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

The old man looked to be in his fifties, with dark skin and a weathered face, clearly an old fisherman who had spent many years on the water.

Speaking of Liu Weidong's hometown, Zhonghai City, it is also nestled between mountains and the sea, boasting both continuous mountain ranges and a bountiful ocean. Besides farming, many people in the rural areas also fish at sea.

The old fisherman carried a basket on his back, which contained a large grayish-white object that looked a bit like a stone at first glance.

In his previous life, Liu Weidong had seen many photos online and knew that this unremarkable "white stone" was actually ambergris, a substance whose price was comparable to gold!

Before the old fisherman entered the supply and marketing cooperative, Liu Weidong quickly went up to him, handed him a Peony cigarette, and asked with a smile, "Grandpa, are you here to sell your fish?"

The old fisherman glanced at Liu Weidong warily, but for the sake of the peony cigarettes, he accepted them and nodded, saying, "Yes, I was lucky today. I caught a piece of dragon's blood at sea. I came to ask the supply and marketing cooperative if they would buy it!"

"Dragon's Breath" is the local name for ambergris. Liu Weidong immediately perked up and said, "Wow, you're really lucky. This stuff must fetch a lot of money, right?"

The old fisherman was also very happy when this was mentioned. After taking a puff of his cigarette, he nodded and said, "I heard that the supply and marketing cooperative's purchase price is thirty yuan per catty. My piece of dragon's blood weighs at least five or six catties, which means... thirty-five yuan, and I can sell it for at least one hundred and fifty yuan!"

Seafood isn't as valuable these days as it will be decades later. The wild yellow croaker Liu Weidong bought at the state-run restaurant last time only cost a few yuan. For fishermen, 150 yuan is indeed a considerable sum, no wonder this old fisherman is so happy.

Liu Weidong decided to make him happier, and immediately said seriously, "Sir, why don't you sell this dragon's blood to me? I'll give you a higher price, what do you think?"

The old fisherman looked at Liu Weidong suspiciously and said, "Young man, do you also want to buy dragon's blood?"

Liu Weidong said earnestly, "Yes, I'm quite interested in this. As for the price, don't worry, it's definitely much higher than the supply and marketing cooperative's, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

However, the old fishermen have always sold their catch to the supply and marketing cooperatives; it's become a habit. So, although Liu Weidong said price wasn't an issue, he still seemed quite hesitant.

"This... I'm afraid that's not a good idea. If we get caught, it'll be considered speculation and profiteering!" The old fisherman hesitated for a moment, then said to Liu Weidong with a hint of apology, "I'm sorry, young man, I think I'll sell the dragon's blood to the supply and marketing cooperative instead!"

Seeing the money he had in his hands about to slip away, Liu Weidong became a little anxious and stretched out a hand, saying, "Five hundred!"

The old fisherman stopped abruptly, asking Liu Weidong in disbelief, "How much?"

Liu Weidong didn't mince words and simply said to the old fisherman, "Five hundred yuan. I can give you the money right now. We'll exchange money for goods!"

The old fisherman had thought that Liu Weidong's high price would be at most thirty or fifty yuan more. He hadn't expected Liu to ask for five hundred yuan so soon, and he immediately began to waver. He felt that if he could earn five hundred yuan, even taking the risk of speculation would be worthwhile.

Liu Weidong could see that the old fisherman was tempted, so he quickly said to him, "Old man, now that we've reformed and opened up, we're advocating a market economy. Do you know what a market economy is? It's about free buying and selling. As long as the price is right and both parties are willing, you can sell this dragon's blood to whomever you want. It's not speculation at all!"

The old fisherman nodded thoughtfully and said, "Now that you mention it, I remember. The radio has been mentioning reform and opening up quite often lately."

Liu Weidong chuckled and said, "That's right! Radio broadcasts don't lie, do they? Don't you agree?"

The old fisherman was finally relieved and asked expectantly, "Young man, are you really willing to pay five hundred?"

"Pay now!" Liu Weidong nodded and immediately pulled out a thick wad of ten-yuan notes from his pocket.

The old fisherman's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously, saying, "Alright, I'll sell it to you then!"

However, no sooner had the old man finished speaking than a man who looked like an official came out of the supply and marketing cooperative and shouted at the two of them impatiently, "What are you doing? What are you doing? Don't chat idly at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative if you have nothing to do. Get out of here!"

This man is Cai Yong, and he is the manager of this supply and marketing cooperative.

Although the supply and marketing cooperative's business was getting worse and worse, Cai Yong was still a government employee and didn't care about the business at all. Just now, as usual, he sat behind the counter in a daze, watching the girls coming and going on the street, feeling extremely comfortable.

But later, Liu Weidong was seen whispering with an old man in front of the supply and marketing cooperative, which prevented Cai Yong from seeing the girls. So, Cai Yong impatiently came out and chased them away, telling those two nasty fellows to get lost immediately!

The man's rude attitude made Liu Weidong frown, but seeing that he was about to get his hands on the ambergris, he didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he said to the old fisherman, "Grandpa, let's go over there and talk!"

The old fisherman nodded and prepared to leave with Liu Weidong.

However, at this moment, Cai Yong also saw the contents of the basket and shouted, "Don't go!"

The old fisherman was already feeling a bit guilty, and Cai Yong's shout made him tremble all over, so he really didn't dare to leave.

Cai Yong completely ignored the old fisherman, hunched his head closer to the basket and examined it closely, muttering to himself, "It really is dragon's blood! This is wonderful!"

A few days ago, a business owner approached Cai Yong, saying he wanted to buy some ambergris and offered a price that Cai Yong couldn't refuse. Cai Yong was immediately tempted and said that as long as the sales department received the ambergris, he would secretly sell it to the other party.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, ambergris was delivered to his door. No wonder this guy was so happy!

However, Cai Yong quickly regained his composure and said expressionlessly to the old fisherman, "Bring in the dragon's blood quickly, I'll weigh it and issue you a receipt. The price of dragon's blood recently is thirty-five yuan per jin, consider yourself lucky!"

This guy was just taking advantage of his status, thinking he could take advantage of the old fishermen. He thought giving them an extra five yuan per kilogram was already very generous.

However, Liu Weidong offered a full five hundred yuan, which the old fisherman was naturally unhappy about. He glanced at him and said, "Comrade, what do you think we should do now?"

Liu Weidong knew exactly what Cai Yong was up to, and without hesitation said, "Old man, ignore this guy. Let's go over there and talk. My price remains the same!"

"Okay!" the old fisherman agreed, still intending to sell the ambergris to Liu Weidong.

After all, the old man is honest but not stupid; he can tell which is more worthwhile, five hundred yuan or a little over one hundred yuan.

Seeing that the cooked duck was about to fly away, Cai Yong panicked and immediately shouted, "No one is allowed to leave, or don't blame me for being impolite!"