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

3:50 PM.

The plaza in front of the cinema.

Liangzi's arms were covered in sweat, and he looked like he had been pulled out of the water.

The ice they brought is gone, and the watermelons on the cart are all rinds now, with no red flesh left.

"Ming-ge, we're out of stock!"

Liu Guangming looked up.

The line ahead was so long you couldn't see the end; I'd guess there were at least twenty or thirty more people.

It has to be said that people these days are really honest. When they hear there's something good, they'll stand in line for half an hour under the scorching sun without getting tired.

Liu Guangming threw down the towel he was using to wipe his hands and started "fighting" again.

"Clang! Clang!"

The crisp sound of hammering quieted the crowd in line.

"Dear neighbors! Elderly folks! I'm so sorry!"

Liu Guangming raised his voice, clasped his hands together, and shook them. "We're out of watermelon, out of fruit powder, and even the ice has melted! We're closing up shop for today!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the team.

"What do you mean? I stood in line for almost half an hour in this scorching sun, and you're telling me they're out of stock?"

"My grandson is waiting to eat the Colorful Snow Mountain! How am I supposed to explain going back empty-handed!"

"Exactly! How can your boss do business like this? He's got money to burn!"

The sentiment is indignant.

Several hot-tempered young men even pushed forward, looking as if they were about to overturn the stall.

Liu Guangming, however, remained calm and composed, pressing his hands down as if to signal the end of a conversation, and shouted loudly:

"Everyone, calm down! Let me finish what I have to say!"

"It's really because our business is so small, we don't have enough manpower or sufficient inventory."

"This is my fault!"

Liu Guangming spoke sincerely.

"But don't worry, everyone! To make up for those who missed out today, we'll be offering fruit juice shaved ice at the same time tomorrow, and we'll also be launching new flavors!"

The crowd quieted down a bit, but some people still grumbled and refused to buy it.

"New flavors? What kind of compensation is that?"

Seeing this, Liu Guangming continued:

"Not only are we launching new flavors, but for those of you who haven't bought any yet, come over later to get acquainted with us, and if you come back tomorrow, you'll get half price on all shaved ice flavors! Just one cent!"

The complaints vanished instantly, replaced by cheers.

In 1992, a dime could do a lot; it could buy a decent popsicle or a jug of soy sauce.

The lure of half price immediately extinguished their anger.

"One cent? You little boss, do you really mean it?"

An older woman was skeptical.

"My stall is right here; you can run away, but you can't hide."

"Auntie, come early tomorrow, I'll make you a drink!"

Liu Guangming replied with a smile.

"Okay! The boss is generous! I'll be the first one here tomorrow!"

"Ugh, I was at the front of the line today and still couldn't get any. No way, I'm going to be first tomorrow, and nobody can take it from me!"

And so, everyone left satisfied, discussing how early they should arrive to grab a spot the next day.

Watching the last person walk away, Liangzi slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

Liu Guangming patted him on the shoulder: "Pack your things, let's go get some rest!"

......

In the evening, in the alley outside the cotton mill dormitory.

Huang Mao pushed the cart over.

"We've struck gold! Brother Guangming, we've made a killing today!"

The blond-haired man lowered his voice, which trembled.

In the alley, Liu Guangming, Zhao Xiaojun, Liangzi, and the others had already gathered.

The fat man was chugging cold water from an enamel mug, then wiped his mouth and shouted loudly:

"Brother Guangming, you didn't go to the Cultural Palace? Everyone there has gone crazy!"

"The queue snaked around two corners; those elderly folks weren't satisfied with just two cups each, they wanted to buy them all to take home!"

Zhao Xiaojun chimed in, "It's the same over at the train station. The vendors selling sliced ​​watermelons across the street are practically staring at them."

"When I was packing up, several people surrounded me and wouldn't let me leave."

Liangzi grinned and then talked about something else:

"You wouldn't believe it, besides making money, the most satisfying thing was getting revenge on that bastard Chen Defu!"

"You didn't see it! He engaged in a price war and lost everything, down to his last penny. In the end, his cronies humiliated him in the street, rubbing his face in the asphalt until it was burning hot, crying and screaming for his parents!"

Suddenly, a burst of cheerful laughter erupted in the alley.

After laughing, Liu Guangming got down to business: "Alright, stop laughing and get to the accounts."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately turned their attention to it.

After a while, Zhao Xiaojun stopped.

Just now, Liangzi and the others were in charge of counting the money, while he was in charge of the accounts.

He began to speak.

"Today, after deducting the costs of buying melons, sugar, fruit powder, and ice, our net profit is a total of two thousand eight hundred and forty yuan!"

As soon as the number was announced, the fat man's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the small stool.

I earned over 2,800 yuan in one day!

What did that mean in 1992?

How many years would it take an ordinary state-owned factory worker to work themselves to the bone to earn that much?

Liu Guangming remained calm. He picked up the ledger on the table and casually scribbled something down.

"According to the rules, the profits are split 50/50."

Liu Guangming divided the money into two portions.

"I'll take 1,420 yuan. The remaining half, Liangzi, you six can split it."

Liangzi and the others exchanged glances, unsure of what to do with their hands and feet.

We've worked here for a few days, and the money has been split up more than once!

But every time the money is distributed, the amount increases!

It's not just a few dollars, or a dozen dollars, it's tens of dollars, or even hundreds of dollars!

When you actually put two hundred and thirty yuan into your hand, who wouldn't be excited!

Seeing this, Liu Guangming waved his hand:

"What? Why are you being so polite?"

"I earned this money through my own hard work, so I'll take it back to my family to buy them some good wine and meat. There's a long road ahead for me to make money."

"Get up early tomorrow as usual, and increase the stock by half compared to today."

After the money was divided, Liangzi and the others pocketed their money and drove away.

Only Liu Guangming and Zhao Xiaojun remained in the alley.

Liu Guangming counted out 230 yuan from his stack of money and pushed it in front of Zhao Xiaojun.

"Here's your separate 10% bonus, take it."

Zhao Xiaojun didn't refuse and stuffed the money into his pocket.

However, after receiving the money, he frowned.

"Brother Guangming, I've made some money these past few days, but I still feel uneasy."

Zhao Xiaojun lowered his voice.

"Now that what happened today has completely offended Chen Defu."

"Wu Dalong works for the Industry and Commerce Bureau. They've already used all their tricks, and you've embarrassed him in public."

"But Chen Defu has suffered such a huge loss, he certainly won't swallow this insult..."

As Liu Guangming carefully packed his share of the money, he said:

"Xiaojun, are you afraid he'll go complain to his father, who's the director of the education bureau?"

Zhao Xiaojun nodded, then shook his head: "Chen Jianguo has no say in business matters."

What I'm afraid of is... my dad.

When his biological father was mentioned, Zhao Xiaojun's face twitched, and his tone became bitter.

"My dad and Chen Jianguo are in cahoots; they've been plotting for a long time to kill you."

"What if Chen Jianguo finds my dad and gets him to use the police force to deal with you?"

"You don't know, some things can be done covertly, without ever needing to be caught in the act."

"For example, they might secretly find a few thugs to cause trouble at your stall, and then the public security brigade would come forward and arrest you and put you in a detention center on charges of 'fighting' or 'causing trouble'."

"Putting everything else aside, if we lock you up for just a few days, our business will be ruined, and we'll also have a criminal record for you!"

Undoubtedly, Zhao Xiaojun's analysis was simple and thorough.

This was the most despicable and direct form of suppression by the legitimate authorities in the early 1990s.

Once you're in jail, even the purest of papers can be stained with black marks.

Upon hearing this, Liu Guangming seemed to ponder for a moment.

"The fact that you could think of this shows that you have a sharp mind."

"Yes, I need to think of a way..."