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

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaojun's eyes widened, and the veins on his neck bulged.

He was young and hot-blooded, and he couldn't stand this humiliation.

Just as he was about to take a step forward, a hand gripped his lower back tightly and he was pulled back to the cart.

Liu Guangming stopped Zhao Xiaojun, his face showing no sign of panic, but instead immediately breaking into a smile.

Having lived two lives, he had spent half his life dealing with all sorts of people in mines and brick factories, and he knew all too well the nature of these street thugs.

They're out hanging around not because they're really going to risk their lives for you, but because they want money and face.

If they resisted at this point, not only would all the watermelons be smashed, but the two of them would definitely get a beating.

If you're so scared that you tremble and hand over your money, they'll probably take advantage of you and come every day.

Call the police? Besides arresting you and detaining you for a short time, can the police recover your losses or keep watch over you every day?

It's useless.

Liu Guangming rubbed the melon juice off his hands, wiped it on his trouser leg, and walked towards the man in the floral shirt who was leading the group.

"This guy looks like a respectable person in the underworld."

Liu Guangming spoke.

"I don't know the rules. I just finished the college entrance exam and was on summer vacation. I would get scolded if I stayed at home, so I thought I'd go out and earn some money for college tuition with my classmates."

"It's my first day setting up a stall, and I may have offended you, sir. Please forgive me."

The floral shirt paused for a moment.

He had expected these two teenagers to be either terrified or furious, but he hadn't expected them to be so eloquent and articulate, leaving him unable to find an excuse to lash out.

Before the man in the floral shirt could even process what was happening, Liu Guangming had already turned around and grabbed a watermelon from the cart.

Then, holding the melon in both hands, he walked up to the man in the floral shirt and presented it to him.

"Brother, the weather is extremely hot in July. It must be hard for you and the two brothers behind you to patrol the streets."

"These melons were grown in our own field; they didn't cost us any money."

"No other meaning, just to show my respect to my brothers and let them quench their thirst, so they can take some back and have a taste."

"If I ever need anything in the future, I hope my brothers will give me some face."

The man in the floral shirt lifted his eyelids to look at the juicy watermelon.

The way he was addressed as "Big Brother" made him feel comfortable; in front of all the familiar faces, he had been given enough face.

He snorted and tilted his head toward the crew-cut man behind him.

The man with the crew cut stepped forward, took the watermelon, and hugged it to his chest.

"You're lucky you have eyes."

The man in the floral shirt exhaled a smoke ring from his nostrils. "I see you're students earning tuition, it's not easy for you, so let's leave it at that."

"By the way, my name is Liangzi. If anyone causes you trouble in this square in the future, just mention my name, Liangzi!"

After saying that, the man in the floral shirt flicked away his cigarette butt, put on his plastic sandals, and swaggered away with his two henchmen.

The woman selling tea eggs not far away curled her lip and turned her face away, while the old man selling tea also slunk back to his stool.

As Zhao Xiaojun watched the person leave, his mind was still a little muddled.

"Brother Guangming... my dad's a policeman, after all. Are we afraid of this kind of person? What's the point of fighting him?!"

"What's the point of competing?"

Liu Guangming pursed his lips.

"When you're out doing business, harmony brings wealth. We're here to make money, not to fight."

"That brat's getting tough, are you going to argue with him?!"

Not long after, around 10:30, train number 554 arrived at the station.

Those leaving the station this time were naturally also affected by the increasingly hot weather.

Liu Guangming followed suit, cutting melons, collecting money, and giving change with practiced ease.

In less than half an hour, the last few watermelons on the cart were all turned into a pile of red watermelon rinds on the ground.

"Closing up shop."

Under the bright sun, the two pushed their empty cart and turned into a deserted dead-end alley next to the train station.

Liu Guangming parked the car, took out the bulging cloth bag from his pocket, spread out the cardboard on the ground, pinched the bottom of the bag, and poured it down.

The crumpled banknotes and round coins instantly piled up into a small mountain.

Liu Guangming quickly began sorting.

One or two bills were laid flat and stacked, ten small bills were bundled together and straightened, and coins were stacked neatly in groups of five according to their face value.

Ten minutes later, all the money had been counted.

"I've figured it out."

Liu Guangming let out a breath.

"Eighty-six yuan and forty cents. After deducting the three yuan and sixty cents cost to the melon farmer, the net profit is eighty-two yuan and eighty cents."

"How much...how much?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaojun stammered.

Eighty-two yuan and eighty cents! What does that even mean?

In those days, a regular employee of the Songyang County Cotton Mill, even with perfect attendance and bonuses, would earn at most seventy yuan a month.

The two of them did in one morning, four hours, what an ordinary worker couldn't do in more than a month!

Zhao Xiaojun felt his head buzzing and his blood rushing to his head.

Liu Guangming remained calm. After all, he had experienced the madness of the 1990s in his previous life, and this small amount of money was not even considered start-up capital in his eyes.

He counted out three ten-yuan bills from the pile of neatly stacked money, then pinched out three one-yuan bills and handed them to Zhao Xiaojun.

"Take it."

Zhao Xiaojun stared blankly at the money handed to him: "What for?"

"According to our rules from yesterday, we contribute six parts money and four parts labor."

Liu Guangming pushed the money forward, "You should take 40%, this is 33. I'm too lazy to calculate the few cents for you."

Looking at the thick wad of money in front of him, Zhao Xiaojun recoiled as if his hand had been burned by hot coals, shaking his head violently.

"Brother Guangming, don't be ridiculous! How could I possibly take that much!"

Liu Guangming frowned: "What? Didn't we agree on this yesterday?"

"Brother Guangming, how was I supposed to know we could make so much money!"

Zhao Xiaojun was so anxious that his face turned red and his neck bulged.

"You were the one who organized this deal from beginning to end. You came up with the idea, you provided the capital, you picked the melons, and you even took the lead in dealing with those thugs just now."

He pointed to his own nose and shouted, "I just used all my strength, stood there and chopped the melon a couple of times! If I get thirty-odd yuan for that, what kind of person am I, Zhao Xiaojun?"

"I have to slap myself in the face every time I go to sleep!"

Seeing his flushed face, Liu Guangming felt somewhat relieved.

It has to be said that Zhao Xiaojun must have been a very righteous person in his past life.

"Stop talking. We agreed yesterday that you'd get 40%, so it's 40%."

Liu Guangming stood up, grabbed Zhao Xiaojun's hand, and forced the money into his hand.

Zhao Xiaojun refused to answer, and the two stood under the shade of the tree, pushing and pulling each other for several rounds.

Finally, Zhao Xiaojun got desperate and pulled out a ten-yuan note, a five-yuan note, and a one-yuan coin from the pile of money, stuffing them into his pocket.

"Sixteen dollars! I'll take 20%!"

Zhao Xiaojun clutched his pocket tightly, staring at Liu Guangming as if he were a thief.

"These sixteen yuan are a shameless way for me to take advantage of you."

"If you keep pushing me to take more, don't bother calling me next time. I'm just going home to sleep!"

Having said that, Liu Guangming didn't press the matter any further.

He smiled, carefully rolled up the remaining sixty-odd yuan, and put it in his inner pocket.

"Okay, 20%."

"Keep this money safe, don't let your dad see it, lest he become suspicious and question you."

Zhao Xiaojun nodded repeatedly, his hand still clutching his pocket tightly, as if afraid the money would grow wings and fly away.

"Brother Guangming, shall we continue working this afternoon?"

"Damn. There aren't many trains at the train station right now at noon, and it's too hot, so nobody's out buying melons."

Liu Guangming glanced at the sun and made arrangements.

"Let's go back to my older sister's house for lunch first. We'll take a nap, and then go to the farmers' market at 3 pm to buy another 300 jin (150 kg)."

"I just checked. There's a train from the provincial capital around 5 p.m. That train gets the most passengers on and off, it's sure to sell out."

Zhao Xiaojun nodded vigorously.

Now, he listens to Liu Guangming's every word.

Afterwards, the two pushed the empty cart back along the same route under the blazing sun.

When he arrived at the alley where his eldest sister lived, Zhao Xiaojun hopped on his old-fashioned bicycle and went home first.

Liu Guangming pushed the cart alone, making a creaking sound, into his older sister's yard.

Liu Guangming parked the cart next to the well, walked to the water trough, and turned on the tap to wash his face.

At the entrance to the main room, the eldest sister, Liu Cuihua, was sitting on a small stool, picking long beans.

Hearing the noise, Liu Cuihua looked up and saw her younger brother returning, covered in sweat. His old cart was empty, with nothing on it.

Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly dropped the green beans in her hand, wiped her hands haphazardly on her apron, and hurried over to meet him.

"Oh dear, Guangming, what happened? You're covered in red welts!"

Liu Cuihua's eyes were filled with heartache. She looked at the cart from left to right.

"What have you been doing? There's nothing in the truck. Did you go do manual labor, hauling watermelons?"

Liu Guangming had just splashed some cold water on his face and was about to speak.

"I told you long ago to stop causing trouble."

Before he could speak, Liu Cuihua continued to comfort him.

"Money isn't so easy to earn. If you're going to do manual labor, don't go. Hurry up and come inside. The fan is on, so you can cool off and then we can eat."

Liu Guangming felt a warmth in his heart as he listened to his elder sister's rapid-fire words of comfort.

He dried his face with a towel, walked to the octagonal table in the main room, and pulled out a long bench to sit down.

"Sister, come and sit down."

Liu Cuihua brought over a bowl of cool boiled water and handed it to him: "Have some water. Don't go anywhere this afternoon. Just stay home and rest."

Liu Guangming took the rough porcelain bowl and drank the water in one gulp.

Then, he slowly reached into his inner pocket, took out the cloth bag, and placed it directly on the wooden table.

"Sis, I'm not doing manual labor alone, I'm going to sell watermelons."

"I sold all two hundred pounds of watermelons."

"Selling watermelons?"

Liu Cuihua was taken aback, her gaze falling on the cloth bag.

The bag wasn't tied tightly, revealing the edges of colorful banknotes rolled up in a ball inside.

She reached out and pulled the cloth bag open, and after just one glance, her eyes widened instantly.

Then, she stood up abruptly and lowered her voice.

"Guangming! Where did this money come from? Tell me honestly!"

"Do you think I don't know how much money I can make selling watermelons?"

"Did you go out with those hooligans on the street to do some petty theft or illegal things? How much is this bag worth?!"