Rebirth: My college entrance exam score was stolen? I turned the tables and made a billion.

Chen Defu was also sweating profusely. He swallowed hard and forced himself to take a half-step back, trying to save face.

"This... I didn't expect this either! I don't know where this country bumpkin got this strange skill from..."

"You son of a bitch!"

Dafei suddenly sprang up, grabbed Chen Defu's faded polyester shirt by the collar, and pulled him forcefully toward him.

"You're fucking playing us for fools! We lost almost a hundred this morning, and you just said we could turn it around. I believed you and we all threw in the last hundred and eighty dollars we had!"

The veins on Dafei's forehead throbbed. "Now we're completely stuck with this mess! Where's the money? Give us our money back!"

Seeing Dafei take the lead, the monkey also got anxious and rushed up from the side, grabbing Chen Defu's arm.

"That's right! You swindler! Give us our money back right now!"

Chen Defu was used to bullying others in the courtyard, and he had never been treated like this before.

He struggled and raised his foot to kick Dafei.

"Let go! You dare touch me? My dad is..."

"Fuck you!"

Dafei was so enraged by the loss that he no longer cared who his father was.

He raised his knee and delivered a hard blow to Chen Defu's stomach.

"Ouch!"

Chen Defu screamed and bent over, clutching his stomach.

Dafei pulled Chen Defu down onto the asphalt road.

At midday in August, the asphalt road surface was so hot from the sun that it was practically smoking, and the surface layer of asphalt was almost melting.

The moment Chen Defu's face touched it, he let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered.

"It's burning! It's burning me to death! Dafei, if you dare hit me, I'll kill you!"

"Still dare to talk back? You monkey, beat him up!"

Several idle young men, seeing their investment go down the drain, unleashed their fury and surrounded Chen Defu on the ground, raining blows with their fists and shoe soles.

Across the street, Liangzi pushed a wood plane while peering out to watch the commotion.

"Ming-ge, they've started fighting on the other side!"

Liangzi grinned, laughing heartily.

Liu Guangming kept pouring red hawthorn syrup into the paper cups without even looking up.

"Let the dogs fight, ignore them, let's get back to work."

The brawl on the other side lasted less than three minutes.

Dafei got tired of fighting, spat on the ground, and was still not satisfied. He turned around and waved to Monkey and the others.

"Monkey! Pull the cart up!"

"We can't let these melons go to waste. Let's take them back to the farmers' market; at least we can get some money from them!"

"And what about him?"

The monkey pointed at Chen Defu, who was lying on the ground groaning.

"To hell with him! Don't give him a single penny!"

Dafei cursed and pulled the cart, and the group of people pushed the watermelons away without looking back.

After a while, Chen Defu got up from the ground with a bruised and swollen face, his once clean white shirt now covered in dust.

Then, covering her face, she limped away.

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

The heat in the cinema plaza didn't subside; in fact, it became even more stifling.

But the heat at Liu Guangming's shaved ice stall was even more intense than the weather.

Liangzi was shirtless, looking as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

He was pushing the wooden plane in his hand very fast, but the speed of making ice was clearly not keeping up with the speed of selling it.

Even more critical is the raw material.

Liu Guangming glanced at the cart.

They went to get several hundred more kilograms of melons at noon, and most of them have already been eaten.

Most of the fruit-flavored powder and sugar I bought from the supply and marketing cooperative are also gone.

If we continue selling like this, we'll run out of stock before 4 PM.

But this is the first day of launching a new product, and closing up a few hours early would be too damaging to the business.

Liu Guangming's eyes darted around, and he picked up the iron spoon and tapped it three times on the iron box containing the money.

The crisp sound silenced the crowd in line.

"Everyone, quiet down! Let me say a few words!"

Liu Guangming raised his voice and pointed to Liangzi, who was panting heavily next to him.

"Neighbors, elderly folks! I'm so sorry!"

"This shaved ice is all made by hand by my brother using his bare hands."

"Look at him, his arm is almost swollen."

A commotion arose in the crowd.

"Boss, what do you mean? You're not selling it anymore?"

"We've been waiting in line for ages!"

A plump woman in a floral dress got anxious.

"Don't worry, big sister."

Liu Guangming smiled broadly and spoke sincerely.

"We need to keep this business going for a long time. But making ice takes a lot of time and effort, so that everyone in line can get a refreshing taste..."

He paused deliberately, building up the anticipation.

"From now on! Shaved ice with fruit juice is limited to two cups per person! No more than one!"

These words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.

"Why should I?! I already promised to bring three cups back for my grandson!"

"Exactly! How can you do business like this? You have money to be made, so why don't you take it?"

Liu Guangming clasped his hands together and bowed repeatedly:

"It's not that we're not willing to make money, it's just that we can't produce enough manual labor."

"Everyone has been waiting in the sun for a long time, so please bear with us today. Have two drinks each to try it out, and come back tomorrow!"

Hearing these words, the crowd calmed down.

Those who were further down the list actually had it easier.

After all, queuing here is uncomfortable!

Moreover, human psychology is just that strange.

If Liu Guangming were to sell freely, people would simply buy a cup to quench their thirst and leave.

But once the word "purchase limit" is mentioned, the anxiety of "getting a bargain" and "being afraid of not being able to buy it" immediately surges up.

I originally planned to buy one cup, but now I have to buy two.

Those who were initially hesitant at the back of the line quickly squeezed into the queue upon hearing that there was a limited quantity.

There was even a middleman dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase who frowned at the long queue. He simply walked to the front of the line, took out a dollar and handed it to the young man at the front.

"Brother, give me your spot, and you can have this dollar."

The young man's eyes lit up, and he happily took the money and ran to the back of the line to rejoin.

This "paying for a spot" stunt instantly elevated the perceived status of shaved ice in the public's mind.

Liangzi watched in stunned silence, pushing the shaved ice while lowering his voice:

"Ming-ge, what's wrong with your brain? The more you tell them not to buy, the more enthusiastic they become!"

Liu Guangming smiled without saying a word, and continued to pour sugar water into the cups with practiced ease.

That's the allure of scarcity marketing.

In 1992, this move was practically a game-changer.