Nowadays, ten thousand yuan is not much. When the market is good, takeaway boys and courier boys can make money in a month. But in the 1970s and 1980s, the term "household worth ten thousand yuan" was used to describe the rich. The business environment at that time was not as relaxed as it is today. For ordinary people, this was an astronomical figure. However, there were still many iconic figures in that era.

For example, Nian Guangjiu, the founder of Foolish Guazi, earned 1 million in 1976 and became a well-known figure that everyone loved. Compared with other celebrities of his generation, Nian Guangjiu's experience is more legendary, and making money is just an ordinary part of it. As a "prominent person" at the time, Nian Guangjiu had been in prison, was named by Deng Gong three times, and had four marriages in his life.

However, after so many years, Fool Guazi has gradually disappeared from people’s sight. So, as a legend of the generation, what about Nian Guangjiu now?

He was called a "fool" because of his honesty, and earned 1 million in 1976

Writer Wu Xiaobo had a wonderful evaluation of the entrepreneurs who emerged before and after China's reform and opening up, saying that they came from rough backgrounds , elegant temperament, courage to win. Nian Guangjiu used all of these three words. In terms of his background, Nian Guangjiu had the experience of running away from famine with his father when he was young. He started selling food with his father at the age of nine. Because of his honesty and honesty, Nian Guangjiu has been called "Little Fool" since he was a child. This is why he later got the name "Fool's Melon Seeds" when he started a melon seed business.

Before becoming a fool, Nian Guangjiu went through a turbulent period and was sentenced to one year for "speculation." For a long time afterwards, Nian Guangjiu's melon seed business was conducted secretly. Since 1964, Nian Guangjiu has been frying hundreds of kilograms of melon seeds at night every day, and then selling them while the workers are off work. According to Nian Guangjiu himself, he had already earned one million in 1976, and it may be more than 100 million now.

Being named by Deng Gong three times and married four wives

In 1983, the business environment began to relax. Nian Guangjiu’s melon seed company had hired more than 100 people, so he was hired again. Labeled as a "capitalist". Compared with Jack Ma and others today, what kind of capitalist is Nian Guangjiu? That is, when the limelight was at its peak, Nian Guangjiu escaped with Deng Gong's words: "Let him develop and see." After that, Deng Gong mentioned Nian Guangjiu and Fool Guazi twice, which not only allowed Fool Guazi to develop smoothly, but also increased its popularity a lot.

Compared with the success in business, Nian Guangjiu's married life was full of twists and turns. His first wife, Geng Xiuyun, had a disagreement with Nian Guangjiu when he decided to expand the scale of Fool Guazi, which eventually led to their divorce. It is said that Nian Guangjiu almost left home at that time and only took away some tools for frying melon seeds. But in 1989, 50-year-old Nian Guangjiu ushered in his "second spring" and married 23-year-old Peng Xiaohong.

It’s just that Nian Guangjiu’s marriage to Peng Xiaohong didn’t last long. After that, he met his third wife Li Aihua and Chen Huifang, who was 30 years younger than him. Chen Huifang also helped Nian Guangjiu open more than 60 stores in Henan, so she can be said to be his good wife.

Infighting within the family, the eldest son died mysteriously

As the saying goes, heroes grow old. In 2001, Nian Guangjiu was 63 years old and it was time to enjoy his old age. At this time, he made a major decision, which was to sell the trademark rights of Foolish Guazi to Changzi Nian Jinbao for 1 cent. In fact, this is nothing more than Nian Guangjiu letting his son inherit his family business. To outsiders, it is just a normal operation. But his second son Nian Qiang immediately jumped out to object and took Nian Jinbao to court. For a time the two brothers went to court.

This lawsuit has been going on for several years, but to no avail. But by 2006, Nian Jinbao died in a private residence, and the outcome of the lawsuit was no longer important. Nian Guangjiu handed over the company to his son Nian Qiang to manage it.

But he focused on his wife and young son, and opened a fool's melon seed store.

Although Nian Guangjiu is 83 years old now, he still visits the stores of Shazi Guazi. He occasionally goes to the Shazi Guazi Museum founded by Nian Qiang to accept media interviews and recall the past.

For Nian Guangjiu, keeping the store of Foolish Melon Seeds has become his last wish. Nowadays, the domestic nut snack market has been occupied by brands such as Baicaowei, Three Squirrels, and Bestore . Although there are Stupid Melon Seeds available for purchase on e-commerce platforms, there is no store directly related to Stupid Melon Seeds. As a legend, Nian Guangjiu can be said to have come to an end.