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

"What, you want to fight us?"

Upon seeing Liang Ming stop them, the burly man at the head of the group spoke warily.

"We run a restaurant, so we avoid doing anything ourselves if we can avoid it."

Liang Ming chuckled and said:

"I just want to ask you a few more questions."

"What's the problem?" the burly man asked after a few seconds of hesitation.

"You guys aren't employees of the state-run restaurant, are you?" Liang Ming asked.

"No, it's just a relative who works there," the burly man confessed.

Since the truth has already been revealed, there's no point in continuing to pretend.

"Have you three eaten porridge at night for several years?" Liang Ming asked another crucial question.

"Having eaten several years' worth of night porridge" is a slang term used in the Southern underworld, meaning someone has practiced martial arts for several years.

"I learned a little bit when I was making a living at the docks," the burly man at the head nodded.

After receiving the reply, a satisfied look appeared on Liang Ming's face, and he asked:

"Any of you guys interested in working at our Xiangmanlou restaurant?"

Upon hearing Liang Ming's words, everyone, from the employees of Xiangmanlou to the three men, was astonished.

Liang Ming just kicked them out of the kitchen, and now he's rehiring them.

Isn't this just insane?

"Don't misunderstand, I recruited you here not to be kitchen apprentices, but to be our Xiangmanlou's security guards."

Liang Ming noticed their confusion and explained.

As Xiangmanlou Restaurant's business grew, it was inevitable that some gangsters would come to cause trouble.

Having a few kung fu masters to keep things under control can save a lot of trouble.

"We're all people sent by state-run restaurants, can you trust us to work with you?"

The burly man looked enlightened, but still asked hesitantly.

"If you employ someone, trust them; if you don't trust someone, don't employ them. I'll say it again: if you're willing to come, I'll pay you 50 yuan a month," Liang Ming said with a smile.

As soon as these words came out, the crowd was in an uproar.

"60 yuan a month? My goodness, that's more than double what I made as a kitchen apprentice. Security guards make that much money?"

"These people are incredibly lucky."

The burly man and his two companions behind him were also attracted by the high wages.

"Are you really in charge of giving so much?" the burly man asked.

“I am a shareholder of Xiangmanlou, so I can make the decision. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Boss Jiang.”

Liang Ming pointed to Jiang Meizhuang standing to the side and said.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Meizhuang immediately replied, "Liang Ming's words are my words."

Upon receiving Jiang Meizhuang's reply, the burly man and his companion became breathless.

"Boss Liang, we are willing to work at Xiangmanlou Restaurant."

"Yes, we'll go back right now and tell my relative to have some self-respect and stop eyeing our Xiangmanlou's menu all the time!"

"That's right, even if they're relatives, they won't make us betray Xiangmanlou!"

After saying that, the three of them turned around and walked out of Xiangmanlou.

Seeing this, everyone's expressions turned strange.

These three people were just arguing fiercely with Xiangmanlou over the state-run restaurant, but now they've become loyal employees of Xiangmanlou.

……

Inside a private room at Xiangmanlou Restaurant.

“Brother Liang Ming, you’ve already made your decision, so I can’t say anything more.”

"But I still want to ask you one question: why did you recruit those people from the state-run restaurant who stole the menu?"

After pulling Liang Ming to sit down, Jiang Meizhuang asked in confusion.

“Sister Meizhuang, I just thought those three men were in good shape and had martial arts training, so they could be our security guards.”

Liang Ming and Jiang Meizhuang explained:

"Our Xiangmanlou restaurant is about to open a branch. In addition to the quality of service and food, we also want to ensure that customers can eat with peace of mind."

"You know the current social climate. If a restaurant doesn't have a few security guards, it's easy for trouble to break out."

After hearing Liang Ming's explanation, Jiang Meizhuang felt it made sense, but still said:

"That's true, but we can hire people from outside, why do we have to hire those three people specifically?"

Seeing that Jiang Meizhuang seemed a little confused, Liang Ming smiled and asked in return, "Sister Meizhuang, let me ask you, where did these three people come from?"

"They came from a state-run restaurant."

"What is the purpose?"

"They're stealing recipes from our Xiangmanlou Restaurant."

"To be precise, they want to steal our recipes, take away our business, and ruin Xiangmanlou," Liang Ming added.

"Of course I know that, but what does that have to do with you recruiting those three people?"

Jiang Meizhuang still didn't understand and asked.

"Those three people, although they were not employees of the state-run restaurant, all had relatives working there."

“I paid them 60 yuan to work as security guards. That’s more than what their relatives who work as waiters in state-run restaurants earn.”

"Do you think they might show off to their relatives?"

Liang Ming asked back with a wicked smile.

In those days, people who could work in state-run restaurants were all employed and had a secure job.

They all have an inherent arrogance, and they must have often shown off their income and social status to their relatives and friends.

This trend only gradually changed in the mid-80s when the wave of people going into business began and more and more wealthy people emerged.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Meizhuang also understood Liang Ming's meaning:

“Brother Liang Ming, you paid a lot of money to hire those three people as security guards, just so they could go back and brag about their wages.”

"Let them plant a thorn in the hearts of their relatives who work as waiters in state-run restaurants?"

"Sister Meizhuang, I'm not just here to plant a thorn in my side, I'm also here to sow discord among those like Director Baishi," Liang Ming explained with a smile.

"You tell me, even the security guards at our privately owned restaurants earn 60 yuan a month. How can the employees at those state-owned restaurants possibly sit still?"

"If they keep demanding higher wages, who do you think will be the one with the headache?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Meizhuang gave Liang Ming a thumbs up and said:

"Brother Liang Ming, this is a blatant conspiracy of yours."

Liang Ming's plan was both a way to retaliate against Director Bai's despicable act of trying to steal their Xiangmanlou recipes.

It can also mediate the conflict between the state-run restaurant staff and Director Bai.

If the restaurant staff start a commotion and demand higher wages, the operation of the state-run restaurant will definitely run into problems, and customers will naturally flock to Xiangmanlou.

Furthermore, it can recruit several security guards who have martial arts training, thereby improving the operational safety of Xiangmanlou Restaurant.

That's killing four birds with one stone!

Thinking of this, Jiang Meizhuang looked at Liang Ming with a slightly drooling gaze: "Brother Liang Ming, letting you invest in our Xiangmanlou was truly the best decision I've ever made."

It would be a lie to say she wasn't attracted to such an outstanding younger brother.

"Sister Meizhuang, it was just an idea I came up with on the spur of the moment," Liang Ming said modestly.

"Without your support, this plan would not have succeeded."

“Brother Liang Ming, there’s no need for such formalities between us. What’s mine is yours.”

Jiang Meizhuang smiled charmingly and said.

Feeling Jiang Meizhuang's burning gaze, Liang Ming couldn't sit still any longer.

He quickly stood up and said, "Sister Meizhuang, it's getting late, I should go."

Seeing Liang Ming's somewhat frightened appearance, Jiang Meizhuang found it amusing and said aloud:

“Okay, all the mountain produce and river seafood have been weighed. Adding the 100 braised ducks, it comes to 832 yuan in total. I’ll have the cashier bring the money over.”

After receiving the money, Liang Ming left Xiangmanlou Restaurant.

After delivering the remaining braised ducks to the steel plant in the county town, Liang Ming returned to Liangjia Village.

Meanwhile, the three young men recruited by Liang Ming also arrived at the state-run restaurant and found their relatives.