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

There were wild rabbits and pheasants, as well as half a carcass of a roe deer that hadn't been processed, and a bunch of snares and iron clamps were piled up haphazardly to the side.

Qin Bowen leaned close to Zhao Lei's ear and whispered, "Brother Lei, they seem to be from Willow Valley over there. I've heard rumors that this group sets traps everywhere, and they'll break into anyone's territory."

Zhao Lei walked straight out of the bushes.

Hearing the commotion, the men looked up abruptly. The man skinning the animal stopped what he was doing and stared at Zhao Lei.

The man who had been smoking by the tree also stood up, squinting at Zhao Lei.

Zhao Lei stood at the edge of the gentle slope, his expression unreadable, his gaze sweeping over the pile of rope nooses on the ground: "Where did you all come from?"

The smoking man was in his early thirties, dark-skinned and thin, with a stubble around his chin.

The man spat out his cigarette butt and stomped it out, then asked, "And where are you from?"

"I'm from the Heping Brigade, and this forest is under our brigade's jurisdiction. Did you ask the villagers before you came here to set up this trap?"

The dark-skinned, thin man grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow from smoking: "The mountains and forests belong to the state, and they're not engraved with your Zhao family's name. Do I need to report to you when I set a trap to hunt?"

The others joined in the laughter, and the skinning man stood up, holding half a wild rabbit in his hand.

Zhao Lei pointed to the noose on the ground: "Those two nooses on the ground were set by me a couple of days ago, and you pulled them out."

The dark-skinned, thin man glanced at the tools on the ground, then nonchalantly spread his palms: "How would I know who set them? There are traps everywhere on the mountain, just collect them when you see them."

Unable to contain himself, Qin Bowen stepped out from behind Zhao Lei and rebuked, "You're taking someone else's trap and you still have the nerve to act so self-righteous? This area, encompassing several mountains, belongs to the Heping Brigade. You people from Liushugou have come here to cause trouble, and you think you're in the right?"

The smile vanished from the dark-skinned, thin man's face, and he pointed a finger at Qin Bowen: "Watch your mouth. Anyone can come to the mountains and forests; isn't the Peace Brigade being a bit too nosy?"

The other three people all stood up, making it five against two, and their momentum completely overwhelmed them.

Zhao Lei reached out and pressed down on Qin Bowen's shoulder, shielding Qin Bowen behind him, and took a step forward.

Zhao Lei looked directly into the dark, thin man's eyes: "I can overlook the condom that was taken. From now on, don't come to this mountain again. Go hunting on your own mountain. It's best if we don't bother each other."

The thin, dark-skinned man tilted his head and sized up Zhao Lei for a few seconds, then bent down to pick up the metal clamp from the ground and weighed it in his hand: "What if I refuse to leave?"

Zhao Lei replied casually, "Then you can give it a try."

Everyone present fell silent, and the surroundings became quiet.

The dark-skinned, thin man stared at Zhao Lei, while his accomplices behind him remained motionless.

Zhao Lei rested his hand on the hilt of the hunting knife at his waist, his expression unchanged.

After a brief standoff, the thin, dark-skinned man threw the iron clamp to the ground, patted the dust off his hands, and said, "Fine, from the Peace Brigade, I've got it."

The dark-skinned, thin man waved to his accomplices: "Let's go."

After collecting the game hides, the group retreated down the gentle slope towards the ridge.

The dark-skinned, thin man walked last, glancing back at Zhao Lei before leaving, his eyes clearly indicating that this matter was not over.

After everyone had gone some distance, Qin Bowen let out a long sigh of relief: "Brother-in-law, these people are not to be trifled with. They promised to leave, but they will most likely come back."

Zhao Lei picked up the discarded metal clip and found that it was poorly made and far inferior to his own clips.

Zhao Lei tossed the iron clamp into Qin Bowen's bamboo basket: "Go back to the village and find out more about this dark-skinned, thin man."

Qin Bowen nodded: "I'll ask the old people in the village. I don't know many people in Liushugou, but I've heard that there's a guy named Ma Laosan who leads a group of people to poach and steal other people's hunting grounds."

Zhao Lei brushed the dirt off his knees: "Ma Laosan, remember this name."

The two turned back the way they came.

This trip into the mountains only yielded two wild rabbits, and also brought an extra problem.

Qin Bowen walked ahead, cursing incessantly, while Zhao Lei remained silent the entire way.

Back in the village, it was nearly noon when Qin Yuchan heated up the food in the kitchen.

At the dinner table, Zhao Lei briefly recounted his experience in the mountains. Qin Yuchan immediately became furious: "Those people from Willow Tree Gully dared to trespass on our mountain and even steal your traps?"

Zhao Lei lowered his head and ate his rice: "Yeah, we ran into each other."

Qin Yuchan slammed her chopsticks down: "You're just going to let them go like that?"

Zhao Lei raised his eyes: "What else can we do? Fight them on the spot? There are five of them."

Qin Yuchan was about to argue when Jiang Xinyue tugged at her sleeve: "Sister Yuchan, don't get angry. Sanshi can handle it himself."

After finishing his meal, Zhao Lei wiped his mouth and stood up: "Bowen, find out about Ma Laosan's background this afternoon, and come over to me tonight."

Qin Bowen agreed, put down his chopsticks and ran out.

Zhao Lei stood in the yard, lit a cigarette, and looked towards the back mountain.

After his rebirth, Zhao Lei met all sorts of people.

Those who openly commit evil, like Lai Mazi and Chen Pangzi, are actually easier to deal with.

The group of outsiders we encountered today, who disregard the rules of the mountains and forests and band together, are the real troublemakers.

The number of prey in the mountains is limited. Today it's a fight over snares, tomorrow it's a fight over territory. Once it starts, the disputes never end.

Zhao Lei stubbed out his cigarette and went into the woodshed to prepare his hunting knife.

Qin Bowen arrived at the door around dinner time.

Zhao Lei was squatting at the kitchen door peeling garlic when he saw Qin Bowen and waved him over: "Come sit down and tell me what's going on."

Qin Bowen plopped down on the doorstep: "Brother-in-law, I've found out. That dark-skinned, skinny man is Ma Laosan, from the second team of Liushugou, thirty-three years old. He has four men under him, all bachelors from the village, with no proper business, spending all their time in the mountains."

Zhao Lei tossed the peeled garlic into the bowl: "That's all?"

"besides."

Qin Bowen leaned closer and said, "My relatives from Liushugou told me that two years ago, Ma Laosan injured someone in the next township and had to pay a large sum of money to settle the matter. This guy is arrogant, and even the locals in Liushugou don't dare to mess with him. Because there are fewer prey in their mountains, they've come to our area and have been causing trouble for several months."

Zhao Lei brushed the dirt off his hands: "How many men does Ma Laosan have under his command?"

"Including Ma Laosan and five others. One is called Liu Dajiao, who is tall and strong. There is also a younger one called Erwazi, and the other two are just loafing around."

Zhao Lei lit a cigarette: "I understand."

Qin Bowen stood up: "Brother-in-law, are we going into the mountains again tomorrow?"

"Of course we have to go; we can't let those condoms go to waste."

Zhao Lei extinguished the cigarette. "We'll get up early tomorrow and take a different route, going up the mountain from the east side of the village."

The next day, as dawn broke, the two went out.

Instead of taking the usual route, we went around to the east end of the village, walked along the foot of the mountain for more than half an hour, and entered the forest through another ravine.

Zhao Lei rarely comes to this mountain valley. It is densely wooded and overgrown with weeds, and is rarely visited by people, making it very difficult to walk.

Qin Bowen followed behind, constantly pushing aside branches that blocked his way, muttering, "Brother-in-law, is there any prey in a place like this?"

Zhao Lei didn't even turn his head: "Wild animals thrive in forests where few people come. Speak less and watch your step."

The two climbed up the ditch, Zhao Lei observing the terrain as he went, occasionally looking down to check the marks on the ground.