Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 17: Coming to Deposit Money

With money coming right to his doorstep—safe and reliable—Mu Dong naturally wouldn’t turn it down. He’d been worrying about his tight finances, but now things were looking up—heaven was on his side. God helps those who help themselves. Early the next morning, the two signed a loan agreement. Mu Dong borrowed 500,000 yuan from Mu Jinqian for a one-year term at an annual interest rate of 8%. Mu Dong specifically requested that a clause be added to the loan agreement. If the borrower (Mu Dong) is in good financial standing, he has the right to demand early repayment of the loan, with interest calculated based on the actual period of use and an additional month’s interest paid. The phrase “pay an additional month’s interest” was added at Mu Jinqian’s request. Where there’s a buyer, there’s a seller—they were both businesspeople, after all. Mu Jinqian then went to the Agricultural Bank of China to transfer the funds to Mu Dong. After checking his balance, Mu Dong signed Mu Jinqian’s transfer slip. Mu Dong planned to use this money for no more than half a year. However, he suspected that Mu Jinqian would be unwilling to sign a six-month agreement and might become suspicious, so he added this clause as a last-minute measure. As for the extra month’s interest, the calculation showed it was acceptable. With a little more cash on hand, Mu Dong returned to the yard and made some further arrangements. The thorn bushes and Sichuan pepper plants surrounding the yard had all been planted, and several workers had been carrying out auxiliary tasks throughout the yard over the past few days. Now they had all been reassigned to the unloading area. The loaders and crawler tractors were now working together seamlessly, and with the unloading points expanded to four, the unloading speed had increased once again. Every afternoon after work, a night shift crew would start up and use the conveyor belt to raise the height of the sand pile to about 10 meters. Since a loader is needed to feed material into the conveyor belt at its lower end—and the loaders are occupied with unloading during the day—they now have no choice but to make use of the nighttime hours. In Mu Dong’s plan, 10 meters is already the limit. It cannot be any higher; otherwise, there would be a risk of collapse during future sales. Finally, Mu Dong instructed the crew supervising the unloading to clear a 10-meter-wide passageway on the east side of the yard—between the sand pile and the thorn hedge—to allow for loading from multiple locations during future sales. After making these arrangements, Mu Dong set off for the county seat to visit his eldest aunt, Mu Hong. The purpose of this trip was to sort out the driver’s license as soon as possible. It was impossible to get a driver’s license right away. Mu Dong didn’t have any connections in that area. Mu Dong arrived at the Jin Yuyuan Restaurant, found Mu Hong and Wang Shaoqiang, explained the purpose of his visit, and mentioned that he had driven in Quancheng before, though he didn’t have a driver’s license. After all, in another timeline, Mu Dong had been a seasoned driver with several years of experience. Wang Shaoqiang had Mu Dong drive for a while and discovered that he really could drive—and quite skillfully at that. So Wang Shaoqiang took Mu Dong to meet the instructor who had taught him to drive. The instructor’s surname was Zhang. As a driving instructor, he came into contact with many students from all walks of life. He knew exactly what kind of background each student had. A student like Wang Shaoqiang—who ran a restaurant—was exactly the type the instructor favored most. He was wealthy yet down-to-earth and easy to get along with. Naturally, the instructor stayed close to students like this, and even after Wang Shaoqiang passed his driving test, they remained in frequent contact. Whenever he had time, wouldn’t he drop by the restaurant to show his support? And when friends or family had a celebration, wouldn’t Boss Wang offer a discount or something? So when Coach Zhang saw Wang Shaqiang bringing people along, he was absolutely delighted. The more you stay in touch, the closer the relationship becomes. You have to visit relatives to maintain those ties—if you don’t, how can you have any relatives at all? Wang Shaqiang was also quite willing to interact with Coach Zhang. Coach Zhang knew when to step back and when to step forward; he understood the art of discretion. He was well-versed in the ins and outs of the driving test process. Back when Wang Shaoqiang first got his license, Coach Zhang had paid him a few visits, but he was never greedy—he just wanted to save face. Over time, the two became friends. Since he was the nephew of a friend, this matter had to be taken care of—and done right. Coach Zhang first had Mu Dong drive for a while, then had him try some maneuvers like backing up on the practice course. He was quite surprised—Mu Dong had the air of a seasoned driver. Mu Dong explained that he’d practiced with friends back in Quancheng, which is why he was so skilled. Mu Dong hoped to get his driver’s license as soon as possible. Coach Zhang thought for a moment and offered two options. One option was for Mu Dong not to show up at all; Coach Zhang would arrange everything—the written test, parallel parking, and road test—so he could get his license within a month. This would require an additional payment of 1,000 yuan, which Coach Zhang would use to hire a stand-in for the test and cover other expenses. In 2008, driver’s license exams weren’t as strict as they are now, and there were no surveillance cameras inside the test vehicles, so there was still plenty of room to maneuver. Besides, Coach Zhang was very satisfied with Mu Dong’s driving skills, so he didn’t have to worry that Mu Dong would get his license but not know how to drive, which could lead to trouble. The other option was for Mu Dong to go through the standard process and take all the exams one by one, which would also take a month. The instructor would prioritize all of Mu Dong’s test slots, but he would need to show up on time for each one. Instructor Zhang didn’t mention whether the second option required any “favors”—presumably it didn’t, though it would mean owing someone a favor, since it involved jumping the queue for the exams. Mu Dong chose the first option. His schedule was truly unpredictable; if something came up and delayed the exams, getting his license would be pushed back again. It was better to play it safe and get his license as soon as possible. Afterward, Coach Zhang took Mu Dong to the driving school office to register, have his photo taken, and pay the fees. Mu Dong then gave Coach Zhang an extra 1,000 yuan in cash, and Wang Shaoqiang also gave Coach Zhang a carton of cigarettes. Afterward, the two took their leave. Mu Dong’s sudden desire to get his driver’s license was mainly because he wanted to buy a car. Mu Dong didn’t really need a car—he currently rode an electric scooter for short trips and took public transportation for long ones, and he hadn’t found it inconvenient. It was mainly for the future of his sand yard. Once the yard is up and running, they’ll be selling sand. At that point, Boss Mu won’t be able to ask customers to pay by bank transfer or credit card—he’ll inevitably have to handle large amounts of cash, which would mean making daily trips to the bank to deposit it. To be on the safe side, it would be wiser to have a car then. As for the incident with Huang Si, even though it fizzled out, it served as a wake-up call for Mu Dong. It’s hard to say for sure whether there are other covetous eyes lurking in the shadows. As the saying goes, one must always be on guard against others; it’s always better to err on the side of caution. Mu Dong returned to the yard that afternoon and watched Xie Donglin practice operating the crawler tractor. Things were looking good—Xie Donglin was already driving quite competently, though he was still a bit nervous. With a mentor like Tan Jiaming teaching Xie Donglin, it was a piece of cake. Mu Dong was increasingly convinced that Tan Jiaming was a real talent. A few days earlier, when the loader broke down, Zhong Guodong—with only the basics he’d learned in school—was completely at a loss and, growing increasingly frantic, was about to call for repairs. Later, Tan Jiaming came over, took a quick look around, and said it was an electrical issue—a loose connection somewhere—and fixed it in no time. Mu Dong kept all these things in mind. During dinner that evening, Mu Dong told the four operators that they should set aside time to take turns learning from each other, so that all four of them would become proficient at operating both the front-end loader and the crawler tractor. Starting tonight, the loader operators would take turns working the night shift to assist with loading the conveyor belt. Mu Dong hoped that each of them would be able to work independently. Tan Jiaming, of course, had no problem with this; he was already skilled at operating all kinds of heavy equipment. Although he hadn’t driven in years, it would only take a little time to get back into the swing of things. Su Peng wouldn’t have much trouble either; he’d been driving loaders for several years and was already accustomed to the operating techniques of large machinery. Besides, a crawler tractor doesn’t even have a steering wheel—just a few control levers—so it’s very simple to operate. The main concern was Zhong Guodong and Xie Donglin, who would need some time to learn and adjust. Mu Daguo came to report that evening: a total of 390 truckloads had been delivered that day. Mu Dong believed that if they could gradually stabilize at 400 truckloads per day—bringing in about 2,400 cubic meters—they would be able to fill this stockpile smoothly before prices skyrocketed. Today, 11 delivery trucks came to buy sand, with cumulative sales of over 300 cubic meters and revenue nearing 6,000 yuan. Taking in and shipping out, the storage volume increased by about 2,000 cubic meters that day. When Mu Dong is not at the stockpile, he has entrusted Mu Daguo with the responsibility of selling sand. Mu Daguo was delighted—he had just been relieved of a payment-related task, only to be given a new one involving collecting money. “My big brother really treats me well,” he thought. Mu Dong instructed Mu Daguo to make sure the truck drivers coming to buy sand received excellent service. He was to help level the cargo beds and secure the tarps. He was also to provide hot water to the drivers, and if it was mealtime, allow them to have a simple meal in the mess hall. Mu Dong specifically instructed that drivers be given free water refills. Most large trucks are equipped with water tanks to cool their tires. When the tank runs empty, the driver has to find a way to refill it—and that costs money. When the Mu family’s yard was first established, they dug a well for their own use and installed a small water pump. Since the site is close to the river, groundwater is abundant—you only need to dig three to five meters to find water. The water quality is also good; the groundwater is much cleaner than the river water. A few days ago, a driver casually asked Mu Dong if he could pay to refill his water. “Why pay?” Boss Mu said with a sweeping gesture. “Fill it up.” At that moment, Mu Dong made up his mind: since there was a need, he would do his best to meet it. Since he’d already decided to offer water-refill services for trucks, he resolved to do his best to make them even better. On Sunday, people began arriving one after another to see Mu Dong. Among them were some he knew, and others he wasn’t familiar with at all. This kept Mu Daguo, who was handing out cards at the entrance, incredibly busy. Every time someone arrived, he’d quickly hand out a hard hat and remind them to return it when they left. Fortunately, Mu Dong had prepared enough hard hats to go around. Everyone said they were there to deposit money with Boss Mu and to find out what interest rate he could offer. Yes, to deposit money—even though Mu Dong’s yard wasn’t exactly a bank. Mu Dong was a bit baffled. What on earth was going on? Asking him to take their money? How could Mu Dong possibly be qualified to accept deposits? That idea was terrifying! If he wasn’t careful, this could be considered illegal deposit-taking! After asking for details, he learned that these people had all heard that Mu Jinqian had deposited 500,000 at the Mu Family Yard and had rushed over upon hearing the news. Ordinary people are straightforward: I give you my money, and you give me interest. It’s just like a bank—isn’t that exactly what saving money is? So, a capable person like Mu Jinqian would say, “I’m lending money to Mu Dong.” Ordinary people, on the other hand, are much more straightforward—they just come to make a deposit. Only then did Mu Dong realize that these people also wanted to lend him money to earn some interest. If a wealthy man like Mu Jinqian dared to lend money to Boss Mu, they were certain they wouldn’t lose out on the small amount their families had to spare. So, the herd mentality of ordinary people can sometimes have positive aspects. The amounts offered by those who came in were not large—some offered 10,000 or 20,000, while others offered 30,000 or 50,000. Their demands weren’t high either: 6% annual interest, which was much better than what banks offered. Keep in mind that in 2008, the interest rate on one-year fixed-term deposits at banks was only 2. 3 percent; 6 percent was more than double what the bank offered. Mu Dong was a bit at a loss; he honestly didn’t want this money—it was too scattered, with 10,000 from one family and 20,000 from another. Moreover, people in the countryside don’t really have a sense of contractual obligation (though city dwellers don’t have much of one either). Whether this money is considered “deposited” with you or “borrowed” from you, if something happens in their family, they’ll want it back. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if it were something major, but sometimes even something like Second Cousin from Auntie No. 3’s family wanting to buy a sow could become an excuse to ask for the money back. Mu Dong grew up in the countryside, so he’d heard plenty of stories like this. So Mu Dong tried to decline. But the visitors wouldn’t take no for an answer. They made a few phone calls and brought someone over. Mu Huafeng—Mu Huafeng, the village committee director. It was Mu Hua Feng who started this whole trend. Mu Huafeng actually meant well. He figured that if Mu Dong could make use of large sums of money, he could certainly make use of small ones too—after all, little by little, it adds up—and the interest rates on smaller amounts were even lower than those on larger ones. The key was that Mu Huafeng wanted to get involved too. He felt it would be awkward to approach people himself, so he decided to send a few people ahead as pioneers. As it turned out, these pioneers got off to a bad start—Mr. Mu turned them down. With no other choice, Mu Hua Feng had to steel himself and step in personally. In the yard office, after dismissing everyone else, Mu Dong and Mu Huafeng smoked together. Actually, Mu Dong wasn’t really keen on smoking, but in this situation, smoking together was simply part of the social etiquette. Mu Dong said, “Uncle, it’s your idea, right? Just bring your own money—I really don’t want to use anyone else’s.” Mu Huafeng replied, “I was just trying to help you out—I didn’t expect you to be so ungrateful, kid.” Mu Dong replied, “Uncle, of course I appreciate it! It’s just that some of these payments are such small amounts—it’s a bit of a hassle for me.” Mu Huafeng took a drag on his cigarette, blew out a few smoke rings, and said slowly, “Dongzi, there’s a principle you might not understand. Even though everyone’s giving you money, if you don’t accept it, you’ll end up offending them.” Mu Dong was taken aback; he hadn’t thought of it that way. People in the countryside value their reputation (and of course, city folks do too). Plus, with the way houses are arranged in the countryside—where people drop by each other’s homes to chat frequently—there’s a lot more social interaction than in the city, where people tend to keep to themselves and rarely visit one another. So when something happens in the countryside, word spreads incredibly fast. If Mu Dong refused this money today, he would undoubtedly offend some people. To turn down “deposits” offered right at his doorstep—that would be too humiliating, too beneath his dignity. As soon as this news spreads, rumors like “That Mu kid thinks he’s better than everyone else” or “The Mu family has become too snobbish” will follow immediately. If things go wrong, even Mu’s parents might end up being the subject of gossip. Well, then—it’s wise to heed advice and go with the flow. A moment later, the office door opened, and Mr. Mu announced that he would accept the villagers’ “deposits” and that they should come in the afternoon to complete the paperwork. With that, Mu Huafeng spectacularly salvaged the face he’d lost. As for why the paperwork wasn’t being processed right away, Mr. Mu explained that he needed to go to town to print out some agreements. There were just too many people, and writing them out by hand would be too much of a hassle. Well, he really is a college graduate—going out of his way to print agreements. That’s very professional. Someone chimed in, “Yeah, yeah—I’ve heard the storage yard is run very professionally, too. They’re always posting notices and such.” That afternoon, Mu Dong signed loan agreements with several people one after another. After receiving the cash, he wrote out handwritten IOUs. The term was six months, with an annual interest rate of 6%. Of course, they had to be IOUs—even though the villagers kept insisting they were deposits, Mu Dong didn’t have the qualifications to accept deposits. Moreover, Mu Dong repeatedly insisted that he really wasn’t short on money; he was only doing this as a favor to his fellow villagers and just needed the funds temporarily. Think half a year is too short? “I’m really only borrowing for this long—if it’s any longer, I won’t accept it.” The more he said this, the more people came to “deposit” money. That same evening, Mu Huafeng quietly delivered 50,000 yuan. Mu Dong, naturally, treated him differently. A six-month term with a monthly interest rate of 1%. Mu Huafeng felt that Mu Dong was exceptionally sensible, and that it made him look very good. At that moment, however, Uncle Mu felt he’d lost face completely. First, word reached his ears that Mu Jinqian had “deposited” money with Mu Dong; then rumors spread that many people had “deposited money” at the Mu family’s yard and were earning high interest. Uncle Mu III didn’t really care, but Aunt Mu III couldn’t sit still. Who would’ve thought that Mu Dong, that young rascal, could really stir things up? Even a capable man like Mu Jinqian had gone to “deposit money” there. Recalling that Mu Dong had previously mentioned the option to buy a stake in the business, Aunt Mu thought it wasn’t too late to invest now. So she told Uncle Mu San to take 50,000 yuan and go see Mu Dong—to buy a stake in the business. Uncle Mu felt utterly humiliated—he’d lost all face. He’d effectively traded his own dignity for a pair of shoe insoles. Back when Mu Dong was urging everyone to invest, his own wife had sneered at him and stormed off. Now, to turn around and beg his nephew—how could he possibly bring himself to do that? He’s his nephew—a younger generation. If he were begging his older brother, bowing his head would be one thing, but his older brother genuinely had no say in the matter! Uncle Mu San was at a loss and drank alone at home to drown his sorrows. His wife nagged incessantly in his ear, but he just pretended to be listening to a stand-up comedy routine. Another day passed, and Aunt Mu San simply couldn’t wait any longer. She tucked some money into her pocket, dragged Uncle Mu San along, and headed to the yard. This was Aunt Mu San’s first visit. Seeing the bustling, lively yard, she felt much more confident—it seemed buying a stake really could work. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. When she saw the people there, Aunt Mu San was incredibly sweet-talking, addressing them as “Big Brother,” “Big Sister-in-Law,” “Second Brother,” and “Second Sister-in-Law”—her words were practically dripping with sugar. Everyone gave a brief reply, while privately wondering what she was doing there. Just then, Mu Dong came out, and Aunt Mu San hurriedly said, “Oh my, Xiao Dong, we’re here to invest. We finally managed to save up a little money, so we rushed right over to give it to you.” Mu Dong thought to himself: “You won’t come when I ask, but you run away when I scold you.” But he had to save face for Uncle Mu, even though the man’s face was ashen. Mu Dong warmly welcomed Uncle Mu and Aunt Mu into the office, and at the same time invited his parents and his second uncle and aunt to come in as well. It’s better to have a few more people witness it. Mu Dong drew up a loan agreement for Aunt Mu San: a six-month term with a 2% monthly interest rate. As for taking an equity stake or anything like that, even if Mu Dong were willing to discuss it, Aunt Mu San might not believe him. It’s still best to have it in black and white—that way, everything is clear and straightforward. As for future settlements, Mu Dong certainly wouldn’t let Uncle Mu come out short; he would definitely settle based on normal returns, which would far exceed what’s stipulated in this agreement. After all, Uncle Mu had put a lot of effort into getting the yard up and running. Two days later, Mu Dong announced that he would no longer lend money—not a single penny—as he was no longer short on funds. This left the wealthy individuals who had rushed over later deeply frustrated. In just two days, Mu Dong had accumulated 350,000 in “deposits.” And that didn’t even include his third uncle’s share. Mu Dong didn’t care who was happy or frustrated—he was overjoyed. Because Xiao Xiao was coming back—it was the National Day holiday!