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

Chen Zaixing and Li Renfa entered the small house and found that although the outside looked dilapidated, the inside was quite tidy. There was a desk, a wooden coffee table with some peeling paint and a cedar bench, and a green-painted filing cabinet with rust.

There was only one woman inside, looking at some documents. Hearing someone push the door open, she looked up at Chen Zaixing and Li Renfa who had entered, stood up, and asked, "What can I do for you two comrades?"

The woman was only in her early twenties, with a very polite smile. Her hair was simply tied in a ponytail with a rubber band. Chen Zaixing put down his suitcase, smiled back, and explained his purpose: "Hello comrade, we are from Tuocheng. This is our letter of introduction."

The woman took the letter of introduction from Chen Zaixing. After hearing that Chen Zaixing was from Tuocheng, she already knew the gist of it. Their manager, Li Guohua, had given instructions that some colleagues from Tuocheng would be coming to their company for inspection soon.

After reading the letter of introduction, the woman shook hands with Chen Zaixing and Li Renfa respectively before introducing herself, "My name is Jia Mingzhu. Welcome to our company from Tuocheng. Our manager, Mr. Li, has gone to the construction site with the guests to look at houses. Please wait in the manager's office for a while and have some tea. Mr. Li will be back soon."

"Okay," Chen Zaixing looked at Jia Mingzhu in front of him, smiled and nodded, then followed her into the door that read "Manager's Office."

The two sat on the sofa. Chen Zaixing looked around the office layout, which was only about ten square meters in size. A large map of Shenzhen was hanging on the wall, with several circles drawn on it in red marker. The documents on the desk were scattered, and some drawings had been left hanging on the floor after being read.

Jia Mingzhu carried two cups of freshly brewed tea in porcelain cups and placed them in front of Chen Zaixing and Li Renfa. She sat down beside them with a smile and chatted politely with them, so as not to make them feel that she was not being hospitable enough while they were waiting for someone.

During their casual conversation, Chen Zaixing noticed that the woman in front of him was quite knowledgeable about real estate and policy documents, so he asked out of curiosity, "Comrade Jia, if I may be so bold as to ask, what is your educational background?"

"I just graduated from Huadu University this year and was assigned to work at the Shenzhen Planning Commission. The Municipal Party Committee appointed Director Li Guohua to set up the 'Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Real Estate Company' and was short of manpower, so Director Li Guohua transferred me here to assist him in his work," Jia Mingzhu said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and smiling as she looked at Chen Zaixing.

Chen Zaixing responded with an "oh," thinking that if he could recruit this woman to assist him in developing real estate in the southern district of Tuocheng, his company's initial stages would be much smoother.

However, Chen Zaixing did not immediately reveal his thoughts. Instead, he continued chatting with Jia Mingzhu, while Li Renfa listened attentively to their conversation about real estate.

Chen Zaixing didn't have to wait long before the office door opened from the outside, and a middle-aged man in his forties walked in. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and bright, piercing eyes. Looking at Chen Zaixing and Jia Mingzhu, who were chatting and laughing, he asked Jia Mingzhu with a puzzled look, "Xiao Jia, who are these two?"

Jia Mingzhu immediately stood up and introduced them to Li Guohua, "Manager Li, these two are the comrades who came to our company for inspection, as reported by the Tuocheng Planning Commission."

"Comrade Chen Zaixing, Comrade Li Renfa, this is our company's Manager Li Guohua. If you have any specific matters to discuss, just ask our Manager Li," Jia Mingzhu said with a smile and a nod before leaving the manager's office.

"So you two are comrades from Tuocheng. I had to go out for a while, sorry about that," Li Guohua said warmly as he stepped forward to shake hands with Chen Zaixing and Chen Zaixing, apologizing. Chen Zaixing shook hands with Li Guohua in return, saying, "Manager Li, you're too kind. We apologize for our abrupt visit without prior notice."

Li Guohua laughed heartily, gestured for him to sit down, and then cut to the chase, "Comrade Chen, the people from your Tuocheng Planning Commission briefly explained your situation over the phone. You want to engage in real estate development in Tuocheng?"

Chen Zaixing nodded. "Yes, I've found a piece of land I like on Huanghe North Road in the southern district of Tuocheng. It's over 20 mu (about 1.3 hectares) and next to our Huaxingsheng Supermarket. The district wants to build housing for cadres there, but they don't have the funds."

"I was thinking, could we learn from Shenzhen's model, where the government provides the land, I provide the money, and after the buildings are completed, I give part of the houses to the government and sell the rest?"

After listening, Li Guohua smiled and said, "Comrade Chen, your thinking is correct. I have also learned about your Huaxingsheng Supermarket. It can be said that there are very few people in Guangdong who have your way of thinking."

"Your cousin, Mr. Chen Zaidong, returned from America and holds a large amount of circulating foreign exchange, which has greatly boosted the economic development of the Tuocheng area. This is a key point for you to learn from our Shenzhen model!"

"I believe you've also spoken with your cousin, Mr. Chen Zaidong, about real estate in some overseas countries, especially America. But China is different from America; the regulations regarding real estate development are still very strict," Li Guohua said, smiling as he looked at Chen Zaixing and asked, "Comrade Chen, have you reached an agreement with the municipal or district committee on the profit-sharing ratio for your land?"

"We haven't discussed this in detail yet. The main problem is that the city is still undecided and the policy hasn't been finalized. They say they're worried about policy risks, so it's a bit too early to talk about these things now," Chen Zaixing said, shaking his head.

"Comrade Chen, let me be frank with you," he said in a low voice, "there are indeed policy risks. Your Tuocheng Municipal Party Committee has certainly considered this in its long-term planning. The reason Shenzhen can do this is because the central government gave us special zone policies, allowing us to 'cross the river by feeling the stones'!"

"Although your Tuocheng is a special economic zone, your Nanshan District was only incorporated later, so some policies may not be directly applicable."

Chen Zaixing's heart tightened, but his face remained calm. "Manager Li, what do you think of this project I have in the southern district of Tuocheng? Is it worthwhile?"

Upon hearing this, Li Guohua immediately stood up, walked to the map on the wall, pointed to it, and said, "Look, these red-marked areas are all projects we're currently working on. The government provides the land, the developers provide the money, and after completion, the profits are shared proportionally. The government solves the housing problem, the developers make money, and the people live in good houses—a win-win-win situation!"

Chen Zaixing and Li Renfa also stood up and walked to Li Guohua's side, listening to him continue, "This is the earliest project, Donghu Garden, more than 80 acres of land, 1,200 houses. Construction started last year, and the first batch will be delivered by the end of this year!"

"You must have passed by on your way here, right?"

"I saw it, it's really impressive!"