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

When such a luxury car suddenly stopped on the main street of Nanshan County in Tuocheng in the 1980s, how could it not arouse the curiosity of the workers who still traveled by bicycle?

The car's paint was so black and shiny that it reflected a person's image. The body was incredibly smooth, and the waterfall-style vertical chrome grille at the front had every spoke seemingly meticulously polished and calculated, reflecting a cool and noble light under the sunlight.

With its extra-long wheelbase and incredibly smooth side profile, the car exudes understated luxury, giving the residents of Tuocheng, who are used to seeing Shanghai-plated 760 sedans on the road, a refreshing surprise.

Chen Dong wore a light gray casual suit jacket, a white shirt underneath, and blue suit trousers. He had an Ames belt around his waist, and although his leather shoes were covered in mud, their stitching and material still indicated that they were expensive.

Chen Dong reached out and pushed open the Maybach door, revealing a Rolex Daytona gold and diamond-encrusted watch on his left wrist. The crowd of onlookers immediately began to whisper among themselves when they saw the diamond-encrusted watch on Chen Dong's wrist. They looked at Chen Dong, whose attire was completely unlike that of a Chinese person, with eyes full of wariness and curiosity.

"Hello, my name is Chen Dong. I am an overseas Chinese from America," Chen Dong said, leaning against the car door and spreading his hands to the crowd surrounding the car. "Inside the car are my wife and son. We have come to Tuocheng to find our relatives and return to our ancestral home."

"Because we're unfamiliar with the roads, we've been delayed for a long time. Now we need to find a hotel to stay in. Which way should I go?"

Upon hearing Chen Dong's self-introduction, the crowd surrounding the Maybach's doubts vanished, and whispers arose among them: "So he's a fellow countryman from America! No wonder he looks like us, but his attire is so fashionable!"

"That's right! Even the president of America has come to visit China!"

"I don't see any Chinese license plates on his car. Did he drive it directly from America?"

"That can't be right. I heard America is separated from China by the Pacific Ocean. How did this car get here?"

"Comrade, we don't have hotels like those in capitalist countries around here. You'll have to try asking at the guesthouses!"

Chen Dong felt as if he were surrounded by a flock of sparrows, who chirped and asked him all sorts of questions, leaving him unsure of what to say. He could only try his best to decipher the information he needed from their dialect-speaking Chinese.

"Oh, thank you so much, thank you sir," Chen Dong stepped forward and shook the hand of the man who had told him to go to the guesthouse, shaking it a few times with gratitude.

"No need for thanks, but we're not used to calling people 'sir' here. You'll have to address them as 'comrade'," the man said with a smile.

Chen Dong waved his hand and said with a smile, "Understood, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, I get it!"

After saying that, Chen Dong reached into his pocket, intending to offer a cigarette to the man in front of him to express his gratitude, only to find that his pocket was empty. His wife, Zhang Yi, usually restricted Chen Dong from smoking. He quickly went to the trunk of the Maybach, pressed a switch, and the trunk slowly opened, startling the people around him into a murmur.

The trunk was crammed with three suitcases—two large and one small—along with some cigarettes and alcohol that Chen Dong had bought at the airport when he entered China. Chen Dong took out a carton of Huazi cigarettes and a bottle of Remy Martin from the suitcases, put them in a gift bag, and walked over to the man, smiling as he said, "Comrade, thank you, thank you. I was in a hurry to come back, so I don't have much to give you. Please take these cigarettes and alcohol as a thank-you gift!"

Upon seeing the bag Chen Dong had brought, with a whole carton of cigarettes and an unopened bottle of foreign liquor peeking out from the opening, the man hurriedly declined, saying, "This won't do, this is unacceptable! I just gave you an address casually, this...this is far too valuable!"

The man waved his hands repeatedly and backed away, saying, "The teachers all say we should serve the people. We should just answer your questions and give directions. How can I accept something so valuable from you? No way!"

Those around Chen Dong, this returned overseas Chinese, were indeed influenced by capitalism; he could even offer such an expensive gift without batting an eye when asking for directions.

Most people would offer a cigarette or something as a token of gratitude for showing directions, but this guy went all out, giving away packs of cigarettes and bottles of liquor. He truly embodies the propaganda slogan, "Resolutely resist the corruption of the bourgeoisie!"

"It's nothing valuable, so please don't be so polite with me. Besides, I don't know where that place is, so I'll have to trouble you to take us there later. I don't want you to make a wasted trip, so please don't mind," Chen Dong hurriedly handed the bag to the man.

Upon hearing this, the onlookers exclaimed, "You should have said so earlier! I could have taken them too!"

Seeing Chen Dong's gentle smile and his apparent disregard for the cigarettes and liquor, the man stared intently at the unopened pack of cigarettes and liquor in his hand, unable to look away. He hurriedly said, "How could I possibly object to this? Alright, I'll ride ahead on my bike, and you follow behind. I'll take you there."

The cigarette that Chen Dong gave away was worth half a month's salary for him, and it was a "special supply" that ordinary people like them could hardly obtain!

First of all, he couldn't get his hands on "special cigarette coupons." Even if he could, a carton of cigarettes costing twelve yuan was not something the average person could afford, unless you were giving it as a gift.

Even if you could get your hands on Huazi cigarette coupons, most supply and marketing cooperatives wouldn't sell you Huazi cigarettes, and even if they did, they wouldn't sell you a whole carton!

Unless it's a Friendship Store or an Overseas Chinese Store, there will be a large supply of goods. However, those places only accept foreign exchange certificates. Ordinary people can't even see a complete, unopened pack of Chinese cigarettes in a year, let alone buy them.

Chen Dong clasped his hands together to thank the other onlookers. Seeing that the man had already gotten on his bicycle, he opened the door of the Maybach, got into the driver's seat, started the car, and the deep engine sounded. The daytime running lights on the front of the car lit up, causing the onlookers to make way.

The man leading the way rode his bicycle, taking Chen Dong towards the guesthouse. On his left handlebars hung his net bag containing his aluminum lunchbox, and on his right hung the gift bag Chen Dong had given him. As he rode, the cigarettes he smoked swayed back and forth, attracting the attention of passersby.

Looking at the black sedan following behind the bicycle, and the many people riding bicycles behind it, the passersby had never seen such a scene before. They couldn't help but stop the people following and ask if it was some official from the province or city who had come down to inspect the work in Nanshan County.

"See that impressive little car? Inside are overseas Chinese who came back from America to find their relatives. Goodness, you didn't see it! They just stopped to ask for directions, and the guy in front of them only said a few words to him, and as a token of their gratitude, he gave them a carton of Chinese cigarettes and a bottle of foreign liquor!"

"Whoa!"