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

“Village chief, I already know that all the lychees the villagers have picked.”

"But the fruit supply from the cannery can't be stopped."

"I was just about to ask you, how are the villagers managing the fruit orchards I contracted?"

Liang Ming asked.

“Liang Ming, even if you didn’t ask, I still have to tell you this. The lychees on the mountain are ripe now. If we don’t pick them soon, they’ll rot on the trees.”

"That's what village chief Liang Jianguo said."

"In that case, the village committee will organize the villagers to go up the mountain to pick lychees tomorrow."

Liang Ming said:

"As we agreed, we will sell 3000 catties of lychees every day to the cannery, and then split the profits 70/30."

Liang Jianguo nodded and said, "Okay, I will inform every household about this."

After discussing the lychee supply, Liang Jianguo chatted with Liang Ming for a while longer.

As it grew dark, Liang Ming asked the village chief to stay for dinner.

"I've never actually tasted your cooking before, so I'll shamelessly stay and have a few bites today?"

Liang Jianguo did not refuse and said with a smile.

Among the young people in Liangjia Village now, Liang Ming is probably the most promising.

Moreover, now that Liang Ming has made money through his own business, he doesn't forget to help his fellow villagers make money together.

The lives of the villagers in Liangjia Village are now many times better than they were last year.

The village chiefs of several nearby villages were so envious they gritted their teeth.

Liang Jianguo also wanted to get closer to Liang Ming and talk about village affairs.

Who knows, one day, the position of village committee director of Liangjia Village might have to be passed on to this young man...

“Village chief, what are you saying? The fact that you're inviting me to stay for dinner shows that you value me as a junior.”

"Have a seat and a few puffs of your pipe while I cook a few dishes. It'll be quick."

Liang Ming said to Liang Jianguo with a smile.

As he spoke, he went inside, opened the refrigerator, and took out some ingredients.

After the family bought a refrigerator, Li Lan, the mother, wanted to stuff all the food into it.

Chickens, ducks, fish, pork, and all kinds of vegetables—it's like a food warehouse.

When Liang Ming went into the kitchen to cook dinner, Liang Min and her husband, along with her younger sister Liang Jing, came home from work and school respectively.

When they saw Liang Jianguo, the village chief, in the courtyard, they all greeted him respectfully.

Upon learning that the village chief was staying for dinner, they warmly welcomed him.

"Village chief, it's just a few simple home-style dishes. Please don't mind if we haven't served you the best."

Before long, Liang Ming brought the prepared food to the table and said modestly to Liang Jianguo.

Liang Jianguo glanced at the dishes on the table: braised chicken with mushrooms, stir-fried eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers, sweet and sour pork, stir-fried pork with dried bean curd, garlic-flavored bok choy, and a pot of chicken soup. He sighed.

"Liang Ming, this is such a lavish meal, it's like eating at a restaurant. If you still say the hospitality is inadequate, I don't dare to eat it."

Everyone smiled upon hearing this.

The dinner was a pleasant affair for both host and guests.

"Liang Ming, you're not getting any younger, and your business is so big now. They say that a successful career leads to a stable family. Haven't you considered finding a girl to marry?"

"Would you like the village chief to introduce you to someone?"

After the meal, village chief Liang Jianguo was smoking his pipe in the courtyard when he suddenly remembered something and asked Liang Ming.

He was the village chief, and he had watched Liang Ming grow up.

Liang Ming knew the village chief's words stemmed from an elder's concern for a younger generation, and said with a smile:

"Village chief, I already have a girlfriend. Once my house is built, I'll propose to her."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jianguo became interested and asked, "Oh? You have a girlfriend? Which family's daughter is she? Does the village chief know her? Do you need the village chief to help you propose?"

Before Liang Ming could speak, Liang Min and his wife spoke up:

“Village chief, Xiaoming has his eye on a girl from the city, someone you don’t know.”

"She's the owner of Xiangmanlou Restaurant in the county. Xiaoming used to sell the mountain produce and river seafood he collected to her."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jianguo's face showed a look of sudden realization, and he said, "Girls in the city are good; they are well-educated and reasonable."

"Liang Ming is a big boss now, he should marry a city girl and become a city person in the future."

Seeing the children in the village living better and better lives makes him, as the village head, happy.

After sitting in the Liang family's courtyard for a while, the village chief left.

The next morning, the village chief organized the villagers to gather in the open space in front of the village committee and said:

"Fellow villagers, I'm sure you all know why I've called you here today."

"During this period, everyone made a lot of money by selling lychees from their own plots to Liang Ming."

“I even saw several families take money to repair their houses, buy bicycles and sewing machines, and also put on new clothes.”

"All of this was brought to you by Liang Ming."

Upon hearing the village chief's words, the villagers all wore happy smiles.

They earned five or six hundred yuan a month selling lychees.

That's the income I would have earned in two years if I hadn't eaten or drunk anything.

All of this is thanks to Liang Ming leading them to prosperity.

"Village chief, no need for formalities. All we're asking is to go up the mountain and help Liang Ming pick lychees."

“We’ve finished picking all the lychees, and the money we’ve earned during this time is enough for us to live on for a long time. Since everyone has some free time, it’s only right that we help Liang Ming out.”

At this point, a villager spoke up first.

Other villagers nodded in agreement: "That's right, they're all children from the village, we should help them if we can."

The village organizes villagers to do odd jobs, which are generally unpaid. In earlier years, they would be given some work points, but after the work points were abolished and the household contract responsibility system was implemented, it can only be considered voluntary labor.

If the village asks you to do chores and you don't, then when your family needs help from the village in the future, no one will help you.

Liang Ming, who happened to arrive, showed a touch of emotion on his face after hearing the villagers' words.

The village chief did not tell the villagers that they would be paid for picking lychees on the mountain.

But the villagers were still willing to help him pick lychees for free.

How could he let his fellow villagers suffer losses given their simple and lovely nature?

"Dear uncles and aunts in the village, thank you for your care and selfless dedication. But I, Liang Ming, am not ungrateful. How can I let you all work for nothing?"

Liang Ming walked over quickly, a smile on his face.

When the villagers saw Liang Ming, they all greeted him warmly.

"It's Liang Ming!"

"Xiao Ming is starting to look more and more like a big boss."

"Of course, they say money makes people rich. Liang Ming must be the richest man in our village now, right?"

Liang Ming responded to the villagers' greetings one by one, and then walked to the side of the village chief, Liang Jianguo.

"Xiaoming, what brings you here?" Liang Jianguo asked.

"Today, the uncles and aunts in the village came up the mountain to help my cannery pick lychees, and I insisted on being there."

Liang Ming said with a smile.

At this moment, a villager boldly asked Liang Ming:

"Xiao Ming, what did you mean when you said you wouldn't let everyone work for free?"

"Do we get paid for picking lychees up the mountain?"

As soon as the villager said that, everyone else looked at Liang Ming with shining eyes.