Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 12: A Warning

Xiao Xiao tugged at Cai Jiaojiao’s sleeve and whispered to her about Su Mengda’s recent harassment and what had happened yesterday afternoon at the school gate. Cai Jiaojiao understood the whole story and said loudly to Su Mengda, “Mr. Su, Li Xiaoxiao is my sister. I’m taking this matter into my own hands. For the sake of our past friendship, let’s call it quits here, and I won’t press charges. But if you’re not willing, whatever game you want to play, I’ll see it through to the end.” Su Mengda looked a little deflated and mumbled, “That fat guy just kicked me.” Cai Jiaojiao suddenly found it hilarious and said, “That fat guy is my boyfriend.” Su Mengda was completely speechless and turned to walk away. Cheng Qiang felt elated—this was essentially an official announcement of their relationship. The group stopped eating, cleared the table, and headed to a tea house for some tea. Mu Dong hadn’t expected Su Mengda’s problem to be resolved so easily. He’d been torn about the whole thing—he didn’t want to burden Xiao Xiao, but he didn’t have a good way to handle it either. When Su Mengda shoved Cheng Qiang earlier, Mu Dong had reacted instantly, secretly intending to use Su Mengda’s own momentum against him. He hadn’t expected Cai Jiaojiao to resolve the situation with just a few words. He was both surprised and felt a bit guilty. At the tea house, Cai Jiaojiao explained Su Mengda’s family situation and why he’d given her face. Upon hearing this, Mu Dong thought to himself that only by becoming stronger could he weather any storm. It was only in the face of true strength that Su Mengda would be silenced and forced to back down. With that in mind, Mu Dong said to Cheng Qiang, “Qiangzi, regarding the sand business I mentioned earlier, Boss Han has invested 500,000.” Cheng Qiang was genuinely taken aback and exclaimed, “What? 500,000?” Cai Jiaojiao had been somewhat puzzled when Mu Dong brought up this matter for the second time that evening, but upon hearing that the general manager of Cheng Qiang’s company had invested 500,000, she finally began to take the matter seriously. She had a vague feeling that the reason Mu Dong was bringing this up so seriously for the second time had something to do with her having helped him out of a tight spot earlier. Cai’s father had been in business for many years, and having grown up around it, Cai Jiaojiao naturally had some understanding of the business world. She instantly figured it out and sensed there was more to the story. Next, Cai Jiaojiao asked detailed questions about the yard’s business operations and profits. Mu Dong explained in detail the theory he had previously shared with Han Yong. Cheng Qiang, on the other hand, became a bystander. After their discussion, Cai Jiaojiao said, “Brother Dong, thank you for introducing this project to us. I’ll discuss it with my dad, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, I’ll invest a little.” She then turned to Cheng Qiang and said, “You can invest a little too.” Cheng Qiang smiled and said it didn’t matter to him. A short while later, the tea had gone cold and the conversation had run its course, so everyone went their separate ways. When Cai Jiaojiao got home, she went straight to her dad. Cai’s father’s name was Cai Guoming. Seeing his daughter return, he chuckled, “How’s your boyfriend? I heard he’s a bit chubby.” Cai Jiaojiao rolled her eyes: “Do you think your daughter is skinny?” Cai Guoming said, “Oh my, so you’ve taken a liking to him!” Cai Jiaojiao said, “I didn’t think much of him at first, but after seeing him fight, I thought he was okay. By the way, Dad, do you know who he beat up?” Cai Guoming: “Who?” Cai Jiaojiao laughed, “Su San—Su Mengda! It was hilarious—Cheng Qiang knocked him down with a single kick.” Cai Guoming said, “That kid from the Su family? Good for him. That boy’s been acting out of line these past few years, chasing after women all the time.” Cai Jiaojiao said, “Dad, I have something to ask you.” Then Cai Jiaojiao brought up the matter of Mu Dong’s storage yard. Cai’s father thought for a moment and said, “Based on the information he provided, it should be feasible, and the fact that someone has already invested a significant amount suggests the prospects are promising. All right, I’ll look into it tomorrow. If the information checks out, we can give it a try. How much are you planning to invest?” Cai Jiaojiao replied, “I have 100,000.” Cai’s dad said, “Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll lend you 100,000, so you’ll invest a total of 200,000. If you make a profit, pay me back the 100,000; if you lose money, I’ll cover it.” Cai Jiaojiao beamed with joy, wrapping her arms around Cai Guoming’s arm and swaying back and forth as she said, “Thanks, Dad.” Family joy is nothing more than this. The next day was Tuesday. As soon as Mu Dong arrived at work, he learned that Han Yong had returned from Beijing, so he immediately went to his office. Han Yong said to Mu Dong with a smile, “You’ve been waiting impatiently, haven’t you? The news is confirmed, the documents have been issued, and I’ll be announcing it at a meeting shortly.” Mu Dong replied, “Yeah, I was getting a little anxious. Things have already kicked off back home, so I couldn’t get away.” Mu Dong then gave Han Yong a detailed update on the opening and operations of the sand yard. Han Yong was very pleased—Mu Dong had already started bringing in sand so quickly; his efficiency was remarkable. Just as the two were talking, Mu Dong’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out and saw it was Mu Hong calling. Mu Dong said goodbye to Han Yong and stepped outside to take the call. On the phone, Mu Hong said that the guarantee issue had been completely resolved. Wang Shaoqiang had found a friend—an official at the county agricultural machinery bureau—who had agreed to act as a guarantor. Of course, they wouldn’t let him do it for free; Wang Shaoqiang had bought him some cigarettes and liquor, and said that once the deal was closed, the lender would give him 2,000 yuan as a token of appreciation. After a brief refusal, the official agreed. Mu Dong was delighted and told his aunt that he would return in the next couple of days to handle the paperwork. “Hmm, nothing but good news today—not bad.” The Ludong Branch of Northern Electronics held a company-wide meeting in the conference room with only one agenda item: laying off four employees. Han Yong announced that, following discussions, Mu Dong, the Marketing Manager, had responded to the company’s call by being the first to accept the layoff, and he urged everyone in the company to follow Mu Dong’s example. As for the remaining three layoff positions, other employees could volunteer, and the results would be announced in three days. At noon, Mu Dong received a call from Cai Jiaojiao, who offered to invest 200,000 yuan to partner with him. After hanging up, Mu Dong sighed: “In this world, there are far more wealthy people than I ever imagined. I thought it would be one thing if Cai Jiaojiao invested 30,000 to 50,000—she’s just a nurse who’s just started working! But to invest 200,000 right off the bat!” That afternoon, Mu Dong completed his resignation procedures and handed over his duties to Lin Xiangyan. His resignation form was submitted to the Beijing headquarters that same afternoon. All that remained was confirmation from the headquarters’ Human Resources Department. Apart from a handful of people, no one at the company understood why Mu Dong was the first to be laid off. It could be said that among the people least likely to be laid off, Mu Dong was definitely one of the top few. The positive outcome of this was that, with three layoff quotas originally remaining, the General Affairs Department suddenly received five resignation requests. Han Yong’s task of carrying out the layoffs should not be too difficult. Before the workday ended that afternoon, Mu Dong packed up his belongings and left the office. A few close colleagues saw him off at the elevator, and everyone seemed a bit downcast. That evening, Mu Dong told Xiao Xiao, who had just returned from work, about his resignation. Although Xiao Xiao had known about it for a while, she was still worried he might be upset, so she offered him a few words of comfort. Mu Dong wasn’t upset at all—he couldn’t wait to wrap up these matters and rush back to his hometown. After the two of them had dinner, Xiao Xiao offered him some comfort. After a brief, restrained moment of intimacy, they went to sleep in separate beds. Mu Dong felt a bit frustrated. Why offer that “reward” for no reason? It left him in limbo, feeling unsettled and adrift. On Wednesday morning, Mu Dong received a call from the company: the resignation confirmation letter from headquarters had been faxed over, and he was told to go in to complete the final formalities. Mu Dong rushed to the office right away. Pension insurance procedures, housing provident fund procedures, and severance settlement procedures. After completing all of these, Mu Dong received his payment. Since it was already past the 15th of September, he received his full monthly salary for that month, plus his August salary and three months’ severance pay—amounting to the equivalent of five months’ salary. Combined with some earlier reimbursement payments, Mu Dong walked away with 22,000 yuan. The company’s efficiency this time was truly astonishingly fast. Before leaving, Mu Dong went to Han Yong’s office to say a formal goodbye. He also assured Han Yong that he could rest easy about business matters—he would do his best. Then he took his leave, and Han Yong walked him to the elevator. This time, when he left, it was for good. He had spent two years of his youth here; while he felt no reluctance to leave, there was a hint of melancholy. That afternoon, Mu Dong met Cai Jiaojiao and Cheng Qiang—who had skipped work—at a tea house near the office. Cai Jiaojiao handed Mu Dong a bank card containing 250,000 yuan: 200,000 from her and 50,000 from Cheng Qiang. Cheng Qiang told Mu Dong that he also planned to quit his job and take the civil service exam. It made sense—with his girlfriend’s uncle serving as a deputy mayor, they could plan their future carefully. The two of them could pool their money and invest it together; naturally, their families had tacitly approved of the relationship. Mu Dong was quite supportive of Cheng Qiang’s decision to quit; given Cheng Qiang’s temperament, working in finance was a bit of a poor fit. As a civil servant, he might just find a whole new world of opportunities. That evening, Mu Dong asked Xiao Xiao if Su Mengda had been harassing her again. Xiao Xiao said no. Even Gao Ya had become a bit more polite, unlike a couple of days ago when she’d occasionally make snide remarks. Mu Dong knew the matter was now behind them. Mu Dong told Xiao Xiao he’d be returning to Southern Shandong the next day, urged her to be careful in Quancheng, and assured her he’d be back in two or three weeks. Early Thursday morning, Mu Dong took a bus back to Southern Lu City. He then headed to the county seat and went to the Jin Yuyuan Restaurant to find his eldest aunt, Mu Hong. Mu Hong knew Mu Dong was back and had been waiting for him. The two of them went together to visit Director Zhang from the county Agricultural Bank office, whom they had met previously. Mu Dong’s loan application needed to be processed at the town’s Agricultural Bank branch. Neither Mu Dong nor Mu Hong had any connections in the town, so they wanted Director Zhang to recommend a credit officer there. For Director Zhang, this was a minor matter—a simple favor. He quickly got in touch with Director Sun, who oversaw lending at the town’s Agricultural Bank branch, and had Mu Dong speak with him briefly over the phone. The rest was up to Mu Dong to handle in person. That evening, Mu Hong and Mu Dong hosted a dinner for Director Zhang at the Jin Yuyuan Restaurant. After a round of toasts, Mu Dong learned that for farmer loans from the Rural Credit Cooperative, there was no need to seek personal connections. As long as the Agricultural Bank’s application procedures were approved, one simply needed to bring a set of photocopies to the Rural Credit Cooperative’s credit department to apply—approval was generally granted—and then sign off on similar paperwork once more. The reason, as it turned out, was somewhat amusing: it was all about competition. Slightly tipsy that evening, Mu Dong stayed overnight at his eldest aunt’s house. Early Friday morning, Mu Dong returned from the county seat to the town and went straight to the local Agricultural Bank branch, where he met with Director Sun, whom he had spoken with on the phone the previous day. He explained the purpose of his visit and gave a detailed report on the circumstances of the five farmers and the two guarantors. Director Sun first had Mu Dong fill out a loan application form, then explained the required documentation. The heads of the five farming households needed to be present and bring their household registration books and ID cards. The two guarantors needed to be present in person and bring their ID cards and original income certificates stamped by their employers. The two then agreed that next Monday morning, Mu Dong would gather everyone, bring all the required documents, and come to the town’s Agricultural Bank branch to complete the loan procedures. Mu Dong then took his leave, and as he was leaving, he casually slipped a shopping card from the county supermarket into Director Sun’s pocket. Director Sun showed no reaction; he was probably used to it by now. Director Sun showed no reaction—he was likely used to it by now. Mu Dong then went home and headed to the storage yard. Mu Dong had left his hometown on Sunday; it was now Friday—exactly five days later. During those five days, Mu Dong had thought about this storage yard every single day. It was the first step toward his dream of wealth; he was truly invested in it and eagerly anticipating its success. Mu Dong had rented a tricycle in town to make the trip back. As soon as he got off at the entrance to the yard, Mu Daguo spotted him and hurried over, saying, “Big Brother’s back.” Mu Dong nodded and said, “I’m back, Daguo. You’ve worked hard these past couple of days.” Mu Daguo grinned broadly with his characteristic good-natured smile. A few familiar drivers also greeted Mu Dong warmly when they saw him. Mu’s mother and his second aunt were preparing lunch; they were both delighted to see Mu Dong return. Mu’s mother said happily to Mu Dong, “Xiao Dong, what would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you.” Mu Dong replied, “I’d like stir-fried pork with chili peppers.” Mu’s mom happily went to prepare it. Mu Dong really did love chili-stir-fried pork, and since his mom was so happy, he figured he might as well let her keep enjoying herself. Sometimes, giving is a joy in itself. Spotting Mu Dad and Uncle Er busy working in the distance, Mu Dong walked over. Mu Dad and Second Uncle were leading a group of people in carrying out Mu Dong’s instructions to plant thorns and Sichuan pepper. In five or six days, they had already completed nearly two of the four sides of the plot. Judging by the progress, it would take another four or five days to enclose the entire plot. Mu’s dad and Second Uncle spotted Mu Dong. Second Uncle said, “Xiao Dong is back.” Mu’s dad glanced at him but didn’t say anything. Mu Dong said, “Uncle Er, I’m back. Dad, Uncle Er, take a break—it’s almost time for lunch.” Mu’s dad said, “Let’s take a break, then.” Then he called out to the workers who were still at it, “Call it a day—time for lunch.” The workers gradually stopped what they were doing, went to the mess hall to wash their hands, and got ready to eat. Mu’s father and Uncle Mu put down their tools and lit cigarettes. Mu Dong chatted with them for a while before they all went to eat together. After lunch, everyone went back to their respective tasks. Mu Dong asked Mu Daguo about the sand deliveries over the past few days. Currently, they were maintaining a daily average of over 200 truckloads, with the highest single-day total reaching 260 truckloads. “That looks pretty good,” Mu Dong thought to himself. Just as the two were talking, they saw a driver running over in a panic, shouting, “Mr. Mu, Mr. Mu! There’s been an accident—the young guy unloading the truck fell!” "Xie Donglin!" Both of them thought of him at the same time and rushed over to the sand pile. From a distance, they saw several drivers standing in a circle. They pushed their way through the crowd and found Xie Donglin curled up on the ground, moaning softly, his hands pressed against his forehead, his hands and face covered in blood. Mu Dong took a few deep breaths, crouched down, comforted Xie Donglin, and immediately made arrangements. “Daguo, go to the dorm and tear off a piece of bedsheet—Xiaolin needs a bandage.” “You guys, step aside. Don’t crowd around here—spread out so the air can circulate.” Just as he was speaking, he saw Mu’s mother running over. Mu Dong said, “Mom, go get Dad and Uncle Er. Have them organize the unloading and parking.” Then, glancing at the drivers around him, he asked, “Whose truck can carry passengers? We need a ride to the town hospital.” One driver replied, “My cab is enclosed—there’s room for passengers.” Mu Dong said, “Great, thanks. Have you unloaded the sand from your truck yet?” The driver replied, “It’s already been unloaded. We can leave right away.” Just then, Mu Daguo brought over a bandage. Mu Dong pried Xie Donglin’s hands apart and saw a gash on the right side of his forehead. There was so much blood on his face that he couldn’t tell how big the wound was. He wrapped the bandage tightly around it several times, then carried Xie Donglin and quickly climbed into the sand truck, heading for the town hospital. Mu Daguo followed behind on his electric bicycle. Upon arrival at the hospital, the examination revealed it wasn’t serious—there was a cut on the upper right side of his forehead. After receiving a local anesthetic, he was given four stitches. Fortunately, the cut was high enough that his hair would partially cover it, so it wouldn’t look too unsightly. Mu Dong let out a long sigh of relief—it was a stroke of luck in the midst of misfortune. The anesthetic had taken effect, and Xie Donglin had fallen asleep on the hospital bed. Mu Dong rode his electric bike back to the yard. After asking around, he finally learned the reason behind Xie Donglin’s injury. Xie Donglin was a very dedicated young man. After graduating from junior high, he’d been idle at home for a year—so idle that he felt restless all over. He wanted to go out and find a job, but his parents were worried he was too young and wouldn’t let him leave. When he started working at Mu Dong’s yard, it was as if a bird had been released from its cage; he was full of energy and bustled about all day, running from place to place. At lunchtime today, several trucks were waiting to be unloaded. As soon as he finished eating, Xie Donglin rushed over to direct the unloading. To speed things up, he had two trucks unloaded simultaneously, even though they were seven or eight meters apart. One of the trucks had a powerful jack and unloaded quickly; it finished dumping in no time, retracted the jack, and began moving forward. At that moment, Xie Donglin was standing next to the other truck, watching the sand being unloaded. When he saw the truck about to leave, he wanted to rush over to sign and stamp the driver’s form. He took two quick steps, but his foot slipped, and his head slammed into the bed of the truck that was still being unloaded—his forehead making direct contact with the steel. And that’s when the tragedy struck. When Mu Dong returned, neither truck had left. After getting the full story, Mu Dong said to the two drivers, “It’s okay, don’t worry. It’s just a small cut—I got a few stitches. You’re not at fault for this; it was an issue on our end at the yard. Thank you for waiting here all this time. Everything’s fine now—go back to work. Please continue to support our operations in the future.” The two drivers were relieved as if they’d been granted a pardon. Especially the driver of the truck Xie Donglin had hit his head on—Xie Donglin’s blood was still caked on the cargo bed. The driver had been anxious and on edge. Now, hearing Mu Dong’s words, it was as if nothing had happened. Both men breathed a sigh of relief and left, expressing their deepest gratitude. After they left, the two drivers tacitly agreed not to return to work. Instead, they bought some fruit and nutritional supplements and went to the town hospital to visit Xie Donglin. Kindness begets kindness—it has always been this way. This incident served as a wake-up call about safety for Mu Dong and everyone at the yard. “Thank heavens, this was a mild warning,” Mu Dong silently murmured to himself.