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

Compared to before, the scalpers today seemed unusually polite, even a bit cautious, which Liu Weidong found strange.

So Liu Weidong stepped forward and hooked his arm around the ox's neck, saying, "Hey kid, I consider you a friend, why are you being so careful?"

The scalper said gratefully, "Brother Dong, I knew you were a true friend and wouldn't forget me!"

Liu Weidong asked, amused, "Why are you doing this?"

Seeing that Liu Weidong was still the same as before, Huang Niu also resumed his usual talkative manner, saying with great enthusiasm, "Oh my, you don't know! Ever since Tiger met you last time, he's been praising you endlessly, saying you're destined for great things and will definitely make a name for yourself in the future, so..."

"So you're treating me like a stranger?" Liu Weidong chuckled. "Don't think like that. No matter what Tiger says about me, we're still good friends!"

The scalper said with emotion, "It has to be Brother Dong, he's truly loyal!"

"Alright, enough with the small talk. I'm here to exchange foreign exchange certificates with you." Liu Weidong said with a smile, "We're brothers, so let's stick to the old rule: one foreign exchange certificate for one yuan and forty cents of RMB. Is that alright?"

The scalper thought Liu Weidong would take the opportunity to raise prices, but he was so trustworthy that he quickly nodded and said, "Of course, no problem. How much are you planning to exchange this time?"

Liu Weidong hesitated for a moment and said, "Fifteen thousand, can you afford it?"

"Of course!" the scalper said seriously. "Wait for me a moment, I'll go to the bank across the street to withdraw the money!"

Maotou returned shortly afterward and, together with Liu Weidong, exchanged foreign exchange certificates for RMB at his friend's house.

Fifteen thousand yuan in foreign exchange certificates, when converted to RMB, amounted to a full eleven thousand yuan. Adding the three thousand yuan in foreign exchange certificates he hadn't yet exchanged, Liu Weidong was now undeniably a wealthy man!

Both were satisfied with the deal and returned to the Friendship Store entrance chatting and laughing, where they unexpectedly ran into the same group of thugs who had followed Huang Qian last time.

This time, the thugs were extremely well-behaved and immediately came up to greet the two men respectfully: "Brother Mao, Brother Dong!"

Although Liu Weidong had fought with these guys before, he hadn't suffered any real loss. The saying goes, "One doesn't hit a smiling face," so now that they'd come over and greeted him, Liu Weidong wasn't going to give these teenagers a hard time.

"Have a smoke!" So Liu Weidong tossed a pack of Peony cigarettes over and said casually to the group, "What's past is past, let's not take it to heart!"

Seeing that Liu Weidong was giving them face, the thugs were also very happy. The leader, wearing bell-bottoms, said with a fawning smile, "Hey, Peony! We haven't had such good cigarettes in a while. Thanks, Brother Dong!"

Mao Tou also spoke up for Liu Weidong: "Wu Wenjun, Brother Dong is someone even Tiger Boss would give a thumbs up to. He's being so polite to you guys, you should be secretly happy!"

The thugs immediately became respectful and treated Liu Weidong with even more courtesy.

For street thugs like Wu Wenjun, Tiger was undoubtedly their idol and role model. Nine out of ten thugs looked up to Tiger, hoping to one day achieve something like him. Liu Weidong was someone even Tiger admired, so naturally he earned the respect of several of them.

Wu Wenjun's gaze towards Liu Weidong changed completely. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Look at my memory! Brother Dong, someone's trying to steal your girlfriend!"

Liu Weidong was completely baffled when he heard this. He didn't have a girlfriend at all, so how could someone be trying to steal her away?

However, Liu Weidong quickly realized that Wu Wenjun's girlfriend was Huang Qian. After all, Liu Weidong had clashed with this group because of that girl last time, and in order to prevent them from harassing Huang Qian in the future, he tacitly accepted that she was his girlfriend.

After Wu Wenjun brought this up, Liu Weidong also thought of that pretty and innocent girl, and couldn't help but frown.

Although Huang Qian wasn't actually Liu Weidong's girlfriend, he was still a little worried after learning this. Liu Weidong certainly didn't want to interfere in the girl's life; he was just afraid that the guy with ill intentions towards her was Zhou Zhenyu. It would be such a pity if such a beautiful and lovely girl like Huang Qian were really ruined by that pervert!

So Liu Weidong quickly asked Wu Wenjun, "Really?"

“Absolutely true!” Wu Wenjun nodded quickly and said, “That kid stares at your girlfriend every day after school; we’ve seen it several times!”

Another thug shouted, "Brother Jun isn't lying! It's almost time for school to let out, we can take you to see!"

Liu Weidong thought for a moment and said, "Let's go take a look!"

On the way, Wu Wenjun rubbed his hands together, saying, "Brother Dong, that kid actually dared to make a move on your woman. We absolutely can't let him off easily. If you ask me, we should beat him up first!"

These thugs only cared about beating people, which left Liu Weidong speechless. He could only say in a deep voice, "Don't rush. Let me find out the situation first. You guys follow my lead!"

Wu Wenjun now admired Liu Weidong immensely and immediately nodded, saying, "Alright, we'll do whatever you say. Don't worry, Brother Dong, we'll definitely handle this matter perfectly!"

When Liu Weidong and the others arrived at the gate of No. 1 Middle School, it was just time for school to let out.

Students carrying backpacks walked out of the school gate in twos and threes, playfully chatting as they headed home. Their youthful faces were almost all beaming with joyful smiles, which made Liu Weidong feel a pang of nostalgia. Students these days faced far less pressure than in later generations; neither parents nor children were as stressed as they would be decades later.

"Look at that girl, she's pretty!"

"I think the one with short hair is prettier!"

"Wearing a white shirt is nice; those legs are really long!"

Wu Wenjun and the others didn't have as many feelings as Liu Weidong. They gathered together to look at the girls coming out of the school and commented on them.

Liu Weidong glanced at the group with disdain, then quietly took a few steps to the side, ashamed to be associated with them.

These thugs went too far, even targeting high school girls. Thankfully, thanks to Mao Tou's intervention, they stopped trying to take advantage of Huang Qian. Otherwise, having that girl targeted by this group would have been a very troublesome situation!

Liu Weidong waited at the school gate for a while before Huang Qian finally emerged from the school with light, cheerful steps. Even Liu Weidong was struck by the sight of this slender, tall girl.

It has to be admitted that although those thugs weren't exactly model citizens, their taste was impeccable. Having waited so long at the school gate, Huang Qian was definitely the prettiest girl there.

However, at that moment, a boy caught up from behind and stopped Huang Qian, speaking to her with a smile.

Wu Wenjun quickly said to Liu Weidong, "Brother Dong, this is the kid!"