I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

The crowd of onlookers slowly dispersed. After all, the excitement was over, but the trading had to continue. Zhao Wendong went around greeting the guys who had helped him, and after a long round of pleasantries, they finally left excitedly with their own crews. Every one of them had a proud look on their face—the pride of having helped Zhao Wendong. The militia squad had long since returned to their posts, leaving only Zhang Dadan and a few others by his side.

"Hehe, Brother Dong, you’re the man! That was so badass!"

"Trying to outnumber our Brother Dong. I’m dying of laughter."

"Yeah, didn’t you see? As soon as our brothers showed up, those hooligans from the county seat looked like their eyes were about to pop out of their heads in fear, haha."

Zhao Wendong chatted with them for a bit before looking at Zhang Dadan.

"What were you doing in the prefecture? I went to your house to look for you, but you weren’t home."

"Hehe, just went to clear my head, see the world a bit."

"Yeah, that I did. So, Brother Dong, what did you need me for?"

"Nothing much. Oh, right, I’m getting married on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Let all the brothers know, and tell them to come for the wedding feast. And invite everyone who helped out just now, too!"

The moment Zhao Wendong finished speaking, everyone nodded excitedly. Zhang Dadan even thumped his chest so hard it boomed.

"Don’t you worry, Brother Dong! I’ll make sure everyone gets the message."

After Zhang Dadan and his group left, Zhao Wendong walked over to the young man. Zhao Wenwu had already brought back his half-sack of Forest Frogs, as well as the two sacks of sand mixed with cornmeal that belonged to Tao Dongdong.

"Hehe, Third Brother, I knew there’d be a fight if I went out with you."

Zhao Wenwu had had a satisfying fight today. He was grinning from ear to ear, his face alight with a happy smile. Zhao Wendong shot him a glance and said, somewhat irritably,

"They had so many people, and you just charged in by yourself? Are you stupid? Didn’t you think to call for me?"

"But I am stupid!"

Zhao Wenwu had an innocent look on his face, which almost made Zhao Wendong laugh in exasperation. Just then, the young man beside them scrambled to his feet, dropped to his knees with a THUD, and began to kowtow to Zhao Wendong. Zhao Wendong was a step too slow; by the time he pulled the boy up, he had already kowtowed several times with loud thuds.

"Thank you, Big Brother. Thank you for helping me."

The young man’s clear face showed no trace of dejection or cowardice; he didn’t seem like a boy of fourteen or fifteen at all. Zhao Wendong patted his shoulder.

"Are you alright? Do you want to go to the clinic to get checked out?"

"I’m fine, no need."

After speaking, the young man turned to look at Little Tuanzi. When he was at his most helpless, it was this little sister who had suddenly appeared, bringing him a glimmer of light.

"Thank you, little sister."

"You’re welcome!"

Having been thanked, Little Tuanzi’s eyes crinkled up into crescents as she smiled so hard they almost disappeared. She happily wiggled her little bottom and scurried toward Zhao Wendong on her short legs. Zhao Wendong swept her up in his arms, then reached out to pet Little Xiaobai, who was in Lin Zhiyin’s arms. The little fellow had performed well just now, showing great loyalty in protecting its master. ’If I hadn’t heard its thoughts,’ he mused, ’I really might not have been able to get here in time. With so many people on Tao Dongdong’s side, something bad could have easily happened.’

"Which production team are you from?"

With the matter settled, Zhao Wendong asked the young man which production team he was from, planning to take him to his team leader and ensure he got home safely. But upon hearing this, the young man just shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Big Brother, I’m not from your Qianjin Commune. I’m from Song Family Village in the neighboring Minle Commune. We’ve run out of food at home, and I heard there was a market here, so I rushed over to try and trade for some grain."

"Oh, from Minle Commune, huh? That makes things complicated... Huh? Wait! What did you just say your village was called?"

"Song Family Village."

The young man looked at Zhao Wendong in confusion, wondering why this ’Big Brother,’ who had been so cool and composed, had suddenly become so agitated.

Zhao Wendong looked toward Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying, seeking confirmation about the words the man on the mountain had uttered right before he died.

"The Hunter we met in the mountains... before he died, didn’t he say ’Send home’?"

"That’s right! Oh... ’Send home’... ’Song’s home’... Song Family Village?"

The moment Lin Zhiyin said it, realization dawned. She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at the young man. At that moment, hearing their conversation, the boy’s clear, resolute expression suddenly crumbled. Tears streamed down his face as he collapsed to the ground, wailing in agony.

After a long while, the young man wiped away his tears and spoke, his voice filled with grief.

"Big Brother... did you meet my father and my uncle? They went into the mountains to hunt a while ago and never came back. Everyone said something must have happened to them... I never expected to hear news of them from you, Big Brother. Are they... are they both dead? How did they die?"

"They ran into a Wolf Pack. They were surrounded. By the time we found them, it was too late. But... it might not have been your father and uncle. What did they look like? What were they wearing? What kind of hunting rifles were they carrying?"

The young man described them, one detail after another. After Zhao Wendong confirmed everything, he found that all the details matched. The two men were indeed the boy’s relatives. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. ’From the sound of it,’ he thought, ’he must be the son of the younger man, the one who died last. I guess I’m bound to this family by some fate. I couldn’t save his father, but I saved his son.’

"It was getting dark, and it was a long way back, so we couldn’t bring them with us. We buried them in a snowdrift."

Hearing this, the young man tried to kneel and kowtow again, but he was pulled to his feet. Instead, he bowed deeply to them over and over.

"Thank you, Big Brother. You not only helped me, but you also preserved the bodies of my father and uncle. I, Guan Yongguang, will never forget your incredible kindness. There are no men left in the family now, and everyone in the village is struggling, so it might be a while before I can bring my father and uncle home for a proper burial. But I want to see them first. I... I’d like to ask you for one more favor, Big Brother. Can you take me to see them?"