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

Fatty Chen's expression was cold, and his tone carried a hint of wariness, "What shady business are you secretly up to now?"

Lai Mazi quickly waved his hand, a fawning smile plastered on his face: "Boss Chen, you're joking. I've long since reformed and will never do those petty thefts again!"

"That would be best."

Fatty Chen glanced at him indifferently. "Don't you dare try anything funny with the supply and marketing cooperative. It's public property; messing with it will land you in serious legal trouble!"

After saying that, he didn't bother arguing with such a scoundrel and pushed his bicycle to continue walking forward.

Upon seeing this, Lai Mazi quickly stepped forward, blocked his path, and approached him with a fawning expression.

"Boss Chen, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I saw everything from the side. You and Zhao Lei were arguing for ages in the supply and marketing cooperative?"

Fatty Chen's eyes darkened slightly, and he casually replied, "We didn't argue, we just couldn't agree on the purchase price."

Lai Mazi's eyes darted around, and he immediately followed up with a smile, "Boss Chen, I heard that Zhao Lei has been selling wild game and mountain products to you frequently lately. Has he made a lot of money?"

Fatty Chen, quick-witted as ever, instantly sensed the hidden meaning in the other man's words. He stopped and suspiciously sized Lai Mazi up and down: "What do you mean?"

Seeing that he had relented, Lai Mazi's smile deepened, a flash of intense resentment and malevolence crossing his eyes as he lowered his voice and said:

"Boss Chen, let's not beat around the bush. I can tell you're also holding a grudge against Zhao Lei!"

"To be honest, I've disliked that kid for a long time!"

"Zhao Lei still owes me over a thousand yuan in gambling debts, and he's refusing to pay it back no matter what! He used to rely on his former father-in-law, the village head's, influence to run rampant in the village, oppressing us ordinary people everywhere, bullying us with his power!"

Having spent many years navigating the officialdom and supply and marketing cooperatives, Fatty Chen was shrewd and perceptive. He instantly sensed the resentment and hatred in Lai Mazi's words.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and he instantly had an idea.

He quickly scanned the surroundings to make sure no one was around.

He then stopped, stared at Lai Mazi, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Hey, from what you're saying, you want to get revenge on Zhao Lei?"

Upon hearing this, Lai Mazi immediately let out two eerie laughs, his pockmarks scrunching together, his eyes filled with a sinister glint.

"Boss Chen, I didn't dare say that outright."

"However, if Boss Chen also dislikes him, the two of us could actually work together!"

Fatty Chen stared at Lai Mazi's sinister face, quickly calculating in his mind.

He suffered a great loss at Zhao Lei's hands today, letting go of a business deal worth more than two thousand yuan, and he had been holding a grudge for a long time.

Since he couldn't control Zhao Lei himself, he decided to use someone else to do the dirty work.

Fatty Chen pretended to ponder:

"Ma Zi, I know about your past conflict with Zhao Lei."

"This kid has some good stuff hidden away. If you have the guts, your chance to turn the tables has come."

Lai Mazi's eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly stepped forward, his expression urgent:

"Boss Chen, what do you mean by that? What kind of treasure is Zhao Lei hiding at home?"

Fatty Chen glanced around; the night was pitch black, and there wasn't a soul in sight on the road. Only then did he slowly begin to speak.

"Zhao Lei came to me today to sell his goods. He has three top-quality items, namely musk sacs extracted from forest musk deer."

Lai Mazi looked bewildered and frowned as he asked:

"A musk sac? What's that? Is it valuable?"

Fatty Chen chuckled to himself, thinking, "He's just an ignorant country bumpkin who doesn't know anything."

"Don't worry about what they are. Just know that these three little things don't take up much space at home. If we sell them, we can split the money equally and each of us will get more than a thousand dollars."

More than a thousand yuan!

These four words struck Lai Mazi with a jolt, and his breathing became rapid.

I was overjoyed!

These days, an ordinary worker only earns a few hundred yuan a year, and a little over a thousand yuan is a huge sum that no one would even dare to dream of!

He was drowning in debt and was despised in the village. If he could get this money, he could turn his life around immediately!

Faced with such a huge temptation, Lai Mazi was instantly overcome by greed.

But after the initial elation, a sudden panic gripped him, and a look of hesitation crossed his face.

"Boss Chen, this...this is stealing, isn't it? If I get caught, I'll go to jail. I can't afford to do anything reckless."

Fatty Chen had anticipated his fear and gave a disdainful sneer.

"What do you know? This isn't stealing at all."

Lai Mazi was taken aback: "Huh? Stealing doesn't count as stealing?"

Fatty Chen spoke with certainty, slowly enticing:

"First of all, this is not cash or public property; it's just three small items we dug out of the mountains."

"No one registered it, no one kept records, and it wasn't considered legitimate property. Even if it were discovered, it would just be considered taking some mountain produce on a whim, not theft."

"These days, who doesn't have some wild game or mountain produce they hunt in the mountains? Who would condemn you for three small things?"

Lai Mazi's mind was shaken as he listened, his fear slowly dissipating, and greed completely overwhelmed his reason.

He thought to himself: "Yeah, it's not like they're stealing money or food. It's just a few insignificant little things. What big deal could it be?"

Seeing that his expression relaxed, Fatty Chen pressed his advantage and continued:

"Moreover, this thing is small in size, so you can easily put it in your pocket or stuff it in a cloth bag and take it away without anyone noticing."

"Zhao Lei was tough on me during the day and wouldn't sell to me, so we'll figure it out ourselves. Once we get the goods, we'll resell them and split the profits, a little over a thousand each, making a steady fortune."

"You hate Zhao Lei, and I was tricked by him today too. Let's each get what we need and help each other out."

These words completely dispelled Lai Mazi's last concerns.

He already hated Zhao Lei to the core, and now, tempted by the huge sum of money, his heart was completely agitated.

A ruthless glint flashed in Lai Mazi's eyes as he gritted his teeth and asked:

"Boss Chen, is it really safe? Won't anything go wrong?"

Fatty Chen nodded calmly, his tone steady:

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything if anything goes wrong. You just need to quietly take the goods out, and leave the rest of the sales and distribution to me."

Lai Mazi chuckled wickedly, his face full of sinister intent.

He secretly gloated: Zhao Lei, you are usually arrogant and domineering, always looking down on me, and you still owe me gambling debts!

This time I'll make you suffer a big fall!

A huge sum of over a thousand yuan is enough for me to completely turn my life around and never have to live at the mercy of others again!

Having thought this through, Lai Mazi no longer hesitated and nodded emphatically:

"Okay! Boss Chen! I'll do it!"

The two locked eyes, needing no further words.

......

As night deepened, the smoke from every household in Heping Brigade dissipated, and the village was quiet, with only the evening breeze gently blowing through the courtyards.

After finishing his dinner, Zhao Lei got up and escorted Qin Bowen to the gate of the courtyard.

Seeing his brother-in-law's enthusiasm, he instructed, "Bowen, get up early tomorrow morning. Let's go find Zhongbao and take a stroll around the county town together."