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

"Really?!"

Chen Xiangui complained about Chen Lianxiang and Lin Qingsheng spending money recklessly, but once he put on the watch, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He raised his wrist, looking at it from left to right. The gold Rolex shone brightly under the light, making his weathered face look even more noble.

Regardless of how rustic Chen Xiangui's face, tanned dark from years of working in the fields, looks, once he puts on this watch, even the manager at the counter can't help but look at him with envy.

"Alright, alright," Chen Xiangui waved his hand, trying to appear calm, but couldn't help glancing down at his watch again. "You're kind enough, but don't buy such expensive things next time. I know you're not short of money, but you can't be so extravagant."

"Dad, this is a small token of our appreciation from Qingsheng and me," Chen Lianxiang said with a smile, taking Chen Xiangui's arm. "You work so hard at home, it's time for you to enjoy your retirement."

Lin Qingsheng nodded in agreement, "Yes, Dad, you look much more energetic wearing this watch."

Chen Xiangui was secretly pleased, but he kept muttering, "Alright, don't just stand here, go inside and see your mother, she's really into picking out clothes."

After Chen Lianxiang and Lin Qingsheng entered the store, Chen Xiangui raised his wrist to examine the large gold watch closely, then asked Bill beside him, "Bill, what do you think of this watch my son-in-law gave me?"

Bill, cigarette in one hand and thumbs-up with the other, exclaimed, "Good! Good! Good!"

"Hahaha!" Chen Xiangui laughed loudly, patted Bill on the shoulder, and said, "Why do you Americans imitate pigeons when you're praising someone?"

Pfft, the two bodyguards who had been standing behind him with straight faces burst out laughing at Chen Xiangui's imitation of a pigeon cooing. Bill couldn't help but laugh too, "Uncle Chen, you're really funny."

The group strolled around the Central shopping street for more than two hours. Chen Xiangui was wearing a Panama hat, a large gold watch, and a white shirt. Anyone who didn't know him would think he was a gang leader out on a street sweep.

Huang Lanzhi was wearing a V-neck lotus root-colored dress she had bought from Gucci, and a pair of mid-heeled leather shoes that her daughters-in-law had bought for her. She complained of foot pain after taking a few steps, and Chen Xiangui complained that she didn't know how to enjoy life.

"You old fool, you know how to enjoy yourself, you wear them," Huang Lanzhi ultimately didn't change her high heels into flats, walking carefully, afraid of twisting her ankle.

"I'm a grown man, wearing high heels, I'd be laughed to death," Chen Xiangui deliberately raised his hand with the big gold watch on it, then lowered it again, took out a cigarette, lit it with a match, and then shook the match out with that hand. He kept shaking his hand like that until he finally caught Huang Lanzhi's attention.

"When did you buy the watch? How come I didn't know?" Huang Lanzhi pulled Chen Xiangui's hand. "What happened to your old Shanghai-brand watch?"

"It's in the box," Chen Xiangui pointed to the bag Bill was carrying. Huang Lanzhi reminded him, "That's the watch we bought when we got married. Don't lose it."

"No, no, I'm afraid it will get lost, so you can keep it safe," Chen Xiangui knew the significance of the watch. It was a watch he had worn for decades and was a testament to their marriage.

The group strolled around for another half hour before returning to the parking area. After getting into their respective cars, the six Saab luxury cars drove away from the Central shopping street and headed towards the hotel, under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Chen Dong had been waiting in the hotel room for a while when Chen Xiangui and the others finally came up in the elevator. Seeing their large bags and even Ronghui and Xiao Rongguo each carrying a teddy bear, Chen Dong couldn't help but smile and ask, "Did you guys go on a shopping spree?"

"Well, Lianxiang said she wanted to bring some souvenirs for Qingsheng's parents. Since we didn't have much to do, she suggested we go shopping," Chen Zaiguang said wearily as he sat down on the sofa. He realized now that accompanying someone shopping, especially a woman, was really tiring.

Chen Rongjie excitedly told Chen Dong, "Uncle Dong, you didn't see it. The building we went to buy things in was so tall! We took the elevator up and up, and it scared me so much that my heart was pounding."

"That building isn't tall at all. When we get to New York, Rongjie, I'll have Uncle Bill take you to the top of the Twin Towers. That's really high. My great-grandfather used to play golf on the top floor and was afraid of shooting down a plane," Ronghui said proudly. In his opinion, the buildings in Hong Kong weren't tall at all, not even as tall as the Twin Towers that his great-grandfather took him to.

"Jimmy, really?" Chen Rongjie asked, somewhat skeptical. "Can we really go to those Twin Towers?"

"Of course!" Ronghui said, looking at his Uncle Bill, who nodded. Chen Rongjie then exclaimed, "I'm going to take pictures on the top floor, hehehe!"

"Alright, alright, don't get too excited yet," Chen Dong said, seeing his nephew Rongjie's excited expression. "Once you're in America, don't run around, understand? You have to stay with your Uncle Bill. You can only go where he tells you to go. Don't go where he tells you not to go!"

Why?

"They have guns," Ronghui said with a grin. Despite being only seven years old, he already knew a lot. Chen Rongjie asked in surprise, "They just pull out guns and rob people on the street?"

Chen Dong smiled and retorted, "What do you think?"

"Rongjie, you mustn't wander off," Huang Lanzhi cautioned. "Listen to your Uncle Dong; don't go to places that are too chaotic."

Huang Lanzhi was indeed a little worried when she heard the gun, but she wasn't really scared. Although she was a rural woman, she was also a legitimate female militia member of the village, and she was more accurate in shooting the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle than some men.

These days, the security situation in China and America is pretty much the same, so neither side should laugh at the other. Some of the highway robbers in China are just like their American counterparts, except that they might pull out Type 56 pistols or wooden-handled grenades, while their American counterparts use small handguns.

It wasn't until 97 that China enacted the "Gun Control Law," which stipulated that local firearms could only be possessed by law enforcement agencies such as public security and armed police, and strictly prohibited civilians from possessing, circulating, or selling firearms. This effectively nipped the "nationwide gun war" in the bud and prevented a situation like that in America, where the police were on high alert and would empty their magazines at the drop of a hat.

"As long as you're in Chinatown, nobody will dare lay a finger on you," Bill said with a smile. "But once you leave Chinatown, don't wander around the other streets, especially some of the dirtier, more chaotic areas. They're really into those places, and they especially like to target us Chinese with our guns, so you have to be careful."

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Chen Rongjie nodded blankly. He hadn't expected America to be so reckless. In Nanshan District, when he went to visit his classmates in other villages, he never had to worry about being held at gunpoint. This was the first time his idealized image of America had been shattered.