Reborn at 80: From Village Scoundrel to Billionaire

After Zhao Degui and his son left, the courtyard remained quiet for a long time.

Zhao Da'e squatted on the ground, covered her face with her hands, and cried.

"Mom..." Liu Bei walked over and squatted down. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm fine." Zhao Da'e wiped her face, but tears wouldn't stop. "I'm just angry. Angry that I ended up with such a brother."

She sniffed, her voice trembling: "When your grandmother passed away, I rushed back from my parents' home for the funeral. Guess what? Zhao Degui wouldn't even let me in the door. He said a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup, and her family's affairs have nothing to do with me anymore."

"Later, your father fell ill, and the family couldn't afford to eat. I shamelessly went to him to borrow fifty yuan, but he said he didn't have any. Instead, he bought a bicycle and rode it all over the village to show off."

"I've been married into the Liu family for thirty years, and he's never sent me a single scallion. Now, he hears you've made money and comes here demanding a thousand yuan. If he can't get the money, he's trying to sell me off..."

At this point, Zhao Da'e's sobs grew louder, filled with resentment as she cried.

"How could he do this? That's my daughter-in-law! Even if we're divorced, she's still the one who gave me my granddaughter! Who does Zhao Degui think he is? What right does he have?"

Liu Bei gently patted his mother's back. He knew that his mother wasn't afraid of Zhao Degui, but that Zhao Degui had broken her heart.

"Mother, he won't come again. If he dares to come, I'll break the legs of his other two sons."

"You—" Zhao Da'e looked up and glared at him, "All you know is how to hit! What if someone calls the police?"

"He wouldn't dare. If he dares to report it to the police, I'll expose his plan to sell Su Yuehe. Human trafficking is a crime punishable by several years in prison."

Zhao Da'e was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter through her tears, and slapped Liu Bei on the forehead: "You little rascal, when did you become so smart?"

"Born that way."

"Pah! More like a born lazybones."

After cursing, Zhao Da'e wiped away her tears and stood up from the ground. "Alright, stop crying. Crying won't bring back a good brother."

Just then, a pair of hands reached out from the side and tightly hugged Liu Bei's arm.

It was Su Yuehe.

She pressed her entire body against Liu Bei's arm, buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, and her body was still trembling slightly.

"Liu Bei... don't send me away... I'm not going anywhere... I'll stay here..."

Liu Bei glanced down at the woman; her eyes were red, and tears still clung to her eyelashes. She looked like a frightened rabbit, clutching his sleeve tightly and refusing to let go.

Liu Bei grasped Su Yuehe's hand and said, word by word, "No one is allowed to take anyone away from my house. Remember this: as long as I, Liu Bei, have a breath left, no one in this house can touch me."

"Um!"

Su Yuehe's tears welled up again, but she quickly smiled again.

Zhao Chunyan, standing to the side, glanced at it twice and curled her lip: "At least you have some conscience. Next time someone comes to cause trouble, just call me. My tongue isn't something to be trifled with."

After saying that, Zhao Chunyan went into her room.

Lin Wanqiu smiled as she looked at the scene in the yard, then turned and went into the kitchen to clean up the dishes.

Liu Panpan took Liu Bao and Liu Nian's hands and whispered, "Come on, I'll take you to the backyard to catch grasshoppers."

Soon, the courtyard returned to calm.

The rays of sunlight shone down, making it feel warm and cozy, not hot at all.

……

The day passed peacefully.

Until late at night.

"Liu Bei! Liu Bei, open the door!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei, who was having a sweet dream, suddenly woke up. After listening to the sounds outside the door, he immediately got out of bed, ran to the door, and opened it.

"Yuehe, what's wrong so late at night?"

"It's Niannian, she... she has a fever!"

"What?" Upon hearing this, Liu Bei hurriedly ran into Su Yuehe's room.

On the bed, the little girl's face was burning red, her lips were chapped, and she was curled up in a ball, her whole body burning hot.

"It's burning so badly... What should we do?" Su Yuehe asked anxiously.

Liu Bei reached out and touched Liu Nian's forehead; it was indeed frighteningly hot.

He immediately grabbed the thick quilt from the bed, wrapped Liu Nian up tightly, picked her up, and carried her outside.

"Where are you going?" Su Yuehe chased after him.

"Go to the town's health center. You stay home and wait, and take good care of Liu Bao."

"I'll go with you—"

"No need. The road is too dark; you'll only slow things down if you follow. I can run faster by myself."

After saying that, Liu Bei carried Liu Nian and disappeared into the night.

Twenty minutes later, at the town's health center.

Liu Nian was delirious with fever, her little hands instinctively grabbing Liu Bei's collar, calling out Liu Bei's name indistinctly.

"Daddy's here, Niannian, don't be afraid."

As he spoke, Liu Bei asked Dr. Zhou, who was on duty, to examine him.

After the examination, Dr. Zhou adjusted his glasses: "A high fever caused by a cold. Luckily, you were brought in in time, otherwise it would have been troublesome if it had been delayed for a few more hours. Let's give you two IV drips and observe you overnight. The fever should break tomorrow."

"Thank you for your help."

Although she was on an IV drip, Liu Nian's face was still flushed with fever, and she couldn't sleep very soundly.

Seeing his youngest daughter's distressed appearance, Liu Bei felt extremely sad, and his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Liu Bei, what did the doctor say?"

Suddenly, Su Yuehe's voice came.

Liu Bei turned around and looked at him. "Didn't I tell you to stay home? Why did you still come?"

"I...I'm worried about Niannian! Doctor...what did the doctor say?"

Su Yuehe walked over, her eyes red.

"It's nothing serious. It's just a slight cold. The doctor said the fever should break by tomorrow. Go back to sleep. Come back tomorrow morning. I'll stay with Niannian tonight."

"But--"

"Listen to me. If you stay here all night, who will take care of Niannian tomorrow?"

"Okay! Thank you for your hard work!"

Su Yuehe bit her lip, nodded, and reluctantly left.

Soon, only Liu Bei and Liu Nian remained in the ward.

The IV drip was slowly dripping down.

Liu Bei moved a chair and sat on the edge of the bed, gently placing one hand on Liu Nian's small hand, his eyes fixed on the IV drip.

The night grew deeper.

The corridor of the health center was very quiet, so quiet that the only sound was the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Liu Nian didn't move until after 3 a.m.

"Well……"

She opened her eyes, glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings, and then saw Liu Bei sitting by the bed.

Those eyes were bloodshot and swollen from lack of sleep; his eyelids were drooping, but he still forced himself to stay awake.

Liu Nian was completely stunned.

In the past, if she had a fever and was hospitalized, Liu Bei would never have appeared at her bedside.

At that time, only her mother held her and cried.

Next are Grandma, Auntie, and Third Aunt.

Liu Bei couldn't see a single shadow.

But now...

"It hurts..." Liu Nian's lips moved.

"Where does it hurt?" Liu Bei immediately came over.

"My hand hurts..." Liu Nian looked at the back of her hand with the needle in it.

Liu Bei carefully picked up his daughter and let her lean against him, while using his other hand to protect her hand from the injection.

"How about Daddy tells you a story? Your hand won't hurt anymore after listening to a story for a while."

"Um!"

Liu Nian nodded.

Then, leaning against Liu Bei's chest, she could hear his steady heartbeat.

The sound of that heartbeat made her feel very warm.

"Once upon a time, there were two little tigers in the mountains..."

Soon, Liu Bei began to tell the story of the two little tigers.

He spoke haltingly, and his story was somewhat haphazardly woven together.

But as Liu Nian listened, her body gradually relaxed.

By the time Liu Bei finished telling the story for the third time, Liu Nian had fallen asleep, a faint smile appearing on her face.

Seeing his youngest daughter sleeping soundly, Liu Bei finally felt relieved and held her until dawn.

……

Early the next morning,

Lin Wanqiu and Su Yuehe hurriedly arrived at the health center with lunch boxes in hand.

The two were stunned when they pushed open the ward door.

Liu Bei was leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, and a bluish stubble was growing on his chin.

Liu Nian nestled in his arms, her little face pressed against his chest, one hand clutching the hem of his clothes, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth, sleeping very soundly.

The scene was as quiet as a painting.

Su Yuehe's eyes immediately reddened, and she covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound.

Lin Wanqiu paused for a moment, put the lunchbox on the table, and then pulled Su Yuehe outside the door.

"Let the father and daughter get some more sleep," Lin Wanqiu said softly.

"Um!"

Su Yuehe nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

That afternoon, Liu Bei, carrying his youngest daughter Niannian, returned home accompanied by Su Yuehe and Lin Wanqiu.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Fan Ha'er ran in, panting heavily.

"Brother Bei! Brother Bei! Something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong?"

"People from the county forestry bureau have come. They said someone reported you for selling donkey-headed wolves, which is illegal, and they're going to arrest you and put you in jail!"