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

The people on the oxcart all gasped in shock.

Wang Zongbao was naturally startled.

He and Qin Xiaocui had been secretly working together for a long time, but he never expected that his future father-in-law would fall for Brother Lei.

If he remembers correctly, Lei Ge is probably around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old this year.

Although he was eight or nine years older than Xiao Cui, this was not uncommon in rural areas.

The key point is that Lei already has three beautiful sisters-in-law, and his future father-in-law is still thinking of marrying Xiao Cui to Lei. How can he tolerate that?

For a moment, Wang Zongbao was so anxious that he could hardly speak.

Unexpectedly, Qin Bowen was the first to object, exclaiming, "Ah? Uncle Changlin, this won't do! This is my brother-in-law, I don't agree!"

Zhao Lei was also startled and quickly waved his hands, "Hey, no, no, Uncle Changlin, I've always thought of Xiao Cui as my little sister."

Qin Changlin glared at Zhao Lei, annoyed. "You brat! You actually took that seriously? I was just kidding. You've been married three times and divorced three times. Do you think I'd trust you with my daughter?"

Hearing this, the young men present finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Changlin continued, "I just said I think you're a nice person, but unfortunately, it's not the right time. But..."

As Qin Changlin spoke, his gaze suddenly fell on Qin Bowen beside him. "Bowen is not bad either."

Wang Zongbao, who was rushing to catch the train ahead, felt his heart leap into his throat again after just relaxing.

He quickly spoke up to defend himself, "What? Qin Bowen? Uncle Changlin, no way! Bowen and Xiaocui are relatives, how can this be allowed?"

Qin Changlin took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Why not? It's not uncommon for a cousin to marry her younger cousin in the village, and they're both the right age. Xiao Cui is only two years older than Bowen, so waiting another year is perfect!"

Qin Bowen also got anxious and quickly waved his hands: "No, no, Uncle Changlin. This is already the new China, why are you still using these old methods? Not only will I not agree, but my father will definitely not agree either."

Qin Changlin suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha, you brat, Uncle was just joking with you. You're just a kid who hasn't even grown a beard yet, and you're already thinking about getting a wife?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Bowen objected: "Hey Uncle Changlin, you can't say that! Who said I haven't grown up yet? I'm strong and healthy now."

Zhao Lei suddenly reached into Qin Bowen's crotch, startling the man so much that he quickly moved back on the cart, making several slumps on his bottom.

"Hey, brother-in-law, what are you doing?"

"Hehe, you little rascal, let me check out the goods."

Time flew by as the group joked around.

Sanhe Township is getting closer and closer.

But Wang Zongbao was the one who suffered the most along the way.

Ever since Zhao Lei brought up Xiao Cui's marriage, Qin Changlin seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, teasing both Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen.

Wang Zongbao thought that his future father-in-law would be talking about him next.

After waiting for a long time, Qin Changlin brought up the two brothers, Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin, from Zhang Sanpo's family.

The two brothers were in their early twenties, tall and strong, and looked honest and kind. They were also of marriageable age.

Wang Zongbao was extremely anxious, watching his fiancée being told off to someone else by his father-in-law.

The oxcart stopped halfway, and he said he needed to urinate. He pulled Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen aside and begged them.

"Brother Lei, Brother Bowen, I'm begging you! This is my future father-in-law, please don't ruin this relationship for me!"

Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen laughed until their stomachs hurt.

After laughing, he patted Wang Zongbao on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, Zongbao, I was just joking. Actually, I was also trying to sound you out. Do you know why Uncle Changlin talked about all the young men in the village, but didn't mention you?"

Wang Zongbao then noticed the anomaly.

yes?

Why did my future father-in-law talk to all the young men in the village, but leave him out?

Does that mean I'm just not good enough?

"Brother Lei, what's going on? Is there any hope for me? If all else fails, I'll propose to you tonight, okay?"

Zhao Lei patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't rush, I think this old man has figured something out."

"Huh? We've been exposed? No way! Xiao Cui and I have been doing a really good job of keeping things under wraps."

Qin Bowen sneered from the side, "The way you two were sneaking around meeting in private? Anyone could tell something was fishy. When we came over just now, Sister Xiaocui was so excited, do you think that's normal?"

Wang Zongbao, being caught up in the situation, couldn't see it clearly.

After relieving himself, Zhao Lei shook off the water and put away his tools before saying, "Zongbao, just do your best from now on. I feel like Uncle Changlin is testing you on purpose. Stay calm and do your best. I think things should work out between you and Xiaocui."

Wang Zongbao was overjoyed: "Really? Brother Lei? Then I'll take your good wishes. Don't worry, I'll do whatever you tell me to do for the next few days, I'll absolutely follow your orders!"

Zhao Lei gave him a look that suggested he was a promising young man, wiped the few drops of urine off his clothes, and returned to the oxcart.

After receiving Zhao Lei's affirmation, Wang Zongbao gained confidence and treated Qin Changlin with utmost respect throughout the journey.

Even someone as shrewd as Qin Changlin, let alone a naive young man like Qin Bowen, could see that something was amiss, but the group all kept quiet about it.

Finally, around four o'clock in the afternoon, the group arrived at Sanhe Township.

After making inquiries from various sources, they found the home of Old Man Zhou, recommended by Factory Director Li.

Old Zhou is one of the people in charge of aquaculture in Sanhe Township, managing three large fish ponds.

When Zhao Lei found him, Old Man Zhou and seven or eight other men were carrying mud and sand to seal the gap in the fishpond.

Zhao Lei understood immediately.

Sure enough, Old Zhou's fishpond was washed away by the flood, and it took more than a day to repair, but it was still not finished, and the gap was quite large.

Without excavators or loaders, relying solely on manual labor to fill the blockage would take a considerable amount of effort and time.

Zhao Lei walked up to Old Man Zhou and handed him the letter of recommendation written by Factory Director Li.

After reading the letter, Old Zhou first grumbled and muttered about how Factory Director Li had found a supplier so quickly.

But then he smiled and took out a fishing boat and several fishing nets, including haul nets, floats, and large buckets, which Zhao Lei and his group had asked for, and handed them to Zhao Lei.

"Young man, here are the things you wanted. Please count them and check them in front of me. I don't have any other requirements. I'll lend these things to you for a day and charge you 15 yuan for rental. If you think that's too expensive, then you'll have to figure it out yourself."

Upon hearing this, Qin Bowen exclaimed, "What? Fifteen yuan? Uncle Zhou, are you trying to rob me?"