Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

The next morning at six o'clock, the daughters-in-law of each household got up one after another, washed up, and went to the kitchen to help make breakfast. Since there were many people in the eldest branch of the Chen family, more porridge was cooked in the morning. Two wood-fired stoves were lit at the same time, one for cooking porridge and the other for frying eggs.

Today, the four sisters-in-law were cooking in the kitchen, all in silence. When Huang Lanzhi got up, she peeked at her four daughters-in-law and saw that they all had dark faces. Normally, four women would be making a scene, chattering away non-stop.

Huang Lanzhi didn't say anything. She picked up the kettle and went to Wei Shufen's room to help the old lady get up.

When I pushed the door open, the little rascals were already awake, playing around in bed. They had kicked the blankets so hard they were almost off the floor. When they saw Grandma Huang Lanzhi come in, they immediately started yelling and pulled the blankets over their heads.

"You debt collectors, getting up so early every day to go crazy and disturbing your grandmother's sleep! I'll get your father to spank you all later!"

"Lanzhi, don't talk about my great-grandchildren. I'm an old woman who doesn't sleep much anyway, so they can't disturb me," came the voice of old lady Wei Shufen from the inner room.

"Grandma, you're awake! Let me help you get dressed!"

"I'll help Grandma get dressed too!"

These mischievous boys, who had been keeping their heads down, immediately threw off their blankets and jumped off the bed barefoot when they heard Old Lady Wei Shufen speak up for them. Chen Rongwu was so fast that his pants fell down, and he was still holding onto them with one hand.

"Good, good, good, good girls. Grandma can dress herself." Grandma Wei Shufen was surrounded by her great-grandchildren, who helped hand her clothes and shoes. The mischievous little monkeys ran up and down the stairs, humming and whining.

"Go away, go away, go wash your faces and get ready for dinner," Huang Lanzhi put down the kettle and chased these mischievous monkeys out.

Grandma Wei Shufen watched her great-grandchildren go out with a smile. She took the hot towel that Huang Lanzhi had wrung out and wiped her face. Then she took some warm water with salt added, rinsed her mouth, and spat it into the spittoon next to the bed.

Huang Lanzhi stood to the side and started combing the old lady's hair, then pinned it up and covered it with a black net, and that was it.

For more than a decade, Huang Lanzhi has served the old lady in this way. The old lady Wei Shufen has also gotten used to her eldest daughter-in-law coming to comb her hair every morning. Sometimes, when her eldest granddaughter-in-law Zeng Xia goes back to the ancestral home to stay overnight, Huang Lanzhi will also bring Zeng Xia to the old lady Wei Shufen's place in the morning to teach her how to comb her hair.

"What happened at home last night? It was so noisy," said Grandma Wei Shufen, taking her cane and being helped up by Huang Lanzhi. She then slowly walked outside to prepare for breakfast.

Huang Lanzhi knew she couldn't hide it from the old lady, and it wasn't good to keep it a secret. Since the old lady still needed to step in today, she simply told her about the third son and his wife's plan to reinvest.

"snort!"

After listening, Old Mrs. Wei Shufen snorted coldly, said nothing, and continued walking into the hall. By this time, the men had all stood up, and the dining table was full. Old Mrs. Wei Shufen, supported by Huang Lanzhi, sat down next to Chen Xiangui, glanced at everyone, and said, "Let's eat!"

Only then did everyone start picking up their chopsticks to eat. A few mischievous kids wanted to play around, but after their father tapped their hands with chopsticks, they all quieted down and obediently ate their porridge, their little faces looking aggrieved.

Apart from the children talking, the other adults ate their meals in silence, creating a very oppressive atmosphere. Gradually, the mischievous kids realized that something was wrong, and they also stopped talking.

After dinner, the women wanted to clear the dishes, but their father-in-law, Chen Xiangui, stopped them, saying, "Don't clear the dishes yet, come sit down, we're having a meeting!"

Except for the eldest son Chen Zaiguang and his family, all four families were present. After they had all found their chairs and sat down, Chen Xianggui cleared his throat and said, "Third brother, you brought this up yourself. Today, with your three brothers and their wives all here, let's speak frankly!"

In front of his three brothers and their wives, Chen Zaiguang, with his thick skin, stood up and said, "Second brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, when you suggested that I also invest in the supermarket, I didn't have the capital and was too timid to invest. Here, I apologize to you!"

"I was short-sighted!"

"We're all family, blood is thicker than water. I'm grateful to you for thinking of bringing me into this business. Now I've come to terms with it. The company has distributed dividends, and I don't have any great skills, so I'm wondering if I could reinvest in the supermarket!"

"Dad, I'm done talking!"

After Chen Zaiguang finished speaking, he sat down. Chen Zaisheng, Chen Zailong, and Chen Zaixing, along with their wives, all remained silent and did not respond to Chen Zaiguang's words. Chen Xiangui sighed and looked at his three sons, "Speak up if you have any opinions."

"Father, we disagree," said Gu Ying, the second daughter-in-law, who was the first to object.

Fourth daughter-in-law Ma Jiao also chimed in, "Yes, we disagree too!"

"When you invested, Third Uncle, you yourself said you wouldn't participate. Dad even said at the time, 'You chose this path yourselves. How come you're going back on your word now!'"

The youngest daughter-in-law, Wu Fangru, retorted to her third uncle, Chen Zaiguang, with a forced smile, "Third Uncle, even a child knows that you have to keep your word, haha! You're not even as wise as a child, are you?"

When Chen Zaiguang saw that none of his three brothers spoke up, and only let their wives speak, his face darkened. At this moment, Lin Ruiqing stood up to speak for her husband, "Sister-in-law, that's not how it works. They're all family, not outsiders. If your third uncle reinvests, it's all in the family."

"Third Aunt, do you think I don't know whether the meat is rotten in the pot or not? We've already agreed on something, it's pointless to bring it up again. We've opened the supermarket and are making a profit now, so we don't need a few extra coins," Wu Fangru said, turning to the side and not looking directly at Lin Ruiqing.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Wu Fangru, Lin Ruiqing turned to her two easy-going sisters-in-law, Gu Ying and Ma Jiao, saying, "Second Aunt, Zai Guang hands over all his salary to the family. He also contributed to the money for Second Uncle's hospital treatment."

"Zaiguang, thinking of me as his own brother, kept advising me to be more careful with my pregnancy. Even when using the village's bicycle to take my second uncle to the hospital, it was Zaiguang who did the most work..."

"Hehehe!" Wu Fangru laughed, interrupting Lin Ruiqing. "Third Uncle works at the county meat processing plant all day long. He's the one who does the most work there. Even though my family often takes Second Uncle to the county hospital, we've never mentioned it!"

"Zai Xing said, 'What's so great about pulling your own brother into this? Third Aunt, when it comes to people and things, you can't be so eager for credit or to take credit for others' work, otherwise you're just being too calculating!'"

"I'm a few years younger than you, so what I say might not be nice, Third Aunt, please don't take it to heart!"