bed. The truck started up again, and Niu Yuesheng said with a somewhat helpless tone as he gripped the steering wheel,

“This is the border between our county and Yin County. It’s basically a no-man’s-land, which is why they come here to rob people. If one county investigates, they just run and hide in the other.”

“They’re just a bunch of desperate folks. No need to get worked up over them.”

Zhao Wendong just smiled, completely unconcerned. His nonchalant attitude left Zhao Tiehua and Wei Laishun stunned. Somehow, Zhao Wendong seemed to have more swagger than the highest-ranking official they had ever met.

“Dongzi, have you… have you become a high-ranking official?”

Zhao Tiehua asked cautiously.

“Just the village’s Civilian Militia Captain. Not an official.”

“Then how are you… how are you so…”

Zhao Tiehua struggled for a long time but couldn’t find the right word. Niu Yuesheng chimed in from the side to help her finish.

“So badass, right?”

“Yes, yes, that’s it.”

Only after nodding did Zhao Tiehua feel it was a bit improper to speak like that in front of the younger generation, but Niu Yuesheng was already roaring with laughter.

“What’s this? He’s done way more badass things than this! Third Aunt, you’ll find out once you get back home!”

“Huh?”

Now Zhao Tiehua and Wei Laishun were completely bewildered. Niu Yuesheng knew the roads and directions well. The truck sped along, and after about another half an hour, Dahei Mountain Village came into distant view. Figures at the village entrance saw the approaching truck and stopped to watch. When they saw the truck pull up and park in front of Zhou Laogen’s house, they immediately started gossiping with the people next to them.

“Looks like the Zhou’s have really made it!”

“Yeah. Their Mancang became the Civilian Militia Captain, and even Chen the Seventh is a deputy captain now. What can you do?”

“They earned that by risking their necks and distinguishing themselves last time. If you’re so jealous, why don’t you go risk your own life fighting spies?”