I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 233: Chapter 198: Little Tuanzi’s Kindness

Everyone was touched by the little girl’s kindness. Zhao Wendong lowered his head, picked Little Tuanzi up, and gave her two big kisses on the cheek.

”Little Tuanzi, you’re such a good girl. But we have to give other people a chance to trade, don’t we? What if someone else wanted to trade with that uncle for corn flour, but you beat them to it? That wouldn’t be very nice, would it?”

”Oh, you’re right. Then Little Tuanzi won’t trade right now. I’ll wait until they can’t trade it away, and then I’ll go trade.”

”Haha, alright. Let’s go!”

The market was getting more and more crowded, so Zhao Wendong decided to carry Little Tuanzi and didn’t put her down. Although Little Tuanzi had stopped trying to trade, that didn’t stop her from greeting everyone she saw.

”Hello, Grandpa! What are you trading?”

”Bye-bye, big brother! I hope you have a happy day, every day!”

The market, which had been bustling with people but lacked any real warmth, was suddenly filled with the sweet, child-like voice. Even the air no longer seemed so cold. Wherever Little Tuanzi went, smiles blossomed on people’s faces, their somber moods seemingly cured by the adorable little girl.

With Little Tuanzi going around asking what everyone wanted to trade, people didn’t have to ask themselves. They could focus on scanning the stalls for things their families needed. Most of the stalls were piled with food saved from personal rations, intended for trade for other foodstuffs or necessities. Quite a few people had even brought out gold and silver jewelry to trade for food. Zhao Wendong was tempted, but Lin Zhiyin was against it.

Zhao Wendong’s attire made him the most conspicuous person in the crowd. Many people instinctively shied away from him, afraid they might accidentally soil or damage his clothes and be unable to pay for them. Adding to the spectacle, acquaintances, including some local toughs, kept coming over to greet him. Even the patrolling militia guards saluted him. This led to constant speculation about his identity, until sooner or later, whispers of ”So that’s Zhao Wendong!” would start to circulate.

It wasn’t like the markets of the future from his past life, which were filled with all kinds of sesame seed cakes, fried dough sticks, cooked dishes, candies, and pastries. Still, today was truly a rare, grand gathering for the entire Commune. Wandering from stall to stall, Zhao Wendong and his group managed to trade for quite a few things that were scarce at home. For instance, they acquired half a bag of dried hazel mushrooms and half a bag of dried string beans, much to Zhao Wendong’s delight.

They made their way to the grain-drying ground, which was the most crowded area. All the main stalls were gathered in a large circle here. One stall in particular was surrounded by people. As Zhao Wendong and his group squeezed closer, they spotted Yang Wenxue. Yang Wenxue saw Zhao Wendong too—after all, his clothes were hard to miss—and immediately waved him over.

Carrying Little Tuanzi, Zhao Wendong led Lin Zhiyin and the others to Yang Wenxue’s side, his eyes widening in surprise at the stall before them.

”Secretary Yang, are these from our Commune?”

”Yep. They’re from our Commune’s own breeding farm. We can’t afford to feed them anymore, so we’re bringing them out to trade for some grain. We’ll distribute it to everyone so they can celebrate the New Year properly. It’s been a long, hard year.”

Yang Wenxue accepted the cigarette Zhao Wendong offered him. Zhao Wendong took one for himself, and the two men lit up, making small talk. Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying took Little Tuanzi over to the wooden enclosure. She grabbed onto the planks to peek inside, shouting happily.

”Piggies, little piggies!”

”And a big rooster!”

The Commune’s breeding farm stall was displaying a few chickens—one rooster and three or four hens—as well as a sow with her seven or eight piglets. The piglets were squealing and grunting as they tried to nurse, but the sow weighed just over a hundred pounds, so thin that her ribs were showing. It was easy to imagine how little milk she could produce. The piglets, starving and cold, shivered as they cried out in hunger.

”And she still has her litter with her.”

”Several of her piglets have already starved to death. These are all that’s left. Aih.”

Yang Wenxue sighed, his gaze sweeping over to Zhao Wendong, and he swallowed the words he’d been about to say. ’Even if Zhao Wendong has grain,’ he thought, ’he has no reason to help the Commune by taking these pigs. If she could be slaughtered for meat, it might be a different story, but she has her litter with her and barely any meat on her bones. Anyone who trades for her would be taking a loss. And looking at the Dragon King Pond militiamen around us... Zhao Wendong has already helped me so much. How could I possibly have the face to ask him to take the pigs off our hands?’

Little did he know, Zhao Wendong was doing his own calculations. ’Should I take these pigs?’ he wondered. ’The pigs nowadays are Northeast folk pigs—all black, looking more like wild boars. They’re a completely different breed from the imported, fattened pigs from decades in the future. They have very little fat to begin with, let alone this half-starved, skinny sow. But there’s one thing that appeals to me... this sow has milk!’

’Back home, Zhuangzhuang isn’t too keen on plain minced meat anymore. His growth has slowed, and he’s not as energetic. Zhao Dashan said the main reason is the lack of milk. We don’t have milk from a mother tiger, but sow’s milk would be a decent substitute. Most importantly, my family has enough grain now. The Commune is desperate to get rid of these pigs, so the price will definitely be low. If I trade for them and fatten them up, I’ll make a huge profit next year. And that’s not even counting the piglets. Getting live pigs for the price of their meat is practically a steal.’

By the time he finished his cigarette, he saw that while the crowd of onlookers was large, very few people were making inquiries. In fact, not a single person had asked about the pigs. Zhao Wendong dropped his cigarette butt and turned to Yang Wenxue with a smile.

”Secretary Yang, if you can’t get rid of these pigs and chickens, just trade them to me. Fish, meat, or grain—you name your price.”

”Really?”

Yang Wenxue was ecstatic. He had already mentally prepared himself for the pigs not being traded, and the few chickens alone weren’t enough to be worth distributing among the Commune and farm staff. If Zhao Wendong was willing to take it all off his hands, it would solve a massive problem for him. Better still, it sounded like Zhao Wendong was offering a choice of payment. Overjoyed, he immediately waved to the farm staff.

”No more trading! Pack it up! Herd them all back! Take good care of them, and give them the rest of the feed. Comrade Zhao Wendong is taking everything your farm has to offer!”

The farm workers erupted in cheers and joyfully began packing up, loading the pigs and chickens back into their wooden cages, ready for Zhao Wendong to come to the farm later to complete the trade. Zhao Wendong’s grand gesture stunned everyone present. Decades ahead of time, they got their first taste of the sheer extravagance of Master Zhao buying out the entire lot.

”Brother Dong is the man!”

”The captain is a badass!”

Many people began to shout, and soon it became a roaring chorus. Zhao Wendong quickly waved his hands, gesturing for them to disperse. ’I need to lie low for a bit,’ he thought. Even he, a man so thick-skinned a needle couldn’t pierce his hide, felt that he was attracting a little too much attention lately.