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

Zhao Lei makes a good point!

Qin Dashan felt that Zhao Lei's speech, behavior, and demeanor had changed drastically since he left for more than half a year!

He was no longer driven by events as before, as if every step was part of his plan.

Qin Dashan couldn't help but admire his brother-in-law more and more.

Qin Bowen, standing to the side, had his eyes shining.

He had just returned from high school in the county, so he naturally knew more relevant information than Qin Dashan and Wang Zongbao.

Hearing his brother-in-law's words, he couldn't help but marvel.

The way he speaks, oh, the way he speaks, is just as good as his teacher's.

Qin Bowen had no talent for studying, so he gave up the opportunity to take the college entrance examination and prepared to return to his hometown to wait for an opportunity.

His brother-in-law's words really struck a chord with him.

Zhao Lei's figure appeared increasingly tall and imposing in his gaze.

Finally, the brothers discussed some details of building the house and decided that once the rain stopped, they would go to the red brick kiln of the Taiyang Production Brigade to see what the price of red bricks was now.

They also discussed the next hunting trip to Qingshuigou.

When Qin Changlin volunteered to join the hunting team, Qin Dashan and Qin Bowen had no objections and welcomed him.

Only Wang Zongbao asked timidly, "Brother Lei, Uncle Changlin hasn't found out anything, has he?"

Everyone knew what Wang Zongbao meant, and they chuckled as they looked at him.

"Zongbao, you're overthinking it. You're doing a great job keeping things under wraps; your father-in-law hasn't noticed yet. But I can't guarantee he won't discover something after tonight."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zongbao was immediately shocked. "Why? What happened tonight?"

Qin Bowen laughed, "Oh dear, Zongbao, you had Xiaocui steal all the roosters from the house. If Uncle Changlin investigates, won't the trail lead back to you?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zongbao slapped his thigh in frustration, "Oh dear, how could I have forgotten about that? What should I do now?"

The three of them said in unison, "What should we do? Buy the ticket!"

Once they started talking, the brothers became much closer.

As dusk fell, the aroma of food wafted out from the kitchen.

When it was time to eat, Zhao Lei's house only had an old square table, which was simply not enough to fit everything.

With no other option, he and Qin Bowen had to swallow their pride and borrow a table and a few chairs from Granny Zhang next door.

Granny Zhang also heard that Zhao Lei had made a lot of money hunting.

As she stood at the gate of the courtyard, she saw a large group of people arriving at the Zhao family's gate, carrying many things, which made her very envious.

Although Granny Zhang was sharp-tongued, she was actually quite generous, lending Zhao Lei the table and chairs.

"Lei Zi, I heard you brothers made a fortune in Qingshui Gou? Is it true?"

"Grandma Zhang, who told you that?"

"Hey, Lei Zi, tell Auntie the truth. We're neighbors, what's there to hide? Look, all of you brothers came over for dinner today, I could smell the meat from far away. You must have made a lot of money to be able to eat so well!"

Qin Bowen didn't mince words, "Third Aunt, we did earn some hard-earned money, but it's not as bad as the rumors say. By the way, Third Aunt, it's almost dinner time, why are you home alone?"

Granny Zhang said, "Oh dear, Bowen, your third uncle has taken Zhang Lin and Zhang Sen out to repair the road. They won't be back for ten days or half a month."

Zhao Lei chimed in, "So, Granny Zhang, you're home alone? I think you shouldn't cook, come to my house for a meal."

Granny Zhang quickly waved her hand, "How can that be? It's too much trouble for you! This old woman will just make something simple to eat."

"Grandma Zhang, don't be so polite. I can see you're practically drooling."

As he spoke, Zhao Lei pulled Zhang Sanpo towards her home.

Granny Zhang grumbled under her breath as she walked steadily toward Zhao Lei's house.

"Oh, Lei Zi, thank you for going to so much trouble."

Zhao Lei knew perfectly well what was going on, so he played along, saying, "Grandma Zhang, it's just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks. Come on, come on. We still need your help looking after our children every day."

And so, Zhang Sanpo reluctantly went to Zhao Lei's house.

The three ex-wives greeted the old neighbors and elders politely and provided them with bowls and chopsticks.

Two square tables were put together.

The Zhao family of seven, along with the Qin brothers, Dashan and Bowen, the young couple Wang Zongbao and Xiaocui, and Granny Zhang, filled a large table.

During the meal, everyone was polite and exchanged pleasantries.

The men clinked glasses, the women chatted about everyday things, and the children laughed and talked.

This was the most lively meal Zhao Lei's family had had in many years. Everyone was very happy, and the food was delicious, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat all served.

Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely, and after several rounds of drinks and several dishes, they had a great time.

Finally, they all dispersed and went home.

After eating and drinking their fill, the three little ones obediently climbed into bed and went to sleep.

Zhao Lei had also drunk a bit too much, so he went to Jiang Xinyue's room and fell into a deep sleep.

At that moment, three women were washing dishes in the kitchen and started chatting.

Su Wanqing spoke first, "Sister Yuchan, Sister Xinyue, I feel that Zhao Lei seems to have changed a lot since he came back from outside. Our family is starting to feel more and more like a family."

Hearing this, the other two also deeply agreed.

Jiang Xinyue said, "In the past, Zhao Lei was basically self-centered. This time, he not only went out to earn money for my good-for-nothing younger brother, but also gave the family an extra 200 yuan. I still can't believe it."

Qin Yuchan also witnessed Zhao Lei's various changes during this period.

And you know what? The Zhao family is starting to look like they're living a good life, and things are getting better every day.

Zhao Lei also plans to build a new red brick house. Today, he even changed the children's clothes for the first time and took them mushroom picking, making Qin Yuchan feel like she was in a dream.

Zhao Lei used to rarely take care of his children. He would either go out to work all day, go up the mountain to raid bird nests all day, or go out and fool around with Lai Mazi and his gang.

Let alone bringing anything home, it's already considered good that they didn't take anything from home at all.

However, Qin Yuchan had known Zhao Lei the longest and spent the most time with him. She didn't believe that a person's character could change drastically in a short period of time, and she remained skeptical.

"I'm telling you two, don't let his sweet talk blind you."

Jiang Xinyue retorted, "But Sister Yuchan, Zhao Lei recently gave his family over a thousand yuan, which is more money than he had in the previous few years combined."

Su Wanqing chimed in, "Yes, Sister Yuchan, he also bought a lot of things for the family. Today when I went out, many people's attitudes changed when they heard Zhao Lei's name. Before, when we went out, people would point and gossip, but now they all come over to curry favor with us."

Qin Yuchan snorted coldly.

Humph.

Fawning?