I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Old Six Zhao Beats His Wife

As he walked this time, shining his light on the houses on both sides, far fewer people came out. They were probably all inside cursing Zhao Wenwu, too lazy to come out and deal with him. This left Zhao Wenwu feeling quite disappointed.

Zhao the Sixth’s house was on Zhao Wenwu’s route. His wife watched the beam of the flashlight repeatedly sweep through their house from the window, then glared irritably at Zhao the Sixth, who was lying on the heated bed, and began to curse him.

”You’re great at talking big, aren’t you? Where are all your grand plans to take this person out and destroy that one? You said Zhao Dashan was a good-for-nothing, his eldest son was Old Nian, his second was an idiot, and his third was a hooligan. Well, look at them now! They’re even using flashlights, while you got beaten up by their brood of cubs! You came running back all bloody, making me lose face along with you. You’re completely useless!”

Zhao the Sixth shot up from the bed, grabbing the worn-out broom head. He started beating his wife fiercely with it, roaring furiously.

”You and that mouth of yours! I’ll teach you to talk! I’ll fucking teach you!”

Zhao Wenwu glanced back uncertainly toward one of the houses. ’Did I just hear a woman’s wail?’ He scratched his head and decided to ignore it. Once, during the summer, he’d heard a woman wailing while passing a cornfield. He had run over to find a woman who’d been beaten until her clothes were torn off. He’d wanted to help, but the woman had just cursed him out for it. So now, he had no desire to get involved in that kind of trouble!

Since his flashlight parade hadn’t drawn many people out, Zhao Wenwu was feeling a bit bored. He quickened his pace and soon arrived at Zhao Ergou’s house. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw the mother and her two sons with red, swollen eyes, as if they had just been crying. He was immediately surprised.

”Auntie, Er Gou, Sanwazi, what are you crying about? Did someone bully you?”

As he spoke, his eyes widened in a glare, and he exuded an intimidating aura.

Zhao Ergou quickly wiped his eyes.

”No, nobody bullied us. Second Brother, what brings you here?”

”Oh, right. Third Brother asked me to bring this over for you. Here.”

Zhao Wenwu’s demeanor instantly switched back to being completely harmless. He grinned as he set down the burlap sack.

Zhang Yufen picked it up, took one look, and gasped in astonishment. Despite her limp, she jumped high in the air.

”Heavens, so many things! And they’re all new! This must have cost a fortune! Wenwu, quickly, take these back to Wendong. They’re too valuable. We really can’t accept them!”

Seeing her try to stuff the sack back into his hands, Zhao Wenwu immediately turned and ran.

”Third Brother only told me to deliver it, he didn’t say anything about taking it back! I’m off!”

Seeing Zhao Wenwu vanish in a flash, Zhang Yufen quickly said to Zhao Ergou.

”Quick, Er Gou, hurry and return this to your Brother San!”

After she said it, she paused. The words felt strangely familiar. ’Didn’t I just say this?’

Zhao Ergou bit his lip and shook his head. ”Mom, how can we return a gift from Brother San? You know his temper, don’t you? Giving it back would be like slapping him in the face. He definitely wouldn’t be happy! Brother San bought a lot of these things today. I’m sure everyone in his family got some too. I just didn’t expect him to bring some for us!”

He fell silent for a moment before looking at his mother.

”Mom, let’s make dinner. You and Sanwazi probably didn’t eat your fill, right? From today on, you two can eat until you’re stuffed. I’ll eat more too, so I can get stronger. It would be even better if I could grow a bit taller. That way, I can do more work for Brother San. I’ll remember his kindness to us. I will definitely repay him.”

”Starting tomorrow, I’m going to follow Brother San. I’ll do whatever he tells me to do. There’s no going wrong if I stick with him. I won’t leave even if he tries to chase me away.”

”Big Brother, I’ll follow Brother San too when I’m older!”

Sanwazi said from the side, wiping his runny nose, his eyes shining brightly. He didn’t understand adult matters, but he knew Zhao Wendong had let him and his family eat their fill.

Zhang Yufen looked at her eldest son, who seemed both familiar and strangely mature. It was as if her children had grown up overnight, becoming like adults!

When Zhao Wenwu returned home, he found Little Tuanzi and Shitou with their cheeks puffed out, sucking on something. Their eyes were squeezed shut in bliss. His mind, for once, worked quickly. He immediately held out his hand to Zhao Wendong and yelled.

”Third Brother, did you give them candy? I want some too!”

Zhao Wendong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When it came to food, his second brother was as sharp as a tack. Where was the man whose brain was supposedly fried? Shaking his head, he took out a jawbreaker with colorful stripes and handed it to him. Zhao Wenwu took it gleefully, and his expression immediately mirrored that of the two little ones.

”Third Brother, the candy ith sho thweet! You eat too!”

Seeing that her third brother wasn’t eating, Little Tuanzi immediately urged him to have some. Zhao Wendong shook his head. ’In my past life, no one would have even bothered with these things.’ Compared to eating candy, he was much more excited about wearing new clothes, sleeping under a new quilt, and using a new towel. The single towel his entire family used was not only smelly, but it was so black and stiff that in his previous life, it would have scratched the floor if used as a cleaning rag.

”Mom! Why are you putting all this stuff away? I wanted to wear the new padded jacket! And why are you packing up the new quilt?”

Zhao Wendong protested loudly, resisting his mother’s tyranny. Chen Yanmei’s voice floated in from the outer room.

”Why? To save for the New Year, of course! Who gets new quilts and new clothes when it’s not even a holiday? Look at you, getting so full of yourself. Maybe I should get a rope and tie you down before you float away to the heavens!”

Zhao Wendong looked helplessly at his father, hoping for some support from Zhao Dashan. But his father simply took two puffs from his long-stemmed pipe and said contentedly.

”Son, don’t look at me. Your mother’s right. You are getting a little carried away.”

Zhao Wendong shot Zhao Dashan a disdainful look. ’What a disgrace for a grown man to be so thoroughly henpecked. Just wait. I’ll show him how to get Lin Zhiyin to dote on my every word!’

His parents’ minds were made up, leaving Zhao Wendong feeling helpless. Still, he couldn’t resist complaining further.

”Fine, put away the clothes and quilts for the New Year. But why are you putting away the sweet pickled garlic, the roasted flour mix, and the cigarettes and liquor?”

Chen Yanmei’s irritated voice rang out again.

”You little spendthrift! I haven’t even beaten you for buying all this useless stuff. These are all good things, so of course they’re for when we have guests. Or should I just let you waste it all on a normal day?”

Zhao Wendong was completely out of options. ’A son is always at a disadvantage against his parents.’ He threw up his hands in surrender.

”Sigh! Fine, fine, have it your way. I’m going to take the things I bought for Grandpa and Grandma to them first. Oh, and Sister-in-law, don’t touch that pile over there!”

Song Xiaoyu looked at the pile of things Zhao Wendong was pointing to, then back at him, her expression a mixture of heartache over the expense and a hint of jealousy.

”Third Brother, is all this for that capitalist’s daughter you’re sweet on? Why are you so set on her? Is she the reincarnation of a vixen? How has she bewitched you so completely? Nothing’s even official between you two, and you’re already sending her bags and bags of gifts. Some people don’t even get this much for their wedding! Tell me, what’s so good about her?!”

”Ah, Sister-in-law, you wouldn’t understand. Everything about her is wonderful!”

Zhao Wendong couldn’t help but recall a morning from his past life. He was standing by the sea, staring in shock as Lin Zhiyin, her peerless beauty restored in the morning light, gave him a brilliant smile. At that moment, he had thought about confronting her when she returned, asking why she had deceived him and made him miss his chance to go out to sea. ’Did she think she could play with his feelings just because she was beautiful?’

Back then, he had been left alone at home with three children. If he didn’t go out to sea, how could he possibly support Shitou, Little Tuanzi, and Yadan? In the end, he never saw Lin Zhiyin again. Instead, news came that the fishing boat had exploded and sunk. Only then did he realize she hadn’t deceived him—she had saved him.