I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Why Don’t You Come In?

Seeing his grandmother’s brow tighten at his words, Zhao Wendong quickly went over, grabbed her arm, and started wheedling.

”Yes, yes, Grandma, whatever you say is right. I’ll listen to every word you say. I’ll definitely be more careful from now on, hehe!”

”You little rascal!”

Ye Qingmei chided him with a smile and dropped the subject. ’She and her husband had seen what their grandson had been like these past few years. But they were old now. What could they do?’

Zhao Wendong picked up the burlap sack he’d carried over on his back, opened it, and started pulling things out.

”Grandpa, Grandma, come see what I bought for you two!”

”Grandma’s vision is getting a bit blurry; I can’t see very clearly!”

Hearing this, Zhao Wendong slapped his own forehead. ’How could I have forgotten to buy Grandma a pair of reading glasses in the county town? They’re rare, but I should be able to get my hands on some. If it comes down to it, I can ask for a favor. I’m not just some commoner who doesn’t know anyone anymore; at the very least, I’ve built up some rapport with a number of leaders.’

”It’s okay, Grandma. I’ll hold it a little farther away so you can see it more clearly!”

Zhao Chuanhe puffed on his pipe with a grin. His hearing wasn’t always great, but his eyes were still sharp. He could tell at a glance what was in Zhao Wendong’s sack.

”Dongzi, is all this for me and your grandma?”

”That’s right, it’s all for you. Come on, Grandpa, Grandma, I bought you two these new cotton-padded jackets. They’ll be really warm in the winter!”

Zhao Wendong first pulled out two sets of cotton-padded clothes, followed by padded shoes, cotton socks, and towels. There were also some candy balls, and at the very bottom were two brand-new cotton quilts.

He took out two of the candy balls and handed one to each of the elders.

”Is this candy? You silly boy, why would you buy this? It’s so expensive!”

”No, no, you eat it, grandson. Your grandpa and I are old. It’s a waste to eat something so nice!”

Zhao Wendong insisted, holding out his hand without moving as he looked at them. His meaning was clear.

The old couple smiled helplessly, then opened their mouths and let their grandson pop the candy balls inside.

”How is it, Grandpa, Grandma? Is it sweet?”

”Sweet! So sweet!”

Ye Qingmei was so happy she couldn’t stop grinning, nodding again and again. Zhao Chuanhe’s eyes were narrowed in contentment, the candy making sucking sounds in his mouth.

’Seeing his grandparents’ smiles, a sweet warmth spread through Zhao Wendong’s heart. In his past life, his family hadn’t survived past the third year. This time, he wouldn’t just get them all safely through these three years—he would make sure they lived a life of ease and happiness from then on.’

He stayed with the two elders for a while longer, watching them put the new clothes and quilts into the kang cabinet, saying they would save them for the New Year. He felt a bit helpless, but he still reminded them.

”Fine, save them if you want. But they’re for you two, you can’t give them to anyone else! Also, stop hoarding food instead of eating it. We have enough for you. I’ll have the family bring you food every day from now on. Don’t give it to others, just eat it yourselves. Only if you two are healthy can I, your grandson, help you live a life of comfort!”

”Alright, alright, alright. We won’t give it to anyone else, and we’ll eat properly. We’ll wait for our grandson to help us live a life of ease!”

Ye Qingmei, who had been such a strong and independent woman in her youth, now felt her eyes moisten. She responded earnestly to every one of Zhao Wendong’s instructions, smiling as happily as Little Tuanzi. ’Her favorite, most troublesome grandson... he’s finally grown up!’

”Rake up all the leaves?”

”What leaves? For compost? We can’t do that in the dead of winter!”

Zhao Chuanhe had misheard again. Zhao Wendong slapped his own forehead, not bothering to explain to his grandfather. He simply got up and went home, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He still had to go give Lin Zhiyin her things.

On the kang in the east room, hearing the sound of the door opening as Zhao Wendong left, Wang Jinzhi nudged Zhao Dahai and whispered.

”That little bastard’s gone. Let’s go see what he brought Mom and Dad this time. I saw him come with a burlap sack stuffed full. It must be a lot of stuff. I saw what was in the cart bed today—there was all sorts of things, all of it brand-spanking new!”

”I’m not going. I’m going to sleep!”

Zhao Dahai rolled over irritably, rejecting Wang Jinzhi’s suggestion. After being so thoroughly humiliated by Zhao Wendong today, his pride as both a man and an elder wouldn’t let him face them. He was angry at Zhao Wendong, but also a little angry at himself. When he used to go hunting in the mountains with Zhao Chuanhe, Zhao Wendong was still a toddler in split-crotch pants. And now, that kid had the audacity to chew him out right to his face!

He tossed and turned for a long time, unable to sleep. Finally, he nudged his wife, Wang Jinzhi.

”Hey, why don’t you go back to your parents’ place and get Dad’s old hunting rifle for me? Your third brother has had it for over two years. Go get it back, and I’ll take it into the mountains to hunt some game. That way, we won’t have that little prick Zhao Wendong pointing his finger at us, calling us freeloaders.”

Wang Jinzhi was reluctant at first, but Zhao Dahai’s last words moved her. ’She thought about how she and the children were always hungry these days. If her husband could really bring back some game from the mountains, their lives would definitely get better. Wasn’t it after Zhao Wendong got lucky and killed that wolf a few days ago that his life started looking up?’

”Okay, fine. I’ll go back and get it tomorrow!”

Wang Jinzhi agreed readily with a nod. Her family lived in the next village, Wang Family’s Hut, which was also part of the Qianjin Commune. If she went in the morning, she could be back by the afternoon.

When Zhao Wendong got home, he saw the two women of the house cooking in the outer room. Zhao Wenjun, Zhao Wenwu, and the two little ones were gathered on the kang, doing something or other. Yadan was crawling all over the heated bed, HUFF, PUFF, and every time she got near the edge, someone nearby would casually nudge her back.

Taking a closer look, Zhao Wendong chuckled. The group was huddled together, having a lice-catching contest!

He had bought two fine-toothed combs in the county town today, and one of them was now in Zhao Wenjun’s hand. He scraped it through his hair, revealing several small lice on the teeth. Then, Shitou and Little Tuanzi would cheer and start popping them.

They would place a louse on the edge of the kang and press down with a thumbnail. POP! A louse would explode, leaving no trace behind, though some left a tiny speck of blood. There were also some white nits—lice eggs—which could also be popped with a satisfying POP between two thumbnails, though the sound wasn’t as loud as a full-grown louse.

”One, two, three, four!”

Little Tuanzi was having the time of her life popping lice, while Shitou and Zhao Wenwu were in charge of counting. It was such a struggle that it took both of them, using all four of their hands, just to count six lice.

”Yay! I have seven! I have more, I win, I win!”

Zhao Wenwu jumped up happily and boasted proudly to Zhao Wendong.

”Third Brother, I have more lice than Big Brother! Aren’t I awesome?”

Zhao Wendong was speechless. He could only give a perfunctory nod, pick up the sack of things he had prepared for Lin Zhiyin, and leave. He had absolutely no interest in watching their game. ’By the way,’ he wondered, ’why did people stop getting head lice a few decades from now?’

「By the sea, at the female educated youth quarters.」

Li Juan was listening to another female educated youth excitedly recounting a rumor she had just heard. Zhao Wendong had caught several thousand pounds of fish on his trip and traded them for a ton of goods. The more Li Juan heard, the more sour she felt. Her eyes swept over to Lin Zhiyin and saw the delicate little mirror in her hand, which made her feel even worse. ’On what grounds? Why her!’

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

The door was knocked on rhythmically. The female educated youths inside immediately fell silent, looking at the door with a hint of anticipation. They were very familiar with this knock. Li Juan felt her voice tighten with excitement as she eagerly asked.

”Who is it?”

”I’m looking for Lin Zhiyin!”

Zhao Wendong’s voice came from outside. Lin Zhiyin put down the mirror in her hand, a look of confusion in her eyes. It was an emotion she had never felt before.

Li Juan bit her lip. Blushing, she called out an invitation, ”Is that Comrade Zhao Wendong? The door isn’t bolted, why don’t you come in?”