I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Knowing Zhao Wendong had a lot of goods, Yang Wenxue arranged for two horse-drawn carts. With the Dragon King Pond militia there, the farmhands who accompanied the carts didn’t even have to do the work themselves. The militiamen all pitched in to help, and the pigs and chickens were loaded in no time. Many of the militiamen were also carrying large and small bags, full of food and supplies they had managed to get by trading at the big market, taking advantage of their rare trip to the Commune.

"Brother Dong, thank you so much."

As they were about to leave, Li Dawei grabbed Zhao Wendong’s hand, thanking him profusely. ’Could you please go back to your old, defiant self?’ Zhao Wendong thought, even as he humbly waved his hand in dismissal.

"What is there to thank me for, Brother Li? The militia helping to maintain order at the market was a collective decision by the committee. It wasn’t my call alone."

Li Dawei shook his head, disagreeing.

"It’s not just about your help this time. Our Commune has been much more peaceful lately. We’ve caught several thieves who were stealing grain, and your brothers have been a huge help with that."

Zhao Wendong was pleased to hear this and teased him with a smile.

"In that case, try not to drag the brothers in for a ’lecture’ at the drop of a hat. These guys who wander the streets all day aren’t actually bad people, they’re just bored. What’s that old saying again?"

"That’s it! A hero with no stage to perform on!"

As soon as Zhao Wendong said it, Li Dawei broke into a wide grin.

"Hahaha! Alright, alright, I get it, Brother Dong! You’re right. My methods were flawed in the past. From now on, I’ll cherish these heroes, and we’ll help each other out."

"Brother Li, you’ve been enlightened!"

Zhao Wendong gave him a thumbs-up, then smiled and led his men out of the Commune courtyard. Watching Zhao Wendong and his militia disappear into the distance, Yang Wenxue was filled with admiration.

"Comrade Wendong’s way with words is getting more and more impressive."

"You bet! I absolutely love chatting with my Brother Dong now!"

Li Dawei had the look of a complete suck-up, which gave Yang Wenxue a headache. What happened to the outstanding public security officer, the model special agent he was supposed to be?

As the carts passed the purchasing station, Zhao Wendong told the militiamen to take them ahead to Liangzi’s house to help with loading. He, meanwhile, planned to check in on Old Zheng. The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he heard the thoughts of a big black dog nearby.

’This person smells like Xiaohuang and the others.’

Zhao Wendong turned to look at the big black dog, Dahei. He could tell Old Zheng treated it well; not only was it not skinny, it had actually gotten a bit chubby. It regarded people with an arrogant sidelong glance. Zhao Wendong circled it twice, his curiosity growing. The dog didn’t look like a local mutt at all; it resembled a Golden Retriever from a later era. ’So this is the one who said Dahuang and the others were good hunting dogs,’ he thought. ’It’s still thinking about Dahuang, so it must be a good dog-friend of his. I should bring Dahuang over for a visit next time.’

Inside the purchasing station, the room was packed with over a dozen people, all taking advantage of the big market to sell their goods. Old Zheng was behind the counter, so busy he was running off his feet. He didn’t even have time to look up when the door chimed.

"Ah, Zhao Wendong."

"Captain Zhao."

"Brother Dong."

The people in the room turned, and a variety of greetings filled the air. Zhao Wendong glanced around; seeing no close acquaintances, he simply smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. He walked down the path the crowd had parted for him, right up to the counter. By now, Old Zheng had heard the commotion and looked up, his face lighting up with pleasant surprise at the sight of Zhao Wendong.

"Brother Dong, you’ve finally come to see me! If you’d stayed away any longer, I would’ve thought you’d forgotten me."

Seeing a man nearly forty years old putting on such a pitiful expression, Zhao Wendong couldn’t help but laugh.

"Get out of here. What are you, some drama queen? Quit with the theatrics. I’m busy, just dropped by to see how you are. So, how’s it been?"

"Hehe, couldn’t be better."

Old Zheng grinned, looking pleased with himself. After earning merit for his role in the Hai Pangtou affair, life was treating him very well. What’s more, Wang Defa had mentioned promoting him to a position back in the county. But he was reluctant to leave Big Sister Hua and wasn’t keen on going back.

"Oh, right. Brother Dong, these are for you."

Old Zheng remembered something, quickly bending down to retrieve a small paper packet from under the counter. Zhao Wendong opened it to find two lighter wicks, a few pieces of flint, and two other items: iron whistles shaped like the number six.

"Well now, these are something else!"

Zhao Wendong picked one up to examine it, his eyes showing his satisfaction.

"Hehe, not bad, right? I’ve got a good eye. I took one look and knew you could use these in the mountains, Brother Dong. I figured you’d like them, so I set these two aside for you. And as for these parts, if your lighter runs out of flint or wick, you can replace them yourself. You’ve got kerosene at home, right?"

"Of course. Don’t you worry about it."

Zheng Guangrong was in charge of the purchasing station, which was essentially an official pawn shop. He often came across all sorts of rare and valuable items, and he would secretly set some aside for himself, covering the "losses" by making small adjustments elsewhere. This was a classic case of "living off the mountain." The fact that he could say such things so openly in front of a crowd without anyone batting an eye just showed that, in these times, unspoken conventions were often the real rules.

"Alright, all these people are waiting to sell their things and go home. I should get going."

Before Old Zheng could even ask him to stay, the crowd started calling out as soon as Zhao Wendong finished speaking.

"We’re not in a hurry, Brother Dong!"

"It’s fine, Captain Zhao! You two take your time and chat."

"You may not be in a hurry, but I am! I’ve got to get home to my wife!"

Zhao Wendong nodded to Old Zheng, smiled, and left. His parting shot made everyone in the room roar with laughter—a laughter so loud it was as if not laughing would be a crime against humanity. Someone held the door open, preventing it from closing, as the whole group watched Zhao Wendong walk out of the courtyard and disappear from view, looking for all the world like a crowd of modern-day fans.