Chapter 82: General, Zhen Shan, Zhui Feng
Lin Zhiyin returned to the youth quarters, her mind in a whirl. Zhao Wendong helped her place the burlap sack outside the door, not forgetting to give her a wink.
"Wait for me!"
The other young women inside the room cringed at his cheesy display. Li Juan, who couldn’t stand it, flopped onto the bed and started crying again.
Lin Zhiyin stared at the large burlap sack. It wasn’t just full of daily necessities; Zhao Wendong had said there was food inside too—enough to guarantee she wouldn’t go hungry. He had told her to eat her fill and wait for news of his success. Her mind was in a complete tangle. ’How did I just muddle through and accept all this?’
’Can he really help me? If he were the Commune secretary, I’d feel it was a bit more reliable, but he’s just an ordinary farmer. But what if... what if he actually pulls it off? Does that mean I’ll have to marry him? But I don’t think I’m ready for that!’
Lin Zhiyin began to carefully recall every little detail about Zhao Wendong. As she thought about him, she couldn’t help but blush. For someone who prided herself on being independent and rational, this was an entirely new feeling. The two young women beside her exchanged a look and simultaneously approached, their attitudes suddenly much warmer.
"Zhiyin, is this all from your boyfriend? Such a big sack, what’s inside!"
"Yeah, Zhao Wendong is so good to you! Your boyfriend is really something else!"
’Since Zhao Wendong has his heart stubbornly set on Lin Zhiyin, if we can’t beat her, we might as well join her. Besides, with Zhao Wendong around, no one would dare bully Lin Zhiyin. It’s better to get on her good side. That way, we might at least benefit from the association. If Zhao Wendong is in a good mood, he might give us some food, and this winter won’t be so hard to get through, right?’
Meanwhile, Zhao Wendong walked home under the moonlight, not bothering with his flashlight. He was busy calculating how he could first take Lin Zhiyin to see her parents. ’Her parents starved to death next spring. Their situation probably isn’t great right now. I have to find a way to improve their circumstances first, or the tragedy will just repeat itself next year. Who can I ask for help?’
’The first person I thought of was the highest-ranking official, Jiang Weimin, but I shook my head after a moment’s thought. There’s no way to even get a word in with him. Next is our Commune’s secretary, Yang Wenxue. That won’t work either; we don’t have much of a connection. It seems I’ll have to go to Wang Defa. Wang Defa is my best option right now.’
’Whether it’s visiting Wang Defa or Lin Zhiyin’s parents to help improve their situation, I can’t go empty-handed. Having lived two lives, I’m certainly not that naive. In this day and age, the most precious and reliable currency is definitely food. The leaders aren’t short on ordinary food. I thought of the seals at home. I could bring one, but that still doesn’t seem like enough.’
’I’ll go into the mountains. Tomorrow. I’ll go on another hunt before I leave, stay for a few extra days this time, and get more game. Then I’ll take it with me when I help Lin Zhiyin find her parents.’
When he got home, a lavish spread of food already covered the table. There were two kinds of staple foods, a large basin of a main dish, and two small saucers of pickled vegetables. They were using plenty of seasoning now, too; the aroma filled the air before he even took a bite. Other families in the village couldn’t even eat this well during the New Year.
This was all thanks to Zhao Wendong’s persistence and the subtle influence of their growing food supply and savings. Now, Song Xiaoyu and Chen Yanmei finally dared to cook more. Who would want to go hungry when they could eat their fill?
"Oh my, that Lin Zhiyin really took everything? Third Brother, it looks like this is going to work out for you!"
Song Xiaoyu was a bit surprised to see Zhao Wendong return with only his flashlight. This time, it wasn’t just a few small items and a bit of food; he’d sent big things like a quilt and clothes! Since the girl accepted them, it must mean she was really interested in their Third Brother. If she took so many things and then refused to be with him, she could expect to be drowned in gossip.
"Hehe, just you wait!"
Zhao Wendong was beaming. Lin Zhiyin had already lowered her guard and dropped her pretense, starting to speak to him normally. The fact that she had accepted his gifts meant he was not far from success.
Chen Yanmei couldn’t stand his smug look and gave him a light smack.
"Hurry up and come eat!"
The whole family was waiting for him. Previously, this treatment had been reserved for Zhao Dashan.
At the dinner table, Zhao Wendong watched his family devour their food. These were the moments he felt most content. Seeing his family no longer having to eat slowly and carefully as before, afraid of finishing their meal in just a few bites, and seeing Little Tuanzi no longer hiding biscuits in her sleeves, he felt like the happiest person in the world.
"I’m going out of town in a few days. I’m going to accompany Lin Zhiyin to the county farm to find her parents."
As Zhao Wendong mentioned his plan, the hands of his family members paused mid-meal. Only Zhao Wenwu, Little Tuanzi, and Shitou continued to happily eat the fragrant food.
"Have you thought this through?"
The one who asked was Zhao Dashan. Zhao Wendong had sent so many gifts today; if he now went to meet her parents, it meant their relationship was all but settled. Therefore, Zhao Dashan’s question was also what the rest of the family was most concerned about. After all, Zhao Wendong’s wife would be an important part of the family’s future.
"Yes, I have!"
Zhao Wendong knew what his father meant and nodded without hesitation. ’Putting aside the fact that Lin Zhiyin had spared me in my past life, just her looks, which were prettier than a movie star’s, made it worth it for me, Zhao Wendong, to marry her. As for her family’s political status, it didn’t matter to me since I wasn’t trying to become an official.’
"Alright!"
Zhao Dashan nodded. Seeing Zhao Wendong so resolute, the others said no more and went back to eating. Zhao Wendong then brought up his plan to go into the mountains.
"I’m going up the mountain again tomorrow. I’ll stay a few extra days this time and hunt more game before coming back!"
"Great, I want to go too!"
Zhao Wenwu excitedly raised his hand. Zhao Wenjun also looked at Zhao Wendong with eager eyes.
"Alright, you can both come! Dad, I’m planning to take the dogs. Is that okay?"
Zhao Dashan glanced at the three dogs lying in the outer room. His gaze lingered for a moment on the yellow one before he nodded.
"Take them. By the way, we still haven’t named them!"
"Dahuang, Dahei, Erhei!"
Zhao Wenwu immediately blurted out the names.
"Oh, cut it out. Just eat your food quietly."
Zhao Wendong shot him down immediately. ’These are my dogs; I have to give them proper names.’
"The yellow one is the lead dog. I plan to call him General. Of the two black ones, the nimbler one with the white-tipped ears will be Zhui Feng, and the bigger one will be Zhen Shan!"
"General, Zhui Feng, Zhen Shan... Hey, you know, Third Brother, you’re actually pretty good at naming things. They sound so literary!"
Zhao Wenjun repeated the names and was the first to give a thumbs-up. Little Tuanzi put down her bowl, her face covered in crumbs. In her sweet, childish voice, she called out to the dogs.
"Doggies, Third Brother gave you names! From now on, Dahuang, you’re General! Dahei, you’re Zhen Shan! And Erhei, you’re Zhui Feng! Did you remember that?"
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
Seeing Little Tuanzi call to them, the dogs responded enthusiastically.
Zhao Wendong’s face fell. Hearing Little Tuanzi’s version, he suddenly felt like his grand names were a bit pointless.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing the dejected look on Zhao Wendong’s face, everyone couldn’t help but laugh. The Zhao family had been in high spirits recently, with everyone smiling and laughing every day.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyin was already tucked under her new quilt. She wasn’t an indecisive person; since she had accepted his help, she would just wait and see if Zhao Wendong could deliver. And to be honest, his kindness toward her had made her feel her own resolve wavering. The new quilt was fluffy, soft, and draft-proof. Lin Zhiyin drifted soundly into sleep.
Zhao Wendong and his family also went to bed early. Because they had decided to go up the mountain the next day, and on top of that had stayed up all night the previous night, they all quickly fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, Zhao Wendong was woken by the sound of a loudspeaker. He groggily opened his eyes and heard a loud male voice coming from the brigade’s loudspeaker outside, accompanied by the crackle of static.
"This is China National Radio. It is now time for the ’News and Newspaper Digest’ program! The Chairman said today, ’Hardships are temporary. As long as we unite, man can triumph over nature...’"