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

Around 5 p.m., a group of older women and young wives gathered under the banyan tree in the courtyard of Lianzhai, chattering like a flock of sparrows. News of the Chen family spread like wildfire, and within an afternoon, all the women in the village knew about it.

Some people sympathized, some gloated, some treated it as a joke, and some told it as a story. But regardless of their attitudes, one thing was certain: the Chen family had really lost face this time.

"Have you heard? The wife of Old Chen's third son, Zai Guang, stole money from the family and took it back to her parents' home."

"How much? 140,000? My God, that's so much!"

"That's right, I heard they didn't even write an IOU, they just gave it to me directly."

"Tsk tsk tsk, the Chen family has really suffered a huge loss this time."

"Who can argue with that? If you don't marry a good wife, you'll ruin your family's fortune."

"Keep your voices down, don't let anyone hear you."

"What are you afraid of? It wasn't us who said it, it was Ah-Xi's wife who said it."

"How did Ah-Xi's wife find out?"

"Ah-Xi saw it with her own eyes, how could it be fake!"

"If you ask me, 140,000 is nothing to the Chen family; they have plenty of money!"

"You tell me, how wealthy is the Chen family? Tsk tsk tsk, 140,000! I wish I had that money!"

"You dare take it if I give it to you?"

Hehehe!

Chen Zaixing drove his black Dilu back to the village, a cigarette dangling from his hand on the car door as he drove slowly. The old women under the banyan tree in the courtyard pointed and whispered about Chen Zaixing as his car approached.

Chen Zaixing looked puzzled, wondering who these old women were gossiping about today and pointing fingers at him. Were they talking badly about him, this reckless scoundrel? Chen Zaixing suddenly stopped and waved to Cai Mangzi, who was squatting on the stone slab not far away.

"Brother Xing, you called me, hehe," Cai Mangzi scurried over to Chen Zaixing's car. Chen Zaixing casually tossed him a pack of Huazi cigarettes. Cai Mangzi took the cigarettes, first bringing them to his nose for a deep sniff, then tucked them behind his ear, reluctant to smoke them.

"What are they talking about? Why are they gesturing at me like that?"

"Brother Xing, you don't know, this matter spread throughout the village in just one afternoon," Cai Mangzi shook his head. He always disliked these gossipy old women, and he himself had been gossiped about many times. So he said resentfully, "They're all long-tongued women. Their tongues will be pulled out after they die."

Chen Zaixing rolled his eyes at him. "What do I know? I'm so busy every day, I don't have time to know anything. Tell me what it is."

Cai Mangzi leaned closer and said, "It was at noon today that your third brother came home and got into a fight with your third sister-in-law. They said it was about the bankbook. I don't know the specifics, but I heard from others that your third sister-in-law took the money from home back to her parents' house to subsidize her two brothers."

"How much money are you arguing about?" Chen Zaixing asked casually, not taking it seriously. He thought it was only a thousand or so yuan. With his third brother's stingy nature, a thousand or eight hundred yuan would be enough to make him feel the pinch. The couple were both extremely frugal.

"140,000!"

"How many?"

Chen Zaixing sat up abruptly, turning to look at Cai Mangzi. "140,000? You're saying my third sister-in-law took 140,000 back to her parents' home for her two unreliable brothers?"

"Yeah, Xing-ge, everyone in the village, young and old, knows about this," Cai Mangzi said confidently. Chen Zaixing suddenly shook his head and laughed. Cai Mangzi didn't know how Chen Zaixing could still laugh when he heard the news. Chen Zaixing threw the remaining half box of cigarettes to Cai Mangzi and drove off with the car.

"Hehe, I got half a pack of cigarettes for free just by saying a few words," Cai Mangzi said gleefully, stuffing the cigarettes into his pocket. Those who saw Cai Mangzi get Chen Zaixing cigarettes now shamelessly crowded around, intending to share one. Cai Mangzi waved them away like flies, "Get lost, get lost, I'm not giving any to anyone!"

Chen Zaixing parked his car in the parking space in front of his house, quickly locked the car, and went inside. Usually at this time, his mother, Huang Lanzhi, would be feeding her laying hens in the chicken coop in front of the house, but today she sat on the sofa in the living room with her arms crossed and a frosty expression.

Chen Zaixing pretended not to know anything, walked in and glanced at the lobby. There was no dining table set out, let alone any food. So Chen Zaixing deliberately asked, "Oh! Mother, are you planning to eat at a state-run restaurant today? Why isn't there a single dish?"

"Youngest brother, come here and sit down, I have something to say to you," Huang Lanzhi called out to the grinning Chen Zaixing in an unfriendly tone. Chen Zaixing pretended to be puzzled and walked over, looking at his father Chen Xiangui and asking, "Father, did you make Mother angry? How dare you! It seems we five brothers will have to hold a trial tonight to help Mother righteously kill Father!"

"What nonsense are you spouting, brat? Sit down right now, I have something serious to tell you," Chen Xiangui said, glaring at him. Chen Zaixing laughed when he heard this. "Dad, you're telling me something serious? Mom, is Dad drunk? He's talking nonsense."

"Tsk! Sit down," Huang Lanzhi said angrily, forcibly pulling Chen Zaixing to sit next to her. She then quietly recounted the events involving the third son's family to Chen Zaixing. Chen Zaixing exclaimed, "No way, they just gave it away like that?"

"No, I have to call Fangru out to see if that silly woman has taken the money from my savings account to give to her family as well," Chen Zaixing said, getting up to go into the room, but Huang Lanzhi grabbed him and wouldn't let him go.

"What's the rush? I checked for you, nothing's missing," Huang Lanzhi said. Chen Zaixing laughed again. His wife was definitely not like his third sister-in-law, who would foolishly give money to her family. His wife, Wu Fangru, was very shrewd.

"Youngest son, what do you think we should do about this? Help your third brother think of a way to get that 140,000 yuan back," Huang Lanzhi said, pulling her youngest son, whom her husband often complained about for being unreliable, and asking for his opinion.

Chen Zaixing picked at his nails and casually said, "What else can we do? It's already been given away, so it's like throwing money down the drain. If we're sure we won't get it back, then we can't. Besides, Third Brother is rich. He's secretly saved a lot of money over the years. What's 140,000?"

It wasn't his third brother, Chen Zaiguang, who came to ask for advice, but rather his mother, Huang Lanzhi. Chen Zaixing would absolutely not offer any suggestions, since the family had already separated and the money wasn't his, so he didn't care.

"Speak properly to me, he's your third brother," Chen Xiangui glared at him, bending down to grab his slippers. Chen Zaixing hurriedly tried to get up, because his father's slippers were old rubber shoes, which not only hurt a lot when they hit someone, but also caused additional damage from chicken droppings and dirt.

Huang Lanzhi comforted Chen Zaixing, saying, "Don't be afraid. I'll back you up today. Your father can't beat you. You should try to think of a way to get this money back for your third brother."

"Even if I get it back, I won't get half. Why should I think about it? I'd rather think about where to open another supermarket branch. I have to go to Shanghai in a few days!"

"Beat them!"