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

Zhao Lei never expected that he would have a group of little fans without even realizing it.

However, his biggest fan is his brother-in-law, Qin Bowen.

Qin Bowen was always at his brother-in-law Zhao Lei's beck and call, doing whatever he was told.

Sometimes he doesn't want to listen to his father, Qin Mancang, but he prefers to listen to his brother-in-law.

Zhao Lei kept smiling as these young men praised him, and he was so happy that snot bubbles were about to come out of his nose.

So he acted impulsively and waved his hand dismissively.

"Bowen, bring out a couple of wild boar piglets for the brothers to have a treat!"

Qin Bowen wasn't a stingy person, and he was very familiar with Qin Dajun and Liu Erwa among these people; they often played together when they were young.

After receiving his brother-in-law's instructions, Qin Bowen immediately took out two piglets from his backpack and handed them to Qin Dajun and Liu Erwa.

"Come on, brothers, these piglets won't fetch a high price, but the meat is tender and delicious. Let's have a couple for everyone to enjoy."

Qin Dajun and Liu Erwa quickly accepted the gifts with both hands, and respectfully thanked Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen: "Oh, thank you, brother-in-law! Thank you, brother Bowen!"

The group showered him with compliments and flattery once more.

Zhao Lei began by instructing, "These two piglets are for you brothers; you can decide how to divide them yourselves. But if you've taken my share, don't hesitate to ask for my help in the future."

Qin Dajun immediately chimed in, "Hey, brother-in-law, what are you saying! Even without this wild boar meat, we'll be there whenever you call."

The other young men chimed in, "Yeah, Brother Lei, you're our idol!"

After resting for a while, Zhao Lei waved to everyone and then rode his bicycle home with Qin Bowen.

"Alright, you all get back to work in the fields. I'm going back now, I won't chat with you anymore."

"Okay, brother-in-law, take care!"

"Take care, Brother Lei!"

"Take care, blogger!"

Along the way, the two encountered many fellow villagers who tried to befriend them.

This time, the two did not stop chatting. They simply gave each other polite replies and rode straight back to Zhao Lei's old courtyard.

The car has just come to a complete stop.

Zhao Lei lowered his voice and whispered, "Bowen, don't mention to your sister that you gave Dajun and the others the two piglets on the way."

Qin Bowen looked puzzled: "Brother-in-law, why are we just giving away the game we worked so hard to hunt?"

Zhao Lei smiled and comforted him: "You need to broaden your horizons, kid. When I was building my new house, Dajun and the others came to help. Every time we went into the mountains, we came back with a full load. Others would inevitably feel unbalanced after seeing that for a while."

Once people become jealous and envious, they might secretly sabotage us or maliciously report us to higher authorities, causing a lot of trouble. When it's time to do someone a favor, we should take the initiative to make some concessions.

Qin Bowen suddenly realized and nodded.

"Besides, we're all from the same village, we see each other all the time. If we do them a favor now, we'll always need their help in the future."

However, Bowen, you should be careful when making friends on the street in the future, lest you be foolish enough to be taken advantage of.

Qin Bowen asked, puzzled, "Brother-in-law, isn't it all about doing favors? What's the difference?"

Zhao Lei chuckled. Having lived two lives, his experience far surpassed that of the eighteen-year-old Qin Bowen.

But the other party was his brother-in-law, so he patiently explained in detail: "Bowen, most of the friends you make outside are just passersby in life. After you no longer work together and have no contact, you may never have any contact with each other again in this lifetime."

Such favors offer no immediate return and are purely a loss.

But the villagers are different. People eventually return to their roots. Even if they go out to make a living in different places, they will eventually come back to the village. The connection will never be broken, and this favor will eventually be repaid.

After hearing these words, Qin Bowen instantly understood.

He recalled several classmates from different districts and counties whom he had met when he was studying in the town; they had originally had a pretty good relationship.

But ever since I gave up taking the college entrance exam and returned to my hometown, I haven't seen him again.

Perhaps this is what my brother-in-law meant by a passing friend.

Zhao Lei pushed open the courtyard gate and repeatedly reminded her, "Don't keep this matter of sending piglets a secret from your sister, otherwise she'll nag me again about wasting money by sending things away recklessly."

Qin Bowen smiled and replied, "Don't worry, brother-in-law."

Zhao Lei then pushed open the creaking wooden door and shouted into the house, "Yu Chan, Xin Yue, I'm back!"

He called out several times, but the courtyard remained silent, and no one answered.

Upon closer inspection, he found that the main room, kitchen, and east and west wing rooms were all locked, and he couldn't help but wonder, "Huh? Why is no one home?"

Qin Bowen chimed in from the side, "Brother-in-law, my sister and the others must have gone out. Look, all the doors are locked."

Zhao Lei looked closely and realized it was true, which put him in a difficult position.

He never had the habit of carrying keys with him, and in the past, whenever he came home, one of his three ex-wives would always be at home waiting for him.

The courtyard was deserted today, and I stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

Qin Bowen noticed his embarrassment and asked, "Brother-in-law, you didn't forget your keys, did you?"

Zhao Lei scratched his head awkwardly: "Where did those women go? And their kids aren't home either?"

Qin Bowen looked up at the sun and estimated it was a little past five in the afternoon. He then advised, "Brother-in-law, why don't we wait a bit? My sister and the others probably have something to do outside, and judging by the time it takes, they should be heading back around this time."

With no other options at the moment, the two pushed their bicycles into the yard, carried down all of today's prey, and placed them in the shady spot by the kitchen door.

I originally planned to cut and process the wild boar meat as soon as I got back, but now that the temperature is high, the meat will easily spoil if I delay for too long.

All the slicing tools were locked inside the room, leaving the two men with no choice but to wait helplessly.

The sun was still scorching, and even sitting under the shady eaves, large beads of sweat still streamed down their faces, soaking their clothes and underwear.

After the wind blew, the sweat on my face dried, leaving behind streaks of whitish sweat and salt stains.

When I rubbed it with my hands, the sandy surface felt rough and sticky, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Zhao Lei suddenly noticed the clothes drying on the clothesline in the yard and immediately had an idea: "Bowen, I feel sticky and uncomfortable. Let's go take a bath in the Qingshui River."

Qin Bowen's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded: "Okay, brother-in-law, I couldn't take it anymore. I'm covered in blood and smell bad, and I'm about to go bad."

"Okay, let's go take a bath in the river! Your sister and the others should be back by then."

"Brother-in-law, you go first. I'll go home and get a change of clothes."

"Okay, I'll wait for you by the Washing Stone in the Clear Water River."

The two brothers agreed on a meeting place and each rode their bicycles out.

Zhao Lei headed straight for the Washing Stone at Qingshui River, parked his old-fashioned motorcycle under the shade of a tree, and locked it securely.

Before he could even take off all his clothes, he rushed to the small wooden bridge and plunged into the cool river water with a splash...

Water splashed everywhere, and several young women who were washing clothes screamed in surprise.

"Who is it!"