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

Carrying two pheasants, Zhao Lei walked home with much lighter steps and arrived home in no time.

Before even entering the courtyard, I could hear the giggling laughter of children coming from inside.

"Sister Yuanyuan, dog...dog!"

"It doesn't look like a puppy, it looks like a pig! Hahaha..."

Zhao Lei pushed open the courtyard gate and saw his second daughter, Yuanyuan, squatting on the muddy ground with her younger brother, Xiaoshitou, playing in the mud.

The two little ones were covered in mud on their faces, hands, and clothes, looking just like two little kittens.

Four-year-old Yuanyuan, with her hair in two little pigtails, was earnestly sculpting something out of mud.

Two-year-old Xiaoshitou sat to the side, holding a lump of mud in his hand and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Hey, hey, little stone, you can't eat mud!"

Zhao Lei rushed over and snatched the mud from his son's hand.

Little Stone paused, then his lips trembled as if he was about to cry.

Yuanyuan looked up and saw Zhao Lei, her eyes immediately lighting up: "Daddy! Daddy's home!"

Zhao Lei bent down, picked up his daughter, and kissed her on the cheek: "Hey, my sweet daughter, did you miss Daddy?"

"Yes!" Yuanyuan hugged Zhao Lei's neck and smeared yellow mud all over his neck.

As soon as Little Stone saw his sister being hugged, he stretched out his two muddy hands and climbed onto Zhao Lei's lap, shouting, "Hug! Hug!"

Zhao Lei freed one hand and scooped up his son as well, holding him in both arms.

Having both a son and a daughter brings immense happiness.

"My sweetheart, look what Daddy brought home!"

Zhao Lei teased the children, put them down, and shook the pheasant at his waist.

Yuanyuan then noticed what her father was carrying. She stared at it for several seconds, then suddenly cried out excitedly, "Chicken! It's a chicken! What a beautiful pheasant!"

Little Stone echoed, "Chicken! Chicken!"

Zhao Lei burst into laughter at the two little ones' antics: "Yes, it's a pheasant! Daddy will make you chicken soup tonight, okay?"

"Really?"

"Of course it's true! When has Daddy ever lied to you?"

Yuanyuan counted on her fingers, then pouted and said, "But... several mothers often say that Dad is a big liar..."

Zhao Lei was speechless.

Hey! How do these women raise their kids?

Am I really that bad in their eyes?

They've corrupted my lineage!

Hmm! I need to teach them a lesson tonight!

"Daddy, Yuanyuan hasn't eaten meat in such a long, long time..."

Little Stone didn't understand what "a long, long time" meant, but when he heard his sister say "meat," he also shouted, "Meat! Meat!"

Zhao Lei felt a pang of heartache.

I looked down and carefully examined my daughter's little face.

She has a small, thin face and a pointed chin; she's cute and pretty, like a younger version of Jiang Xinyue.

Without a doubt, she'll grow up to be a stunning beauty just like her mother!

However, her once fair and delicate face now looked pale and sickly.

Her hair was yellowish, thin and soft, lying flat against her forehead, without any luster.

This is clearly due to insufficient nutrition!

Zhao Lei felt a lump in his throat and almost couldn't hold back his tears.

What was I doing as a father before?

The two children are at home and can't even get a bite of meat.

"Yuanyuan, from now on, Daddy will cook meat for you every day, okay?"

"good!"

"Daddy, Yuanyuan wants a chicken leg! A big chicken leg!"

"Okay, here's a big chicken leg for you! And one for Little Stone too!"

When Little Stone heard his name called, he grinned, revealing a few tiny teeth.

Zhao Lei squatted down and patted the two children's heads, then casually plucked two of the prettiest feathers from the pheasant...

One is golden, and the other has a greenish sheen.

"Here, take it and play with it."

Yuanyuan took the feather, held it up to her eyes and looked at it from all angles, then happily spun around in circles: "It's so beautiful..."

"Yuanyuan, Daddy will make you a shuttlecock tonight, so you can play shuttlecock with your friends."

"A shuttlecock?" Yuanyuan tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Is it the kind that Cuicui and the others kick? The colorful, really pretty kind?"

"Yes, that kind."

"That's great! Dad, you're so kind!" Yuanyuan rushed over and hugged Zhao Lei's leg.

Zhao Lei chuckled and patted her, "Sweetie, you play with your little brother in the yard. Don't run outside, and don't play in the mud. How will you eat chicken legs later if you get your hands dirty?"

"knew!"

Yuanyuan nodded understandingly, then turned and pulled Xiaoshitou, saying, "Little brother, let's go play with feathers over there, instead of playing in the mud."

Little Stone was led by his older sister, walking away while looking back every few steps.

Zhao Lei stood up, carried the two pheasants into the kitchen, and hung them on hooks on the roof beam.

The kitchen was fairly clean, with pots, pans, and dishes neatly arranged.

There was a pot of leftover porridge on the stove, so thin that you could see your reflection in it.

Zhao Lei felt another pang of sadness upon seeing this.

He turned and left the kitchen. He looked around but didn't see Qin Yuchan. He then questioned his daughter.

"Yuanyuan, where's your aunt?"

Yuanyuan was squatting on the ground, teasing her younger brother with a feather: "Auntie went to Dashi Dam to collect firewood."

"Dashi Dam? Which Dashi Dam?"

"It's that big stone dam behind the village! Lots of grandpas and grandmas chop firewood there."

"Okay, Daddy will go find Auntie. You all stay home and behave yourselves. Don't open the door for strangers."

"Okay!"

Yuanyuan waved her hand like a little adult, "Dad, you go ahead, I'll look after my little brother."

Zhao Lei left the courtyard and walked towards the back of the village, encountering many elderly people along the way.

As for young people and middle-aged adults, most of them are working collectively to earn work points.

"Hey, Lei Zi's back?"

"Yes, I'm back."

Where are you going?

"Go to Dashiba to find Yuchan."

"Why are you still bothering her even though you're divorced? Are you officially divorced or not?"

"Mind your own business, old lady. You should mind your own business."

"Hey kid, your grandma's just worried about you."

"Grandma Zhang, I'm still single. Your granddaughter isn't married yet, is she? If you really care about me, introduce me to Tingting. I have plenty of marriage experience, much better than those young men who've never been married."

"You brat, you want to get married a fourth time?! Get lost... Don't even think about ruining my Tingting's life."

"You're thinking like an old fogey. Free love isn't illegal. Remember to let me know when Tingting comes back from the city. Maybe I'll take care of you in your old age!"

"Get lost, you brat! Do you think I need you to support me in my old age?!"

In the past, Zhao Lei would have chosen to endure and bow his head in the face of teasing from his fellow villagers, but now he is not one to tolerate such treatment.

We have to fight back!

If we don't teach these gossipy old ladies a lesson, they'll only keep talking more and more outrageous things.

He said nothing bad about him, but his ex-wives have had a tough time these past few years.

They say public opinion is a fearsome thing, and I've suffered a lot of ridicule and disdain.

After arguing with several elderly people, we found ourselves in front of the large stone dam without even realizing it.

Dashiba is located behind the village. It is a relatively flat natural stone slope with open terrain and plenty of sunshine.

During the harvest season, this place becomes a threshing ground and grain drying area.

Villagers usually like to pile up the firewood they collect here to dry, and then take it home to burn once it's completely dry.