Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 6: A Fruitful Partnership

The river sand business was Mu Dong’s first foray into his plan. Based on his memories from his previous life, in early 2009, the price of river sand had skyrocketed, rising by more than 150 percent. At that time, every business owner in his hometown who dredged river sand or ran a sand quarry had made a fortune. Mu Dong remembered that when he returned to his hometown that spring, the whole village was abuzz with talk of how much a truckload of sand was selling for, which sand dealer had bought a villa in the county seat, and which river sand dredger had purchased a luxury car—so the memory was deeply etched in his mind. It was now late August 2008, leaving him about four or five months to make this happen. His first opportunity to make money since traveling back in time centered on this seemingly insignificant river sand. Mu Dong was confident he could truly turn a pile of sand into a tower. There was another key reason: the rise in river sand prices was set to begin slightly earlier than the surge in housing prices in Quancheng scheduled for early 2009. Mu Dong planned to capitalize on this timing difference—making money from river sand and then purchasing his first home before housing prices spiked. The reason Mu Dong suddenly shared this information with Han Yong was that Han Yong’s actions regarding his resignation and the layoffs had deeply moved him. Mu Dong had intended to quietly resign and leave, but Han Yong had gone to great lengths to secure benefits for Mu Dong by pushing the boundaries. It wasn’t about the amount of money; it was the weight of their friendship. So Mu Dong decided to share this information with Han Yong—and to share this small fortune with him as well. Based on what Mu Dong knew of Han Yong, he was confident Han Yong would make an objective assessment. As for the information Mu Dong mentioned regarding the development zone construction and the application for the river scenic area designation, it was part truth, part fiction. Such rumors had been circulating for a long time, but now, only Mu Dong knew that these rumors were about to become reality. Coupled with changes in the national economic climate, which had driven up the price of river sand, this had created countless stories of wealth. The next day, Friday, August 29, Mu Dong went to the company’s General Affairs Department to pick up some small gifts—such as USB drives and mobile phone memory cards—and then paid a visit to the provincial China Unicom office. All morning, Mu Dong shuttled back and forth between China Unicom’s Marketing and Finance departments with a smile on his face. No one turns away a smiling face—especially when he’s bearing gifts. Mu Dong successfully resolved a few minor issues. The provincial China Unicom procurement order had been executed smoothly from the start. The final batch of goods had already been delivered, and there was a remaining balance that the provincial China Unicom would pay in early September. Mu Dong took the opportunity to invite the leaders of China Unicom’s Marketing and Finance Departments to join him for dinner that evening. After some hesitation, the leaders all agreed. Mu Dong had just recovered from an injury and couldn’t drink alcohol. As soon as he returned to the office, he reported the dinner invitation to Han Yong and asked for his support. Han Yong, of course, didn’t hesitate to step in. No wonder—this order was crucial to the entire branch’s performance for the second half of the year, and everyone hoped for a perfect finish. The dinner was a great success, and everyone had a wonderful time. The measure of a successful dinner is largely whether the drinking went well, and the measure of whether the drinking went well is largely whether anyone got too drunk. Mu Dong didn’t drink; he explained to the guests that he’d just undergone a minor surgery, and they were all understanding. Mu Dong thought to himself, “A few stitches on my butt—that counts as a minor surgery, I suppose.” Han Yong brought along Cheng Qiang; both were heavyset—one tall and heavy, the other short and heavy. Regardless of height, both had an impressive tolerance for alcohol, and the two of them held their own against three people from China Unicom without faltering in the slightest. In the end, the group polished off four bottles of baijiu and two cases of beer. Several people got quite drunk. Mr. Ding, the head of the finance department at the provincial China Unicom, staggered around, patting his chest, and said to Han Yong, “Brother Han, rest assured—the final payment will definitely be settled by September 5th. It’s no big deal.” Although spoken in the heat of the moment, these words put Han Yong and Mu Dong’s minds at ease. It was a successful dinner—and a triumphant one at that—as they had achieved their set goals and fulfilled their intended objectives. After the banquet, everyone left one by one. Of course, it was only natural to slip a few business cards into the pockets of the relevant leaders from the provincial China Unicom office as they departed. Han Yong and Cheng Qiang hailed a taxi and left, while Mu Dong also took a cab home. Mu Dong had originally planned to walk back, but before leaving, Han Yong specifically instructed him to take a taxi—under no circumstances should another incident occur. Mu Dong thought about it and agreed; he took a taxi home. It was past 10 o’clock when he got home. Xiao Xiao was reclining on the lower bunk, reading a book. When she saw Han Yong come in, she sat up and said, “You’re back. Want to take a shower?” Mu Dong replied, “Yeah, I’ll go take a quick shower.” He went to the bathroom for a quick rinse and changed his clothes. When he returned, Xiao Xiao was climbing up to the top bunk. Mu Dong said, “Sweetheart, let’s chat for a bit.” Xiao Xiao shot him a sidelong glance, then sat down beside him and said, “You didn’t drink tonight? Did you drink honey? Why is your mouth so sweet?” As she spoke, she stood up again, glared at Mu Dong, and said, “You’re thinking about something naughty, aren’t you?” Mu Dong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; the warm, flirtatious feeling he’d had just a moment ago vanished in an instant. He laughed and said, “Let me tell you a joke.” Xiao Xiao said, “Go ahead.” Mu Dong: “A woman asks a man, ‘What are you thinking about?’ The man says, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, that’s what I’m thinking.’ The woman glared at him and said, ‘You pervert!’ ” Xiao Xiao caught on immediately and said, “You’re talking about me.” Mu Dong reached out to pull Xiao Xiao close, holding her as they sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong with talking about you? I’m still going to devour you,” he said. With that, he gently kissed her. Xiao Xiao was also moved by the moment and silently returned his kiss. Their tongues entwined, and the atmosphere instantly grew passionate. Mu Dong had been recovering from his injury for so long, eating well and sleeping soundly every day. His youthful, vigorous body had long been building up a surge of passion. Combined with a whole evening of listening to dirty jokes at the table, just a few passionate kisses were enough to ignite his desire. Tracing a path down from Xiao Xiao’s earlobe, he kissed her chest. His hands slipped around her back and began to pull off her T-shirt. Xiao Xiao struggled gently, but in the end, her upper body surrendered. The sight of her pale, firm breasts dazzled Mu Dong; he gently caressed them a few times before pressing his lips deeply against them. Xiao Xiao’s body went limp all at once; her eyes grew dreamy, and a faint moan escaped her lips and nose. Mu Dong pressed his advantage, continuing his exploration downward. Xiao Xiao suddenly became alert and began to resist fiercely. She whispered, “You promised me.” Mu Dong thought to himself: We’re like an old married couple—this whole thing is too complicated; I can’t go into too much detail. He tentatively launched a few strong advances, but Xiao Xiao was too determined, and in the end, he still couldn’t get what he wanted. Xiao Xiao was getting annoyed. She whispered, “Mu Dong, you bastard!” With that, she wriggled free from his grasp, pulled on her top, and quickly climbed into the top bunk. Mu Dong sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat deflated. Xiao Xiao quietly poked her head down and said to Mu Dong, “Let me tell you a joke.” Mu Dong replied lazily, “Sure!” Xiao Xiao said, “You pervert!” Uh, karma sure came fast. The next day after breakfast, Xiao Xiao began packing her bags. Mu Dong said, “You’re really moving back? You’re not mad, are you?” Xiao Xiao glared at him and said, “It’s too dangerous here. Of course I’m moving back.” Mu Dong said, “Honey, you should just stay here. I’ll be so lonely without you.” “Honey”—that was the nickname Mu Dong had started using for Xiao Xiao later on. He didn’t even realize it had just slipped out. Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes and said, “Honey? I haven’t even married you yet! School starts the day after tomorrow, and your place is too far from campus. Besides, Gao Ya has been making fun of me.” Mu Dong inwardly berated himself. How could he have blurted out “wife”? These past few days, they’d been addressing each other by name—how had he used to refer to Xiao Xiao at this point? Last night he’d called her “baby,” but she didn’t seem to like that either. Though his mind was racing with thoughts, his mouth didn’t miss a beat. Mu Dong said, “What’s so funny about that? Wait until she finds a boyfriend—then you’ll be the one making fun of her.” Xiao Xiao replied, “She doesn’t even need to look for one—the men chasing after her could form a line stretching from the office building all the way to the school gate. There are always cars picking her up at the school gate.” Xiao Xiao packed up her suitcase, walked over to Mu Dong, stroked his cheek, and said, “Be a good boy. I’ll come visit you when I have time.” Mu Dong said, “Sweetheart, that’s not very sincere of you. Even if you’re trying to placate a kid, you’d at least give them a piece of candy.” Xiao Xiao puckered her lips, gave Mu Dong a light peck on the cheek, and said, “Of course I’m sincere—here’s a sweet kiss as a reward.” With that, she turned, opened the door, and said to Mu Dong, “Hunk, grab that suitcase and take this lady home.” Mu Dong felt a bit exasperated. He picked up the suitcase and went downstairs with Xiao Xiao. But in his mind, he wondered: Are “beauty” and “handsome guy” really the terms of endearment we use for each other? That’s way too self-absorbed, isn’t it? The two of them got on a bus and first dropped Xiao Xiao off at her dorm to drop off her luggage. Then they strolled around the streets for a while and had lunch together. While they were eating, Xiao Xiao received a call from the school: teachers were to meet that afternoon and the next day to prepare for the start of classes the day after tomorrow. Mu Dong listened to the call and, a bit puzzled, asked, “Can’t they just start classes right away? What’s there to prepare for?” Xiao Xiao explained, “Schools in the city are large, so there’s a lot to prepare. For example, assigning new students to classes, checking the audiovisual equipment in the classrooms, preparing textbooks, coordinating lesson planning, and cleaning the classrooms and offices.” Mu Dong said, “Do you guys have to clean the place yourselves? Shouldn’t there be school janitors or hired cleaners for that?” Xiao Xiao pursed her lips and said, “Some principals like to hire cleaners, while others prefer to do things themselves. Our principal is definitely the type who likes to do things ourselves.” Mu Dong said, “It’s really the principal who likes to see you guys doing it yourselves, isn’t it?” There was no point in arguing further. After finishing her lunch, Xiao Xiao hurried off. Mu Dong returned to his place. Actually, there was a silver lining to Xiao Xiao moving out—this way, he could have some time to himself to quietly organize the information swirling in his mind. Taking out his laptop and a USB drive, Mu Dong recorded some information he’d been mulling over in his mind recently. First was real estate information. In another timeline, Mu Dong—who had been utterly exhausted by the struggles of housing—knew the real estate market in Quancheng better than anyone. From the broad trends in housing prices over the past few years down to the specifics of newly developed projects and established neighborhoods—including their locations, amenities, and floor plans—Mu Dong remembered everything clearly. Naturally, he also had a basic understanding of housing price trends in major cities across the country. The second section mainly covers price information for raw materials and agricultural products, as well as the state of industrial development. This is because both Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao are from rural areas; every time they return home for festivals or holidays, these are the topics they hear most often. The information in the third section is quite diverse, ranging from major domestic and international political events to economic trends and monetary policy, down to gossip about celebrities in the worlds of culture, sports, and variety shows. Mu Dong simply jotted down whatever came to mind. Although these were just simple notes, the process was actually quite difficult. Because he had to keep them confidential and couldn’t write them down directly, Mu Dong devised a very complex method of recording. It was so complex that even after he’d finished writing, he couldn’t make sense of it when he looked back; it took him a long time to figure out what he’d originally meant. Mu Dong shook his head; this was the best he could do. He hoped it would still be useful when he needed to look it up later. Over Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday—a full day and a half—Mu Dong had only managed to sketch out a rough framework. He then filled in some details. For certain things, he could only record whatever came to mind. Fortunately, Xiao Xiao had moved out, so he could take his time that evening to ponder and record everything at his own pace. When it came to time travel, Mu Dong wouldn’t let on even the slightest hint—not even to someone as close as Xiao Xiao. Such a thing was simply too unbelievable. If it were to leak out, the consequences would be more than anyone could bear. Monday, September 1. Xiao Xiao started school, and Mu Dong resumed his regular work routine. He saw his duties through to the very end—he had that much self-awareness. At 10:00 a. m. , Han Yong called Mu Dong on the internal line and asked him to come to his office. Mu Dong thought to himself: “There must be some progress on the investment matter.” As soon as he walked in and sat down, Han Yong got straight to the point: “Dongzi, I’ve discussed it with your sister-in-law, and we’re ready to move forward with this.” Mu Dong smiled and said, “Thank you, Brother Yong and Sister-in-law, for your trust.” Han Yong replied, “Don’t thank us just yet—if anyone deserves thanks, it’s me. After all, you’re the one who provided this money-making opportunity. I’ll cut to the chase, Dongzi: I plan to invest 500,000.” Mu Dong was stunned for a moment and blurted out, “That much? Boss, I never would’ve guessed—you really are a ‘tuhao’!” Han Yong was puzzled and asked, “Rich guy? What does that mean—like a landlord? You know, from the Land Revolution when they talked about ‘seizing the property of the rich landlords and redistributing the land’? The rich landlords back then weren’t exactly good people. What was that term again? ‘Rich landlords and corrupt gentry,’ right?” After saying this, Han Yong chuckled. Mu Dong’s heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, “As they say, the more you talk, the more likely you are to slip up. I’ll have to watch what I say from now on and try to avoid using trendy slang.” The term “tuhao” seemed to have become popular in 2013. Back then, the catchphrase “Let’s be friends, tuhao” was all the rage, and the word “tuhao” took off. Later, when Apple released the gold-colored i Phone 5s, the public dubbed it “tuhao gold.” Though his mind was racing, Mu Dong didn’t hesitate to respond. Picking up where Han Yong left off, he said, “That’s right! A ‘tuhao’ is just a ‘landlord,’ and landlords are all rich people! Brother Yong, you’re so wealthy!” Mu Dong had originally thought Han Yong would just put up 100,000 or 80,000 for a bit of fun, and he was confident he could help Han Yong double that amount. He really hadn’t expected Han Yong to be planning to go this big. Han Yong said, “I don’t have any money—my salary is only a little more than yours. My wife is the one with the money; she runs a small advertising agency.” Mu Dong burst out laughing: “Brother Yong, I never would’ve guessed you had the potential to be a kept man. Wait, that’s not just potential—that’s outright proof!” Han Yong chuckled a couple of times, then continued, “Dongzi, living off a woman isn’t so bad, actually! Let’s get down to business. This 500,000 will be split into two parts. One part—300,000—is my investment. As for the returns, you can decide how much to give me based on how the business performs. Also, I won’t restrict you from bringing in other investors. The other 200,000 is a loan from me. I’ll charge 10% annual interest, which comes to 20,000 a year. The total of 500,000 is for one year only. By this time next year at the latest—regardless of whether we make a profit or a loss—I want it all back.” Mu Dong was completely dumbfounded. It took him a while before he said, “Brother Yong, if you want to invest, just invest—why does this have anything to do with me? And you’re even lending me money? You’re tempting me here—aren’t you afraid I’ll run off with the money?” Han Yong laughed. “Whether you run off or not is up to you. I’m giving you this because I trust you. Besides, knowing you as I do, this amount isn’t enough to make you run off. Also, let’s be upfront about this: for the 200,000, you’ll write a personal IOU. For the 300,000, draft an agreement in duplicate—we’ll both sign it informally; it’s just to show we’re serious. Provide a copy of your ID so I can explain it to my wife.” After saying this, he took out a bank card, slid it across the table, and said, “There’s 500,000 in there. The PIN is the last six digits of your cell phone number. All right, go back to work. Hang in there for another week or two, and I expect the layoff plan will be finalized soon.” Mu Dong returned to his workstation feeling a bit dazed, as if he were walking on cotton, his whole body floating all the way back. Several colleagues watched Mu Dong’s “dazed and disoriented” appearance with some confusion. “Manager Mu was always held in high regard by the boss, wasn’t he? Why does he look now as if he’s been subjected to some kind of inhumane treatment?” Across both lifetimes combined, the largest sum of money Mu Dong had ever seen was the 240,000 he’d scraped together to buy that small apartment—money he’d pieced together from here and there, most of it borrowed. And now, the card in his pocket actually held 500,000! Although Mu Dong had been actively preparing to build wealth recently, holding this bank card still felt like he’d been struck by a sudden, powerful blow. Even though it wasn’t his own money, the sensation of carrying such a huge sum made Mu Dong feel… it was truly amazing! As Mu Dong gradually came to his senses, his determination to work hard and make money grew even stronger. He silently told himself that he would use a solid financial foundation to instill complete confidence in himself and his loved ones. As he squeezed the bank card in his pocket, Mu Dong thought of Han Yong. This big brother was so generous—and also… so cunning. The 200,000 personal loan was undoubtedly a massive show of support from Han Yong to Mu Dong. But such generosity also firmly bound Mu Dong’s loyalty. The river sand business was in Lunan City—far from the reach of authority—and Han Yong couldn’t possibly, nor did he have the energy, to get involved in the day-to-day operations. In this way, he safeguarded their shared interests and preserved their brotherly bond. Mu Dong settled his mind, wrote out the IOU, drafted the agreement, and prepared a copy of his ID. Then he went back to Han Yong’s office, where the two of them signed the agreement. Han Yong dramatically stood up, shook Mu Dong’s hand, and said, “Mr. Mu, here’s to a fruitful partnership!” Mu Dong replied solemnly, “Mr. Han, is there no champagne?”