Chapter 160 - 159: Sorrowful Wang Defa

Chapter 160: Chapter 159: Sorrowful Wang Defa

Among the crowd, Zhao Wendong’s people were the most conspicuous. They all had ruddy complexions and their voices were full of vigor, a clear sign they had been eating and sleeping well recently. Even Zhao Chuanhe and Ye Qingmei looked much more energetic than the other elderly villagers.

"You all see this, don’t you?"

Third Master Zhao’s mood was exceptionally heavy. He hadn’t paid much attention before, but now that everyone was gathered together, he realized the village’s situation was even worse than he had imagined.

"Everyone is still holding on for now, but that’s only because most families are eating as little as possible, skipping meals whenever they can. But there are still seventeen or eighteen days until the New Year, and two more months until spring. If we just keep enduring like this, even if we make it to spring when the mountains turn green and we won’t have to worry about food, I’m afraid everyone will have collapsed by then. I’m worried we won’t even have enough able-bodied people to plant the fields!"

After Third Master Zhao finished speaking, the members of the village committee fell silent once more. Some of the villagers standing near them who had overheard also grew quiet. There was nothing to be done; food couldn’t just appear out of thin air.

"Later, while everyone’s here, let’s hold a meeting and get everyone on the same page. If we all pull together as one, I refuse to believe we’ll just let this crisis defeat us."

"Yes, Uncle Weiguo is right."

Zhao Wendong was the first to agree, and the others nodded in assent.

Soon, the first batch of venison was roasted. Zhao Weiguo arranged for it to be distributed first to the men outside who were still butchering the red deer, followed by the children and the elderly.

Those who hadn’t gotten any meat yet stared eagerly, waiting for the next batch. Those who had received their portions used all sorts of implements—some used skewers, some had brought chopsticks, but most just clutched the meat in their bare hands. They didn’t dare loosen their grip in the slightest, despite the searing heat, terrified of dropping it on the ground.

The rich aroma of cooked venison, wrapped in steam, drifted through the building. Adults and children alike couldn’t stop their noses from twitching. The scent was so tantalizing that some children even burst into tears. Every piece of venison was roasted with intense care, for countless pairs of eyes were watching every moment. It would have been difficult to ruin a piece even if one tried. Each cut was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sizzling as droplets of fat popped and spattered.

Some of the starving children simply couldn’t wait. The moment they got their meat, they shoved it directly into their mouths, grimacing as the heat seared their tongues. Tears streamed down their faces, yet they couldn’t bear to spit it out. Finally, with the help of the adults, they managed to tear off a smaller piece and chewed it slowly, their eyes shining with pure bliss.

Many of the elderly, however, would first inhale the aroma deeply. Once they had their fill of the scent and the meat was no longer scalding hot, they would begin to slowly gnaw on it. Grease trickled from the corners of their mouths down to their chins, dripping onto their tattered collars, but they paid it no mind.

As they ate, tears began to stream down the faces of many of the elders. Droplets of grease mixed with their tears, landing on hands covered with chilblains, dirt, and wrinkles. The mixture seeped into the cracks in their skin, making them wince in pain, yet they continued to hold on tightly to the fragrant roasted meat.

Fortunately, the communal cafeteria was spacious enough to accommodate five large bonfires. As more venison was cut and propped by the fires to roast, everyone gradually got their share. No one spoke. The only sounds were the CRACKLE and POP of the bonfires and the noise of a crowd ravenously eating, interspersed with quiet sobs.

Although Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou had been the ones to hunt the deer, neither of them got to eat any of the fragrant, roasted venison. Fortunately, they hadn’t been short on meat lately, so they didn’t feel it was a great loss. In fact, they were happier to be carrying out the mission Zhao Wendong had given them.

They went to Third Master Zhao’s house, led out the large brown horse, and hitched it to a sleigh. After returning to their own home to grab two old cotton quilts, the pair drove the sleigh in a hurry toward Little Lone Mountain Village, where Little Bastard lived. They had been ambushed there once by him, and the experience had left such a deep impression that they had no trouble finding the place.

What the two of them didn’t know was that while Dragon King Pond was abuzz with activity, the county seat was in an even greater uproar. Li Guangming and his family of three had been wiped out right in the health clinic, and the perpetrator was nowhere to be found. Such a momentous event instantly sent shockwaves through the entire county.

Many people who had already gone to bed or were lying down were roused from their sleep. Tonight was destined to be a night that would be talked about for years to come. When Wang Defa heard the news, he ran to Jiang Weimin’s house without even pulling his pants up properly. When he arrived, he found Jiang Weimin smoking, with two cigarette butts already on the floor. He had clearly received the news even earlier than Wang Defa.

The two of them had known that Li Guangming had taken people to Dragon King Pond during the day. By the time they got word of it and wanted to stop him, it was already too late—Li Guangming had already set out. So, they had been waiting at the county committee office, planning to help rescue Zhao Wendong and Lin Zhiyin as soon as Li Guangming brought them back.

But when Li Guangming and his group returned, the two officials were dumbfounded. Li Guangming’s head was covered in blood, and he had gone to the health clinic. Farm Director Qian was completely crestfallen, and the group of militiamen had scattered to the winds.

They had been thinking that with Zhao Wendong having beaten Li Guangming, the trouble to follow would be even greater. Li Guangming would surely use the assault as a perfectly legal pretext to punish Zhao Wendong. But neither Jiang Weimin nor Wang Defa had expected tragedy to strike just after nightfall. They looked at each other, their faces filled with bitterness and disbelief.

"Secretary Weimin, what do we do now? Do you really think Brother Wendong did it?"

"Who else could it be? He was too rash... The conflict just happened today, and tonight he..."

Jiang Weimin trailed off, not wanting to sound as if he supported Zhao Wendong taking matters into his own hands.

"Sigh... Brother Wendong is such a good person. Li Guangming had it coming! That bastard was a goddamn menace!"

Thinking about how Zhao Wendong was now completely ruined, Wang Defa’s eyes reddened, and tears welled up, threatening to fall. He was truly heartbroken. Although he hadn’t known Zhao Wendong for long, he had genuinely grown fond of his "little brother."

Jiang Weimin sighed but said nothing. With Li Guangming dead, he was arguably the biggest beneficiary; all he had to do was wait to take over the position. But if this outcome came at the cost of Zhao Wendong’s future, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Forget it. Sitting here won’t do any good," Jiang Weimin said. "Let’s go. No matter what, we have to go see for ourselves. Find a vehicle. We’ll head to Dragon King Pond tonight."

Jiang Weimin tossed his cigarette butt, stood up, got dressed, and pulled some small bills from a drawer to put in his pocket. Seeing this, Wang Defa felt for the personal savings he had on him. He hadn’t come prepared and didn’t have much money. ’I’ll give this to Wendong’s family for now. It’s not much, but it’s a token of my concern. I’ll have to help look after them more in the future.’ He sighed.

The two men went straight to Niu Yuesheng’s house. After all, he knew Zhao Wendong best, so they wanted him to come along.

At that moment, Niu Yuesheng had only just laid down. With something heavy on his mind, he hadn’t been able to fall asleep. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he’d faintly heard gunshots. A moment later, police sirens began to wail, and he knew he hadn’t been imagining things.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—!

A series of urgent knocks suddenly sounded at the door. Niu Yuesheng shot up from the bed, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

"Who is it?"

He didn’t even realize his own voice had cracked. His wife, sleeping beside him, was also woken by the noise and propped herself up to see what was happening. Thankfully, their three children were still sleeping soundly, oblivious to the commotion.

"It’s me, Wang Defa! Old Niu, open up, quick!"

"What’s going on so late at night, dear?"

Niu Yuesheng’s wife looked at her husband with concern. After so many years together, she could tell something was wrong with him tonight.

"It’s nothing, go back to sleep. But... wife... if something happens to me, you have to raise the children well. If you run into any trouble, go to Dragon King Pond and find a man named Zhao Wendong. He’ll help the three of you. Do you understand?"

The color drained from Niu Yuesheng’s wife’s face. She wanted to say more, but he had already swung his legs off the bed, thrown on some clothes, and opened the door.

Wang Defa was the first one in. When Niu Yuesheng saw that the person following him wasn’t a police officer but Secretary Jiang Weimin, he instantly calmed down, a strange expression appearing on his face.

"Secretary Jiang, Station Chief Wang, what brings you here?"

"Look, Old Niu, now is not the time for questions. You need to take us to Dragon King Pond, quickly!"

"Dragon King Pond? What for?"

"We’ll talk on the way. Let’s go, let’s go!"

Wang Defa pulled Niu Yuesheng out the door. Niu Yuesheng only had time to shout back into the house.

"Don’t worry, honey! It’s nothing! I’ll be back soon!"