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

"Then we have to go, and we need to prepare a generous gift."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zirong smiled and stood up, starting to clear the table. "Of course. Not to mention that my eldest brother is my great-uncle's eldest son, my father's lineage now only has Tony left, so we need a cousin to help us."

Chen Zirong spoke casually, but Wei Dawei took it to heart. He chuckled and said, "Tony's skills are getting stronger and stronger. I heard from the uncles and elders in the family that Tony is doing very well in mainland China now."

"He truly surpasses his father; our nephew is far superior to his father-in-law."

"Hehe! You can only say this here at home. Don't tell anyone outside. If my dad's old friends and subordinates hear this, they'll say you have no respect for your elders," Chen Zirong shook her head and walked towards the kitchen.

Wei Dawei awkwardly touched his nose, then changed the subject, asking his wife, "What are you planning to give as a wedding gift to your niece Lianxiang?"

Chen Zirong came out of the kitchen with a dishcloth in her hand. Hearing her husband's question, she seemed to be asking for his opinion, but also as if she had made up her mind, and said, "How about we put the villa in Hong Kong under Lianxiang's name as her dowry? What do you think?"

"If we give a property directly, wouldn't that be too much of a gift? After all, it's not good to overshadow your older brother's gift," Wei Dawei asked, frowning.

He wasn't heartbroken about the villa in Hong Kong. He and his wife had bought it on a trip to Hong Kong, and their son had lived there for a few years after he went to school there. After graduation, it had been vacant ever since.

The main reason is that after getting to know the Teochew business community over the years, I've come to understand some of the unspoken rules of gift-giving among Teochew people. I've learned that just because you have money doesn't mean you can give expensive gifts.

In Chaozhou, social etiquette is everywhere, even in gift-giving. You can't overpower the host and embarrass them, or you'll end up doing more harm than good.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zirong realized that she had been a bit rash, but she genuinely wanted to help make amends to her uncle's family, whom her father had always held a grudge against.

"It's not heavy at all," Chen Zirong shook her head. "Lianxiang is our father's eldest brother's granddaughter, and she is also a member of our Chen family. Our father was unable to take good care of his eldest uncle's family back then, which was his regret."

It's only right that we offer this token of our father's gratitude now. Besides, Tony has already done all he could, and as his aunt and uncle, we can't be impolite to Lianxiang."

"What about your older brother? Do you think you, a married woman, can outdo him? Don't let people laugh at you later," Wei Dawei reminded him again.

"Then I'll give it to you privately. I'll give you a big red envelope and a set of hardware," Chen Zirong said proudly. "As for the property, I'll call a lawyer in Hong Kong to handle the paperwork first, and then I'll give it to Lianxiang quietly after it's all done."

The reason why Chen Zirong insisted on giving Chen Lianxiang a villa in Hong Kong was to repay the ten million US dollars dowry her father, Chen Shengyu, had given her back then. For Chen Zirong now, a mere villa on the top of the hill in Hong Kong is nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Both being daughters of the Chen family who married out, Chen Zirong, after hearing her nephew Chen Dong recount Chen Lianxiang's marital troubles, wanted her niece Chen Lianxiang to live a carefree life in the future. She believed that only when a woman had her own dowry could she have more confidence in her husband's family.

Of course, this dowry doesn't mean having the husband's family transfer their house to the bride's name; that's simply impossible in Chaozhou.

Chen Zirong didn't bother to comment on or inquire about Lin Qingsheng's character. The two were already at the point of getting married, and asking about such things would not only be meaningless but would also be seen as an attempt to sow discord between them.

Chen Zirong was simply an elder who wanted to give her niece a more secure life. Wei Dawei just nodded and said okay.

When Chen Dong left his aunt Chen Zirong's house, it was already dark. The lights of the Golden Gate Bridge came on, like strings of pearls hanging in the sky. He sat in the car and carefully drove down the winding mountain road in the sea cliff area.

Chen Dong leaned back in the back seat and called his wife, Zhang Yi, to let her know he was safe and sound. He also told her about his visit to his aunt's house and mentioned that his aunt planned to attend his eldest sister Chen Lianxiang's wedding.

"When are you coming back?" Zhang Yi held her daughter, Xiao Huiyi, in her arms. The little girl waved her chubby hands incessantly, trying to snatch the phone that her mother was holding between her neck and shoulder.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Chen Dong said, his voice becoming unnaturally strained as he heard his daughter's babbling on the other end of the phone.

"Alright then," Zhang Yi replied, pressing down on Xiao Huiyi's chubby little hands to stop her from causing trouble. "Uncle Fang came to the manor at noon today and had lunch at home before leaving."

"Oh, really? I did mention to Uncle Fang that I wanted him to be the officiant at the wedding," Chen Dong chuckled.

"Yes, Uncle Fang mentioned this to your uncle," Zhang Yi said. Rong Hui, who had already finished showering, ran down from the second floor. Hearing his mother and father talking on the phone, he rushed over and shouted into the phone, "Daddy, what are you doing in San Francisco? Come back soon!"

"Come back, come back!" Xiao Huiyi mimicked her brother's speech, clapping her hands and shouting, which almost made Zhang Yi's head explode.

"Okay, Daddy will be back tomorrow afternoon. You two must listen to Mommy, understand?" Chen Dong held the phone further away, and Rong Hui solemnly promised, "I will definitely help Mommy discipline Piggy Sister."

"Take care of yourself first. You're like a wild monkey all day long," Zhang Yi tapped her son's forehead with her finger. "These days, you've almost worn Roddy and the three little golden retrievers out of their skin."

"whee!"

Xiao Rongguo had finished his bath and, without even drying his hair properly, rushed downstairs, sat down on the sofa, and turned on the TV to watch cartoons on time, his eyes glued to the screen.

After Rong Wen and Rong Wu finished their showers, they found that Xiao Rongguo had taken over the TV. So the children started a battle over the remote control on the sofa, making a huge fuss.

Chen Xiangui got up from the recliner in the outer corridor, walked into the living room, and glared at his grandsons. "How about I cut the TV into pieces for each of you? I can't understand any of your gibberish. What can you possibly understand?"

"I got the remote first," Xiao Rongguo said, clutching the remote tightly as he complained to his grandfather about his older brothers. Chen Xiangui walked over, took the remote, and said to his grandsons, "Watch this channel. I'll take the remote. You're not allowed to take it from me again."

After Chen Xiangui went out to continue relaxing on the deck chair, Xiao Rongguo immediately ran to the coffee table, took out the spare remote control, and said to his older brothers, "This is the only one left. If you grab one more, there won't be any left to watch."

"Alright, each person can watch for a while, and no one is allowed to renege."