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

Liu Weidong was quite surprised that Hao Qiang would oppose his son doing odd jobs despite having such good conditions.

Hao Jianjun became even more displeased and shouted at Hao Qiang, "Dad, why won't you let me go?"

"Children shouldn't interrupt adults!" Hao Qiang glared at his son, then said to Liu Weidong with a gentle smile, "Weidong, as the saying goes, 'A young man with no experience is unreliable.' Jianjun is still too young to handle such an important task. How about... Uncle goes in his place?"

"Pfft..." Liu Weidong was drinking the water Hao Jianjun handed him when he heard this and immediately spat it all over the floor.

It turns out that Hao Qiang himself wanted to earn the 150 yuan in place of his son. You have to admire how quick-witted the old man was; he came up with this idea in the blink of an eye.

Hao Jianjun was immediately displeased and couldn't help but shout, "Dad, Brother Weidong came to see me. Why are you even trying to steal your own son's job?"

"How dare you talk like that? Would I steal my own son's job?" Hao Qiang glared at his son and said, "I'm working for you, and the money I earn is going to be saved for you to get married in the future. You're such a heartless wretch!"

Hao Qiang was right; these days, the vast majority of parents work themselves to the bone for their children. He didn't really want to take Hao Jianjun's job; he was just afraid that Hao Jianjun would squander the money, so he figured it was better for Hao Jianjun to work hard and earn it himself.

However, as long as Liu Weidong needed Hao Jianjun's help, he certainly couldn't let Hao Qiang interfere. So he could only use the trick he learned in his previous life and said regretfully to Hao Qiang, "I'm sorry, Uncle Qiang, they only want people under thirty-five years old. You're too old."

"Oh dear, there's an age requirement!" Hao Qiang said with deep regret, but still asked Liu Weidong, "Weidong, don't underestimate Uncle Qiang just because he's older. He's just as capable as any young man. Could you make an exception?"

"Uncle Qiang, I can't keep my word on this, I'm sorry!" Liu Weidong naturally refused outright, and then said to Hao Jianjun, "Jianjun, if you're willing to go, come to my house first thing tomorrow morning, and we'll go to the county town together."

Hao Jianjun said enthusiastically, "Of course I'm willing! I'll come find you tomorrow!"

"Okay, see you tomorrow!" Liu Weidong didn't waste any more words and hurried home after settling things.

It was getting late, and Wang Shujuan was just about to have dinner when she saw Liu Weidong rushing in. She exclaimed with delight, "Weidong, you're back!"

"Yeah, I have some things to take care of in the village, I'll leave tomorrow morning." Liu Weidong nodded, glanced at the dining table, and immediately frowned, saying, "Is this what you eat while I'm not home?"

There was only a bowl and a small dish on the table. The dish contained pickled vegetables that Wang Shujuan had made herself, while the bowl contained sweet potato porridge. The sweet potato porridge was so thin that you could see your reflection in it; it was more like soup than porridge.

Even by today's standards of living in rural areas, Wang Shujuan's diet is far too poor; no wonder Liu Weidong noticed that she seems to have lost some weight recently.

Although Liu Weidong had been much kinder to Wang Shujuan lately, the girl was still somewhat afraid of him. Seeing Liu Weidong's accusatory look, Wang Shujuan almost burst into tears, her eyes red and speechless.

Liu Weidong quickly softened his tone and said, "Sister, I'm not blaming you, I'm just worried about how poorly you're eating. How can you eat only sweet potato porridge and pickled vegetables? You're getting thinner and thinner, even your cheeks are sunken. How can this go on!"

It turned out that Liu Weidong was concerned about her health, which warmed Wang Shujuan's heart. She lowered her head and whispered, "I'm fine. I've been getting by like this for the past few years. Don't worry."

The more Wang Shujuan said this, the more Liu Weidong felt sorry for her. He quickly said gently, "Sister, our family wasn't well-off before, so we had no choice but to endure hardship. It's different now. Haven't I already given you some money? Why don't you spend it?"

Wang Shujuan replied softly, "I've saved it all, just in case... I mean just in case, if you lose money in business, I'll have a backup plan."

Liu Weidong then realized that Wang Shujuan had done all this for him, and he was incredibly moved. Such a gentle and beautiful girl, always thinking of him in every way—he had actually disliked her before; he had been so blind!

Overwhelmed with emotion, Liu Weidong gently pulled Wang Shujuan into his arms and whispered in her ear, "Sister, thank you!"

Wang Shujuan's tall and slender body froze instantly, her whole body trembling slightly with tension, but she dared not push Liu Weidong away, for fear of upsetting him again.

Fortunately, Liu Weidong noticed Wang Shujuan's nervousness and quickly let go of her, taking out a wad of banknotes from his pocket and saying, "Sister, don't worry too much. The melon seed business is doing very well. Look, we've earned over two hundred today!"

Wang Shujuan exclaimed with delight, "I've already earned over three hundred in the past few days, so it seems I won't lose money."

"Of course! You can rest assured!" Liu Weidong said with a smile, "Go to the market tomorrow and buy some meat and eggs to nourish your body. Don't try to save any more money. If you run out, come back to me, understand?"

"Mmm!" Wang Shujuan replied softly. The feeling of being cared for made her very happy, and a smile appeared on her pretty face.

Liu Weidong nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's more like it. I won't let you suffer anymore. In short, we can't let ourselves suffer!"

Liu Weidong exuded strong confidence as he spoke, and his self-assured demeanor made Wang Shujuan's heart race. She looked at Liu Weidong with admiration, thinking that he was extremely handsome.

Just then, someone suddenly knocked loudly on the door. Startled, Wang Shujuan quickly turned her head, feeling her cheeks burning hot, as if she had done something wrong.

As soon as Liu Weidong opened the door, he saw Luo Gang from the same village standing outside. He immediately frowned and said coldly, "Luo Lao Er, what do you want?"

Luo Gang, like Zhao Baojun, was a local hoodlum, and the two actually had a pretty good relationship. Last time Liu Weidong taught Zhao Baojun a lesson, Luo Gang spoke up for him quite a bit; he and Liu Weidong were completely different people.

It's so late now, and Luo Gang actually came to my door on his own initiative. He must be up to no good, so Liu Weidong certainly wasn't going to give him a friendly look.

However, Luo Gang seemed completely oblivious to Liu Weidong's attitude, and instead leaned closer to him and whispered, "Weidong, something bad has happened!"

Liu Weidong frowned and said, "Don't make a fuss, get to the point!"

"I just passed by Haixia's... oops, I mean, by Widow Qi's house, and I heard her moaning inside!" Luo Gang told Liu Weidong mysteriously. "I also heard what sounded like a man's voice in Widow Qi's house, hehe... he's definitely up to no good!"

Liu Weidong frowned and said, "What does this have to do with me?"

"Oh dear, how can it not concern us that someone is doing such a scandalous thing in the village!" Luo Gang said righteously, "It concerns the reputation of our village, we have to do something about it! You go and keep an eye on Widow Qi's house first, I'll go find the village chief, we'll catch him in the act!"

Before Liu Weidong could speak, Luo Gang hurriedly left, instructing him as he went, "Is it settled then? I'm going to find the village chief. Hurry up and get there before they get away!"

Watching Luo Gang's figure disappear into the darkness, Liu Weidong's lips curled into a cold smile, and he muttered to himself, "Interesting, they're trying to play dirty tricks. Let's see what kind of schemes they can come up with!"