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

Sure enough, there was a truffle lying in the soil, about half the size of Liu Weidong's fist. He carefully dug away the surrounding soil, took the truffle out intact, and looked at it from left to right, grinning from ear to ear.

Although this thing looks like a potato, it's much more expensive. This small piece that Liu Weidong has is enough to exchange for several hundred kilograms of potatoes!

Liu Weidong carefully collected the truffles, and when he turned his head, he saw Wangcai watching him from the side. Not only was its tail tightly tucked between its legs, but its whole body was also trembling slightly, looking very frightened.

At first, Liu Weidong was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood what was going on. Wangcai had almost been killed and eaten by its former owner because it loved to look for truffles, and it must have been beaten a lot for it. Now it had become a conditioned reflex, and it was terrified whenever it found truffles.

However, Liu Weidong wanted to do the opposite, to make Wangcai understand that finding the truffles was the right thing to do, and that not only would finding the truffles not result in a beating, but would also bring benefits.

Liu Weidong had anticipated this, and last night he had Wang Shujuan cook some pork ribs. After removing all the meat, the remaining bones with a little bit of meat were the best reward for the dog.

Liu Weidong gave Wangcai a bone, rubbed the dog's head and praised loudly, "Wangcai, you're great! This is a reward for you, eat it!"

Understanding the praise in its owner's words, Wangcai became lively again. It chewed the bone up and swallowed it in a few bites, then wagged its tail frantically at Liu Weidong.

"After you finish eating, let's go find some more truffles!" Liu Weidong patted his dog's head, encouraging it to continue its search for truffles.

Wangcai did not disappoint Liu Weidong. He continued to search around the mountain and found many more truffles.

Liu Weidong discovered that the dog was indeed very intelligent, and it quickly learned that all it needed to do was find truffles, without having to dig them up directly. So every time a truffle was found, Wangcai would sit down next to it and wait for Liu Weidong to dig it up, while it enjoyed the meaty bone as a reward.

After most of the day had passed, Liu Weidong had dug up a pile of truffles, weighing about twelve or thirteen pounds. Overjoyed with his bountiful harvest, he couldn't help but sigh at how wonderful it is to be young.

It was only in my early twenties that I had the energy to run around the mountains and fields with my dog. Decades later, even climbing three flights of stairs would be a struggle; it's truly incomparable to that time!

Seeing that it was almost time, Liu Weidong took Wangcai down the mountain to go home. However, they ran into Wang Deli just as they reached the foot of the mountain.

Wang Deli had recently been eyeing Liu Weidong, and upon seeing him, he immediately perked up and greeted him in a mocking manner: "Isn't this Weidong? Heading out to find mountain produce?"

Upon encountering this old fellow, Liu Weidong couldn't help but frown inwardly, but on the surface he still smiled and said, "Yes, the weather is getting warmer, and I wanted to try my luck on the mountain, but I didn't find anything except a few pig mushrooms."

Wang Deli glanced secretly at Liu Weidong's basket before feigning regret and saying, "Nobody wants these pig-head mushrooms. Even if you take them to the market, they won't fetch a good price. You've wasted your time!"

"Bad luck, there's nothing I can do." Liu Weidong shook his head helplessly and decided to go home, not intending to waste any more words with Wang Deli.

But Wang Deli stopped Liu Weidong and said to him with a sneer, "Weidong, everyone has to go to work in the fields since yesterday. I heard you haven't worked these past two days. Do you still want your work points?"

"Village Chief, I haven't been feeling well lately and need to rest for a while. I'd like to ask for a sick leave today." Liu Weidong lied without batting an eye, and casually said to Wang Deli, "To compensate for the losses caused by taking leave, I'm willing to pay the village twenty yuan every month!"

Twenty yuan is a lot of money these days, especially in rural areas.

Take Hexi Village for example. A strong laborer can only earn about 40 or 50 yuan a year by working in the fields each day. By that standard, Liu Weidong's contribution is already very generous.

Moreover, Liu Weidong spoke to Wang Deli privately, which meant that he could do whatever he wanted with the money. It was thought that this greedy old man would gladly accept this condition.

However, Liu Weidong underestimated Wang Deli's greed. Instead, he adopted a lecturing tone, saying, "Weidong, this attitude won't do! Trying to use money to avoid work is unacceptable!"

This old fellow actually put on airs, which made Liu Weidong a little unhappy. He said calmly, "Village chief, I really can't do any work. At worst, I won't take a single penny at the end of the year, and the village doesn't need to distribute grain to me!"

Liu Weidong's words were tantamount to flipping the table, and Wang Deli quickly put on a smiling face and said, "Don't talk like that. How could the village not distribute grain to you? What would you and your sister eat then? Actually, it's not that you can't not work, as long as you contribute to the village in other ways! At the end of the year, I will not only distribute the full amount of grain to you, but I will also give you all the work points. Let's see who dares to gossip!"

Knowing that Wang Deli was the type to only act after seeing a tangible benefit, and that he was only offering such good terms because he wanted more, Liu Weidong immediately said in a deep voice, "Village Chief, just tell me straight, what exactly do you want me to do?"

“I see your family’s circumstances are getting better and better. Leaving aside the bicycle and such, just looking at the food and clothing, the five hundred yuan I gave you must have been spent long ago, right?” Wang Deli said, feigning concern. “If I’m not mistaken, you must have other ways to make money. Isn’t everyone advocating for hard work to get rich these days? Why don’t you tell me your methods, and I’ll lead the whole village to prosperity together!”

After saying this, Wang Deli stared intently at Liu Weidong, waiting for his reply. The thought of soon learning Liu Weidong's secret to wealth made Wang Deli swallow hard, his breathing becoming unconsciously rapid.

Looking at the old man's greedy expression, Liu Weidong chuckled inwardly. His talk of leading the whole village to prosperity was just an excuse.

Given Wang Deli's greedy nature, once he knows how to make money, he will only care about himself and will not care about the lives of others.

Liu Weidong wasn't some hot-blooded youth; he wouldn't betray his interests because of a few words from others. He immediately put on a funny face and said, "Village chief, you overestimate me. I'm just an ordinary farmer. What way do I have to make money? I just recently went to work in the county and earned some pocket money. I haven't made any fortune!"

Wang Deli, of course, didn't believe this explanation. He narrowed his eyes and stared at him, saying, "Liu Weidong, I think you're not lacking in ways to make money, but rather you don't want to tell me! Young man, don't blindly follow the wrong path; it won't do you any good!"