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

Liu Weidong asked, puzzled, "Mr. Pierre, what do you mean by this?"

“Mr. Liu, I am very satisfied with the mushrooms you sent. Both the matsutake and truffles are of excellent quality!” Pierre, being a straightforward man, expressed his concerns to Liu Weidong: “But as you can see, I am just the head chef of this small Western restaurant. You sent too many matsutake and truffles; I can’t possibly use them all!”

Liu Weidong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Haha, so this is what's troubling you? I have a perfect solution, would you like to hear it?"

Pierre exclaimed happily, "Of course I'm willing! Come on, let's go to my office to discuss this in detail!"

These days, the country still treats foreigners well; even chefs have their own offices. Pierre invited Liu Weidong to sit down and even poured him a cup of coffee.

Liu Weidong took a sip, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Oh, this aroma and taste, is it civet coffee?"

Pierre exclaimed in surprise, "You're the first Chinese person I've ever met who can tell this is civet coffee! It's amazing!"

These days, the most popular drink is malted milk powder. Most people have never even tasted coffee, let alone been able to identify the specific type of coffee after just one sip. No wonder the French were so surprised.

Liu Weidong remained calm, put down his coffee cup, and said, "Let's forget about such trivial matters and get down to business!"

This made Liu Weidong even more credible in Pierre's eyes, and the Frenchman quickly nodded and asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"

Liu Weidong said with a smile, "Old Pi, I only gave you this idea because I really consider you a friend. If you think it works, that would be great. If not, just pretend I didn't say anything, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone!"

Pierre frowned and muttered under his breath, "My last name isn't Pierre..."

"Oh, don't worry about the details!" Liu Weidong patted Pierre on the shoulder casually and said, "Tell me first, what is the purpose of coming all this way to work in China?"

Pierre said in a serious tone, "Of course, it's for the friendship between the Chinese and French people, and so that the Chinese people can also taste authentic French cuisine..."

"I don't believe you for a second!" Liu Weidong interrupted the Frenchman's nonsense without hesitation, and said impatiently, "Tell the truth!"

Pierre then honestly replied, "To make more money!"

Liu Weidong said with satisfaction, "That's right. Don't try to fool me in the future! Right now, there's an opportunity to make more money right in front of you. It's just a matter of whether you're interested."

Pierre quickly replied, "Is that even a question? Of course I'm interested!"

Liu Weidong then told the French, "Your restaurant can't use all the mushrooms I sent, so you can sell them to your counterparts in France at a higher price! I'm sure they'll be very interested in them at such a low price and with such excellent quality!"

Currently, the government does not allow private individuals to export goods, but Pierre is a foreigner, so exporting these ingredients under his name is much easier. That's why Liu Weidong decided to cooperate with Pierre; it's indeed a win-win situation.

These words opened a new world for Pierre, who couldn't help but slap his forehead and exclaim, "That's right, how come I didn't think of that!"

"Haha, Lao Pi, your main job is a chef, so it's normal for you to think about these things!" Liu Weidong laughed. "Now you won't be bothered by the excessive amount of mushrooms I send, right?"

Pierre ignored Liu Weidong's calls and said with a big smile, "No, no, your idea is brilliant! I'll contact my colleagues in France right away, and they'll definitely be eager to buy it!"

Liu Weidong reminded the French: "Besides contacting your counterparts, remember to ask about shipping costs and customs duties. Don't quote too low a price, or you'll end up losing money!"

Logically, this shouldn't be Liu Weidong's business, but what he wanted was a client with whom he could cooperate long-term, and he certainly didn't want Pierre to lose money, so he specifically reminded him.

Pierre, of course, understood that Liu Weidong meant well, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Thank you for reminding me, I will find out! However, these kinds of mushrooms are very expensive in France. As long as the price is reasonable, not only will we not lose money, but we will definitely make a lot of money, haha!"

Seeing the Frenchman's happy smile, Liu Weidong knew he was sure to make a good profit from this deal, so he smiled and said, "Old Pi, I've given you such a great idea, what do you think..."

Pierre was a straightforward man. Before Liu Weidong could finish speaking, he said decisively, "Don't worry, I will never treat my friends unfairly! From now on, all matsutake mushrooms and truffles I buy from you will be priced two-thirds higher!"

Liu Weidong secretly calculated that, according to the prices Pierre was offering, truffles would cost 500 yuan per jin (500g) and matsutake mushrooms 50 yuan per jin. Plus, with payment in foreign exchange certificates, he would earn an extra 40%, so he readily agreed.

"Haha, it's a pleasure to cooperate!" Pierre opened his arms with a big smile, about to hug Liu Weidong again.

Liu Weidong's lips twitched as he watched, and he quickly grasped Pierre's hand, saying, "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you!"

The delighted Frenchman, focused on making money, didn't pay much attention to Liu Weidong's attitude and soon went with him to weigh the matsutake mushrooms and truffles.

With Ma Yongxian's strong support, Liu Weidong brought over 120 jin of matsutake mushrooms and 8.5 jin of truffles. According to the new price Liu Weidong and Pierre had just agreed upon, these mushrooms would immediately bring Liu Weidong over 10,000 foreign exchange certificates. If Liu Weidong simply went to a scalper to exchange the foreign exchange certificates for RMB, he could easily make over 15,000!

Back in 82, this was a huge sum of money. An ordinary worker would have to save for decades without eating or drinking to accumulate that much!

Liu Weidong only dealt in some mushrooms, yet he made so much money in just a few days. It just goes to show how much of an advantage reborn people have; relying solely on information from their previous lives, they can easily live a good life.

Pierre handed Liu Weidong a thick stack of foreign exchange certificates, saying with some envy, "Mr. Liu, you must be considered a high-income earner in China!"

"Haha, it was just good luck." Liu Weidong glossed over his achievements, patted the Frenchman on the shoulder and said, "Old Pi, as long as we cooperate well, you'll also become a high-income earner in France in the future!"

Pierre was convinced of this, and after seeing Liu Weidong off, he excitedly made an international call to his colleagues in France.

Liu Weidong, carrying a thick stack of foreign exchange certificates, headed to the nearby Friendship Store, intending to exchange them for RMB.

These days, foreign exchange certificates are a rare commodity; it's uncommon to find someone with even a few dozen or a hundred yuan on them. Liu Weidong is currently carrying over ten thousand yuan in foreign exchange certificates, and if discovered, he could easily run into trouble. It's best to exchange them for yuan as soon as possible.

When Liu Weidong arrived near the Friendship Store, he unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance—the scalper who had exchanged foreign exchange certificates with him last time.