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

Upon hearing the gatekeeper's words, Liang Ming's face showed a look of sudden realization.

It seems that his braised duck business was too successful yesterday, and the canteen manager of the Third Steel Plant noticed and specially sent the gatekeeper to cause trouble.

If I hadn't given the doorman a few braised eggs, he wouldn't have told me the truth so easily.

"Uncle, I understand. I'll set up my stall a little further away right away!" Liang Ming said with a smile.

"Young man, you're a smart guy, you're sure to make a lot of money."

Seeing how cooperative Liang Ming was, the doorman gave him a thumbs up and said...

Liang Ming pulled his mule cart and stopped on the other side of the road, 300 meters away from the Third Steel Plant, and then set up his stall.

As Liang Ming opened the lid of the yellow enamel jar containing the braising liquid, the aroma of braised food wafted out from the entrance of the No. 3 Steel Plant in the county town.

"Jingle Bell!"

Just then, the end-of-work bell rang at the No. 3 Steel Plant in the county.

Countless steelworkers rushed out of the factory.

"We can smell the aroma of braised duck even before we leave the factory gate. Guys, hurry up, or the braised duck will be sold out."

"This braised duck smells so good. I ate it for lunch yesterday and started craving it last night."

"All you guys know is eating. I only bought this braised duck because of its aphrodisiac effects. I ate braised duck yesterday at noon, and last night my girlfriend and I made love four times in one night!"

Upon hearing what the last worker said, the workers around who hadn't gotten to eat braised duck became excited.

No man can resist the temptation of "kidney tonics and aphrodisiacs".

As soon as they stepped out of the factory gate, they saw Liang Ming's stall across the street and rushed over without hesitation.

"Boss, give me a braised duck!"

"I want two. I'll cut one up and eat it now, and I'll pack the other to take home tonight."

"I also want……"

Liang Ming was surprised by the enthusiasm of the steelworkers. The 60 braised ducks were sold out in less than half an hour.

The steelworkers who arrived later were furious to see that the braised duck had sold out so quickly.

"Boss, how come the braised duck sold out so quickly again? Didn't we agree to make more today?"

"Master, today's braised duck quantity is double that of yesterday. I didn't expect it to sell out so quickly," Liang Ming said with an embarrassed smile.

"But I also have some braised eggs here, would you like to try some?"

The worker was already unhappy about not being able to buy braised duck, but his expression improved when he heard that there were also braised eggs. He then asked:

"How much is one of these braised eggs?"

“Eight cents each, no ticket required, 12 left,” Liang Ming said.

"Then give me four."

Seeing his colleagues enjoying the braised duck, the worker decided to eat braised eggs to satisfy his craving.

"Okay, that'll be 32 cents in total!" Liang Ming immediately packed up four braised eggs and politely handed them over.

After this incident, the steelworkers stopped causing trouble and bought some braised eggs, which they then squatted down to eat.

Soon, all the braised duck and braised eggs in Liang Ming's pot were sold out.

Looking at the pile of crumpled "Great Unity" and "Steelmaking Five Yuan" banknotes in the vegetable basket, Liang Ming smiled.

He sold 60 braised ducks and 12 braised eggs today. At the price of 1.8 yuan per jin for braised ducks and 0.8 yuan per braised egg, he made a total of 324.96 yuan.

In the 80s, when the average monthly income for ordinary people was only thirty or forty yuan.

Liang Ming earned in one day what others earn in a year by selling braised duck at his stall!

This is the charm of reform and opening up!

In this turbulent era, some people seized the opportunity presented by the reform and opening up policy and became rich overnight.

For example, an elderly woman in Qianmen, Beijing, earns over 10,000 yuan a year by selling sweet potatoes at a stall.

In Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, a young woman with only a junior high school education built a small villa and bought a motorcycle in her hometown by selling clothes at a street stall over several years.

The owner of Shazi Melon Seeds already had assets worth millions in the early 80s!

Liang Ming felt that he might very well become a millionaire in the 80s!

"Boss, the braised duck you made today still isn't enough to sell. Make a little more tomorrow."

As Liang Ming packed up his stall, many workers from the Third Steel Plant remarked.

“Okay, I’ll make more tomorrow,” Liang Ming replied with a smile.

On the way back, Liang Ming secretly thought to himself, "These 60 ducks aren't enough to sell today, so I'll just make 100 braised ducks in one go tomorrow."

With that in mind, Liang Ming pulled the mule cart and turned towards Stone Village.

After arriving at the Shitou Village Committee, Liang Ming once again sought out Zhang Wen, the village chief of Shitou Village.

"Brother Liang Ming, what brings you here? Is there a problem with the duck meat you delivered this morning?"

Zhang Wen, who was reviewing documents in his office, looked surprised when Liang Ming arrived and asked a question.

"No, no, no, the duck meat delivered this morning is fine. I came to order an additional batch of duck meat," Liang Ming said.

"Additional order?"

“Yes, starting tomorrow, I need 100 slaughtered ducks every day,” Liang Ming said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen's face showed a strange expression, and he hesitated before saying:

"Brother Liang Ming, you need so much duck meat every day, can you tell me what you're going to do with it?"

Although the state allowed farmers to raise and sell chickens and ducks in the mid-80s, everything was still under control.

It's still rare for individual business owners like Liang Ming to buy large quantities of duck meat every day.

Liang Ming had already guessed that Zhang Wen would ask this question, so he didn't hide anything and said, "Village Chief Zhang, I run a small stall selling braised duck at the entrance of the Third Steel Plant in the county town, and business is pretty good."

"I bought 60 ducks today, and they're all sold out. Tomorrow I want to make more braised ducks to sell, so..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen's face lit up with realization that the other party was selling duck meat delicacies at a stall, and he felt relieved.

"Brother Liang Ming, I almost misunderstood you. I apologize."

Liang Ming quickly waved his hand and said, "Village Chief Zhang, you did the right thing. As the director of the village committee, you are indeed responsible for the village's collective industries."

Seeing that Liang Ming was so understanding and had such a good business sense, Zhang Wen also felt the urge to befriend him and said:

“Brother Liang Ming, please stop calling me village chief. I’m only seven or eight years older than you. If you don’t mind, just call me big brother.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Ming knew that the other party wanted to be friends with him, and he was overjoyed. He quickly said, "Then I'll shamelessly call you Brother Zhang Wen."

"Hey..." Zhang Wen smiled and said, "Just for the sake of you calling me 'big brother,' starting tomorrow, I'll give you a discount of 65 cents per pound for your 100 ducks!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Ming's eyes lit up: "Brother Zhang Wen, thank you so much!"

Don't underestimate the fact that Zhang Wen only gave him a 5-cent discount; 100 ducks equal 300 jin of duck meat.

That makes it 15 yuan cheaper.

This is already half a month's salary for an ordinary person!