Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s

Chapter 31: 030 He blushed

Li Zhengxiong’s big eyes widened. "That... what?"

"You know, that thing." Tian Sangsang looked at him intently, gesturing with her hands, "This long, and it moves, and when it calls, it goes hissss—hissss—hissss."

Understanding dawned on Li Zhengxiong’s face, and he laughed heartily. "Oh, that! Nothing to be scared of. Sangsang, if you want it, I’ll catch it for you."

In her current state, she really didn’t dare to step into the water again. Tian Sangsang felt overwhelmed by his kindness. "Then I’ll trouble you, Brother Li."

"No need to be so polite." Li Zhengxiong waved his large hand decisively and stepped into the water. For him, it was just a small effort. Besides, before he left the house, his old mother had mentioned wanting crucian carp soup, so he was planning to go into the water anyway.

Tian Sangsang stood by the riverbank, staring intently at the crabs, waiting for them to show up. Finally, a few small crabs began emerging among the muddy mounds, clueless of the approaching danger...

"You want crabs?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, yes!" She nodded fervently like a bobblehead.

In the river, under the sunlight, his strong frame stood steady as the water lapped at his ankles. The light reflected off the hair on his legs, exuding a rugged masculinity. With quick reflexes, Li Zhengxiong pinched a crab’s belly and back with his index and middle finger. The crab wrestled in vain, its claws waving defiantly. Without hesitation, he tossed the crab into his basket.

"Wow, you’re amazing, Brother Li!" Tian Sangsang clapped in awe. But her attention quickly returned to the crabs in the river, missing the moment when Li Zhengxiong suddenly froze, his gaze locked on her profile. The smooth curve of her black neck, the gentle roundness of her upper body...

Whoosh—his face went completely red, the blush spreading all the way to his ears.

"There’s some over there, too. Oh, Brother Li, you have to catch a few more for me."

"That one, that one—ah, that one’s orange!"

Li Zhengxiong: "..."

Her voice, carried by the breeze, was sweet and soft, a pleasant melody to the ear.

Li Zhengxiong felt puzzled. Why did Sangsang seem so straightforward and cheerful, nothing like what others had gossiped about? Just hearing her voice and seeing her eager, almost drooling expression sparked energy in him. Before he realized it, her entire basket was nearly overflowing with crabs.

"Thank you so much, Brother Li. I’ll cook some crabs and invite you over to eat." Tian Sangsang said cheerfully, holding the basket before her.

"No need for thanks. Crabs aren’t much to eat, but their broth is pretty tasty. But with so many crabs, it’ll be hard to keep them alive if you’re not cooking them right away," Li Zhengxiong commented.

She couldn’t believe how lightly he dismissed the crabs she was already dreaming of feasting on. What a waste! Didn’t he know crabs were incredibly appetizing? Tian Sangsang picked up on his tone and probed, "Brother Li, do you not eat crabs often?"

"Not really. Drinking crab broth doesn’t fill you up. I still prefer eating meat—it’s more practical."

"So what do you do with the crabs after making the soup?"

Li Zhengxiong seemed puzzled by her question but answered honestly, "Throw them away."

Throw them away?! The essence of the crabs, the meat—they just tossed it? Only drinking soup and not eating the meat? This was such a waste of firewood! You’ve got to be kidding me!

This reminded Tian Sangsang that the locals here didn’t value crabs as food. No one had the leisure or interest for delicacies. To them, crabs weren’t as important as fish. Their biggest wish was simply to have meat on their plates every day. She quietly made a resolve: after she cooked the crabs, she’d bring some over to show Li Zhengxiong what real crab delicacy tasted like.

After all, everyone could cook, but it was about *what* you ate and *how* you prepared it—that was the real art.

As they walked back, the two of them started chatting.

"Your son is very cute," Li Zhengxiong finally managed to say awkwardly after moving his lips a few times.

"You mean Yanyan? Of course my son’s cute." Tian Sangsang’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, not an ounce of modesty in sight.

Just one look at her smile, and Li Zhengxiong’s ears turned red again, followed closely by his entire face flaming up like before.

Uh... why?

Was her smile... intoxicating?

Without his response, Tian Sangsang turned her head to look at him. Li Zhengxiong immediately averted his gaze, fidgeting awkwardly, his hands gripping at nothing as if he didn’t know where to place them. What was going on? Was he... shy?

The thought only lingered in her mind for a second before she dismissed it. Given her current odd appearance, even a ghost would find her off-putting. How could anyone possibly feel shy because of her? If someone did, they were either ill or had seriously skewed taste in aesthetics.

Handing her something he was carrying, Li Zhengxiong said in a deep voice, "Here, take this pigeon. I figured your son is still young, so you can make some soup to nourish him."

"Oh no, Brother Li, you’ve already done so much for me today. How could I accept more from you?" Tian Sangsang quickly refused, this time solemn and serious, her playful smile disappearing. No wonder the villagers said Li Zhengxiong was generous—he truly was. A plump pigeon like this, and he just gave it away casually.

"It’s not for you," Li Zhengxiong hesitated for a moment, stammering slightly. "It’s for your son... Yanyan."

"Ah, but..." Before she could finish, Li Zhengxiong had already tossed the pigeon into her basket.

Tian Sangsang was helpless. So, this was the benefit of having a son?

As they reached the village, their paths diverged—his home at the village’s edge, hers at the end. Near the head of the village, Chen Guilan was by the river, pounding clothes with a wooden stick. At the sight of them together, she abruptly stood up.

"What’s going on? Why is Tian Sangsang walking with Hunter Li? Hmph, well, well, Tian Sangsang! Heh heh..."

Chen Guilan laughed slyly, her eyes gleaming with scheming intent.

"Meng Shuyan!" The moment they entered the courtyard, Tian Sangsang called out excitedly. Like a little cannonball, a small figure shot out from the house and landed securely in her arms.

"Mama, Mama, you’re back~" the little one said sweetly, dependence shining in his eyes.

"Yes, I’m back." Stroking his soft curls with nostalgia, Tian Sangsang took Meng Shuyan by the hand and brought him inside. Under his curious gaze, she started unpacking today’s haul. The day had been fruitful, to say the least.

She fetched several wooden containers and separated the fish, shrimp, crabs, mussels, and snails into each. Adding a ladle of fresh water revived the nearly lifeless creatures, and they immediately gulped it down greedily.

Meng Shuyan wrinkled his little nose. "Mama, I smell blood," he muttered.

"Don’t worry, it’s just the pigeon." Placing the pigeon on the ground, Tian Sangsang asked him, "By the way, Yanyan, do you know Uncle Li from the village? This pigeon is a gift from him to you."

"Uncle Li..." The little boy propped his head on his hands, thinking hard. "Mama, is he the uncle who always goes hunting?"

"That’s him."

Suddenly, Meng Shuyan threw himself into her arms, wrapping his small hands tightly around her neck with a frightened expression. "Uncle Li is scary. He might be a bad man who kidnaps children."

"Why would you think that?" Tian Sangsang panicked. What was going on? Li Zhengxiong didn’t seem like that at all, but her son’s frightened demeanor was undeniable.