Reborn at 80: From Village Scoundrel to Billionaire

"Zhao Baobei raised a kitchen knife and slashed his wife's neck."

"Blood splattered all over Zhao Baobei's face. His wife didn't even utter a sound; she just collapsed onto the bed, and just like that... she was gone."

"What?" Zhao Chunyan covered her mouth, her pupils shrinking sharply.

"Um?"

Liu Bei's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Killing one person wasn't enough; he even killed his own wife.

This guy is decisive!

"Brother Bei, this isn't over yet," Fan Ha'er continued.

"Anything else?" Liu Bei raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. After Zhao Baobei killed his wife, he stood in front of the bed for about a minute. Then..." Fan Ha'er gestured to his own neck, "...he also slit his own throat."

"..."

For a moment, the courtyard fell silent.

Zhao Chunyan was completely stunned.

Liu Bei looked on in astonishment.

One unborn child, three lives lost.

All because of the word "steal".

So pitiful!

"Hey! Hey! Where have you been, you little rascal!"

Just then, Fan Shuanzhu's shout came from afar.

A moment later, Fan Shuanzhu burst in, panting heavily, bending over and gasping for breath. "I...I've finally found you, kid!"

"Dad? What brings you here?"

"What do you think?" Fan Shuanzhu slapped Fan Ha'er on the back of the head. "Chief Zhou from the police station has personally brought people here, right at the village committee! He wants to ask you about last night! You'd better come with me right now!"

"Oh!" Fan Ha'er responded, waving to Liu Bei, "Brother Bei, I'll be going now."

"Wait a minute." Liu Bei called out to him, then turned to Zhao Chunyan, "Chunyan, you stay home and look after the children. Don't go anywhere."

"Are you going?" Zhao Chunyan asked.

"Okay. I'll go check it out."

After saying that, Liu Bei strode after him.

……

Village Committee.

The courtyard was already crowded with people.

When Liu Bei arrived, the first thing he saw was three corpses lying side by side on the ground, all covered with white sheets, and dark red bloodstains could be faintly seen under the sheets.

The three corpses were Zhao Baobei, Zhao Baobei's wife, and Zhao Heibei.

Zhao Heibei's mother knelt beside the corpse, already weeping uncontrollably.

His father, hunched over, wept uncontrollably, repeatedly muttering, "My son, you died so tragically!"

Zhao Liuzhi stood behind his parents, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Fan Xibei stood to the side with his arms crossed, his face expressionless.

The surrounding villagers gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

"Three people died in one night, what a tragedy..."

"Zhao Heibei deserved it; he even dared to touch his sister-in-law. He didn't die unjustly!"

"That's true, but this is just too tragic..."

……

At the entrance of the village committee, village party secretary Fan Sanyuan was talking to a middle-aged man in uniform.

The man stood tall and straight, with thick eyebrows and a square face; he was Zhou Jianguo, the director of the Da Liu Town Police Station.

Fan Shuanzhu led Fan Ha'er to Zhou Jianguo.

"Commander Zhou, the person has been brought."

Zhou Jianguo nodded and looked at Fan Ha'er: "You're Fan Ha'er?"

"It's me!" Fan Ha'er puffed out his chest.

"Okay. Tell me everything you saw last night, from beginning to end."

Fan Ha'er immediately recounted the events of the previous night in detail.

He described every step clearly, from Zhao Heibei knocking on the door to entering the house, to Zhao Baobei returning, and then to the use of the knife.

"fart!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Liuzhi's father poked Fan Ha'er's face with one finger: "You son of a bitch, keep talking nonsense! My son Hei Bei has always been honest and upright, how could he possibly do such a thing? You're slandering me!"

Zhao Liuzhi's mother also got up from the ground and lunged at Fan Ha'er: "You heartless bastard! My son is dead, and you still throw dirty water on him? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

"I'm telling the truth!" Fan Ha'er exclaimed anxiously, "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"You saw it with your own eyes? You're a complete idiot! Who would believe a fool?" Zhao Liuzhi's father yelled.

"Who's the fool? You're the fool! Your whole family are fools!" Chen Qiaolan pushed her way through the crowd, hands on her hips. "Everything my son said is true! You think people aren't allowed to talk about the dirty things your son did?"

"you--"

"What's all the noise about!" Zhou Jianguo shouted.

The area in front of the village committee building suddenly fell silent.

Zhou Jianguo glanced at the crowd, his gaze landing on Liu Bei. He immediately put on a smile and went to greet him.

"Comrade Liu Bei, you've arrived!"

"Director Zhou." Liu Bei nodded.

Zhou Jianguo lowered his voice: "What do you think about this?"

Liu Bei glanced at Fan Ha'er, then at the three white sheets on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Ha'er may be a bit slow-witted, but he has one advantage: he doesn't lie. If he says he saw it, then he saw it. I can guarantee that."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liuzhi's father turned around and roared at Liu Bei.

"Liu Bei, you're talking nonsense! You and that idiot have been inseparable since childhood! Of course you'd side with him! If your words were believable, dogs could climb trees!"

Zhao Liuzhi's mother chimed in, "Exactly! Who is Liu Bei? A gambler! A thug! Can you believe a word he says?"

"Um?"

Liu Bei narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

"I believe you!"

The next moment, Zhou Jianguo suddenly spoke.

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liuzhi's parents were stunned: "You... why do you believe him?"

Zhou Jianguo turned around and waved to a young policeman behind him.

The young police officer strode forward, holding a folded red banner in one hand and a red box in the other.

Zhou Jianguo accepted the banner and unfurled it in front of everyone.

Four large, gilded characters caught everyone's eye: "Acts of Courage and Righteousness".

"This is--"

The villagers were all completely baffled.

Zhou Jianguo then handed the banner to Liu Bei, and then opened the red box, inside which was a red certificate.

He opened the certificate and announced to the whole village:

"Comrade Liu Bei recently assisted our Da Liu Town Police Station in solving two major cases. First, he helped apprehend a fugitive wanted throughout the province. Second, he assisted in the arrest of Wang Mazi, the ringleader of an illegal gambling den. The County Public Security Bureau has awarded him a banner of commendation for his bravery and a certificate of good citizenship, along with a cash reward of thirty yuan. The County Government has also awarded him an additional fifty yuan as encouragement!"

After saying that, Zhou Jianguo handed the certificate and two envelopes to Liu Bei.

Wow~

Upon hearing this, the villagers were all in an uproar.

"Liu Bei? Arresting a wanted criminal?"

"And they even got Wang Mazi arrested?"

"My God, is this for real?"

"They've already given us a banner! They've even given us a certificate! How could it be fake?"

"Good heavens... is this still the same gambling addict from before?"

"He's now a good citizen who acted bravely and righteously!"

"The key point is that he also received a government reward. Eighty yuan in total!"

"Hiss~"

Immediately, murmurs arose, and everyone's gaze toward Liu Bei changed once again.

Zhou Jianguo looked around and then spoke:

"Comrade Liu Bei's actions prove his character. A person who dares to risk his life against a wanted criminal would not easily slander an innocent person. He trusts Fan Ha'er, and I trust him too."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liuzhi's father wanted to argue something, but Zhao Liuzhi stopped him.

"Father, stop talking," Zhao Liuzhi said in a low voice.

Zhao Liuzhi's mother's lips trembled a few times, but in the end, she couldn't utter a single word.

"That's settled then." Zhou Jianguo shook hands with Liu Bei. "Comrade Liu Bei, we'll head back now. We'll talk again next time!"

"good!"

A short while later, the three bodies were lifted onto a cart and taken away.

The crowd slowly dispersed.

"Brother Bei!!!" Fan Ha'er was the first to rush over and grab Liu Bei's arm. "A true hero! You're amazing! When can I ride in a matador's bullfight?"

"A bullfighter?" Liu Bei was taken aback. "What kind of bull?"

Fan Ha'er said, "Of course, it's the old ox that's working in the fields!"

Liu Bei: "..."

This kid, he always wants to make a suggestive joke.

Is he genuinely stupid, or is he just pretending?

He was very skeptical!

At this moment, Li Dazhuang squeezed in, "Brother Bei! You're really something! You dare to arrest a wanted criminal?"

"I was just lucky! It's nothing!" Liu Bei waved his hand and said.

Fan Sanyuan walked over with a smile. "Xiao Bei, not bad! You've really brought honor to our Fan Family Village this time. You deserve praise. From today onwards, the whole village should learn from you!"

"You flatter me, village secretary!"

Liu Bei smiled.

"Keep up the good work!" Fan Sanyuan patted Liu Bei on the shoulder and left.

"Let's go!! Brother Bei! Let's go back to your house to celebrate!"

Fan Ha'er and Li Dazhuang each lifted Liu Bei up on either side and carried him outside.

"What are you two doing? Put me down!"

"I won't let go!"

"Yes, I won't let you go! Later, I need to ask you how to be a bullfighter and how to work in the fields!"

"..."

……

Staring at Liu Bei's departing figure,

Zhao Liuzhi's father was still wiping away tears, and his mother was still crying.

He clenched his fists, a cold glint in his eyes.

Watching Liu Bei being carried away like a star surrounded by guests, Fan Xibei's lips curled into a smile.

"Liu Bei! Don't be too happy yet!!!"

……

The Liu family.

"Bang!"

As soon as Liu Bei entered the courtyard, he bumped into a middle-aged woman.

The woman was in her early forties, with curly hair, bright red lips, and carrying a floral cloth bag. She swayed her hips as she walked out of the yard.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" The middle-aged woman waved her hands repeatedly and stepped aside to make way.

"It's alright." Liu Bei stepped aside.

But when he saw the other person's face clearly, his eyebrows rose.

He recognized the woman; she was Zhang Cuihua, the most famous matchmaker in the surrounding area.

Whenever someone wanted to arrange a marriage, or a matchmaker was needed, there wasn't a single family within a radius of dozens of miles that she couldn't visit.

The problem is that his eldest daughter, Panpan, is only eight years old and has a long way to go before she gets married.

Why would matchmaker Zhang Cuihua come to my house at this time?

Could it be... that some girl has taken a liking to me and specially asked her to come to my house to act as matchmaker?

If so, whose daughter is she?

"Oh, it's Aunt Zhang. What brings you to my house?"

"To act as a matchmaker!"