I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 152: Chapter 151: A Complete Victory

Wang Dana knew Little Bastard. He knew the kid had been reckless ever since he was young due to his family background and had no regard for his own life. The moment he saw the cold indifference in Little Bastard’s eyes, his heart sank. He might not believe it when others claimed they weren’t afraid to die, but he truly believed it of Little Bastard.

”Little Bastard, are you out of your mind? This has nothing to do with you! This is between me and Zhao Wendong. You... you get the hell out of the way.”

The corner of Little Bastard’s mouth twitched into a disdainful sneer. He glanced to the side, rolling his eyes.

”Too much damn talk. I’ll count to three. If you don’t pull the trigger, I’ll kill you.”

”3, 2, 1.”

Little Bastard casually finished the count. Wang Dana’s expression flickered with indecision, but in the end, he couldn’t summon the courage to pull the trigger. With a surge of strength, Little Bastard wrenched the shotgun from Wang Dana’s hands, spun it around, and shoved the barrel against his forehead.

”Kneel. I’ll give you to the count of three. If you don’t, you die!”

Everyone watched the scene unfold in silence. It had all happened so suddenly; no one had expected Little Bastard to intervene, not even Zhao Wendong.

”Three!”

”Two!”

Little Bastard had just counted to two when his lips twisted into a strange expression—part sneer, part disdain. He tipped back the brim of his hat, which had been covering his eyes, and his finger tensed, ready to pull the trigger.

THUMP—!

Wang Dana knelt. In that moment, he was truly terrified. His survival instinct had triumphed over his pride. Face, his status as a cadre—none of it mattered anymore. All he knew was that if he didn’t kneel, he would die right then and there.

”I give. I give in. I surrender. Zhao Wendong, Little Bastard, you’re the real deal. I, Wang Chengsheng, admit defeat!”

”Wang Chengsheng?”

Zhao Wendong paused, stunned. ’Who the hell is that?’

With another thump, Wang Dana’s wife fell to her knees beside him. She began kowtowing to Zhao Wendong’s group, wailing as she did.

”Wang Chengsheng is my husband! Wang Dana is just his nickname... Please, I’m begging you, let my husband go.”

Many people in the crowd couldn’t help but laugh out loud. They’d always thought Wang Dana’s name was actually Wang Dana. Turns out, he had a real name. Guess he knew he couldn’t act like a ”big shot” anymore, so he went back to his given name.

Seeing Wang Dana subdued by Little Bastard, both sides breathed a collective sigh of relief. A fight was one thing, but a death would have been a catastrophe. No one wanted that kind of trouble. The current outcome was a happy one for nearly everyone. The only ones feeling bitter were the people from Wang Family’s Hut; they had offered a few bowls of rice soup only to get a beating in return. It was a major loss.

Many of the thugs stared at Little Bastard in amazement. They weren’t surprised that he was willing to risk his life—they were surprised he was suddenly risking it for Zhao Wendong. The man was a lone wolf who never ran with a pack.

”Wang Chengsheng... Fuck, that name’s not even as good as Wang Dana. Since you’ve given in, tell your wife to get up. Don’t make us look like some kind of evil landlords.”

Wang Dana’s wife scrambled to her feet. Seeing that a conclusion had been reached, the onlookers all edged closer to get a better look at the drama. Many of them still felt a bit uneasy. After all, having their village get steamrolled by an outsider like Zhao Wendong wasn’t exactly a point of pride.

But when they looked at his crew, all the guns, and the big truck in the background, many figured there was no shame in losing to someone like that. Plus, seeing the normally arrogant Wang Dana groveling on the ground was pretty entertaining. Ironically, many of the spectators were his own relatives.

”Alright. Since you’ve surrendered, let’s talk. Right here, in front of all the men of your village, young and old. I, Zhao Wendong, am not here to bully you. Let’s lay it all out.”

”A while back, my aunt lent you this gun, my grandfather’s gun. You used it for two years. When my aunt came to ask for it back, you refused. You even beat her and threw her out. Then my uncle brought her back to reason with you, and you beat both of them. Is that about right?”

Kneeling on the ground, his spirit completely broken, Wang Dana just nodded without a word.

”My uncle had a pair of beautiful front teeth, and you knocked them the hell out. Huh? Isn’t he your brother-in-law? How could you bring yourself to do it? Do you know my uncle had the most beautiful teeth in the entire brigade? That pair of teeth alone, they were worth a hundred or eighty bucks!”

”Hahaha—”

Zhao Wendong’s men roared with laughter. A number of people from Wang Family’s Hut laughed along, and even a few of the guys who’d been beaten black and blue couldn’t help but cover their mouths and let out a few coughs, pretending their injuries were flaring up.

”A hundred or eighty? You might as well just kill me!”

Wang Dana blew up when he heard that. Zhao Wendong was trying to extort him dry! There was no way he could come up with a hundred yuan.

CLICK.

The barrel of Little Bastard’s gun immediately pressed against Wang Dana’s head. The scene fell silent once more. Little Bastard had made everyone see him in a new light today. His ruthlessness was the kind that was bone-deep; he gave off an aura more sinister than a vicious wolf.

”No, no, no! Don’t shoot! We’ll pay! We’ll pay!”

Wang Dana’s wife cried out in panic, rushing forward to hug her husband. The embrace seemed to drain the last of the fight out of him. His head dropped limply once more, and his voice was hoarse.

”Whatever you say. I don’t have that much money right now.”

”Pay it off in installments over five years. Twenty a year. And, within three days, you will go to my uncle and aunt’s home and apologize. Do you hear me?”

”Fine.”

”This gun was my grandpa’s. I’m taking it back. You got to use it for free for two years, so I’m charging you ten for that. Not too much, right?”

”No... not too much.”

”So, you pay thirty today. Then twenty a year for the next four years. Got it?”

”Got it, I got it!”

Whatever Zhao Wendong said, Wang Dana just nodded obediently, having lost all courage to resist.

”Go get the money!”

With a wave from Zhao Wendong, Wang Dana struggled to his feet and went with a few of his men, head bowed, to scrape the money together.

”Brother Dong is the man!”

”Working with Brother Dong is always so decisive and satisfying!”

The thugs who had come with Zhao Wendong all cheered loudly. Even the people from Wang Family’s Hut felt that while Zhao Wendong was demanding a lot, it wasn’t completely unreasonable. The way he handled things was fair.

Zhao Wendong pulled out his pack of grape-flavored cigarettes and offered one to Little Bastard first. Little Bastard glanced at him, took it, then leaned in to light it with Zhao Wendong’s lighter before handing the shotgun back to him.

Zhao Wendong took the gun and passed it to Zhao Wenjun, who was standing beside him. He then started handing out cigarettes, making a point to give them to the guys who had charged into the fray first. After that, he tossed two packs to Zhang Dadan to pass around to the rest.

When Wang Dana had lost his cool earlier, Zhao Wendong had seen everything clearly—who had charged forward, and who had stood in his way. He was deeply moved. With so many people willing to risk their lives alongside him, what hardship could he not overcome?

After a short wait, Wang Dana finally scraped together thirty yuan. It was a mix of bills and change tied into two stacks. Zhao Wendong took the money without counting and handed it directly to Zhao Wenwu. Wenwu accepted it with a grin and stuffed it inside his jacket. This brother of his had a good trait: he was completely reliable with anything entrusted to him, especially money. He had a one-track mind and would never forget something once it was on his mind.

”Alright then. It’s getting cold out here, let’s not freeze. Everyone can disperse now. All of you here today are witnesses. This matter is settled. Wang Dana, if you’re still not satisfied, you can come find me anytime. I, Zhao Wendong, will be waiting!”

”I’m convinced, truly. Dongzi, you know, through my sister, we’re practically relatives. This was all a misunderstanding. I just wasn’t thinking straight. From now on, let’s get along, brother.”

Humans are strange creatures. Once you do something for the first time, the rest comes easy. That includes compromising, and, well, other things. Having bowed his head once, Wang Dana found it surprisingly easy to do it again.

Seeing their side’s overwhelming victory, Zhang Dadan took the lead and shouted.

”Brother Dong is the man!”

More and more people joined in, and soon the deafening chant of ”Brother Dong is the man!” filled the air.

Zhao Wendong shot a glare at Zhao Wenwu, who was shouting the loudest. ’You silly fool,’ he thought. ’Calling me Brother Dong? Aren’t you getting our family seniority mixed up?’ He turned his head and saw Zhao Wenjun also shouting his lungs out, face red and neck strained. Wendong nearly choked on his own breath. Once the chanting died down, he just chuckled and waved his hand.

”Let’s go, brothers! We’re out!”

The whole group started noisily clambering back into the bed of the truck, giving the people of Wang Family’s Hut a live demonstration of what it means when a vehicle’s rated capacity is twenty but it’s actually carrying a hundred.

「Meanwhile, at the Commune courtyard.」 Yang Wenxue and Li Dawei heard the sound of the large truck and assumed Zhao Wendong had returned. They stepped outside, only to freeze in place. Li Guangming had suddenly appeared with a group of militia.