Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

The next day, the weather remained sunny.

As evening approached, the sun began to set.

Zhou Rui sat at his own door, seemingly ordinary, but a secret joy was hard to hide deep in his eyes.

The reason is simple: today's intelligence was updated this morning.

[Intelligence 1: There will be good news today. Zhao Jianjun will be home with the remaining balance this evening.]

Yes, I thought I would have to wait another day for the final payment, but this evening, which is now, I'm about to receive it.

So Zhou Ruicai sat at his doorstep early in the morning, waiting.

He was excited almost all day today.

I learned from Zhao Jianjun yesterday that his pharmacy friend will not be returning to the pharmacy until today.

So I didn't rush into the county town yesterday, but went there early this morning.

Fortunately, Zhou Rui didn't have to wait in vain. Around 5:40, a figure appeared on the country road in the setting sun.

The sunlight stretched his shadow long and slanted.

Zhao Jianjun was thin, with a thin face. He wasn't the steady type like his father. He wore glasses and looked very shrewd.

However, at this moment, his figure appeared very great in Zhou Rui's eyes.

Zhao Jianjun approached.

Seemingly surprised, Zhou Rui was sitting at the door.

"Nephew, what are you doing sitting here?"

Zhao Jianjun struck up a conversation with him familiarly.

He had a smile on his face, as if he wanted to tease Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui had already stood up, and now, looking at the newcomer, he gestured for him to enter the room.

"Uncle Zhao, you're sitting here welcoming the God of Wealth, how's it going? Any news?"

Zhou Rui said it half-jokingly, a look of joy on his face.

Zhao Jianjun laughed and waved his hand.

"Don't bother coming in. I brought things for your Aunt Li and Xiaoya, so you should hurry home."

"What are you busy with? Come in and have a glass of water."

Zhao Jianjun was eventually pulled inside.

Grandpa and Grandma went out for a walk and haven't come back yet; Zhou Shiwei and the other two have also gone to the construction team.

Only Zeng Jiamei and Yang Laidi were cooking at home.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Zeng Jiamei greeted them warmly and then gave the two of them some space.

Zhou Rui picked up a mottled, bright red kettle and then took out an enamel water tank with a red star printed on its surface.

Zhou Rui's family had run out of tea, so Zhou Rui poured a half-full cup of boiling water and placed it on the wooden table in front of Zhao Jianjun.

"Uncle Zhao, we're out of tea at home. Please make do with this."

Zhou Rui said apologetically.

Zhao Jianjun smiled and said it was alright, then continued without pausing:

"You probably guessed it already."

"That's right, the goods have been sold, I'm here to deliver the money."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Rui first said somewhat apologetically:

"Uncle Zhao, you should have told me sooner. I should have gone instead of making you come all this way. It's my fault for being so inconsiderate."

Zhao Jianjun shook his head slightly, indicating that it was alright.

Zhou Rui couldn't help but smile at this point.

"What did I tell you? Isn't this the God of Wealth?"

"You've got a way with words, just you wait."

After Zhao Jianjun finished speaking, he took out a thick wallet. He opened it and saw that it was full of "Great Unity" bills, which looked to be no less than thirty or forty.

Zhao Jianjun took out all of it, moistened his fingers with saliva, and began counting the money without any regard for his image.

This is something that people in rural areas would do, and no one would look down on it, since it's money.

"1, 2, 3... 20, 21, 22, 23, 24."

Zhao Jianjun concentrated on counting out 24 ten-yuan "Great Unity" banknotes.

Large denomination banknotes are not yet widely circulated; the largest denomination is ten yuan. In rural areas, the ten-yuan "Great Unity" note is a real "big bill," and no one would dislike it.

What's more, it's such a full stack.

Zhao Jianjun grabbed the rest, took them back, counted them again to make sure they were correct, and then neatly arranged them on the table.

"Nephew, here's 240 yuan. Count it."

Zhao Jianjun handed a neat stack of large-denomination bills to Zhou Rui.

Looking at the ten-yuan "Great Unity" note right in front of him, Zhou Rui was slightly dazed.

This was his first real pot of gold.

With the remaining 48.6 yuan, he now had a "huge sum" of nearly 300 yuan.

That's enough to equal the income of a farmer who doesn't eat or drink for more than half a year.

Zhou Rui took the money, but he didn't count it, partly because Zhao Jianjun counted it in front of him.

Secondly, because he trusted Zhao Jianjun.

Zhao Jianjun, seeing Zhou Rui's breathing quicken, picked up the enamel water jug ​​on the table, took a sip to moisten his throat, and joked:

"Nephew, if you don't count them, what if your uncle secretly hid one or two..."

Zhou Rui carefully put the money away and looked at Zhao Jianjun again.

"Uncle, please stop teasing your nephew."

Zhao Jianjun laughed and then stood up.

"The money is paid and the goods are exchanged. Nephew, if you ever find another treasure like this again, remember to come back to your uncle."

Seeing that Zhao Jianjun was about to leave, Zhou Rui quickly stood up and tried to persuade him to stay.

"That's for sure. If there are any more good things, we'll definitely have to trouble Uncle Zhao to help out."

"Dinner's almost here, why don't you eat before you leave?"

Zhou Rui spoke sincerely, and he couldn't find fault with Zhao Jianjun's actions this time.

Zhao Jianjun was busy with all sorts of things, partly because of the 20 yuan reward, but Zhou Rui understood that the other party wanted to make friends with him.

Otherwise, Zhao Jianjun wouldn't have been so concerned, rushing to the county town early that morning and then returning without stopping.

Zhao Jianjun refused Zhou Rui's offer to stay.

Just then, Zeng Jiamei entered the room, wearing an apron and with a smile on her face.

"Jianjun, come in and sit down. Dinner will be served soon. More people means more chopsticks. You must be complaining that your own food is bad."

Zeng Jiamei also tried her best to persuade him to stay, but her relationship with Zhao Jianjun was not as close as her husband's relationship with him.

But this did not stop her from sincerely trying to persuade them to stay, because the two families were indeed on good terms.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianjun quickly replied:

"No, no, how could that be? It's just that your sister is still waiting for me at home, and I have to hurry back, or I'm afraid I'll be kneeling on the washboard if I'm late."

Zhao Jianjun's words were humorous and witty, and he politely declined again. Seeing this, Zeng Jiamei did not insist any further.

Zhou Rui and his mother saw them off to the roadside, and only then did Zhao Jianjun quickly call them home.

Back home, Zeng Jiamei didn't ask what the other person was doing there. The house wasn't very soundproof, and she had already heard some things.

She didn't ask any more questions, nor did she ask Zhou Rui for anything else, and she didn't ask Zhou Rui for money.

Zhou Rui didn't intend to tell his mother much, only saying that Uncle Zhao had come to deliver money for the gastrodia elata.

There was no indication of where the money would be spent, and Zeng Jiamei didn't ask.

Zhou Rui had his own ideas; he didn't want his family members to get involved, especially his mother, younger brother, and grandparents.

Buying a gun and using it for hunting is still somewhat dangerous, so I can't tell anyone for now. I believe my dad's thoughts are pretty much the same.

Zhou Rui had only been home for a short while, and just as he finished washing the cups and putting them back in their place, Zhou Shiwei and the other two returned.

As soon as he returned, he approached Zhou Rui. The two went to a secluded spot, where Zhou Shiwei spoke directly:

"I saw Xiao Zhao on the street. Did the money arrive?"

With a smile on his face, Zhou Rui took out neatly stacked banknotes from his bag.

Although he had handled far more money in his previous life than this, the excitement he felt at this moment was unprecedented.

"Dad, everything's ready... Tomorrow we'll head to the county town and buy a gun."