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

Wang Zongbao nodded emphatically, completely believing Zhao Lei's words.

"Okay, Brother Lei, leave it to me. I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Zhao Lei patted the other man on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Zongbao, don't be impulsive. You must be patient. Finding the fishing boat is the key, understand?"

"Got it, Brother Lei."

"Then you should go quickly."

After saying that, Wang Zongbao handed the key to the 28-inch steel bar to Zhao Lei and turned to chase after him.

Qin Bowen scratched his head and asked, "Brother-in-law, why didn't we just arrest them and interrogate them about where they hid the fishing boat?"

Zhao Lei revealed a meaningful smile: "Hmph! This Zhao Chenghu is always going against us. Since he's gone this far, I'd be doing him a disservice if I didn't retaliate."

This time, no matter how deep his relationship with his brother Zhao Chenglong is, he has to be imprisoned!

After saying that, Zhao Lei's eyes turned cold, and he strode out.

Qin Changlin pressed, "Lei Zi, where are we going now?"

"Report it to the police!"

Report a crime? Report what crime?

Report our fishing boat theft.

Upon hearing this, Qin Changlin and Qin Bowen immediately understood.

Next, Zhao Lei led the two of them to the police station.

Law enforcement officers questioned Zhao Lei about the case in detail and were furious to learn that the other party dared to steal the common property of the people.

What? They even dare to steal fishing boats! They have some nerve!

Law enforcement officers were also very surprised by this, because in this day and age resources are scarce, and means of transportation such as fishing boats and horse-drawn carriages are extremely rare, and most of them are the common assets of the production brigade.

To put it mildly, it's theft; to put it more seriously, it's illegally appropriating the common property of the people.

Law enforcement officers also take this very seriously.

Just as they were learning the details of the case, Zhao Lei said, "Comrade, I have found the suspect and have solid evidence."

The law enforcement officers immediately perked up: "Oh? You have evidence? We can make the arrest immediately."

Zhao Lei shook his head again: "Comrade, these suspects will bring out the stolen fishing boats to fish in the river at night. So to catch them in the act, we probably have to do it at night."

After Zhao Lei's explanation, the law enforcement officers understood immediately.

One of the team leaders, surnamed Zhou, told Zhao Lei his home address.

"Comrade Zhao Lei, this is my home address. If you find that the suspect has taken the fishing boat out, you can come to my house and we will go to the scene to make the arrest."

"Okay, thank you, Captain Zhou. It's our honor to have responsible sheriffs like you protecting Qingfeng Town."

"Comrade Zhao Lei, this is what we should do. Working hours are limited, but we're always ready to arrest criminals!"

After discussing everything, Zhao Lei, Qin Changlin, and Qin Bowen left the police station.

As soon as they stepped out of the police station, Qin Bowen asked with some concern, "Brother-in-law, should I go help Zongbao? What if he can't keep an eye on things by himself?"

Zhao Lei waved his hand: "No need. We should trust Zong Bao. Besides, with so many people around, it would be a loss if we alerted him."

Qin Changlin nodded repeatedly beside him: "That's right, Lei Zi is right. Bowen, let's wait for Zong Bao's letter tonight."

"Okay, brother-in-law, what are we going to do this afternoon? Are we going hunting again?"

"Forget it, we'll probably have to work with Captain Zhou and the others to catch them red-handed tonight. Everyone should go back and get some rest."

Zhao Lei then looked at Qin Changlin: "Uncle Changlin, I don't know how long we'll have to stay up tonight. You're getting on in years, so please rest at home and wait for our news. Bowen, Zongbao, and I will handle this matter."

Qin Changlin was initially a little worried, but Zhao Lei said that with Captain Zhou and the others going together, there was no need to worry about any problems.

Finally, Qin Changlin reluctantly agreed: "Alright, Lei Zi, I'll wait for your good news."

"Alright, everyone, let's go home now."

After saying that, Zhao Lei rode Wang Zongbao's old-fashioned bicycle and headed towards the Heping Brigade.

Qin Bowen, along with Qin Changlin, also returned to the production brigade.

After Zhao Lei got home, he ate lunch and then went to sleep.

Jiang Xinyue was a little puzzled: "Sanshi, why are you sleeping in the middle of the day? Are you too tired these past few days?"

"No, I have something to do tonight and might have to go out. If I'm not fully awake, don't call me for dinner, just leave me some."

Jiang Xinyue didn't ask any further questions and nodded in agreement.

After cleaning up the dishes, he went back to work at the farm.

Time slips away quietly...

Zhao Lei woke up around 10 p.m.

He paced back and forth on the quiet, dark country road, looking somewhat anxious.

Why haven't we heard anything yet?

Will Zongbao get lost?

That's not right either. Even if they lost track of him, they should at least come back and let him know.

It's 11 p.m.

Zhao Lei rode Wang Zongbao's old-fashioned bicycle, wobbling and swaying, until he arrived at his father-in-law's house.

At this time, everyone in the Peace Brigade had long since fallen asleep, but Qin Bowen's room was still lit by a dim kerosene lamp.

When the two brothers met, they looked at each other and saw anxiety on each other's faces.

There was nothing we could do but wait for news.

Finally, around midnight, Wang Zongbao arrived at Qin Bowen's house, panting heavily.

Seeing that both of them were there, he was somewhat surprised: "Brother Lei? Bowen? You're both together?"

Upon seeing Wang Zongbao return, Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen were greatly encouraged.

"Zongbao, what's going on?"

Wang Zongbao, panting heavily, said, "Brother Lei, I've found where they hid their boat."

Qin Bowen slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, exclaiming, "Really? They really did steal the boat!"

Zhao Lei quickly restrained the agitated Qin Bowen: "You brat, keep your voice down, everyone's asleep."

Qin Bowen nodded reluctantly, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother Zongbao, what are we waiting for? Let's go quickly."

Zhao Lei's eyes darted around, and he assigned tasks to the group.

"Bowen, ride your bike to Qingfeng Town and bring Captain Zhou and the others over. Zongbao and I will keep an eye on these thieves."

"Okay, brother-in-law, I'll go right now!"

After saying that, Qin Bowen hurriedly rode his old bicycle out the door.

Zhao Lei, along with Wang Zongbao, also rode their bicycles to Qingshuigou.

Led by Wang Zongbao, the two hid the heavy-duty scooter in a field and slowly approached Zhao Laosan and his group.

Finally, Wang Zongbao led Zhao Lei to a section of the Qingshui River.

Pointing to the figures not far ahead, he said, "Brother Lei, they're right here! They're fishing here."

By the light of the moon, Zhao Lei could vaguely see three figures moving in the river ahead.

"Brother Lei, what do we do now?"

"Don't rush, let's wait for Captain Zhou and the others to arrive. Right now, our main focus is on keeping an eye on them and preventing them from escaping!"

But at that moment, Zhao Laosan and his group suddenly stopped what they were doing.

He looked warily in the direction where Zhao Lei was.

"Huh? What's that red dot?"