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

Zhao Lei couldn't help but sneer inwardly as he watched his utterly hypocritical performance.

That's quite a clever scheme.

Despite the enormous loss of two thousand yuan, he casually suggested raising the purchase price by one cent, hoping to do everyone a favor and completely sever all ties with the company.

Hypocrisy, cunning, and greed are all on full display.

Zhao Lei was certain that Chen Pangzi was involved in the whole thing.

However, he was more shrewd and composed than the impulsive and furious Qin Bowen.

Without evidence, all anger is futile and will only give others ammunition to criticize you.

Zhao Lei remained expressionless, nodding with a faint smile.

"Okay, thank you very much, Boss Chen."

On the surface, Zhao Lei appeared calm and collected, but in his heart, he had already silently made a fuss about this mess.

He will surely settle accounts with today's mistakes and grievances one by one in the future.

Afterwards, Zhao Lei said a brief goodbye to everyone and prepared to go to the police station to report the case.

Seeing this, Qin Dashan immediately said, "Lei Zi, I'll go with you."

Zhao Lei gently waved his hand to stop him, his tone calm.

"Brother Dashan, don't bother, I can handle this myself."

"It would be best if we could find it, but if we can't, then it's fate, and I accept it."

Qin Dashan looked at him with deep regret and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Sigh, strange things happen every year."

"I feel like you've been having too much luck lately. But when things go too smoothly, they tend to turn sour, and one bad thing after another happens."

He recalled each and every one of them in his mind.

During the critical period of Zhao Lei's house construction, his bicycle was secretly ridden away and taken by his maternal uncle, Zhou Shijie.

Later, when Wang Zongbao and Chang Linshu were fishing in Qingshuigou, their fishing boat was secretly hidden and sabotaged by Zhao Chenglong and his gang.

Now, after finally managing to get three top-quality musk pods from the mountains, these treasures worth two thousand yuan were stolen overnight before I could even enjoy them.

The more Qin Dashan thought about it, the more he felt that the problem lay at its root.

These days, there are lazy, good-for-nothing hooligans everywhere.

They work hard in the fields to earn work points, but after a year of toiling away, they can't earn more than a few dozen yuan.

Nothing is easier than sneaking around and stealing.

In addition, due to the current backward investigative conditions and imperfect monitoring system, many theft cases are ultimately left unsolved and cannot be investigated at all.

Qin Dashan solemnly reminded him.

"Lei Zi, to be honest, you've been too high-profile lately."

"Building a new house, buying a new car, and going up the mountain to deliver big trucks every day—who in the whole village doesn't know that you, Zhao Lei, have made a fortune?"

"It's all over the place, people are saying your family is now worth ten thousand yuan. The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows; you've been targeted by someone with ulterior motives."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lei's heart stirred slightly.

He was so focused on making money and improving his family's life that he didn't pay much attention to other people's gossip and opinions.

Now, after my brother-in-law pointed it out, and upon careful reflection, I realize that it is indeed true.

I've changed so much in the last six months.

Building houses, buying cars, frequently producing valuable mountain products, and the family's life is visibly getting better day by day.

There are definitely quite a few people in the village who are envious, jealous, or resentful.

It makes perfect sense that someone deliberately targeted and plotted against them.

Despite his inner turmoil, Zhao Lei remained calm and composed on the surface.

Zhao Lei nodded slightly.

"Brother-in-law, I've taken your words to heart."

"From now on, I will be more low-key, more restrained, and less flamboyant."

"Then I'll go report it to the police first."

Qin Dashan patted his chest and spoke sincerely.

"Okay, go ahead. If you ever run into trouble, like needing money or manpower, just let me know, and I'll do everything I can to help you."

Zhao Lei felt a warmth in his heart and patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder.

"We're family, I know. Don't worry, I can handle this."

After saying that, he turned around, walked to the corner of the wall, and pulled Qin Bowen, who was squatting on the ground sulking, up.

"Still holding your breath? Like a little kid."

"Let's go, come with me to the police station to report the case."

Qin Bowen looked up at his brother-in-law, whose cheeks were red and swollen and whose eyes were full of grievance. In the end, he did not argue anymore and followed silently with his head down.

The two walked towards the town's police station.

Qin Bowen remained silent the entire way, still harboring resentment at being slapped in public by his own father.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Lei couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Bowen, you're almost a grown man, why are you still acting like a child?"

"Everyone in the village knows your father's temperament. He has a fiery temper and cares a lot about his reputation. He's not targeting you on purpose."

Qin Bowen turned his head to the side, looking at Zhao Lei with eyes full of grievance.

"Brother-in-law, do you also think I was too impulsive today, and that I embarrassed myself?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lei suddenly smiled.

He stopped and gestured for Qin Bowen to come closer, casually offering him a cigarette.

The two lit cigarettes, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke, feeling a slight relief from the oppression in their hearts.

Zhao Lei spoke gently and earnestly.

"Bowen, I've never blamed you."

"You're angry, you know how to protect the family's belongings and me, and you did the right thing in that respect."

"You just chose the wrong time and the wrong place. To be honest, I felt relieved watching you actually beat up Fatty Chen just now."

Upon hearing this, Qin Bowen's eyebrows relaxed instantly, and he immediately smiled.

"Hehe! Brother-in-law, I knew you were different from them! Only you understand me!"

Zhao Lei chuckled lightly, then began to give a serious lecture.

"But you must remember that violence is the worst kind of solution."

"If you can solve the problem by fighting, that's fine, but most of the time, it will only get you into trouble."

"We live in an era governed by the rule of law; we can no longer act recklessly based on brute force, understand?"

Qin Bowen looked frustrated and indignant.

"But I get angry just looking at Fatty Chen's face!"

"He's clearly hiding something, but he's pretending to be completely innocent and aloof, as if nothing has anything to do with him!"

"He's definitely the one pulling the strings behind this!"

Zhao Lei patted his shoulder and patiently advised him.

"I know you're not reconciled, and I feel the same way."

"But if you resort to violence, you'll only end up hurting yourself."

"You've vented your anger, but in the end you still have to pay compensation and get punished. Why should we waste the money we worked so hard to earn?"

Qin Bowen puffed out his chest, exuding confidence.

"I have money! I can just pay him back! I'm not afraid!"

Zhao Lei shook his head helplessly and smiled faintly.

"You're still too young and think too simply."

"Have you forgotten about the new nanny's brother? He got into a fight in a moment of impulse the other day, and what happened to him?"

"I spent almost a month in jail and even had to pay out 200 yuan."

"Two hundred yuan is a small matter, but is it worth it to have a criminal record?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Bowen immediately deflated, silently lowered his head, and was completely speechless.

He felt a lingering fear in his heart.

He can certainly afford two hundred yuan now; it's not a lot of money.

But once you have a criminal record and have been to jail, it becomes a stain on your record for life in this era.