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

Inside the county party secretary's office, Secretary Lin, seeing that everyone had arrived, coughed lightly and said to the crowd, "Comrades, a family of overseas Chinese from America recently came to Nanshan County to visit relatives. I'm sure you all know about it to some extent."

Everyone nodded silently, waiting for Secretary Lin to continue. Then Secretary Lin said, "This morning, when Comrade Wang Yan from the county police station came to report to me, he mentioned that Comrade Chen Dong intends to invest in and open a food processing plant in Lianzhai!"

As soon as Secretary Lin finished speaking, County Head Wang's eyes lit up. He was in charge of economic development, and now the municipal party committee was conveying the central government's instructions to shift local development towards prioritizing economic growth.

Nanshan County is located inland from Tuocheng, with one-third of the county being mountainous terrain. The most economically developed area is the county seat, which is driven by the convenience of water transport connecting it to the city.

Most of the factories in Nanshan County are concentrated around the county seat, but the planned economy has not been very effective in recent years. In addition, the number of unemployed youths has been increasing, and the security pressure in the county seat is very high. County Chief Wang has also been troubled by this issue.

"I heard from Comrade Wang Yan that Comrade Chen Dong owns the third largest supermarket chain in America. If the processing plant can be built and put into operation, the products can be directly transported to America's supermarkets for sale!"

Secretary Lin suddenly raised his voice, "Comrades, this is real foreign exchange, exactly the kind of foreign exchange our country urgently needs!"

"The municipal party committee leaders attach great importance to attracting investment, and our Nanshan County Party Committee cannot slack off either. Now that we have finally welcomed such a wealthy overseas Chinese businessman who has returned to our Nanshan County, we must seize this opportunity," Secretary Lin said, first highlighting the positive aspects.

Those present, especially Feng Yuanshen, the director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau, had all their worries gone and were now full of energy. It was truly a case of "when you're sleepy, a pillow comes to your head."

"However, the road infrastructure in Lianzhai is rather rudimentary. As for electricity, Comrade Xu Guangkun, do you have any good suggestions? After all, if the factory is to be built, the equipment and everything else will require a stable power supply. Can the power bureau guarantee the processing plant's electricity needs?"

Xu Guangkun, the director of the power bureau, said to Secretary Lin with a bitter face, "Secretary, at present, the electricity in our Nanshan County is mainly supplied to the county town and surrounding factories. Lianzhai is relatively remote and there is no surplus electricity at present, so it cannot be passed through for the time being. My suggestion is to set up the processing plant around Nanshan County, so that it will be convenient to supply water and electricity."

Secretary Lin frowned and looked at Director Yu of the Land and Resources Bureau. "Comrade Yu Jianjun, what's your opinion?"

"Secretary, I agree with what Comrade Guangkun said. The road infrastructure around Nanshan County is indeed a bit rudimentary. If we were to locate the factory in Lianzhai, the initial investment would probably be quite large, putting a strain on the county's finances."

"Comrade Bicheng, what's your opinion?" Secretary Lin looked at County Chief Wang. Wang Bicheng said in a deep voice, "The poor road infrastructure and insufficient power supply are not excuses for us to shirk our responsibilities. I also hope that Comrade Chen Dong can set up the processing plant in Lianzhai to boost the income of the farmers in the surrounding brigades of Jiping Commune!"

"But we have to be realistic; we are indeed facing a shortage of funds at the moment. My suggestion is to locate the processing plant on the outskirts of the county seat!"

After taking a deep breath, Secretary Lin said to Feng Yuanshen, "Since you all agree to set up the processing plant near the county seat, let Comrade Yuanshen, the director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau, personally make a trip to the county guesthouse to meet Comrade Chen Dong and discuss the specific details with him."

"Okay, Secretary," Feng Yuanshen nodded with a smile.

At the county guesthouse, Chen Dong's family got up early, went out for breakfast, and then, together with Zhao Zhigang who came to relieve them, drove to the supply and marketing cooperative to purchase some supplies before heading straight to the home of his elder brother, Chen Zaiguang.

Having arranged to come over today, Chen Zaiguang had to ask someone to give him another day off. Even his wife, Zeng Xia, who works at the cotton mill, took leave to stay home. It just so happens that today is Saturday, and the three children don't have to go to school.

Last night, when I heard my dad say that Uncle Kuo and his family would be coming to visit today, I was so excited that I tossed and turned in bed for half the night. When I woke up this morning, I was completely listless.

Chen Zaiguang, who was smoking at the door, suddenly heard a familiar "chirp chirp" sound. He knew it was the sound of Chen Dong's Maybach locking. He got up and walked to the alley entrance, where he saw Chen Dong and Zhang Yi carrying gifts and walking into the alley. Even Xiao Chenhui was holding a metal box.

"Big brother," Chen Dong waved and greeted Chen Zaiguang as he approached, while Zhang Yi also called out "Uncle" with a smile. Little Chen Hui excitedly exclaimed, "Uncle, look what I brought you! Ta-da! Cookies! They're so delicious!"

Seeing Chen Dong's family arrive with so many gifts, Chen Zaiguang shook his head and smiled, saying, "Dongzi, sister-in-law, why are you spending so much money again? We're all family, why bring gifts?"

"Brother, this is our first time visiting your home, we can't just come here empty-handed," Chen Dong said with a smile as he walked alongside Chen Zaiguang. Chen Zaiguang replied helplessly, "We'll let it slide this time, but don't do it like this next time!"

"Okay, I'll definitely do it next time!"

At Chen Zaiguang's doorstep, Zeng Xia and her three children watched as her husband led three adults and one child toward their home. The man walking alongside him must be his overseas Chinese uncle from America.

He was dressed in a sharp blue suit, light gray trousers, and his leather shoes clicked on the cobblestones. His hair was so slicked back that even a fly would have to do the splits if it landed on it.

Behind her was a woman holding the hand of a little boy who was hopping around. She must be her sister-in-law. She was dressed simply and neatly, wearing jeans and a short-sleeved T-shirt. Her wavy burgundy hair swayed slightly as she walked. Under the sunlight, the gold necklace around her neck shone brightly. Her whole demeanor was completely out of step with the times.

"Dongzi, let me introduce you. This is my sister-in-law Zeng Xia, this is my eldest son Rongfei, my second son Rongjie, and my youngest daughter Huiqin," Chen Zaiguang said with a smile after introducing his family. He then said to his wife and children, "This is your Uncle Dong who came back from America, and your aunt and brother."

"Hello, sister-in-law!"

Without their father needing to say anything, Chen Rongfei, Chen Rongjie, and Chen Huiqin immediately greeted, "Hello, Uncle Dong! Hello, Auntie!"

"Okay," Chen Dong nodded with a smile, "Big brother, your two boys are so big now, are they still in school?"

"One is eighteen, the other is sixteen. The older one plans to drop out of school, while the younger one is still in high school. Huiqin is fourteen this year and will be graduating from junior high school soon," Chen Zaiguang said, leading Chen Dong's family into the house.

The women in the neighborhood who were at home saw that three people had come to Chen Zaiguang's house and came over curiously. They looked at Chen Zaiguang's house and asked Zeng Xia, who was standing at the door, about the three people.

Upon learning that they were relatives who had returned from America to search for their family, they became even more curious.