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

She suddenly realized that the man in front of her had been taking excellent care of her brothers and sisters from her maternal family.

The eldest brother, Qin Dashan, went hunting with Zhao Lei several times, earning enough in work points to match what he had earned in the previous few years, and his conflicts with his sister-in-law also decreased significantly.

Meanwhile, Zhao Lei's younger brother, Qin Bowen, who used to be ambitious but useless, has earned a lot of money for the family under Zhao Lei's guidance.

And then there's her father, Qin Mancang, who used to be the captain of the Heping Production Brigade. Every time he had a meeting with other brigade captains, he always felt inferior.

Because the Heping Brigade consistently ranked at the bottom in performance among all production teams, and because her divorce from Zhao Lei often became a topic of gossip and ridicule, her father was frequently mocked at work.

But all of this changed completely after Zhao Lei returned to his hometown.

First, he went into the mountains to hunt bears and rid the people of a scourge, which made his father proud in the entire Tuanjie Township. Later, he also eliminated pests to protect grain, making outstanding contributions, and generously handed over the game he hunted to the collective canteen.

This move mobilized the enthusiasm of the entire team, making Heping Brigade the first among all production brigades in Qingfeng Town to deliver the required amount of grain and complete the double harvest, and also making Qin Mancang a star in the town.

Qin Yuchan had never thought about these changes before, but now she suddenly realized them. Zhao Lei, single-handedly, led her entire family to steady progress.

Was I too harsh on him before?

Qin Yuchan felt a pang of self-reproach. In the past, she had spoken harshly, constantly belittling Zhao Lei and causing him to lose face in front of others.

It seems I really need to change things in the future...

For men who are out working hard, their reputation is of utmost importance. Conflicts between husband and wife should be resolved privately behind closed doors.

After Zhao Lei finished clearing away the dishes and washing them in the kitchen, he came out to find Qin Yuchan still standing there in a daze. He frowned and said, "Yuchan, what are you daydreaming about?"

Qin Yuchan immediately retorted, "What's it to you!"

But after she finished speaking, she regretted it a little, thinking to herself.

"Oh dear, why can't I get rid of this foul mouth of mine?"

On second thought, I felt relieved since I was at home, and no one else could hear me anyway.

Then, she went to the kitchen to fetch water for washing her face and invited Zhao Lei to come and wash his face and feet. After everything was tidied up, the family blew out the oil lamp and went to rest.

The next day, before six o'clock in the morning, Zhao Lei had already quietly gotten up. Without disturbing his ex-wife, he tiptoed into the kitchen, took two leftover cornbreads from the night before, and stuffed them into his pocket.

He filled his water bottle again, slung his machete, hunting rifle, and rope over his shoulder, and headed out. At exactly six o'clock, he met Qin Bowen at the crossroads of Qingfeng Mountain.

At this time, the country lanes were still shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and dew. The sky was just beginning to brighten.

The outline of Qingfeng Mountain's ridge was faintly visible in the distance, and the sounds of insects and birds filled the air.

Qin Bowen was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and he couldn't help but breathe out white vapor and rub his hands together.

"Oh dear, brother-in-law, you're up too early, and it's still a bit cold."

As Zhao Lei pedaled, he called out to him, "Pedal a few more times and you won't be cold anymore. It'll get warm when the sun comes out soon."

"That's right!" Qin Bowen immediately rode his old-fashioned bicycle and quickly caught up.

The two brothers rode their bicycles along the country roads and soon arrived at their usual spot. After hiding their bicycles, they went straight up the mountain.

They were already very familiar with this road into the mountains, and it only took them an hour or so to reach the dung field where the musk deer often appeared. As they approached their target area, Zhao Lei gave them some instructions.

"Musk deer are used to foraging in the early morning and evening. We arrived just in time. If we're lucky, the snares we set yesterday have probably already caught something."

Qin Bowen quickly caught up, his eyes full of excitement: "Brother-in-law, how many do you think we can lasso? We set eight lassos yesterday!"

Zhao Lei didn't even turn his head, and said indifferently, "It's already good enough if you can get one, you expect to get all eight? This stuff is all about luck."

The mountain mist gradually dissipated, and dappled morning light shone through the depths of the forest. When they were about a hundred paces from the manure yard, Zhao Lei suddenly raised his hand to stop: "Wait."

Qin Bowen didn't stop walking and almost bumped into his back. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong, brother-in-law?"

Listen.

The two held their breath instantly, and the surrounding forest suddenly fell silent. Then, a series of faint rustling sounds of struggling came from ahead, mixed with the sounds of prey scratching on the dry leaves.

Qin Bowen's eyes lit up, his face beaming with delight: "Brother-in-law, it looks like we've got something!"

Zhao Lei was also delighted and gestured, "Let's go take a look."

The two tread lightly, following the sound as they crept forward, and soon saw the eight traps they had set the day before, three of which had successfully ensnared their prey.

All three musk deer were entangled in the noose and were struggling desperately in place. But the more they twisted and struggled, the tighter the rope tightened around their feet, and they could only spin around in place, kicking up dirt and fallen leaves all over the ground.

Qin Bowen couldn't hide his excitement: "Brother-in-law, you caught three!"

Zhao Lei looked closely and saw that one of the three musk deer was a female, while the other two were adult males weighing around 20 to 30 pounds each. He was overjoyed: "I've struck it rich! This trip is going to be incredibly profitable!"

Zhao Lei didn't dare to delay and immediately ordered, "Bowen, go and knock out and tie up those two male musk deer. I don't need to teach you how to do it."

Qin Bowen, already impatient, grabbed a thick wooden stick and rushed to the nearest male musk deer. The deer, its front legs were tethered, and seeing a man approach, it frantically leaped and tried to escape.

It was held tightly by the rebounding branches and couldn't break free at all. Qin Bowen seized the opportunity and smashed a stick hard on its forehead. A dull "bang" rang out, and the adult male musk deer's limbs went limp and it collapsed to the ground on the spot.

Not far away, another male musk deer witnessed its companion's fate and struggled even more violently in fright. Qin Bowen followed suit, quickly catching up and delivering another blow. Both male musk deer collapsed to the ground, their bellies rising and falling slightly.

Having practiced it just yesterday, Qin Bowen's movements were exceptionally skillful. He quickly untied the hemp rope from his waist, crossed and tightly bound the limbs of the two male musk deer, tying a tight knot. After confirming that they couldn't escape, he clapped his hands and breathed a sigh of relief: "Brother-in-law, I've got this done."

On the other side, Zhao Lei bent down to approach the trapped female musk deer. The musk deer was already very timid, and after being repeatedly frightened, it trembled all over, its bright black eyes fixed on Zhao Lei as he approached, and it made soft, low moans in its throat.

Zhao Lei spoke in a low voice from a short distance away: "You're lucky you ran into me. Any other hunter would have killed you regardless of your gender."

The female musk deer couldn't understand human speech, but seemed to sense that the other party didn't intend to harm her immediately. Her struggles gradually slowed down, but her body still trembled uncontrollably.