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

"Mr. Chen, welcome to Ningcheng!"

Chen Dong grasped Liao Yueming's hand, feeling its warmth and strength. It wasn't a perfunctory, polite handshake, but a genuine, competitive one. He smiled and replied, "Secretary Liao, I'm honored that you came to pick me up in person."

Liao Yueming released his grip, took a half step back, and looked Chen Dong up and down. His gaze held both scrutiny and appreciation. He nodded and said, "It's only right. Mr. Chen traveled all the way from Tuocheng to Shanghai, and then from Shanghai to our Ningcheng. This is an affirmation of Ningcheng. You must have had a long and tiring journey. It's nothing for me to pick you up!"

He paused, then turned to the row of cadres behind him, "Come, let me introduce you."

Cai Shengju had already taken a step forward impatiently. He wasn't very tall, almost half a head shorter than Liao Yueming, but his eyes shone like two black pebbles, revealing shrewdness and eagerness. "Mr. Chen, I am Cai Shengju, Secretary of the Ningcheng Municipal Party Committee. Welcome to Ningcheng!"

Chen Dong grasped his hand. Cai Shengju's palm was broad and rough, with large knuckles, clearly the work of a seasoned veteran who had risen through the ranks. After exchanging pleasantries, he stepped aside to let the refined-looking middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses behind him pass by. "This is Ma Liang, the mayor of Ningcheng."

Ma Liang was polite and wore black-rimmed glasses. His handshake was a little lighter than the previous two, but his attitude was just as warm. "Mr. Chen, Lianjun and I are old partners. He mentioned you to me on the phone before. It is a blessing for all the people of Ningcheng that Xiaochi Company has chosen to invest here."

Chen Dong nodded politely, but in his heart he was weighing the situation. The Ningcheng leadership team, from the provincial party committee to the municipal party committee and then to the municipal government, was united as one, unlike the Shanghai team where everyone had their own agenda and acted independently.

The tighter the rope is twisted, the more secure the project will be.

Ji Lianjun stood to the side, watching Chen Dong shake hands with each of his superiors, a smile never fading from his lips. He had specially changed into a dark blue Zhongshan suit today, and now that he was in high spirits, he looked several years younger.

Led by Liao Yueming, Chen Dong shook hands and expressed his gratitude to the cadres who came to greet him. After shaking hands with the last cadre, two little girls holding flower wreaths walked up with smiles, gave a Young Pioneer salute, and called out in sweet voices, "Welcome to our beautiful Ningcheng, Uncle Chen!"

"Thank you," Chen Dong and Chen Zaixing smiled and bent down so the two little girls could hang the flower wreaths around their necks. Chen Dong extended his hand and shook hands with each of the two little girls. Looking at the student group still banging drums and shouting "Welcome! Welcome!" and "Warm welcome!", Chen Dong turned to Liao Yueming and said, "Secretary Liao, this is just too much enthusiasm!"

"Haha! Mr. Chen, since you've come to Ningcheng, we must make you feel right at home," Liao Yueming laughed.

"I truly felt this warmth, a warmth that surpasses even that of my hometown, Tuocheng. I am grateful for the warm hospitality of Ningcheng," Chen Dong said, genuinely feeling valued. Even in his previous life, when he accompanied America's Ministry of Commerce on visits to many countries, he had never experienced such a sincere welcome.

It wasn't just empty politeness; they were genuinely and sincerely welcoming their guests, which touched Chen Dong. Seeing the students still dancing with flowers in their hands, Chen Dong waved enthusiastically to them.

The special car was waiting nearby. It was still a Shanghai-plated 760 sedan. Chen Dong was invited to ride in the same car as Liao Yueming, the provincial party secretary. Cai Shengju, the municipal party secretary, sat in the passenger seat. Ji Lianjun accompanied Chen Zaixing in the same car. The convoy slowly drove out of the airport tarmac.

As the motorcade passed through the old town of Ningcheng, pedestrians on the street stopped to watch. Some craned their necks to look, some pointed at the motorcade and whispered among themselves, and others raised their cameras, all wondering which central leader had arrived in Ningcheng and why such a grand procession was being made.

Chen Zaixing sat in the car behind, rolled down the window, and waved to a woman holding a child by the roadside. The woman paused for a moment, then smiled and quickly waved back. Chen Zaixing rolled up the window and said to Ji Lianjun beside him, "You Ningcheng people are quite hospitable."

Ji Lianjun smiled but remained silent. Lai Zhanggao, however, spoke up, "Comrade Zaixing, now that you're in Ningcheng, do you plan to invest as well?"

"I have that idea, but I need to think about it some more," Chen Zaixing said casually while still looking out the car window. Ningcheng had indeed left a good impression on him, and he was considering investing there.

The motorcade stopped in front of the municipal government building. The gray-white building was not tall, and the national emblem above the porch shone in the afternoon sun. A red carpet was laid on the steps of the building, extending from the entrance to the car. A row of Ningcheng cadres in uniform stood on both sides of the carpet. When the motorcade stopped, they all applauded.

Chen Dong got out of the car and felt the importance that the Ningcheng Municipal Government attached to him. This was a treatment he had never received in Shanghai. Ningcheng was poor, Ningcheng was small, and Ningcheng did not have the glamorous exterior of Shanghai, but Ningcheng had things that Shanghai did not have.

A passionate heart eager to strive for progress!

Chen Dong had already made up his mind. This was it. He wouldn't choose anything else. No matter how well Shanghai developed in the future, it wouldn't make Chen Dong happy.

Liao Yueming accompanied Chen Dong and Chen Zaixing up the steps, into the building, through the spacious lobby, and straight up to the third-floor reception room. The reception room was small, simply and solemnly furnished. A row of sofas was placed by the window, and tea had already been brewed on the coffee table. The teacups were half-covered, and the fragrance of Biluochun tea wafted faintly in the air.

The group sat down according to their seniority and rank. Chen Dong and Chen Zaixing were seated to Liao Yueming's right. The staff gently closed the door, shutting out the noise from outside.

"Mr. Chen," Liao Yueming picked up the special cigarettes on the coffee table and handed them to Chen Dong and the other man before getting straight to the point, "I've already heard about the problems Xiaochi encountered in Shanghai in Hangzhou. Shanghai is a municipality directly under the central government, so it has a lot of bureaucracy and long procedures. It's not that the people below don't want to do some things, it's just that the procedures are too complicated."

He paused, looked at Chen Dong, and continued, "Ningcheng is different. Ningcheng is small, but being small has its advantages. Decisions are made quickly and efficiently, and you won't have to wait."

Seeing Chen Dong nod earnestly, Liao Yueming continued to make promises, "Mr. Chen, the only promise our provincial party committee can give Xiaochi is this: you just need to focus on building the factory, and the provincial party committee and Ningcheng municipal party committee will handle everything else."

"The government handles all the procedures, from land approval and planning design to supporting infrastructure. If you need basic infrastructure development, Ningcheng will provide it!"

"If you want tax breaks, the provincial party committee will provide you with policy advantages; if you need talent support, the provincial party committee will open a green channel for you!"

"What Shanghai can't give you, Ningcheng can; what Shanghai can give you, Ningcheng can give even better!"