I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 218: Chapter 194: The Second Home Run Battle (Part 3)

Annoyed, Jin Xiuying swatted Zhao Wenwu. ’This oaf,’ she thought. ’Can’t he see my face is beet-red and I feel awful all over?’

”That grubby girl is really taking a beating. Just listen... huh? Wife, why’s your face so red? Are you poisoned? I’ll suck it out for you.”

Zhao Wenwu saw that Jin Xiuying’s face was impossibly red and thought she was poisoned. He quickly lowered his head, pressed his mouth to hers, and started trying to suck it out. He’d heard his father say that’s what people do when someone is bitten by a poisonous snake.

”HSSS~”

Jin Xiuying, who was already feeling unbearably hot all over, sucked in a sharp breath. Looking at the oafish man before her—the one she planned to spend her life with—she let out a moan and began to respond passionately.

”Huh? Wife, what are you doing taking off my clothes?”

”Wife, how come you took yours off too?”

”Whoa, wife, what are you doing...”

Before her family ran into trouble, Jin Xiuying’s mother had taught her about such matters. With her taking the lead, she and Zhao Wenwu managed to get tangled up together. Then, with a muffled groan, she followed in Lin Zhiyin’s footsteps.

”Wow, wife, you’re fun. Hey, how come you’re crying out too? You know, it actually sounds pretty nice.”

Under the full moon by the sea, snow like goose feathers fell thick and fast. The flakes that landed in the sea melted into the water, while those on the shore accumulated, slowly blanketing it like a white cloth. Accompanied by the passionate cries of the young couples, the land was transformed into a vast expanse of white.

Early the next morning, they all slept in. They weren’t woken until Zhao Wenjun came looking for them, and the sound of his knocking roused them from their sleep.

”Breakfast is ready! We’re just waiting for you guys. Hurry up!”

After waking them with his call, Zhao Wenjun left. Lin Zhiyin kept herself wrapped in the blanket, not daring to look at Zhao Wendong, who was grinning cheekily as he tried to coax her out of bed.

”Honey, come on, get up. What’s gotten into you?”

”Go away. You’re awful.”

”That’s not what you said yesterday. Yesterday, you were saying...”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Zhiyin shot out her hand to cover his mouth. In her haste, however, a good portion of her delicate body was exposed. Zhao Wendong’s eyes practically bulged. Seeing his hungry look, Lin Zhiyin quickly shrank back under the blanket.

”I can’t... I’m exhausted, I have no strength at all. Tonight? Can we wait until tonight?”

”Heh heh... you’re the one who said it. Tonight, I’m going for three rounds.”

Listening to his nonsense, Lin Zhiyin gave him a coquettish glare and started to get dressed. The elders were waiting for breakfast; it wouldn’t do to be late, and they’d likely be teased. As soon as she was dressed and her feet touched the floor, a sharp pain shot through her, and her legs gave way, nearly causing her to fall. Fortunately, Zhao Wendong’s reflexes were quick, and he caught her in an instant.

”Honey, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Zhao Wendong watched her nervously. Seeing the concern on his face, Lin Zhiyin felt a warmth spread through her heart, as if her entire being had been filled up by something.

”What do you think is wrong? This is all your fault.”

”Heh heh, don’t worry. I’ll carry you.”

Zhao Wendong walked out the door with Lin Zhiyin on his back, only to see his second brother carrying Jin Xiuying in the exact same fashion. Seeing each other in the same predicament, Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying exchanged a glance and blushed furiously. They quickly buried their faces in their husbands’ backs, but neither could suppress the blissful smiles that spread across their lips.

”Hey, Third Brother! My wife’s legs are sore. Are your grubby girl’s legs sore too?”

”Yup.”

”Third Brother, my wife and I had a ’fight’ yesterday. It was so much fun! Did you and your grubby girl have a ’fight’ too? Hey, next time let’s all ’fight’ together. Wouldn’t it be more fun with more people?”

”Zhao Wenwu!”

Jin Xiuying forgot all about being shy. That idiot Zhao Wenwu had made her so furious she screeched, pounding on his back with her fists. Zhao Wenwu knew his wife’s reaction meant he’d said the wrong thing again, but he just chuckled, unconcerned. After all, his wife’s blows felt more like tickles; they didn’t hurt one bit.

Zhao Wendong had been about to tease his second brother and sister-in-law, but when he felt Lin Zhiyin’s hand creep quietly to his waist, he instantly behaved himself and didn’t dare gloat. As they passed Aunt Wang’s house, she and her family were outside sweeping, braving the falling snow. When she saw the state the two brothers were in, she burst out laughing.

”Dongzi, you two really dote on your wives! You can’t even stand to let them walk this short a distance!”

”Yup! The snow’s gotten too thick. It’s one less pair of shoes to get wet.”

”Haha! Can’t argue with that.”

Aunt Wang’s mind didn’t go anywhere else. She was just a bit envious of how pretty Zhao Wendong’s and Zhao Wenwu’s wives were, and also of the clingy affection of the young couples.

By the time they reached their front gate, the snow in the courtyard had been swept clean, with only a thin, fresh layer of flakes dusting the ground. Zhao Wendong and Zhao Wenwu set their wives down, intending to help them walk, but the two women immediately shooed them away. ’If they have to support us,’ they thought, ’won’t it be obvious to everyone what happened last night?’ They would die from the embarrassment. The two sisters-in-law had no choice but to hold hands, leaning on each other for support as they slowly made their way into the house.

”Haha! My dear daughters-in-law, it’s so good to see you getting along so well!”

Chen Yanmei beamed when she saw them enter arm-in-arm. ’Her sons were a united front, and it seemed her daughters-in-law were just the same,’ she thought. ’She, Chen Yanmei, was a good homemaker indeed.’ Lost in this thought, her face creased into an even wider smile. She grabbed both her daughters-in-law, nearly pulling them off their feet.

”Haha! Come on, let’s go eat! We were just waiting for you two!”

When Lin Zhiyin stumbled and shot him a pleading look, Zhao Wendong could only offer her an expression that said, ’Sorry, you’re on your own.’

”Oh, the snow’s already been swept? I thought we’d do it when we got back!”

Zhao Wendong said as he scanned the neatly cleared paths in the yard. Song Xiaoyu overheard and smiled.

”That was Er Gou and the others. They came over first thing in the morning to sweep the yard for us. Besides Er Gou, Old Nian and the Wang Brothers were here too. Some men from the militia came as well—quite a few people, actually. While you were up on the mountain, they often came by to help carry water and do chores.”

As Song Xiaoyu spoke, she couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. With a capable younger brother-in-law like Wendong, the whole family’s status had risen. Now, whenever the villagers saw her, they were noticeably warmer than before.

Zhao Wendong simply nodded, not saying a word. ’It’s a good thing the militia men are trying to get close to me,’ he mused. ’Even a hero needs help, as they say. You can’t get by without people on your side when it counts. Plus, I’ve already got Lin Huaimin and Wang Lulu where I need them. And now that Zhiyin and I know each other inside and out... the next step is to build a new house. That’s exactly when I’ll need all the manpower I can get.’