Reborn in 1985: From Selling Braised Duck to Becoming the World's Richest Man

"Liang Ming, you have to sell your vegetable garden today and buy my brother a Xinhua brand radio, or you can forget about marrying me!"

A spoiled and willful female voice rang in Liang Ming's ears. His head was still throbbing, and he struggled to open his eyes.

Upon seeing the arrogant woman pointing her finger at him, Liang Ming's expression changed drastically.

"I've been reborn, reborn back to the eighth day of the Lunar New Year in 1985?"

Upon seeing Song Mei's disdainful expression, Liang Ming clenched his fists involuntarily.

In his past life, after he got engaged to Song Mei, Song Mei found various excuses to move all his money and belongings back to her parents' home.

They called it filial piety towards her parents.

In reality, all these good things were spent by Liang Ming's parasitic brother-in-law.

Three days before the wedding, Song Mei brought her younger brother to Liang Ming's house and asked him to sell their parents' vegetable garden to buy her brother a Xinhua brand radio.

You should know that a Xinhua brand radio costs more than 300 yuan.

In those days, an average worker's monthly salary was only about 28 yuan.

His annual income is less than 300 yuan.

"Song Mei, do you know how much a Xinhua brand radio costs?"

Liang Ming looked at Song Mei and asked in a deep voice:

"If I sell our land to buy your brother a radio, how are we supposed to make a living?"

Song Mei disagreed, saying, "If we sell the land, we can go out to work. I'll only get married once in my life, and I only have this one younger brother."

"He wants a Xinhua brand radio. As his brother-in-law, shouldn't you grant his wish?"

Do you love me or not?

Song Qiang, standing to the side, chimed in, "Exactly! He talks a big game about how much he loves my sister, but he won't even grant her one request. Tsk tsk tsk..."

Hearing the shameless words of the Song siblings, Liang Ming laughed in anger.

In his past life, Song Mei had said something similar. Back then, he was so infatuated with Song Mei that he not only took out all his savings but also sold his family's land to buy his brother-in-law, Song Qiang, a Xinhua brand radio in order to marry her.

But Song Mei was still not satisfied. On her wedding day, she asked her younger brother, Song Qiang, to ask Liang Ming for an 88-yuan red envelope as a way to open the door to the new year.

Liang Ming had no money left and was stuck outside the Song family's courtyard, feeling extremely embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Liang Ming's brother-in-law, Song Qiang, mocked him relentlessly, seemingly forgetting that his Xinhua brand radio was a gift from this very brother-in-law.

If Liang Ming hadn't been afraid of missing the auspicious time, he might not have been able to welcome Song Mei out the door.

"I'm talking to your sister, who gave you the right to interrupt?"

Liang Ming gave Song Qiang a cold look and said.

He looked down on his brother-in-law, who had previously been a corrupt official.

Stared at by Liang Ming, Song Qiang took a few steps back in fright.

The villagers watching the play from all around were amazed by what they saw.

In the past, Liang Ming would have always been humble and subservient in front of the Song siblings.

Has he changed his mind?

"Liang Ming, how dare you speak to my brother like that? You're his future brother-in-law, can't you be a little more considerate of him?"

Seeing Liang Ming berate her younger brother, Song Mei immediately stood up to defend him.

In her eyes, Liang Ming was an outsider.

My younger brother is the real family.

"Brother-in-law? I wouldn't dare have a bloodsucking brother-in-law like that."

Upon hearing this, Liang Ming sneered and said.

In his previous life, before he married Song Mei, the government issued a "Notice on the Issue of Farmers Settling in Market Towns," which allowed and supported farmers with business capabilities and technical expertise to enter market towns to operate businesses and industries, and allowed them to settle in market towns, although they had to provide for their own food rations.

In the second year after the government issued the directive, the first batch of migrant workers began to leave for work in big cities, numbering 2000 million.

Liang Ming is one of them.

That year, thanks to his diligence and hard work, he could earn about 30 yuan a month by doing some hard and tiring work. In 85, this income was comparable to that of ordinary state-owned enterprise workers.

If Song Mei were more diligent and thrifty, her family would definitely be considered a well-off family in the village.

But unfortunately, Song Mei is a stubborn woman who is obsessed with supporting her brother.

Even after getting married, she would still visit her parents' home every few days.

Every time she went back home, she would pack up most of the rice, sugar, cured meat, and various grain coupons from home and take them back to her parents' home.

Liang Ming gives most of the 30-odd yuan she earns each month to her younger brother Song Qiang and her parents.

After a hard day's work, Liang Ming sometimes doesn't even have leftovers to eat when he gets home.

If Song's parents and brother-in-law Song Qiang were people with a conscience, Liang Ming would feel a little better.

Unfortunately, that Song family is a bunch of ingrates.

Song's father, Song San, always looked down on his son-in-law, Liang Ming. While enjoying the material life his son-in-law brought, he mocked him for not having a proper job.

Song Qiang, the brother-in-law, also felt that Liang Ming was a useless brother-in-law, earning so little money each month that it wasn't even enough for him to spend on eating, drinking, and having fun.

Song Mei's mother, Zhou Min, even encouraged Song Mei not to have children with Liang Ming, lest her figure be deformed.

Even if she gets divorced, Song Mei can remarry. With her daughter's looks, she deserves a better man!

Under this kind of family education, Song Mei gradually came to believe that she was exceptionally beautiful and that Liang Ming was not good enough for her.

She married Liang Ming simply to solve her family's problems with food, clothing, and daily necessities.

In his previous life, Liang Ming served this family like a slave for most of his life, and before he died, he couldn't even get a bowl of hot soup.

Now, God has given him a second chance at life. He can rely on the memories of his previous life to quickly accumulate wealth in this era and become a millionaire or even a multi-millionaire.

He naturally didn't want to have anything to do with this family anymore.

"Liang Ming, what do you mean by that? You don't want to go through with this marriage anymore, do you?"

Upon hearing Liang Ming's words, Song Mei snorted coldly and said...

She had used this tactic many times since she started dating Liang Ming.

Every time she threatened Liang Ming with breaking up or announcing the engagement, Liang Ming would immediately kneel down and fawn over her.

"If marrying you means paying a hefty dowry of 188 yuan, three turns (a traditional Chinese custom), and buying your brother a Xinhua brand radio, then this marriage is off!"

Liang Ming said indifferently.

In those days, in rural areas, the bride price was generally only 88 yuan. Families with more money might buy a watch instead.

These three things are bicycle, sewing machine, and watch.

There was another sound, from the radio.

However, even some wealthy families in the city would find it difficult to gather these items.

They bought them gradually after marriage, earning money slowly.

When Song Mei's parents made such a high dowry demand during their engagement, it caused a sensation in the surrounding villages.

Liang Ming's parents were both workers at the town's state-owned sugar factory, and were considered wealthy in the village. That's how they managed to scrape together the money for Liang Ming's three rounds of sugar.

Even so, it consumed most of the old couple's life savings.

Now that Song Mei has brought her younger brother Song Qiang along, they're really pushing their luck and want a Xinhua brand radio. Liang Ming can't tolerate this any longer.

"Liang Ming, do you know what you're saying? You heartless bastard!"

Hearing Liang Ming's words, Song Mei was stunned. He didn't expect that Liang Ming wouldn't fall for his tricks this time.

But immediately, she began to cry, feeling wronged:

"My parents have worked so hard to raise me all these years, what's wrong with them asking for a bigger dowry?"

“My younger brother, whom I watched grow up, wants a Xinhua brand radio. As his brother-in-law, shouldn’t you buy it for him?”

"Just because of this little bit of money, you're not going to marry me?"

"This little money?"

Liang Ming's face darkened, and he said coldly to Song Mei:

"This little bit of money has used up most of my parents' life savings."

"Your family has four members, you don't raise chickens or ducks, you don't go out to work, you just rely on growing some vegetables in the village to earn ten yuan a month, how dare you say such things?"

"Your family couldn't earn this much money even if you didn't eat or drink for several years!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers burst into laughter, mocking Song Mei and her brother Song Qiang.

“Liang Ming, you…” Song Mei was furious that Liang Ming would say such hurtful things.

Liang Ming used to always dote on her, but today he seems like a completely different person.

"Song Mei, after what happened today, I've come to understand a principle."

Liang Ming spoke again, addressing Song Mei:

"You're a hopeless brother-supporting demon, and your brother is a parasite who only sucks your blood."

"It's your business if you're willing to use your own blood to support your brother."

“But I don’t want to marry a wife who will take my family’s oil, rice, soy sauce, vinegar, grain coupons, and money back to support my parents every day.”

Upon hearing Liang Ming's words, Song Mei's expression changed drastically: "Liang Ming, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly take money from home to support my parents' family after marriage?"

She also cares about her reputation.

No matter who a woman marries, if she is labeled as siding with her own family, even matchmakers will not dare to come to her door to propose marriage.

"That's right, Liang Ming, don't slander my sister. My sister loves me, but she's not the kind of person who would take everything from her parents' home."

Song Qiang, being a bit quick-witted, hurriedly explained on behalf of his sister.

With so many villagers watching the play outside, if word gets out, his sister's reputation will be ruined.

"Is that so?" Liang Ming sneered, pointed to the watch on Song Qiang's right hand, and asked in return:

"Then why is the token of love I gave to your sister in your hands?"

At this point, Liang Ming turned to Song Mei and said, "Song Mei, this Iron Anchor brand watch is worth 80 yuan. I bought it with four months' worth of income and gave it to you as a gift."

"You promised me you'd wear it forever, and now you've given our love token to your brother?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers all started pointing and whispering about Song Mei.

She even gave her engagement gifts to her own family members, and said she wouldn't move her husband's family's things back to her parents' home after marriage?