All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Lei Dongbao stood up, stopped talking nonsense, slammed his hand on the table, and roared at everyone.

"Brothers who want to make money and get married, come out with me, Lei Dongbao. Let's go dismantle the brick kiln right now and try to produce the first batch of bricks before the New Year. Those who don't want to come, go home and don't embarrass me here!"

After saying that, Lei Dongbao strode to the place where farm tools were kept by the wall, picked up a hoe and put it on his shoulder, and walked outside without saying a word.

Si Bao, Lao Wu, Hong Wei, and several other childhood friends who grew up with Lei Dongbao picked up their farm tools and followed without saying a word. The others looked at each other in bewilderment. In the end, quite a few young people picked up their farm tools and followed the group.

Of the more than one hundred people, less than a quarter of them came up at the end; a count revealed only twenty-eight.

Lei Dongbao was not discouraged. When he arrived at the brick kiln, he gave everyone a few words of encouragement.

With overwhelming momentum, he looked at the twenty-eight people in front of him and roared passionately at them.

"Good, all twenty-eight of you are excellent. I won't go into any more grand principles, but I'll just tell you one thing: as long as you work wholeheartedly with me, if none of you can get married after a year, I, Lei Dongbao, will take responsibility for you. I, Lei Dongbao, will personally go to the nearby brigades to find you matchmakers. Do you believe me, Lei Dongbao?"

Lei Dongbao shouted with great enthusiasm. The other twenty-eight people present had mixed feelings. Some had come because of Lei Dongbao, while others were just going through the motions. They figured they might as well come out and do some work since they were just sleeping at home anyway. But Lei Dongbao’s big talk really surprised many people.

Fortunately, everyone was young, and their wives were a thorn in their side. Now that Lei Dongbao had said such things, many people were naturally excited and their hearts were pounding. Among them, the four-eyed accountant, who was the most adept at handling things, immediately raised his hands and shouted.

"We believe in Secretary Dongbao, and we want to get married too! We want to live a good life! Everyone, applause! Clap clap clap clap!"

After he finished speaking, he took the lead in clapping, and Si Bao and Lao Wu followed suit. Everyone else joined in, and amidst the applause, the group of old bachelors finally managed to get their enthusiasm going, and the atmosphere on the scene finally became harmonious.

With the first batch of old bachelors willing to follow him, Lei Dongbao found things much easier. Unlike the characters in the original story, he never resorted to violence or beatings to force people to get rich together if they refused.

The power of role models is boundless. As long as the first group makes money, the others who are starving will beg to join, even on their knees. That's human nature. Under his leadership, Xiaolei Village will develop more rapidly and smoothly.

In this game of life experience, the brick factory is just the first step!

Chapter 8: Husband!

With many people, things get done. They were a group of old bachelors in their twenties and thirties who usually had no use for their strength. With Lei Dongbao leading the way, the sealed brick kiln was cleared in just two days.

Both sealed brick kilns are still intact. The old Party Secretary had hoped that they would be reopened someday, so he didn't damage them. With a simple treatment, they could basically be fired again.

This is also where the old Party Secretary's shrewdness lies. He leaves room for maneuver in his actions, so that he can meet again in the future. He has been in charge of Xiaolei Village for decades, and his authority in the village is unquestionable. With him overseeing Lei Dongbao behind the scenes, everything goes smoothly.

The old Party Secretary's cautious and conservative personality will eventually be eliminated in this era. Many managers in this era will go to extremes for credit, leaving themselves no way out.

For example, there used to be a guy in Xiaolei Village named Old Monkey who used to have some real power in the town. That old bastard was also purged from the guerrilla forces this year and returned to his hometown.

That person also shares the same surname as Xiao Lei. He caused too much trouble a few years ago, and now he's become someone everyone wants to beat up. Just earlier this year, that old fox, that cunning old monkey, messed with Song Yunping and her brother. Now that he's been messed with, he's become more obedient and stays at home, basically not going out. Like a lurking poisonous insect, he's still waiting for his chance.

Lei Dongbao didn't take this kind of person seriously for the time being. If he had the chance, he would just kill this kind of person once and for all, since keeping them around would only cause trouble.

The brick kiln quickly resumed operation. This kind of work didn't require much technical skill, and everyone could learn it in no time. However, to ensure quality, Lei Dongbao still asked the old Party Secretary to supervise the work regularly.

Lei Dongbao's relationship with Song Yunping was also developing steadily during this period. On his second visit to Song Yunping's house, Lei Dongbao prepared a pound of white sugar and a pack of ordinary cigarettes. He combed his hair until it was shiny, afraid that he would displease his mother-in-law.

Lei Dongbao was invited by Song Yunping's parents. He was a little nervous about the meeting, as he was worried that Song's father would come to question him about what happened last time. However, when he arrived, he found that Song's father was not cold and they got along very well.

Not only did Song's father invite Lei Dongbao to stay for a meal, but the two also chatted for most of the day. Lei Dongbao was very careful not to mention what he wanted to do in the future, and instead said in a conventional way that he wanted to gradually lead the Xiaolei family to a better life.

He knew that Mr. Song was a cautious person, and if he acted too overtly now, Mr. Song would definitely have some concerns about his future son-in-law.

Once Song Yunping is married and the deed is done, her parents' worries will be useless. After the meal, when Lei Dongbao was about to leave, Song's father specifically instructed Song Yunping to see him off.

The two chatted as they walked for two or three hundred meters, one after the other, until they reached a corner that completely blocked out the Song family's view. Surrounded by mountains and deserted, Lei Dongbao's courage finally resurfaced.

He stopped his bicycle, and to Song Yunping's somewhat surprised exclamation, he pulled her into his arms and began whispering sweet nothings in her ear. In just half a minute, he had her under his control, making her quiet and allowing him to hold her.

Smelling the fragrance of the girl's hair, Lei Dongbao felt a surge of heat throughout his body. He knew that he had already reached the limit for their current relationship, and the time was not yet ripe. Suppressing his impulse, Lei Dongbao whispered in Song Yunping's ear.

"Pingping, I will ask a matchmaker to come and arrange things as soon as possible. I really want to marry you right now. It's a blessing from God that I met you in this life. Pingping, I love you!"

Upon hearing Lei Dongbao's cheesy pickup lines, Song Yunping felt her mind go blank, her face flushed, and she buried her head in Lei Dongbao's chest, nervously clutching her sleeves, too afraid to hug Lei Dongbao's waist.

Silence means consent. Lei Dongbao chuckled to himself, and grabbed Song Yunping's small hand, placing it on his waist so the little girl could feel his magnificent waist beforehand. After embracing for more than ten minutes, Song Yunping finally calmed down and tried to break free from Lei Dongbao's embrace.

Seeing this, Lei Dongbao quickly hugged her tighter and said with a grin.

"Call me 'husband' and I'll let you let go; otherwise, I'll hold you for the rest of my life!"

Song Yunping's heart, which had just calmed down, was stirred up again. The blush on her face made her even more beautiful. She raised her head and looked at Lei Dongbao's bearded face with alluring eyes. Finally, seeing that no one was around, she mustered up her courage and whispered.

"husband!"

Lei Dongbao chuckled, looking at the smooth, tender face. The rosy cheeks made him swallow hard, and in the end, he couldn't resist and kissed her fiercely.

Lei Dongbao's sudden assertiveness, along with his beard sticking up his face, startled Song Yunping. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice trembled with sobs. Seeing this, Lei Dongbao realized he had gone too far and quickly hugged her tightly, continuing to whisper sweet nothings while apologizing.

"Pingping, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. You're just too beautiful. I couldn't help myself. Just thinking about how beautiful my wife is makes my heart flutter. Wife, I love you. I want to love you for the rest of my life and be with you for all eternity!"

After a long time of comforting, Song Yunping finally calmed down completely. Lei Dongbao held her hands tightly in his hands, and every now and then he would breathe on her ear and say some soft, corny love words.

Song Yunping felt dizzy at this moment, completely losing her ability to think because of Lei Dongbao's sweet words and actions. The two of them hugged each other for nearly half an hour.

Only when they heard Song's father calling from afar did the two hurriedly let go. Song Yunping responded and quickly ran back. Lei Dongbao watched her retreating figure and chuckled.

"Girls these days are so innocent! Just mentioning the word 'love' makes them blush. Unlike young girls in later years, who know more than you do! Love in this era is wonderful!"

"Yes, that's great!" Lei Dongbao smiled as he rode his bicycle toward Xiao Lei's house. The brick kiln had started production; the next issue was sales!

This isn't a big problem. Although firing red bricks is a low-tech industry, it's still a seller's market these days. As long as the goods are genuine, there's no worry about selling them.

When Song Yunping returned home, her father didn't say much. It was clear that calling Lei Dongbao over today meant he had already approved of their relationship. Song Yunping was 22 years old this year, which was no longer a young girl in this day and age. As parents, they naturally hoped that their child could find a good family.

The remaining issue is the man's side; when he will send the matchmaker to his home will be discussed in detail by both parties at that time.

After finishing her housework, Song Yunping sat at her desk by the bed, took out paper and pen, and pondered for a while before starting to write.

"Xiaohui, I'm so happy today. I never expected love to come so suddenly. My heart was beating so fast at that moment. A man has finally walked into my heart. My heart is in such turmoil right now...!"

Song Yunping put down her pen after writing a full page.

Something suddenly occurred to her, and she couldn't hide the blush that followed. Writing a letter to her brother every month was an unspoken agreement between the two siblings.

She had been very excited all day. Not only did her parents approve of her relationship with Lei Dongbao, but the sweet words Lei Dongbao had said to her still made her feel dizzy. A girl in love has her mind full of her lover's image, as if Lei Dongbao was her everything at this moment.

Song Yunping and her brother Song Yunhui had an excellent relationship. They shared almost everything in their lives. Today, she was preoccupied with Lei Dongbao and couldn't wait to share the good news with her brother Song Yunhui.

In fact, the two have only known each other for less than half a month, and have only met three times. The reason why Song Yunping was able to be conquered by Lei Dongbao so quickly is that Lei Dongbao has captured Song Yunping's heart. In this era, it only takes a few simple steps to conquer the heart of a girl who has never been in love before.

First, showcase your excellence to make the girl feel inferior. Second, be domineering and proactive, solving all the difficulties in the girl's life. Third, be even more assertive, using your hands and mouth. Once you open the girl's heart and there are intimate gestures, the relationship between the two is basically established.

Immersed in love, the girl naturally only saw all the good qualities in Lei Dongbao. She wrote several pages, most of which were about Lei Dongbao. At this moment, she only wanted her younger brother to be happy for her and to know that he would soon have an excellent brother-in-law.

The brick kiln in Xiao Lei's family finally completed Lei Dongbao's task on schedule, producing its first batch of red bricks before the Chinese New Year. The quality of the red bricks was excellent.

To boost sales, Lei Dongbao had Sibao ride his bicycle around to several surrounding brigades to promote the project. Wherever there was construction, or if someone wanted to build a house, they would go and spread the word.

He had a sign tied to the back of his bicycle that read, "Xiao Lei's bricks are two cents cheaper per brick than others, quality guaranteed, welcome to order from Xiao Lei's!"

Although it's a seller's market, Xiao Lei's kiln has only just opened and needs advertising. They're offering a discount of two cents per brick to attract customers first.

Doing business in those days was really easy. With just this one simple trick, the next day other brigades came to Xiao Lei's house in tractors to buy bricks. The brick factory's business encountered almost no difficulties and directly opened up the market.

The first batch of bricks sold for over two hundred yuan. Everyone was extremely excited to see the large black bricks. This two hundred yuan was almost the largest income Xiao Lei family had ever received in many years. Before, the entire Xiao Lei family's account balance totaled less than two hundred yuan. They were truly penniless at the beginning.

However, Lei Dongbao looked grim and showed no joy when he saw the two hundred-odd yuan. The money came too slowly. After buying coal, paying for the tractor to haul soil, and paying everyone's wages, what would be left?

Although income would increase with each batch of bricks produced, Lei Dongbao took the time to calculate that even without stopping production, the gross profit from the two brick kilns would be less than a thousand yuan per month after deducting all expenses, not even including the salaries of Lei Dongbao and other brigade cadres.

It seems we need to develop other side businesses, and raising Angora rabbits should be put on the agenda!

Chapter 9: Just a country bumpkin!

Lei Dongbao originally wanted to ask a matchmaker to propose marriage to Song Yunping's family as soon as possible, but time was too tight, the Spring Festival was approaching, and he had been too busy lately.

Lei Dongbao also took some time to discuss it with Song Yunping, and the two of them decided that they should wait until after the New Year to talk about it, mainly because it was just too urgent.

Lei Dongbao has been busy lately and hasn't been home much. The brick factory is going well, but he also has to organize the villagers to measure the land in preparation for the distribution of production to individual households.

Another issue is raising Angora rabbits. This is going more smoothly than Lei Dongbao had imagined. The only problem is that many people in Xiaolei Village are not very enthusiastic about raising Angora rabbits.

Lei Dongbao even held a special meeting in the entire Xiaolei family, gathering all the old women together to promote the benefits of raising Angora rabbits. He talked until his lips were sore, but in the end, less than twenty families were willing to raise them, and each family was only willing to raise a small number of rabbits.

This incident infuriated Lei Dongbao; he was telling them not to take the opportunity to make money.

So he gathered the old bachelors from the brick factory and asked these activists to go to his homes to do the work. These twenty-odd households took the lead and set an example, deciding to get the breeding cooperative up and running first.

The success of the brick factory gave these people a taste of success, and after hearing Lei Dongbao's enticement again, most of them were quite enthusiastic, although most of them were somewhat hesitant.

Lei Dongbao later learned that the Xiao Lei family was so poor that they were worried they couldn't afford to buy rabbits.

Lei Dongbao knew what they were worried about. Rabbits cost ten or twenty yuan each, which many families simply couldn't afford. They were also worried about technical issues, sales channels, and so on.

Lei Dongbao applied to the town and county governments for help with these issues, and they were very supportive. The issue of Xiao Lei's family getting a loan from the credit union was also temporarily supported.

The reason why we support Xiao Lei's family's Angora rabbit breeding is thanks to the recent arrival of a new county head, surnamed Xu. This county head has a very impressive background; he is from Beijing. He came to this small place to take up his post and wants to make some achievements because he is a staunch reformer!

After seeing Lei Dongbao's suggestion to establish an Angora rabbit cooperative, County Head Xu was very supportive and approved a loan of 10,000 yuan to purchase 200 Angora rabbits, which received strong support!

With the funds to purchase breeding rabbits, the next step was up to Lei Dongbao. He began to organize the young women in the village and the older women in his own family to hold several Angora rabbit breeding technology exchange meetings. In addition to inviting Song Yunping to be the teacher, he also personally taught some simple techniques to the women of Xiaolei Village.

Because of this, the relationship between Song Yunping and Lei Dongbao gradually spread throughout Xiaolei Village. However, Lei Dongbao didn't care about it. He discussed it with his mother and decided to ask a matchmaker to come and finalize the marriage after the New Year. He couldn't let the girl be put in a passive position.

The Spring Festival of 1979 arrived before we knew it. Lei Dongbao was busy with various tasks and finally settled the first wages for the brick factory with the bespectacled accountant on the 29th day of the lunar year.

Twenty percent of the brick factory's revenue and profits were handed over to the brigade as a contract fee. The remaining profits, after deducting wages, were kept in the brigade's account for other purposes.

This time, the brick factory paid wages to 30 people, including Lei Dongbao and the old Party Secretary. Although Lei Dongbao was the leader, in this era, the collective interest was paramount, so he naturally received the same wage. Everyone worked together for 43 days, and each person received 43 yuan, which was one yuan per day.

This wage, though small, caused a sensation throughout Xiaolei Village when it was paid. For the first time in many years, they had seen real cash. One yuan a day was something they had never dared to dream of before.

After deducting all expenses, and working for a month and a half, the brigade only had 307 yuan left in its accounts. The profit was too low. Lei Dongbao looked down on the small profits from the brick factory. However, when the other young people in Xiao Lei Village heard that everyone was paid one yuan a day, they started to make a fuss and asked to join the brick factory.

Why should the thirty of you get paid while the rest of us starve?

Of course, Lei Dongbao responded to this uproar with just one sentence.

"If you want to make money, shut up. There are other projects coming up. If you want to make a living, work with me. If you want to eat shit, get lost. Go wherever you want. If you're not happy, let's have a one-on-one fight. Or you can go and sue me. If you win, I'll admit defeat!"

Lei Dongbao's personality is like that; he's a man of his word. Besides, he really is leading Xiaolei Village to prosperity. The success of the brick factory has also given the young people in the village hope for the future. After all, everyone wants to live a good life, and no one really wants to be a bachelor for the rest of their life.

Lei Dongbao was still very busy this Spring Festival. The brick factory could not stop production during the holiday and had to operate 24 hours a day. In addition, he had to go to a state-owned breeding farm next door to purchase rabbits. He not only accompanied the farm the whole time, but also asked a technician from the county animal husbandry station to come with him.

In order to select the best quality rabbits, Lei Dongbao treated the two technicians to a good meal and drinks. He also learned that one of the technicians was building a house, and immediately offered to sell him a batch of bricks at the best price.

In those days, people mostly just ate and drank; no one dared to really eat and take big. However, Lei Dongbao was good at dealing with people, and the two technicians reciprocated by carefully selecting two hundred Angora rabbits for him, including one hundred and eighty females and twenty males, all of which were top-quality rabbits in terms of physique and appearance.

The real boom in Angora rabbit farming didn't happen until the early 1980s. It's only 1979 now, and people aren't really into this kind of farming yet. Xiao Lei's family bought two hundred rabbits at once, which is the biggest deal this state-owned farm has made in the last two years.

Lei Dongbao plans to have two technicians temporarily stationed at Xiao Lei's house after he returns. In addition to preventing the rabbits from getting sick, he plans to ask the technicians to help him study how to professionally raise breeding rabbits and the professional techniques for increasing the number of offspring. He hopes that by this time next year, this batch of breeding rabbits can grow to more than a thousand.