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

The procession of the camp elders continued forward, with colorful banners personally made by the elders of the Lianzhai Council bearing auspicious wishes such as national prosperity, abundant harvests, and universal equality, symbolizing the Tuocheng people's yearning for a better future.

After entering the new century, the stubborn and conservative people of Tuocheng are often said by outsiders to be feudal and superstitious, and to be old-fashioned. But in fact, this is how people of Tuocheng have been said to be since ancient times. After Han Yu entered Chaozhou during the Tang Dynasty, he brought advanced Central Plains culture to the ignorant people of Tuocheng. The people of Tuocheng began to cherish Han culture.

When the Mongol Yuan dynasty marched south, the people of Tuocheng stubbornly refused to acknowledge its legitimacy. When Prime Minister Wen Tianxiang arrived in Tuocheng, a large number of young men from Tuocheng spontaneously set out to fight against the Mongol Yuan invaders. Although they were defeated and died heroically, the people of Tuocheng will not forget them, and the future generations of Tuocheng will not forget them!

After Emperor Taizu of Ming restored China, the people of Tuocheng were finally able to openly and legitimately commemorate the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the Mongol Yuan dynasty. The scale of their commemoration moved Emperor Taizu so much that he issued an imperial edict to commend them.

The deities worshipped by the people of Tuocheng are not gods that have come out of thin air, but real benevolent people who have brought blessings to the local people of Tuocheng. As the saying goes, "Those who carry firewood for the masses should not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow!"

The worship of the people of Tuocheng is precisely about having a heart full of gratitude and admonishing people to do good. It is not superstition, but rather about upholding moral integrity and guiding people's hearts!

On the tombstones of the ancestors in Tuocheng, you can find inscriptions from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, but only from the Yuan and Qing dynasties, the people of Tuocheng uniformly use the character "祖" (ancestor) instead.

The Tuocheng area is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on the other, making it extremely isolated from the outside world. The customs passed down from generation to generation cannot be easily changed by a few rumors from outsiders.

The people of Tuocheng are not feudal and superstitious, but rather possess a unique backbone inherent in Han culture!

Here, there are no exorbitant dowries of three or four hundred thousand yuan. In fact, the term "dowry" is not even used in Tuocheng. There are only betrothal gifts and dowries, ranging from thirty to fifty thousand yuan to one or two thousand yuan, depending entirely on the family's wishes. In fact, when a family marries off their daughter, the dowry they give her is several times more than the betrothal gifts given by the groom's family.

Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them. The parents of Tuocheng perfectly exemplify this saying. Marriage in Tuocheng still follows ancient traditions. It's not that if a man and woman meet and feel they are a good match, they can just marry each other off randomly.

After asking the neighbors, the village, and the friends, if they feel it is suitable, they will proceed to the betrothal ceremony. Asking the neighbors means asking the woman's neighbors to inquire about the man's family traditions, asking the village means asking about the man's reputation in the village, and asking the friends means asking if he has any hidden illnesses that he cannot talk about.

Marrying someone of equal social standing is not just a matter of etiquette, but a matter of the relationship between two families after marriage. If you don't understand this and rush to marry your daughter off, you are not marrying her off, but harming her!

These practices that have been phased out by people from other places are still used by the people of Tuocheng. They value marriage highly, not because they consider women as more valuable than themselves, but because they treat them with sincerity and honesty!

People in Tuocheng value loyalty and friendship more than money. Although they say they would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix and everyone wants to be a boss and make money, this is the kind of ambition and indomitable spirit that is inherent in the Han people.

Moreover, even after they became wealthy, they never forgot to give back to their hometown. Charitable organizations are everywhere in Tuocheng, and they are not only highly spontaneous but also still active today, mostly maintained by donations of money and goods from these wealthy people.

The reason why Chen Dong is so willing to give back to his hometown and invest in Tuocheng is because his grandfather has been teaching him the Tuocheng way of thinking since he was a child.

The old man kept telling Chen Dong that the moon shines brightest in one's hometown, and even if he becomes successful, he should not forget his hometown and must return. He should also help his relatives and friends whenever possible.

Today you are someone else's benefactor, but perhaps one day when you are down on your luck, the people you helped will become your benefactors!

In this fast-paced society, cherishing loyalty and righteousness may lead to losses, but it can also help you make friends with like-minded people who can truly be lifelong companions.

The procession of the deity had already passed more than halfway through. The statue of the deity, carried by eight people, was greeted by crowds eager to offer incense. At this moment, Old Lady Wei Shufen no longer used her cane. Holding incense in both hands, she muttered some words. When the people carrying the incense burner came over, she respectfully stepped forward, placed the incense in the burner, and put her hands together in prayer.

"May the Lord protect us!"

People kept coming forward to offer incense. The incense burner was already full of long incense sticks, but people still came forward with incense sticks. People guarded around the statue of the god, and people holding green bamboo sticks shouted loudly not to knock the statue of the god. If anyone did not listen to advice, they would be hit directly with a stick.

The procession moved slowly forward, surrounded by people offering incense. The rousing music of the Eight Instruments played behind them. Following at the back was the group of elderly council members, led by Chen Xiangui, who was dressed in a Tang suit and holding a black umbrella. When he saw his sons, daughters-in-law and sons-in-law looking at him with smiles, he waved to them with a cheerful smile.

"It's Grandpa, Grandpa, I'm here!" Little Rongguo jumped up and down, afraid that his grandfather Chen Xiangui wouldn't see him. Little Chenhui also shouted, "Uncle, we're here!"

"Alright, alright, I see you two. Stop jumping, you're both covered in sweat," Chen Xiangui said, amused by his two lively grandsons.

"Grandpa, are you tired? Do you want to go home and sit for a while before you leave?" As soon as Xiao Rongguo said this, everyone around burst into laughter. Xiao Chenhui quickly covered his mouth, "Little brother, your great-uncle is participating in the procession of gods. He can't go home halfway."

"Oh! Grandpa must be so tired!"

As soon as the procession of the local deity passed by, firecrackers went off all over the village. People couldn't go home yet because there was still a custom of warding off evil and bringing good fortune to be completed.

Two people wearing straw hats, with seven-colored flowers and talismans stuck in them, one carrying a large rooster and the other a gong, walked through the streets and alleys and into the houses.

Duang!

When the gong sounds, people come out. The rooster is a yang bird, also known as the golden crow, an auspicious symbol of extreme yang and strength. When the rooster is performing rituals, no one is home. The rooster patrols the streets, and evil spirits may take the opportunity to enter the house. These two people are specifically used to drive away evil spirits.

The two had just come out of the Chen family's old house after banging the gong when Huang Lanzhi, smiling, handed them two red envelopes and pointed to Chen Dong's Western-style building, saying, "I'll trouble you to knock down the gong floor by floor!"

"Okay, okay, Aunt Lanzhi, don't worry," the two of them said, clutching the thick red envelopes given to them by Huang Lanzhi. They were overjoyed. Others would only receive one or two yuan at most, but these thick red envelopes contained at least a dozen yuan.

As Chen Dong listened to the resounding gongs from his own mansion, when the two men came out, Chen Dong, the homeowner, was generous and gave each of them a red envelope.

This made the two of them so happy they almost lost their bearings. They thanked him profusely before leaving for Chen Xianfu's house. Huang Lanzhi stepped forward first and shouted, "Enter the house!"

"Oh, oh, oh, I'm home! Time for some soda!"

"Children shouldn't drink this!"

"Hehehe!"