I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Kowtow

It wasn’t completely dark yet, and there were still a few people out and about in the village. Soon, someone noticed the big truck parked in front of Zhao Wendong’s house. Word spread like wildfire, and more and more villagers ran over to see what was going on.

Zhao Weiguo and Third Master Zhao also rushed over. They were a bit dumbfounded by the sight. Had Zhao Wendong and his three brothers robbed the supply co-op?

”Dongzi! Is... is all this from your trip out to sea?”

Zhao Weiguo sidled up to Zhao Wendong and asked in a low voice.

”Yup! What’s up, Uncle Weiguo?”

”Then how many fish did you catch?”

”Not that many. Only about four thousand-some jin.”

Zhao Weiguo was so shocked he trembled all over. The bowl of his tobacco pipe fell into the snow. He stared at Zhao Wendong in disbelief. ’How much did the kid just say?’

’Four... four thousand-some jin?!’

More and more villagers gathered to watch the spectacle. Fortunately, when there were still few people around, Zhao Wendong and the others had moved all the food inside first. Most of what remained outside now were household goods.

Watching the items being continuously unloaded from the truck bed, the villagers started chattering and asking questions.

”Wendong, did you rob the Commune?”

”Is this whole truckload of stuff Zhao Wendong’s?”

Zhao Wendong noticed Zhao the Sixth shrinking back in the crowd. He smiled meaningfully and replied in a loud voice.

”Yeah, that’s right. I bought it all. Traded it for the four thousand jin of fish I caught.”

His words immediately caused a series of gasps.

”What? Four thousand jin?”

”My heavens! How’d he catch all that?”

”He’s got to be lying! There’s no way he could catch four thousand jin of fish!”

Zhao Wendong wasn’t flustered. While moving things, he told the villagers about how they had encountered a huge school of Hai Pangtou fish out at sea. After hearing his story, many of them grew restless.

”We’re all part of the Zhaos’. Go back two hundred years, and we share the same ancestors. How come only Zhao Wendong’s branch of the family is having their ancestral graves smoke?”

”Exactly! What kind of crazy luck is that? He can hunt wolves and wild boars in the mountains, and now he runs into a school of fish at sea!”

Zhao Wendong locked his eyes on Zhao the Sixth’s figure, which was continuously inching backward, and shouted.

”Zhao the Sixth, where are you trying to go? Didn’t you bet me that I couldn’t catch a hundred jin? Trying to back out now, are you?”

Called out by Zhao Wendong, Zhao the Sixth couldn’t hide his embarrassment. His face flushed with shame and anger, and he stubbornly retorted, ”Just because you say you caught it, doesn’t mean you did! Anyone can bullshit!”

After speaking, he turned and tried to run home, but Zhao Wenwu strode forward and grabbed him.

Zhao Wendong pulled out the two spotted seals and threw them on the ground, then sneered.

”These two alone are over a hundred jin. Even if I was bullshitting about the four thousand jin of fish, this isn’t bullshit, right?”

”What else is there to say? Didn’t you want to bet me three kowtows? Come on, Zhao the Sixth, get to it!”

Zhao the Sixth stared at the two plump seals, frozen on the spot. His expression was ugly to the extreme.

Many of the villagers, who loved a good spectacle and didn’t mind stirring up trouble, started to jeer and heckle.

”Sixth, we were all at the beach yesterday morning when you made that bet with Dongzi!”

”Yeah, what’s wrong, Sixth? You gonna go back on your word?”

Zhao Weiguo glanced at Third Master Zhao. Third Master Zhao slowly shook his head, signaling for him not to interfere.

”Dongzi, your Uncle Sixth’s head was muddled yesterday. I was just joking with you. It was my fault, so let’s just forget about it, okay?”

Zhao the Sixth’s face alternated between pale and red. In the end, he chose to back down. But while he was apologizing, Zhao Wendong noticed the hatred in his eyes. In his past life, he’d had many dealings with Zhao the Sixth. The old bastard had a terrible reputation in the village. Knowing he was a petty man who never kept his word, how could Zhao Wendong possibly let him off now?

Zhao Wendong grinned, a disdainful smile on his face, his voice carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

”Zhao the Sixth, if we hadn’t caught anything, or if it was less than a hundred jin, would you have ’just forgotten about it’ with me? You’d fucking be hounding me to kowtow to you, wouldn’t you?”

Zhao the Sixth was at a loss for words. Zhao Wendong had hit the nail on the head. If he had won, he would have made sure the entire village witnessed Zhao Wendong admitting defeat with three loud kowtows.

”Cut the fucking crap. A real man’s word is his bond. Weren’t you unconvinced by me, Zhao Wendong? Weren’t you so clever with your snide remarks?”

”Now, get to kowtowing. Three loud ones. Not one less!”

Seeing Zhao Wendong’s ferocious expression, many villagers couldn’t help but take a step back. Zhao Wendong had been behaving well recently, making them forget that this guy was not someone to be trifled with. He was the biggest ruffian in the village, a notorious loafer in the Commune. A leopard can’t change its spots, after all. The eyes of those who were jealous of all the things the Zhaos had acquired now became complicated again.

”Second Brother, make him kneel!”

”Alright!”

Zhao Wenwu responded, grabbed Zhao the Sixth, and forced him down. Now eating well and to his fill every day, Zhao Wenwu was like a titan. His two hands pressed down on Zhao the Sixth like a thousand-jin boulder, forcing him to his knees, unable to move.

Zhao Wendong then looked at Zhao Wenjun. Zhao Wenjun understood his meaning. ’He wants me to go up there and give Zhao the Sixth a hand.’ But at that moment, he hesitated. He’d always been a good-natured person; he’d never done something like this before. Besides, Zhao the Sixth was from the same village. Was it really necessary to humiliate him in front of so many people?

But now, he felt a genuine sense of obedience toward his third brother, Zhao Wendong. After a moment’s hesitation, he steeled himself and moved. But just as Zhao Wenjun started to move, someone else acted faster.

The slender Zhao Ergou quickly walked up to Zhao Wenwu and Zhao the Sixth. He stretched out both hands, grabbed Zhao the Sixth’s head, and slammed it forcefully onto the ground.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Zhao Ergou used a lot of force. After three loud, dull thuds, blood was streaming from Zhao the Sixth’s forehead. The crowd of onlookers, seeing this unexpected scene, gasped. It’s like the old saying goes: a biting dog doesn’t bark. Zhao Ergou wasn’t big, and he was usually quiet, but who would have thought he was such a ruthless character.

Many of the villagers felt a sudden, inexplicable pressure. The scene fell silent. No one spoke. Everyone’s gaze shifted back and forth between the grim-faced Zhao Wendong, the calm Zhao Ergou, and Zhao the Sixth, who was clutching his forehead. They secretly warned themselves never to provoke Zhao Wendong or Zhao Ergou.

”Zhao the Sixth, let this be a lesson to you. Next time you think about provoking me, you’d better think long and hard about whether you’re even in my league.”

”You can’t hunt, you can’t fish, and you sure as hell can’t fight. Got it?”

”Now get the hell out of here!”

Seeing that Zhao Wendong had spoken, Zhao Wenwu released Zhao the Sixth. Without saying a word, Zhao the Sixth clutched his head and quickly scurried home.

Zhao Wendong and the others went back to unloading things from the truck bed as if nothing had happened. The crowd, which had been silent as cicadas in winter, finally couldn’t hold back and broke into an uproar again when they saw the items being continuously brought out.

”My god, what’s that? Are those cotton-padded jackets? So many?”

”Heavens, there are cotton quilts too, and they’re all new!”

”I think I saw cotton-padded shoes! Zhao Wendong is really something else. He’s struck it rich this time!”