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

Lin Ruiqing didn't linger, just as resolutely as when he left his brother's mansion this morning. Lin Haitao and his brother wanted to chase after him, but were stopped by several police officers who pulled them into the interrogation room.

As soon as he sat down in the "confession chair," the police officer slammed his hand on the table and said, "Tell the truth," and Lin Haitao spilled the beans. He didn't try to defend himself; he knew it was futile. Once he was in the police station, trying to argue would only result in a harsher sentence.

In the neighboring town government compound, Shen Lesheng was walking around with Chen Dong and his brothers, all smiles. In Tuocheng, the most common trees are banyan trees. The banyan tree in the town government compound had a canopy that blocked out the sun. Under the tree, there were several stone tables and benches, and a few old men were playing chess. When they saw the town party secretary leading a group of people over, they just turned their heads to look and continued playing their chess.

These days, people can come and go as they please in government offices. Children play and frolic inside. These old men playing chess are all local residents who regularly enjoy the shade under the big banyan tree. No one chases them away, nor dares to.

The old man's simple question—"Are you a public servant? Am I a member of the people? Do you serve the people? Is this a government office in China?"—made the official who was trying to expel people break out in a cold sweat.

Chen Dong followed Shen Lesheng with a smile throughout, occasionally chiming in with a word or two to avoid an awkward atmosphere. He knew, of course, that Shen Lesheng didn't really want to invite him to visit the town government, but rather wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to him.

A town party secretary is in charge of the daily lives of tens of thousands of people. The power he wields is neither huge nor small, but if you want to do business smoothly in Nanshan, you can't afford to offend such a person, nor do you need to deliberately curry favor with him.

Be polite, but keep your distance; that's the best approach.

After walking around the courtyard for a while, Shen Lesheng invited Chen Dong and the others to sit in his office. Chen Dong glanced at his watch, shook his head, and said, "Secretary Shen, we won't sit here today. I have some things to take care of at the institute. I'll come to visit you another day."

Shen Lesheng didn't press them. He smiled and saw them to the door, then shook Chen Dong's hand and said, "Comrade Zai Dong, although our Jiping Town is small, the business environment has been improving. If Xiaochi needs anything, just let us know."

Chen Dong nodded. "Secretary Shen, you're too kind. I will."

When the group returned to the police station, Fang Zhengwen had already had the statements taken. The Lin brothers, Haitao and Haitao, had been handcuffed and locked in the interrogation room. Fang Zhengwen only had Chen Zaiguang and Lin Ruiqing, the couple, give their statements before letting them go.

As for Chen Dong and Chen Zaiguang, Fang Zhengwen didn't even mention them once. The other police officers were even less likely to be so blind as to take responsibility. Didn't you see how warmly the town party secretary received the Chen brothers? What rank do you have to dare to detain them?

It's unlikely that someone will fire you with a single phone call to the municipal party committee, but transferring you to oversee the reservoir would be quite easy. It's not worth hindering your future over something like this.

Besides, both Lin Haitao and his brother confessed everything. The facts are clear, and they are indeed the victims and have the moral high ground.

When Chen Dong and his group walked out of the police station, the Chen family members had already gotten into the car. The Maybach took the lead and headed towards Lianzhai. Turning onto the highway, the rice in the fields on both sides of the road was almost ripe. The whole field of golden rice fields rippled in the wind.

The bus stopped at the Lianzhai courtyard. The villagers got off the bus laughing. Chen Dong took out a megaphone and shouted to them, "Everyone, go home and have lunch first. This afternoon, we'll go to the ancestral hall. I'll have my uncle pick a day to hold a feast to thank everyone for their hard work today!"

"Uncle Dong is so generous!"

"Zai Dong, you're something else, no doubt about it!"

"Disperse, everyone disperse!"

Chen Zaiguang also shouted to the crowd with a smile. Chen Zaixing, Chen Zailong, Chen Zailian and others took out boxes of cigarettes from the trunks of several cars and gave each person a whole carton of Peony cigarettes.

Those who received the cigarettes grinned from ear to ear. They got money to share, cigarettes to take home, and a feast in a few days. The eldest son's family was truly generous in their dealings.

The other onlookers, all from different surnames, watched with envy, whispering among themselves, praising Chen Dong and his brothers for their thoughtfulness and generosity, unlike others who were stingy with any reward after receiving help.

For the eldest branch of the Chen family, if there is anything else to do, just send a message and the Chen clan members will be there without hesitation!

Chen Zaiguang parked the car in front of the old house, got out of the car, and Lin Ruiqing followed behind, her head down, like a newlywed. In the main room, Chen Xiangui sat on the sofa smoking, Huang Lanzhi was peeling peanuts next to her, and Xiao Chenhui and Xiao Rongguo were also helping to peel them, but it was more like they were making trouble.

Upon seeing Chen Zaiguang and his wife enter, Huang Lanzhi stood up and asked, "You're back. How did it go? Did you get the money back?"

Chen Zaiguang placed the canvas bag on the coffee table. "I got 80,000 back."

Huang Lanzhi opened her bag and saw neat stacks of banknotes. She didn't count them, then zipped the bag up again, looked at Chen Zaiguang with a frown, and asked, "Third brother, how come we only got back 80,000? Where's the remaining 60,000?"

"There's still 60,000 left. They spent it on building houses and buying cars," Chen Zaiguang said, his face looking very unpleasant. 60,000! In the 1980s, when even households with 10,000 yuan were rare, 60,000 yuan was Chen Zaiguang's entire year's company dividends.

"Where are Lin... and his brother?"

"They were taken to the town police station. The police chief, Fang Zhengwen, said that they would prosecute them for fraud. However, considering that the Lin brothers had a good attitude in admitting their guilt, the court might give them leniency in sentencing," Chen Zaiguang replied.

"How long will the sentence be?"

"It will take at least seven years!"

"Alright, it's good enough if we can get 80,000 back," Chen Xiangui said, smoking a cigarette. "It's better than losing all 140,000. We should learn from this experience."

Chen Xiangui's second half of his sentence was clearly directed at Lin Ruiqing. Lin Ruiqing knew her father-in-law was talking about her, so she quickly nodded, her eyes red, and said, "Father, I know I was wrong. I promise I'll never do it again!"

Unlike Chen Xiangui, Huang Lanzhi handed the bag to Chen Zaiguang, saying, "Third brother, you'll have to keep this money from now on. You need to be more careful in everything you do, don't be so naive!"

Chen Zaiguang nodded and glanced at Lin Ruiqing. Lin Ruiqing lowered her head, not daring to respond to her mother-in-law Huang Lanzhi. After learning about this matter, she would find it difficult to manage the money in their small family.

"Wow! Brother, Uncle has so much money!" Xiao Rongguo stopped peeling peanuts and ran over. He was short, just able to reach the canvas bag that Chen Zaiguang was carrying. With a tug of his chubby little hand, he revealed bundles of 100-yuan bills inside.

"Let me see, let me see, it's only ten dollars a piece," Xiao Chenhui said with a disdainful sneer. When he was little, his great-grandfather used to give him a hundred-dollar bill to count as he played. To Xiao Chenhui, who had seen the world, this was far too little.

Not worth mentioning!