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

After giving her a few instructions, Qin Yuchan felt relieved and hurriedly left.

Meanwhile, Su Wanqing and Jiang Xinyue also finished packing and went out to work.

Zhao Lei had about 30 jin of wild boar meat left at home, so he cut off half of it and expressed his gratitude to Zhang Sanpo's family.

Zhang Sanpo was flattered and quickly waved her hand to decline.

But Zhao Lei didn't give him that chance. He hung the meat at the door and left in a hurry.

Today, Zhao Lei plans to go to the Taiyang Production Brigade with Wang Zongbao to check on the red bricks.

As a result, Qin Bowen followed along, drawn by the scent.

Qin Dashan did not go with them today, but instead chose to work in the fields to earn work points.

So Wang Zongbao drove the oxcart, taking Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen to the Taiyang Production Brigade.

In less than an hour, the group arrived at the territory of the Sun Brigade.

After making inquiries and delaying for a while, the group arrived at the red brick kiln.

From afar, Zhao Lei could see a group of shirtless men busily working.

Some carried bricks, some shaped the clay, and others stayed by the kiln to add firewood and fuel.

A bustling and lively scene unfolded.

Wang Zongbao tied the oxcart to the side, and the three of them followed Zhao Lei into the red brick factory.

Although it's called a red brick factory, it's actually not very large, with only two large kilns and a dozen or so workers.

Zhao Lei walked to the neatly stacked pile of red bricks, picked one up and examined it from all angles, then tapped it to listen to the sound.

It made a banging sound and was quite sturdy.

Suddenly, a worker noticed Zhao Lei and his group, and quickly ran over, shouting, "Hey! What are you doing? Stealing bricks so early in the morning, huh?"

The man who came was a burly young man with a muscular physique, shirtless and covered in sweat; he was clearly a laborer who did heavy work year-round.

This man was about 1.7 meters tall, and he had no intimidation whatsoever in front of Zhao Lei, who was over 1.8 meters tall.

Zhao Lei spoke calmly, "Brother, what makes you say that? Who would come here in broad daylight to steal bricks? We're here to buy red bricks."

Wang Dazhuang looked Zhao Lei and his two companions up and down. Seeing that they were all wearing liberation shoes and dressed simply, they didn't look like rich people at all, and his face was full of doubt.

"Buy red bricks? I've seen plenty of people who pretend to be customers during the day to scout out the area, and then come to steal bricks at night."

Qin Bowen, young and hot-blooded, was immediately displeased upon hearing this. "What do you mean by that? How can you do business like this?"

Wang Zongbao chimed in, "That's right, we just came to ask about the price, why are you making baseless accusations? You need to be responsible for your words!"

Wang Dazhuang waved his hands impatiently, "Hurry up and leave, I don't have time to argue with you!"

The argument between the group quickly attracted the attention of a middle-aged man in a white shirt.

He strode forward and waved for Wang Dazhuang to go back to work.

Wang Dazhuang looked indignant. "Cousin, you'd better be careful. These guys look like they're just here to scout out the place. They don't seem like they're really interested in buying bricks."

The middle-aged man, wearing glasses and a white shirt, was a refined and scholarly man. He was one of the managers of the red brick kiln and his name was Wang Guohua.

Wang Guohua glared at Wang Dazhuang, "Stop talking nonsense and get back to work. You don't need to meddle in things here."

Wang Dazhuang looked back at Zhao Lei and the others with suspicion, reluctantly returning to his post with several glances back.

Wang Guohua looked at Zhao Lei with a face full of apology, "Brother, I'm really sorry. My cousin hasn't been to school much, and he's said some harsh things. Please don't take it to heart."

Zhao Lei thought to himself, "As expected, educated people handle things properly. With just a few words, they have dispelled the unpleasantness in the hearts of the three."

Zhao Lei picked up a red brick and asked, "Boss, how much are these red bricks?"

"What does my brother plan to use it for?"

"My family is preparing to build a house."

"Building a house requires a lot of materials. May I ask which brigade you're from, brother?"

"The neighboring Heping Production Brigade."

Upon hearing this, Wang Guohua nodded in understanding and then led the three of them into his office.

This is a simple bungalow built of red bricks. It is not grand, but it is much more impressive than an adobe house.

Wang Guohua poured tea and gestured for the three to sit down. "Brothers, sit down and let's chat. Since we're from the next brigade, it's not too far. But as far as I remember, no one in Heping Brigade has built a red brick house yet. May I ask which household you belong to?"

Zhao Lei straightened his back and said, "My name is Zhao Lei."

"Zhao Lei?"

Wang Guohua looked as if he had just realized something, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't remember which family Zhao Lei belonged to.

"Brother, are you in charge of things at home?"

"Yes, my parents have passed away a long time ago, so I'm in charge of things at home."

"Okay, okay... then let me ask, how big of a house are you planning to build, brother?"

"Our family has seven members, and we might have more in the future. I want to build a two-story house right away, with at least eight bedrooms, and also..."

Zhao Lei was about to explain in detail with a serious expression when Wang Guohua quickly raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Stop, stop, stop, brother, are you here just to make fun of me? A two-story red brick building, do you know how many bricks, how much timber, how much building materials it takes? Have you even calculated the cost? Don't even mention your Peace Brigade, even my own family hasn't built a two-story house."

In Wang Guohua's mind, there were no wealthy families in the Heping Production Brigade at all.

His customers usually come from the town, the county seat, and Qingshuigou. Most of them are government infrastructure projects. Ordinary farmers rarely buy red bricks. Only his brigade and Qingshuigou brigade have built a few red brick bungalows.

The Peace Brigade, caught in the middle, had long been forgotten by him.

Now, a strange young man suddenly appears, wanting to build a two-story red brick house with eight bedrooms, the size of which and the cost are unimaginable.

He has never received such a large order for residential construction since he started working in the industry.

Looking at Qin Bowen and Wang Zongbao beside Zhao Lei, one was seventeen years old and the other was twenty. They looked very young and immature, which made Wang Guohua even more skeptical of Zhao Lei's words.

If Qin Dashan had been with him today, Wang Guohua might have believed him a little more, given Qin Dashan's reputation and imposing manner.

Given the current situation, he assumed that the group had ulterior motives.

Zhao Lei was not angry. He knew in his heart that his demands were indeed too exaggerated in this era.

The two-story red brick building is comparable to a detached house in today's world.

Looking ahead to the 21st century, the heartfelt wish of countless people born in the 1970s and 1980s is to return to their hometown and build a two- or three-story house.

This shows just how strong the impact of living in a two-story house was when they were young, that it became a lifelong obsession for a generation!

Zhao Lei thought for a moment and did not offer any further explanation.

He pulled out five ten-yuan bills from his bag, a total of five hundred yuan, and slammed them all onto the table with a loud thud.

"Boss, you don't believe me?"

"For its sake, you don't think I'm joking with you, do you?!"