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

"I came to San Francisco on business and stopped by to visit my aunt and uncle."

Chen Dongsong shook off his aunt Chen Zirong and looked her up and down. Chen Zirong was in her early fifties and well-maintained. She was wearing a beige linen dress, her hair was loosely tied up, and a jade bracelet on her wrist with excellent clarity made her look gentle and wealthy.

Chen Zirong was also looking at her nephew whom she hadn't seen for several years. Seeing that Chen Dong had lost some weight, she said with concern, "Donnie, have you been very busy lately? You look much thinner than you have in previous years."

"Auntie, I'm definitely busy, but I haven't lost weight, I've just been exercising," Chen Dong said with a smile.

"Busy, busy, busy, your grandfather always said the same thing back then, ruining his health," Chen Zirong glared at him reproachfully, then nodded to Qu Cai as a greeting, before leading Chen Dong into the house.

The three of them walked through the marble-floored foyer, changed into slippers, and stepped onto the living room floor covered with a Persian carpet. Chen Zirong invited Chen Dong and Qu Cai to sit on the sofa, and she skillfully washed the cups, scalded the teapot, added the tea leaves, and brewed the tea, her movements flowing smoothly.

"This is Dancong tea that your uncle sent from Southeast Asia last time. I've been storing it for a long time, just waiting for you to come and drink it," Chen Zirong said, placing the small teacup on the coffee table in front of Chen Dong. Chen Dong quickly reached out to steady it to express his gratitude.

"Good tea," Chen Dong said, taking a small sip before setting down the cup and asking, "How's Uncle's business these days?"

"It's alright," Chen Zirong continued brewing tea. "This year, we added two new routes from Los Angeles to Honolulu and signed long-term contracts with Chinese businesses in Hawaii."

"However, there have been port union negotiations going on at major ports in America recently. Dockworkers at several major ports on the west coast are clamoring for higher wages, and the situation is quite serious. As a result, there is a lot of container backlog at the ports. Your uncle is considering whether to move some of the business to the east coast, via the Panama Canal."

Upon hearing the workers clamoring for a wage increase, Chen Dong immediately pictured them holding signs and staging strikes, rallies, and marches. Don't be fooled by the fact that these unionized dockworkers are demanding higher wages, seemingly for the benefit of all workers. In reality, they are simply exploiting those who are not unionized.

Unions collect dues equal to workers' wages. If the capitalists at the docks raise wages for unionized workers, they will then indirectly lower wages for those who are not unionized, thus forcing those who are not unionized to join, creating a vicious cycle that causes labor costs for businesses to skyrocket.

When businesses face increased labor costs and capitalists earn less, they will shift their industries overseas, leading to rising prices. As prices rise, workers or employees in other positions will demand higher wages, causing labor costs to skyrocket.

This is why labor costs are so high in Europe and America. Can you imagine that the installation fee for hiring a worker to install an air conditioner is more expensive than the air conditioner itself?

Why are Americans so skilled at crafts? Because the cost of hiring a plumber or electrician really hurts their wallets, and this is no joke.

Upon hearing this, Chen Dong asked, "Do you need my help?"

"No need, your uncle has been running around taking care of it himself, and he's almost finished," Chen Zirong shook her head, changing the subject, "You came here because of something at the supermarket?"

"No, I went to Apple for a board meeting," Chen Dong said, seeing that his aunt was no longer talking about the port, so he didn't go into details and started talking about his plans for coming. "Aunt, I went back to China and found my great-uncle's descendants."

"Really? That's wonderful! Your grandfather would be overjoyed if he knew," Chen Zirong said with relief. "He has always been thinking about his elder brother and descendants back in his hometown. It would be a great achievement if you could go back and help him fulfill his wish."

"Aunt, I've brought Uncle and the others to New York too," Chen Dong told his aunt Chen Zirong about Chen Lianxiang and Lin Qingsheng's planned wedding, as well as Chen Xiangui and Huang Lanzhi's arrival.

Chen Zirong was very happy to hear this. "I didn't expect that Brother Xiangui and his wife would also come to New York. I've seen your grandfather staring blankly at that old black and white photo since I was a child. Your uncle and I must go to Lianxiang's wedding and visit my brother Xiangui."

"Okay, then I'll wait for you in New York when you come over, Auntie," Chen Dong said with a smile.

Chen Dong stayed at his aunt's house until lunchtime. His uncle, Wei Dawei, happened to come back for lunch. As soon as he entered the door, he greeted Chen Dong warmly, "Donnie, you're here! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would have been waiting for you at home."

"Uncle," Chen Dong politely stood up and greeted Wei Dawei, "No need for that trouble, we're all family."

"Sit down, sit down," Wei Dawei said, immediately adopting the airs of the host, offering cigarettes and tea to Chen Dong and Qu Cai.

Wei Dawei harbored some resentment towards his wife's family, including his wife's nephew Chen Dong, but he kept it to himself and didn't let Chen Zirong know, much less his father-in-law Chen Shengyu.

Even after all these years, Wei Dawei still hasn't completely let go of Chen Shengyu's opposition to his marriage to Chen Zirong. It's like a thorn stuck in Wei Dawei's heart for many years.

Even though he and his wife later built up a transportation company and gained a reputation in the Chinese community, in this mansion overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, he was still the son-in-law that Chen Shengyu had tested with ten million US dollars.

When others talk about Wei Dawei, the first thing they say is, "You are Uncle Chen's or Mr. Chen's son-in-law," and only then do they talk to him about business matters.

Wei Dawei had always wanted to get rid of the influence that Old Master Chen had exerted on him, but whenever he didn't mention Old Master Chen's name, those Chinese business owners wouldn't even bother to see him.

Now that Grandpa Chen has passed away and Chen Dong has inherited the family business, when people mention Wei Dawei again, they say things like, "Are you Tony's uncle?"

Wei Dawei realized that he could never shake off the title of Chen family son-in-law in this lifetime unless he divorced Chen Zirong. However, he had a good relationship with his wife, and once they divorced, without the halo of being Chen family son-in-law, his business would be reduced by at least 70%.

Wei Dawei's enthusiasm made Chen Dong feel a little awkward. Chen Dong and Qu Cai had a simple lunch and then left his aunt's house hastily, making an excuse that they had something to do with Apple in the afternoon.

After Chen Dong left, Wei Dawei asked his wife, Chen Zirong, "Did Tony come here for something?"

"Yes, my distinguished elder brother's family from my hometown of Tuocheng has come," Chen Zirong repeated to her husband what Chen Dong had told her. Wei Dawei was very happy to hear this and said, "Then we have to go, and we must prepare a generous gift."