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

The people in the private room were eating heartily. As the dishes were served one by one, Chen Zaiguang, having gained experience over the past few days, even prepared knives and forks for Thorne and the other foreigners.

Thorne forked a piece of crispy fried char siu, dipped it in the small dish of plum sauce, and took a bite. The salty, crispy char siu combined with the tangy, tooth-aching plum sauce made Thorne's eyes light up.

Thorne pointed to the plum juice in the small dish, covered his mouth, and asked Chen Dong, "Mr. Chen, what is this? Wow, it's delicious!"

"We Tuocheng people select plums harvested in early April to make plum juice, which can maximize the release of the food's own aroma and add to the diversity of our taste. Doesn't it suit your taste?" Chen Dong dipped some plum juice in himself and took a delicious bite.

"It's a pity there's no steamed fish right now. If there were, you could dip it in this plum sauce and it would be delicious. But for people who don't like sour food, this plum sauce is a bit too salty and makes their teeth ache," Chen Dong continued to explain to the group.

"I love it so much, Mr. Chen. Could you have someone pack me a bottle? I want to take it back to Shanghai," Thorne said, genuinely enjoying the tangy flavor. He pointed to the fermented bean paste, "And this, I like it too."

Puhui Doubanjiang (a type of fermented soybean paste) is one of the few flagship products of Tuocheng that is exported overseas. It seems that Thorne has a good eye for quality. Chen Dong nodded and said to Qu Cai, "Have Third Brother pack a bottle of the same for Mr. Thorne so he can take it with him later."

"Okay, Mr. Chen," Qu Cai put down his chopsticks, opened the door, and went out.

After a few rounds of drinks, Fan Guotao became more talkative. He raised his glass to Chen Dong and said, "Mr. Chen, let me toast you. With this contract signed today, Shanghai Automotive and Xiaochi are now one family. If we ever need any help from Xiaochi in the future, please be sure to help Shanghai Automotive too."

"Fan, you're right. We at Xiaochi have always been very generous to our competitors. If there's any problem, we'll help you whenever we can," Chen Dong said with a smile, raising his glass to toast Fan Guotao.

Thorne watched from the side, and suddenly felt a little envious. He wasn't envious of Chen Dong's skills or Xiao Chi's speed, but rather of the feeling of being a family.

Volkswagen is Volkswagen, and Snapdragon is Snapdragon. Even though they signed a contract, they are still two separate companies. But Shanghai Automotive is different; they are "insiders."

He raised his glass and toasted Chen Dong as well, saying, "Mr. Chen, I wish Xiaochi a great start in the South Africa race."

Chen Dong smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words."

After a hearty meal, Chen Zaiguang personally carried two bottles containing plum juice and fermented bean paste, watching Chen Dong and Chen Zaisheng see Fan Guotao and Suo En off the factory. He then tidied himself up briefly, instructed his apprentices, and went home first.

It was past lunchtime, and Chen Zaiguang, the canteen director, was basically free of work. He didn't need to clean up, so he drove home to discuss Chen Dong's proposal with his wife, Lin Ruiqing.

When he drove his "Zhaoyebai" to his doorstep, his mother, Huang Lanzhi, was feeding the chickens. Hearing the car lock click, Huang Lanzhi, holding two eggs, came out of the chicken coop. Seeing Chen Zaiguang return, she asked, "Third brother, why are you home at this hour? Is something wrong?"

"Mother, it's nothing. I just had some free time at the factory, so I came home to talk to Ruiqing about something," Chen Zaiguang said, and without giving his mother Huang Lanzhi a chance to ask any more questions, he hurriedly walked into the old house.

At this moment, Old Madam Wei Shufen was not at the old house, but went to Chen Dong's small building to watch Chaozhou opera. Chen Xiangui, on the other hand, was sitting with his legs crossed in the main hall, drinking Kungfu tea and smoking. There were two people who had come to the house to chat with Chen Xiangui. When he saw his third son, Chen Zaiguang, suddenly return, Chen Xiangui turned his head and looked over with a puzzled expression.

"Dad, Uncle Xi, Uncle Guai, are you having tea?" Chen Zaiguang couldn't pretend he didn't see them and just went inside, so he walked over with a smile and offered them cigarettes.

"Third brother, why did you suddenly come back? Don't you have to go to work?" Uncle happy asked, taking the cigarette from him.

The man called "Uncle Cripple" was nicknamed that because of his leg injury and limping gait. He was now teasing Chen Zaiguang, saying, "He probably missed his wife and rushed back."

"Uncle Guai, I have something to do at home. My child is almost grown up. Look at what you're saying, do you still think I'm a little kid?" Chen Zaiguang retorted irritably.

Lin Ruiqing, who was taking a nap in her room, heard her man's voice and thought it was her imagination. She lifted the curtain and asked, "Zaiguang, why are you back? Is something wrong?"

"Well," Chen Zaiguang said to his father Chen Xiangui and Uncle Xi, "Father, Uncle Xi, please sit down. I'll go in and talk to Ruiqing about something."

"What's wrong?" Lin Ruiqing was pulled into the room by her husband. Chen Zaiguang sat on the bed and looked at her. "I told Adong about it. Adong said that it's okay to open, but it can't be in Nanshan. It has to be in the city."

"In the city? That would cost a lot more money, and besides, we don't have any connections there," Lin Ruiqing said suspiciously. "Are you sure Uncle Dong said that?"

Chen Zaiguang clicked his tongue and said urgently, "Why would I lie to you? Besides, if we really open a shop in the city, with A Dong's connections, are you afraid we won't have a way? Are you stupid?"

"That's true, but I still think it's safer to open a shop in Nanshan District. Look, my fourth uncle, my youngest uncle, and my eldest uncle are all in Nanshan District, so they can help out our business. If we want to expand further, it's better to open a shop in the county town. I'm afraid we'll lose money if we go to the city."

Chen Zaiguang glared at his wife, "So you're always so hesitant and timid. We haven't even started the business yet, and you're already worrying about this and that. And yet, you're the one who's most eager to urge me on."

"Ah Dong also said that if we're really worried about losing money, he told me to ask Lao Wu and Lao Si if they want to join..."

"No way! Why should your two younger brothers be allowed to invest in the business I came up with? Don't even think about it," Lin Ruiqing said, refusing Chen Zaiguang before he could finish speaking.

Chen Zaiguang knew his wife was like this, which is why he came back to ask. When she refused, Chen Zaiguang still advised, "It's best to ask. Although we've separated the family, they asked me before they opened a supermarket or something. I can't just open one by myself without asking."

"Are you stupid? Uncle Dong said this business is viable, a sure-fire way to make money. Why would he want to drag your two younger brothers into this to share the profits?" Lin Ruiqing rubbed Chen Zaiguang's forehead hard with her finger. "You treat them like younger brothers, but do they treat you like an older brother?"

"How could you say no? They each gave me tens of thousands," Chen Zaiguang argued. Lin Ruiqing snorted, "That was only because my eldest uncle asked for it. If it weren't for my eldest uncle, we would have had to leave on our own on the day of the family division. Look at your youngest brother, he was so unwilling back then."

"It's not like that," Chen Zaiguang said, his voice lowering considerably at the end. "Anyway, it's best to ask, so as not to hurt feelings."