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

"Young man, why aren't you wearing that gold watch anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zaixing was taken aback at first, but then he understood the deeper meaning behind Old Wu's words. He looked down at the simple and elegant Shanghai-brand watch on his wrist, and a polite and composed smile appeared on his face. "Old Wu, you have a really good memory!"

"Last time I wore a shiny gold Rolex, which seemed too ostentatious and capitalist-like. Although you didn't criticize me in public and even reminded me, I reflected on it for a long time afterward and realized that it's better to be more low-key in life and work!"

"Haha, you're quite perceptive, comrade," Wu Nansheng chuckled, pointing at Chen Zaixing. "It's good that you acknowledge your mistakes and correct them. Although our lives have improved, we must maintain a frugal lifestyle and not just indulge in luxury!"

"Mr. Wu, your criticism is correct. I will definitely maintain a good work style in the future," Chen Zaixing readily agreed.

"You can't say one thing and do another, can you? I'll be secretly asking your Secretary Zhou about it," Wu Nansheng said, and the people behind him burst into laughter, which immediately eased the serious atmosphere.

Chen Zaixing smiled and waved his hand, saying no, no. Wu Nansheng gestured for Chen Zaixing to go first, "You, as the host, have to show us around the supermarket. Today, our big group of us is here to rob the rich."

"Mr. Wu, you're joking. I'm hardly a 'tycoon.' I'm just a traveling merchant from the past," Chen Zaixing began to unleash his witty and humorous nature, leading Wu Nansheng into the Huaxingsheng Supermarket.

The group followed Chen Zaixing through the doors of Huaxingsheng Supermarket. As soon as they stepped inside, a cool and refreshing breeze hit them, instantly shutting out the outdoor temperature of over 30 degrees Celsius.

Feeling the cool air, Wu Nansheng couldn't help but ask Chen Zaixing, "Is the air conditioning on?"

"Yes, central air conditioning, imported from America," Chen Zaixing said, looking at Chen Dong standing next to Wu Nansheng. Wu Nansheng also looked at Chen Dong, knowing that only Chen Dong could afford to spend so much money in US dollars to purchase this kind of central air conditioning for the supermarket.

Wu Nansheng noticed that many people in the supermarket were just sitting on stools or on the floor, and not many were actually buying anything. Most of the cups in their hands or on the floor were full, and the supermarket staff around them didn't seem to be trying to drive them away.

Clearly, Huaxingsheng Supermarket did not deliberately make things difficult for these citizens who came in to cool off. On the contrary, they even prepared tea for them. Wu Nansheng had to nod in appreciation.

Chen Zaixing followed Wu Nansheng's gaze and then explained, "Most of these people are residents around the supermarket. The weather is really hot and humid right now, and the supermarket's air conditioning is already on anyway, so it's understandable that they come in to cool off."

"Is that really what you think? Don't you feel these people are taking up space in your supermarket?"

Faced with Wu Nansheng's question, Chen Zaixing laughed and said, "Hey! Old Wu, what's the big deal? They come and go in my supermarket, which makes it look like it's always packed. I'd love for them to come. Besides, since they come here so often, I've put up a lot of discount and promotional signs across the street. It's like I'm getting free discounts."

Wu Nansheng actually saw a lot of GG promotional brochures posted outside the checkout counter. He couldn't help but chuckle and point at Chen Zaixing, "You little comrade, you really are a business genius. You even managed to come up with a solution for this."

Wu Nansheng said no more and stepped inside. He didn't go to the food shelves right away, but went to the home appliance section. There, rows of air conditioners covered the walls, and below them were electric fans from brands such as Lotus and Brick.

There are all kinds of appliances: all iron, all aluminum, all plastic. Many citizens are gathered around the appliances, enjoying the air conditioning while reading the product manuals. They occasionally exclaim in amazement at these modern appliances.

Wu Nansheng walked up to a lotus-patterned double-door refrigerator, reached out and touched the cold, unplugged body. Seeing the "765 yuan" label on it, he turned to Chen Dong and Chen Zaisheng, and exclaimed, "Before, ordinary people couldn't sleep in the summer heat and shivered in the winter cold. They couldn't afford electric fans, let alone such large items. Now you've brought down the price, and the quality is so good. This is truly doing something practical for the people!"

Wu Nansheng said that the price of the Lotus double-door refrigerator at Huaxingsheng Supermarket was 765 yuan, which was a price reduction. The reason is that refrigerators imported from Japan are generally priced between 2,000 and 4,000 yuan.

Even setting aside the highest price of 4,000 yuan, at 2,000 yuan, this price would have been considered rather expensive under the national home appliance subsidy policy around 2020, let alone in 1984.

"Mr. Wu, you flatter me," Chen Zaixing said with a smile. "Our philosophy at Huaxingsheng is to sell more at lower prices and reduce costs for the masses. As long as the supply chain is streamlined and production costs are reduced, we dare to lower the selling price."

"Our Huaxingsheng Supermarket aims to enable ordinary working-class families to purchase a home appliance using the little money they save each month, allowing them to enjoy the convenience of life."

Wu Nansheng nodded in satisfaction. "Good, this is what a socialist enterprise should look like!"

"How big is this refrigerator?" Wu Nansheng opened the refrigerator door and saw that there was quite a lot of space inside, much larger than some of the imported refrigerators he had seen in Huadu.

"150 liters. The right side is the refrigerator compartment, and the left side is the freezer compartment. Mr. Wu, this Lotus refrigerator of ours is also particularly energy-efficient, saving at least 20% more energy than imported refrigerators," Chen Zaixing explained to Wu Nansheng with great familiarity. Wu Nansheng nodded repeatedly, "Excellent! It's a good refrigerator!"

Then we walked to the television section, where a whole row of lotus-shaped color TVs were playing the 82 film "Shaolin". Many children were sitting on the ground, looking up and watching the movie intently. A fat salesperson was standing there, ignoring the children's occasional exclamations.

As Wu Nansheng approached, the plump saleswoman, seeing her "Boss Wang" arrive, quickly stood up to greet him, but Chen Zaixing waved her hand, indicating it wasn't necessary. Wu Nansheng ignored her and immediately asked the plump saleswoman, "Miss, how many of these televisions do you sell in a month?"

The plump saleswoman, already a mother of three, was overjoyed to be called "young lady" by the old man in front of her. She smiled and said, "It's hard to say. During peak season, I can sell more than a dozen a day, and fewer during the off-season."

"What kind of people come to buy? Are there many farmers and workers among them?"

"Well!"

"Most of the people who come to buy TVs are newlyweds who are preparing for their weddings. It's rare to see farmers like you mentioned, old comrade."