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

When Liu Guangming arrived at his elder sister's house, his elder sister, Liu Cuihua, was collecting clothes in the yard. When she saw him return, she quickened her pace.

"You're back? How did the exam go?"

"good."

Liu Cuihua pulled off the clothespins, folded them neatly, and put them into the basin, all the while talking.

"What do you mean by 'okay'? Is it good or bad? Can you give me a definite answer?"

"Not bad, sis."

Liu Cuihua glanced at him, wanting to ask more questions, but held back.

"That's good. Come in, I've made some mung bean soup. Have a bowl to cool down."

Liu Guangming went inside, put down his schoolbag, and drank a large bowl of mung bean soup.

I had just put down my bowl when the gate to the courtyard rang.

Zhou Dehou came in carrying a net bag containing two bottles of beer.

"Guangming! You've finished your exams, right? Come on, let's celebrate!"

Zhou Dehou slammed the beer bottle down on the table, bit off the cap with his teeth, and with a "bang," white foam gushed out.

"What are we celebrating?"

Liu Cuihua couldn't help but speak up.

"The results haven't come out yet, what are you celebrating for?"

"Celebrating liberation! Three days of exams, your brain must be all fuzzy, right? Have some beer to relax."

"Why would a child like him drink alcohol?"

"I'm eighteen, not a kid anymore. I've already finished the college entrance exam, what's a beer to me?"

Zhou Dehou had already poured two glasses and handed one to Liu Guangming.

Liu Guangming didn't refuse and took the beer, taking a sip.

It was cold, with a slightly bitter malty taste.

Zhou Dehou gulped down half a cup and wiped his mouth.

"Guangming, just wait patiently. When the results come out at the end of the month, there will definitely be plenty of good news."

The eldest sister brought out two dishes: a plate of stir-fried green beans with minced meat and a plate of cold radish salad.

The three of them sat down to eat.

Liu Guangming ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice and put down his chopsticks.

After taking a couple of sips of wine, Zhou Dehou became more talkative and started talking about things at the factory: who was late and got two yuan deducted from their pay, and who's daughter taking the college entrance exam.

Liu Guangming listened, waiting for an opportunity to speak.

After Zhou Dehou finished speaking, he put down his chopsticks.

"Sister, brother-in-law, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What's up?"

"I want to earn some money during the summer vacation."

The older sister stopped eating.

"Why bother making money? You've already finished your exams, why don't you just stay home and wait for your acceptance letter?"

"Sis, you're just waiting for the acceptance letter anyway, aren't you?"

"What's wrong with being free? You've never had a day off in your life. You finally finished your exams, can't you take a break?"

"Sister, let me finish."

Liu Guangming pushed the bowl aside and rested his elbows on the edge of the table.

"Even if you get accepted, won't you need money for travel to university? And once you're at school, won't you need money for living expenses? Bedding, washbasins, changes of clothes—all of these cost money!"

"I know my brother-in-law mentioned last time that the factory could advance six months' wages. But if you get that money in advance, how will you manage for the rest of the year?"

"Don't worry about that..."

Liu Cuihua spoke.

"Sister, I can handle it."

Liu Guangming interrupted her.

"I'm eighteen now, not a child anymore. I should earn what I can myself; I can't put all the burden on you."

Zhou Dehou put down the cup halfway through its hold.

"bright……"

"I'm not being polite, nor am I showing off."

Liu Guangming looked at his older sister and said, "Sister, it's just one summer vacation. We'll earn whatever we can."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Zhou Dehou spoke first, slapping the table.

"Good job! What a fine man!"

He gestured towards his older sister with his lips.

"Guangming is right."

"Guangming is a smart kid, let him give it a try, he's got nothing better to do anyway."

The older sister glared at him, but didn't object verbally.

"So what are you planning to do?"

"The eldest sister asked."

"Brother-in-law, does the factory have any unused handcarts?"

Zhou Dehou thought for a moment.

"A handcart? There is one in the warehouse, a scrapped flatbed cart, the wheels still turn. Old Li watches the warehouse, I'll just say hello to him."

"What do you need the cart for?"

The older sister pressed for more details.

Liu Guangming smiled.

"Sis, you'll find out tomorrow. By the way, could you lend me a knife tomorrow?"

"A knife? What knife?"

"A kitchen knife will do for cutting things."

The eldest sister was confused by him. She looked at Zhou Dehou, who was also baffled.

However, seeing Liu Guangming's confident demeanor, the eldest sister didn't say anything more.

"Alright, the knife is on the stove, get it yourself."

She pointed at Zhou Dehou.

"Go and borrow the cart now, don't wait until tomorrow, otherwise you'll have made a wasted trip if Old Li isn't there."

Zhou Dehou responded, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, wiped his mouth, and went out the door.

He had barely left when someone knocked on the gate again.

"Brother Guangming! Are you there?"

Liu Guangming walked to the courtyard gate and opened it.

Zhao Xiaojun stood outside, still wearing the same clothes he had worn during the day.

"Brother Guangming, I'm going back to the village tomorrow, do you want to come with me?"

Zhao Xiaojun peeked into the yard.

"I can't stay at my aunt's house anymore. My uncle keeps making me help him move coal briquettes. I've been doing this since I finished my exams, and my arms are sore."

Liu Guangming leaned against the door frame, looking at him, when a sudden idea struck him.

"Xiaojun, do you want to make money?"

Zhao Xiaojun was taken aback.

"make money?"

"Um."

"How do you make money?"

"If you want to make money, don't go back to the village tomorrow, come work with me."

Zhao Xiaojun blinked and leaned his head forward.

"Brother Guangming, you're not going to work on a construction site carrying bricks, are you? My small frame can't handle that."

"I don't do manual labor."

"Then what are we doing?"

Liu Guangming didn't answer directly, but instead asked him a question in return.

Did you buy ice cream when you left the exam hall today?

Zhao Xiaojun scratched his head.

"I didn't buy any, but there were watermelons for sale at the school gate, cut into pieces, two cents a piece, and I bought one."

"Two cents a dollar."

Liu Guangming held up one finger. "Do you know how much a whole watermelon costs per pound at the farmers' market?"

Zhao Xiaojun shook his head.

Two points.

"Two points?"

Zhao Xiaojun's mouth dropped open. "How much does that slice of watermelon even weigh? Less than half a pound, right? You're selling something that costs two cents for two dimes?"

"So, if you calculate it that way, with one transaction, it's ten...ten times?"

"Yes, ten times. In July, watermelons flood the market, and you might not even be able to sell them for two cents a pound. Lots of them will rot in the fields."

"Now that the college entrance exams are over, it's not easy to do this kind of business near the school."

"But train stations are bustling with people, travelers are in a hurry, and if they're thirsty or hot, do you think they'd buy it if they saw it?"

Zhao Xiaojun stood at the door, his head spinning rapidly.

"Brother Guangming, what do you mean?"

"Shall we go to the farmers' market to buy watermelons, then take them to the train station entrance, cut them up, and sell them?"

What do you think?

Zhao Xiaojun took a deep breath.

"I have five yuan in capital."

Liu Guangming took out the crumpled five-yuan note his third sister had given him, waved it in front of Zhao Xiaojun, and then put it back in his pocket.

"Five yuan, two cents a pound, that's enough to buy 250 pounds of watermelon."

"Two hundred and fifty pounds of watermelon, cut into pieces, each piece weighing half a pound, can yield five hundred pieces."

"Five hundred dollars multiplied by two mao..."

Zhao Xiaojun counted on his fingers for a while, his eyes widening as he did so.

"One hundred dollars?!"

"Shh-"

Liu Guangming gestured for him to stop.

"Theoretically, that's the number. But our two carts can't carry that much, so we'll start with a small amount on the first day to test the waters."

Zhao Xiaojun was so excited that he spun around twice on the spot.

"Brother Guangming! Let's do it! We have to!"

"Xiaojun, let's make this agreement first."

Liu Guangming intended to speak frankly.

"I'll pay, you provide the labor—help me push the cart and cut the melon."

"Let's shout it out together, and split the profits 40/60, you get 40% and I get 60%."

"become!"

Zhao Xiaojun agreed without hesitation and slapped his thigh.

"Four-six it is, I won't lose out! I don't get paid a penny for carrying coal briquettes for free at my aunt's house, but I can make money working for you. Brother Guangming, you're like a real brother to me!"

"Don't get excited."

Liu Guangming grabbed him, "Come find me here at 5:30 tomorrow morning."

"I reckon if you go early, the farmers at the market will be in a hurry to set up their stalls, making it easier to negotiate prices."

"Okay, 5:30! No problem!"

Zhao Xiaojun patted his chest and said, "I've set an alarm—no, I'll have my aunt wake me up!"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something, and half of the excitement on his face disappeared.

"Brother Guangming, we're setting up a stall at the train station entrance, do we need to go through any procedures? Will the community security team chase us away?"

"Oh dear... there were more than just one or two melon vendors outside the exam hall this afternoon, didn't you see? Someone came to chase them away, didn't they?"

Zhao Xiaojun agreed and grinned again.

"Okay! It's a deal then! See you tomorrow!"