Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 10: A Successful Start

The vehicles began unloading one after another. They were all dump trucks; as the jacks raised the body section by section, a truckload of sand would be dumped in just a few minutes. This was the first batch of sand for the stockpile, unloaded at the very back of the yard. Subsequent shipments would be stacked gradually from the inside out. Mu Dong set up a table at the entrance. He handed out a card to every truck delivering sand to the site. While the vehicles were unloading, Xie Donglin supervised on-site to ensure they were completely emptied. Then, Xie Donglin signed and stamped the card. Drivers settled their accounts upon leaving using the card. For those unwilling to pay immediately, the cards were collected and settled in bulk before the end of the workday in the evening. Currently, there are four sand yards supplying the site. Since prices vary, Mu Dong made some notes on the cards. For the entire morning, the drivers found the process novel and crowded around Mu Dong’s desk to settle their accounts as soon as they finished unloading. After noon, the novelty wore off. Since each transaction involved small change and every truck required a separate settlement, it wasted a lot of time. Consequently, in the afternoon, no one settled accounts frequently; instead, they collected their cards to settle them all at once in the evening. Mu Dong had a bit more free time in the afternoon, so he handed the task of distributing the cards over to Mu Daguo and went for a walk around the area. First, he arranged for his second uncle to lead a few workers in building two smaller houses in front of the completed tiled-roof house, which were planned to serve as a kitchen once finished. He then checked on the progress of the tiled-roof house. Mu’s father was leading a few people in grouting the red brick walls. Mu Dong looked at the walls where the grouting was already finished—they were beautiful and didn’t look rustic at all. On the contrary, they gave off a sense of returning to nature. Mu Dong remembered a café in Quancheng with exactly this style of decor; at the time, he’d found it quite novel. It turned out that the simplest things were, in fact, the most beautiful. He then went to check on the situation at Xie Guolin’s site. The young man was full of energy, directing vehicles as they backed up to unload and bustling about everywhere. Mu Dong walked around for a while and decided everything was under control. He strolled away from the yard and headed to Mu Tongqing’s sand yard nearby. Mu Tongqing was directing the loading of several trucks, all of which were delivering sand to Mu Dong’s yard. When he saw Mu Dong approaching, Mu Tongqing hurried over, his face breaking into a radiant smile. “Uncle, your yard just opened today—how did you find the time to come over?” he said, ushering Mu Dong into his office. Mu Tongqing’s sand yard also had a few buildings, though they were much smaller and less imposing than the tiled-roof houses Mu Dong had built. Mu Dong said, “I’m here because I need a favor from you.” Mu Tongqing replied, “Uncle, don’t say that. Just tell me what you need.” The two sat down together, and Mu Dong explained the reason for his visit: to run an electrical line. Although Mu Tongqing’s sand quarry wasn’t very large, it had power lines running from the village. Mu Dong had noticed this during his last visit. The reason for his visit this time was to connect his power lines to Mu Tongqing’s. Upon hearing this, Mu Tongqing laughed and said, “It’s no big deal. I’m on good terms with the electrician in charge of this area in town. I’ll give him a call and have him get it set up for you tomorrow. “Our two places are close by—all it’ll take is a few concrete poles.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Uncle, have you bought the wire yet? If not, you can use mine. I bought extra when I set up the lines last time, and I still have some left—enough for you. Don’t worry about the quality; I always buy good wire.” Mu Dong said, “Well, you’ve really been a great help. How much is it per meter? I’ll pay you once I’m done.” Mu Tongqing replied, “Don’t worry about the money. It’s no use to me anyway—I’ll just give it to you as a gift.” Mu Dong said, “Pfft, am I really that old?” That was true—even though Mu Tongqing was younger in the family hierarchy, he was actually several years older than Mu Dong. Mu Tongqing said, “Of course you’re not old—that’s why I call you ‘Little’ Uncle.” After joking around for a while, Mu Dong asked, “Tongqing, how do we handle the electricity bill? Should I connect the line before your meter or after it?” Mu Tongqing replied, “Uncle, don’t give me a hard time. Of course it goes before the meter—you’ll open your own account, install your own meter, and pay your own electricity bills.” There are specific rules for how to connect the wiring. If it’s connected before the meter, it’s as if the outgoing line is parallel to the main line—you just need to open your own account and pay your own bills, and the rate is the same as the power company’s standard rate. If connected after the meter, the electricity bill would go to Mu Tongqing. As for the rate, it would also be higher than the market price. Since the wiring at Mu Tongqing’s house was installed at his own expense and runs from the village—and isn’t part of the village’s public power grid—Mu Dong asked this question. Although he had already anticipated the answer, Mu Dong still felt he had to ask. By asking, he was doing him a favor. After talking for a while, Mu Dong told Mu Tongqing to have the electrician recommend a meter and bring it directly over. Having done his part to build goodwill, Mu Dong took his leave. The yard was still bustling with activity. Trucks unloaded one after another, while loaders scurried about, piling the unloaded sand high. The sun was gradually sinking in the west. The drivers, who had been busy all day, were satisfied after receiving their pay via Mu Dong’s phone and gradually dispersed. The first day of business at the yard had finally come to a smooth close. That evening, Mu Dong tallied the figures: a total of 115 truckloads of sand had arrived that day, using up just over 6,000 yuan in purchase funds. The next day, the electrician arrived at the yard first thing in the morning. Mu Dong, along with a few workers, quickly erected several concrete utility poles, successfully connected the power lines to the yard, and installed the electric meter. Since the house would take another day or two to be fully completed, the indoor wiring couldn’t be installed just yet. In any case, there was no need to run concealed wiring—it would be installed as exposed wiring. Mu Dong told the electrician to come back in a day or two to help with the wiring. At noon, Mu Dong left some money with Mu Daguo, instructing him to handle the settlement that evening, and went to the county seat by himself. Mu Dong had two things to take care of on this trip. First, he wanted to check in with his maternal aunt about the guarantor situation; second, he needed to do some shopping. Mu Dong went to his eldest aunt’s place first. Mu Hong had already secured one guarantor—the head nurse she’d mentioned last time. The other one hadn’t been finalized yet. Mu Hong asked Mu Dong to wait a few more days; she’d already approached several people and expected a response within the next few days. If all else failed, she’d have Xiao Xiao come back next week. As Mu Dong was leaving, Mu Hong slipped him a bank card with 100,000 yuan on it. After leaving his aunt’s house, Mu Dong headed to the mall. This time, he planned to buy quite a few things. First, a few bunk beds—there were already several people at the storage yard, and that number might grow later. Having a few extra beds would make it easier for everyone to rest in the future. Next were two sets of office desks and chairs, twenty standard chairs, a few small wooden tables, and a safe. Next, Mu Dong bought three air conditioners—one floor-standing unit and two wall-mounted units. Finally, Mu Dong went to the county’s largest grocery market, where he purchased a large quantity of 500-milliliter bottled mineral water. He arranged for the supplier to handle the rest of the purchases. Once everything was ready, Mu Dong rented a small truck, loaded the items onto it, and returned home. The air conditioners weren’t loaded onto the truck; the store would handle their installation. Mu Dong had his own reasons for buying these items. The thatched-roof house consisted of four rooms in total. The room on the east side was a separate room; the middle section comprised two large connected rooms; and the room on the west side was also a separate room. According to local terminology, these three rooms were called the East Room, the Main Hall, and the West Room, respectively. Mu Dong planned to use the East Room as both an office and a finance room. Since the business had just opened, he could pay drivers at a rickety table set up at the entrance to the yard, but that certainly wouldn’t be secure in the long run. Therefore, Mu Dong intended to install a security door and a safe in the East Room so that payments could be made there during settlement. Furthermore, he couldn’t have all the drivers crowding into the office, as that would also be unsafe. When the house was being built, Mu Dong had already instructed his father to leave a small window in the wall between the East Room and the Main Hall. In the future, drivers would line up in the Main Hall to receive their pay. The main hall was twice the size of the east wing, so Mu Dong decided to use it as a break room. He set up some chairs so the drivers would have a place to rest and wouldn’t have to stand around waiting when it was time to settle up. Well, then, they could just sit and wait. There were chairs for them to sit on and bottled water for them to drink. Yes, bottled water. Mu Dong decided that starting tomorrow, for every trip a truck makes to haul sand, it would receive a bottle of bottled water. They’ll hand them out upon entry. As for drivers who don’t like cold water, that’s no problem—boiled water will also be available in the break room. The West Wing will serve as employee dormitories. Currently, the loader operators are still living in tents. Although the land has already been leveled, the sand arriving each day still needs to be piled and organized by loaders after unloading. Later on, as the sand piles grow higher, the loaders will play an increasingly important role. As for the air conditioning, this is how Mu Dong sees it: Working at the stockpile is extremely grueling, so having a comfortable resting environment after work is absolutely essential. Whether it’s his own family or the workers on the job, Mu Dong hopes they can enjoy some air conditioning and relax comfortably after a hard day’s work. Furthermore, once sand prices skyrocket in the future, everyone around him will know he’s made a fortune in a short time; by doing some good deeds now, he can also avoid arousing too much jealousy later on. When he returned to the yard that afternoon and had the workers unload the goods from the pickup truck, Mu Dong handed out a bottle of mineral water to everyone present—even the drivers who were still settling their bills. He also announced that starting tomorrow, each truck would receive one bottle of water per trip. The drivers immediately perked up—if they made eight or ten trips that day, they’d end up taking home a whole bag of bottled water. Although it wasn’t worth much, it was a rare treat. In rural households, who would drink bottled water just for the sake of it? Mu Dong had his own strategy. Although he was paying cash for the sand now, the process was still too slow. He needed to generate some buzz to encourage more drivers to bring sand in. A single bottle of water cost a little over one yuan at the supermarket, but Mu Dong’s bulk purchase price was 10 yuan for 24 bottles—averaging just over four mao per bottle. Four mao, spread across a truckload of six or seven cubic meters of sand, was a negligible cost. That evening, Mu Dong reviewed Mu Daguo’s statistics: a total of 136 truckloads of sand had arrived that day, slightly more than the previous day. September 13—the third day since the sand yard opened. Early in the morning, the number of vehicles entering the yard noticeably increased. The cash-only payment policy, combined with the complimentary bottled mineral water, caused the news to spread rapidly among the drivers’ small circle. In the morning, several owners from other sand yards arrived to discuss a partnership. Mu Dong was very welcoming and didn’t turn anyone away, offering a flat rate of 60 yuan per truckload, paid in cash. He still had two requirements: “heaped to the brim” and “sifted.” The owners indicated they could start delivering sand that afternoon and left one by one. A few sand brokers also came to inquire about partnerships. Mu Dong felt a bit torn. Middlemen typically make their living by reselling goods. Currently, the going rate at sand yards was mostly 60 yuan. Middlemen usually transport sand to slightly more distant locations to earn a markup. Mu Dong was at a loss as to how to set a price for them. He cautiously proposed a price of 60 yuan, and to his surprise, the other party agreed. Mu Dong was a bit puzzled and explained, “Unloading here is supervised; you can’t use any tricks.” What he meant was: There’s no room for underhanded tactics here—no loopholes to exploit. The men laughed and explained the situation to Mu Dong, who then understood. It turned out that upstream along the section of the Shuhe River passing through Mu Village, there were spots where the river was wider and the water shallower, so there were some natural sand pits on both sides of the riverbed. However, these sand pits were simply too small; large-scale development wouldn’t be profitable at all. So some local villagers just dabbled in it on a small scale. They’d use the smallest possible loader—or in some cases, not even a loader at all, loading the trucks by hand—and the price per truckload of sand was only twenty or thirty yuan. These dealers planned to go there to load up and sell the sand to Mu Dong. Although the journey was a bit farther, the profit was still decent. Most importantly, Boss Mu paid in cash on the spot—no delays. Whatever they earned, they could count on actually receiving it. By noon, the finishing touches on the house were all complete, and the doors and windows were installed. A security door was also added to the east room. The kitchen in front of the house was finished as well. Mu’s mother and Second Aunt were busy organizing things inside the kitchen. A large stove had been set up, and they’d also bought a gas range. Mu’s mother and Second Aunt were finally free from the hardship of cooking outdoors in the wind and sun for several days and now had their very own brand-new space. In the afternoon, the electrician came to wire the house. A light fixture was installed in each room, and several outlets were set up—it wasn’t complicated, so the work was finished quickly. Mu Dong specifically had two streetlights installed in front of the house and at the entrance to the storage yard. He’d asked the electrician to purchase them. After all, one always needs a reason to build a closer relationship. The department store also delivered air conditioners that afternoon, and they were installed in all three rooms. The east and west rooms were fitted with wall-mounted units, while the main room received a floor-standing unit. After the air conditioners were installed, everyone busied themselves arranging the rooms. Two sets of office desks and chairs were placed in the east room; a bunk bed was set up in the far corner, with a safe next to it, along with a few chairs and a coffee table. The main room contained a few ordinary tables and over a dozen chairs. Several large thermoses were also set out. The west room contained several bunk beds, two desks, and two chairs. With everything settled, the air conditioner was turned on, and everyone rested inside. The cool air put everyone in a pleasant mood, and they all agreed that Mu Dong had truly thought of everything. As evening fell, the drivers sat in the cool main room, sipping hot or cold water while waiting to settle their bills. They couldn’t help but feel that Mu Dong, their boss, was truly one of a kind—in every way. Mu Dong was also delighted, smiling as he watched the drivers. He felt that these drivers had truly lived up to the saying: “just sit and wait.” Mu Dong was in charge of paying out the money again today; after tallying the numbers, there were a total of 173 truckloads. That evening, Mu Dong gathered his family for dinner in the yard’s break room. They could have cooked at home, but the yard’s kitchen had everything they needed. With his family and two forklift operators, the table was packed with food. Mu Dong thanked everyone for their hard work over the past few days. He also mentioned that he’d be heading back to Quancheng the next day, explaining that since the yard was now built and operational, he needed to return to report to the boss. That’s how he’d explained it to everyone from the start, so the lie had to continue. Actually, this explanation worked well—everyone accepted it easily. If Mu Dong had really been staying in his hometown every day, people would have started to wonder: What kind of big boss in Quancheng is he, with such a generous heart, willing to shell out hundreds of thousands without asking a single question? Mu Dong instructed everyone to treat every driver who came to the yard with kindness and to keep a service-oriented mindset. “We’ve made such a huge investment just to make money. Without sand, we can’t make any money. When drivers come to deliver sand, they’re helping us make money.” Mu Dong also mentioned another important point: safety. This thought suddenly occurred to him that afternoon when he saw a driver nearly fall while getting out of his truck. He specifically instructed Xie Donglin to pay close attention to safety when directing the unloading of trucks. The fourth day of business, Sunday, September 14. It was overcast from early morning. Mu Dong took his father to the bank in town and withdrew 30,000 yuan. With the various cash reserves they currently had on hand—totaling just over 70,000 yuan—plus this 30,000, they had enough to make 100,000 yuan. After returning home, Mu Dong solemnly handed the 100,000 yuan to his father. Given the daily sand intake at the yard, which cost about 10,000 yuan, this money would easily last seven or eight days. Mu Dong told his father to keep the money in a hidden place at home. He instructed his father to take 20,000 yuan in cash to the yard every day and hand it over to Mu Daguo, bringing the remaining money back home each day. As for the safe at the yard, it was merely for show. Then the two of them went to the yard together. Mu Dong briefed Mu Daguo on the daily settlement procedures and instructed him to keep accurate records. There were an unusually large number of trucks arriving this morning; word had spread far and wide. Nearly all the nearby sand quarries had begun delivering to the Mu family’s yard. The house was finished. Mu Dong assigned new tasks to Mu Dad and Mu Ershu: to plant Sichuan pepper and thorn bushes around the perimeter of the site. Thorn bushes spread quickly, and when planted alongside the Sichuan pepper, they would form a thick, natural protective barrier within a year. Plus, the Sichuan pepper could be harvested annually, providing an additional source of income. A simple storage yard wouldn’t actually need this kind of protection. It’s just sand—no one’s going to steal it. The key is that Mu Dong has other plans. He needs a way to cordon off this plot of land. At noon, Mu Dong checked with Mu Daguo and found that over a hundred business cards had already been distributed. It looked like breaking the 200-truck mark today wouldn’t be a problem. After lunch, Mu Dong left home and returned to Quancheng. The business trip he’d requested had come to an end, and he was scheduled to report back to the company tomorrow. Mu Dong left Jinan on September 4; today marks exactly 11 days since then. Excluding travel time, he spent roughly 10 days moving swiftly to secure the land lease, build the storage yard, and successfully open for business. Within three days of opening, he rapidly gained a foothold in the sand market near his hometown and made a name for himself. This was Mu Dong’s first entrepreneurial endeavor as a time traveler, and it got off to a flying start.