Reborn at 80: From Village Scoundrel to Billionaire

Deep in the grass, the chirping of insects filled the air.

Zhao Chunyan's breath was hot and rapid as it sprayed onto Liu Bei's neck.

"You..." Liu Bei's hand froze in mid-air.

"Stop talking nonsense." Zhao Chunyan grabbed his collar and pulled it down, her lips close to his ear, "I'm hungry, I want to eat fish. If you dare say no, believe me, I'll bite you to death right now."

Liu Bei: "..."

For a moment, his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Liu Bei, what are you daydreaming about? Tell me, are you capable or not?" Seeing that Liu Bei remained unmoved, Zhao Chunyan's eyebrows shot up.

"OK."

"Then why don't you hurry up and get it over with?"

"..."

Suddenly, the waist-high weeds began to sway in the summer breeze, swaying and swaying, obscuring the figures of the two people.

Soon, rustling sounds came from the bushes, occasionally interspersed with Zhao Chunyan's low moans.

Meanwhile, the grasshoppers in the distance were also startled by the shaking grass and flew around in all directions.

……

In the Liu family's courtyard, in the kitchen.

The flames in the stove licked the bottom of the pot. Lin Wanqiu added a piece of firewood to the stove and then looked up at the courtyard gate.

"Mother, how long have they been gone?"

Zhao Da'e was squatting by the stove, picking green beans. "What's the rush? It's just catching a grasshopper. I'll be back soon."

"But..." Lin Wanqiu bit her lip, "Chunyan went out too, and she hasn't come back yet."

"Let them go out then." Zhao Da'e snapped off a string bean. "If the two of them catch the beans quickly, they can finish earlier and come back for dinner sooner."

"Is that so?"

Lin Wanqiu poked at the firewood in the stove with the fire tongs in her hand, poking it again and again.

Zhao Da'e glanced at her daughter-in-law: "Wanqiu, what exactly are you worried about?"

"Mother, Chunyan has always been very wild..."

"What's wrong with being wild?"

"In broad daylight, just the two of them in the wild... I'm afraid she... has ulterior motives towards Liu Bei."

"..."

Zhao Da'e almost dropped the green beans in her hand.

In the wilderness? With ill intentions?

If it is true,

My Liu family might be getting a new member soon, that's great news!

Zhao Da'e was secretly overjoyed, then waved her hand and said,

"What did you say? In broad daylight, out in the wild... what could she possibly do? Wanqiu, you're really overthinking it. That grassy area is full of insects and snakes. Chunyan is terrified of snakes, what could she possibly do? At most, she could help carry a snakeskin bag. Stop thinking nonsense and hurry up and add some firewood."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqiu stuffed a piece of firewood into the stove, the firelight casting a dim glow on her face.

But she was still a little worried.

"Mother, precisely because it's broad daylight, everyone thinks nothing will happen... Chunyan might just strike when no one expects it."

"you mean--"

"She wants to be with Liu Bei in the wild..."

"Cough cough~"

She only got halfway through her sentence when Zhao Da'e almost spat out all the water she had drunk that morning, coughing several times as she choked.

She patted her chest and glared at Lin Wanqiu: "You silly girl, what are you thinking about? Stop daydreaming and hurry up and add some firewood!"

However, as soon as she finished speaking, Lin Wanqiu stood up and ran out of the kitchen.

"Late Autumn, where are you going?"

"Go find them. We absolutely cannot let Liu Bei make a mistake."

"..."

Zhao Da'e stared at Lin Wanqiu's retreating figure for a long time, unable to come to her senses.

"this……"

She looked down at the green beans in her hand, then at the empty courtyard gate, and sighed deeply.

"It seems our carefully laid plans to have a baby are going to fall through."

……

In the grass.

Just as Zhao Chunyan was about to say something while lying on Liu Bei's chest, a series of sounds suddenly came from afar.

"Shh~"

Upon hearing this, Liu immediately pushed Zhao Chunyan away.

"Someone's coming! Get up and get dressed quickly!"

"What a buzzkill! Humph!!!"

After grumbling in dissatisfaction, Zhao Chunyan quickly sat up and hurriedly buttoned her clothes, tugged at the hem, and brushed off the grass clippings.

After quickly straightening his clothes, Liu Bei picked up the bamboo pole and snakeskin bag that he had thrown aside, bent over and took two steps forward, pretending to fasten the net bag into the grass.

"Liu Bei!!!"

A short while later, Lin Wanqiu's voice could be heard from afar.

"It's her? Lin Wanqiu!!!"

Zhao Chunyan's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Is this woman born in the Year of the Dog?

Is your nose that sensitive?

She always pops up whenever my mother needs to take care of something important!

They're like a persistent ghost!

"Here it is!" Liu Bei waved the net in his hand and shouted into the distance.

Lin Wanqiu parted the bushes and walked over, first glancing at Liu Bei, then scanning Zhao Chunyan.

Zhao Chunyan was standing to the side carrying a snakeskin bag. The blush on her face hadn't completely faded, but her expression had already returned to its impatient look.

"Why are you here?" Liu Bei asked.

Lin Wanqiu narrowed her eyes: "How many have you arrested?"

"Not many." Liu Bei shook the snakeskin bag. "We'll go back once we've caught enough. You go back first!"

"Yes, yes, yes," Zhao Chunyan immediately chimed in. "You should go back quickly; I can help out here."

Lin Wanqiu glanced at Zhao Chunyan, then at Liu Bei.

"No, I want to stay and help you catch them."

"..."

Zhao Chunyan's lips twitched.

It’s over.

Adding legs to a snake is superfluous.

The more I urged her to leave, the less she would leave. I should have just kept quiet.

Liu Bei glanced at Zhao Chunyan, then at Lin Wanqiu, and wisely kept quiet, continuing to pluck grasshoppers.

The three men made their way through the grass.

Liu Bei swung the net in front, while Lin Wanqiu and Zhao Chunyan followed behind, one on each side, picking up any loose pieces.

Two hours later, the burlap sack contained over a hundred grasshoppers.

On the way back, Lin Wanqiu walked on Liu Bei's left and Zhao Chunyan walked on his right.

"What exactly are you planning to do with all these grasshoppers?" Lin Wanqiu asked.

"You'll find out when we get back."

"Tch. Stop beating around the bush." ​​Zhao Chunyan rolled her eyes. "Can't you just say something straight?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," Liu Bei chuckled. "You'll understand once you taste it."

……

When they got home, Zhao Da'e was sitting in the yard picking vegetables. When she saw the three people walking in side by side, her eyes swept back and forth between Lin Wanqiu and Zhao Chunyan.

Well, judging from this situation, the plan to have a baby is really off.

"Xiao Bei, how many grasshoppers did you catch?"

"About a hundred." Liu Bei picked up the snakeskin bag and shook it. "Mom, you rest, I'll cook myself."

"You cook?" Zhao Da'e asked suspiciously. "You can cook?"

"Hmm. Today, your son will let you try something new."

Zhao Da'e: "..."

Lin Wanqiu: "..."

Zhao Chunyan: "..."

We looked at each other, both expressing doubt, not believing at all that Liu Bei could cook.

"Fine. I'll let you do it. I want to see if you really know how to cook." Zhao Chunyan raised her eyebrows.

"Yes. I agree!" Lin Wanqiu nodded.

"Okay. Let Xiao Bei give it a try!" Zhao Da'e agreed.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei caught more than a dozen grasshoppers, poured them into a basin, and then added some salt water to soak them.

Then he heated oil in a wok, and once the oil was hot, he scooped out the grasshoppers, drained them, and then threw them into the hot oil one handful at a time.

"Sizzle~"

The grasshoppers exploded in the hot oil, turning golden brown as they rolled around, and soon a fragrant aroma wafted out.

"It smells so good!"

The three children rushed to the kitchen doorway after smelling the aroma.

Panpan tiptoed to look inside, Niannian peeked out from behind the door frame, and Liu Bao squeezed between his two older sisters while holding a toy gun.

Liu Bei sprinkled some salt and chili powder, flipped the food a couple of times, and then served a plate of golden, glistening fried grasshoppers.

Three children gathered around, all six eyes fixed on the plate, but none of them dared to touch it.

"Dad...is this...really edible?" Panpan swallowed.

Liu Bei picked up a crispy fried grasshopper and handed it to Panpan, "Would you like to try some?"

"Ah!" Panpan shrank back in fright and hid behind Lin Wanqiu. "It...it still has its leg!"

"Haha~ Look how scared you are!"

Liu Bei smiled and handed the grasshopper to Nian Nian again.

Niannian's eyes widened, her little face scrunched up, and she covered her mouth with both hands, shaking her head repeatedly: "No, no, no! Its eyes are looking at me! I'm scared!"

"Haha~"

Liu Bei smiled and then turned to Liu Bao.

Liu Bao hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist the aroma and ate it in one bite. After chewing it a couple of times, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Delicious!" Liu Bao reached for a second one. "Dad! It smells so good! Even better than meat!"

Seeing their younger brother's mouth glistening with oil, Panpan and Niannian mustered their courage and hesitantly each took one, then closed their eyes and stuffed it into their mouths.

"Click."

Panpan and Niannian's eyes lit up too, "It's really delicious! Mom, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, you should try some too!"

"You three little guys aren't trying to fool us, are you?"

Lin Wanqiu, Zhao Chunyan, and Su Yuehe still didn't quite believe in Liu Bei's cooking skills.