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

After leaving the building, Li Guohua showed them the community's facilities, including the central garden where the foundation was being dug, the power distribution room that was half-built, and the planned parking spaces. He explained everything as they walked, from land leveling to pipeline laying, from landscaping design to property management, leaving no detail unexplained.

Chen Zaixing listened attentively, even taking out a small notebook to write things down with Li Renfa. He also asked Li Guohua a few questions from time to time, which Li Guohua answered one by one.

After the three of them finished their walk, the sun was already setting in the west, shyly hiding behind the mountains, preparing to go home.

The three returned to the small house, where Jia Mingzhu was waiting at the door. Seeing Li Guohua, Chen Zaixing, and Li Renfa return, she greeted them with a smile, "Manager Li, Comrade Chen, dinner has been booked at the Luo Hai Hotel at 6:30 PM!"

Li Guohua nodded, then turned to look at Chen Zaixing, "Brother Zaixing, what do you think of this..."

Chen Zaixing interrupted him with a smile, "Brother Guohua, let's not say anything more. Let's have a good drink today. Comrade Mingzhu, where are the others in the office? Let's call them all over."

Jia Mingzhu glanced at Chen Zaixing, and seeing that Manager Li Guohua did not object, she smiled and said, "I'll go and call them out now."

A short while later, two other staff members came over from the office. One was surnamed Sun, in his early forties, wearing glasses, and in charge of engineering. The other was surnamed Zhao, in his early twenties, and like Jia Mingzhu, he was a newly assigned college graduate in charge of documents and files. Together with Li Guohua, Jia Mingzhu, Chen Zaixing, and Li Renfa, there were seven people in total.

After Sun and Zhao came out, they politely introduced themselves to Chen Zaixing and Li Renfa, and then the group walked together toward the nearby Luohai Hotel.

It was nearly six o'clock, and the streets were starting to fill with people. There were many individual vendors setting up stalls around, selling socks, clothes, and food. Bicycles weaved freely through the crowd, and occasionally one or two cars would honk their horns as they passed by. Everything was so lively and bustling.

The Luo Hai Hotel was the first hotel in Shenzhen to cater to foreigners. It was four stories high and its exterior walls were covered with white mosaic tiles, making it stand out among the low-rise houses around it. Chen Zaixing could see the hotel's neon sign from afar.

The closer you get, the more people there are. The road outside the hotel is filled with taxis that are rarely seen on ordinary days, as well as some foreign-owned cars with black license plates from Hong Kong, making it look very crowded.

Jia Mingzhu had booked a private room on the third floor. The room facing the street had a view of the street through the window. The window was open at the moment, and Jia Mingzhu went over and pushed it open. The noise from the street instantly subsided.

The private room wasn't large, but it was decorated very cleanly and elegantly. In the center was a large round table covered with a bright red tablecloth, and the waiters had already arranged the bowls and chopsticks neatly according to the number of people.

After everyone entered the private room and took their seats, the waiter who followed them in was about to hand the menu to Jia Mingzhu. Jia Mingzhu quickly gestured for Chen Zaixing to order, and Chen Zaixing grabbed it and handed it to Li Guohua next to him, saying, "Brother Guohua, you order, please order some of our specialties!"

Li Guohua wanted to postpone it a few more times, but Chen Zaixing wouldn't allow it. So he ordered two dishes and handed them back to Chen Zaixing. Chen Zaixing laughed and said, "Just order whatever you want! Are you holding back because there are ladies here? Then I'll order. Otherwise, I bet you'll all go hungry tonight if you keep putting it off!"

Jia Mingzhu covered her mouth and looked at Chen Zaixing, who was trying to lighten the mood. She smiled and her eyes crinkled. Chen Zaixing often treated people to meals, and he knew that if he didn't order anything and Li Guohua and the others refused, the meal would probably end up being just ordinary home-style dishes. So he added a few more hearty dishes.

Steamed sea bass

白灼虾

Steamed Scallops with Garlic

烧鹅

I ordered two more bottles of Moutai!

Seeing that Chen Zaixing was treating money so casually and wanted to order more, Li Guohua quickly stopped him, saying, "That's enough, that's enough, Brother Zaixing, you can't finish it all!"

"There's no way we can't finish this food," Chen Zaixing said generously, turning to look at Jia Mingzhu sitting next to him. "Comrade Mingzhu, why don't you order a few dishes too? As the only woman here, we men should also listen to your opinion."

"Then I'll listen to Comrade Zaixing. I'll order a winter melon and clam soup. I've been running around outside a lot lately, and my face has gotten a bit dry from the sun. It'll be good to nourish it up a bit," Jia Mingzhu said, touching her delicate face with light makeup and smiling at Chen Zaixing.

Sun and Xiao Zhao exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised. This meal, plus the wine, would cost at least two or three hundred yuan. This Comrade Chen from Tuocheng was so generous.

After Jia Mingzhu finished ordering, Li Guohua said to the waiter, "Alright, that's all. Tell the kitchen to hurry up and serve the dishes."

"Yes, sir!"

Unlike state-run restaurants today, the waiters not only had excellent service, but also served the food extremely quickly. A table full of dishes was ready in less than half an hour.

As the dishes were served and the wine was poured, Chen Zaixing started to liven up the atmosphere by going around the tables and offering toasts. Under his influence, the atmosphere became lively.

Li Guohua had a pretty good alcohol tolerance; after a few drinks, his face turned slightly red. Looking at Chen Zaixing, who had drunk so much but seemed completely unaffected, he couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, saying, "Brother Zaixing, your alcohol tolerance is truly impressive! You're bold and decisive, and so good at socializing. If you don't succeed in the future, I, Li Guohua, will change my mind!"

As Jia Mingzhu listened to Li Guohua's words, her face flushed red, and her eyes became somewhat glazed as she looked at Chen Zaixing. Chen Zaixing, who was turned to the side and facing Li Guohua, did not notice Jia Mingzhu's expression as she looked at him from the left, and laughed as he clinked glasses with Li Guohua.

"Brother Guohua, you flatter me," Chen Zaixing said, tilting his head back and finishing his Moutai liquor as if it were water. "I'm just here to learn from you, broaden my horizons, and pick up the ropes!"

"You don't need to learn the tricks of the trade," Li Guohua said, slightly tipsy, holding up a half-empty glass of baijiu. "You're born to do big business. I've met many Hong Kong businessmen and foreign investors, and you're the only one I feel is destined for success!"

"Who knows, in the future, I might have to beg you, brother!"

"Brother, what are you saying? We're brothers, there's no need for any begging or pleading. I'm putting it this way, from now on, Li Guohua, you are my own brother, Chen Zaixing's brother!"

"Then I'll accept you as my younger brother. Don't wait until the day when I, your older brother, go to Tuocheng and you, Chen Zaixing, turn around and say you don't know me," Li Guohua said with a smile as he put his arm around Chen Zaixing.

"If I were that kind of person, then I would be this," Chen Zaixing said, making a turtle gesture with his hand, which made everyone at the table burst into laughter.

Jia Mingzhu listened quietly with her chin resting on her hand, occasionally taking a bite of food and refilling Li Renfa's tea. She noticed that although Chen Zaixing had drunk quite a bit, his eyes remained clear and his speech was coherent, unlike some foreign businessmen who started spouting nonsense after a few drinks.

She recalled the natural yet assertive way he slipped her money in the office that afternoon, and the few unintentional touches he made. Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly picked up her teacup and took a sip to hide her discomfort.