Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 34: Buying Willow Branches

That night, after their passionate moment, Mu Dong asked Xiao Xiao, “Honey, what color do you think we should paint the exterior walls of our apartment building?” Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and said, “How about light yellow? It’s clean and looks nice.” Mu Dong said, “Then we’ll do it your way, honey.” Early the next morning, everyone was hard at work. Tan Jiaming was driving a crawler tractor to clear the road. Mu’s father and Uncle Mu led a dozen or so workers in cleaning the courtyard and the rooms on the first floor. It was incredibly easy for Boss Mu to hire people now. They were all familiar faces from the two old storage yards; as soon as they heard Boss Mu needed help again, they rushed right over. In addition to a school building, the courtyard also contained a guardhouse and several tiled-roof houses. Mu Dong decided to keep the tiled-roof houses, converting one directly into a kitchen and using the others as dormitories. The guardhouse was too small and in such disrepair that it was torn down immediately. The perimeter wall was too low, so it would be rebuilt and raised; the main gate would also be replaced with an electric one. All of this would have to be done gradually. Mu Dong walked around the courtyard a couple of times, then headed to the town’s printing shop with Xiao Xiao. The flyers had already been printed—20,000 copies. They were 32k in size, bright red, and designed to look festive. There wasn’t much text on them, though. Surprise!!! We’re buying all kinds of willow branches at high prices!!! Address: Inside the old primary school at Nantou, Tanzhuang Town. Deliver 500 jin or more, and get a free rice cooker. Deliver 1,000 jin or more, and get a free cell phone. After picking up the flyers, Mu Dong took Xiao Xiao along and drove to several townships in the northern part of the county. Once they arrived, they asked around to find out where the big market was being held that day, and following the directions, the two headed to the market. They parked their car a good distance away, then headed to the willow branch trading area, clutching a stack of flyers. Mu Dong first took a look around. At today’s market, white willow twigs were selling for 1. 2 yuan per jin, and steamed willow twigs for 2. 2 yuan per jin. Prices fluctuated slightly depending on the length of the twigs, by about 0. 1 yuan. So Mu Dong began handing out flyers, calling out loudly: “We’re buying willow branches at high prices—1. 3 yuan per jin for raw branches and 2. 3 yuan per jin for steamed branches—and we’re even giving away rice cookers and cell phones…” He continued to hand out flyers while shouting. Xiao Xiao felt a bit awkward at first, but seeing how enthusiastically Mu Dong was shouting, she joined in: “We’re buying willow twigs at high prices…” There were only a few dozen stalls in the willow branch trading area. Before they could even make their way from one end to the other, the two were surrounded by curious vendors asking all sorts of questions. “Yes, the old elementary school in Tanzhuang Town—that’s where they collect…” “We’re planning to build a factory and are buying them for our own use…” “Of course we’ll pay cash—don’t worry, we’ve got the money…” “We’ll definitely give gifts—we’ve just opened, so we want to bring some good luck…” “Going tomorrow? You’re more than welcome! 2,000 jin? Then we’ll throw in two cell phones.” After that exchange, Boss Mu was exhausted and parched. He quickly handed out the flyers and dragged Xiao Xiao away. An observant bystander followed them for a bit and noticed the two young men drove off in an Audi, which made him believe them a little more. He quietly calculated in his mind: he had several thousand jin of willow branches at home; if the price went up by one mao per jin, he could make a few hundred yuan more. Maybe he’d take a thousand jin over tomorrow to test the waters—after all, didn’t they say they’d give away a cell phone for every thousand jin… Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao went to another market, went through the same process, and secured a few potential customers. With that taken care of, the two drove off to the county seat. In rural areas, market days follow a five-day cycle, so some older people like to refer to time in terms of “one market” or “two markets.” One market equals five days, just as a week equals seven days. For example, today is the eleventh day of the first lunar month, and this town has its market day. The next market day in this town will be on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. This is called the “1-6” market cycle. The neighboring town has its market on the “2-7” cycle, and the town farther away has its market on the “3-8” cycle… So, since there were no other market days in the vicinity today, Mr. Mu took his wife to the county seat. First, they went to the restaurant run by his eldest aunt, Mu Hong, and told her about getting their marriage certificate and buying the courtyard at the town’s primary school. Of course, his eldest aunt was very happy. After lunch at the restaurant, Mu Dong asked his uncle to help find someone with expertise in willow wickerwork to assist with purchasing and quality control. He’d noticed some shady dealings at the market today. For example, he overheard someone say, “This is old stock; it’s not worth that much.” But Mu Dong couldn’t tell the difference between old and new stock at all. Wang Shaoqiang made a phone call and actually managed to get in touch with someone. It was an elderly man in his sixties who had woven willow baskets in his youth but, as he grew older, had taken to selling willow goods at the market. Last year, he was in a minor car accident. He was fine, but it terrified his family, so they wouldn’t let him travel around to the markets anymore. Now he lives with his wife at his son’s house in the county seat. The old man is bored out of his mind all day and is always asking around for work. Before the New Year, he spent a few months washing dishes at a restaurant, telling his son he was working as a security guard there. Later, when his son found out the truth, he insisted on bringing him back home. It was while chatting with the old man that Wang Shaoqiang learned he had worked as a willow weaver in his youth. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now it had come in handy. In no time at all, the old man came running over, all flustered. As soon as Mu Dong explained the situation, the old man was overjoyed. “Go—go right now. I’d go even if they didn’t pay me.” The old man’s surname was Su. Mu Dong asked, “Grandpa Su, shouldn’t you at least let your wife and son know?” Old Man Su replied, “Forget about them. Let’s just get going first. Aren’t you covering room and board? As long as I have a place to stay, that’s fine. Come on, let’s hurry…” Mu Dong felt helpless, thinking to himself, “It’s just like a bird escaping from its cage.” This old man probably wouldn’t last more than a few days; he’d have to find someone else. So Mu Dong got behind the wheel, taking Old Man Su and Xiao Xiao with him. First, they went to Digital Plaza and bought 50 senior-friendly cell phones in bulk, then headed to the Electronics Mall to buy 100 rice cookers in bulk. Since the Audi couldn’t hold it all, they rented a cargo van to follow behind, then went to the tool market to buy an electronic scale with a maximum capacity of one metric ton, before returning to the elementary school. Mu’s dad had already cleared out two classrooms with some help, so they unloaded the items from the van into those rooms first. Mu Dong thought it over and decided they should clear out one more classroom to renovate into an office and another to serve as a dormitory. The tiled-roof houses in the courtyard were a bit too dirty to live in comfortably. Mu Dong explained these new considerations to his father and asked him to arrange for the renovations. Old Man Su had already taken a look around. Upon learning that Mu Dong planned to store the willow branches in the classrooms, he said, “The rooms are fine—they’re not damp, so they’re suitable for storage. But there are too many windows in these rooms, and the light is too strong. The sunlight will make the willow branches too brittle.” Mu Dong was startled and quickly asked, “Old Su, what should we do then?” Old Man Su replied, “Don’t worry. Just put up dark-colored curtains on the south-facing windows. You don’t need to do anything with the north-facing windows—normal natural light is fine. We just need to avoid direct sunlight.” Mu Dong breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go tell his dad about the curtains. But then he thought better of it and decided to go order them himself at the curtain shop in town later. He felt a newfound respect for Old Man Su. He really was a professional—how could Mu Dong possibly know about these things? Mu Dong immediately drove into town and found a curtain shop. In no time, he brought someone back, took the measurements, and decided on black curtains. Mu Dong asked him to install the first-floor curtains as soon as possible, while the second and third floors could wait a few days. In the afternoon, a few people came looking for Mu Dong. They were all young men from the village who usually worked away from home. Their jobs involved painting exterior walls, and upon hearing that Mu Dong from the village had bought the town’s elementary school and needed it painted, they came to ask if they could take on the job. Mu Dong was naturally willing, but he was concerned about their craftsmanship and safety. The group had come prepared, bringing along some photos from their previous jobs. Mu Dong took a look; they looked quite professional, so he agreed and reminded them to be sure to prioritize safety. The arrangement was that they would handle both labor and materials, with Mu Dong taking no responsibility for either. He provided an initial sum of money for them to purchase paint, tools, ropes, and other supplies, and they would be paid in full upon completion. During the discussion, Mu Dong mentioned that he would provide the hard hats. The young men were a bit puzzled. They didn’t know that Mr. Mu actually had quite a few hard hats on hand. Since the dormitory in the courtyard wasn’t ready yet, Mu Dong arranged for Old Man Su to stay in the storage yard dormitory, where he would also eat his meals. It would be a bit of a hassle for him to have to run back and forth these next few days, but Boss Mu would personally drive him there and back. That evening, Mu Dong reviewed the sales figures for the past two days. Sales were picking up; they’d sold a total of 100,000 yuan worth of sand over the two days, and Mu Dong was quite satisfied. On February 6, the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Mu Dong arrived at the school early in the morning. He waited for customers who might come by to sell willow branches, but no one showed up. Mu Dong didn’t just sit around, though; he took a look around. The first floor was almost completely cleared out, and some workers had already started cleaning up the second floor. His father had assigned several skilled workers to renovate the office and dormitory. The building had a staircase in the center, with three classrooms on each side. Mu Dong planned to use the first room on the east side of the entrance hall as an office and the first room on the west side as a dormitory. Mu Dong adjusted his plans and decided against painting the interiors of the second and third floors. He would just use them as temporary storage for the willow branches for now; as long as they were cleaned up, that would suffice. The first floor, being the storefront, needed a fresh coat of paint. He specifically instructed his father to make sure they bought eco-friendly paint for the interior. The crew painting the exterior walls had also arrived; they were securing ropes and adjusting some carabiners and other equipment. Mu Dong went up to the roof to take a look himself. They were indeed very professional and had prepared everything thoroughly, which put his mind at ease. Once on the roof, he wondered again whether it leaked. He went to the third-floor room to take a look around; there were no water stains, which reassured him even more about the building’s construction quality. Just as he was looking around on the third floor, Xiao Xiao came running up, panting heavily, and gasped, “They’re… they’re here… the willow… willow branches are here!” Mu Dong’s heart leapt with joy, and he ran downstairs after Xiao Xiao. It was a walk-behind tractor, loaded with just under half a load of willow branches—clearly they were here to test the waters. Otherwise, why would they come all this way without loading up more? The man was the same one who had seen Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao get into the Audi yesterday. Today, he’d brought 1,100 jin of white willow branches to test the waters. But he hadn’t expected that upon entering the yard, he’d run into an old acquaintance: Old Man Su. Old Man Su used to sell willow branches at the market and knew a lot of people; the two greeted each other warmly. The visitor asked, “What are you doing here?” Old Man Su replied that he was working here, collecting willow branches. Having an acquaintance made things easier: inspect the goods, weigh them, get paid, and receive a cell phone. The visitor was delighted—he hadn’t expected to actually get a cell phone. Even though it was clearly a low-end model, it was still worth three or four hundred! In fact, Mu Dong had bought them wholesale for 130 yuan each. The visitor left happily, saying he had some more at home and would bring them over that afternoon. Mu Dong called out, “If you’re bringing more, hurry up! We only have 50 phones—once they’re gone, that’s it.” No sooner had the man left than several trucks arrived. It turned out a group of people had arranged to come together; the others were waiting at the intersection and had sent this man to test the waters. Now that they knew everything was in order—and with an acquaintance present—they naturally felt at ease. Over the course of the morning, they took in 3,700 jin of plain rice noodles and 2,200 jin of steamed rice noodles. Boss Mu gave away three rice cookers and four cell phones. After lunch, Mu Dong asked Old Su about the dates and locations of some markets, saying he wanted to go hand out flyers. Old Su burst out laughing “Why hand out flyers? I’ll just make a few phone calls, and everyone will know. With that money in hand, are you worried you won’t be able to buy anything?” Mu Dong’s heart sank. Just the day before yesterday, I didn’t even know who you were, this big shot. He started thinking about how to keep Old Su here so his son wouldn’t drag him back home. In the end, Mu Dong had Old Man Su list the market dates and locations for various areas, and sent Xie Donglin with two quick-witted workers to the markets to hand out flyers—20,000 of them! They’d paid to have them printed; they had to be used up somehow. If they kept them, they’d be too stiff even to wipe your butt with. Since there weren’t many shipments to load these past few days and Xie Donglin wasn’t busy anyway, hitting the markets every day seemed like a great idea. So the group hopped on their electric scooters and set off in high spirits. By the afternoon, they’d received 12,000 jin of raw noodles and 4,000 jin of steamed noodles in a single go. Boss Mu gave away 10 rice cookers and 11 cell phones. From then on, a frenzy of buying began. February 7: 30,000 jin of fresh pork and 10,000 jin of steamed pork February 8: 45,000 jin of fresh pork and 15,000 jin of steamed pork By the morning of February 8, the supply of cell phones had run out. Mu Dong rushed to the county seat to restock with 100 cell phones and 200 rice cookers. He also made an agreement with the supplier: if he needed more, he would simply call to place an order, and the supplier would handle delivery. The supplier was naturally happy to agree—such a major client was a rare find in the county market. On February 9, Mu Dong took Xiao Xiao back to her home to celebrate the Lantern Festival. After returning from Xiao Xiao’s house, Mu Dong made some arrangements. Mu Daguo was put in charge of operations at the Mu family’s storage yard, and he was instructed to deposit the daily proceeds promptly at the Agricultural Bank in town. Mu Xiaoxia was transferred to the elementary school, where she was responsible for purchasing willow branches, making payments, and keeping records of the purchases. In the evening, Mu Dong reviewed the yard’s sales data for the past few days. Sales had been steadily rising, averaging nearly 40,000 yuan daily. That evening, on the Lantern Festival, the Mu family held a large banquet at the storage yard, and everyone celebrated the holiday together. Early the next morning, Mu Dong arrived at the school and looked around. The road in front of the school had been leveled and compacted, and a section had already been paved with cinder. The courtyard had been completely renovated. The original guardhouse had been demolished; now, tall gate piers had been built, one section of the perimeter wall had been rebuilt, and work on the rest was proceeding steadily. The front exterior walls of the small building had been completely repainted; viewed from the front, it already looked like a brand-new building. All the rooms and hallways had been cleared out, and the renovations in the offices and dormitories were nearing completion. Painting has begun on the other rooms and hallways on the first floor; it is expected to be completed in three or four days. The curtains have already been installed. The kitchen has also been tidied up, and Mu Huafeng’s wife is currently busy working there. Mu Dong was very satisfied with the progress; at this rate, the entire compound would be finished in about another week. Feeling reassured, Mu Dong got behind the wheel and drove off to Xiao Xiao’s house. Today, he was going to drive Xiao Xiao back to Quancheng. On the highway, Xiao Xiao took the wheel for a stretch of the drive. She did well this time—much better than before. Lately, whenever she had free time, Xiao Xiao had been practicing driving at the yard or on the small playground at school. She’s now quite proficient at backing up and parallel parking. She’s also become much more composed when driving on the road. While Xiao Xiao was driving, Mu Dong happened to receive a call from Xiao Liu, the sales representative for the Lavida. Since Mu Dong’s last test drive, Xiao Liu had called twice—mainly to say hello and stay in touch—and had even sent a special greeting text message during the Lantern Festival. Today’s call was mainly to let Mu Dong know that a new batch of cars had recently arrived in stock—available for immediate pickup without any markup—and that they were offering some complimentary gifts. He asked if Mu Dong would like to come take a look. Mu Dong checked with Xiao Xiao, then agreed over the phone to go take a look. Liu on the other end of the line breathed a sigh of relief. He had often recalled their first meeting and suspected that it was the need to pay a premium that had initially piqued the customer’s interest. Now it seemed that was indeed the case. As soon as he mentioned the in-stock cars, the customer agreed to come take a look—it looked like there was a good chance of closing the deal. The two got off the highway and, instead of heading home, went straight to the Volkswagen Lavida 4S store. Xiao Liu was waiting at the entrance. When he saw Mu Dong’s Audi pull up, he jogged over to open the door, calling out “Brother” and “Sis” as he went. Watching Xiao Liu’s cautious and careful demeanor, Mu Dong was reminded of his own days in sales—how strikingly similar this scene was to those experiences. His heart warmed. It’s tough for young people out there. If the terms are reasonable, let’s just seal the deal this time. Little did Xiao Liu know that a small bit of happiness had already come his way. He led Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao to look at the cars, explaining as they walked: “Brother Mu, Sister Li, this promotion offers a direct discount of 3,000 yuan plus a 3,000-yuan gift package. The package includes window tinting, underbody protection, full-coverage floor mats, and a cleaning kit. If you’re interested, you can drive the car off the lot right now…” Mu Dong chuckled, “Bro, I used to work in sales too, so I know all this stuff. That ‘gift package’ isn’t even worth 1,000 yuan. Do you have any better deals? If so, we’ll buy it today.” Xiao Liu didn’t dare let his guard down; he heard similar lines from customers every day, but very few actually followed through with a purchase. “Brother Mu, I have a little leeway—a thousand yuan—and if you’re really serious about buying, I’ll make it happen.” Mu Dong: “Here’s the deal: go ask your boss and see if you can negotiate a better deal. I’m looking at 140,000—and I want the package too. If that works, I’ll pay right away.” Xiao Liu blinked and said nothing, thinking to himself, “That’s a really harsh—and precise—cut. That’s practically the company’s break-even point.” Pretending to think it over, he said, “Brother Mu, please have a seat. I’ll go ask.” Mu Dong had decided to pick up the car today because he could sense the anxiety in Xiao Liu and the dealership behind him. Business is usually slow at this time of year. But banks don’t care whether it’s the off-season or peak season—interest payments and loan installments due must be paid in full. After all, most dealerships rely on bank loans to stay afloat. So Mu Dong decided to try haggling—let them ask for the moon, and then drive the price down. A moment later, Xiao Liu returned, shaking his head repeatedly: “Brother Mu, we can lower it a bit more, but the price you offered really won’t work. The boss said 143,000, plus the bonus package.” Mu Dong decided to ramp up the pressure a bit more.