Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 1: Housing Prices

The spring rain fell in a steady, restless downpour, pattering against the glass windows of the balcony. They say spring rain is as precious as oil, but at that moment, Mu Dong felt not a shred of joy. Standing on the balcony, he stared blankly at the glass window. The raindrops gathered bit by bit, then slid down, finally falling onto the windowsill and rushing toward the sewage-strewn ground below. Faint sounds of an argument drifted up from downstairs—it seemed to be a dispute over a parking space. Sigh, what a chaotic neighborhood—Mu Dong couldn’t help but let out a sigh. His gaze drifted to the few real estate flyers clutched in his left hand, and he ran his right hand through his tousled hair. With housing prices like this, it’s impossible to make ends meet! Mu Dong was 33 years old this year. As the saying goes, “At thirty, one should be established.” But at 33, Mu Dong always felt he hadn’t really established himself at all; the housing problem had been tormenting him for a full ten years. Mu Dong’s plan to buy a home began ten years ago. It was 2006, and the 23-year-old Mu Dong had just graduated from the Accounting Department at Ludong University of Finance and Economics. He made ambitious plans: work hard, save up for a down payment, get a little help from his parents—surely he could find a place to call his own in this provincial capital. Carrying that dream with him, Mu Dong applied for a job at a cell phone sales company. To earn more money, he gave up a stable and respectable position in finance and chose a sales role instead. Two years later, in 2008, Mu Dong had scrimped and saved to set aside 50,000 yuan. His parents, having cut back on their own expenses, contributed 30,000 yuan. His girlfriend, Xiao Xiao, contributed 10,000 yuan. With this 90,000 yuan in hand, Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao set out on their first house-hunting trip. At that time, the average housing price in Quancheng, the provincial capital, was about 5,000 yuan per square meter. With 90,000 yuan, they could cover the down payment for a small apartment; if it wasn’t quite enough, they could borrow a little more from relatives and friends to make it work. As they went from one property to the next, Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao began to see the reality: prices were high, but there were few buyers! Many were looking, but few were buying! It was 2008, right after the Olympic Games. The grand event hadn’t brought any surprises to the Chinese economy. Affected by the global financial crisis, the domestic real estate industry was in shambles, with prices plummeting across the board. Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao decided to put their home purchase on hold for the time being. No kidding—prices were about to drop, and construction on many projects had ground to a halt. Buying a home at a time like this would be asking for trouble. A few months later, the government’s 4 trillion yuan economic stimulus package rescued the Chinese economy and saved numerous real estate developers who were on the verge of bankruptcy. Housing prices skyrocketed like a rocket: 6,000 per square meter—7,000 per square meter—8,000 per square meter… Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao were completely stunned. From that year on, the pace at which they saved money never kept up with the pace of rising housing prices. His girlfriend, Xiao Xiao—whose full name is Li Xiao Xiao—is the same age as Mu Dong, though her birthday is six months later than his. Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao were classmates in high school. During their three years there, they never hit it off; their relationship was limited to exchanging nods whenever they met. In 2001, they both took the college entrance exam for the first time and failed. They then enrolled in the same cram school, were assigned to the same class, and once again became classmates, beginning a period of remedial study known as “Senior 4.” Even by the first semester of their fourth year of high school, the two still hadn’t taken a liking to each other. In the second semester, the immense pressure of taking the college entrance exam for a second time gradually set in. Faced with this pressure, all sorts of bizarre coping mechanisms began to spread throughout the class. Some went for long runs every day; others sang daily; and still others spent their limited break time each day holding a ping-pong paddle and rapidly bouncing a ball against the back wall of the classroom. The constant “thwack, thwack, thwack” sounds drove the other students studying in silence to distraction. The most widespread way to relieve stress—one that many followed and that was extremely popular—was falling in love! Yes, dating. In every class, there are always a few couples who stick together like glue, never leaving each other’s side, whispering sweet nothings, and acting all lovey-dovey. The teachers pretended not to notice; even when they did catch a glimpse, they’d go out of their way to avoid them. It was a headache for the teachers, too—every class had a few seemingly normal but actually crazy students teetering on the brink of an outburst. You just couldn’t mess with them! If the students were mutually in love, who knows—maybe in a few years it would even become a lovely love story. You couldn’t stop them, and openly trying to intervene wasn’t a good idea either. So they simply pretended not to see it. Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao were the ones who, out of the blue, hit it off back then. Fate is such a wondrous thing—it made a pair of boys and girls who’d been getting along as blandly as water for nearly four years suddenly see the light. It turned out that besides studying, there were so many other wonderful experiences in life. What a damn surprise! Yes, it was a total surprise! Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao unexpectedly became the “lovely story” the teachers had been hoping for. The fiery passion that erupted didn’t cause their grades to slip; instead, they supported each other and both got into college. Mu Dong was admitted to Ludong University of Finance and Economics to study accounting, while Xiao Xiao was accepted into the Chinese Language Education program at Ludong Normal University. Although they weren’t at the same university, the good news was that they weren’t far apart—it was only seven or eight bus stops away—so they had time every week to spend quality time together. The four years of college were naturally more relaxed and pleasant than their four years of high school. Both came from ordinary rural families with similar financial circumstances, and their shared experience with the college entrance exam meant they had no trouble communicating. Although there were always minor friction between couples, these minor flaws did not overshadow their overall harmony. Supporting one another, they graduated successfully. After graduation, Mu Dong joined a telecommunications company. Xiao Xiao, however, unexpectedly chose a two-year teaching assignment at a village elementary school in a suburban county of Quancheng. The upside was that after two years, she could be transferred back to an elementary school in the city. In June 2008, Xiao Xiao successfully completed her two-year teaching assignment and was transferred back to No. 5 Elementary School in the city. Xiao Xiao really enjoyed her job—it was stable and respectable, and she even had winter and summer breaks every year. This kind of work was very suitable for a woman. In early 2009, Mu Dong discussed the situation with Xiao Xiao; they realized that relying solely on their salaries would make it very difficult to realize their dream of buying a home. In mid-March, he quit his job, rented a stall in the Digital Mall, and hired a sales clerk. He started his own business, selling cell phones and digital products. After paying rent and purchasing inventory, the 90,000 yuan they had originally set aside for a down payment was nearly gone. When Mu Dong quit his job to start his own business, Xiao Xiao gently told him, “Go out there and give it a shot. I’ll be your support system. If you succeed, I’ll enjoy the good life with you. If you fail, I’ll take care of you!” Hearing this, Mu Dong rolled his eyes and said, “You’re kind enough, but you’re a bit of a jinx.” It seemed as though Xiao Xiao’s “jinx” had come true. After 2008, cell phone manufacturers began flattening their distribution channels, and traditional retail stores gradually fell into decline. Coupled with the rise of online shopping, business became increasingly lackluster. On May Day in 2009, Mu Dong—who had neither a car nor a house—tied the knot with Xiao Xiao in their rented apartment. The wedding was held in his rural hometown in southern Shandong. After the wedding, the couple returned to Quancheng to continue working hard together. In 2010, fed up with the ordeal of moving several times, Mu Dong gritted his teeth and bought his current home—a one-bedroom apartment in an old, run-down housing complex. It was 35 square meters and cost 240,000 yuan, paid in full. He paid in full because mortgage approval processes that year had become almost insanely strict. The money he could come up with, combined with what he could borrow, was only enough to buy this small apartment. The complex was built in the 1980s and was in terrible condition—no central heating, no natural gas. Just two years earlier, such an old apartment would have fetched no more than 4,000 per square meter. In 2010, their daughter Xiner was born in this tiny, cramped home. Mu Dong’s mother also came from their hometown in southern Shandong to live with them, crammed into this small apartment. She stayed on and off for more than three years, taking care of Xiao Xiao and Xiner, until Xiner started daycare, at which point she returned to her hometown. Life after that went on quietly and uneventfully. Business remained the same—neither thriving nor failing. Mu Dong kept up with the times by opening an online store to sell the digital products from his physical shop, but the results were barely better than nothing. As for his wife, Xiao Xiao, government investment in education had increased significantly in recent years. Teachers’ salaries had risen time and again, and her monthly income was now over 5,000. Whenever Mu Dong faced cash flow problems at the store, Xiao Xiao would always lend him a hand. At such times, Mu Dong would always say, “You’re really supporting me now, honey.” Xiao Xiao would reply, “Handsome, I’m happy to support you.” Days flowed by slowly, and Xiner gradually grew up. Life also slowly improved. At the end of 2013, the family added a car to their household—a new Santana with an automatic transmission. Both Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao had obtained their driver’s licenses; usually, Xiao Xiao drove, taking Xiner to the daycare center at the school where she worked. Mu Dong would occasionally drive when he needed to pick up or deliver goods. Actually, Mu Dong preferred manual transmission cars, but since Xiao Xiao was more comfortable driving an automatic, they ended up buying one. Although parking in the neighborhood was a daily battle of wits and skill, having a car certainly made things much more convenient. When traveling back to their hometown for holidays, they no longer had to cram onto trains with bags and packages. Before they knew it, it was already 2015, and Mu Dong was once again thinking about buying a house. Xinyi was already five years old; she couldn’t keep sleeping in the same bed with her parents anymore and needed her own bed. In 2015, housing prices in downtown Quancheng were around 9,000 per square meter. Although their current apartment was small and old, the real estate agent’s appraisal surprisingly came in at 300,000. Mu Dong discussed it with Xiao Xiao, and they planned to buy a three-bedroom, one-living-room pre-owned apartment of about 100 square meters. They would sell their current small apartment to use as a down payment. After paying off debts and covering their child’s expenses over the past few years, the family had saved about 100,000 to cover renovation costs after buying the new home. The ideal was grand, but reality was harsh. Since they already owned a home (albeit a small one), purchasing another property would be classified as a second home, requiring a 60% down payment—not the 30% Mu Dong had estimated. As a result, the proceeds from selling their small apartment would be nowhere near enough to cover the down payment! Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao were stunned, while the handsome young real estate agent smiled! “Bro Mu, Sis Xiao, this is no big deal—it’s an easy fix!” “How?” the couple asked in unison. “Get a divorce.” “Divorce!!!” they exclaimed in unison once again. “That’s right, Brother Mu and Sister-in-law. You two just go through the process of a mutual divorce. Let’s say you hand over the original house to Sister Li as agreed. After you get the divorce certificate, Brother Mu can get a certificate of single status. That way, when he buys a new house, it’ll count as his first home, and the down payment can be calculated at 30 percent.” Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao fell silent. They couldn’t speak for a long while. All these years, their life had been uneventful—not exactly affluent, but they both cherished the bond they’d built through thick and thin. Mu Dong, in particular, had always felt guilty toward Xiao Xiao and Xinyu, as if he hadn’t done enough to support the family. Now, just to buy a house, they were actually being asked to get a divorce. The whole idea felt absurd. The handsome young real estate agent sensed something was off and said slowly, “Brother Mu, Sister-in-law, this is just a formality—a sham divorce. Once you’ve bought your second home, you can remarry.” Mu Dong seemed somewhat disheartened as he said, “It’s kind of a letdown. Even though it’s a fake divorce, the paperwork is all real.” He glanced at his wife, who also looked a bit disheartened, and told the handsome young agent, “We need to discuss this. We’ll be going now, but we’ll be in touch.” With that, he took his wife’s hand and turned to leave the real estate agency. Both Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao were perfectionists; neither was willing to tarnish the simple, long-standing love they’d shared over the years with something like a divorce. It wasn’t as if they had nowhere to live—they’d been living there for so many years already—so they decided to take their time. The matter of buying a house was put on hold for the time being. Several months passed, and before they knew it, it was the end of 2015. The subway project in Quancheng—which had been in the planning stages for years—finally received the green light to begin construction. Consequently, property prices along the planned subway route experienced another round of frenzied increases. This wave surged along the planned subway line, sweeping outward in all directions—sweeping through the city center and into the suburbs. By the time Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao realized what was happening, the average price of pre-owned homes in the city center had already climbed from 9,000 yuan per square meter to 11,000 yuan. In the blink of an eye, the Spring Festival had passed, and by February 2016, housing prices in the city center had reached 13,000 yuan per square meter. Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao panicked. “Enough talk this time! Let’s get a divorce! Let’s get a divorce right now! Let’s sell this small apartment immediately! Let’s start house hunting—both on the secondary market and in new developments—and keep our options open! We’ll do everything we can to upgrade our living conditions!” The two agreed to make preparations first: sell the small apartment and buy a bigger one. They’d finalize the divorce only after finding a prospective buyer for the small apartment and a specific property to purchase. Both felt a bit reluctant and kept wanting to put off the formalities until the very last moment. And just like that, a month has passed—it’s already March. They’ve viewed countless new developments and countless resale properties. Mu Dong doesn’t even go to the store every day anymore; he’s left everything to the staff to handle. As a result, the more they looked, the more disheartened they became, and the more upset they felt. Their original target of a home around 100 square meters had long since been scaled back to 70 or 80 square meters, yet they still hadn’t found a suitable place. Good neighborhoods and expensive homes were simply out of their price range. As for resale homes in older neighborhoods, aside from being slightly larger, the surroundings were practically no different from where they currently lived. This weekend, Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao just didn’t feel like house hunting. Mu Dong entrusted the shop to his staff, and on Saturday, the couple took Xing’er to the aquarium she’d been longing to visit. Xing’er was almost six years old and would be starting first grade this year. They spent the whole day there. Xing’er saw the dolphin and beluga whale shows she’d been dreaming of for so long and chattered excitedly the whole time. When they left the aquarium that afternoon, Mu Dong bought her a medium-sized blue fabric dolphin. Xinyi was so happy she kept giving her mom and dad little pecks on the cheeks. Today is Sunday. Early in the morning, Xiao Xiao took Xing’er to swimming lessons. Mu Dong didn’t go with them because he had to wait for the real estate agent to bring potential buyers to view their small house. As he waited, the agent still hadn’t arrived, but the rain began to fall softly. Mu Dong flipped through the real estate brochures he’d recently received, finding them rather dull. It wasn’t until the afternoon that the agent—a handsome young guy—finally brought a client to view the house. The young agent talked nonstop, his tongue as smooth as if it had been lubricated with motor oil. The client, however, didn’t say much; he just looked around and quietly slipped away. Mu Dong thought to himself: “This probably won’t work out. With this weather, the sewage running rampant downstairs alone is enough to scare potential buyers away.” After seeing off the agent and the prospective buyers, Mu Dong called Xiao Xiao. It was raining, so he was going to the swimming pool to pick up her and her daughter. Before heading out, he spotted the blue fabric dolphin on the bed and remembered how Xinyu had been so attached to it the day before; his heart warmed. He picked up the little dolphin, intending to put it in the car. That way, Xinyu would have something to play with on the way back. He stepped out with an umbrella. When he reached the entrance of the residential complex, he managed—after some maneuvering—to drive his car out. Glancing at the little dolphin sitting on the right side of the dashboard and thinking about seeing Xiao Xiao and Xinyu soon, Mu Dong’s mood lifted considerably, and he found himself humming a tune. It was a rainy weekend, so the roads were crowded with traffic, and everyone was moving slowly. There was a traffic light up ahead, and since he needed to turn left, Mu Dong slowly pulled over to the very front of the left lane. The pedestrian light turned green, and people began crossing in front of his car. As the crowd thinned, a young woman—holding an umbrella in her left hand and leading a little girl of about five or six by the hand—hurried past from right to left. The little girl was wearing a bright red jacket, and as she passed in front of Mu Dong’s car, she caught a glimpse of the blue dolphin on the dashboard through the gap between the windshield wipers. The little girl was instantly captivated; she slowed her pace and kept glancing back at the little dolphin. Mu Hua noticed the little girl. Hmm, about the same age as Xinyu. Hmm, she likes wearing red clothes too—Xinyu is obsessed with red as well. And she likes little dolphins, too. Hey, she really is just like Xinyu. The little girl was holding them back, so the young mother slowed her pace as well. She turned around and urged her on, but the little girl still gazed at the little dolphin with reluctance, moving forward inch by inch, almost as if she were being dragged along by the young mother. Suddenly, a deafening roar came from the opposite lane. An SUV careened out from the opposite lane. The opposite lane was also packed with cars waiting for the red light, while the bus lane was completely empty. The SUV roared from a distance, charging down the bus lane toward the intersection, and in the blink of an eye, it was about to crash into the little girl in red who was dawdling along and the young mother holding her hand. In the split second, Mu Dong, as if by some supernatural impulse, released the brake pedal and slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The car was an automatic; after a brief stop at the intersection for the red light, he hadn’t shifted gears and was still in drive. The Santana shot forward with a “roar,” and right in the middle of the intersection, it struck the rear of the oncoming SUV at an angle. Bang! The massive impact caused the SUV to swerve off course as the Santana struck it at an angle. It spun halfway around on the spot, flipping from front to back and back again, before careening diagonally forward and crashing into a streetlight pole on the outer edge of the intersection, where it finally came to a stop. After the collision, the Santana continued to careen diagonally, its rear striking a streetlight pole on the opposite side of the intersection. It then rolled over several times before coming to a stop upside down. Although Mu Dong was wearing his seatbelt, the massive impact and rollover still seriously injured him. Intense pain instantly surged through his entire body. He curled up with his head down, feeling something warm trickling down his face. Through a haze, he vaguely saw the little girl in the red jacket and the young woman standing at the intersection, staring at him in stunned silence. People were running toward him, and some were shouting something in a chaotic clamor. A heavy wave of drowsiness washed over him, and Mu Dong suddenly stopped feeling the pain. It felt as if he were floating, languid and warm—just like soaking comfortably in a bathtub. “Am I about to die?” “She just looks a little like Xinger—is it really worth it?”