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

"Is it really just the musk sac that's missing, and everything else is intact?"

Zhao Lei nodded, "That's right, we only stole the musk."

Qin Dashan frowned and scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"That's really strange..."

"Could it be that someone in the village is jealous of your new house and thinks you've struck it rich, so they sneak in at night to steal money?"

"So, they couldn't find the money, but happened to see that the musk deer pod was valuable, so they just took it?"

Upon hearing Qin Dashan's words, Zhao Lei instantly understood.

Sure enough, the brother-in-law had no idea of ​​the true value of the musk pods.

To ordinary people, it was just a small fleshy lump pried off a musk deer's body. It was inedible, useless, and looked ordinary, not worth mentioning at all.

Qin Dashan was still offering casual words of comfort, his tone full of disapproval.

"Oh, Lei Zi, they're just three little fleshy balls. It's okay if they're lost."

"You've always been lucky when you go hunting in the mountains. Just go back up and hunt some more game to make up for it. You can't eat those things anyway, so there's no need to be so serious about it."

Then, belatedly realizing what he meant, he asked curiously, "By the way, what exactly is this musk sac used for? Why are you so concerned about it?"

Zhao Lei looked serious and explained earnestly, "Brother-in-law, this is no ordinary meatball; it's an extremely precious Chinese medicinal herb."

"We spent two or three days in the mountains, taking risks, to get three of them. Locals call them 'soft gold,' and their value is shockingly high."

"gold?"

Qin Dashan's eyes widened, his face blank, completely failing to grasp the weight of those words.

Fatty Chen spoke up at the opportune moment, his tone calm and deliberately controlling the pace.

"Brother Dashan, what Leizi means is that these three little things are especially valuable."

Upon hearing the word "valuable," Liu Hongxia, Qin Yulan, and several other female cadres standing nearby immediately became interested and crowded around to ask gossipy questions.

"Valuable? How much could it be worth?"

"Yeah, yeah, what does this thing look like? Is it really that precious?"

Fatty Chen didn't make a bid on his own. He glanced at Zhao Lei, appearing completely detached.

Now that things have come to this, Zhao Lei no longer needs to hide anything.

He spoke frankly in front of all the village officials and onlookers.

"During the late Qing Dynasty, I studied medicine under an old Chinese doctor and became familiar with the market for medicinal herbs."

"Right medicine shops now charge more than 20 yuan per gram for musk."

"My three musk sacs are in excellent condition, completely dry and plump, and full of medicinal properties. All in all, they are worth at least two thousand yuan."

boom!

Two thousand yuan!

These three words struck everyone like a thunderclap.

Everyone present froze instantly, their eyes wide, their faces blank, completely dumbfounded.

Liu Hongxia gasped, exclaiming in shock, "What? Two thousand yuan?! Lei Zi, you mean RMB?!"

"That's right, it's RMB." Zhao Lei nodded.

Deputy Director Qin Yulan clicked her tongue repeatedly, her face full of disbelief.

"This is incredible! This is truly incredible!"

"I've never seen so much money at once in my entire life!"

"No wonder you're so anxious and upset. Anyone who lost something so valuable would be desperate to find it!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar, and everyone suddenly realized the truth.

No wonder the thief who broke into the house last night didn't take the cash, didn't touch the brand-new car, and didn't touch any of the grain or other items.

The target was frighteningly precise; they only stole three inconspicuous musk pods!

Who would have thought that a few tiny fleshy balls the size of eggs could be worth a fortune!

Everyone quickly calculated the costs in their minds.

Zhao Lei's family built a two-story red brick house with tile roof. After all the work of building the house, buying materials, and paying for labor, it only cost them a little over three thousand yuan.

These three tiny musk sacs are almost worth half a red brick house!

Isn't this just living, soft gold?

Upon learning that the three musk pods were worth a staggering two thousand yuan, all the officials and villagers present were completely agitated.

Everyone was shocked, and murmurs of discussion rose and fell.

Qin Dashan's expression turned serious, and he immediately spoke up, "Lei Zi, this is a matter of utmost importance!"

"Two thousand yuan worth of valuables have been stolen; we can't just let this go. We need to go to the police station to report it immediately!"

He spoke fairly, and then added, "We all know the truth; Boss Chen is the prime suspect."

"But doing things requires rules and evidence. Without solid evidence, no one can falsely accuse someone out of thin air."

After saying that, Qin Dashan stopped getting involved in the standoff and turned to the side to comfort his aggrieved younger brother, Qin Bowen.

At this moment, Qin Bowen's cheek was swollen and burning with pain on one side.

He had just been slapped hard by his own father in front of everyone. As a young man who was about to come of age, he had lost all face and was filled with resentment.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing the stinging in his eyes, refusing to utter a sound or shed a single tear.

Seeing his older brother approaching, he felt resentful and turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge him.

Qin Dashan looked at his younger brother's red eyes, sighed helplessly, and gently comforted him.

"Brother, you're also at fault in this matter."

"No matter how angry you are, you can't start a fight in public at the entrance of the commune compound."

"Our father has always valued his reputation and followed the rules. If you cause trouble in a place full of officials, it's no wonder he gets angry."

"Don't be stubborn, he's just disappointed in you."

Qin Bowen remained silent, head down, filled with resentment.

the other side.

Zhao Lei pondered for a moment and then agreed with Qin Dashan's suggestion.

Two thousand yuan is not a small amount, and it would be extremely difficult for him and Bowen to investigate it privately on their own.

But he was also aware of the limitations of this era.

There was no CCTV surveillance, no fingerprint evidence, and no criminal investigation technology.

Breaking into a house at night without leaving a trace or being witnessed makes it incredibly difficult to catch the thief and secure evidence out of thin air.

In most cases, it will end up being an unsolved mystery.

Having weighed the pros and cons in his mind, Zhao Lei didn't delay any longer and turned around to give a brief greeting to everyone present.

"Officers, I'm going to the police station to report this to the police station."

After speaking, he turned his gaze back to Fatty Chen, his tone calm yet meaningful.

"Mr. Chen, if the police station comes to question you later, we hope you will cooperate truthfully and give the truthful account."

Fatty Chen smiled gently and nodded repeatedly, appearing open and selfless.

"Of course, of course!"

"Brother Lei, to be honest, I also feel particularly sorry for them. It's such a pity that these three top-quality musk pods were wasted."

As he spoke, he pretended to be annoyed and lightly patted his face, looking as if he were guilty and remorseful.

"It's all my fault. I was chatting idly yesterday evening and unintentionally let the news get out. I do bear some responsibility."

"Don't worry, I will fully cooperate with the investigation."

"If we really can't find it in the end, I'll give you an extra 10 cents per pound for all the wild game and mountain products you send to the supply and marketing cooperative from now on, as a way for me to make up for my mistake and apologize."