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

Time flies, and it's already late August.

The walls of Zhao Lei's new house are mostly built, and the outline of the two-story building stands clearly at the entrance of the village, visible from afar.

Many neighbors came to visit and learn. Although they were still short of money to build a red brick house, it was a novelty for someone in the village to build a two-story red brick house, and everyone loved to come and see what was going on.

"Wow, Lei Zi, your house is really impressive! I've lived most of my life and this is the first time I've ever seen anyone in our village build a two-story house!"

"You bet! This red brick house looks so sturdy, so much better than a mud-brick house. Lei, you're really capable, earning money and taking care of your family at the same time!"

"I heard that our production brigade will also approve a few households to build brick houses next year. Leizi, once your house is finished, it will be the model house for our village. Everyone will have to copy yours."

"The key is that Lei Zi, you're so kind! You've divorced all three of them, yet you still built such a big and beautiful house for them to live in. Who else would do that?"

"Yes, yes, you're Zhao Lei, the first one in our Peace Brigade to get rich! If you ever find any good opportunities, you'll have to share them with us!"

Zhao Lei was carrying mortar to the construction site when he overheard a few words and casually responded with a few words.

"Oh, Auntie, you're joking. I'm just messing around. You can just watch the show."

He didn't have time to chat much; he put down his load and went back to moving bricks.

Seeing that the men were all working and no one was paying attention to them, the idle old women and women turned around and went to chat with Qin Yuchan and Jiang Xinyue in the courtyard of Zhao Lei's old house.

Several women sat around on small stools in the courtyard, shelling beans and picking vegetables, their mouths never stopping.

"Teacher Qin, Xinyue, your Zhao Lei is really amazing! He built such a beautiful house for your family. It's truly enviable."

"Exactly! Tell me, out of all the men in our village, how many are like Zhao Lei? He's capable and hardworking. You guys are so lucky!"

"By the way, now that Zhao Lei is so capable, haven't you thought about remarrying him or anything? I see he's still as affectionate towards you as before."

"Yes, you're still young, and you've each only had one child. Having many children is considered a blessing, so do you have any plans to have more?"

A woman in her early thirties chuckled softly, "Sisters, just asking a gossip question, don't be angry. Who's Zhao Lei sleeping with now? Or do the three of them take turns?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyue's face flushed red.

Frowning, she retorted, "Oh, Sister Zhou, what are you saying!"

Sister Zhou waved her hand with a smile: "Hehe, Xinyue, don't be shy. We're all experienced women here, what can't we talk about? I don't believe you're all so young and don't sleep together."

Jiang Xinyue blushed to the roots of her ears from her words, and could no longer pick the vegetables in her hands. She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

Qin Yuchan, who was washing clothes nearby, slammed the washing stick into the basin, stood up, and glared at the group.

"Seriously, ladies, do you even know how to have a conversation? If you can't, then don't! Why are you here gossiping about these things?"

The young women initially dared to tease Jiang Xinyue, but they were genuinely intimidated by Qin Yuchan's notoriously fiery temper.

The group shrank back dejectedly.

Sister Zhou quickly changed the subject: "Oh, we were just chatting, Yu Chan, don't be angry. By the way, how much did it cost to renovate your house? I heard that the red bricks alone cost several thousand yuan?"

Qin Yuchan then sat down again, washing clothes as she said, "I didn't keep the exact figures; Xinyue did all the bookkeeping."

Jiang Xinyue had also recovered and continued the conversation, saying, "The cost of materials such as red bricks, cement, and sand is the biggest expense. Add in labor and food, and it'll probably cost two or three thousand."

"Two or three thousand! My God, how long would that take?" Several women clicked their tongues in amazement and praised Zhao Lei's skills.

The women were chatting animatedly in the courtyard, while the children were also busy outside.

The three children, Zhao Yupei, Zhao Yuyuan, and Zhao Yufeng, were led by other children brought by the women and played in the open space by the edge of the field.

Pointing to the red brick building in the distance, which was already mostly completed, Zhao Yupei proudly told the other children, "Look, that's my new home! My dad came back to build it, and soon we'll be able to live in an apartment building!"

Zhao Yuyuan jumped up and down excitedly, "Yes! My sister and I are going to live upstairs, and there are windows upstairs where we can see the mountains in the distance!"

A chubby little boy next to him protested, "Hmph! My dad said that when he makes money, he'll build us a house, an eight-story one!"

Another, even younger child chimed in in a childish voice, "My dad's going to build a hundred stories for our house!"

Zhao Yupei laughed heartily, "You're all bragging! How could a building be eight stories high? A hundred-story building would have to be built to the heavens!"

Several children were laughing and playing when suddenly a strange woman walked over from the other side of the field.

She looked to be in her forties, wearing a slightly worn floral jacket, clutching a handful of candies wrapped in oil paper, and waving to Zhao Yupei with a smile.

"Peipei, come here, come play with your great-aunt."

Zhao Yupei tilted her head, glanced at it, and frowned as she asked, "Auntie? What auntie?"

The woman bent down, her face beaming, and said, "Oh, Peipei, I'm your father's aunt, so of course you should call me great-aunt. Come, come, great-aunt has brought you some candy. Yuanyuan and Xiaoshitou, come here too, great-aunt has some candy here."

As she spoke, she reached out her hand to the three children, and the candy dangled in her palm.

Little Stone is the youngest, only two years old. When he sees the candy, he smacks his lips and wobbles as he prepares to go and take it.

Zhao Yuyuan reacted quickly, pulling Xiao Shitou behind her and protecting her younger brother by taking two steps back.

"Little brother, you're not allowed to take candy from strangers!"

Li Xiuying's smile froze instantly. She stood awkwardly on the edge of the field, unsure whether to offer or accept the money.

She originally intended to start with the children to bring the two families closer, but she didn't expect even the children to be so wary of her.

I felt anxious and ashamed, and for a moment I didn't know what to do.

Just as she was at a loss, Jiang Xinyue heard the noise outside the courtyard and came out. She immediately saw Li Xiuying.

Jiang Xinyue frowned: "Why are you here?"

Jiang Xinyue looked behind her, thinking that Zhou Minghong had come along, but after looking for a while, she found that there was only Li Xiuying.

The main problem is that in the last few days, Zhou Minghong's family has been like a persistent ghost.