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

Zhao Lei shouted at the top of his lungs outside the fenced yard.

Not long after, a young man came out of the mud-brick house.

Upon seeing Zhao Lei, they exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey! Lei-ge, Bowen, what brings you here?"

Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen looked closely and recognized the man. It was Wang Xiaohu, who had stepped into a trap in Qingshui Gully and been taken down the mountain by the group.

By this time, Wang Xiaohu's foot injury had healed. He quickly ran to the two of them, opened the fence gate, and pulled them directly into the yard.

"Brother Lei, Bowen, it's been so long! What brings you to my house today?"

Zhao Lei laughed and said, "Haha, Little Tiger. Is this your home? I'm here to see Wang Shoushan, Uncle Shoushan."

Wang Xiaohu led the two into the main room, bringing them stools and pouring them water as he did so.

"Brother Lei, have you forgotten? I told you before that Wang Shoushan is my father. I'm so happy that you could come. I've been thinking of going to your place to thank you. If it weren't for you saving me last time, my foot might have been left with lasting effects."

Qin Bowen took a sip of water and laughed, "Oh, Brother Hu, you're too kind. Anyone would have lent a hand in that situation."

"That's true, Brother Bowen. But if I hadn't met you, I don't know how much suffering I would have endured. Besides, my little sister's body was found intact thanks to Brother Lei and Brother Dashan. You two have done our family a great favor."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lei immediately waved his hand and said, "Xiao Hu, you're too kind. It was nothing at all."

Wang Xiaohu chimed in, "By the way, Brother Lei, what do you need my dad for?"

"Little Tiger, isn't your dad home?"

"They're at home, weeding on the back hill. I'll go and call them back."

After saying that, Wang Xiaohu ran into the yard and shouted loudly towards the back mountain, "Dad! Mom! We have guests! Come back quickly!"

Seeing this, Zhao Lei was deeply moved.

In this day and age, people are simple and honest, travel is by walking, and communication is by shouting.

Every household was looking for someone, and they all shouted this loudly.

Such a scene would be extremely rare in the 21st century.

Not long after, Wang Shoushan and his wife returned home carrying hoes.

Upon seeing Zhao Lei, the elderly couple were overjoyed and rushed forward to tightly grasp his hands on either side.

"Lei Zi, what brings you here? If you need anything, you could just ask someone to pass on a message. There was no need for you to make a special trip."

Zhao Lei was somewhat flattered by the couple's enthusiasm. After a long time of reassurance, the elderly couple finally sat down and spoke calmly.

"Oh, Lei Zi, you're here because you need to repair your house and are short of timber, right?"

Zhao Lei nodded: "Yes, Uncle Shoushan. The quality of the local timber in our Heping Brigade is generally not very good, so I thought I'd come here to ask you about it."

Before Wang Shoushan could even speak, his wife kept shaking his arm, saying, "Wang Shoushan, you absolutely have to help Zhao Lei with this! Our family owes Lei too much. For the sake of my poor little daughter, you have to do your best to help Lei."

Wang Shoushan, holding his pipe, suddenly slapped his thigh and said solemnly, "Leizi, don't worry. We may not be able to provide other things, but as for timber, this old man has plenty of connections to get it for you."

Qin Bowen's eyes lit up: "Uncle Mountain Guardian, do you have a solution?"

Wang Shoushan laughed heartily: "Hahaha, I, Wang Shoushan, am just like my name suggests. I was born at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain, and I have been guarding this mountain since I started my family and career. Even in my old age, I still help the brigade take care of the forest farm. No one knows this forest on the back mountain better than me."

Although logging in the mountains without permission is against the rules and not allowed, in rural areas, the local officials have more power than the county magistrates. As long as it doesn't go too far, everyone turns a blind eye.

As he spoke, Wang Shoushan pointed to his neighbors working in the fields in the distance: "Look, in our Taiyang Production Brigade, whose roof beams weren't taken down from the mountain? Everyone knows that. As long as we don't destroy the forest farm on a large scale, there won't be any problems."

After thinking about it carefully, Zhao Lei realized that what he said made sense.

With the current shortage of supplies, rural families are spending money to buy timber, often costing tens or even hundreds of yuan, which is simply unaffordable for ordinary families.

Besides, people who live near mountains rely on the mountains for sustenance. They usually go into the mountains to cut firewood and use a small amount of timber, which is reasonable.

Zhao Lei had some reservations at first, but after hearing Wang Shoushan's words, he was completely relieved.

"Uncle Shoushan, then I'll have to trouble you with this. My family is building a red brick house, and we need roof beams, as well as a lot of timber for making furniture."

Wang Shoushan patted his chest and assured him, "Leizi, don't worry, I'll take care of this for you. Speaking of furniture making, I know a skilled carpenter. If you trust me, I'll introduce you to him."

Zhao Lei was overjoyed: "Great! Uncle Shoushan, I was just worried about not being able to find a reliable carpenter! Since you recommended him, I trust him completely, and he won't shortchange me on the wages."

"Alright, Lei Zi, since you're here, stay a while longer and have dinner before you leave. Logging requires choosing the right time; during the day we can only go into the mountains to check the timber, and we have to wait until night to transport it out."

Zhao Lei nodded in understanding.

He knew nothing about the logging process, but with Wang Shoushan overseeing things, he felt much more at ease.

Wang Xiaohu's family was poor, so Zhao Lei asked Qin Bowen to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some meat, rice, and wine, and then have dinner at Wang's house.

When Wang Shoushan's family saw the supplies Qin Bowen brought back, they were all flattered and kept declining.

But the gifts had already been bought, and the family couldn't afford a decent meal to entertain Zhao Lei, so the two elders could only silently remember this favor.

He made up his mind to choose the best wood for Zhao Lei.

During dinner.

Zhao Lei truly felt the warmth of the Wang family.

His family consisted of nine people. Wang Xiaohu was the second oldest, while Wang Xiaofang, who unfortunately passed away, was the youngest daughter.

In addition to his four children, there are also his eldest son Wang Dalong, his daughter-in-law and grandchildren, making a total of nine people living together.

Upon learning that Zhao Lei had not only saved Wang Xiaohu but also helped find Xiaofang's body and avenged his family, the Wang family treated their guest with exceptional hospitality.

Faced with the family's genuine sincerity, Zhao Lei couldn't help but drink a few more glasses.

He specifically told Qin Bowen to drink less alcohol, otherwise the two of them might not be able to get home if they traveled in the dark.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Zhao Lei was quite drunk before he bid farewell to the Wang family and set off on his return journey.

Qin Bowen helped the drunk Zhao Lei, and the two stumbled and fell twice along the way before finally getting Zhao Lei home.

When his three ex-wives saw Zhao Lei covered in mud and with weeds stuck in his hair, they immediately asked him questions.

"Bowen, what's wrong with your brother-in-law? Did you lead him astray?"

"Sisters, I'm so sorry, my brother-in-law and I had dinner at Wang Shoushan's house tonight. They were so hospitable, we couldn't refuse, and my brother-in-law drank a bit too much. It was dark and the road was slippery, so he slipped and fell..."