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

"You're helping Ah Dong? Then tell me, what can you do to help Ah Dong?"

Faced with his father's sudden, sharp gaze, Xie Liangmin was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly. He knew his father's temperament; he was strong-willed all his life and hated nothing more than the words "relying on others."

Back then, Chen Dong's grandfather, Chen Shengyu, had helped the Xie family. That was a friendship from the older generation. But in his generation, if he still had to rely on Chen Dong, the head of the Chen family, to support him, the old man couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart.

So Xie Liangmin quickly explained, "Dad, it's not what you think. Adong came here this time because he has an important matter to discuss with the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce. He wants to hold this year's general chamber of commerce meeting in Tuocheng so that everyone can go back and see the changes in their hometown."

Upon hearing the name Tuocheng, Xie Baobang seemed to have some deep-seated memories triggered. His originally sharp gaze gradually softened, and he slowly sat back down in the recliner, placing the purple clay teapot in his hand on the small tea table beside him.

"Tuocheng, it's been almost forty years since I left my hometown, Yulu," Xie Baobang murmured. "It's been so long since I've had the San Nian olives from my hometown; I've almost forgotten what they taste like! Ah!"

Xie Liangmin didn't dare to respond, nor did he dare to interrupt his father's homesickness. He knew that his father would become depressed for a long time every time he mentioned his hometown. Xie Baobang was silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "What kind of business is Adong doing in Tuocheng? How's it going?"

Xie Liangmin then recounted all of Chen Dong's investments in China, finally mentioning at the end the offshore financial trading center that Chen Dong was planning to set up in Tuocheng. "It's because of this that A-Dong is thinking of moving this General Chamber of Commerce meeting to Tuocheng halfway through."

After hearing his eldest son's account, Xie Baobang laughed. "That kid Adong is even more troublesome than his grandfather. He wants to set up an offshore financial center in Tuocheng. Won't that greatly affect Singapore and Hong Kong? The representatives from Singapore and Hong Kong in the Chamber of Commerce will definitely not agree!"

"Dad, whether they agree or not is not up to them. As long as more than 60% of the Chamber of Commerce agrees to move the meeting to Tuocheng, what can they do even if they object?"

"Hmm," Xie Baobang tapped his fingers on the armrest of the recliner, "It seems that Adong came prepared this time. Liangmin, if you really open a chamber of commerce in Tuocheng, you should also go back to Yulu for me and bring back a lot of San Nian olives."

"Dad, do you mean that the Chamber of Commerce is almost certain to hold the event in Tuocheng this time?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Xie Baobang glanced at Xie Liangmin. "Who is A Dong? Putting aside his position as the head of the Hongmen headquarters, just the billions of dollars in the Huasheng Fund account that he absolutely controls—who in the Chamber of Commerce would dare to go against him?"

"That's true," Xie Liangmin said belatedly.

The main problem is Chen Dong himself. He can get along well in both the underworld and the legitimate world, so you have to take him seriously. If you offend him, not to mention the Hongmen, Chen Dong alone can ruin the businesses of most people in the Chamber of Commerce.

The Hongmen has a considerable amount of funds, and they are always thinking about expanding. However, Chen Dong controls the money, so he doesn't expand blindly. If you offend Chen Dong, he will make an example of you.

The Hongmen is both a protective umbrella for these overseas Chinese and businessmen and a death warrant for them. If the Hongmen ever sets their sights on you, they might swallow you whole, skin and bones.

"Liangmin," Xie Baobang warned, "Adong is coming the day after tomorrow. Don't tell anyone else about this, not even the few you know well."

"I don't know if opening this offshore financial trading center in Tuocheng was Ah Dong's own idea or the Hongmen headquarters' idea. Just remember, follow Ah Dong's lead!"

"These people in the Chamber of Commerce are all driven by self-interest. Only when Ah Dong comes and talks about this personally can they be persuaded to go along," Xie Baobang said, clearly looking down on the people in the Chamber of Commerce and believing that most of them were short-sighted.

"Dad, will people actually invest money in this offshore financial center that Adong is trying to set up?" Xie Liangmin clearly thought it was unlikely.

Xie Baobang sighed deeply, "Liangmin, I'm getting old now. If it were ten or twenty years earlier, when China said it wanted to build this offshore financial center, I would have invested money without hesitation. Now it's your turn to run the business."

"Although our Xie family's business in Malaysia seems to be doing very well, you must remember that our roots are in China. We are just outsiders living in Malaysia. This is what the local Malaysians think, and it's also what those red-haired capitalists think."

"They're always thinking about seizing our Chinese assets. When you're in trouble, you can only pray that China will step in to help you," Xie Baobang said, then looked at Xie Liangmin and asked, "Do you want your China to be able to go head-to-head with the big Western capital, or do you want your China to be impoverished and unable to help when you need it?"

Xie Liangmin blurted out almost without thinking, "Of course, I hope that China can go toe-to-toe with those red-haired capitalists when I need it!"

"Since that's what you think, then just close your eyes and follow Ah Dong's lead. Even if the investment fails, consider it a trial and error," Xie Baobang said magnanimously. "Helping your motherland try and fail—after a few mistakes, you'll eventually succeed!"

"Ah! No, Dad, why do I feel like you're acting a bit differently when it comes to things on the mainland? You're not your usual shrewd and calculating self."

"You little rascal, is your dad being calculating? It's called cost control and efficiency improvement. Anyway, remember this: investing in the mainland is a sure thing. Just follow along with it blindly!"

"Okay, okay, I understand," Xie Liangmin quickly calmed the old man down. Why did he get so agitated?

"When A-Dong arrives, you can drive me to the Chamber of Commerce. I want to see which rotten bastard dares to object," Xie Baobang said, slapping the armrest. "Back when Sheng Yu and I founded this Chamber of Commerce, anyone who dared to utter a word of protest was kicked out by me."

Hearing that his father wanted to go with him, Xie Liangmin hesitated and said, "Dad, the doctor said your blood pressure is high, you can't get angry..."

"Don't listen to those quack doctors' nonsense. I've always had this temper. To live a few more years and have peace of mind, I'd rather die early and go down to keep my old brother Sheng Yu company!"

"No, no, no, Father, please don't talk nonsense! Spit it out and say it again!"

"roll!"