Reborn at 80: From Village Scoundrel to Billionaire

"Hey, are there many people going up the mountain tonight?"

Fan Ha'er counted on his fingers, "There are quite a few. My dad said that the Tan family from the east end of the village, Zhao Liuzhi, the hunter Li Dazhuang, plus the village secretary's nephew Fan Xibei leading the team, there are at least ten people."

Liu Bei frowned.

If a group of ten or so people go up the mountain together, even if they manage to catch some prey, they won't have much left.

Moreover, with so many people around, there's bound to be a lot of noise and chatter. If the deer escapes or the pheasant flies away, all the work for nothing might be wasted that night.

Although he used to be a scoundrel, he was never confused when it came to keeping accounts.

"You just said that Fan Xibei is leading the team?"

"Yeah." Fan Ha'er scratched his head, then suddenly pursed his lips and lowered his voice, "Brother Bei, to be honest, I don't really want to be with him."

Why?

"This guy is no good." Fan Ha'er raised his eyebrows. "Last month, when Sister Zhang was washing clothes by the river, he hid in the sorghum field to watch her. He was discovered by Sister Zhang's husband and chased after her for a long way. And the month before last, he was peeping at Widow Li taking a bath. He was discovered and almost crashed into a tree while running away."

"Good heavens! How long have they been starving?"

Liu Bei's lips twitched.

"I'll arrange the hunting myself. Go back and tell Uncle Shuanzhu that the three of us will go alone tonight and won't get involved with those people."

"Just the three of us?"

"The three of us are enough."

"Okay!" Fan Ha'er's eyes lit up, and he patted his chest. "Brother Bei, I'll listen to you! I'll go back and talk to my dad right away!"

After saying that, Fan Ha'er ran out of the courtyard gate.

Zhao Da'e was very worried.

"Are we really going up the mountain tonight?"

"Um."

"Going up the mountain during the day is fine. But what if you go up at night, walking in the dark, and you accidentally slip? What if you encounter a wild animal? What if your gun goes off accidentally?"

Liu Bei stepped forward.

"Mother, you saw it too. Today, Wang Mazi came to collect a debt, and I paid back a hundred yuan. Then, I spent another five yuan on Bao'er's medical treatment. I've spent all the money I have."

"But there are eight people in the family now, and we need half a pound of rice a day just for food. We also need to keep buying other miscellaneous items. In addition, Bao'er needs to continue taking the herbal medicine. Yuehe's health hasn't recovered yet. Panpan's shoes were just bought, but Niannian's clothes have seven patches, I counted them, so she needs to be replaced with a new one."

"If I don't do more work, where will this money come from? I can't let you and Wanqiu go back to making firecracker tubes. That work is too dangerous. I don't want you to do it anymore, and that's final."

"But--"

Liu Bei continued, "Mom, I don't just want to earn money to fill my stomach. I also want to build a new house."

"Build a new house?" Zhao Da'e was stunned.

When Zhao Chunyan wanted to build a new house, her ears immediately perked up.

Liu Bei pointed around.

"Look at this house. There are three holes in the window paper, letting in drafts during the day and mosquitoes at night. You can fit a fist in the crack in the west wall. I repaired the roof tiles today, but many of them are weathered and can be crushed with your hand."

"It's summer now, so we can manage. But what if winter comes? When the north wind blows, the house will feel like an icebox. Bao'er is already weak; I'm afraid she'll be freezing all winter..."

Although Liu Bei didn't finish his sentence, Zhao Da'e understood it.

Her gaze moved from the window to the crack in the wall, then from the crack to the half-broken tile overhead, and finally back to her son.

"Building houses is a good thing. But do you know how much it costs to build a brick house?"

"Mother, I've already calculated it."

"Sigh, it's good that you have this intention. But this house was passed down from your grandfather's generation, and your father mentioned wanting to do a major renovation when he was alive. But he wasn't lucky enough to have it; he fell while working on a construction site... and the renovation was put on hold. It's been more than ten years. After so long, it's really not easy to fix it now, and I don't want you to work too hard. For the sake of the new house, you'll have to do the same as your father—"

Before he could finish speaking,

The courtyard was quiet again.

Liu Bei understood his mother's meaning; she was worried that he was working too hard and exhausting himself, following in his father's footsteps.

Since his father passed away, his mother, a single woman, has raised him with great difficulty.

All I want in this life is for him to live a peaceful and safe life, and for him to be able to see his mother off in her old age. I don't ask for anything else.

But the more he felt this way, the more heartbroken Liu Bei became. He felt that he had been too foolish in his past life, that he had let his mother down, and that the burden on his body had become even heavier.

He held his mother tightly in his arms.

"Mother, you're right. But the more you say that, the more I want to build it. I'm doing this not only for my own living space, but also to put my father's mind at ease down there. You said he'd thought about this his whole life but never managed to do it. Now that I, his son, have done it for him, he'll be so happy to know. What do you say?"

"You silly child..."

Zhao Da'e's eyes reddened.

She lowered her head, rubbed her eyes hard, and said in a harsh voice, "Anyone can talk big. But building a house isn't something that can be done in a day or two. Don't risk your life in the mountains just to make money. Take it slow."

Liu Bei leaned close to Zhao Da'e's ear and whispered,

"Mother, I'm building this house not just so Father can rest in peace. Think about it, Wanqiu, Yuehe, and Chunyan, the three of them, living with me in this dilapidated house, how can they be comfortable? Once the new house is built, won't they be happy to move in?"

Zhao Da'e looked up at him, not quite understanding, so Liu Bei continued to explain.

"When they're happy, my relationship with them can improve. And when the three kids see that things are getting better at home, their opinion of me will gradually change."

"Once they truly accept me, who knows, I might even give you a few more grandchildren in the next few years..."

Zhao Da'e was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You little rascal," she poked Liu Bei on the forehead, "you've finally come to your senses."

After laughing, Zhao Da'e said seriously, "But all three of them are good children. They are all filial and none of them are bad. If you ask me, you should just keep all three of them by your side. Don't show favoritism and hurt people's feelings."

"Then the three of you will take turns having children. If each of you has two, that's six. Adding the three you have now, that's nine kids! Our Liu family will be considered quite prosperous in this village."

"..."

Liu Bei was startled by his mother's words.

Have nine children?

Are they treating him like a breeding boar?

But upon reflection, he could understand his mother.

This place is called Fanjiacun Village. Ninety percent of the villagers are surnamed Fan. Old Liu's family are outsiders.

My father once said, "To establish yourself in someone else's territory, you either need to be richer or have more people than them. We have neither, so we have to keep a low profile."

My mother remembered those words her whole life.

"Mother, I will definitely try my best to do it."

Zhao Da'e looked at him for several seconds and then nodded.

"Go ahead. Be careful. Come back if you hit anything. Don't force yourself if you miss."

"Yes. Don't worry. I will!"

Liu Bei walked to the storage room, slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, hung an ammunition pouch around his waist, and then pulled out a kerosene lamp and a bundle of hemp rope from the corner and stuffed them into his basket.

After checking the equipment, just as he was about to leave, Zhao Chunyan came over and blocked the gate.

"What were you whispering about with your mother?"

You'll find out later.

Zhao Chunyan frowned. "I want to know now."

"If you already know, there won't be any surprises."

"Who cares about your surprise! Just say it now! Hurry up!"

"You really want to know? Okay. I'll tell you in your room tonight after I get back from hunting!"

"You—shameless! Humph! Talk it or not! Do you really think I want to know? If you're so capable, don't come back empty-handed." After cursing a few times, Zhao Chunyan stormed back into the house.

Watching Zhao Chunyan's retreating figure, Liu Bei smiled, then pursed his lips.

"You little punk. Wait till I make some money and build a new house, then let's see if you're still so stubborn."

"Then, hehe, no matter how stubborn you are, I'll soften your lips by tonight."