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

"Damn it, I'm so unlucky!"

As Fan Ge ran, he cursed. Last time they robbed the road, that kid got away. This time, well, a whole convoy of people came down and chased after them.

Fan Ge darted around like a startled rabbit, and several of the drivers and escorts chasing after him, unfamiliar with the conditions of the paddy field ridges, fell down in the fields.

Fortunately, the rice is ripe and ready for harvest. To make the harvest easier, the farmers have drained the water from the fields, otherwise, if someone slips and falls, they'll definitely get stuck in the mud.

Even so, those who fell were in a terrible state, their clothes and watches stained with black mud.

The police officers who caught up from behind saw Fan Ge skillfully leaping and bounding along the ridges of the fields, drawing his service pistol, and shouted, "Stop! If you run again, we'll shoot!"

After he finished speaking, a policeman fired a warning shot into the air. Fan Ge, who was running ahead, was so frightened by the gunshot that his legs trembled and he fell to the ground.

The man lying in the field touched his body, thinking the police had shot him. But when he touched himself, thankfully, he hadn't been shot!

Before Fan Ge could be happy for long, the drivers and escorts who had caught up from behind started punching and kicking him, making him beg for mercy repeatedly.

"Stop hitting me, I'm not running away!"

"So you're trying to rob people, huh?" Several drivers who had fallen behind them punched the fallen Fan Ge again. These drivers, who were on the road all year round, hated these robbers the most.

Although their team's vehicles had never been hijacked, they had chatted with transport teams from other counties and heard that a transport team from the neighboring county had had its vehicles hijacked, the people beaten to death, and the entire truckload of goods looted.

These highway robbers, and later, drive-by robberies, were at their most brazen that they even dared to hijack police cars.

As a result, some local police stations later put up banners that read: "Robbing a police car is illegal!"

In the 1990s, when the police cracked down on those "bandits" who committed snatch-and-grab robberies, the arrests were as intense as drug busts; guns were even drawn.

"I won't do it again, I won't do it again, comrade, I won't do it again," Brother Fan cried and begged for mercy as the drivers beat him.

On the dirt road, County Party Secretary Lin Deying watched with a dark face as the four petty thieves were brought over. All four had bruises on their faces and blood at the corners of their mouths. The drivers who were escorting them complained that they were moving too slowly and kicked them a couple of times.

Lin Deying didn't say anything and got into his Shanghai-plated 760. The driver, Xiao Jiang, stepped on the gas and drove away. Wang Yan glared angrily at the four men, Fan Ge and Tu Shu. If looks could eat people, these four would have been skinned alive by Wang Yan, the director of the police station.

They robbed people on the road, and on this important day of their own, they even robbed the official car of Secretary Lin of the County Party Committee!

Wang Yan said to the police officers, "Tie them up securely, put them on the truck first, we'll escort the construction convoy to Lianzhai, and then take them back to the station on the way back to the city!"

Fan Ge and his men looked ashen-faced. They knew they were finished. They had been caught robbing the highway and would either spend their lives in jail or be punished severely.

The convoy restarted and continued its journey towards Jiping Lianzhai. Lin Deying's team arrived at Lianzhai Village ahead of the convoy. Driver Xiao Jiang slowly turned the car into the village entrance path and drove along the road. Strangely, they couldn't see any villagers.

There was no one working in the fields. Lin Deying looked out the car window at the golden fields and asked Xiao Jiang, who was driving, "Did we take the wrong turn? We haven't seen anyone."

"Secretary, you can't be wrong. I'm from Jiping. I've been to Lianzhai many times." Xiao Jiang continued driving forward. "Just drive a little further ahead and you'll be in the village. The village headquarters is there. Just ask the village secretary and you'll know what's going on."

"Then slow down. We're entering the village now. There are a lot of kids in the village who like to run around, so you have to keep an eye on them," Lin Deying instructed.

"Understood, Secretary!"

The car drove straight ahead for another hundred meters or so when suddenly there were more people on the road. The villagers of Lianzhai Village had just finished their meeting. When they saw another car coming, they moved aside and curiously looked at the approaching vehicle.

The further they went, the more people there were. By this time, the car had come to a complete stop. Seeing that there were just too many people, and some children running around in the road, Lin Deying said to the driver, Xiao Jiang, "Stop the car, I'll get out first."

Lin Deying opened the car door, and the villagers on both sides of the road saw that Lin Deying was wearing a cadre's Zhongshan suit and had a pen clipped to his breast pocket. Some of the more astute villagers turned around and ran towards the brigade headquarters.

After the meeting, Chen Dong and Chen Zaiguang were heading towards the Chen family ancestral home when Tian Chulian directed people to tidy up the tables and chairs. Just then, two villagers ran over and shouted to Tian Chulian, "Secretary, someone's here!"

"What? Someone's here? Explain clearly, who's here?" Tian Chulian was confused by what the two were saying.

The two villagers pointed to the rural road not far away and said to Tian Chulian, "A car has arrived, and a cadre in a Zhongshan suit got out. He looks very important. Secretary, you should go and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Tian Chulian immediately set off, and Huang Bingkun quickly followed. The two villagers hurriedly caught up and led the way, pointing to a car not far away, "It's right there."

Lin Deying was chatting with the villagers by the roadside, inquiring about Chen Dong's plan to set up a factory in Lianzhai. The villagers, seeing that the official was an unfamiliar face, were vague and did not reveal the truth.

Tian Chulian and Huang Bingkun jogged over and asked the distinguished-looking Lin Deying, "Comrade, may I ask who you are?"

"I am Lin Deying, the county party secretary!"

Tian Chulian was taken aback for a moment, then reacted, stepped forward and shook Lin Deying's hand, saying warmly, "Secretary Lin, welcome to Lianzhai Village for inspection and guidance! I am Tian Chulian, the Party Secretary of Lianzhai Village!"

"Secretary Lin, I am Huang Bingkun, the production team leader of Lianzhai!"

Lin Deying shook hands with both men gently, smiling as he said, "Comrade Chu Lian, Comrade Bingkun, you've done a great job!"

"Thank you, Secretary Lin and the county party committee, for recognizing our work," Tian Chulian said, so excited he was almost incoherent. As a village party secretary who had been rooted in the local area for many years, this was the first time he had ever spoken face-to-face with a county-level official.

"I've come here for two reasons: first, to inspect the situation in Lianzhai; and second, to hear your suggestions as grassroots cadres regarding Comrade Chen Dong's investment in setting up a factory!"

"Welcome! We from Lianzhai Village warmly welcome you!"

"Yes, Secretary Lin, your visit to our village is a great encouragement to our work!"

Lin Deying asked with a smile, "Where is Comrade Chen Dong now?"