Reborn in 1981, starting by smashing my iron rice bowl.

Liu Weidong wanted to trouble Huang Zhigang with the matter of using the machinery factory's trucks to load sunflower seeds in Gonggeng Village.

Transporting a thousand kilograms of sunflower seeds to the county town by hand would be incredibly difficult; it would be exhausting. Since there are trucks available now, we should definitely make use of them.

Of course, Liu Weidong wasn't letting Huang Zhigang work for nothing, so he offered to pay ten yuan for shipping.

Truck driver Lao Wang immediately agreed. After all, he was using the company's fuel, and he could earn ten yuan per trip. Only a fool wouldn't agree!

Although Ma Yongxian, the village head of Gonggeng Village, had already sold Liu Weidong 100 jin of sunflower seeds, he still had some doubts and felt that there was something wrong with the young man. For the past two days, he had been hesitating about whether to sell him more sunflower seeds, fearing that if something happened, it would implicate him.

However, when Ma Yongxian saw Liu Weidong get off the truck, with the words "Second Machinery Factory" written on the door, his previous doubts vanished instantly. This young man had even brought the factory's truck; what more could he say? He could just sell the sunflower seeds to him without worry!

So Liu Weidong successfully bought the sunflower seeds and piled them all up in his rented apartment.

Liu Weidong has had quite a few expenses these past few days: rent, a stove, and sunflower seeds, plus ten yuan for delivery, leaving him with only twenty-odd yuan in his pocket. But he's got everything he needs, so he can finally continue roasting sunflower seeds and making money!

Roasting sunflower seeds requires firewood, but unlike in the countryside, you can't cut firewood in the county town, so you have to buy firewood.

In the early 1980s, there were state-run stores in the county town that specialized in selling firewood. The stores were piled high with all kinds of wood, from crates and broken door panels to rotten furniture. Basically, any wood that had no other use was used as firewood.

The firewood wasn't expensive; you could buy five pounds for just two cents. Unlike buying honeycomb briquettes, you didn't need coal coupons. As long as you had the money and could carry it, you could buy as much as you wanted.

These firewood pieces often contain rusty nails, so you must be careful when chopping them, otherwise you may easily get tetanus.

Roasting 1,000 jin (500 kg) of sunflower seeds requires a large amount of firewood, so Liu Weidong spent two yuan to buy a full 500 jin (250 kg) of firewood. The firewood shop gave this big customer special treatment, lending Liu Weidong a handcart to haul the firewood home.

Liu Weidong didn't stop for a moment, hauling the firewood straight back to his rented house. He couldn't help but sigh at how wonderful it was to be young; his physical condition was truly outstanding, far superior to the pot-bellied, receding-hairline middle-aged man he would be decades later!

However, Liu Weidong's high-profile actions also attracted the attention of others.

Just as Liu Weidong was unloading firewood, an elderly woman wearing a red armband came up to him, looking him up and down warily, and said, "Young man, you don't live here, do you?"

These middle-aged and elderly women are the most difficult to deal with. Liu Weidong quickly greeted her with a smile: "Hello, ma'am! My name is Liu Weidong. I am a student of Teacher Wei. I am staying here temporarily for a few days and will go back before the Spring Festival."

Seeing Liu Weidong's politeness, the woman's expression softened, and she nodded gently, saying, "Oh, so you're Teacher Wei's student. What are you buying so much firewood for? There's only a month until the Spring Festival; you probably don't need this much."

Knowing that these middle-aged and elderly women were the best at gathering information, and that he knew he wouldn't be able to hide what he was about to do from them, Liu Weidong simply told the truth: "To be honest, I plan to roast some melon seeds and sell them in the county town before the New Year. We can't do without enough firewood!"

These days, people don't have a good impression of businessmen, and the old lady's face, which had just started to look better, darkened again.

Before the woman could speak, Liu Weidong continued, "Once I've roasted the first batch of melon seeds, I'll send them to you to try. I welcome any valuable feedback."

The woman quickly waved her hand and said, "No need, I don't have any spare money to buy snacks."

Liu Weidong said in a serious tone, "Look at what you're saying! I'm asking for your feedback, how could I possibly accept money!"

"It's free?" The old lady was taken aback for a moment, then said apologetically, "This... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"Perfect, absolutely perfect! You've eaten more salt than I've eaten rice, so your advice is invaluable. It's settled then. I'll bring you the roasted melon seeds as soon as I've finished roasting them," Liu Weidong said without hesitation, his attitude extremely sincere.

The woman reluctantly agreed, telling Liu Weidong that he could find her at the neighborhood committee if he needed anything, and then left with a smile.

Finally, Liu Weidong managed to coax the elderly woman away, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Don't underestimate these middle-aged and elderly women in the neighborhood committee; in the early 1980s, their words carried considerable weight. A few words on Liu Weidong's behalf at a crucial moment could save him a lot of trouble.

After moving all the firewood into the yard, Liu Weidong started a fire. In the 1970s and 80s, lighting a fire and starting a stove was a common occurrence for everyone.

First, find some waste paper like newspaper and light it, then add firewood to the stove. If you have coal briquettes or honeycomb briquettes, put them into the stove once the fire is burning brightly.

Liu Weidong didn't have any honeycomb briquettes, so he could start roasting sunflower seeds after the firewood was lit.

This busy work lasted for most of the day. By the time the sun was about to set, Liu Weidong had roasted a full 150 jin of sunflower seeds, and he was so tired that he could barely lift his arms.

Even so, Liu Weidong didn't forget to deliver some melon seeds to the neighborhood committee, where he was warmly welcomed by several elderly women.

After everyone tasted Liu Weidong's roasted sunflower seeds, they all praised them highly. They said they had never seen such delicious sunflower seeds before, and that they even came in several flavors. They never expected that such a small sunflower seed could have so many varieties.

Faced with everyone's praise, Liu Weidong was flattered and said, "I'm glad everyone likes it. Your praise gives me even more confidence. Thank you all!"

The older woman who questioned Liu Weidong during the day turned out to be the neighborhood committee director. She greeted Liu Weidong with a broad smile, saying, "Young Liu, I could tell during the day that you're a law-abiding young man. Stay here with us this month, and don't hesitate to come to us if you encounter any difficulties!"

For the price of just a few pounds of sunflower seeds, the old ladies in the neighborhood committee were able to stand on his side. This deal was incredibly worthwhile.

So Liu Weidong smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt Zheng, and thank you everyone for your concern and help. I'll bring some more melon seeds before the Spring Festival so the neighborhood committee can use them at their tea party."

"Oh, Xiao Liu, you're too kind."

"Then I thank you on behalf of everyone."

"If you have any difficulties, just come to us. Since you live here, the neighborhood committee won't ignore you!"

The members of the neighborhood committee all expressed their opinion, thinking that this young man was very good!

Having appeased the neighborhood committee aunties, Liu Weidong felt much more at ease. Early the next morning, he took some roasted melon seeds to the market.

Just like last time, Liu Weidong neatly set up the cardboard sign and then started shouting loudly: "Shanghai melon seeds, come and try them! If you don't like them, you don't have to pay!"

Before Liu Weidong could even finish his call, an old woman shouted at him from afar, "You've finally arrived! I've been looking for you for days!"

This old lady was Liu Weidong's first customer. Seeing her hurried and flustered appearance, Liu Weidong's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that something went wrong with the sunflower seeds from last time, and she's here to settle the score with him?