I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

"How did it go, Dongzi? Did you meet Zhiyin’s parents? Are they doing well? Did they approve of your relationship? What did they think of you?"

The moment he stepped inside, Zhao Yinhua couldn’t help but blurt out the questions that had been plaguing her all day. She had been worried from morning till night, wondering if her nephew’s trip had been successful. This was a matter concerning his entire future, after all.

It was no wonder she was anxious. Lin Zhiyin was just too beautiful. Zhao Yinhua had never seen such a gorgeous girl in her entire life. So now that Zhao Wendong had a chance to marry such a stunning wife, of course Zhao Yinhua was on pins and needles. If Zhao Wendong could really marry Lin Zhiyin, it would mean the ancestors of the Zhaos’ had blessed them. The Zhao Family’s gene pool would be completely upgraded starting from this generation.

"Heh heh, of course everything went smoothly! When your nephew is on the job, he gets it done right. No problems at all!"

"When I went over, my father-in-law and mother-in-law were so incredibly welcoming. Hey, Second Aunt, look at this pocket watch. My father-in-law gave it to me!"

Zhao Wendong smugly pulled the pocket watch from his coat to show it off to Zhao Yinhua. She didn’t dare to touch it, just stared at it intently, her face breaking into a huge smile.

SMACK!

Someone smacked Zhao Wendong hard on the shoulder. It was Lin Zhiyin, a blush creeping onto her face.

"Zhao Wendong, you’re so shameless! Who are your father-in-law and mother-in-law?"

"Haha, it’s only a matter of time!"

"You’re so thick-skinned!"

Lin Zhiyin was exasperated. All she could do was glare fiercely at him.

Watching the two of them playfully bickering, Zhao Yinhua felt a warm glow inside. A knowing, fond smile spread across her face. Seeing them like this, she was sure she’d be drinking at Zhao Wendong’s wedding feast soon enough.

"Oh, Dongzi, I used to worry that you wouldn’t walk the straight and narrow and would never find a wife. I’m not worried about you anymore, but your second brother... aigh!"

"My second brother? You don’t have to worry about him either. He’s already settling down with someone!"

"Huh?"

Zhao Yinhua was stunned. ’Did I hear that right?’

’Even Zhao Wenwu found a wife? Impossible! In this day and age, what girl would marry Zhao Wenwu!’

"Did your brother find an old widow? Or someone with... issues?"

"My second sister-in-law? She’s from the Central Plains. She’d fallen on hard times and my brother rescued her. She took a liking to how honest and dependable he is and insisted on staying with him!"

"Really?"

Now Zhao Yinhua was truly overjoyed, her eyes crinkling into slits as she beamed.

Zhou Laogen chimed in from the side.

"I’ve heard about that. There’s someone like that in our Commune, apparently. Came up from farther south. They say she’ll stay as long as you can feed her."

"Mewl~"

A high-pitched, babyish animal cry suddenly came from Lin Zhiyin’s arms, and the room fell silent.

"Haha, it’s hungry!"

"Oh, right, right! You two haven’t eaten yet, have you? Are you hungry? The food’s being kept warm in the pot. I’ll bring it out for you right now!"

Hearing Zhao Yinhua’s words, Zhao Wendong just shook his head and smiled.

"Second Aunt, we already ate at the farm. Don’t go to the trouble. It’s not me who’s hungry, it’s this little one!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the little tiger cub that Lin Zhiyin had just pulled from her coat.

"Oh my! Where did this little kitten come from?"

Zhao Yinhua looked completely amazed.

"It’s so cute!"

Little stars practically appeared in Zhou Cuicui’s eyes. Only Zhou Laogen reacted differently, leaping to his feet and staring at the little cub in disbelief, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"Is... is that a tiger cub? Where did you get it?"

"Hahaha, you guys have no idea! Wendong was the hero this time, he was amazing! Let me tell you..."

Zhou Mancang had finally found his chance to speak; he had been bursting to tell the story. He eagerly and animatedly began to recount the day’s events. Lin Zhiyin listened quietly from the side, as she only knew the general gist of what had happened on the mountain.

"Really? That man-eating tiger was actually killed by Dongzi? And he managed to find it? Dongzi, you’re incredible!"

"Dongzi, that Golden Roc of yours is really something else. It’s so smart! It can find things and even catch rabbits."

"It caught another rabbit on the way back? That’s just amazing!"

"But it’s so cold now, and there are so few animals out. How does the Golden Roc manage to catch a rabbit every time? And why does it only catch rabbits?"

Faced with the Zhou Family’s exclamations and questions, Zhao Wendong glanced at the Golden Roc in the outer room. ’I know how it does it,’ he thought. ’It’s simple. The bird holds a grudge.’

Xiaojin had originally been tricked by a rabbit used as bait by Chen the Seventh, which was how he’d been caught in a snare. So the first thing it did upon returning was to catch that rabbit. Now, whenever it sees a rabbit, its eyes practically turn red with fury. But Zhao Wendong couldn’t explain all this to them—no one would believe him anyway. He could only hum and haw, brushing the question aside.

Zhao Wendong cut off a leg from the rabbit the Golden Roc had caught and minced the meat finely. He also got the little tiger cub some fresh water. The moment he brought it over, the cub eagerly crawled forward and began to eat with noisy little snorts.

Zhou Laogen clicked his tongue in amazement as he watched.

"Such a small cub in the middle of winter is really rare. I’ve never even heard of it. But it seems alright. Not a picky eater and full of life. Dongzi, are you planning to raise it?"

Lin Zhiyin quickly looked up at Zhao Wendong, a nervous expression on her face. Zhao Wendong just smiled back at her, signaling that she had nothing to worry about.

"Yeah, Second Uncle. We’ll raise it. The little guy is pretty fun."

Zhou Laogen opened his mouth, but then closed it without saying anything more. He had wanted to advise Zhao Wendong against it. People barely had enough to eat these days, let alone raising a tiger—it would be a bottomless pit. But then he remembered how Zhao Wendong had brought their family so much food on this one visit, and he swallowed his words. His wife’s nephew was clearly a man of great ability. He had surely already thought of the things Zhou Laogen was worried about.

They chatted for a while longer as the sky outside grew darker, and then everyone began to prepare for bed.

"Dongzi, can’t you stay a few more days?"

Zhao Yinhua felt a pang of reluctance when she heard Zhao Wendong say he was leaving tomorrow. Not only had his visit allowed her to see a relative she hadn’t seen in ages, but he had also brought their family so much food, helping them out immensely and giving her a great deal of face. Zhao Yinhua truly, from the bottom of her heart, wished he could stay a few more days.

"I can’t, Second Aunt. There’s a pile of things waiting for me back home. When I get a chance in the future, I’ll come pick you all up to stay with us for a few days, and you can see Grandpa and Grandma!"

"Yes, yes, that sounds good! When you and Wenwu get married, send word to us ahead of time!"

"That’s right, send word!"

Zhou Laogen chimed in, agreeing with his wife, Zhao Yinhua. In past years, they might have skipped visiting, but this year Zhao Wendong had brought them grain. It was too great a favor to ignore. They absolutely had to go back for a visit next year.

"Alright, I’ll definitely send word!"

Zhao Wendong nodded. He wasn’t just thinking about sending word; he was already mulling over ways to bring them all back for a lively reunion.

"Since you’re busy, Dongzi, I won’t try to keep you. You’re leaving first thing in the morning, then? I’ll go prepare some food for your trip."

"No rush, no rush, Second Aunt. We won’t be hauling as much stuff on the way back. It won’t even take a full day to get there."

After speaking, Zhao Wendong picked up the Type 53 carbine and pointed to the bullets in the wooden box.

"Second Aunt, I’m leaving this rifle and these bullets for Second Uncle and my cousin. With this, it’ll be much easier for them to hunt in the mountains. That way, I can go back without worrying about you all."

"What? No, no! You take it back!"

Zhao Yinhua quickly reached out to stop him, while Zhou Laogen slapped his own thigh in alarm.

"Aiya, Dongzi, we can’t take this! It’s far too valuable!"

As a Hunter, who wouldn’t want a good rifle? But even the cheapest decent gun cost several dozen yuan. A military-grade Type 53 carbine like this would cost eighty to a hundred yuan at the very least, and you couldn’t even be sure of finding one for sale. For a Hunter, owning such a rifle would be like giving a tiger wings.