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

As evening fell, Zhao Lei returned home carrying four bear paws.

Su Wanqing had already left work early and was busy in the kitchen.

Bear paws are troublesome to prepare. First, you have to remove the hair, blanch them, remove the fishy smell, and then stew them slowly with scallions, ginger, and garlic.

When Zhao Lei handed over all 260 yuan to Jiang Xinyue, the three women were stunned.

"Sanshi, where did you get so much money?" Qin Yuchan was at home taking care of the children and was unaware of the situation.

"Two hundred and sixty yuan?" Su Wanqing knew there was a reward, but seeing so much money in person, she couldn't help but gasp.

Jiang Xinyue was somewhat flattered by the large sum of money she received.

She's managed the household for so long and has never seen so much money before!

However, he had seen much more money, and this money did not disturb her peace of mind.

"Brother Sanshi, this..."

"Take it, there will be more later."

Just then, the courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open.

"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!"

Qin Bowen, the brother-in-law, swaggered in, followed by Qin Dashan.

"Bowen? What brings you here?" Zhao Lei asked, somewhat surprised.

"Come freeload!"

Qin Bowen chuckled, "I heard you made bear paws, and I'm drooling over them! Sis, you can't kick me out!"

Qin Yuchan rolled her eyes at him: "You're shameless."

Qin Dashan was more polite, carrying a bottle of baijiu: "Lei Zi, Dad asked me to bring this bottle of wine as a reward for you, so you can have a couple of drinks with me."

Zhao Lei quickly accepted the food, saying, "Brother-in-law, please sit down. The food will be ready in a little while."

In the kitchen, Su Wanqing quickly started stewing the bear paw and stir-fried a few other home-style dishes.

Shredded potatoes, pickled radishes, scrambled eggs, and braised bear paws were laid out on the table in abundance.

As soon as Qin Bowen sat down at the table, he started bragging: "Sis, you have no idea how fierce my brother-in-law was today! That bear was taller than a person when it stood up, and it could snap a tree as thick as a bowl in half with one slap!"

"My brother-in-law drew his bow and shot two arrows in quick succession, blinding the bear in one eye!"

Qin Yuchan snorted: "You saw it with your own eyes?"

"Of course!"

Qin Bowen stiffened his neck. "I'm right here! Don't believe me? Ask my older brother!"

Qin Dashan took a sip of his drink and nodded: "Lei Zi was really impressive today. If it weren't for him, the rest of us would have been in serious trouble."

Qin Yuchan still didn't believe it, glancing sideways at Zhao Lei: "Him? You two are making up stories to make me happy, aren't you?!"

"And another thing... San Shi and I are divorced, but you still call me 'brother-in-law' all the time, it sounds so affectionate!"

Zhao Lei was happy to watch the Qin siblings bicker.

Without saying a word, he just covered his head and cooked with his three children.

It was the first time that Zhao Yupei, Zhao Yuyuan, and Xiaoshitou (Zhao Yufeng) had ever tasted bear paw, and all three children were completely captivated by its delicious aroma.

Qin Bowen panicked: "Sis! Why would I lie to you! Ask everyone in the production team, who doesn't know that your husband is a sharpshooter?"

"Alright, alright, let's eat."

Qin Yuchan glared at the other person and then lowered her head to eat her rice.

After a while, she suddenly put down her chopsticks, leaned close to Zhao Lei, and whispered something.

"Mitsuishi... thank you."

Zhao Lei didn't understand: "Thank me for what?"

"My older brother told me just before dinner... Wang Xiaofang's body has been found. Although... although she's gone, at least there's some closure for her family."

"My neighbor, Granny Zhang, and the others are all saying that if you hadn't killed the bear, who knows how much more trouble would have happened..."

"So, on behalf of my student, I want to say thank you to you..."

This was the first time Zhao Lei had ever heard Qin Yuchan back down.

That's so rare!

This shows that he was genuinely grateful to himself this time.

Zhao Lei simply replied softly, "Eat your food properly."

Qin Yuchan hummed in agreement and lowered her head to eat her rice.

Zhao Lei's three children don't care about the emotions between adults.

At this moment, Zhao Yupei, with her hair in a ponytail, repeatedly gave a thumbs-up to the delicious food: "Dad! This meat is so delicious!"

Zhao Yuyuan also copied her sister, saying, "Daddy's delicious! Daddy's delicious!"

Little Stone Zhao Yufeng's teeth haven't fully grown in yet, so he just keeps stuffing meat into his mouth, his face covered in grease.

The three children chattered away, filling the room with laughter.

Looking at her daughter's adoring and proud gaze towards Zhao Lei, Qin Yuchan felt incredibly satisfied with her current life.

Jiang Xinyue quietly added more rice for the children, equally delighted.

Su Wanqing sat in the corner, holding the little stone that had just finished eating in her arms, her gaze gently falling on Zhao Lei.

The same thought simultaneously arose in the minds of the three women...

"San Shi is really different this time when he came back."

The family sat around the table, chatting and laughing.

For the first time, the dilapidated mud-brick house felt like home.

"Come on, brother-in-law, let's have another round!"

"Brother-in-law, I'll toast you too!"

After Qin Bowen and Qin Dashan had eaten and drunk their fill, they staggered away.

After cleaning up the dishes, Su Wanqing took Xiao Shitou to the west room.

Jiang Xinyue was about to close the door after coaxing Xiao Shitou to sleep when a small head suddenly peeked in.

"Second Aunt, my mom said I can sleep with you tonight..."

Zhao Yupei stood at the door, hugging her little pillow and blinking her big eyes.

Jiang Xinyue glanced subconsciously in the direction of the east room, then smiled slightly.

"Okay, Peipei, come in quickly."

She skillfully lifted the blanket and pulled the little girl into her arms.

Zhao Yupei climbed onto the bed, snuggled into Jiang Xinyue's arms, and whispered, "Second Aunt, will Dad never leave again?"

Jiang Xinyue patted her head: "I'm not leaving."

"real?"

"Um."

Zhao Yupei closed her eyes contentedly, a smile on her lips, and quickly fell asleep.

In the east room.

Qin Yuchan closed the door and turned around to see Zhao Lei leaning against the headboard, looking at her with a half-smile.

"What are you looking at?"

Qin Yuchan rolled her eyes at him, then walked over and blew out the oil lamp on the table.

The room was plunged into darkness, with only the moonlight streaming in through the window.

Zhao Lei reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"What are you doing?" Qin Yuchan struggled for a moment.

What do you think?

"Pepe's still next door... Keep your voice down..."

"We've been married for so long, what are you pretending for?"

"Zhao Lei! You..."

Early the next morning.

The courtyard gate was pounded on so loudly that it woke up the whole family.

"Zhao Lei! Zhao Lei! It's time to pay back the money you owe!"

Zhao Lei immediately recognized Lai Mazi's voice.

"Is it Lai Mazi?"

"Don't worry about it, they're probably here to collect a debt. I'll handle it."

After comforting Qin Yuchan in bed, Zhao Lei put on his clothes and went out.

In the courtyard, Lai Mazi stood at the door with two accomplices, hands on his hips, looking quite nonchalant.

"Brother Lei, the ten-day deadline hasn't passed yet, but I heard you collected a lot of bounty money yesterday?"

Zhao Lei went to Jiang Xinyue's room and counted out one hundred yuan in front of Lai Mazi, then handed it over.

"Count them, not a single one is missing!"

Lai Mazi's eyes lit up, and he took the money, counting it twice while licking his lips.

His face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Wow, Brother Lei actually made money! Impressive!"