Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

In that short time, Qin Mancang thought about many things.

Zhao Lei and Jiang Xinyue were both somewhat surprised to see Qin Mancang staring blankly at them, engrossed in smoking.

He thought to himself: Is it really that difficult to build a house now?

Why does my father-in-law need to think about this for so long?

Or is the procedure just too complicated?

Or are there any difficulties?

Zhao Lei's heart was pounding, and he couldn't help but ask, "Dad, don't stay silent. Is it difficult to get the paperwork done for building this house?"

Qin Mancang then came to his senses, cleared his throat, and said, "Ahem, building a house is a big deal. As for the necessary procedures, Yu Chan asked me about it a while ago, so I looked into it..."

Qin Mancang became serious, and Jiang Xinyue quickly took out paper and pen to start taking notes.

"First, you need to submit a written application to me, the production team leader, specifying your current family size, existing housing area, the condition of the house, and your chosen building location and requirements."

Zhao Lei nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Dad, go ahead and tell me. I'll make sure Xinyue remembers everything."

Qin Mancang continued, "In addition, the assessment should be conducted at the production team members' meeting, and a vote should be held with the nearby villagers to confirm that your newly built house will not occupy farmland, encroach on collective forest land, or affect the passage and irrigation of neighbors."

"Father, please continue."

"Next, it needs to be reported to the brigade for review, and then submitted to the commune's land and civil affairs officers for on-site surveying and drawing the hard red line. Finally, our commune will stamp it and issue the building permit."

Qin Mancang explained every detail of the process to Zhao Lei and Jiang Xinyue.

After saying that, Qin Mancang asked again, "Lei Zi, are you really going to build a red brick house? As far as I know, it's not something you can just build whenever you want."

The materials, precast slabs, and cement used here are all in high demand. As for red bricks, you can try to get some from the Sun Brick Kiln, but these things are hard to obtain without connections and resources.

Zhao Lei replied with a smile, "Dad, don't worry about that. I can figure it out myself."

"Alright, that's basically the process for building a house. Just follow the rules and procedures, and I'll support you. After all, your old house is no longer habitable."

Seeing Peipei, Yuanyuan, and Xiaoshitou suffer with you all breaks my heart as their grandfather. I hope you can finish building the house as soon as possible so that the children can suffer less with you.

Zhao Lei readily agreed: "Yes, yes, Dad, you're right, that's why I'm planning to start working as soon as I finish the farm work."

After saying that, Qin Mancang called his wife over: "Xiumei, how much money do we have left? Give some to Leizi."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lei immediately became anxious and waved his hands hastily, "Dad, what are you doing?"

"Oh dear, Lei Zi, you're going to build a red brick house, that'll cost a lot of money. Since you've made up your mind, your father's abilities are limited, but I should at least support you a little bit."

"Oh dear, Dad, what are you saying? Since I'm planning to build a red brick house, I've definitely prepared everything. You don't need to worry about the money."

"Really? Although you've made some money hunting and fishing lately, I roughly understand from Bowen and Dashan that building a red brick house will cost several thousand yuan. Once construction starts, the money will just flow out like water; it's not that simple."

Despite Zhao Lei's repeated attempts to persuade him, he absolutely refused to accept the four hundred yuan that Qin Mancang offered.

"Dad, keep this money. Bowen will be an adult soon, and we need it for his wedding. Besides, I've almost finished preparing the money for the house repairs, so you two don't need to worry about it."

Qin Mancang finally felt relieved: "Alright, Lei Zi. Your most important thing now is to focus on your work and raising the child. Don't think about anything else. Everything needs to be stable, understand?"

Zhao Lei nodded emphatically.

Instead of feeling annoyed by his father-in-law's earnest advice, he felt a warmth in his heart.

In the end, his father-in-law was no different from his ex-wife, Qin Yuchan.

They may criticize and scold you without holding back, but when you actually encounter problems or difficulties, they are willing to help you wholeheartedly.

In the years since his parents passed away, his father-in-law Qin Mancang and mother-in-law Chen Xiumei have treated him almost like their own son.

If I hadn't made a foolish mistake and divorced Qin Yuchan, my parents wouldn't have harbored any resentment towards me.

But now everything is fine; he has rediscovered the feeling of being loved by his elders.

The father and son exchanged a few more pleasantries.

Qin Dashan also came over to say hello during this time.

Finally, Zhao Lei said he had other things to do and made an excuse to leave, calling Qin Bowen along as he left.

Qin Bowen followed behind Zhao Lei and Jiang Xinyue, asking, "Brother-in-law, are you really planning to build a red brick house?"

"How could it be fake? I'm just kidding!"

"Hehe, brother-in-law, you're really amazing. So, what are we going to do today?"

Zhao Lei said with a smile, "Let's go to the Taiyang Production Brigade and finalize the order for red bricks at the Taiyang Red Brick Kiln."

"Okay, brother-in-law, just the two of us? Where's Zongbao?"

"Hey, Bowen, you and Zongbao have been getting pretty close lately, you're practically inseparable."

"Hehe, brother-in-law, Zongbao is actually a really good person."

Zhao Lei waved his hand: "Alright, then go and call Zong Bao. If he's free, we can go together; if not, that's fine."

"Okay, brother-in-law, I'll go right away."

After saying that, Qin Bowen rode his old-fashioned bicycle towards Wang Zongbao's house.

Zhao Lei led Jiang Xinyue to the fork in the road.

He smiled and said, "Xinyue, you've already understood all the relevant procedures and regulations. I'll leave the writing of the building application to you. I'll take Bowen to the brick kiln later to finalize the brick order."

Jiang Xinyue readily agreed: "Okay, don't worry."

Jiang Xinyue had only taken two steps forward when Zhao Lei called out to her again: "Xinyue, how did it go with your resignation to Sister Xia?"

"Sister Xia said it's no problem, and the team should hold a meeting today to discuss this matter."

Zhao Lei was relieved: "Alright, this job at the pig farm is too hard for you. You should find an easier job in the future."

Jiang Xinyue's heart skipped a beat, and then she smiled and replied, "I'll work here first, and we'll talk about the rest later after our house is built."

After saying that, the couple parted ways at the crossroads, each going about their own business.

Walking home, Jiang Xinyue felt a mix of emotions.

On the one hand, I feel a sense of relief that I no longer have to work at the pig farm.

She was originally a capitalist's daughter, worldly-wise, cultured, educated, and knowledgeable. It was a waste of her talents to spend her days shoveling pig manure and feeding pigs in a pig farm.

During the years she was sent down to the countryside, she always harbored a strong desire to use her abilities.

But at the time, we were constrained and had no other choice.

Only now, following Zhao Lei, does she feel like she's escaped a sea of ​​suffering and rediscovered her own value...