Chapter 278 - 212: Home

Chapter 278: Chapter 212: Home

"How’d it go, son?"

Seeing Zhao Wendong return, Chen Yanmei immediately asked. Lin Huaimin, Wang Lulu, Zhao Dashan, and Song Xiaoyu all looked over with concern.

"It’s fine. They were just starving. I’ve brought them back. There are two little girls—one is two years old, and the other is not even a month old."

The moment Song Xiaoyu heard this, she couldn’t sit still. She stood up and handed Yadan to Chen Yanmei.

"Mom, I’ll go check on those two children. I’ve been eating a lot lately, so I have plenty of milk."

"Okay, okay. I’ll go with you. Lulu, you can watch Yadan for a bit."

"Alright, give her to me."

Wang Lulu chuckled and took little Yadan. The little girl had been eating well recently and her cheeks were getting chubby. In Wang Lulu’s arms, she flashed a gummy grin and giggled happily at her. Zhao Wendong had originally wanted to go have a look as well, but when he heard his sister-in-law was going to breastfeed, he immediately sat back down on the kang. Noticing the little tiger cub lying nearby, he snatched it up.

"AWOO!"

’Ugh, don’t grab my neck!’

Zhuangzhuang put on a fierce but squeaky roar. After a few threatening growls proved useless, he got anxious and started making random noises.

"Awoo~"

"Oink oink~"

Zhao Wendong: ???

’What the hell was that oinking? Is that a sound a tiger is supposed to make?’

"Hee hee, Third Brother, Zhuangzhuang knows how to oink like a pig now. He’s really good at it."

Little Tuanzi looked immensely proud. Zhao Wendong’s face darkened. Speechless, he looked over at Zhao Dashan and the others, only to find the three elders nodding with amused expressions. He was at a complete loss for words. ’So drinking pig’s milk has side effects, huh?’ He had originally planned to release Zhuangzhuang back into the mountains when he was bigger, to let him become the king of the forest. But now, the thought of a majestic Northeast Tiger oinking made Zhao Wendong feel secondhand embarrassment for the cub.

Zhuangzhuang, however, was completely oblivious and continued oinking at Zhao Wendong. Zhao Wendong dropped him, and the cub immediately tumbled into Little Tuanzi’s arms, expertly snuggling inside. Shaking his head, Zhao Wendong started feeding the other animals.

’Hurry up and let the chickens out! I want to bite them to death and piss off the stinky human!’

He ignored the devious fox and interacted with Xiaojin for a bit. Xiaojin’s spirits were a little low, probably because it hadn’t been able to fly for several days. Zhao Wendong remembered the information Guan Yongguang had told him and quickly said to Wang Lulu.

"Auntie, I need you to draw another tree. A big-leaf poplar, so wide that seven or eight people couldn’t wrap their arms around it. It needs to be tall and thick, the kind that would really stand out in the forest."

"Alright, I’ll draw it for you in a bit."

Wang Lulu and Lin Huaimin were busy playing with Yadan, and she answered without even looking up. Seeing how much they both adored children, Zhao Wendong had a thought. ’Looks like Zhiyin and I need to get a move on. If we have a couple of kids for them to look after, they could happily live out their golden years here in the countryside. It wouldn’t be a wasted life.’

He took stock of their situation. Between bartering for bricks, preparing for the New Year and the wedding, and trading for pigs and other things, their money and grain were nearly depleted. They didn’t even have many fish left. Zhao Wendong decided he would go into the mountains again tomorrow, depending on the situation. With only four days left until the New Year, there wasn’t much for him to do around the house anyway.

After playing with Dahuang and the other two dogs for a while, Zhao Wendong went over to the pigs and chickens. The pigs were penned off by a railing, and the chickens were in a cage. Looking at the crowded floor of the outer room, Zhao Wendong found himself looking forward to spring even more. Not only could they build a new house, but they could also build proper pigsties and chicken coops.

After a while, the sun set and the sky began to darken. Just as Zhao Wendong got up to go check on things, he heard the sound of a truck outside and quickly pushed the door open to go out.

The rest of the family had returned in Niu Yuesheng’s truck. Niu Yuesheng didn’t come inside; he just drove off. Since it was already dark, Zhao Wendong didn’t insist on him staying. When he got back inside, he saw Chen Yanmei wiping away tears, her heart aching.

"That Damei... she’s such a tall woman, but she’s been starved down to a skeleton. The Lis’ are truly inhuman! Even if you’re out of food, you starve the adults first. What kind of wicked monster starves children!"

"How are Damei and the children?"

Zhao Wendong quickly tried to change the subject. A look of relief appeared on Chen Yanmei’s face.

"Damei had some bean powder and millet congee, and her spirits are much better. The two kids are fine, too. Your sister-in-law helped feed the baby, and they both fell asleep right after eating. Eldest’s wife," she said, turning to Song Xiaoyu, "it’ll be tough on you for the next few days. You’ll have to go over to Er Gouzi’s house often. I’ll stew some pig’s trotters and Flying Dragon for you to help you recover your strength."

"Okay."

Song Xiaoyu nodded. Zhao Wendong glanced at her. ’You couldn’t ask for a better sister-in-law.’ She was warm-hearted to everyone, treated them with sincerity, and never fussed over personal gains or losses. Then he remembered how, in his past life, she and his eldest brother had both died deep in the mountains. The culprit was most likely the Wolf Pack led by the White Wolf. At the thought, a murderous intent rose in him again.

"Everyone get to sleep early. We’re going into the mountains tomorrow."

Hearing Zhao Wendong’s plan, everyone nodded and started preparing dinner and the things they would need for the mountain trip the next day. Zhao Shitou, seeing Zhao Wendong and Zhao Wenwu looking a bit idle, waved them over.

"Second Uncle, Third Uncle, it’s time to go collect the sparrows."

"Oh yeah? Let’s go."

His interest piqued, Zhao Wendong followed Zhao Shitou to the vegetable garden. There, on the sticky net, were little black dots. Some of them still struggled occasionally—sparrows that had just been caught on their way home to roost.

The sticky net was now mainly Zhao Shitou’s responsibility, and he managed it very well. Every day, he would lead a group of his friends around the village, chasing flocks of sparrows and herding them toward the net. He even imitated Zhao Wendong, always sharing a few of the sparrows with the other kids. As a result, all the older children loved to hang out with him now, and he was starting to look like a young Zhao Wendong in the making.