Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 37: Sold Out

Early the next morning, after installing the license plates Xiao Xiao had picked up two days earlier, Mu Dong drove Xiao Xiao’s car to drop her off at work. In the afternoon, he went to pick her up again. Xiao Xiao’s coworkers noticed Mu Dong was driving a different car. At first, they wondered if he was falling on hard times—didn’t he used to drive an Audi? Later, they found out it was actually Xiao Xiao’s own car. It was just that Xiao Xiao hadn’t gotten her driver’s license yet, so Mu Dong was driving it for her. “Isn’t that a bit too flashy? You’re just an ordinary teacher—how come your car looks bigger than the principal’s?” Actually, this was already the result of Xiao Xiao’s deliberate restraint. The budget Mu Dong had set aside to buy her a car was even more than the price of this one. Mu Dong stayed in Quancheng for three days. During the day, he drove Xiao Xiao to and from work, cooked for her, and did her laundry. The rest of the time, they wandered around. During that time, he met with Han Yong, Cheng Qiang, and the others. Han Yong had already secured a pilot program for virtual network operations from headquarters; SD was set to provide 10,000 mobile numbers, and he was going all out to expand the market. Han Yong half-jokingly, half-seriously invited Mu Dong to come back, and Mu Dong could only respond with a wry smile. Cheng Qiang had passed his civil service interview and was now working as a staff officer in the Publicity Department of the Provincial Department of Education. “Bro, I’m already a leader at the Provincial Department of Education. Brother Dong, from now on, I’ll look out for your wife—you can count on me!” Cheng Qiang said with great panache, sweeping his arm dramatically. Mu Dong burst out laughing: “Aren’t you just a clerical officer right now? And you call yourself a ‘leader’? Do you spend all day in the office serving tea, pouring water, and cleaning up?” Cheng Qiang’s face flushed red: “Let’s just say this is all temporary, okay?” Every evening after dinner, Mu Dong would have Xiao Xiao drive while the two of them went out for a leisurely drive. Over the elevated highways, along the Outer Ring Road, past the Olympic Sports Center under construction—they roamed freely without a destination, all just so Xiao Xiao could enjoy the thrill of driving. Early Thursday morning, Mu Dong dropped Xiao Xiao off at the school gate. As they parted, Mu Dong said to her, “Honey, just hang in there a few more days—your driver’s license will be here soon. While I’m away, don’t you dare drive on the road by yourself.” Xiao Xiao agreed, waved goodbye, and walked through the school gate. Mu Dong returned to Lunan City at noon. He went to the Administration for Industry and Commerce to inquire about registering a company. After asking around, the cumbersome procedures gave Mu Dong a massive headache. Finally, on the advice of a staff member, he found an agency to handle everything for him. The agency had Mu Dong draw up a checklist and prepare some documents; he didn’t need to worry about the rest—he just had to be present for the capital contribution and verification process. He returned to school that afternoon. Half the rooftop was already piled high with willow branches, tightly covered with tarps—the work had progressed faster than Mu Dong had anticipated. Mu Xiaoxia told Mu Dong that they were now receiving about 100,000 jin of willow branches every day. Willow growers from several surrounding counties were now coming here to sell their crops. The daily revenue from selling sand at the yard barely covered the cost of the willow branches, and sometimes Mu Xiaoxia even had to withdraw additional funds from the bank. Mu Dong thought to himself that while he was away, his sister had been working hard every day, carefully riding her electric scooter to manage these funds. Once this busy period was over, he’d better have her get her driver’s license. Hmm, and Da Guo, his brother-in-law, and Xie Donglin—they all needed to learn how to drive, too. He wasn’t sure if Dad would be willing to take driving lessons, but it would be so great if Dad could drive as well… Old Man Su had already filled the room next to his dormitory with the willow branches he’d purchased. Mu Dong went to take a look—they were all top-quality steamed willow branches. According to Mu Xiaoxia, there were about 80,000 to 90,000 jin. Mu Dong thought to himself, “Experience really does count. Steamed willow branches are already expensive, and if prices go up, the increase will be even greater. Even if prices don’t rise, they hold their value well. This old man is truly shrewd.” After checking on the school, Mu Dong headed to the storage yard. Sales at the storage yard have been very steady lately, basically reaching the peak levels seen before the Spring Festival. Every day, about 100 large trucks come to load up, with a total loading volume of over 3,000 cubic meters. In the last two or three days, it has even reached 3,500 cubic meters. Mu Dong did a rough calculation: at the current pace, it would take just over a month for this stockpile to sell out completely. Mu Daguo told Mu Dong that prices at the sand yards in the city had gone up again. He’d checked around and found they’d already reached 65 yuan per cubic meter. Mu Dong knew Mu Daguo was asking whether they should raise prices. After a moment’s thought, he decided against it. “Daguo, let’s not raise the price. We have too much inventory; we need to sell it as quickly as possible. We’ve got plenty of other things to do in the future.” Mu Daguo was a bit puzzled. “With all this sand, wouldn’t it be better to sell it slowly? Prices have been going up all along.” Mu Daguo naturally didn’t understand Mu Dong’s reasoning. “A tree that stands out in the forest is sure to be blown down by the wind.” This massive pile of sand could bring wealth, but it could also bring trouble; it would be safer to turn it into cash. That very night, trouble struck. Mu Huafeng came knocking on the door and hesitantly brought up a matter. After the nearby townships were incorporated into the development zone, a construction boom took hold. As the weather gradually turned colder, the fervor began to subside. With the Spring Festival behind them and temperatures slowly rising again, many people sprang into action, starting to work on their homes. Building a house requires buying construction materials, and of course, sand is an essential component. But it was only then that the general public realized that sand was no longer what it used to be. Sand that used to cost a few dozen yuan per truckload now went for 200 yuan, and rumors suggested the price was still rising. Every household building a house needed several truckloads of sand—and now, just the sand alone was a significant expense, not to mention all the other building materials they hadn’t even bought yet. Some people thought of the Mu family’s storage yard. The Mu family had made a fortune—surely they could spare a few truckloads of sand to help their neighbors in the village who needed it for their new homes? “We’re not asking for it for free—just give us a discount,” Someone urged Mu Hua Feng to ask on their behalf. At first, Mu Hua Feng actually refused. “What a joke!” he thought. “Mu Dong’s been good to me—he gives me face, treats me to drinks, and my wife even gets a paycheck from Boss Mu. Why would I go make things awkward for myself by sticking my neck out for you guys? Forget it!” First it was one or two people, then eight or ten, and eventually, when dozens of people were nagging at Mu Hua Feng, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Fine, I’ll pretend to make a trip over there. Whether it works out or not, once I’ve gone, don’t bother me anymore.” Mu Huafeng heard that Mu Dong was back, so he came over that evening. Mu Huafeng’s point was, “Mu Dong, you don’t have to agree—I’m just going through the motions.” But Mu Dong agreed, and Director Mu was completely taken aback. Was it because he had too much pride? Or was Boss Mu just too generous? Mu Huafeng immediately regretted making the trip. Why did I even bother with those greedy bastards? Now look—Mr. Mu actually agreed, and agreeing means financial losses. Didn’t I just go out of my way to cause trouble? Seeing Mu Hua Feng’s awkward expression, Mu Dong felt a bit helpless—this was just a minor hassle, after all. Mu Dong said, “Uncle, don’t worry. With all this sand I have, a little more or less doesn’t make a difference. Here’s what we’ll do. The current market price is 200 yuan delivered to your doorstep. I don’t have a truck, so let the villagers find their own trucks to haul it away—100 yuan per truckload, and we’ll handle the loading. Also, each household can get a maximum of five truckloads; no more than that.” After a brief pause, Mu Dong thought for a moment and added, “Uncle, you’re the one who came to me for a favor. As your nephew, I’ll cover for you. If any household needs sand, they can come to you for a slip—I’ll honor the slip, not the person. What do you think?” Mu Huafeng was speechless. This kid—how could he be so thoughtful? Mu Dong did a quick calculation: in the village, a truckload of sand was 6 cubic meters, so five truckloads would be 30 cubic meters—more than enough for the average family to build a house. There were about two hundred households in the village; even if every household took five truckloads, that would amount to just over a thousand truckloads at most—a sum he could easily afford. The key was that Mu Dong didn’t want to stir up any trouble at this point; any problem that could be solved with money wasn’t really a problem. Besides, it was such a small amount. If things really got strained, who knows what the villagers would say? Or what schemes they might hatch? To put it simply, sand is a mineral resource, and operating a business dealing in it requires a license. That alone is enough for someone with ulterior motives to make his life a living hell. So, it was best to go with the flow and keep everyone happy. The next day, Mu Dong announced three measures. First, villagers coming to buy sand with a note from Director Mu Huafeng would pay 100 yuan per truckload Second, the loading price for large trucks would be adjusted to 50 yuan per cubic meter Third, supply to industry peers would resume at 180 yuan per truckload. As soon as the announcement was made, the yard erupted in commotion. “Didn’t they say sand prices in the city had gone up? Why are we lowering ours? We’re only charging competitors 30 yuan per cubic meter—isn’t that clearly cutting into our profits?” What’s gotten into the boss? Mu Daguo jumped to his feet and argued with Mu Dong for the first time. Mu Dong, at a loss, pulled Mu Daguo into his office. It took nearly an hour to make him understand the dialectical relationship between the saying “A commoner is innocent, but possessing a precious gem makes him guilty” and their own yard’s situation. Mu Daguo seemed to understand a little, yet also seemed not to, but he began to earnestly implement Mu Dong’s new policy. Mu Dong didn’t want to wait any longer. This minor setback had served as a wake-up call; he needed to offload this massive pile of sand as soon as possible, cash out, and walk away. The drivers spread the word: “Hurry over—Boss Mu has dropped the price!” Fellow business owners spread the word: “Hurry over—Boss Mu is supplying sand!” The competitors were in a bind! With so little stock left, watching their inventory dwindle bit by bit while prices crept up, most business owners were now willing to buy a pile of sand and just let it sit—even if it meant breaking even. Everyone believed prices would keep rising. On the last day of February, Boss Mu gave many people a huge windfall. The Mu family’s stockpile suddenly became a hot spot. For the first time in a long while, lines formed again. Big trucks, small trucks, and utility vehicles stretched all the way out onto the road outside the yard. Mu Daguo was furious when he saw the vehicles belonging to his competitors—he was losing nearly half his profits! But he had his own shrewd strategies. He reassigned the 50-ton loaders and a large number of workers to load the big trucks, while assigning the 30-ton loaders to load his competitors’ vehicles. He also quietly told Xie Donglin, who was operating the 30-ton loader, to take his time and drag things out a bit. Xie Donglin, who was already seething with resentment, caught on immediately. Even so, the figures tallied that evening were nothing short of terrifying. Village residents hauled away 100 truckloads, earning 10,000 yuan The large trucks loaded 5,000 cubic meters, bringing in 250,000 yuan Competitors purchased 700 truckloads, generating 126,000 yuan in revenue Total sales for the day amounted to 9,800 cubic meters, totaling 386,000 yuan. Mu Dong was very satisfied with these figures. Mu Daguo, however, was quite dissatisfied with some of the figures. He sought out Xie Donglin and demanded, “What’s going on here? Why did you load so many trucks? Keep it under 500 trucks tomorrow…” So over the next few days, the drivers noticed that the No. 30 loader was frequently out of commission, and the young driver was constantly getting out to tinker with it and try to fix it… On March 1, word spread even further, and the Mu family’s yard became even busier. By noon, they had already collected 200,000 yuan, yet a steady stream of trucks continued to arrive. With no other option, the yard worked overtime, staying busy until 9:00 p. m. before finally finishing the loading. From that day on, the Mu Family Yard worked overtime every day, with 9:00 or 10:00 p. m. closing times becoming the norm. At noon on March 2, Mu received a call from his uncle-in-law, Wang Shaoqiang, informing him that Xiao Xiao’s driver’s license had been issued. With the yard’s operations in the final sprint, Mu Dong didn’t dare to be away for too long. That afternoon, he went to the county seat to pick up Xiao Xiao’s driver’s license, then drove to Quancheng that evening. Before Xiao Xiao even woke up the next day, he rushed back to Southern Shandong before dawn. Interest is the best teacher; Xiao Xiao now drives with ease, so Mu Dong can feel confident letting her drive to work. In the city, Mu Dong visited the company that handled the registration process. With their guidance, he had the company’s “three seals” engraved, picked up the business license, and completed the company registration procedures. On the morning of March 5, amid a burst of firecrackers, a sign engraved with “Dadong Crafts Company” was hung at the entrance of the elementary school. Mu Dong had no time to celebrate the company’s opening; as soon as the firecrackers died down, he hurried back to the yard. Back at the yard, a familiar colleague approached Mu Dong and remarked, “That young guy operating the small loader seems to be slacking off a bit.” Mu Dong had been swamped with work these past few days and hadn’t actually noticed this detail. He took a look from a distance—and sure enough, it was true! After a moment’s thought, he realized what was going on and found himself at a loss for words—partly amused, partly exasperated. Where there’s a policy, there’s a workaround—this was likely the strategy devised by Mu Daguo and Xie Donglin. Their intentions were good: if their peers bought less, the big trucks could buy more, and they’d make a bit more money. But they really struggled to truly understand Mu Dong’s urgent need to sell quickly. Mu Dong was desperate to sell the entire pile of sand in a single day. Mu Dong summoned Mu Daguo and Xie Donglin to his office and, for the first time, gave them a stern reprimand. The two were taken aback; they’d never seen their older brother like this before—it seemed he was genuinely furious. Well, then, they’d better just listen to their boss. On March 4, with Xie Donglin no longer deliberately holding them back, the competitors’ loading speed increased significantly, surpassing 1,000 truckloads that very day. That evening, Mu Dong reviewed the statistics: sales to fellow business owners and heavy-duty truck operators remained stable. Purchases by villagers, however, had dropped significantly. From about 100 truckloads per day on the first and second days, the figure had fallen to just 20 today. In total, the villagers had purchased 360 truckloads. “So this is the extent of the demand,” Mu Dong thought to himself. The villagers, however, didn’t see it that way. Director Mu had said that each household could receive a maximum of five truckloads. In the villagers’ understanding, this meant five truckloads per household—there was no such thing as a “maximum” or “minimum.” At first, those who went to Director Mu to get permits were all people who needed to build houses—and it was these very people who urged Director Mu to ask Boss Mu for a discount. As a result, these people quickly obtained their permits and hauled the sand home just as quickly. Originally, the matter had already blown over. One day, a clever villager had an idea: “I’ve already hauled five truckloads of sand, which is more than enough for my house. But since sand prices keep rising, why not get a few more truckloads, stash them in some corner, and save them for later?” So he started figuring out a way. He’d already gotten his own permit, but his father lived in a separate courtyard and their household registrations had long been split—so why not have his father apply? Before long, the clever man’s father, using the excuse of renovating his house, also obtained a permit signed by Director Mu. Yet the sand was delivered to the clever man’s home. Oh, so that’s how it’s done? The people around them instantly got the picture and began following suit. Two or three days later, Mu Huafeng realized he’d been tricked. “How can I face Mu Dong like this?” he thought. So he announced that he would no longer issue permits to anyone who hadn’t started construction. “How can that be? Why did you approve permits for those first few households? Is there no fairness left? Is there no common sense? Is there no law to speak of?” So some people started causing a commotion at Director Mu’s house every day. Grassroots officials face a particularly difficult problem: everyone knows each other too well. As neighbors who’ve known one another for years, they’re intimately familiar with each other’s backgrounds, making it hard to take firm action. If you handle certain issues well, the villagers might not necessarily praise you. But if you fail to satisfy them, they will certainly criticize you, disparage you, berate you—or even beat you up. What village official hasn’t had an elderly woman from the village block the gate, stamping her feet and shouting their nickname in anger? Mu Huafeng held out for two or three days, but when he simply couldn’t take it anymore, he relented: “Fine, I’ll sign the permits. Here you go.” So everyone got the permits they wanted, loaded up their vehicles, and headed to the Mu family’s storage yard. When they arrived, they were stunned! It was empty—the Mu family’s sand yard was completely empty! All the sand was gone… After several frantic days of shipping out sand, Mu Dong had finally managed to sell every last grain of sand in the yard! Especially during the last two days, as the sand piles grew smaller and smaller, his competitors worked around the clock, and the Mu family’s yard was practically running nonstop. At 3:00 a. m. on March 9, the last truckload of sand was hauled away by a competitor, and the Mu Family Yard’s sand sales operation came to a complete end. When the villagers arrived at the Mu family’s yard, only a few workers were cleaning the ground and inspecting the equipment. Most of the workers were still fast asleep. The villagers exchanged glances, shook their heads in disbelief, and walked away. Even after walking a long way, they kept shaking their heads, as if they still couldn’t believe that such a massive pile of sand had actually been sold out in just a few days. “It sold so fast—guess there wasn’t that much after all.” Mu Dong hadn’t gone to sleep yet; he’d been tallying the accounts, eager to calculate the figures he wanted to know as soon as possible. Although his bank balance was increasing daily—and he had a general idea of the total—he still wanted to cross-check and confirm the numbers through the ledgers. Since lowering prices and supplying other businesses on February 28, Mu Dong had once again witnessed the allure of pricing—and once again witnessed the frenzy of his competitors. Eleven days—it took just eleven days to completely clear out the sand that would normally take over a month to sell. Truly, it was a complete sell-out—during the final two days, everyone was literally scrambling for the goods! A mad scramble! Getting your hands on it meant money—once transported to the city, its value nearly doubled immediately! Many people didn’t understand why Boss Mu sold it so cheaply, but they were grateful for the opportunity he provided and cherished it all the more. The statistics are in. From the start of sales at the stockpile on January 13 until it was completely sold out on March 9, a total of 186,900 cubic meters was sold, generating total sales of 8,606,800 yuan.