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

While a large meeting was being held in Lianzhai Village to discuss matters such as shareholder representatives, twenty-five Jiefang trucks were ready to depart at the Tuogang Customs.

The twenty-five Jiefang trucks parked in the port square were loaded with all kinds of engineering equipment, such as parts for bulldozers and excavators. Behind the convoy, other wheeled engineering vehicles continued to drive out. All of these wheeled engineering vehicles that could drive themselves were driven by port drivers, heading to Lianzhai Village in Jiping Commune.

Right now, the customs officers are refueling the vehicles with diesel. The journey is more than 30 kilometers long. The 25 Jiefang trucks are also carrying many oil drums, just in case the vehicles run out of fuel along the way.

The reporter from Tuocheng Morning Post excitedly took out his camera and weaved through the convoy to capture the footage he wanted. This scene was truly a rare and significant event.

This is a major event for Tuocheng, a significant step forward in Tuocheng's response to the central government's directives and efforts to promote market-oriented reforms, and a testament to the achievements of Tuocheng's leadership!

Although the leadership of the Tuocheng Municipal Party Committee was still only vaguely aware of the matter, it did not stop the Tuocheng Morning Post from reporting it, encouraging more overseas Chinese like Chen Dong to return to China and invest in and build factories in Tuocheng.

Customs Director Cao Jianjun stood smiling at the front of the convoy. A reporter snapped a photo, and a news story was instantly in hand. Back home, looking at the picture and writing a news report, he could write tens of thousands of words, describing the favorable investment environment of Tuocheng and the importance that the city leadership attaches to foreign investment.

"Set off!"

After the reporter finished taking photos, Cao Jianjun shouted to the group of drivers, who then lined up and headed to their respective Jiefang trucks, the roar of their engines echoing throughout the customs port square.

Twenty-five Jiefang trucks, loaded with various construction equipment, drove out of the gate one after another. The reporter excitedly pressed the shutter button rapidly, the clicks like a machine gun. When other wheeled construction vehicles followed, the reporter became even more excited.

As the last wheeled bulldozer drove out of the gate, the reporter took a photo of the long convoy, then boarded another spare Jiefang truck from the customs office and followed the convoy to Lianzhai Village in Jiping Commune for delivery, while also capturing various "exciting" moments as the convoy passed through the city and counties along the way.

As soon as the convoy of Jiefang trucks and construction vehicles entered the city streets, it was immediately greeted by people lining the streets. The citizens of Tuocheng were not unfamiliar with construction vehicles, but they had never seen such a large-scale event before.

At the intersection, traffic police officers in Type 72 uniforms stopped the oncoming construction vehicle convoy. As one after another, Jiefang trucks and subsequent construction wheeled vehicles drove past the stopped vehicles, the passengers on the bus let out a series of low gasps.

"Wow! So many construction vehicles, where are they going?"

"Is there going to be any construction work going on there?"

"What a huge project! So many construction vehicles have been deployed, and they even have 'Japanese Chicken' written on them. Are they all imported?"

"When did our Tuocheng City Construction Bureau become so extravagant, using fully imported construction vehicles now!"

"With that money to buy imported goods, they wouldn't even bother to fix up these dilapidated roads in the city!"

The entrance to the department store was crowded with onlookers, and some children clapped their hands and shouted, "Cars! So many cars!"

Among the onlookers were naturally many curious people who rode bicycles behind the convoy, wanting to see where these construction vehicles were headed.

But after following for a long time, when they discovered that the convoy was heading straight out of the city, some people had to stop pedaling. This was a road leading out of the city, and it wasn't being built in the city center. Where else could it be?

Will it be Linkou or Nanshan County?

Along the national highway from Linkou County to Nanshan County, surrounded by endless fields, the Liberation truck convoy continued its journey. People working in the fields beside the highway, weeding, saw the convoy passing by and looked on with their hands clasped.

When the convoy was actively entering the territory of Nanshan County, they stopped to refuel the engineering vehicles and take a break, allowing the drivers to get out and move around.

"What's going on here? Why are there so many vehicles, and they're all excavators and bulldozers!"

Curious villagers from the surrounding area gathered around, pointing and whispering about the convoy. The leader of the group struck up a conversation with the convoy, a man who identified himself as the village head, asking, "Comrade, with so many vehicles, where are you headed?"

"Fellow villager, we're heading towards Lianzhai Village, Jiping Commune, Nanshan County," said Zhong Fengshou, deputy director of the Customs Administration, wiping the sweat from his brow and puffing on his Double Happiness cigarette.

"Jiping, Lianzhai Village, is there going to be a major construction project there? Why are so many construction vehicles being sent there?"

"I heard there's an overseas Chinese there who's investing there, building factories and roads and stuff," Zhong Fengshou said with a smile, pointing to the construction vehicles behind him. "These are all things that the overseas Chinese paid for himself, bought from Japan, and shipped to Tuo Port, and then we transported them over."

The other villagers who heard the news thought to themselves, "Overseas Chinese are even funding a factory and bringing in so many construction vehicles. It must be a huge investment and a major project. Who knows how many people will be involved in road construction and factory building?"

Should I take advantage of the off-season to go to Jipinglianzhai in Nanshan County and see if I can get a job there to earn some hard-earned money to supplement my family's income?

Zhong Fengshou didn't chat with the villagers for long before the convoy restarted and headed towards Nanshan County along the national highway. As soon as they entered Nanshan County, they caused a sensation in the county.

The day Chen Dong applied for the Guangdong Company license from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, the people at the bureau leaked the news to his family. The news spread like wildfire, and soon more than half of the county knew about it.

At first, the people in the county town didn't quite believe it. A company that invested 100 million yuan in foreign exchange would rather choose a remote and dilapidated place like Lianzhai to build its factory.

They also said they would build roads and power plants. These rumors spread extremely fast, and everyone who heard them just laughed it off.

But when the twenty-five Jiefang trucks and the convoy of engineering vehicles behind them drove into the county town and headed towards Jiping Commune, those in the county town who had heard the news finally exclaimed "Holy crap!"

"Wow, there really are such treacherous souls!"

"I'd rather build a factory in a run-down place like Jiping Commune. Investing in our county seat is so much better!"

In the county government compound, Secretary Lin Deying was reviewing documents when his secretary pushed open the door and said, "Secretary, Chief Wang from the police station just called to say that the batch of construction vehicles purchased by Mr. Chen Dong is passing through the county town and heading towards Jiping!"

Lin Deying hurriedly put down the documents in his hand, stood up, and said to his secretary, "Inform Xiao Jiang that I need to go to Lianzhai in Jiping Commune immediately!"

"Inform Comrade Wang Bicheng that the afternoon meeting is temporarily canceled!"

"Yes, Secretary!"