I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 139: Chapter 138: Lin Zhiyin’s Taste

Back at Zhao Wendong’s home, Lin Zhiyin saw Chen Yanmei and Song Xiaoyu cooking and deftly rolled up her sleeves to help. At first, Chen Yanmei and Song Xiaoyu were worried she was a delicate young lady who couldn’t handle the work. But they soon discovered she was very nimble and not at all as pampered as they had imagined. Chen Yanmei’s heart ached for her. ’This child must have suffered a great deal these past two years.’

They were having stewed frozen tofu for dinner, and Zhao Wendong, wanting to show off his cooking skills to Lin Zhiyin, decided to take charge of the meal himself.

Lin Zhiyin watched, mesmerized, as Zhao Wendong skillfully heated the iron pot over the fire and poured in the oil. He tossed in a bit of ginger to release its fragrance, then added Chinese cabbage and stir-fried it until soft before adding cold water. Next, he threw in diced potatoes, broke the frozen tofu into chunks and arranged them on top, then covered the pot to let it all simmer. The whole sequence was as smooth and fluid as flowing water. Lin Zhiyin was completely stunned; she had never imagined that Zhao Wendong could cook.

”Heh heh, stunned, are we?”

”Don’t think I’m the only one who got lucky just because you became more beautiful. Who says I’m not a hidden treasure of a guy myself? Just tell me, aren’t my cooking skills a worthy match for your beauty?”

Lin Zhiyin rolled her eyes at him prettily, not bothering to reply. But she had to admit to herself that she was pleasantly surprised. ’There are so few men willing and able to cook these days.’

Once the potatoes were tender, Zhao Wendong opened the lid again, added the soaked vermicelli to the pot, sprinkled in some salt, and gave it a couple of stirs. He let it stew for a few more minutes until the vermicelli had absorbed the broth, then closed the stove’s firebox door to let it steam. The people’s food was ready, but Zhao Wendong still had his little buddies to feed. First, he presented strips of rabbit meat to Xiaojin. Xiaojin almost always caught a rabbit when it went out, enough to be self-sufficient. The real trouble now was that little thing, Zhuangzhuang.

Fortunately, if there was one thing the Zhao family had in abundance, it was their stock of meat. He minced some wild boar meat that had mostly thawed, mixed it with a little warm water, and the little tiger cub, already smelling the food, rushed over and started gobbling it down noisily.

”Just this one?”

Zhao Dashan asked suddenly, turning to look at Zhuangzhuang wolfing down its food.

”Yeah. I searched all around. It was all by itself.”

”In that case, this little fella is probably a lone cub.”

”Could be.”

Zhao Wendong couldn’t be sure either. A tigress normally gives birth to two or more cubs. This one was born so late in the season and was all alone. Besides the mother tiger, who had been shot full of holes, no one would ever know the real reason.

When the fragrant stewed frozen tofu was brought to the table in a brand-new large porcelain basin, the family gathered around. The new dining table and new set of tableware were a cheerful sight, but as Zhao Wendong looked around at the low-ceilinged, crumbling house, his desire to move grew even more urgent.

Everyone had a big bowl of white rice. There wasn’t much ceremony; after a few words of encouragement to ”dig in,” everyone lowered their heads and started eating. The frozen tofu was stewed to a perfect firm-yet-tender texture. With one bite, the savory broth dripped down the chopsticks into the bowl. A mouthful of rice followed—it was heavenly. A large helping of vermicelli, wrapped in a leaf of cabbage, was soft and chewy, warming them to their very souls.

The potatoes melted in your mouth, perfectly seasoned and carrying the natural fragrance of the ingredients. Lin Zhiyin couldn’t stop eating after the first bite. She was utterly conquered by Zhao Wendong’s cooking. Chen Yanmei kept putting more food on her plate, and she accepted it graciously, occasionally putting some on Chen Yanmei’s plate in return. She took special care of Little Tuanzi and Shitou, making sure their bowls were full. On her very first day, Lin Zhiyin had effortlessly blended in with Zhao Wendong’s family, creating a scene of happy harmony. Chen Yanmei watched, her eyes crinkling as she beamed with a smile that gathered all her wrinkles together.

Everyone enjoyed the meal to their heart’s content. After dinner, Chen Yanmei couldn’t bear to let Lin Zhiyin leave right away. She held her hand and kept chatting until it was completely dark outside, only then reluctantly letting Zhao Wendong walk Lin Zhiyin back to the educated youth point.

”Dongzi, if you can really manage to build a new house, then just do it!”

Zhao Wendong looked at his mother in surprise. Previously, Chen Yanmei had thought building a new house would be too ostentatious. This was the first time she had voted in favor of it.

”That way, you and Zhiyin can get married sooner. And your second brother and sister-in-law, include them in the plan too.”

”Haha, alright! I’ll work hard!”

Song Xiaoyu thought for a moment and offered a suggestion.

”Why not skip the brick house for now? We could just build a few more adobe and thatch houses. They’d be fine to live in temporarily.”

”Yeah. Anyway, if we can’t get bricks and tiles after spring starts, we’ll just build thatched houses first.”

Seeing Zhao Wendong so readily agree, everyone smiled. Only Lin Zhiyin glanced at him; from what she knew of him, she didn’t believe for a second that he would be content to settle for a backup plan.

Before she left, Lin Zhiyin took out three hair ties and three hair clips, giving one of each to Chen Yanmei, Song Xiaoyu, and Little Tuanzi. She had the three of them—big and small—absolutely delighted. The way they looked at her was even more affectionate than how they looked at Zhao Wendong.

On the way back to the educated youth point, the crescent moon had grown into a small half-circle. Moonlight spilled onto the snow-covered ground, casting their two faint shadows.

”Zhao Wendong, I have a regret.”

”Hm? Regret what?”

”I regret not meeting you sooner. I was so happy today. This is what life is supposed to be like, right? Grounded, simple, and happy!”

”Haha, it’s not too late now.”

The wind was gentle tonight. Zhao Wendong looked at her pretty face under the moonlight; she was as beautiful as an ethereal fairy.

Lin Zhiyin turned her pretty face to look at Zhao Wendong, her eyes holding an unreadable expression. ’Just because she didn’t say certain things didn’t mean she couldn’t see them clearly. The incident today with that deputy secretary and his son was a raging flood that a family like Zhao Wendong’s, and she in her current state, could never hope to resist. She had brought this trouble, and if it came to the worst, she would resolve it herself without implicating anyone. It was just a pity... a pity for the parents she had just reunited with, for this interesting family she had just met, and for the man she had just fallen in love with.’

”Zhao Wendong!”

”Hm?”

Zhao Wendong looked at Lin Zhiyin, about to ask what was wrong, but their gazes locked and they couldn’t look away. A gentle night breeze blew past. They stood side-by-side in the utter silence, hearing only each other’s breathing. Zhao Wendong’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He subconsciously began to lean in closer. Lin Zhiyin’s eyelashes fluttered. Her first instinct was to pull away, but she resisted it and slowly closed her eyes.

The tips of their noses touched first, their warm breaths mingling. After a moment, Zhao Wendong’s mouth gently pressed against Lin Zhiyin’s lips. They were so soft, like touching a wisp of a cloud, and carried a light, fresh scent. This was Lin Zhiyin’s scent.

Lin Zhiyin’s hand unconsciously clutched the corner of Zhao Wendong’s shirt, her knuckles tensing as she tried to calm her racing heart. They stayed like that for a long moment before pulling each other into a tight embrace. In that instant, the distance between their two hearts vanished completely.

’I’ve seen all sorts of clips from movies and TV shows,’ Zhao Wendong thought. ’I think you’re supposed to use your tongue.’ But that simple, gentle touch just now was enough to leave him completely intoxicated. ’This is enough,’ he thought. ’No need to rush. I’ll save the rest for next time.’ Holding this precious woman in his arms, he felt he could embrace her like this forever, until the end of time.

Lin Zhiyin buried herself against Zhao Wendong’s broad shoulder, tears shimmering in her eyes. ’A moment ago, I was just thinking that if that Li Family came bullying, I’d try to take one of them down with me. That’s why I wanted to see what it felt like to kiss Zhao Wendong, just in case. But after actually kissing him, I think I’m addicted. This feeling is so good... I want to kiss him for a lifetime. People really are greedy. Once you have something good, you never want to lose it.’

They embraced for a long while, until their feet were numb from the cold, before they reluctantly separated. Just like earlier in the day, Lin Zhiyin linked her arm with Zhao Wendong’s and rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke, simply walking in silence, savoring the quiet sweetness of the moment.

When he walked Lin Zhiyin back to the door of the women’s quarters at the educated youth point, Zhao Wendong saw that she still wasn’t planning on putting on her scarf, and he grew a little worried.

”Are you sure? You’re really not going to cover your face anymore?”

”Yes, I’m sure!”

’Lin Zhiyin didn’t know when the blow from the Li family father and son would fall. She just wanted to be herself in the time she had left. Although Zhao Wendong had given her so many wonderful surprises, she knew all too well how insignificant an individual’s strength was in the face of power. Right now, her heart was filled more with pessimism than anything else.’

’From her observations, she had already guessed that Zhao Wendong might be planning to make a move against the Li father and son, and that was something she absolutely could not allow to happen. As long as Zhao Wendong was around, her parents were safe, and his family was safe. If something happened to him, everyone, including herself, would lose their protector. Therefore, she would rather be the one to take that final step for him.’

’It was the best way, the most sensible choice. She was always able to choose the most logical path when faced with a crisis, just like when she had fled from Beijing to come here.’

”Alright, get some rest then!”

Zhao Wendong shouted this, still performing for the others at the educated youth point.

”Okay! See you tomorrow, my sweetheart.”

Zhao Wendong couldn’t help but laugh out loud at Lin Zhiyin’s playful title for him.

”Hahaha! See you tomorrow, sweetheart!”