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

Outside Lianzhai Village in Nanshan County, Chen Zaixing leisurely walked home on the dirt road, carrying the rapeseed he had bought from the county. He was the youngest son in his family, and when it came to farm work in the brigade, he would always procrastinate, making up all sorts of excuses, such as his back hurting today or his legs hurting tomorrow.

He always had an excuse not to go to work. His mother spoiled him, and his father had broken several sticks in his body, but Chen Zaixing still acted like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water.

Lianzhai is a village with many surnames. Most of the villagers migrated here gradually after the liberation. Chen, Huang, Li, and Cai are the four major surnames in Lianzhai. There are also three or five households of other minor surnames, but only the four major surnames have built ancestral halls and have the most clansmen.

Chen Zaixing's lineage belongs to the eldest branch of the Chen family. His grandfather, Chen Shengyu, was the head of the eldest branch. When he was still alive, he was the clan head of the Chen family. All matters, big and small, in the village were discussed and resolved by his grandfather and the clan heads of the other three major surnames.

Police officers from the local police station generally don't go to the countryside. Villages are patrolled by militia and joint defense teams. Major issues are discussed among the four major clans. If something is too big to handle, it is reported to the commune. If the commune can't suppress it, it is reported to the police.

Currently, Chen Zaixing's father, Chen Xiangui, is the clan head of the Chen family. He is the fifth child in his family, with four older brothers and one older sister.

The eldest brother, Chen Zaiguang, was born in August 1940. He has two sons and one daughter and currently works in water transport in Nanshan County.

The second elder brother, Chen Zaisheng, was born in July 1942. He had one son and three daughters. He was the most educated in the family, having graduated from Tuocheng University. He was fluent in English. Back then, even the director of the county's meat processing plant had to send someone to ask his second brother to teach his son English. The eldest brother, Chen Zaiguang, got his job in water transportation through the connections his second brother had made.

But the problem was his English and university degree. Later, when things got out of hand, my second brother was sent to a labor camp and contracted tuberculosis. At only thirty-eight years old, he could only stay at home to recuperate.

The third brother, Chen Zaiguang, was born in June 1944. He has two sons and four daughters. In Chen Zaixing's eyes, he is a soft-hearted man. This grown man is completely dominated by his third sister-in-law. He can't get a penny out of him. He doesn't smoke or drink. He now works in the canteen of the county meat processing plant.

The fourth brother, Chen Zailong, was born in September 1946. He had two sons and a daughter. He was more like his father than his eldest brother. He was old-fashioned and serious. Because his eldest brother worked in the county all year round, his second brother was sickly, and his third brother was so quiet that he could hardly say a word, his father entrusted all the big and small matters at home to his fourth brother.

The eldest sister, Chen Lianxiang, was born in October 1948. She married into the neighboring Shangzhai Village and had one daughter and two sons. Because they lived nearby, she often came home and doted on her youngest brother.

Originally, Chen Zaixing had an older sister named Chen Lianrou, but she died when she was eight years old. As for Chen Zaixing, he was born in May 1952 and has a daughter and a son. He is now a farmer at home.

"Fifth brother, it takes you all day to go to the county to buy some rapeseed. Your uncle will give you a good scolding when you get back," Chen Zaixing said as soon as he entered the village, encountering his cousin Chen Zailian, who was returning home from the fields.

His grandfather, Chen Shengyu, had three sons and one daughter. His father, Chen Xiangui, was the eldest, his second uncle was Chen Xianfu, his third uncle was Chen Xianhai, and his aunt, Chen Qiuxiu, married into the Cai family in the same village. The man speaking, Chen Zailian, was the second son of his third uncle's family.

"It's such a long way, and he won't even pay for the bus fare. It'll take him all day to go back and forth," Chen Zaixing said, as he moved closer to Chen Zailian and reached into his pocket to take out a cigarette. "Hurry up, I've run out of cigarettes on the way here, I'm so suffocating."

Chen Zailian took out his pack of loose tobacco, handed him a cigarette paper, and the two of them started rolling cigarettes on the side of the road. After they finished lighting a match, they threw it on the roadside.

While smoking a cigarette, Chen Zaixing boasted, "Zailian, you have no idea what a scene I saw when I went to the county. Have you ever seen foreign cars?"

As he spoke, Chen Zaixing gestured and said, "This vehicle must be this long, and the paint is as shiny as a mirror. Goodness, you didn't see it. There were layers upon layers of people from the county surrounding it, but when it started, you couldn't hear a sound. Unlike the tractor in our brigade, which makes a clanging noise that can be heard from one end of the village to the other."

"What does that foreigner look like?" Chen Zailian asked with a smile, just giving Chen Zaixing a casual answer.

"They say they're returned overseas Chinese or something, oh, overseas Chinese. They look just like us, except they're fair-skinned, and their hair is combed like a traitorous leader in a movie. They dress like respectable people," Chen Zaixing said with a tone of disdain for capitalist countries.

"Alright, hurry back. While we were working in the fields, my uncle asked my fourth sister-in-law to come and call my fourth brother back. I guess something's wrong." After finishing his cigarette, Chen Zailian picked up his hoe and urged Chen Zaixing to go home quickly. He himself was also planning to go home for dinner.

"Okay," Chen Zaixing said, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and hurried home. Just as he reached the door, he heard his mother's voice from inside, "Fourth brother, you go over there. Don't call your eldest brother back. He has a bad temper; he'll only cause trouble if he goes over there."

Second and third sisters-in-law were also there, while fourth sister-in-law and her wife were busy at the kitchen stove. The mischievous kids in the house were sitting quietly on the ground, not making a fuss. As soon as Chen Zaixing entered the house, he was immediately scolded by his father, Chen Xiangui.

"You bastard, I told you to buy some rapeseed from the county cooperative, but you went to the city to buy it instead. I haven't seen you all day. I really want to beat you to death," he said, taking off his cloth shoes and going up to beat Chen Zaixing.

Huang Lanzhi, the elderly mother standing nearby, hurriedly stopped her husband, saying, "Our youngest son is already married! How can you beat him like this? How will he face others in the future!"

"If he were more diligent and went to work, I could beat him up. Look at him, what a pathetic sight he is, standing there like a slacker, lounging around like that," Chen Xiangui cursed. "He goes out and fools around all day, and when he comes back, you can't count on him for anything at home!"

"What's wrong, Dad? I just got back and I'm already being made to vent your anger," Chen Zaixing said indignantly. "It's more than ten kilometers to the county, so it's more than thirty kilometers round trip. I'm walking there, and I can't rest halfway. Besides, with this blazing sun, what if I get sunburned halfway there?"

"You got sunburned, so I just happened to be passing by and buried you!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Spit it out and start over," Huang Lanzhi hurriedly spat, telling her husband not to talk nonsense.

Just then, the old lady Wei Shufen slowly lifted the curtain and came out from the inner room, calling out to the inner hall, "Eldest son, why are you scolding my grandson again!"

"Grandma, my dad sent me to the county to buy rapeseed, but he didn't give me any money. He made me take the bus, and after that, plus the time I spent having lunch at my older brother's, I came back late, and he started scolding me again. Grandma, you have to stand up for me!"

Chen Xiangui hardened his fist. You little bastard, you've even learned to complain to my face!