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

Inside the Nanshan County Party Committee Guesthouse, the place was packed with onlookers. Some people believed rumors and, upon hearing that three foreigners had arrived at the guesthouse, assumed they were blond-haired and blue-eyed people. They all crowded inside, wanting to see if foreigners were really any different from Chinese people.

These days, entertainment is scarce in China. When workers get off work and there's something interesting to watch, they'll stand there and watch the whole thing, even if they don't eat.

Besides, it's an international incident, so we should definitely enjoy the gossip. It'll give us something to talk about when we're chatting in the workshop.

At the counter, after listening to what Chen Dong and his wife had to say, Song Yuanchao pondered for a long time, considering how to handle the matter. Now it was no longer a question of whether or not to have a letter of introduction.

The family in front of him claimed to be overseas Chinese who had returned from America to find their relatives. However, their paperwork was incomplete, and the only thing that could prove their identity was their passport, which was written entirely in English. Song Yuanchao could not tell if the passport was genuine or fake, which was the most troublesome part.

The identity of returned overseas Chinese is very sensitive these days; if not handled properly, it can lead to major problems.

Unable to verify the authenticity of the passport, he had no choice but to send someone to the county's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and the police station to have it authenticated. At the same time, he gestured to Li Mei and Wu Chunhua, signaling the onlookers in the lobby and at the entrance of the guesthouse to disperse.

They're all crammed into the municipal party committee guesthouse. What kind of place is this? There are cadres from other places staying here too. If word gets out, people will think that the Nanshan County Party Committee guesthouse has become a vegetable market.

"Comrades, everyone disperse, there's nothing to see here," Li Mei quickly walked around the counter and shouted to the curious onlookers in the lobby, while spreading her arms as if herding ducks to get the crowd out of the guesthouse lobby.

"Those who aren't staying, please leave. Don't disturb the others who want to check in," Wu Chunhua said, stepping in front of the crowd to shoo them away. "Stop looking, there's nothing to see. It's almost dinnertime, go home!"

"Waiter, I'm just standing here at the entrance looking around; I'm not going in!"

"Yeah, I'm tired from cycling right now, can't I just rest for a bit?"

"Waiter, unfortunately, my kettle is empty. Could you please let me in to get some water? I'm not here to watch the commotion!"

Outside the crowd, Chen Zaixing curiously tiptoed to peek inside, then nudged the person in front of him and asked, "Comrade, what's going on in the guesthouse? Why are so many people gathered here?"

The person who had been pulled back glanced at Chen Zaixing and said, "You don't know? Then why are you watching?"

"Hey! I just happened to be passing by and saw so many people gathered here, so I came over to join in the fun. Comrade, can you tell me what's going on?" Chen Zaixing took out a crumpled pack of Hongmei cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to the man in front of him.

"Three foreigners have come to our Nanshan County. I heard they're some overseas Chinese from America, and they're really rich," the man said, tucking a Hongmei cigarette behind his ear and pointing to the Maybach surrounded by the crowd. "See that? It's a car that overseas Chinese drove straight back from America. Isn't it impressive? Even the county party secretary might not be able to afford to ride in one!"

"The person asked which way to the guesthouse, and a comrade had already told him. Guess what!"

Chen Zaixing glanced at the car surrounded by people; only the headlights were visible. He didn't find it particularly unusual and casually asked, "What's up?"

"He immediately gave me a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of foreign liquor as a thank you gift. Isn't that generous?" the man said, beaming with pride, as if he himself had received the carton of cigarettes and the bottle of foreign liquor.

"Whoa!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zaixing exclaimed in surprise, "That's really extravagant, right here in this guesthouse?"

"That's right, even the guesthouse manager has to personally greet them!"

Listening to this man's words, Chen Zaixing felt that this overseas Chinese who had returned from abroad was indeed generous. Seeing that everyone was pointing and talking about the car, he also squeezed to the front of the crowd. When he saw it, he thought, "Wow, what kind of car is this? It's so impressive."

Seeing that the car's paint was so smooth it could be used as a mirror, he curiously reached out to touch it. A bystander immediately warned, "Hey! Comrade, don't touch it! This car doesn't look cheap. You might damage it and be unable to afford the repairs!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zaixing quickly withdrew his outstretched hand, bent over, and peered into the car through the window. As he looked, he exclaimed, "Tsk tsk tsk, these seats look like leather, and this steering wheel looks like leather too. Foreign gadgets really do look different."

"Comrade, what kind of car is this?" Chen Zaixing asked one of the people who had been watching for a long time.

The man, a cigarette dangling from his lips, stared at the car as if it were some rare beauty, his eyes practically gleaming. When Chen Zaixing asked him this, he quickly replied, "Didn't you see the triangular emblem on the hood? It's a German scooter, a Benchmark. I heard one costs over ten thousand!"

"Hiss!" Chen Zaixing gasped upon hearing the price. "Comrade, how did you know?"

"I read it in the newspaper!"

"How come people in capitalist countries are all so rich? They can buy a car for hundreds of thousands of dollars so easily!"

"It's due to material corruption; otherwise, how could it be a capitalist country!"

"Come on! Make way, everyone make way, don't crowd around here!" A police sidecar stopped at the edge of the crowd, and three police officers got out, shouting at the onlookers as they pushed their way in.

Inside the county committee guesthouse, upon seeing the police officers finally arrive, Song Yuanchao immediately strode up to them and said, "Chief Wang, you've finally arrived. Here's the thing: this Mr. Chen Dong claims to be an overseas Chinese who has returned from America to search for his relatives."

"That's Mr. Chen's wife, Ms. Zhang Yi, and their son, Chen Hui," Song Yuanchao introduced Chen Dong to Director Wang, handing the three of them their passports. "They came to our county committee guesthouse without any letters of introduction or reporting to the county overseas Chinese affairs office. What do you think we should do?"

Director Wang took the three dark blue passports handed to him by Song Yuanchao, opened them and began to read. The first page had a color three-inch headshot, and the rest were all crooked foreign characters. Director Wang was also a veteran of the Korean War. The last time he saw this kind of foreign language was in Seoul. He knew what the three foreign characters USA meant.

"From America?"

"Yes," Chen Dong nodded, pointing to the passport in Director Wang's hand, "Turn to page ten, there's a stamp and date on it indicating my entry through the Luohai Port."

Director Wang turned to page ten and indeed saw a Chinese stamp with the entry date marked below: April 15, 1980.

"There are too many people around here, and things are hard to explain clearly. Here's what we'll do," Director Wang said, tucking the three passports behind his back. "You'll come back to the station with us first. Once the comrades from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office arrive and verify your identities, everything will be fine."