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

Zhao Lei thought for a moment and said, "We should not delay. Bowen, go back and tell your brother-in-law that we will go tomorrow at noon."

"Brother-in-law, shall we go during the day this time? Those wild boars don't come out much during the day."

"Can't you use your brain? You've read so many books, what have you learned? They've gone to waste!"

Haven't you heard? That bastard Zhao Chenghu has been spreading the word everywhere about how we made money hunting wild boars in Qingshuigou. I bet someone else went yesterday because of the rain, and there will probably be even more people tonight.

At this point, we need to do the opposite. During the day, we should try our luck and scout out the area first; that way, we'll have a better harvest.

Qin Bowen slapped his forehead: "Yeah, brother-in-law, you're still the best!"

"Brother Lei, it has to be you! If I were as smart as you, I'd marry three wives too!"

With a loud slap, Zhao Lei gave Wang Zongbao another slap on the back of the head: "You brat, be nicer to Xiao Cui. Do you have any other talent than me, always thinking about this and that?"

Wang Zongbao thought about how he had been devastated ever since he was frightened by a flashlight at night.

He couldn't help but frown and say, "Sigh, it seems I'll have to go see the old Chinese medicine doctor when I go to sell wild boar meat tomorrow."

Suddenly, he remembered something, and looked at Zhao Lei with shining eyes: "Brother Lei, you have three sisters-in-law, and I see that you're always more energetic than us young people. Do you have some kind of secret?"

"You brat, what do you mean 'you young people'? Am I fucking old? Why don't you call me 'Dad' and let me hear it?"

"Oh well, never mind... Lei-ge, just pretend I didn't say anything."

And so, the three brothers chatted and laughed as they went back to their respective houses.

The next morning, Zhao Lei didn't get up until 10 a.m.

He needed to conserve his energy and prepare to lead his brothers in a major undertaking.

Moreover, he also told several of his ex-wives about what he learned at the brick factory last night.

When they heard that it would cost more than three thousand yuan, with more than a thousand of the red bricks alone, the ex-wives were shocked and advised Zhao Lei not to build a red brick house for the time being, saying that building a mud-brick house would be enough.

But Zhao Lei had already made up his mind, saying that he would figure out the money problem and that his ex-wives didn't need to worry.

There was nothing they could do; Zhao Lei was the one in charge at home.

Moreover, Zhao Lei has indeed been able to make money hunting recently.

The ex-wives felt a mixture of anticipation and worry.

When Zhao Lei got up, he happened to see Qin Yuchan snatch two square red stones from the children's hands, carrying them into the house while scolding them:

"Oh dear, you spendthrifts! You've smashed such good red bricks! Pick them all up and bring them inside to repair the stove and build a laundry platform. They're excellent materials!"

Zhao Lei looked over suspiciously.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that Qin Yuchan was holding two red bricks, and instinctively asked, "Yuchan, what are you holding?"

"Oh, the kids found some red bricks outside. These things are very valuable, but Peipei and the others broke several of them."

Zhao Lei was puzzled: where did the red bricks in the house come from?

Could it be that Zongbao and the others brought it back yesterday?

Upon reflection, Zhao Lei realized it must be true.

After all, it's a common practice among villagers to buy oranges and put a couple in their pockets or carry them in their hands, so he didn't think much of it.

Not long after, Qin Dashan, Qin Bowen, and Wang Zongbao arrived at the courtyard in an oxcart.

"Brother-in-law!"

"Brother Lei!"

Qin Yuchan saw that her brothers had come over again. Judging from their attire, she guessed they were going hunting again, and asked, "Big brother, little brother, are you going hunting again?"

"Second sister, don't worry. There's a future with your husband. We're going to do something worthwhile."

Qin Dashan also spoke up for Zhao Lei: "Yes, sister. Bowen is such a good-for-nothing, but he and Lei have saved up several hundred yuan for his future wife these past few days."

Qin Yuchan was overjoyed upon hearing this, and looked her unreliable younger brother up and down: "Oh! Bowen, you're already thinking about a wife, huh? Not bad, kid!"

Qin Bowen said shyly, "Oh, Second Sister, please don't tease me. It's just that Dad keeps urging me to get back together."

"That's right. You're an adult now. You should start planning to get married soon. Your sister can help take care of the kids for a few days."

The family exchanged a few pleasantries.

Zhao Lei then waved his hand and led everyone away.

They headed straight for Qingshuigou.

First, they arrived at the home of Qin Dashan's father-in-law, Zhang Bohua.

Qin Dashan didn't come empty-handed either; he brought over twenty jin (approximately 10 kg) of the remaining wild boar meat from his home.

The elderly couple were overjoyed to see their son-in-law arrive.

Upon seeing the more than 20 pounds of wild boar meat, he was overjoyed and repeatedly invited his brothers into his home for lunch, which happened to be lunchtime.

During the meal, Qin Dashan's father-in-law, Zhang Bohua, stared at the homemade hunting rifle placed in the corner and said, "Dashan, are you planning to hunt wild boar here?"

"Oh right, Dad, isn't Qingshuigou overrun with wild boars? Let's come and help out."

The father-in-law, with a troubled expression, said worriedly, "Dashan, the news of you and your friends hunting several thousand catties of wild boar has been the talk of the village these past few days. Making money is a good thing, but it attracts jealousy, especially from that Zhao Chenghu!"

Upon hearing Zhao Chenghu's name, Zhao Lei became alert and asked, "Uncle Zhang? What happened to Zhao Chenghu?"

Zhang Bohua sighed deeply: "Alas, this Zhao Chenghu, he usually acts arrogantly and bullies the villagers because his older brother Zhao Chenglong works in the leadership team. I heard that you had a conflict with them the night you went hunting, and the next day he sent the militia around to spread rumors that you made a lot of money."

"Dad, I know about this. Although he exaggerated, it doesn't really affect us."

"Oh, Dashan, you're still too young. Do you know what Zhao Chenghu said? He said you didn't hunt wild boars with guns, but with traps and snares."

"Let me tell you, Da Shan, you guys better be careful. That Zhao Chenghu is incredibly cunning and ruthless. This morning I heard that several people from other villages who went hunting in the mountains got caught in animal traps. One of them was really badly injured; he lost several toes!"

"What? It's that serious?" Qin Bowen was taken aback.

The father-in-law continued, "That's right! I've heard some rumors that you were the ones who set the traps on the mountain!"

The father-in-law suddenly turned to look at Zhao Lei, his face serious: "Especially you, Lei, tell your uncle the truth, did you actually use these heinous things?"

Setting animal traps and snares in the mountains is a standard hunting method for hunters, and there's really nothing wrong with it.

Especially now that hunting is not strictly regulated, there are no explicit regulations restricting the use of animal traps.

But the problem lies in the clear water ditch...