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

Deng Changhai, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, casually replied, "Of course, quite a lot. In our small town, buying wild game and medicinal herbs is the main business. For someone like me in the building materials business, making two or three deals a month is already considered pretty good."

"Brother Deng, if you have valuable medicinal herbs, do people usually sell them to the supply and marketing cooperative, or go through the black market?"

Deng Changhai, unaware of Zhao Lei's true intentions, truthfully replied, "It depends on the quantity of goods. If the quantity is small, it's safer to hand it over to the supply and marketing cooperative; if the quantity is large, the profit from the black market is much higher."

At this point, Deng Changhai suddenly slapped his forehead, as if he had just remembered something.

"By the way, I heard from my nephew Deng Shaohua that you guys caught several thousand kilograms of game in Huangshi Mountain last time, is that true? What, did you get another big catch this time?"

Zhao Lei smiled and said, "I didn't expect Shaohua to be your nephew. What a coincidence. We didn't get a large quantity of prey this time, but we did manage to get something valuable."

He paused, then said, "Musk, I wonder if Brother Deng has ever heard of it?"

Deng Changhai raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Musk? What's that?"

Qin Bowen, who was standing to the side, almost burst out laughing, but he managed to hold it in.

He secretly thought to himself, "This Boss Deng seems to know everything, yet he doesn't even recognize musk."

On second thought, it makes sense; musk is extremely rare. If he hadn't hunted a musk deer in the mountains this time, he would have only ever seen the name in textbooks.

Zhao Lei did not make fun of the other party, but patiently explained the origin, uses and value of musk to Deng Changhai in detail.

After listening, Deng Changhai exhaled a puff of smoke: "So it's a precious Chinese medicinal herb. But I don't deal in this stuff. What, you have some on hand, planning to sell it on the black market?"

Deng Changhai vaguely guessed Zhao Lei's purpose in coming.

Zhao Lei did not tell the truth about the stolen musk pouch, but went along with the other person's words and said, "That's right, I have some musk on me. I've heard that it's very valuable. I'd like to ask if there are any people on the black market who specialize in buying such precious medicinal materials."

Deng Changhai lowered his head in thought.

He knew many people who collected wild game and mountain products, but very few who specialized in collecting precious Chinese medicinal herbs.

As the cigarette was about to burn out, he suddenly remembered someone.

"Oh, I do know someone like that. But he only comes to our Qingfeng Town twice a month."

He last came over about two weeks ago, so I figured he should be here soon. It's a pity he's not in town today. I'll call him later and have him come find you.

Zhao Lei nodded: "Okay, then I'll trouble you, Brother Deng."

Deng Changhai waved his hand: "It was nothing."

Zhao Lei leaned forward and lowered his voice: "Brother Deng, I have one more question to ask."

Deng Changhai sensed that what he was about to say was rather veiled, so he lowered his voice and teased, "Oh? What is it? Do you perhaps have something you're hiding?"

"Here's the thing, Brother Deng, some things have recently gone missing from my house. I'd like to inquire if there's any information circulating in the thieves' circles around Qingfeng Town."

Upon hearing this, Deng Changhai gasped, his brows furrowing deeply: "Oh? Someone actually dared to attack your house?"

"Yes, the item is quite important to me. Although it's not an extremely valuable item, I still want to get it back."

Deng Changhai didn't press for details about what was lost. After pondering for a moment, he said, "I'll introduce you to someone nicknamed Liu Yishou from Zhoujia Village in Sanhe Township. You can go to him to ask for information."

"Liu Yishou? Who is this guy?"

Deng Changhai smiled and said, "Speaking of which, this man should be fifty years old this year."

Qin Bowen, who was standing nearby, immediately exclaimed in surprise: "At such an old age, still engaging in theft?"

"Young man, don't just look at his age."

Deng Changhai shook his head. "He himself stopped stealing a long time ago, but he has quite a few disciples. Years ago, he was a big shot in Yunchang County, known for his pickpocketing skills."

Later, he committed a crime and was arrested. Three of his fingers were chopped off, and he suffered a great loss. So he restrained himself and returned to his hometown to farm for more than ten years.

However, he still has connections and information channels, specializing in gathering information and facilitating shipments; he might be able to give you some clues.

Zhao Lei was overjoyed.

It turned out that coming to find Deng Changhai was the right decision.

Having been involved in the black market for so long, the connections he has are far beyond what one could find by asking around.

Zhao Lei thanked him repeatedly, then casually took out two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes from his canvas bag and placed them on Deng Changhai's desk.

Deng Changhai reached out and gently nudged him: "Brother Lei, what are you doing?"

Zhao Lei could tell that the pressure from his hand wasn't heavy, and that it was probably just a polite refusal, so he insisted on pushing the cigarettes further onto the table.

"Brother Deng, this is just a small token of my appreciation, a little something for the rations of my men. Please don't refuse. Consider it my way of buying this information."

Deng Changhai looked at Zhao Lei and his admiration grew even stronger.

Two large Qianmen cigarettes cost more than four yuan each, totaling eight or nine yuan, which is equivalent to half a month's wages for an ordinary worker.

When asking for favors, one knows proper etiquette and never arrives empty-handed; this demonstrates excellent social skills.

The two chatted for a while longer and finalized the two matters.

First, Deng Changhai will definitely attend the housewarming banquet next Saturday.

Secondly, if Su Minggui, a medicinal herb dealer from Yunchang County, came to the town, Deng Changhai would tell him to go directly to the Heping Brigade to find Zhao Lei.

After the matter was settled, Zhao Lei took Qin Bowen and left the warehouse.

After leaving the black market, Zhao Lei had already made up his mind. He was going to head straight to Sanhe Township to find Liu Yishou.

As Qin Bowen passed the electronic watch stall he had seen before, he stopped again, his eyes still lingering on it.

Zhao Lei saw through his thoughts at a glance, reached out and pressed him down, preventing him from going forward.

"Bowen, don't buy it now. This watch is too flashy. You're not a leader in a government agency, and wearing it on your wrist will attract too much attention and cause gossip. It's not that your brother-in-law is stingy, you need to understand."

Qin Bowen, his face full of disappointment, followed Zhao Lei out of the black market.

"Brother-in-law, the boss asked for sixty dollars a piece, which I can afford."

"Think about it, you're an eighteen-year-old boy, wearing such a rare foreign watch on your wrist. It's like clearly telling everyone that your family is rich."

Zhao Lei patted his chest. "Take me for example. I bought a car and built a new house, and now I'm being targeted by thieves, aren't I? Your dad is the production team leader, so you need to be even more discreet. Do you understand?"

Qin Bowen lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then nodded emphatically: "Brother-in-law, I understand, you're just thinking of me. So where do we go now?"

"Go find Liu Yishou."

Zhao Lei knew that he couldn't ask for information empty-handed.

He bought cigarettes, liquor, and several fruit gift boxes at the supply and marketing cooperative next to the black market.

Qin Bowen also picked out a gift for himself: a pack of cigarettes, a bottle of wine, and a large bag of White Rabbit milk candy and pastries.

Zhao Lei looked at him with confusion: "Bowen, when did you start liking sweets and pastries?"