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

In the courtyard, Zhao Lei squatted to one side smoking, watching the scene without saying a word.

The three brothers, Qin Bowen, Wang Dalong, and Wang Xiaohu, also came over.

Squatting side-by-side with Zhao Lei, they each took out a cigarette, lit it, and quietly enjoyed the spectacle unfolding before them...

Qin Bowen couldn't contain himself and said with a laugh, "Hehe, brother-in-law, you're really something! The two in-laws have now become enemies. Look, Zhou Shijie's face is covered in slap marks."

As he spoke, Qin Bowen pointed to Zhou Shijie, who was still being brutally beaten by the men of Zhou Laogen's family in the crowd.

Zhou Shijie screamed repeatedly, clutching his head and begging for mercy.

When Zhou Minghong and Li Xiuying saw this, their legs went weak.

"Oh dear, honey, don't just stand there! Our son is about to be beaten to death!"

Zhou Minghong lived a carefree life. Although he did many foolish things, he never did anything like stealing chickens or dogs.

He was heartbroken and disgusted by his son's actions, and could only watch helplessly as Zhou Shijie was beaten up.

Li Xiuying was heartbroken.

No matter what, this was a piece of flesh that had fallen from her womb. She shook Zhou Minghong violently, crying and pleading:

"Honey, honey, go and break this fight! You're abandoning your own son, are you even human?"

Zhou Minghong then let out a cold snort.

snort!

He squeezed in front of Zhou Shijie and shouted, "Everyone, stop fighting! If you keep fighting, someone will die!"

After Zhou Minghong's shout, everyone calmed down a little.

The male relatives of Zhou Laogen were furious. This kid was so shameful, he had completely disgraced Zhou Laogen's family. They were so angry that they started beating him.

Now that they've been stopped, they realize they can't go too far and have all stopped.

Seeing that everyone had stopped, Zhou Minghong stepped forward and looked at his son.

Zhou Shijie's eyes were brimming with tears, and his face was bruised and swollen.

Seeing my father approach, I suddenly felt that his hunched figure had become much more imposing, and I cried out:

"father!"

Suddenly, Zhou Minghong raised his hand and slapped Zhou Shijie twice, leaving Zhou Shijie completely dumbfounded and dizzy.

"You fucking bastard! What did you do?!"

Li Xiuying rushed forward to protect her son, crying and wailing, "How could you be so foolish! How are your parents supposed to face us now?!"

Zhou Shijie knelt on the ground and sobbed.

Suddenly remembering something, he crawled to Zhao Lei and grabbed Zhao Lei's trouser leg: "Brother! Brother, I was wrong! Please let me go! Don't report me to the sheriff! I don't want to go to jail!"

Looking at his son's pathetic state, Zhou Minghong then looked at Zhao Lei, his lips trembling several times.

Finally, he stood before Zhao Lei, his voice barely audible: "Lei Zi... I beg you... let him go this time... He's still young, if he gets into trouble, his life will be ruined..."

Zhao Lei threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. He stood up and looked at Zhou Minghong's old and disheveled face, remaining silent for a long while.

Everyone in the courtyard looked at Zhao Lei, waiting for him to speak.

Zhao Lei sighed and said, "I'll take the bike; I won't report the theft to the sheriff."

Zhou Shijie thanked them repeatedly, and Zhou Minghong and Li Xiuying also breathed a sigh of relief.

But Zhao Lei then added, "From now on, your family, including Zhou Minghong's, has nothing to do with me, Zhao Lei. You are not allowed to set foot in my house again, you are not allowed to talk to my children, and if you bump into each other on the street, you should pretend you don't know each other."

If I find out again that you're eyeing my house, or about Zhou Shijie stealing the car, I'll report you to the sheriff immediately. Those who should go to jail will go, and those who should be sentenced will go!"

Zhou Minghong nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay... Uncle... I'll remember, I won't come again..."

Zhao Lei ignored him and pushed the old bicycle over to check its condition.

Apart from the mudguards being repainted, there was no damage anywhere else.

He got on his bike, rode around for a bit, and nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm gone."

Zhao Lei waved to Qin Bowen and the other two, then rode his bicycle out of Zhou Laogen's yard.

Behind them, Zhou Laogen's angry curses against Zhou Shijie could still be heard, and Zhou Kailian's cries grew fainter and fainter...

Zhao Lei led the group home without looking back.

Qin Bowen and the others looked at each other, wondering why Zhao Lei had suddenly softened his heart.

Qin Bowen quickened his pace, caught up on his bicycle, and asked, "Brother-in-law? Why did you let Zhou Shijie go like that? That kid stole your bike! If it's reported, he'll be locked up for at least a few years."

Zhao Lei suddenly slowed down, stopped the car, and lit a cigarette.

The Wang brothers, Xiaohu and Dalong, rode Wang Zongbao's bicycle, while Qin Bowen rode his own bicycle; they all parked on the side of the road.

The group tacitly lit cigarettes, and Wang Xiaohu asked in confusion, "Brother Lei, I'm also a little confused. Why did you suddenly soften your heart? You've never had a good impression of their family."

Zhao Lei exhaled a long puff of smoke and slowly said, "Sigh, actually I was planning to send this kid in just now. But when I saw that Zhou Minghong's eyebrows and eyes looked somewhat like my mother's, I suddenly thought of my mother."

No matter what, Zhou Minghong is still my only maternal uncle in this world. Out of respect for my deceased mother, I'll give their family one last chance.

As long as he doesn't bother my family again, that's enough. There's no need to drive his family to desperation.

Wang Dalong nodded: "That's right, Brother Lei, you've thought it through. People get sentimental as they get older. Maybe when you're older, you'll still remember this relative."

Zhao Lei had spent his fifties in his previous life experiencing middle and old age, and he knew in his heart that people would miss their family and old friends when they got old.

Regardless of what might happen in the future, he didn't want to leave any unresolved issues in his heart; he only sought peace of mind. Therefore, he ultimately chose to let Zhou Shijie off the hook.

It would be best if this kid learned his lesson from this incident and reformed himself.

If one remains inherently unruly, others will discipline them; there is no need for one to be the villain.

Ultimately, there is a blood relation between them, and being pointed at and gossiped about by others in the future would be a loss that outweighs the gain.

After hearing these words, Wang Xiaohu, Wang Dalong, and Qin Bowen all admired Zhao Lei from the bottom of their hearts.

They felt that Brother Lei was broad-minded, far-sighted, and exceptional in both courage and insight. They secretly rejoiced, thinking that getting to know Zhao Lei was probably the greatest stroke of luck of their lives!

When Zhao Lei rode his bicycle back to the Heping Brigade, it was already afternoon.

When his three ex-wives heard what had happened, they all gasped in shock.

Qin Yuchan felt a little regretful when she heard how lively it was.

"Oh! If I'd known it would be this exciting, I should have gone along to see what was going on!"

Qin Bowen chimed in, "Hahaha, Second Sister, you didn't see it! Zhou Shijie got beaten up horribly! A whole bunch of people were beating him up!"

Jiang Xinyue, however, was a little worried. "If we do this, they won't cause any more trouble?"

Zhao Lei took a sip of water: "I've already said all I can. Any further action would just be asking for trouble. I have evidence of his son stealing the car. I can report it to the sheriff whenever I want. He's not stupid; he shouldn't dare to cause any more trouble."