Reborn in 1981, the first to get rich start with dairy cows.

There are several snack stalls in the City God Temple area, with rows of various snack and pastry shops.

However, the City God Temple at this time was not as large as it would be in later years; it was only a few streets long, and you could walk through it in no time.

Last night, Li Hu was too embarrassed to pick up any food, and Zhu Chengrong was too busy listening to the section chief's speech to eat much. The three of them ate at the guesthouse canteen this morning. After taking the bus and walking all morning, they were all starving.

"Boss, two fried radish cakes, please." The fried radish cakes are made from shredded radish. They are deep-fried in oil, and the crispy outer layer combined with the salty and savory flavor is delicious.

Li Hu was amazed that Shen Dong could name the shop even though it didn't have a sign.

"How much are they? Give me two too."

Zhu Chengrong bought one hesitantly, tasted it, and thought it was delicious.

Besides the snack stalls, there were also teahouses for listening to music, but these were beyond their means, so they just stood at the door for a while and then left.

Shen Dong bought some peach shortbread and other pastries, which are all durable, to take home.

Zhu Chengrong and Li Hu didn't know much, and the waiter was unresponsive when they asked. Fortunately, Shen Dong helped them pick out some items, which completed their task for the day.

When they returned to the guesthouse, Shen Dong asked Li Hu to write down the prices he had memorized that day.

"Dongzi, I was thinking about this on my way back. If we really manage to get our products on the counter at First Food Company, won't the state-owned factories quickly take over? Wouldn't we be doing all the work for them?"

Li Hu rarely had a subjective opinion, and Shen Dong immediately gave him a thumbs up.

"You're absolutely right, it will definitely be copied, but not very quickly!"

Shen Dong patiently explained to him, "I'm asking you, if a state-owned factory's products have problems, whose responsibility is it?"

"Factory manager!"

"Then who is he responsible to?"

"It's the higher-ups!"

"If something goes wrong at our factory, who am I responsible to?"

Li Hu immediately understood: under the system of state-owned factories, the factory director's decisions were destined to be conservative.

He only acts after the market has repeatedly tested and verified any decision he makes. At that time, Shen Dong can launch new flavors to meet the market demand.

In terms of quality and marketing, Baotashan Dairy Factory certainly couldn't compete with other state-owned factories, but it had its own advantages.

It is lightweight, maneuverable, efficient, and does not require reporting to superiors.

"So, does that mean we can really work at the counter?"

"It's not the right time yet." Shen Dong had to pour cold water on him. Having lofty goals is a good thing, but one shouldn't be too ambitious.

"With our meager daily output, we can't even sell enough in Pengcheng. You want to transport it all the way to Shanghai? How? How much?"

Li Hu's spirits immediately plummeted after being dampened by the cold water poured on him.

But young people have a lot of ideas. He quickly realized the key point: "At least our product is leading-edge; none of them are in Shanghai."

"That's true. Before I came here, I thought Shanghai was something special, but I didn't expect it to be even more impressive than our Director Shen."

"Accountant Zhu, you've learned to flatter people too?" Li Hu joked.

"Well, I'd only flatter Director Shen if he were truly capable, wouldn't I?!"

Shen Dong interrupted the two with a smile, then continued his analysis: "There's one more thing, I don't know if you've noticed, but everyone else is using glass bottles now, what are we?"

This is the advantage of state-owned factories: they can use glass bottles, even if the output is small, without any problems, while small factories in communes are still using ceramic jars.

Although glass bottles are more expensive, the perceived quality is different.

"Dongzi, you're right. We need to face reality. There is a gap, but as long as we work hard, we will definitely catch up."

Instead of teasing Li Hu, Shen Dong said with a smile, "Alright, let's rest for a while. We've been walking all day."

That evening, they prepared to have dinner at the guesthouse. Just as they were about to go there, the receptionist came over: "Comrade Shen Dong, there's a telegram."

Shen Dong sent a telegram to them yesterday, telling them to send a telegram if there was anything urgent. He didn't expect that something would happen just one day later.

Shen Dong jogged to the gatehouse and learned that the notices were posted on the blackboard, so he went to look for them.

The message was very short: The director called back immediately, with just six words.

Shen Dong was startled and quickly returned to the front desk. "Comrade, I'd like to make a long-distance call to Changlin County, Pengcheng."

The waiter looked up and said, "Name, company."

"Shen Dong, Baotashan Commune, Changlin County, Pengcheng."

"Okay, pay a two-dollar deposit first, and I'll connect you to a long-distance radio station in Shanghai right away."

Long-distance calls were very expensive at that time, and most people couldn't afford to make them. It cost 60 cents per minute, and it was calculated in three-minute increments.

The waiter picked up the microphone, shook it twice, and said into the receiver: "Hello, long-distance station, Shanghai Light Industry Guesthouse, emergency long-distance call, connecting to Baotashan Commune, Changlin County, Pengcheng District."

After saying that, he hung up the phone. "Just wait. It'll be handled manually, one level at a time. You can sit there and wait."

Shen Dong stood by the counter, pacing anxiously back and forth.

I've only been away for three days. Even if something happened at home, they would know I'm busy on official business and wouldn't bother me. Since they sent a telegram, it seems something really did happen.

Because it's a manual process, it first goes from the Shanghai switchboard to Pengcheng, and then to the commune below. This whole process takes more than ten minutes.

"It's connected. It's a call from your commune's switchboard. Answer it quickly!"

Shen Dong grabbed the microphone and held it to his ear.

It was filled with electrical noise and crackling interference, and the volume kept fluctuating.

He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Hey! Hey! This is Shen Dong!"

"Dongzi, it's your aunt!" Tang Yue's voice came through the microphone.

"Aunt, has something happened at home?" Shen Dong's voice was tense.

Tang Yue quickly reassured her, speaking rapidly: "Yesterday after school, Xiaomin was pushed into the river by Tao Damao and Er Mao. She was frightened and caught a cold and fever last night... but now... she's fine..."

"Hey! Hey! How's it going now?" Shen Dong's heart sank. Tang Yue hadn't even said a few words before the sound from the receiver became intermittent.

Fortunately, after a few seconds, the voice returned to normal: "I'm fine, I feel much better today after taking the medicine."

"Damn it, when I get back I'll beat them both to death." Shen Dong couldn't help but swear.

"Hey, comrade, you can't swear. You have to be polite," the waiter said, tapping the table nearby.

Shen Dong gave an apologetic smile, and Tang Yue continued into the microphone, "Tao Aihui has already beaten them up and brought the two kids home, but you didn't respond. Afterwards, Wang Shuangfeng came and took the two kids back."

"Don't worry, everything's fine at home. When are you coming back?"

Shen Dong had only exchanged a few words and was about to say something more when the waiter impatiently urged, "Hurry up, comrade, there are other people waiting."

The phone call would be expensive and would require switching lines, and there were two people waiting at the door, so Shen Dong hung up.

On his way back to his room, Shen Dong muttered to himself: "Damn it, does he really think he's made of mud?"