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

The cement dam at Zhao Lei's new home is spacious and flat, and everyone is working in an orderly manner, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Moving tables, carrying benches, setting up the banquet table, assembling kitchen utensils, cleaning the venue, and arranging the ceremonial table—everyone was so busy they barely had time to breathe.

In just half an hour, fourteen tables of food were neatly and orderly set up on the large open space in front of the new house.

This scene was of a truly exceptional scale for its time.

It was the most impressive in the entire Peace Brigade.

I imagine that if other people were to host a banquet, they would be considered quite good if they could manage to host four or five tables.

Zhao Lei's family set up fourteen tables!

Before long, more and more people arrived.

Qin Changlin brought his two young men, Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, who were both around sixteen or seventeen years old, to lend a hand.

Zhang Sanpo and her family would arrive before dawn to wash and prepare vegetables, and busy themselves with chores such as washing dishes and cleaning up.

Qin Mancang, the father-in-law, brought all his relatives to the scene to help greet the neighbors.

Qin Dajun also brought his wife to help tidy up.

That's why people in the 80s valued having a large family.

We can't do without people!

With many hands making light work, the situation was quickly brought under control.

However, the biggest contributor to the kitchen staff was Liu Hongxia, the women's director.

Zhao Lei had specially invited her over beforehand to make things easier.

Liu Hongxia has a wide network of connections and knows the etiquette of banquets. She also leads a group of women with top-notch skills who specialize in organizing large-scale banquets in the countryside.

Each of them is a skilled cook and experienced in organizing banquets. They are always the head chefs for the village's big banquets.

Once the stove is set up and the kitchen utensils are laid out, with meat and vegetables prepared separately, the aroma quickly and slowly wafts out.

As Liu Hongxia helped arrange the division of labor in the kitchen, she looked at the impressive new two-story red brick house in front of her with envy.

Turning to look at Jiang Xinyue, who was setting up the ancestral worship and welcoming tables, he smiled and joked:

"Xinyue, your Zhao Lei is truly remarkable!"

"Of all the young men in our village, I've never seen one more capable than him!"

"Your new house is so nicely built, and it even has electricity and lights! You're living a prosperous life! I'm truly envious of your family!"

Jiang Xinyue smiled faintly upon hearing this:

"Sister Xia, you're teasing us again. It's all about hard work and perseverance. Thank you all for coming and helping with the cooking today."

As dawn broke and the sun rose higher, guests began to arrive one after another.

Housewarming banquets in rural areas in the late 1970s were simple and unpretentious, without any competitive spirit.

After all, apart from Zhao Lei, who is an outlier, no one else has achieved protein freedom yet.

Neighbors and relatives who came to offer their congratulations brought the most practical gifts available at the time:

Some items contained a small bag of refined flour, brown sugar, eggs, cured meat, a piece of coarse cloth, or fresh fruits and vegetables grown by themselves.

For those with slightly better financial means, giving a gift of two, three, or five yuan is already considered a generous gift.

Whenever a group of neighbors and villagers arrived, Zhao Lei and his family would personally go forward to greet them, accept their gifts, express their gratitude, and offer them cigarettes.

The whole family came together, demonstrating impeccable manners and humility.

Congratulations and praises poured in, filling the courtyard with compliments.

"Congratulations Zhao Lei! May your new home be auspicious and your life become increasingly prosperous!"

"This new house is so impressive! Lei Zi, you're really on top of the world now! This is the first house in our whole village!"

"More than that, Zhao Lei's new house is one of the best in the entire Qingfeng Town!"

"They say a prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold, and now Lei Zi is becoming more and more responsible!"

"The whole family is dressed neatly and cleanly; they look prosperous and blessed!"

Before long, business partners and distinguished guests from outside the venue arrived at the banquet on time, making quite a grand affair.

Wang Jianguo, the owner of Taiyanghong Brick Kiln, arrived at the door with cigarettes and alcohol as a congratulatory gift, his face beaming with smiles.

"Brother Lei, congratulations!"

"Brother Wang, please come in."

Mr. Zhou, the owner of Sanhe Township, arrived with generous gifts and immediately offered his congratulations.

"Congratulations, Brother Zhao Lei! Your new house is really eye-catching; I saw it from far away."

"Hahaha, this is all made with Boss Zhou's river sand, it's bound to shine brightly!"

"Haha, this is river sand, but you've made it sound like gold particles, little brother."

"Please come in, Boss Wang is already seated and is just waiting for Brother Zhou."

Not long after, Deng Canghai, the black market boss, arrived with Lao Hei.

The two men exuded composure and offered their congratulations as soon as they entered, giving Zhao Lei ample face.

"Dude, is this the new landmark building?"

"That's right, Brother Deng, Brother Hei, please come in."

"Hahaha, no wonder it's a landmark building. I asked casually, and everyone on the street knew it was your house."

Subsequently, Deputy Director Li of Jinxiu Textile Factory also arrived on time, praising Zhao Lei repeatedly for being young, promising, down-to-earth, and capable.

"Brother Zhao Lei, I'm late, but I've come to offer my congratulations."

"Brother Li, you're being too polite. Please come inside..."

Subsequently, Zhou Defu, the brigade leader of Zhoujia Village in Sanhe Township, brought his daughter Zhou Qingqing and her family.

Zhu Kaitian, the team leader of Zhujia Village, along with a group of township officials, acquaintances, and neighbors, were all present.

Hunters Huang Hongbo and Deng Shaohua from Huangshi Township also visited with large and small bags of gifts.

In an instant, guests from all walks of life, relatives and friends from near and far, and neighbors from the whole village gathered together.

The hall was filled with guests, and laughter and chatter filled the air.

It’s not lively.

Today, Zhao Lei is no longer the poor boy who was looked down upon by everyone and whose family was destitute.

He has a house, a family, a business, people, brothers, relatives and friends, harmonious neighbors, and helpful people.

The countdown to the grand and lively housewarming banquet has officially begun!

On the auspicious day of moving, the sun shone warmly, and the streets of Qingfeng Town were bustling with activity.

People were coming and going to the market, visiting relatives, and attending banquets in an endless stream.

On the dirt road at the town entrance, two brand-new 28-inch bicycles drove steadily one after the other.

The person riding the bicycle in the back is named Su Jianjun.

At 32 years old, he is the quintessential respectable official within the system.

With striking eyebrows and bright eyes, his features were handsome and well-proportioned. He wore a pair of refined glasses and his hair was neatly combed.

He wore a crisp, clean white shirt, straight suit trousers, and shiny black leather shoes.

His attire was clean and neat, exuding a powerful aura.

My mother, Lin Hui, was sitting in the back seat.

Although she is over fifty years old, she still has a gentle figure and a dignified demeanor.

Today, she even took the time to dress up, changing into a brand-new dark blue cotton jacket, and her hair was neatly combed, giving her the appearance of a virtuous and dignified middle-aged woman.

The person leading the way on a bicycle was 43-year-old Su Minggui.

I specially changed into a neat new outfit today, looking energetic, calm and capable.

His years of experience traveling around collecting medicine have made him appear mature, open-minded, and approachable.

Two bicycles came to a steady stop at the crossroads at the entrance of the town.

Su Jianjun was constantly burdened by the thought of his sister's disappearance for three years.

He was always worried that his sister would suffer and live a hard life because she insisted on marrying far away.

Even though his fourth uncle, Su Minggui, repeatedly assured him, he was still worried and decided to ask passersby himself to confirm the location.

Su Jianjun stopped his car, stopped a passing villager, and politely began to speak:

"Excuse me, fellow villager, how do I get to Zhao Lei's house in Heping Brigade?"