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

The surrounding villagers offered their congratulations, praising Zhou Laogen so much that he almost floated on air.

Zhou Laogen didn't hold back anymore and rode his bike around under the banyan tree twice, drawing another round of admiration from the crowd.

Wang Xiaohu stood in the crowd, his eyes fixed on the old-fashioned bicycle.

The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. He felt that the outline, height, and color of the vehicle were exactly the same as the one Zhao Lei had lent them.

So he leaned close to Da Long's ear and said, "Brother, why does this car look so familiar?"

Wang Dalong also frowned and examined it carefully for a few moments, but he had more concerns: "It does look a bit like it, but I remember that Brother Lei's car had a few scratches on the rear wheel mudguard, but I don't see any on this car."

"Could the scratch have been wiped off?"

After saying this, Wang Xiaohu himself felt that his statement was not very convincing.

Scratches are hard to remove, and besides, those scratches weren't shallow. To make them completely invisible, you need special tools and skills.

But Wang Xiaohu's uneasy feeling grew stronger and stronger.

He gritted his teeth, stepped out of the crowd, and called out to Zhou Laogen, "Uncle Zhou, can I take a look at your car?"

Zhou Laogen was feeling smug, but upon hearing this, his smile faded slightly: "Wang Erwa, what do you mean? Are you saying I stole your car?"

His shout was quite loud, and everyone under the banyan tree quieted down.

Many people in the Taiyang Production Brigade knew that Wang Dalong and Wang Xiaohu had borrowed Zhao Lei's car, but it was stolen a few days later. The two brothers had been as anxious as ants on a hot pan these past few days.

Upon hearing Wang Xiaohu's question, everyone's gaze fell upon Zhou Laogen, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Zhou Laogen's smile completely vanished.

He parked the car on the ground, turned around and glared at the people around him: "Hey! What's wrong with you all? Do you really think I stole his car? I'm so old, and we're all from the same village, would I do something so stupid?"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt that what Zhou Laogen said made sense.

We're all from the same village. If Zhou Laogen's car was of dubious origin, would he dare to swagger out and show it off like this?

Isn't that just handing someone leverage over you?

Someone nearby advised Wang Xiaohu, "Xiaohu, you need to watch what you say. Don't wrong an innocent person. You all know what kind of person Uncle Lao Gen is. Would he do such a thing?"

"Yeah, all the new 28-inch motorcycles are pretty much the same. Just because your bike is stolen doesn't mean you're assuming it was stolen just because someone else has one."

"This car is so new, it's different from the one you lost, right?"

Wang Xiaohu was embarrassed after being lectured by everyone.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Lao Gen, we lost our car, and you happen to have a new one, so I just wanted to take a look. I didn't mean anything by it."

Zhou Laogen finally breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand: "It's okay, it's okay. I understand how you feel about losing your car. But you can't just suspect people randomly, can you?"

This car was a gift from my future son-in-law; it's brand new, unlike your old one. Go ahead and take a look if you want, so you won't think I'm hiding something.

Wang Xiaohu walked over, took the old-fashioned 28-inch steel bar, and examined it carefully.

The frame has a shiny paint job with no scratches, and the tires are brand new.

He squatted down to check the mudguards, touching them several times, and indeed saw no signs of wear.

Finally, I checked the serial number stamped under the car seat, but who remembers the serial number when buying a car these days?

He couldn't compare them either.

Undeterred, Wang Xiaohu pushed the bike out, straddled it, and pedaled it around once.

With that kick, his heart skipped a beat.

The feel of the pedals, the smoothness of the chain, and the height and angle of the handlebars were almost identical to Zhao Lei's bike, which he had been riding for more than half a month.

Wang Xiaohu got off the bike and looked at the seat again. The seat was made of black leather. Although it was dusted, there was a small, slightly sunken dent on the front left side of the seat. It was caused by his habit of leaning his buttocks to the left when he was riding the bike.

Wang Xiaohu's heart was beating even faster.

I turned the car over and looked at it twice more, but apart from that dent, I couldn't find any other evidence.

Besides, a dent doesn't mean anything; dents will appear after riding a bike for a long time.

Zhou Laogen, standing to the side, grew impatient.

"Alright, Xiaohu, have you looked enough? It's getting dark, and I need to go home for dinner. Since your car was stolen, go report it to the sheriff yourself. Don't assume everyone's things look like yours."

The people around also chimed in, saying, "Alright, alright, Xiao Hu, Uncle Lao Gen already showed you, it's definitely not your car."

"Let's go back, it's getting dark and the road will be difficult to travel."

Wang Dalong tugged at Wang Xiaohu's sleeve: "Let's go, bro, stop looking."

Wang Xiaohu had no choice but to return the car.

Before leaving, he turned back to Zhou Laogen and said, "Uncle Laogen, let me remind you. All our cars were stolen in the yard, so you'd better keep a close eye on your brand new one."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Laogen's face immediately darkened: "Pah! Pah! You brat, can't you speak properly? Are you cursing me?"

"No, no, Uncle Lao Gen, I was just trying to be helpful, since the thief who stole our car hasn't been caught yet."

After Wang Xiaohu finished speaking, he and his brother turned and left.

Zhou Laogen snorted behind him, mounted his brand-new old-fashioned bicycle, and happily rode home.

The crowd under the banyan tree gradually dispersed.

But some people were still talking as they walked, saying that Xiao Hu was desperate and saw everyone as a car thief.

Early the next morning.

When Wang Dalong and Wang Xiaohu arrived at Zhao Lei's house, they told Zhao Lei everything they had seen at the village entrance the night before.

After hearing this, Zhao Lei frowned: "You mean, that new car is also a 28-inch model?"

Wang Xiaohu nodded: "Yes, exactly the same, even the dent on the seat is almost the same as the spot where I rode out."

Zhao Lei remained silent for a while.

Qin Yuchan, who was listening nearby, suddenly muttered softly, "Sanshi, the prospective son-in-law from Sanhe Township? Doesn't your uncle's family live in Sanhe Township? They came to borrow a car a couple of days ago saying they wanted to marry their son's wife, could it be...?"

Zhao Lei suddenly looked up: "Xiao Hu, what's the name of Zhou Laogen's second daughter?"

Wang Xiaohu thought for a moment and said, "I know all their daughters. The second daughter is called Zhou Kailian, and the third daughter is called Zhou Kaiju."

Zhao Lei slapped his forehead: "That's right! When Li Xiuying came to borrow money the other day, she said that her eldest son, Zhou Shijie, was dating someone named Xiaolian! Doesn't that match up?"

Wang Dalong and Wang Xiaohu also suddenly realized what was going on.

"Hiss! Could this Xiao Lian be Zhou Kailian?"

Qin Yuchan chimed in, "Then everything makes sense! Li Xiuying couldn't borrow the car, so she stole it and gave it to Zhou Laogen as a betrothal gift, so that his daughter could marry Zhou Shijie?"

Wang Dalong added, "But why did they come to our house to steal your car? They clearly knew it belonged to Brother Lei, so how dare they sneak into my yard and do it?"