I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

"Alright, I’ll find a place for you."

Zhao Wendong waved at Zhao the Eighth. "Uncle Eight, take my friends to your place to hang out for a while."

Zhao the Eighth’s house always hosted games, so he was used to people coming and going. It was the perfect place for Zhang Dadan and the others. The group cheerfully said their goodbyes to Zhao Wendong and followed Zhao the Eighth to his house to play cards. Meanwhile, Zhao Wendong returned to the mess hall to continue serving the guests in the second sitting. Some of the elders ate during this round as well. The third sitting would be for everyone left in the village.

Zhao Wendong had prepared plenty of food. Even after two full banquet seatings, there was still more than enough for everyone to eat their fill. The whole village, old and young, had a wonderful meal. Of course, they didn’t just eat for free. Many people had pitched in with labor, contributed tables, bowls, and chopsticks, and had gone to the brigade headquarters to record their gifts in the ledger. The amount, whether large or small, was a gesture of their good wishes.

The bustling afternoon passed quickly. After Zhang Dadan and his friends left, the sky began to darken. In the evening, there was a meal for those who had helped, so they simply ate at the public mess hall again. This time, there were far fewer people—only the militia members on sentry duty and the young people who had helped out. The rest of the villagers had all gone home.

After dinner, they went straight to the brigade headquarters. Third Master Zhao pointed to a cloth bag and said, "This is all the gift money from today. And this is the gift ledger." He then took out a thick notebook.

Zhao Wendong opened it and took a look. It listed who gave how much money. Some people had given items, which were also listed. A few had even brought food, probably worried that Zhao Wendong wouldn’t have enough grain for the banquet.

After saying goodbye to Third Master Zhao and the others, they saw off Niu Yuesheng’s family. They had arranged with Niu Yuesheng to come on the seventh day of the month to take Zhao Yinhua’s family back to Dahei Mountain. When Zhao Wendong and the others returned home, Chen Yanmei was holding the money bag, excitedly beckoning to her three daughters-in-law.

"Come on, everyone, let’s count the money."

Luckily, with Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying—one the village accountant, the other the village work-point recorder—they finished counting quickly.

"Oh my goodness, five hundred and twenty-three yuan!"

Chen Yanmei hadn’t expected to receive so much money from her sons’ weddings and was left clicking her tongue in amazement. She had been worried about the cost of the banquet, but now she saw they hadn’t lost money on it after all.

"Here you go, a hundred for each of you. Use it for your own expenses."

Zhao Wendong’s family hadn’t split the household yet, so Chen Yanmei managed all the money. The weddings had emptied their entire savings, but now that she had some cash on hand again, Chen Yanmei was generous, giving each of her three daughters-in-law one hundred yuan.

"Thank you, Mom."

Hearing Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying call her "Mom" so sweetly made Chen Yanmei’s heart bloom with joy. Now that the weddings were over, it was natural for them to change how they addressed her.

"Yes, yes, now you just focus on living a good life together!"

After carefully sorting the rest of the money and locking it in her cabinet, she urged Zhao Wendong and Zhao Wenwu to hurry back and rest.

"It’s been a hectic day, you must be exhausted. Today is your big day, so go on back early."

The implication that she wanted grandchildren was crystal clear. Zhao Wenwu’s eyes lit up, and he grabbed his wife, ready to head back and "go to war."

Zhao Wendong and Lin Zhiyin also said their goodbyes to the family, and then the four of them returned to the new house together. Because it was their wedding night, the visiting relatives had found lodging elsewhere—some at Third Master Zhao’s place, others with neighbors.

"Bro, are we still going into the mountains?"

"Not for now. Let’s get some proper rest."

After speaking, Zhao Wendong fell silent. ’Game in the mountains will only get harder to hunt, and there’ll be less and less of it. To be honest, the prey is just enough to feed the family. It’ll be a good outcome if we can slowly save up for a house. Seeing our friends, family, and fellow villagers wolfing down their food at the banquet today... everyone was so thin, their clothes covered in patches, some wearing layers of tattered rags... it makes me anxious. But I also know that being anxious is useless. The tide of history is not something I can change alone, even as someone who’s been reborn.’

’It’s precisely because of all this belt-tightening now that we can go from being dirt-poor at the founding of the nation to rapidly establishing an industrial system, laying a solid foundation to transform from an agricultural country to an industrial one. The break in relations with the Maozi is also inevitable. The hardest year is coming.’

Zhao Wendong suddenly said, gazing at the night sky, "First, we survive. We live as well as we can. We’ll worry about the rest after next year."

The words startled Lin Zhiyin. She didn’t ask him why he said it. She just held his arm tighter and leaned against his sturdy shoulder. ’Marry a dog, follow the dog; marry a rooster, follow the rooster. Now that I’ve married Zhao Wendong, I will be the woman behind him, supporting him in whatever he does, until our hair turns white and we are never parted.’

That night, Lin Zhiyin was exceptionally proactive, asking for him again and again. Zhao Wendong also cast aside all his worries about the future and focused on the present. During the day, he would meet with the people on the brigade committee to discuss the various affairs of Dragon King Pond. Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying also joined in, and the committee officially expanded to seven members. After that, he would spend time with his grandparents and his second and third aunts. The household registration process for his third aunt and her family had already begun, and their temporary residence was set at Third Master Zhao’s house.

Third Master Zhao’s house only had him and Grandmaster Ai, so it was perfect for the third aunt to stay there. She could help with the cooking and cleaning, and look after the two old men, which made everyone happy. The Zhous had been so happy these past few days they were practically walking on air. Zhou Manku and Zhou Cuicui didn’t want to leave. To them, their grandmother’s home, Dragon King Pond, was a paradise. There was good food and fun things to do. Just the fact that Zhao Wendong and the others took them out every night with flashlights to catch sparrows was enough to make them boundlessly happy.

However, happy times always fly by. In the blink of an eye, it was the seventh day of the month. Zhou Yinhua’s family had to return to Dahei Mountain, and Zhao Wendong had to go to the regional office to receive an award.

"Dad, Mom, we’ll come back to see you next time."

Zhao Yinhua clung to the hands of the old couple, Zhao Chuanhe and his wife, unwilling to let go. The rest of the Zhou Family also had faces full of reluctance.

"Go on back now. Seeing you all doing so well puts our minds at ease. It’s alright, you have Dongzi. When he’s not busy, we’ll have him bring you back for a few days."

Zhao Wendong’s grandmother was more composed than her second daughter, and instead found herself comforting Zhao Yinhua. Zhao Chuanhe stood by, smiling warmly. Although he didn’t say anything, you could tell from his expression that having his two daughters back for a visit had made him much more hale and hearty. Zhao Wendong’s surprise had really worked wonders.

"Grandma, Grandpa, we’re leaving now!"

"Pandi, Laidi, we’re leaving!"

"Bye, Little Tuanzi!"

The little ones were also saying their tearful goodbyes over on their side. Inside, they had already petted the animals over and over again, but they were still reluctant to leave.