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

"The man surnamed Chen keeps delaying seeing me."

"Guangdong, stay calm," Li Guangliang's voice was calm on the other end of the phone. "The more he avoids you, the more it shows that he knows why we came. You must stay calm and don't let him force you to lose your rationality in negotiations."

Li Guangdong leaned back on the sofa, loosened his tie a little, and was covered in sweat from the ceiling fan. He stared at the ceiling fan and said in a muffled voice, "Brother, I've been living in Tuocheng for almost half a month now. I've seen all the places I need to see: the port, factories, supermarkets, and the old city renovation construction sites. I admit, the Chen family is indeed capable. They've managed to turn Tuocheng into a major port city."

"If Chen Dong didn't have this ability, the Hongmen would have handed over the economic power to him. Guangdong, you're not just negotiating with Chen Dong, but also with the Hongmen's resident officials, and even the Chinese government might get involved. You must withstand the pressure."

"Brother, the issue now isn't whether I can hold on, but whether our Singapore branch can," Li Guangdong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice filled with anxiety. "I'm stuck here in Tuocheng, and the Singapore branch is calling me three times a day, saying the foreign exchange reserve hole is getting bigger and bigger, and if we don't get the funds soon, things will really go wrong!"

"You don't need to worry about these things. I have people keeping an eye on things. Mr. Will from America's Morgan Bank has already promised me that the funds will be injected soon," Li Guangliang reassured his somewhat impatient younger brother on the other end of the phone.

"Alright, brother, I'll listen to you. For the sake of Singapore, I'll put up with Chen Zaidong for a few more days," Li Guangxiong said dejectedly.

"Guangdong, I know you're very unhappy with that pretty boy Chen Zaidong. Actually, I don't like him either, but there's nothing I can do. He's more powerful than us. When we need his help, we have to bow our heads."

"I understand, big brother!"

next day

Cai Gensheng and his team arrived early and started carrying tables, chairs, and benches out of the senior citizens' activity room in their assisted vehicles. Some unsuspecting people, seeing Cai Gensheng park his assisted vehicle at the entrance of the activity room, with a red octagonal table on it, asked, "Gensheng, is there a happy occasion at your home that you're having a feast?"

The red square tables, chairs, and benches of the Eight Immortals in Lianzhai all belong to the village collective. They are usually placed in the activity room for the elderly. The keys are kept at the street office. If any family has a wedding or funeral and needs to hold a banquet, they can get the keys from the street office and come here to pick them up.

"Uncle, it's not my family's business, it's that your eldest grandson, Rongfei, has been admitted to a key university in Jiangsu Province," Cai Gensheng said with a smile, taking out a pack of Peony cigarettes that Chen Zailong had given him that morning, tapping the cigarette case, and offering one to the person who asked the question.

After lighting a cigarette, Cai Gensheng continued, "This morning, Uncle Xiangui came to the street office and told Secretary Tian that he plans to hold a banquet for Rongfei's college entrance today. He plans to hold a large banquet and invite the elders and heads of households in the village to eat."

"Secretary Tian asked me to drive over and help carry it up for the banquet," Cai Gensheng said with a smile. "Uncle, don't let your family cook your portion tonight. It would be a shame if you couldn't finish it at the banquet."

"Oh my! He really got into university, that's a wonderful thing!" The man laughed as he heard this. "The Chen family's life has been getting better and better over the years, and it has also brought prosperity to our Lianzhai village. Rongfei's university admission celebration should be a big one. I'll give him a big red envelope."

"Yes, our Lianzhai village is the best off in the surrounding area. It's all thanks to Adong who opened the Guangdong Factory. He not only gives us dividends, but also buys all the sweet potatoes we grow."

"Over the years, many people in the village have used the dividends from the company to do business outside, and they have all done quite well. They have all come back and built small villas."

As the villagers talked, they all pitched in to help move tables and chairs out of the elderly activity room. With many hands making light work, it wasn't long before more than twenty red square tabletops and more than eighty benches were moved out.

Early in the morning, people came to set up awnings to provide shade in the large square in front of the Lianzhai Subdistrict Office. A dozen experienced awning builders finished setting up the awnings in one morning, agreed to come and dismantle them the next day, and rode away on their old bicycles after receiving payment.

At this moment, Cai Shuisheng and his men were unloading a 4.2-meter truck loaded with gas stoves that had been temporarily brought from the kitchen of Guangdong Factory. Chen Zaiguang's senior brother, Chang Liangming, stood by with his hands on his hips, directing the group of young men to move the gas stoves a little to the side.

A group of women nearby were helping to wash vegetables, while Chen Zaiguang's second senior apprentice, Lin Depeng, wearing an apron, was quickly processing some seafood with a cleaver.

Chen Zaiguang did not go out today. After agreeing to hold a banquet last night, he personally drove to the homes of his two senior brothers and arranged to come over today. Early this morning, he drove the two brothers and their equipment to Lianzhai.

After getting some treasured tea from his father, Chen Xiangui, Chen Zaiguang returned with a smile and said to his second senior brother, Lin Depeng, who was busy at work, "Second senior brother, let Chuanzi and the others take care of things. Let's come here to have some tea and rest for a while. When it's almost time, we'll need you two to personally step in and put in the effort."

Lin Depeng didn't even look up, quickly slicing the fish in his hand. His swift movements didn't hinder his reply, "It's alright, these fish need to be processed quickly, and then we need to put them on ice to keep them fresh. Otherwise, in this hot weather, they won't be fresh in a while, lest we ruin our master's reputation."

"These lads from Chuanzi are alright in terms of cooking skills, but they're too slow. By the time they finish cooking, we'll have to make a stinky fish feast."

Liu Huanchuan and the other apprentices, hearing their master's and uncle's words, dared not refute, and could only stand there grinning foolishly. Liu Huanchuan chuckled and said, "Third Uncle, there are some things we don't know how to do with these sea fish, Second Uncle. We can learn a thing or two from them, hehe!"

Lin Depeng laughed and scolded, "If your master heard this, he'd definitely come and beat you up. You've been learning from your master for five years, and you still can't even handle these simple sea fish? Is your brain made of mush?"

"Second Uncle, I meant that my junior brothers don't know how, not that I don't know how. Please don't spread rumors and harm me," Liu Huanchuan quickly defended himself.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and bring over the washed vegetables and chop them. There are more than twenty tables of food to go. If you don't hurry, we won't be able to start the banquet tonight. When your master comes to urge you to cook the vegetables, he'll kick your butts until they're swollen." Lin Depeng was a rather serious person, and he would only joke around with these few apprentices and nephews.

Chang Liangming and Lin Depeng were specially invited by Chen Zaiguang to serve as head chefs and managers for the soon-to-reopen "Nanyuelou" restaurant, and Chen Zaiguang also gave each of them 5% of the restaurant's shares.

Today's arrangement of this graduation banquet is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, completely overkill.