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

Shenzhen Airport

Chen Zaixing and Li Renfa walked out of the airport terminal, each dragging a suitcase. They were wearing white shirts and trousers, with watches on their wrists and briefcases in their hands. People outside the airport stared at them with curiosity.

"Zaixing, how are we getting there? Are we taking the bus like we did in Shanghai?" Li Renfa glanced at the crowds outside the airport and pulled his suitcase to the front of him.

"Let's take a taxi. Don't wait for the bus like before." Having learned from his previous experience, Chen Zaixing was smarter. Besides, there were already taxis waiting for passengers outside Shenzhen Airport. Even if it cost a little more, Chen Zaixing didn't care.

When Chen Zaixing arrived, he had already contacted the planning commission of Nanshan District with people in Shenzhen. They also gave him a slip of paper with an address and two letters of introduction, so that they could check into the local guesthouse directly.

The airport was brightly lit, so Chen Zaixing raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, pulled his suitcase, and led Li Renfa toward the taxi waiting for passengers.

At that time, most of the taxis in Shenzhen were right-hand drive second-hand cars imported from Hong Kong. The Shenzhen Car Rental Company was only established in 1979, and there were not many taxis operating in the city. Most of them waited for passengers in places with a large flow of foreign visitors, such as hotels and airports.

With an average monthly wage of fifty yuan at that time, taxis with a starting fare of six yuan were practically travel assassins. Therefore, most people still relied on bicycles for transportation. Even after motorcycles became popular, taxis remained the choice of a minority.

Chen Zaixing pulled open the door of the Japanese chicken car parked in front of him and said to the driver, "Sir, could you please open the trunk so we can put our luggage in?"

The driver, who was sitting in the car listening to the radio, suddenly had the car door pulled open. He turned to look and saw the Rolex gold watch on Chen Zaixing's wrist. His previously blank face immediately broke into a smile. "Okay, boss, let me help you put your luggage in."

After the driver kindly helped them put their luggage away, he sat back in the driver's seat and asked Chen Zaixing with a smile, "Boss, where are we going?"

"Go here," Chen Zaixing handed the note to the driver, who smiled, nodded, said "okay," and started the car to leave.

Li Renfa and Chen Zaixing sat in the back. After experiencing the comfort of the car, Li Renfa whispered to Chen Zaixing, "Zaixing, this car is not bad to ride in, but compared to your Mercedes-Benz 450, the suspension is still a bit too stiff, and it's a bit bumpy when going over bumps."

"You get what you pay for," Chen Zaixing casually replied to his childhood friend, glancing at the street scene outside. The driver, however, asked, "Are you two bosses from Hong Kong?"

"We're from Tuocheng," Chen Zaixing replied politely when the driver asked. Upon hearing that Chen Zaixing and his companion were from Tuocheng, the driver asked, "Are you two bosses here in Shenzhen to do business? I've heard that Tuocheng is doing even better than Shenzhen now."

"Master, who told you all this?"

"I've also brought quite a few customers from Hong Kong through newspapers and radio. They all come in through the border, take a look around Shenzhen first, and then fly to your Shantou. I heard that Shantou has already started developing its own car industry!"

The driver was a talkative man, and he went on and on, saying, "Your Tuocheng is really something now. I heard that the provincial party committee is planning to send people over to inspect and supervise, especially the Nanshan District. I heard that it's doing very well there, getting into automobiles and opening the first supermarket in the province."

"Do you know the name of that supermarket, and who the owner is?"

"I think it's called something like Huaxingsheng. I've heard the boss's surname is Chen, but I don't remember his exact name," the driver said, turning his head. "I really envy my fellow drivers in Tuocheng. With Tuocheng's current development, driving a taxi there would earn you much more than here in Shenzhen!"

Chen Zaixing laughed and said to the driver, "Sir, you don't need to be envious. There aren't any taxis in Tuocheng right now, haha!"

"No way! I heard on the radio that your city of Tuo is now several times more developed than our city of Shenzhen. Even our run-down Shenzhen has taxis on the road. Your city of Tuo is so developed, how could you not have taxis?"

"Really not, but maybe it will appear once our Xiaochi cars start production in Tuocheng," Chen Zaixing said. He wasn't surprised that the driver mentioned "broken-down Shenzhen." At that time, Shenzhen was indeed mostly small, dilapidated old bungalows. The high-rise buildings of later generations were nowhere to be seen.

"That's right. Now that your city has this local brand of cars, you won't have to worry about the supply of taxis in the future. Unlike us in Shenzhen, if a car breaks down, we have to wait for people from Hong Kong to bring parts over to fix it. That's really annoying," the driver said, shaking his head and smiling bitterly as he recalled these things. If the car breaks down, he has to stop working.

The three chatted idly in the car. After entering Luohai District, the number of bungalows decreased, and high-rise buildings gradually increased. Li Renfa pointed to a newly constructed high-rise building and said to Chen Zaixing, "Zaixing, look over there! So many high-rise buildings! It's even more impressive than Shanghai!"

The driver glanced at Chen Zaixing and his companion in the rearview mirror. "You only see this now because you came. If you had come a year earlier, this place wouldn't even be built yet!"

"However, Shenzhen has changed a lot in the past two years. What was a wasteland last year is now covered with high-rise buildings. If you come back a year later, you definitely won't recognize it!"

"Master, I heard that this residential area was jointly built by businessmen from Shenzhen and Hong Kong," Chen Zaixing asked.

"Yes, that's true," the driver said casually. "This is currently the largest residential housing project in the entire Luohai District, and it's incredibly expensive. But I've heard that the houses here are really well-built, with gardens and swimming pools and such. Compared to the bungalows we build ourselves, it's like night and day!"

Seeing that the driver could talk about anything, Li Renfa casually asked, "How much does it cost per square meter here?"

The driver chuckled, "I don't know about that. Anyway, it's sold to rich people. We taxi drivers just pass by and take a look. I've never gone in to ask."

Chen Zaixing and Li Renfa chuckled and continued driving forward. The surrounding streets were more spacious and well-planned than those in Nanshan County, and the pedestrians were dressed more fashionably. Occasionally, they could see a group of people with blond hair and blue eyes passing by with cameras.

"arrive!"

The Crown car stopped in front of a bungalow. Chen Zaixing looked through the car window and saw a sign that read "Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Real Estate Company" hanging outside the bungalow. After paying, the two of them pulled their luggage and walked into the bungalow.