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

This is also an important factor in the grassroots success stories, the rise of outstanding individuals from poor families, and the achievement of wealth through hard work in the 80s and 90s.

Things changed after 2000.

Knowledge began to spread, and talented individuals emerged continuously.

Many big shots are starting to value cultivating their relatives, friends, and descendants more, and are therefore less willing to give opportunities for making money and advancement to outsiders.

That's why Zhao Lei gave Qin Bowen special advice.

Qin Bowen had completed high school, but he lacked confidence in taking the college entrance exam, feeling that his knowledge was sufficient.

But even now, this diploma is extremely rare.

After a brief explanation from Zhao Lei, he understood the underlying principle.

Qin Bowen also understood that he had really learned a lot of skills and principles from his brother-in-law recently.

These are things that are not taught in textbooks, and things that his father, an old farmer, and his brother, an honest man, could not pass on.

Therefore, in his mind, his brother-in-law Zhao Lei's figure became increasingly tall and mighty, even revered as a god.

As Zhao Lei chatted, he and Qin Bowen arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Not long after, Zhao Lei spent another 160 yuan to buy a bicycle.

Qin Bowen asked with some surprise, "Brother-in-law, why did you buy another old-fashioned bicycle?"

"Bowen, you and Zongbao are both riding bicycles now, but I still have to walk. What do you think I'd do with this?"

"Oh, right, brother-in-law. But you don't really need to buy any. Just ride in my car, I'll give you a ride, okay?"

Zhao Lei waved his hand: "It's yours, it's yours. Having a sword and not using it is one thing, not having a sword and not having a sword are two different things. A person has to rely on themselves. Why would I buy it? What if you fall in love one day, who will I turn to?"

When the topic of dating came up, Qin Bowen scratched his head shyly, which earned him a kick from Zhao Lei.

"What are you shy about? Stop being so shy, let's head to Sanhe Township right away and take care of the river sand issue at the same time."

"Hehe, okay then, brother-in-law."

With that, the two brothers each mounted a bicycle and headed towards Sanhe Township.

There is definitely a difference between carrying someone on a pedestal and riding it yourself.

Both brothers possessed inexhaustible energy, pedaling their bicycles at lightning speed; they even engaged in a brief race on the road.

As a result, what should have been a journey of more than an hour was completed in just 20 minutes.

After asking passersby along the way, the Zhao brothers found the riverbank of the Huangsha River.

There is a sand mining site here.

Naturally, using Wang Guohua's letter of recommendation, he met Boss Zhou, nicknamed "Big Head Zhou".

Zhao Lei took a look and realized that Boss Zhou was indeed just like his nickname.

A person's given name may be chosen incorrectly, but their nickname will never be chosen incorrectly.

Boss Zhou was fat and had a big head, with a face full of wealth. His head was as big as one and a half heads of other people.

It was enormous, even somewhat deformed.

Boss Zhou said with a smile, "Brother Zhao Lei, did Wang Guohua recommend you to buy river sand?"

"That's right, Boss Zhou."

"Alright, alright, since it was Wang Guohua who recommended you, everything will be easy. Dajun!"

As he spoke, Zhou Datou called over a young man named Dajun, who led Zhao Lei to the sand quarry to select river sand.

The army was quite honest, explaining to Zhao Lei in detail the function and use of each type of river sand and gravel.

Finally, Zhao Lei selected the river sand, paid the money, and received the receipt.

It was getting dark, so the two brothers said goodbye to Boss Zhou and hurried home.

That day, Zhao Lei went to the black market in the morning and settled the cement issue with Deng Changhai;

In the afternoon, I went to Sanhe Township and resolved the issue of river sand with Zhou Datou.

By the end of the day, he had basically finished dealing with all the main materials.

He found only prefabricated panels, but after asking around, he got no results.

Because this stuff is even scarcer than cement, it's mainly used in national and collective projects for building bridges and roads, and it's not even sold on the black market.

In the end, Zhao Lei had no choice but to give up.

If there are no precast slabs, it is also possible to use timber for support first, and then pour reinforced concrete later.

After all, he didn't intend to just build a red brick house and live there for decades.

After the reform and opening up and the rapid development of society, he would have to find a way to bring his wife and children to the city.

The two brothers traveled a long and arduous journey.

Around 6 p.m., they finally returned to Zhao Lei's home.

After parking the car in the yard, Zhao Lei shouted happily into the house, "Yu Chan, Xin Yue, Wan Qing, I'm back!"

After parking his car, Qin Bowen ran over and said, "Second sister, sisters-in-law, quickly pour some water, we're all dying of thirst."

As soon as Zhao Lei and his companion entered the main room, they saw their three ex-wives frowning and glaring at them, and they froze at the doorway.

Qin Bowen had just stepped across the threshold when he froze.

He sensed a murderous aura emanating from his three sisters-in-law.

Zhao Lei paused for a moment, then walked into the house with a puzzled look.

He started pouring tea for himself, took a big gulp, and then said, "What's going on? Are the three of you acting as door gods at home?"

Qin Bowen had just picked up his teacup when he heard his second sister roar, "Zhao Sanshi, how dare you even come back?!"

With a loud clang.

Qin Bowen shuddered, and the teacup in his hand instantly shattered on the ground.

What happened?

Did my sister eat gunpowder?

At that moment, Qin Bowen didn't dare to breathe, and stood frozen in place.

He had been disciplined by his second sister a lot when he was a child, and the pressure she was exerting now terrified him so much that he dared not move.

Zhao Lei was also completely bewildered, looking at Qin Yuchan with a puzzled expression and asking, "Yuchan, what are you doing? I've been out all day, and I just got back and had a sip of water, and you're giving me this attitude. Who offended you?"

Qin Yuchan sneered: "Hmph, Zhao Sanshi, you know perfectly well who provoked you!"

After saying that, Qin Yuchan hugged her breasts and plopped down on the stool.

He turned his head away, no longer looking at Zhao Lei.

Zhao Lei was completely baffled and turned his gaze to Jiang Xinyue beside him.

Jiang Xinyue also had a bitter face, her brows furrowed into a deep frown.

This made Zhao Lei very uneasy.

Because Jiang Xinyue is usually very reasonable, and in all the years I've known her, except for the time when we were going through a divorce, I've never seen her show such an expression.

Zhao Lei immediately became anxious: "What happened? Did something go wrong? Stop standing there, tell me!"

Finally, Zhao Lei had no choice but to turn his gaze to Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing is the gentlest member of the family and the most understanding ex-wife of Zhao Lei.

When there are disagreements at home, it's usually Su Wanqing who takes the initiative to give him a way out.

But Su Wanqing was different today. Her face was cold and frosty, giving people a feeling that strangers should not approach her.

"Wanqing, what's wrong? What happened? Did I do something wrong?"

Zhao Lei couldn't help but start to reflect. He thought and thought, but he couldn't find a single clue.

In the month since I was reborn, I haven't done anything to offend them.

Could it be that...?