I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 161: Chapter 160: The Road is Also Lively

As the large truck started up, Wang Defa told Niu Yuesheng all about Li Guangming’s family of three before he could even ask. He added that they suspected Zhao Wendong was responsible.

”Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Niu Yuesheng shook his head firmly, his face a mask of disbelief. When he saw the other two men staring at him strangely, he offered an explanation.

”I just got back from Dragon King Pond this afternoon. Zhao Wendong got into a fight today, and I took my truck over to help him out. I was on my way back when I heard Li Guangming had tried to steal his wife, so I drove them straight back to Dragon King Pond. I was right there when Li Guangming got beaten up!”

”Zhao Wendong was definitely angry enough to kill him on the spot, but Secretary Yang Wenxue from their Commune and the villagers talked him down. At the time, Zhao Wendong was even shouting that he was going to report Li Guangming to the higher-ups!”

”And what happened after that? After Li Guangming and his men left?”

Jiang Weimin hadn’t expected to find an eyewitness here and pressed him for more details.

”After that? Everyone just dispersed. I gave Yang Wenxue and his group a ride back to the Commune, and then I came home. I was sound asleep until you guys woke me!”

Hearing this, Wang Defa looked at Jiang Weimin, pleasantly surprised.

”Secretary Weimin, is it possible it really wasn’t Brother Wendong? Maybe this is just a coincidence? Li Guangming was so despised, it’s only natural he’d have other enemies, right?”

Jiang Weimin shook his head but didn’t say anything. ’There’s no such thing as that many coincidences.’ He still believed Zhao Wendong was the culprit.

”Master Niu, drive faster. We’ll go to Dragon King Pond and see if Zhao Wendong is there. That will tell us if it was him! If he did it, he must still be somewhere near the county seat. Unless he can fly or had a car waiting, there’s no way he’s faster than us. If we get to Dragon King Pond Village and he’s not there, it’ll prove he came to the county to do the deed.”

Hearing this, Wang Defa seemed to have a realization. He shot a quick glance at Niu Yuesheng. ’What if Master Niu was the one who gave Zhao Wendong a ride?’

But after a moment, he dismissed the idea. ’Even if Master Niu picked him up, he’d still need another vehicle to get back. Otherwise, the moment we arrive at Dragon King Pond and don’t find him, the jig would be up. And for something this huge, Zhao Wendong wouldn’t be able to find a second car besides Master Niu’s.’

Someone else couldn’t sleep that night: Farm Director Qian of the Youth Farm. After Old Qian got home, he had his wife fix him a bite to eat, then poured himself a glass of cheap white liquor to calm his nerves.

Just thinking about what happened today made his legs go soft. ’That moron Li Guangming thought his status was so lofty, that everyone feared him.’ But Farm Director Qian had seen it with his own eyes. That group from Dragon King Pond today... at least a dozen of them had pointed their guns at him. The looks on their faces weren’t just for intimidation; they were really ready to kill.

’What have I done to deserve this? This is the worst luck in eight lifetimes, I swear.’ Old Qian’s guts were twisting with regret. ’If I’d known it would come to this, I’d rather have let Li Guangming curse me out and make my life difficult than help him get Lin Zhiyin transferred back to the county!’

As his mind raced, the door was suddenly yanked open from the outside. Farm Director Qian jolted in fright, the small wine cup in his hand tumbling onto the heated brick bed. He turned to see several police officers. He even recognized the man in the lead—it was Director Fei from the Public Security Bureau.

”Farm Director Qian, Li Guangming and his whole family are dead!”

The director’s first sentence was enough to make Farm Director Qian go completely limp and collapse onto the brick bed. ’Who did he say died? Li Guangming? Dead?’ ’It has to be that gang from Dragon King Pond! Holy shit, that means they’re coming for me next!’

With that thought, Farm Director Qian grabbed onto the police director’s arm and held on for dear life.

”Director Fei, you have to save me! I don’t want to die! *Sob*... Li Guangming is dead, which means Zhao Wendong is going to kill me next! *Waaaaah!*”

Director Fei was taken aback. He had only come to question Farm Director Qian, as he was one of the last people seen with Li Guangming. He hadn’t expected the man to apparently know who the suspect was. His gaze sharpened instantly.

”Farm Director Qian, don’t worry, I’ll guarantee your safety. Now, hurry up and tell me, who is this Zhao Wendong you mentioned!”

”He’s the Civilian Militia Captain of Dragon King Pond. Earlier today, Li Guangming took us to...”

Farm Director Qian spilled everything about the day’s events in a rush. Soon after, Director Fei was personally leading a team. The pneumatic siren on an American-style jeep wailed frantically, followed by a truck full of police officers armed with live ammunition, all speeding toward Dragon King Pond.

As Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou neared the turnoff for Little Lone Mountain Village on their horse-drawn sleigh, two figures approached them from the distance. A flashlight beam suddenly landed on Zhao Wenjun. Without a word, he shone his own flashlight right back, as if to say he wasn’t one to be outdone.

”Zhao Wenjun? Stop right there!”

The one who shouted was Police Li Dawei. He and Yang Wenxue were rushing toward Dragon King Pond. Seeing a horse-drawn sleigh traveling so late at night immediately put them on alert. Li Dawei’s hand had already gone to his holster. When he got a clear look and saw the driver was Zhao Wenjun, he urgently shouted for him to stop.

”Whoa—”

Zhao Wenjun reined in the large brown horse. He didn’t know who they were, but anyone carrying a flashlight was probably an official. After shining his own light back, Zhao Wenjun recognized them.

”Police Li? Secretary Yang? Why are you stopping me?”

”Zhao Wenjun, who do you have in the back? Is it Zhao Wendong?”

Hearing this, Zhao Ergou quickly lifted his head so the two men could get a clear look at his face.

”My Brother San is at home. I’m Zhao Ergou.”

Li Dawei breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw Zhao Wendong wasn’t on the sleigh. He carefully inspected both men and the sleigh, and upon finding no firearms, he finally relaxed. All that mattered was that these two hadn’t gone to the county seat to kill Li Guangming.

”Where are you two headed this late?”

”We’re going to pick up my grandpa to have him stay with us for a few days.”

”Doesn’t your grandpa live in Dragon King Pond?”

”Not my biological grandfather. He’s a sworn brother of my grandfather from long ago.”

Li Dawei saw that Zhao Wenjun was perfectly calm and his answers were smooth, so he simply nodded and said nothing more. Beside him, Yang Wenxue had heard what Zhao Ergou said and quickly sought to confirm it.

”You’re saying Zhao Wendong is in the village?”

”That’s right!”

”Alright, you can go then.”

Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou climbed back onto the sleigh. With a soft ”Giddy-up,” the large brown horse clip-clopped forward. Its workload had skyrocketed lately, and it was all for Zhao Wendong. If Zhao Wendong had been there, he would have surely heard the horse cursing him out in its mind!

Watching the sleigh disappear into the distance, Yang Wenxue let out a long sigh of relief.

”See? I told you Zhao Wendong wouldn’t be that impulsive. He’s staying put in the village, just fine.”

Li Dawei shook his head but said nothing. He still couldn’t believe that someone with Zhao Wendong’s temperament would be patient enough to pursue ”procedural justice” against Li Guangming.

The two men on the sleigh were also talking. Zhao Ergou chuckled softly.

”Big Brother, what do you suppose they’re off to do?”

”Going to see whether your Brother San went to the county seat, what else!”

”Big Brother, tonight... I was actually planning on going to the county myself...”

Zhao Ergou trailed off, and the two of them fell silent. ’It wasn’t just you,’ Zhao Wenjun thought. ’I had the same idea.’

The horse-drawn sleigh made its way under the moonlight, arriving at Little Bastard’s home. Zhao Wenjun switched on his flashlight, and the two men carried their quilts inside. The house felt even colder than it had a few days prior. The paper covering the windows had come unglued in several places, letting the cold wind WHISTLE through.

Entering the inner room, they saw Little Bastard’s grandfather sitting up, wrapped in a tattered quilt covered in patches. Beside the brick bed was a chipped bowl containing a black, mushy substance—whether it was medicine or food was impossible to tell, as it had frozen solid.

The quilt was worn shiny, with gray cotton wadding poking out from its frayed edges. Though the man was not yet sixty, his face was as sallow and weathered as dried tree bark. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his eyes, filmed over with a dull gray, held no trace of life. His sparse, graying hair was plastered dryly to his scalp. The hand that emerged from the quilt was nothing but skin and bones, covered in small, cracked chilblains.

Upon seeing Zhao Wenjun and the other man enter, the old man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He opened his mouth, his voice frail.

”What trouble has my grandson gotten into now...? I’ll apologize on his behalf. His heart is in the right place, I promise. Please, I’m begging you, don’t give him a hard time!”

As he spoke, he began to slowly push himself up, intending to kneel on the brick bed and kowtow to them.

[Author’s Note: I can’t write anymore for tonight, so I’m putting this notice here. It’s under 200 characters, so it won’t cost you extra Qidian coins, hehe. To better fit all you awesome readers’ schedules, starting today, the daily update time will be moved to the wee hours of the morning. I can still write a bit more. I’ll keep BANGING my head on the floor, begging all my amazing readers for full subscriptions, monthly tickets, recommendations, and comments! Please show your support!]