I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: The Widow

Zhao Wendong looked at Zhao Wenwu in pleasant surprise.

”Second Brother, what are you tsking about?”

”That woman’s ass and tits are so plump. Does she eat meat every day?!”

Zhao Wenwu answered, his eyes full of envy.

Zhao Wendong slapped his forehead. ’What was I even expecting?’

He turned his head to the other side and saw a man as skinny as a stick, wearing a pair of glasses with a broken arm. A loose, padded cotton coat hung awkwardly on his frame. He looked to be about the same age as his second brother.

”What are you tsking about?”

The man raised his eyebrows and smiled. ”The same thing you’re tsking about, of course!”

After speaking, he pursed his lips at Zhao Wenwu. ”Brother, three square meals can’t compare to burying it three inches deep, hehehe!”

Then, he and Zhao Wendong exchanged a knowing glance and snickered in unison.

Zhao Wendong found his roguish manner particularly familiar, as if he were looking at the man he himself had been just yesterday.

”Comrade, I’m looking for the back street to the west, the one with three poplar trees by the gate...”

”You’re going to Big Wang’s place to trade?”

”Yeah.”

Zhao Wendong wasn’t sure if that was the place, but there was probably only one family in the entire Commune doing this kind of business, so he just gave a vague nod of agreement.

”Come on, I’ll take you!”

The man was warm-hearted. He grabbed them and started walking, his mouth not stopping for a moment the entire way.

”My name is Li Dong. I’m an educated youth from Shanghai. Everyone calls me Little Shanghai. Because I know a little about mechanics, the county’s Educated Youth Office assigned me to work at the agricultural technology station.”

”What are you trading for at Big Wang’s place? Did Old Skinflint Zheng tell you about it? He’s never generous enough to give anyone directions. Is he a relative of yours?”

”By the way, what are your names?”

Zhao Wenwu had been bursting to speak but couldn’t get a word in. He quickly jumped in to answer.

”I’m Zhao Wenwu, and this is Third! Third’s amazing! He killed a wolf yesterday. I’m amazing too, I’m really strong!”

Seeing Little Shanghai’s confused expression, Zhao Wendong gave him an apologetic smile and pointed to his own head, indicating that his second brother had a little problem up there.

”I’m Zhao Wendong, and this is my second brother, Zhao Wenwu. He suffered from aftereffects from a high fever a while back.”

”Hey! It’s nothing. You’re incredible, brother, actually managing to kill a wolf.”

”There’s a food shortage everywhere this year, so meat is hard currency right now. *Cè na!* Too bad I’m flat broke, otherwise I’d definitely buy a piece of wolf meat to try. I haven’t eaten meat in so long, and I’ve never had wolf before. Is it good?”

”Not really. It’s very gamey and sour. But if you boil it until it’s tender, the taste is alright. You want to try some? I still have a bit at home. Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?”

”*Cè na!* Wendong, you’re a true friend! But forget it, I have to be on duty tonight. Maybe some other time. This damn place... there’s nothing to do all day, it’s boring as hell. But there are some nice sights next to the agricultural technology station.”

As Little Shanghai spoke, his expression shifted, gradually returning to the lecherous look from before.

”Hehe, that woman from just now is the prettiest widow in the Commune, they call her Big Sister Hua. What do you think? Isn’t she a knockout! *Cè na*, that face, those huge knockers, tsk tsk tsk.”

As he spoke, his eyes glazed over again, and he clearly drifted off into some kind of indescribable fantasy land.

As a result, he wasn’t paying attention and stepped into a patch of crusted snow on the side of the road. Zhao Wendong had quick reflexes and yanked him back, saving him from falling in completely. In the Northeast, these snow crusts can be very deep in winter; the deepest ones can swallow a person whole, right over their head.

Little Shanghai scrambled out on all fours and coughed awkwardly a couple of times.

”*Cè na*, sorry! I was spacing out!”

Zhao Wendong smiled and asked him.

”I keep hearing you say ’*cè na*.’ What does it mean?”

”Oh, it’s a word from my Shanghai dialect. It means the same thing as ’shit’ or ’fuck.’ Hehe, after being here two years, I’ve mostly picked up the Northeast accent, but that’s one piece of my hometown dialect I can’t shake.”

”More like you don’t want to change it, right?”

Zhao Wendong gave him a look that said, ’I see right through you.’

”*Cè na!* You’re sharp, brother, figuring that out. Yeah, you’re right, I don’t want to change it. A man’s got to remember who he used to be!”

”We’re here. This is the place!”

Little Shanghai pointed to a house with three poplar trees by the entrance and led the way inside.

”Big Wang! Hey, Big Wang!”

As soon as Little Shanghai’s shouts faded, the door of the mud-brick house was pushed open from the inside.

”Coming, coming! Little Shanghai, what’re you yelling for? Trying to summon a ghost?”

A man, just over five feet tall with large eyes, appeared in the doorway, bellowing in a disgruntled voice.

Zhao Wendong froze when he saw the man.

’I know this guy. He’s Wang Heping, the future first ’ten-thousand-yuan household’ in Qianjin Commune. I just never expected him to have such a contradictory nickname.’

Big Wang sized up Zhao Wendong and his brother, his gaze lingering for a moment on the bundle on Zhao Wenwu’s back. His expression immediately warmed by several degrees.

”Quick, brothers, come on in and warm up!”

After they went inside and sat down, Zhao Wendong didn’t waste any time. He had Zhao Wenwu take everything out and place it on the low dining table set on the floor, then explained their purpose for coming.

Big Wang nodded. He took the items Zhao Wendong had brought and inspected them carefully, then took out a steelyard scale to weigh them.

The scales back then were all the handheld type and could only weigh several dozen pounds at most. Anything heavier was impossible to lift and had to be weighed in batches.

”Nineteen pounds of wolf meat. I won’t weigh the set of wolf offal separately.”

”Since you’re friends of Old Zheng and Little Shanghai, you’re one of us, not an outsider. Let’s get straight to business.”

”Brother, do you want to trade this stuff for cash or for other goods?”

Zhao Wendong had done this kind of trading many times in his past life, so he knew the ropes.

During this period, the private sale of materials, especially grain, was forbidden. However, mountain goods, fish, and self-raised poultry and other agricultural byproducts were not on the prohibited list. The authorities also tended to turn a blind eye to bartering, especially in rural areas.

If Zhao Wendong wanted to sell the wolf meat for cash, it was easy to handle. Big Wang could directly make an offer, buy it, and then find a buyer himself.

But if he wanted to get his hands on planned-economy goods, especially those that required ration coupons, it was much more troublesome.

Big Wang would have to act as a go-between, find someone willing to barter, and then act as a guarantor while taking a small cut for himself, letting the two parties make the exchange themselves.

Very few people dared to buy or sell ration coupons directly. It was a serious crime, and enforcement was very strict during this era.

It was precisely because of this that middlemen like Big Wang emerged. Rather than calling him a speculator, it was more accurate to say he was a connector.

”Food is the priority, but I’ll take cash too!”

Big Wang gave Zhao Wendong a surprised look. ’This kid gives off an unusual vibe. He’s young but acts decisively and makes decisions without hesitation. He’s definitely going to be someone important in the future.’

”Grain is scarce right now, and the price changes daily. If you want to trade the wolf meat and offal for grain, I can put together twenty-two pounds of potatoes and thirty-three pounds of cornmeal for you. I can also add half a pound of pork.”

”If you want cash, I can give you eight yuan at most. Think it over yourself.”

Zhao Wendong did a quick calculation in his head. At market price, this stuff would be worth less than three yuan, but the problem was that this was a time when things had a price but no market. Grain was just too sought-after. He could easily take this food and sell it for eight or nine yuan.

’He’s offering a very fair price. No wonder he’ll be the first to get rich in the future. There’s a reason for it. Not only is he sharp, but he also does business with principles.’

”Alright, let’s trade for the food then!”

The nineteen pounds of wolf meat and offal were exchanged for a large, patched hemp sack. The sack was borrowed from Big Wang; they’d have to return it the next time they came to the Commune. In these times, every needle and thread was precious.

After the three of them said goodbye to Big Wang, Zhao Wenwu shouldered the sack and walked out of the house. Little Shanghai looked at Zhao Wenwu in shock.

”Wendong, your second brother is incredible. He’s carrying fifty-five pounds like it’s nothing.”

Zhao Wenwu held his head high, his expression filled with pride.

”Damn, that’s nothing! When my second brother has a full stomach, he can carry three hundred and thirty pounds by himself without breaking a sweat!”

Little Shanghai couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. ”Second Brother is a badass!”

Zhao Wenwu was so delighted by the praise that he couldn’t keep up his cool facade any longer. A snort of laughter escaped him, and then he couldn’t stop.

His reaction made the other two burst out laughing as well.

”Wendong, as strong as your second brother is, carrying that all the way back will be exhausting. I have a sled at the station. You should take it.”

Zhao Wendong and Little Shanghai had really hit it off, so he didn’t stand on ceremony and simply nodded.

”Thanks!”

Just as they entered the gate to the agricultural technology station’s courtyard, they heard an angry roar.

”Little Shanghai, are you ever going to get any work done?”