Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 4: It’s So Good to Have You

Early in the morning, the two were awakened by the sound of someone banging on the door. Xiao Xiao rolled out of bed, quickly tidied up her makeshift bed, smoothed her hair, and went to open the door. “Hey, is my sister-in-law here? I figured you’d be here. Hope I’m not interrupting anything. Is Old Mu okay?” It was Cheng Qiang’s voice. Cheng Qiang was an accountant in the company’s finance department, and the two hadn’t been very familiar with each other at work. But during a casual conversation one day, Cheng Qiang was surprised to learn that this high-achieving powerhouse in the marketing department had actually graduated with a degree in accounting—and was even an alumnus from the class right before his own. With the bond of senior and junior classmates, their relationship quickly grew closer. Cheng Qiang wasn’t very tall—short and stocky—and when he smiled, his small eyes would crinkle, giving him a very cheerful appearance. He was always cracking jokes at the office and was quite popular with everyone, from top to bottom. “Hurry up and come in, Qiangzi,” Mu Dong said, sitting up in bed and calling out toward the door. Cheng Qiang walked over carrying some fruit and a gift box, saying as he approached, “Old Mu, oh my god, how did you get hurt so badly? This isn’t you—you look like a pig’s head!” He then turned to Xiao Xiao and said, “Sis, you guys must have made a mistake. Is this pig’s head really Brother Dong?” Xiao Xiao spat in disgust, took the items from Cheng Qiang’s hands, and turned to head to the bathroom to wash up. Mu Dong said, “All right, cut the crap. You bastard—you don’t have a shred of compassion. I’m fine—just some superficial injuries. The swelling will go down in a few days and I’ll be good as new. But how did you even know I was hurt? And why did you come over this early in the morning? Aren’t you just ruining my sleep?” Though he said this, he was actually quite pleased inside. He’d just been thinking about how to get a new bed, and this guy showed up at just the right time. Cheng Qiang said, “When you’re visiting a patient, you’ve got to get there early—that’s just common sense. As for how I found out, I happened to be in the boss’s office yesterday when you called him. But don’t worry—the boss told me not to go blabbing about it.” The “boss” Cheng Qiang was referring to was, of course, Han Yong, the company’s general manager. Pretty much everyone in the company called him that. Mu Dong said, “Yeah, it’s not exactly something to be proud of. I don’t want the whole company to find out—it wouldn’t look good.” Cheng Qiang replied, “You’re right. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.” As he spoke, he picked up the gift box Mu Dong had brought and said smugly, “I got you something good—something to replenish your qi and blood: donkey-hide gelatin.” Then he lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “I snuck it out of my mom’s room.” Cheng Qiang’s parents both worked at the Provincial Hospital, and his family was fairly well-off. Tonics like this were actually quite common in their household. Mu Dong said, “Thanks for your thoughtfulness, buddy. Let’s cut to the chase—there’s something I need you to take care of.” Cheng Qiang said, “Are you thinking about getting admitted to the hospital? Don’t worry, I can get that sorted out in no time—at the Provincial Hospital. Just wait here; I’ll call my mom right now and have her find a hospital bed for you.” With that, he took out his cell phone and was about to dial. Mu Dong quickly stopped him, saying, “No, no, that’s not it. I don’t need to be hospitalized—I’ll be fine after a few days of rest. Here’s the thing: could you go buy me a bed? A bigger one—one that’s 1. 8 meters wide. This one is only 1. 2 meters wide, and last night your sister Li even had to sleep on the floor.” Just then, Xiao Xiao came over after finishing her chores. Upon hearing this, she said, “Hmm, getting a new bed is a good idea. But you don’t need to buy an 1. 8-meter one. Qiangzi, get one of those wooden bunk beds—the kind where the bottom bunk is 1. 6 meters wide and the top bunk is 1. 2 meters wide.” She then turned to Mu Dong and continued, “Mu Dong, this room is too small. If we put an 1. 8-meter bed in here, there won’t even be room for a table.” Upon hearing this, Cheng Qiang glanced at Xiao Xiao, then at Mu Dong, and said nothing. Mu Dong pursed his lips, thinking to himself, “You just don’t want to share a bed with me, do you? I’m already like this—what are you so afraid of?” But he didn’t dare say that out loud. “All right, let’s go with what Sister Li says. Count on me, bro. I lost my wallet and bank cards, and I haven’t replaced them yet. Can you cover the cost for now? I’ll pay you back later,” Mu Dong said. Xiao Xiao quickly replied, “I have some cash here. Qiangzi, wait a second—I’ll get it for you.” With that, she went to rummage through her purse. Cheng Qiang said, “Money’s no big deal. Don’t worry, sis—I’ll take care of it for you. Brother Dong, I’ll head out right now. You get some rest.” With that, Cheng Qiang said his goodbyes and left. Xiao Xiao prepared breakfast. After they finished eating, she remembered the nurse at the hospital had mentioned that the doctor might have given some additional instructions, so she called the nurses’ station. She learned that the emergency room doctor didn’t start his shift until 3:00 p. m. , so she decided to go to the hospital that afternoon to ask the doctor for more details. After making the call, Xiao Xiao went to the supermarket, saying she wanted to buy some nutritional supplements for Mu Dong. After she left, Mu Dong lay half-reclined on the bed for a while. Then he slowly got up, sat down at his desk, took out a blank sheet of paper, and began to organize his thoughts. Mu Dong remembered that the car accident had occurred on the afternoon of March 20, 2016. Yesterday, while watching TV at the hospital, the date had been August 13, 2008. Mu Dong wrote down these two dates on the paper and began calculating how long he had been in this alternate timeline. After some calculations, Mu Dong arrived at a strange set of numbers: he had traveled through time for seven years, seven months, and seven days! It was too bizarre—why such a coincidental span of time, with the year, month, and day all being seven? He pondered this for a while, but couldn’t make head or tail of it. A thought struck Mu Dong, and he began calculating the total number of days he had been in this time period. He took out his cell phone, found a perpetual calendar app, and started calculating. It was now 2008. Counting from yesterday, there were 19 days in August; adding the days from September through December, the total for 2008 came to 141 days. January, February, and the first 20 days of March 2016 totaled 80 days. From 2009 to 2015, only February 2012 had 29 days (making that year 366 days long); the rest of the years were 365 days each. That’s a total of 2,556 days over seven years. Adding these numbers together revealed yet another figure that left Mu Dong speechless—2,777 days! How come every time I time-travel, I end up getting tangled up with the number 7! Well, if something as far-fetched as time travel can happen, a little quirkiness with the dates shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Never mind. I’m not going to think about it anymore. It’s more practical to start planning for my future life. First up was a house—this had practically become an obsession for Mu Dong. In that other timeline, Mu Dong had married Xiao Xiao in a rented apartment. After the wedding, with housing prices on the rise and a high turnover rate for properties, a series of moves had left Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao completely exhausted. Later, the family of three crammed into a tiny apartment; though they were happy, the cramped space made daily life quite inconvenient. So now, he absolutely had to find a way to buy a home of his own before housing prices rose again next year. This time, Mu Dong intended to marry Xiao Xiao in his own home. Furthermore, when the right opportunity arose, he also planned to invest in some real estate. Second, he needs to make money—a lot of it. In his previous life, he couldn’t exactly be called poor, but he was merely able to make ends meet. Now that fate has given him this chance, he must seize it, seek out the right opportunities, and build his own fortune. In his previous life, didn’t someone once say, “The world is so big; I want to go see it”? To see the world, one needs a certain financial foundation. So he’ll build that foundation and go explore this magnificent land. Finally, he must treat Xiao Xiao and his family well. In his previous life, the life he shared with Xiao Xiao—supporting each other through thick and thin—deeply moved Mu Dong. In fact, he often felt a twinge of guilt, thinking he hadn’t been able to provide better financial conditions and that he’d let Xiao Xiao down for all she’d given. Now, with everything starting anew, he must make it up to Xiao Xiao and treat his family with the care they deserve. That’s all there is to it. With just over seven years to go, if he can make the most of this time to fulfill a few small wishes and accumulate a modest amount of wealth, Mu Dong will be content. With his goal set, the next step was to make a plan. Mu Dong took out another sheet of paper and began jotting down whatever information he could recall from his mind—international and domestic affairs, the economy and people’s livelihoods, culture and sports. In the end, he had scribbled a jumble of notes across the page, and Mu Dong realized this wouldn’t do. This matter required more careful planning; writing it down on paper felt too risky. He should find a different way to record this information. After all, much of it wouldn’t slip his mind anytime soon. Mu Dong thought carefully for a moment, then meticulously tore the few sheets of paper in his hand into pieces. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way to the bathroom, tossed the scraps into the toilet, and flushed them away. Mu Dong planned to get a used laptop—one that would never be connected to the internet. He would create a document containing all the information he could recall, but instead of saving it on the computer, he would use a USB drive to store it. This USB drive would be used exclusively on that laptop. As for the document itself, he couldn’t record the information plainly; he would have to find a way to encrypt certain times and numbers and replace certain words with code. In short, he would record the information gradually and store it carefully. Mu Dong does currently own a desktop computer, which is connected to the internet. If he were to record the information on that computer, the risk of a leak would actually be negligible. However, Mu Dong still decided not to take that risk. After all, what he was recording was truly earth-shattering. Better safe than sorry. Around noon, Xiao Xiao returned, carrying a pile of bags and packages. They contained all sorts of ingredients and nutritional supplements. To top it all off, Xiao Xiao said she’d bought a refrigerator, which would be delivered that afternoon. Mu Dong had previously lived alone. Although his kitchen had a stove, he rarely cooked, and he certainly didn’t have a refrigerator. Now that Xiao Xiao had bought so many vegetables and meats, and with the weather being so hot, a refrigerator was indeed necessary. Cheng Qiang also called to say the bed had been taken care of, and someone would deliver and install it that afternoon. For lunch, Xiao Xiao steamed some rice and prepared a side dish and a soup. Right after lunch, the bed was delivered, and the delivery person helped set it up. Xiao Xiao took the old bed downstairs, found a scrap dealer, and sold it for 50 yuan. Seeing that it was already past 2:00 p. m. , Xiao Xiao went back to the hospital to ask the doctor if there were any instructions. Actually, Mu Dong knew what the doctor was going to say. But since he couldn’t explain this to Xiao Xiao, he had no choice but to let her make the trip. In the previous timeline, after Mu Dong was injured, he returned to his hometown to recuperate. Although Xiao Xiao and he had been high school classmates at County No. 2 High School, they weren’t from the same township. Their homes were about 30 kilometers apart. Back then, Xiao Xiao would ride an electric bicycle every day—arriving in the morning and leaving in the afternoon—making the round trip daily to take care of Mu Dong. She would chat with him, help him eat, and prepare and apply his medicine. Mu Dong’s parents were also very fond of this sweet and well-behaved young woman; they felt their son had excellent taste and was truly blessed. Mu Dong had received a few stitches on his buttocks, and after some time, the stitches needed to be removed. Following standard practice, seven days later, Mu Dong had his stitches removed at the township hospital in his hometown. Unexpectedly, this simple procedure led to endless complications down the line. A week after the stitches were removed, Mu Dong had mostly recovered; only the area where the stitches had been felt slightly sore and tight, but it didn’t significantly affect his normal movements. So Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao returned to Quancheng. The two first went to the police station to inquire about the robbery case. Since Mu Dong had called 110 himself to report the incident, the police station had contacted him while he was recuperating in his hometown using the phone number provided in the report to ask for details. They also asked Mu Dong to come in for a formal statement once he had recovered. They also informed Mu Dong that someone had turned in his shoulder bag, which had been found in a trash can. The bag was severely damaged, and while the money and digital camera were certainly gone, fortunately, his ID, bank cards, and other essentials were all still inside. After Mu Dong finished giving his statement, he inquired about the progress of the investigation. There had been no significant developments in the case. After leaving the police station, the two went to the hospital. Although Mu Dong had taken time off from work earlier, he still didn’t have a sick note or medical records. He needed to see a doctor to get the necessary paperwork. At the hospital, they successfully located the doctor who had treated Mu Dong’s wounds at the time. As soon as the doctor saw Mu Dong, he immediately recognized him. He kept asking, “Why did you leave the very next day? Why did you leave the very next day?” Mu Dong thought to himself: I paid the bill in full before I left—did I still owe them money? The doctor continued, “Have the stitches been removed from that wound? Have they been removed yet? How many days ago were they removed?” Mu Dong replied, “They were removed on the seventh day.” The doctor slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Oh no, oh no.” Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao exchanged puzzled glances and asked, “What’s wrong?” The doctor said, “That wound of yours was caused by a knife stab. Although the wound is small, it’s very deep. For a wound like this, the stitches shouldn’t be removed for at least ten days—usually fourteen or fifteen days—so the wound can heal properly. You had them removed after only seven days. Young man, you’re in for some trouble.” Mu Dong froze, then asked blankly, “Doctor, what kind of trouble am I in?” The doctor replied, “At best, the wound will ache on overcast or rainy days, or during seasonal changes. At worst, it could affect the blood vessels and nerves in your leg.” As he spoke, the doctor issued Mu Dong a revised medical record and a sick leave note. As Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao were leaving, the doctor patted Mu Dong on the shoulder and encouraged him, “Young man, once the wound stops hurting, make sure to exercise regularly and build up your gluteal strength. That will gradually ease the discomfort from the wound.” The doctor was right. Mu Dong continued to exercise regularly afterward. But just as the doctor had said, whenever it was windy or rainy, or during seasonal changes, the wound would always ache faintly. At four o’clock, Xiao Xiao returned. She brought back the answer Mu Dong had expected: take care of the wound, and the stitches would be removed in fourteen or fifteen days. In the evening, the refrigerator was delivered. Xiao Xiao stuffed the groceries she’d bought at noon into it, and once again, she was a flurry of activity. After dinner, Xiao Xiao got busy again, grinding herbs and applying ointments. Watching her bustling figure, Mu Dong silently thought to himself: It’s so good to have you! After applying the ointment, Xiao Xiao cuddled up with Mu Dong and watched TV for a while. The two chatted casually for a bit, then Xiao Xiao climbed into the top bunk. With her new bed, she’d finally be able to get a good night’s sleep.