Reborn in 1981, the first to get rich start with dairy cows.

"Don't just stand there, hurry up and go!" As soon as they exited the ticket gate, Shen Dong nudged Li Hu and followed his gaze.

Not far away on the street, several stylishly dressed girls with wavy hair were chatting and laughing. Li Hu had never seen girls dressed like that before.

Not to mention, the girl's collar was a bit low, revealing a small patch of white skin on her chest.

"Let's go!" Shen Dong gently tapped the back of his head.

Although Zhu Chengrong wore a mocking expression, his eyes still kept glancing over at him.

Upon exiting the station, the plaza of Shanghai Station suddenly opened up into a spacious area.

All sorts of people gather here, from all walks of life.

Suddenly, several middle-aged women rushed in front of him, each holding a sign: "Young man, need a room? Cheap, hot water included, want a room?"

In his previous life, Shen Dong was very poor. When he went to work in the region, he stayed in small hotels like this when he had no money.

They'll tell you it's 50 cents or 1 dollar a night, but once you get there they'll raise the price, and there are extra charges for hot water and sheets. It's a total rip-off.

Moreover, it's not safe. Not to mention theft, since it's privately run, the police station might come to check at night.

Li Hu remembered what Shen Dong had said: "Speak less, keep quiet." He pushed the group aside and left.

The older women weren't annoyed; they simply moved on to another target and surrounded it again.

"Dongzi, which way?" Li Hu walked forward without looking back, and it took about ten minutes for the crowd to disperse.

"There's a bus stop over there, let's go ask." Zhu Chengrong had sharp eyes and immediately spotted the bus stop. The group quickly walked over with their luggage.

The platform was already packed with people, forming a long queue, all carrying luggage just like them.

After waiting for about ten minutes, an old-fashioned bus with two "pigtails" (referring to its long, thin legs) slowly drove up.

"Hey, Dongzi, why is this bus connected to electrical wires..." Li Hugang asked with a smile, but his voice immediately stopped.

As soon as the bus doors opened, the crowd surged forward like madmen. The conductor opened the window, leaned halfway out, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Squeeze in a bit, there are still seats in the back! The fare is two cents, no change!"

Li Hu was pushed forward, and Shen Dong was also pushed to the front by the crowd behind him, almost getting separated.

Taking advantage of his large size, Shen Dong squeezed through the crowd and managed to get together with the other two people.

"Director Shen, this...this is too exaggerated!" Zhu Chengrong had been working in the commune all his life, and the most lively scene he had ever seen was the supply and marketing cooperative robbing things, but nothing was this intense. He was quite surprised and wiped his sweat.

He almost threw his bag away when the force came from behind, which gave him a fright.

If he throws that bag, he'll be finished.

"Haha, they say the beginning is always the hardest, this is our second ordeal." Shen Dong joked with a smile. The first ordeal was naturally the hard seat.

People were still gathering behind him. Li Hu carried his luggage to the front and cautiously looked around.

"Dongzi, we absolutely have to get on the next one."

"Yeah, we'll squeeze in even if we have to!"

Shen Dong's words proved prophetic. When the next No. 1 bus arrived, he was instantly pushed to the door by the crowd. Fortunately, Zhu Chengrong held onto the two of them tightly, preventing them from being separated.

After about an hour, the bus finally arrived at its stop, which was not far from the Light Industry Exhibition Hall.

"Dongzi, that's amazing!" Li Hu exclaimed in surprise.

"What's wrong, Li Hu?" Zhu Chengrong asked casually as he looked down at the documents in his bag.

"I just flew! Really, my feet left the ground, you believe me?!" Li Hu exclaimed, gesturing exaggeratedly, "Like this, I was off the ground!"

This was Li Hu's first time experiencing this, like a young bride getting into her bridal sedan chair; such a situation would be all too common in later generations.

Take Jiuting Station on Shanghai Metro Line 9 and Sijing Station behind it, for example, both are packed to the brim during the morning rush hour.

Shen Dong smiled, watched Zhu Chengrong zip up the bag, and asked, "Is everything alright?"

"No, they're all there. I kept my hand on them the whole time. I was so worried the whole way!" From yesterday to today, I can finally relax a little.

The group decided to find a guesthouse to stay in and get something to eat, so they started looking along the road.

Although this place doesn't have the same style as the old Western-style neighborhood, the plane trees lining both sides of the road are still tall and straight, blocking out half of the sky.

At the entrance of an alleyway by the roadside, an elderly man sat on a small stool, picking vegetables and chatting.

Shen Dong walked over, spoke in Shanghainese, and asked for the exact location.

"Dongzi, I've been wanting to ask you this since yesterday, how come you can speak Shanghainese?"

"Hehe, last year a leader from Shanghai came to the commune. I heard him make phone calls several times, and I learned from him. I gradually got the hang of it. Besides, my pronunciation isn't perfect, so I'm just kidding you."

After walking for about ten more minutes, we finally saw a state-run hotel with a sign that read "Light Industry Guesthouse." A sign at the entrance read, "Guest Notice: Check-in requires a letter of introduction from your employer and your household registration booklet."

"Comrade, we need to stay at the hotel!" Zhu Chengrong stepped forward and handed over a letter of introduction stamped with a red seal, along with the three people's household registration books.

The waiter, dressed in a blue uniform, had a blank expression on his face. He pushed up his glasses, took the documents, and carefully examined them one by one with great seriousness.

After confirming, his expression softened slightly. He looked up at Shen Dong and the other two: "Two yuan and fifty cents per person per night, how many nights?"

"Stay for four nights first!" Shen Dong replied.

The waiter raised an eyebrow at Shen Dong, said nothing, took out a registration book, and had the three register their names, companies, and ID numbers. He then collected a five-yuan deposit and half a jin of national grain coupons.

The deposit is to prevent damage to room items, while the food coupons are used to eat in the hotel cafeteria.

After registering, the clerk searched for a while and then handed over three keys.

The room number, '302,' was written on the wooden tag on the key.

"Please take good care of your belongings and lock the door at night. Remember to turn off the lights at 10 p.m. and do not make loud noises."

The waiter gave a brief instruction, then squatted down and began rummaging through the items.

"Thank you, comrade."

Inside the room, three iron-framed beds were placed side by side, the white sheets were slightly yellowed, and there was a small wooden table in the middle of the room with a thermos and an enamel mug on it.

"Phew, finally I can lie down, I'm exhausted!" Li Hu threw his luggage on the ground and immediately lay down on the bed.

After such a bumpy journey, we've finally settled down.

After resting for a while and packing their luggage, keeping the important items with them, they said, "Let's go find a restaurant and get something good to eat."

"Come on, Director Shen, we country folk should really broaden our horizons."

It's only a little past nine o'clock, which is a bit awkward, but the restaurants nearby are still open.

We asked the waiter for a menu and started studying it.

"Wow, that's expensive!"

Zhu Chengrong glanced at the menu and was shocked by the amount listed.

"Indeed, this is Shanghai, there are so many rich people here!" Li Hu pursed his lips, and after thinking about ordering food several times but not knowing what to order, he simply kept quiet and let Shen Dong order by himself.

"I said I was going to have a good time today. I've been starving all day, so let's eat our fill."

"Waiter, can we take our lunch orders now? Is the kitchen open for business yet?"

The shop is open in the morning and offers breakfast, but at this time, Shen Dong is not sure if there are any chefs in the kitchen.

"Lunch service isn't available yet. We only have some breakfast left. Would you like some?"

Shen Dong wasn't very satisfied and wanted to see if there were any other shops, so he asked, "How about we go to another one?"

"Director Shen, don't bother, let's just have breakfast here." Zhu Chengrong quickly stopped him. No matter how expensive breakfast is, it can't be more expensive than ordering dishes. Let's save some money.

Zhu Chengrong didn't bring much with him this time. Although he was a commune accountant, he had to support four children, three of whom were boys, so the pressure was immense.

Before he left, his wife repeatedly told him not to spend money recklessly, and he remembered it well.

Seeing that Li Hu nodded, Shen Dong said, "Alright!"