Gao Shen is back home!
The news quickly spread throughout this small third-tier city in southern China. It appeared in authoritative city and provincial newspapers and attracted widespread attention.
But in the old residential neighborhoods of the city, residents basking in the sun just scoffed when they saw the news.
"Hmph, reporting it now? He's already been back for two days."
"Just yesterday, he visited every household. He even brought my family all kinds of European specialties."
The moment anyone mentions the name "Gao Shen," the residents of Sunshine City all raise their heads with pride and speak with confidence.
He is Sunshine's pride!
A UEFA Champions League champion!
There's only one person like him in all of China—no, in all of Asia!
Just how extraordinary must someone be to achieve something like this?
Gao Shen did it.
The residents of Sunshine watched him grow up. Many of his peers were his elementary school classmates, and some even grew up playing together. Who wouldn't feel proud of his success?
Besides, as soon as Gao Shen came home and rested for a night, he went door-to-door to greet everyone.
They say he's a European champion, yet his attitude is even more humble than before.
Who in Sunshine wouldn't like a child like that? Who wouldn't be won over?
Whenever outsiders ask about him, the locals always give a big thumbs up and talk about him at length.
Why is he back this time?
Everyone in Sunshine knows the answer.
Three things: getting married, investing, and giving back to his hometown!
Speaking of his wedding, it's another joyful event for the entire city.
Gao Shen and Su Qing—everyone in the neighborhood watched them grow up and always thought they were meant to be together.
And look at that, they really did end up together.
Word is, they've come back this time to hold a proper wedding ceremony and plan to invite everyone in Sunshine to a buffet-style celebration.
Yesterday, the young couple came to our home together. They were friendly and easygoing, the kind of people that make others admire and envy them.
Such a great guy and a lovely girl, they should be together!
A perfect match!
Originally, many people thought that with Gao Shen and Su Qing's current status and the financial strength of the Gao family, their only son's wedding would definitely be a massive affair. Some even speculated it would require at least two to three hundred banquet tables.
Some guessed that even provincial and municipal leaders would attend.
But unexpectedly, Gao Jianguo and Su Zhijun came back first and announced directly that they wouldn't be inviting any outsiders this time—only uncles, brothers, some relatives, and old friends. No one else.
In total, there would be fewer than a hundred tables—less than even some of the wealthier families.
Stingy?
You don't get it, do you?
They donated ten million yuan to the community nursing home in one go. They said they wanted to renovate the aging facility and upgrade the equipment. The remaining funds would go toward the home's operational costs to improve services for the elderly.
At the same time, they delivered rice and cooking oil to all elderly residents over sixty in the community. Each person also received a large red envelope, which the two families personally delivered to each home. Their sincerity was undeniable.
Not only that, they also decided to donate a building each to the community kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school that Gao Shen and Su Qing had attended.
Think about how much all that costs.
Even setting aside the money, just this kind of thoughtfulness earned praise from everyone in the community.
Everyone was convinced.
That's a different level of generosity.
You throw a banquet, people eat and drink, and that's it—nothing remains afterward.
But renovating nursing homes, establishing activity funds for seniors, donating buildings to schools—those are lasting contributions to the community.
In the past, many people thought that the Gao family had made it big and wouldn't come back to live in the spotlight.
Not only did they return, they even restored their old, dilapidated courtyard and planned to hold the wedding in Sunshine and live in the community. That's what it means to not forget your roots.
In just two days, who in the community didn't give a thumbs up when Gao Shen and Su Qing were mentioned?
Oh, and word has it they're also planning to invest in their hometown and purchase a large piece of land in the city's southern development zone.
In short, Gao Shen is now the brightest ray of sunshine in Sunshine City!
…
Gao Shen didn't really care about the community chatter.
He had heard some of it from his parents, Su Qing, and others. He was proud, sure, but didn't think too much of it.
To him now, giving back to his hometown isn't a burden.
It's more like fulfilling a wish.
By the time the provincial and city newspapers ran the story about his return, Gao Shen had already taken Su Qing, along with his father Gao Jianguo and future father-in-law Su Zhijun, to inspect land in the development zone in the southern part of the city.
They planned to buy 100 acres. The price was reasonable because the municipal government was still in the phase of attracting investment. Land was still quite cheap, and they were even offering some tax breaks.
The Chilean wine import business had been booming, with turnover doubling or even tripling every year.
With Gao Shen's strong push, they had opened online stores. They were one of the first wine companies to go online, and business was only getting better.
By 2010, the company's turnover had surpassed 100 million yuan.
Of course, this wasn't some monumental figure—compared to major importers, especially state-owned enterprises, it was nothing. But once a company hits a certain scale, its operations need adjustments.
For example, they began hiring professional managers, recruiting more talent, formalizing management and sales channels, and mapping out plans for the coming years.
All of this was already in progress.
The key issue was that the company's business was too narrowly focused and heavily reliant on Chilean wine.
So, expansion into wine imports from France, Australia, and Spain became the next step.
In Shanghai, the company had purchased a 5,000-square-meter factory and converted it into a modern wine warehouse with constant temperature and humidity.
Now that he was back in his hometown, Gao Shen planned to buy land and build a wine warehouse here too. It would combine storage, operations, and an exhibition hall, and primarily focus on Australian and European wines.
They had already scouted several plots, each about 100 acres, that seemed suitable.
When asked for their opinions, Gao Shen, relying on memories from his past life, picked a piece of land that seemed ordinary now but had great future potential.
The reason its potential wasn't obvious yet was because the surrounding companies were only modestly well-known, many hadn't begun production, and much of the area was still undeveloped.
But as a reincarnator, Gao Shen knew that while some things may change, others wouldn't.
For example, the labor-intensive enterprises nearby would eventually bring in large numbers of workers, which would naturally form a local market. Once the market takes shape, even if the government wanted to relocate it, it would be nearly impossible.
Later, the government would issue documents to revitalize idle land and underperforming factories, standardize commercial streets, improve shopping environments, promote industrial upgrades, and boost the service industry.
Some of the surrounding businesses would catch the wave of national economic growth. Their operations would boom, production would scale up, their workforce would grow, and the whole street would become increasingly vibrant.
By the time Gao Shen last visited before his time travel, this place had become a bustling commercial hub. Old factories had been converted into shopping malls, cinemas, and brand-name stores. The foot traffic was massive.
It could be said that the entire process of China's economic growth and transformation was condensed into this area.
The land Gao Shen chose was located in the core area of that future market. It would eventually be surrounded by some of China's top domestic companies—some even among the top three globally in their industries by market value.
Buying this land wasn't just about convenience. In the future, just collecting rent would be enough to make a fortune.
That was Gao Shen's vision as he stood on this land, looking out over the currently desolate development zone.
Who would have thought that in just ten years, such earth-shattering changes would take place here?
It could only be described as a miracle.
But Gao Shen had seen it with his own eyes, and it was real.
…
"This is the one!"
Gao Shen made the decision on the spot.
The only downside was that the plot was a full 200 acres, twice the size of what they originally intended.
But then again, the surrounding area included many well-known domestic and local companies.
After the wedding, Gao Jianguo and Su Zhijun would purchase the land in the company's name.
However, Gao Shen and Su Qing reminded them that the country would soon roll out policies restricting public expenditures, which would inevitably impact the wine industry—especially the high-end segment—so they needed to prepare in advance.
Don't overextend.
Gao Jianguo and Su Zhijun both took it very seriously.
"Luckily, we're not that high-end yet," Su Zhijun said with a wry smile.
But the impact would still be there.
Mention public expenses, and everyone immediately thinks of the government.
Su Zhijun brought up that several senior city government officials wanted to meet with Gao Shen.
"Is there something going on?" Gao Shen was puzzled.
Su Zhijun shook his head. "No, just a meet-and-greet, show some concern, have a chat."
"Also, our simple wedding has drawn a lot of attention. Plus, our donations to nursing homes, hospitals, and schools caught the government's eye. This aligns well with national priorities, so they want to attend in person."
"Really?" Gao Shen was genuinely surprised.
Even though it's just a third-tier city, the municipal leaders showing up in person still felt like a big deal.
"Don't be too surprised. Don't underestimate the influence you have or the demonstration effect of what you've done with this wedding. I've heard that even officials from the provincial capital might come."
Gao Shen looked at Su Qing, who nodded slightly, a bit helplessly.
They had originally wanted to keep things low-key and follow local customs by inviting neighbors for a meal. They never expected it to snowball into something so big.
"It's alright. Just get married. We'll handle the rest," Su Zhijun said with a smile, seeing the awkwardness on their faces.
Gao Jianguo agreed. After doing business for several years, his communication skills had improved quite a bit.
Gao Shen had no choice but to accept it.
(To be continued.)
***
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