In the mainland Chinese drama series (set in the China of 1977–92) that I was watching last year, the daughter of one of the neighbours in the alley community decides to go and pay a Chinese New Year visit to the high school teacher a few doors away.
She's looking in the cupboard for something to take with her (green tea most likely). Her father says, "There's no need to take a gift." She says, "I/We might need his help later on when my younger brother goes to high school."
I'm now watching a different series, aired 2022, probably set around that time: people use mobile phones; a lot of them drive; two people drink red wine practically all the time when at home; they eat Western food in swish restaurants (beef steak, with knife and fork).
A cancer patient in hospital, in his 70s and who has a big company, hears about a boy's accident on a construction site, incurring major injuries. He wants to pay for the boy's treatment and hospital stay, saying, “积点德，看我能不能多活几年” (English subs: accumulate some virtues for myself, maybe I can live for a few more years)
(China, 1977–92 / 2022)
* 德 dé is another problematic word, usually translated as "virtue" which doesn't carry the same cultural value in English as it does in Chinese. (I don't know other languages well enough to know.)
