I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 140: Chapter 139: The Team Committee’s Decision

He’d made a major breakthrough with Lin Zhiyin—they’d even kissed. Zhao Wendong was in high spirits. It hadn’t been dark for long, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he went home. So, he decided to take a stroll over to Third Master Zhao’s place. On the way, Zhao Wendong found himself wondering what Lin Zhiyin’s true feelings for him were.

Previously, Zhao Wendong had sometimes wondered if Lin Zhiyin had agreed to be with him just so she could get enough to eat. Or was it because he was good to her and could protect her? Or because he had helped her see her parents?

But today’s incident, forced by Fatty Li, had paradoxically shattered the distance between them.

After that moment of intimacy with Lin Zhiyin, Zhao Wendong was certain. While those other reasons might have played a part, Lin Zhiyin definitely had real feelings for him now. He could sense a kind of spiritual resonance between their hearts, and that was what made him the happiest.

Even as he reached Third Master Zhao’s doorway, Zhao Wendong couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across his face. He was so happy he was practically bubbling over, and he subconsciously licked his lips. If anyone from a later era saw him now, they’d surely call him a creep or a flashy show-off.

But Zhao Wendong didn’t care. A single thought kept flashing through his mind: ’So this is love? It’s so sweet! Way better than those pinups in magazines. As they say, practice really is the sole criterion for testing truth.’

Third Master Zhao’s house actually had a kerosene lamp lit. The moment Zhao Wendong stepped inside, he let out a mischievous chuckle.

”Well now, old man, look at you being all extravagant today! It’s not a holiday or festival, so why is the kerosene lamp lit? Is it because my Granny Liu is here?”

”PFFT!”

Someone in the room couldn’t hold back a laugh. Stepping into the inner room, he saw that the several members of the village committee were all there. The only one missing was him, the Civilian Militia Captain.

Women’s Director Liu Xiufen was laughing so hard she had collapsed onto the heated brick bed, slapping the tattered sorghum-stalk mat on it and sending up little clouds of dust.

Production Team Leader Zhao Weiguo and Deputy Team Leader Zhao the Fourth were also watching him with smiles on their faces. Only Third Master Zhao had a long face, glaring furiously at Zhao Wendong.

”Heh, heheh... uh, everyone’s here, huh? Are we having a meeting? Let’s get the meeting started then. I was just joking earlier.”

Zhao Wendong hadn’t expected the room to be so full. All he could do was offer an awkward smile, slip off his shoes, climb onto the heated brick bed, and huddle in a corner, not daring to look at Third Master Zhao, who was now in an awkward position.

”Dongzi, Third Master was waiting up just for you tonight. You really bit the hand that helps you this time. Aren’t you going to reimburse your Third Master for the kerosene?”

Liu Xiufen said, panting slightly, giving Zhao Wendong a way to save face.

”Alright, alright, of course I’ll replace it. No question about it between me and my grand-uncle. But why is everyone still awake? Were you all waiting for me specifically?”

”Yeah. Third Master figured you’d come by, and we were just discussing your situation anyway, so we decided to wait for you.”

”My situation?”

Zhao Wendong was taken aback. Zhao the Fourth took over the conversation.

”That’s right, discussing the most important matter of your life. We heard all about it from Third Master. The village committee is unanimous: we don’t care if he’s some secretary’s son, he can forget about snatching a wife away from our Dragon King Pond!”

Liu Xiufen nodded in agreement.

”Exactly! Wendong, since you’ve set your heart on Lin Zhiyin, and we hear she’s a real beauty... well, a girl that beautiful has to stay here in Dragon King Pond. We can’t let her get away.”

She was the Women’s Director, and also served as Dragon King Pond Village’s matchmaker. Her daily obsession was the marital prospects of the production team’s young adults, especially when it came to finding wives. She couldn’t even be bothered to introduce plain-looking girls to the young men of the village, unless the family was in such dire straits they couldn’t find a wife otherwise.

As long as she worked hard to ensure the quality of the wives marrying in, then in a few generations, the children born in Dragon King Pond would surely get better and better looking. This was a hundred-year plan.

Seeing everyone so supportive, Zhao Wendong was deeply moved. Only in this era would ordinary folk dare to stand so firm.

”Alright then. Since Dongzi is here, let’s officially start the committee meeting and talk about the team’s recent situation.”

Zhao Weiguo saw that everyone had said their piece and directly called the meeting to order. He then picked up his tobacco pipe, preparing to light it.

Zhao Wendong deftly pulled out his own Grape brand cigarettes and passed one to each of them. With a few flicks of the wheel on his lighter—CLICK! CLICK!—a flame appeared. The five of them lit their cigarettes, and the whole room began to fill with clouds of smoke.

Liu Xiufen took a couple of blissful drags and clucked her tongue in praise.

”This stuff is really smooth, not harsh at all. Third Master was right, Dongzi is the most promising one in our whole production brigade. You’ve got more style than the big cadres in the county.”

”I hear there are even more expensive ones. I can’t even imagine what those must taste like.”

”No problem, Aunt Liu. I’ll get you some to try later. You think a lighter is stylish? I’ve got something with even more flair!”

As Zhao Wendong spoke, he pulled a pocket watch from his inner coat pocket. With a sharp SNAP, he flicked it open, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

”Well, I’ll be! He’s even got a pocket watch!”

”Now that’s real style.”

”Where’d you get it?”

Zhao Wendong showed it off to them smugly, turning it back and forth.

”A gift from my father-in-law.”

”Hah, those capita... sure are rich!”

After a bit more small talk, Zhao Weiguo took two more drags of his cigarette, savoring the taste, then began what was for Zhao Wendong the second village committee meeting. At least the last one had been in the team’s office; this one was being held right at the head of Third Master Zhao’s heated brick bed.

”Let’s start with the grain situation for each household in the village. Zhao Lao Nian and a few other families managed to get by after dealing with the well platform, and they can now guarantee one meal of thin porridge a day. But at most, that will only last them another ten days or so. We need to think of something else.”

After Zhao Weiguo finished, everyone looked at Zhao Wendong. It was up to him to come up with an idea. If they’d had any solutions, they would have used them already instead of waiting until now.

Zhao Wendong took out the slip for the resold grain.

”After I went to the county, I asked Station Chief Wang at the main procurement station. Right now, more or less every team has these slips, and nobody can get anything. It’s useless, you can’t even get a single bag of rice.”

”Sigh, just as I thought.”

”I heard. All the teams are having a hard time now.”

No one was surprised to hear this; they had expected this outcome. When Zhao Weiguo had sent Zhao Wendong with the slip, he’d been operating on the principle of giving it a shot, whether it seemed likely to succeed or not.

”Actually, I did come up with an idea. I saw a pile of green bricks and red bricks in the main procurement station’s courtyard, all leftover from last year. I was thinking, what if we use our brigade’s slip to trade for those bricks, and then whoever wants the bricks can trade grain for them?”

”That’s a nice thought, but those bricks are useless to us if we haul them back. Who would be willing to trade grain for bricks...?”

Zhao Weiguo trailed off mid-sentence as he realized the implication. The others caught on at the same time, all looking at Zhao Wendong with eager eyes.

”Dongzi, you want to trade for them?”

”You want to build a brick house?”

”Can you get your hands on that much food?”

They all started asking questions at once, their eyes shining. The slip in their hands was just a slip, but if they could finagle things this way and actually end up with grain, that would be a huge blessing.

However, everyone also had their doubts. Bricks were collective assets. For an individual to acquire them, setting aside the policy issues, the amount of grain required would be no small number.

”Yep, that’s the idea.”

Zhao Wendong nodded in confirmation. He couldn’t build such a big house by himself. If the production team didn’t agree, it was all for nothing, so he chose to be completely honest with them.

Third Master Zhao smoked the cigarette butt down until it burned his fingers, then reluctantly tossed it into the brazier on the heated brick bed. He poked the coals a couple of times with a pair of fire tongs to make the fire burn brighter before speaking slowly.

”Building a brick house... you know, just a few days ago, I was listening to the radio. Do you all remember? They were talking about rural market trade. It mentioned that selling bricks could be considered, but it had to be... what was it again?”

Zhao Weiguo remembered too and picked up where he left off.

”It must be approved by the production team, and it can be paid for by deducting work-points or with a cash settlement. After buying them, reselling is prohibited. And I think I remember there was a limit on the quantity you could buy, something like no more than a certain number of bricks!”

Zhao Wendong’s eyes lit up when he heard this. ’If there’s a policy, things will be much easier! A policy means there’s room to maneuver, doesn’t it?’

”I’m confident I can get the food. Uncle Weiguo, Fourth Uncle, Third Master, Aunt Liu, you all have to help me with this. I want to build a new house so I can get married.”

”Are you really going to build it?”

”Yes!”

Zhao Wendong nodded. Zhao Weiguo thought for a moment, then smiled.

”As long as it gets us food, we’ll cooperate with you however you want to do it. When are you going to get the bricks?”

”Ahem, well... the county hasn’t approved it.”

”Then what the hell are you talking about!”

”Get the little punk!”

THWACK! SMACK!

Furious, the group surrounded Zhao Wendong and gave him a good beating. The flame of hope he had just kindled was extinguished just like that, leaving them all feeling terrible. Helping Zhao Wendong get the bricks might be risky, but compared to the issue of feeding the entire village, no problem was too big to tackle.