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

Zhang Sangong waved his hand at the villagers who had gathered around, "Alright, alright, everyone stop watching the spectacle and go back to what you were doing! Lei Zi's wall isn't finished yet, go back to work!"

The crowd then slowly dispersed.

The workers picked up their trowels and shovels and returned to their posts.

Zhao Lei bent down to pick up the mud shovel from the ground and continued working, while Qin Yuchan and Jiang Xinyue went back to the yard to wash vegetables.

Everyone thought that the matter was over.

But no one expected that a major problem would arise just three days after this incident...

Zhao Lei and his team had originally planned to start work around 7 a.m. that day, and would begin work after breakfast.

It's almost 7:30 today, and I still haven't seen the Wang brothers, Dalong and Xiaohu.

Zhang Sangong looked up at the sun and called out to Zhao Lei, who was standing at the door looking out, "Leizi, don't wait any longer. Let's eat and get to work. Don't waste time, it'll get hot soon when the sun comes out."

Zhao Lei felt it wasn't appropriate for him to eat breakfast before Wang Dalong and Wang Xiaohu arrived.

That's not right.

Xiao Hu and his brother are always punctual, sometimes even early. What's going on today?

Qin Changlin also advised, "Hey Lei Zi, don't just loiter at the door. Maybe something's holding them up today?"

Qin Dashan and Qin Bowen also joined in the persuasion.

"Yeah, Lei Zi, it's normal for someone to be a little delayed if something urgent happens at home."

"Yes, brother-in-law, they might be here soon."

Zhao Lei thought about it and agreed, so he told everyone to eat breakfast first and then get to work.

They were busy until after eight o'clock, but still couldn't see Wang Dalong and Wang Xiaohu.

Zhao Lei felt uneasy while working, and kept looking towards the village entrance.

He found Qin Bowen: "Bowen, did Xiaohu and the others say anything to you yesterday? Why haven't they arrived yet at this hour?"

Qin Bowen thought for a moment and said, "Oh brother-in-law, it's nothing special. It was just like a normal chat. We parted ways when we got to the village entrance."

But brother-in-law, you don't need to worry too much. It's possible that, just like my brother said, something came up at home and they might be a little delayed. We'll know when they arrive tomorrow, won't we?"

Zhao Lei didn't say anything, but he felt a little uneasy inside.

He was somewhat distracted while working, and almost dropped his foot while carrying bricks.

After working until almost 10 o'clock, Zhao Lei couldn't sit still any longer.

After finishing his cigarette, he threw the butt on the ground and stomped it out: "Hey, something's not right. I have a feeling something's wrong. I need to go to their house and check it out. I might as well also stop by the carpenter's place and see how the furniture is coming along."

Qin Bowen said, "Brother-in-law, didn't you lend your bike to Xiaohu and the others? I'll go with you, I'll give you a ride."

"OK."

Zhao Lei nodded.

The two finished work early, and Qin Bowen rode his old bicycle with Zhao Lei out the door.

As soon as they were discharged from the hospital, Jiang Xinyue chased after them and asked, "Where are you two going?"

Zhao Lei turned around and said, "Xiao Hu and Da Long haven't come all morning, and there's been no word from them. I'm worried something might have happened, so I'm going to check on them."

Jiang Xinyue thought about it and realized something was wrong. Logically speaking, if something had caused a delay, someone should have been notified.

Besides, they have bicycles, so it won't take them long to go back and forth.

Jiang Xinyue then added, "Alright, be careful on the road."

"Okay, I'll go take a look, and while I'm at it, I'll also check on how the furniture is coming along with the carpenter."

After Zhao Lei finished speaking, Qin Bowen rode his bicycle out of the village.

It used to take 30 to 40 minutes to walk between the two production brigades, but with bicycles, it was much faster.

Qin Bowen was young and had strong legs, so he pedaled very fast.

A dozen minutes later, they arrived at the territory of the Taiyang Production Brigade and headed towards Wang Shoushan's house.

Wang Shoushan is the father of Wang Dalong and Wang Xiaohu. His family lives in a detached mud-brick house at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain.

Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen parked the car and entered the yard.

Wang Shoushan was chopping firewood in the yard when he saw Zhao Lei arrive. He was a little surprised and quickly put down his axe to greet him: "Leizi, what brings you here?"

Zhao Lei asked, "Uncle Shoushan, where are Dalong and Xiaohu? Did something happen that kept them waiting today? We hadn't seen them all morning, so we came to check on them."

Wang Shoushan looked guilty and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Oh, Lei Zi, I'm so sorry."

Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen were both stunned: "What's wrong? What happened?"

Wang Shoushan sighed: "Lei Zi, I can't hide this from you anymore, so I'll tell you the truth. Da Long and Xiao Hu were supposed to go over there early this morning around six o'clock, but when they went out, the old bicycle parked in the yard—the one you lent them—was gone!"

Qin Bowen immediately exploded upon hearing this: "What? The car is gone? What happened?"

Zhao Lei was also taken aback: "What happened? Where are they?"

Wang Shoushan quickly said, "Oh, Lei Zi, those two went out to look for the car. They said you lent it to them, and it can't be lost. They're probably looking for it around here right now, but I don't know where it is."

Zhao Lei frowned: "Why would someone steal a car out of the blue? What's going on?"

Wang Shoushan looked annoyed: "I'm so sorry, Lei Zi, we don't know what happened either. We only discovered the car was missing this morning. The two brothers were frantic and ran out to look for it everywhere, but they haven't come back yet, and we probably haven't found it either. But don't worry, Lei Zi, I'll pay you back whatever the car costs."

Zhao Lei waved his hand: "Hey Uncle, let's not talk about that now. It's not a big deal that the car is stolen. Where are Dalong and Xiaohu? Just have them come and tell me. Why are you so stubborn and looking for them everywhere?"

Wang Shoushan wrung his hands anxiously: "How can this be considered a small matter? I heard this car isn't cheap, it must cost a hundred or two hundred yuan, right? Don't worry, Leizi, I'll make sure those two brothers pay for it for you no matter what."

Zhao Lei said, "Uncle Shoushan, you're being too polite. Whether or not we have to pay compensation is another matter. But it's strange that someone stole the bike. The two of them have been riding it for so many days, and no one has ever tried to steal it. How could it be stolen for no reason?"

Wang Shoushan slapped his thigh: "Oh dear, I don't know either! I asked the neighbors today, and they all said they didn't know. But I thought about it, and it's possible that it happened last night."

The dogs in the yard barked for a long time last night. I went out to check but didn't see anyone, so I went back to sleep. Now that I think about it, I guess someone must have sneaked in around that time.

Zhao Lei felt something was amiss and exchanged a glance with Qin Bowen; both of them sensed something was wrong.

Zhao Lei said, "Uncle Shoushan, let's go out and look for Dalong and Xiaohu first, and call them back."

Wang Shoushan thanked him repeatedly, and Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen rode their bikes out of the yard and began searching along the village road.