I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Civilian Militia Captain

Zhao Wendong arrived at Third Master Zhao’s house. The big brown horse snorted at him. Zhao Wendong made a point to go over and pat its head before going inside.

Inside, the old man was sitting cross-legged on the kang-style bed, eating alone. Zhao Wendong’s family now ate three meals a day, while most other families in the village only had two, so their mealtimes rarely lined up. It was considered rude to visit someone’s house during a normal mealtime, but Zhao Wendong was thick-skinned. Plus, with plenty of food at his own home now, he felt confident and wasn’t afraid of people saying he was mooching. If he was in a good mood, he could even afford to toss them a little something.

Third Master Zhao’s dinner consisted of two coarse flour buns, a small dish of his own pickled radishes, and an enamel mug of hot water. When he saw Zhao Wendong come in, Third Master Zhao chuckled and held up one of the buns.

”You’re here, Dongzi. Eaten yet? Have a bite with me.”

Zhao Wendong said with a smile.

”You’re offering me food when you only have these two mouthfuls? I could finish that off in one bite and leave you to go hungry tonight!”

”Hahaha, don’t worry. You little rascal, you’re all talk. You wouldn’t do something so heartless.”

After speaking, Third Master Zhao wasn’t in any hurry and continued to unhurriedly eat the coarse flour bun in his hand.

”Third Master, I just came from Granny Liu’s place.”

The old man’s hand paused. He tried to pick up some pickled vegetables twice but failed, all while wearing a nonchalant expression.

”Oh. So you went. Why are you telling me? What were you doing there?”

Zhao Wendong wanted to laugh seeing him act like that. Everyone in the village knew he’d been in love with Granny Liu since they were young. The reason he never married was because he was waiting for her.

”Granny Liu said her family doesn’t have a man, so she wanted to take me on as her grandson-in-law. But I already have Lin Zhiyin, so I had to regretfully decline. I told Granny Liu she should take you in instead. That way her family would have a man, right?”

Third Master Zhao threw down his chopsticks, grabbed the tobacco pipe from the kang, and started hitting him. Zhao Wendong, afraid the old man might fall, let himself be struck a few times until Third Master Zhao’s anger subsided.

”You little rascal, always making fun of me.”

”Hahaha, come on, Third Master. Look at you, getting worked up again.”

”If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost! I get annoyed just looking at you!”

Third Master Zhao had a look of disgust on his face, his earlier kind expression gone. Zhao Wendong just stood there laughing, only stopping after a good while.

”Wait a minute, Third Master. My dad said you and Uncle Weiguo were looking for me about something?”

Third Master Zhao shot him a sideways glance. It was true; they did have something to discuss with Zhao Wendong.

”Right, there is something. The brigade has been without a Civilian Militia Captain, hasn’t it? Your Uncle Weiguo and I are planning to recommend you for the post. What do you think?”

After speaking, Third Master Zhao stared at Zhao Wendong, his gaze sharp. He knew Zhao Wendong’s unruly nature and was worried he would refuse. After all, a fun-loving guy like him wouldn’t be happy being tied down by responsibility. But to his surprise, Zhao Wendong thought for a moment and actually nodded in acceptance.

”Sure. If you think I’m up for it, I’ll do it.”

”Hahaha, not bad! Guess you’ve got some sense of duty after all, kid. Let’s go find your Uncle Weiguo in a bit. We’ll hold a team meeting first and settle this.”

Third Master Zhao happily finished his meal in a few quick bites, got off the kang, slipped on his shoes, put on his coat, and pulled Zhao Wendong along to find Zhao Weiguo. When they arrived at Zhao Weiguo’s house, his family had also just started eating: a few corn buns and a bowl of gruel so thin you could see your reflection in it for each person.

Sitting at the table, Zhao Xiaoyan’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Zhao Wendong.

”Brother San, you’re back from the mountain so soon?”

Zhao Wendong found her intense gaze a little hard to bear and quickly looked away.

”Yeah, I’m back. I’m taking Zhiyin on a trip tomorrow to meet her parents.”

The moment he said that, the room fell silent. Zhao Xiaoyan bit her lip, staring at Zhao Wendong. Seeing his calm expression, her eyes turned red. She turned, ran into the next room, and slammed the door. A moment later, the faint sound of sobbing could be heard.

Zhao Wendong shot a glare at Third Master Zhao. ’You just had to drag me in here. Couldn’t you have just called for Uncle Weiguo from the doorway?’ Third Master Zhao glared back at Zhao Wendong. ’This kid is ruthless. But when it comes to matters of the heart, you really need this kind of ruthlessness. Otherwise, you’ll suffer your whole life. Aren’t I a living example of that?’

Zhao Weiguo sighed. This was a matter for the younger generation, and it was useless for him to interfere. He just quickly finished his meal and led Zhao Wendong and Third Master Zhao to the brigade office.

It was called the brigade office, but it was just an ordinary adobe house. Since it was usually empty, the inside was freezing. The first thing the three of them did upon arriving was to gather firewood and light the kang. Third Master Zhao told Zhao Weiguo that Zhao Wendong had agreed to be the Civilian Militia Captain, and Zhao Weiguo nodded in relief.

”Good. Dongzi, you’re a good lad. When you have a chance to serve the people, you shouldn’t shirk it. If you can step up, you should. I’ll go get the others. You two add more firewood.”

With that, Zhao Weiguo went out the door. A short while later, he returned with two people: Vice-Captain Zhao the Fourth and Women’s Director Liu Xiufen. The Dragon King Pond brigade committee was composed of these four. Each of them held multiple positions. For example, Liu Xiufen also managed the public canteen, Zhao Weiguo was also the work-point recorder, Third Master Zhao was also the custodian, and Zhao the Fourth was also acting as the Civilian Militia Captain.

The role of Civilian Militia Captain required someone who could command respect, and Zhao the Fourth was a bit of a pushover with little authority. Furthermore, the militia now had many tasks assigned from the village, the Commune, and even the county level. Zhao the Fourth’s health had been poor for the past two years, making him completely unable to handle the position. That’s why they had thought of asking Zhao Wendong to take over.

The four of them sat on the heated kang and took a vote. Just like that, Zhao Wendong became the brigade’s acting Civilian Militia Captain. Third Master Zhao picked up a pen and wrote down the brigade committee’s nomination for the position. Now, they just had to send it to the Commune to be stamped and approved, and Zhao Wendong could officially take up his post.

Being an official back then was different from how it would be in the future. You still had to work in the fields and couldn’t leave your production post. That’s why many people were unwilling to become officials. Zhao Wendong hadn’t been willing either, but now, between Lin Zhiyin, his second sister-in-law, and his ability to hear the thoughts of animals, he was attracting too much attention. To protect himself, he needed to have enough power.

”Alright, welcome Dongzi to our village committee. It’s been a while since we had a meeting anyway. Let’s have one today and discuss the most important issue in the village right now: the food problem.”

As soon as Zhao Weiguo finished speaking, Zhao the Fourth was the first to speak up.

”Zhao Lao Nian’s family has run out of food. They went through their rations too quickly a few days ago and now they have nothing left. The kids are crying from hunger every day.”

Zhao Lao Nian’s family lived right next door to him, so he knew the situation best.

”Let’s go. We’ll check on the situation in person.”

Hearing this, Zhao Weiguo couldn’t sit still. He was the first to stand up and head outside, with the other committee members following close behind. Zhao Lao Nian’s house was very close to the brigade office, which was why Zhao Weiguo had suggested they all go and assess the situation directly.

A lead-gray sky was dusting down flecks of snow, and a biting wind pierced to the bone. The committee members arrived in front of a crooked adobe house that looked like it could collapse at any moment. This was Zhao Lao Nian’s home.

The snow in the yard hadn’t been cleared in days and came up over their ankles when they stepped into it. The tattered straw curtain hanging over the doorframe was frozen solid, shedding brittle pieces with a rustle when pushed. The group entered the house. The outer room was empty, and the stove was cold.