Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 39: Han Yong’s Way

Wang Shaoqiang understood his wife’s feelings. He had heard Mu Hong mention many times how Little Dong was always running around all day, and it broke her heart to watch. He quickly comforted his wife: “Why are you crying now? This is such a wonderful thing! Is the bank card not satisfying enough? Mu Dong, convert it to cash—hurry up.” Mu Hong’s tears turned to a smile. Once the distribution was finally complete, Mu Dong went on to announce three matters. First, everyone must maintain strict confidentiality. Wealth is always coveted, especially when it’s accumulated in such a short time. Second, we’ll have a lunch gathering right here in the office; a restaurant in town will deliver the food shortly. Third, those who received cash should head to the bank right away to deposit it. Afterward, Mu Dong and Wang Shaoqiang drove the group to the bank to make their deposits. Mu Dong had finally convinced his father to deposit his share of the money under his own name. At noon, a large table was set up in the office, and the Mu family’s celebratory banquet began. A deep sense of family affection filled the room. Mu’s father went home specifically to fetch two jin of their family’s cellar-aged liquor to celebrate this joyous occasion. Everyone had a few sips of baijiu, including the women. With Mu Hong’s permission, Wang Shaoqiang also had some baijiu; he arranged for one of the store’s employees to come drive him that afternoon. Money had everyone intoxicated, and the fine liquor had everyone genuinely drunk. By 2:00 p. m. , several people were already lying in their dorm rooms. That aged liquor was so fragrant and mellow… The next day, Mu Dong arrived early at the site of the stockpile. The clearing work on the open riverbank had already been completed, and the buyers had driven away with the loaders and crawler tractors. Today marked the first day back to work after the holiday, and the workers had arrived at the yard early to wait. It wasn’t just the workers from the yard; Mu Dong had also brought along some workers from the elementary school. When Mu Dong arrived at the yard, he saw everyone gathered in the courtyard, looking at him expectantly. He stepped to the front of the crowd and announced the new task: planting trees. Mu Dong had chosen walnut saplings; arrangements for the saplings had already been made, and they were on their way. The excavator had also been arranged and was on its way—brought by Su Peng. On the day the yard closed for the holiday, Su Peng had mentioned that he wouldn’t be returning to work after the break, as he’d already found a new job. Mu Dong asked him right then what kind of job he’d found. Upon hearing it was operating an excavator, Mu Dong told him about the tree-planting project—it would be the perfect opportunity for Su Peng to make a good impression on his new boss. Going to work with a contract in hand would certainly be a point of pride. Mu Dong chose a locally improved variety of walnut tree from southern Shandong. These trees begin to bear fruit sporadically after two years and reach full production in three years. The planting density is about 60 trees per mu, totaling approximately 2,200 trees across the entire plot. Each walnut sapling cost 8 yuan. Adding in labor and excavator fees, Mu Dong planned to invest about 30,000 yuan in this 36-mu plot to see what kind of returns it would bring him in a few years. While waiting for the saplings and the excavator to arrive, everyone had already begun unfurling measuring tapes and ropes, marking the planting holes with lime powder. Soon, both the excavator and the saplings arrived. The sapling supplier also brought along a technician to guide everyone through the planting process. With the excavator digging the holes up front, the planting process behind it was very simple and quick: place the sapling, backfill the soil, tamp it down, and water it. There was a well and an electric pump at the storage yard, so it wasn’t much trouble at all. The group worked hard for two days and successfully completed the planting. Field management of walnut saplings is very simple for the first two years after planting and requires very little manual labor. Now that the willow branch harvest at the elementary school has been completed, many of the workers are no longer needed for the time being. On the afternoon the planting was finished, Mu Dong paid the yard workers their wages for the two days of planting. He then paid the workers from the elementary school all their wages for the period they’d worked, and after that, it was time to disband. The workers were all mentally prepared for this; they took their money and slowly dispersed. At the storage yard, the buildings were kept to store some farming tools. Except for a set of bunk beds and a few tables and chairs left in the break room, everything else was moved to the elementary school. The surveillance equipment at the storage yard was also dismantled and installed at the elementary school. The storage yard, located on the riverbank, has now been transformed into a walnut orchard; aside from occasional field maintenance, there is no longer any need for anyone to live there. Afterward, Mu Dong made some arrangements. First, regarding the walnut orchard, Mu’s father and his second uncle would find time to check on it; when watering, fertilizing, or spraying pesticides was needed, they would hire temporary workers to assist Second, Mu’s father, his second uncle, Mu Daguo, Zhong Guodong, Mu Xiaoxia, and Xie Donglin will report for duty at the elementary school. Their primary responsibilities will be tending to the willow trees, patrolling the school grounds, and ensuring security—especially at night, when staff must conduct continuous patrols. The school’s kitchen will remain operational, managed by Mu’s mother and his second aunt. Third, my older sister, Mu Xiaoxia, will notify the villagers who deposited money at the storage yard to bring their original promissory notes to the elementary school to collect their funds, including both principal and interest. Although it has not yet been half a year, interest will still be calculated on a semi-annual basis. Mu Huafeng’s payment will be withheld for the time being. After making these arrangements, Mu Dong set out at dusk and drove to Quancheng. He hadn’t seen Xiao Xiao for over two weeks, and his longing had grown as wild as the weeds covering the ground. Now that everything was settled, Mu Dong didn’t want to wait another moment. On the way, he called Xiao Xiao and told her to wait for him for dinner. Mu Dong knew she was missing him just as madly as he was, so he let her know in advance to give her a little more time to be happy. By the time Mu Dong arrived, Xiao Xiao had been pacing downstairs for quite a while. It was an early spring night, still a bit chilly, but Xiao Xiao felt as though her whole body was on fire, brimming with energy. The moment Mu Dong stepped out of the car, Xiao Xiao rushed toward him. They embraced tightly, not letting go for a long time, before taking each other’s hands and heading upstairs. The table was laden with the dinner Xiao Xiao had prepared, but neither of them had any appetite; they were both too eager to devour each other first. The two young people, who had longed for each other for so long, instantly became one. In that moment, time stood still; nothing else existed in the world—they could see nothing but each other… Time finally began to flow again, and the world returned to its normal state, yet the two young people were drained of energy, like two small beasts that had just finished a battle, panting heavily before finally calming down. After the passion subsided, they began a warm and sweet dinner. While eating, Mu Dong told Xiao Xiao about the closure of the scrap yard and mentioned that he had made a profit of over 5 million. Xiao Xiao, who was in the middle of eating, nearly choked on that figure, startling Mu Dong into rushing over to pat her on the back. Once Xiao Xiao had carefully swallowed the food in her mouth and calmed down, Mu Dong told her that the 5 million-plus had already been spent. At that, with her mouth now empty, Xiao Xiao gasped, let out a burp, and then couldn’t stop—she kept burping nonstop… Mu Dong was at a loss for words. His wife really had no resilience at all… Mu Dong explained in detail to Xiao Xiao where the funds had gone—buying the school and stockpiling willow branches—all of which he’d managed with his own money, without involving his family… For this willow business, Mu Dong had chosen to run it on his own—first, because his personal funds could cover it, and second, because the yard business had ended, and he had to settle accounts clearly to give everyone a proper explanation. As it turned out, settling accounts with everyone was the right decision; it greatly strengthened family cohesion, and working together on future projects would go much more smoothly. The next day was Sunday. Xiao Xiao drove while Mu Dong sat in the passenger seat, and the two headed to Waterfall Villa in the southern mountains, a place Xiao Xiao loved. It was early spring, and the waterfall’s flow was still relatively light; scattered strands of water trickled down intermittently, emitting a soft, rustling sound. The trees were cloaked in a layer of tender green. Standing at the mountaintop, the undulating mountains stretched out before them, a sea of lush greenery brimming with vitality and energy. Xiao Xiao was captivated by this enchanting spring day. Holding Mu Dong’s hand, she chattered away like a little girl, lingering endlessly among the waterfalls, each with its own unique scenery. This separation had truly been too long—so long that Xiao Xiao found herself constantly wanting to hold Mu Dong close, begging him to stay with her a little longer. This time, the two didn’t stay overnight at the mountain resort; Xiao Xiao had to go to work the next day, and Mu Dong didn’t want her to have to rush there early in the morning. On the drive back, watching Xiao Xiao drive so skillfully, Mu Dong thought of his older sister, Mu Xiaoxia, once again. When would his sister be able to drive as skillfully as Xiao Xiao and start living a different kind of life? And what about Mu Daguo and the others? They spent every day at school guarding a courtyard full of willow trees—it was actually quite boring when he thought about it. Huh—Mu Dong suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a plan. He immediately called Coach Zhang. “Uncle Zhang, there’s something I’d like to ask you about.” Coach Zhang was surprised that Mu Dong had called him directly; in the past, Mu Dong usually reached out through Wang Shaoqiang. It seemed this must be something important. “Go ahead. Is there something you need my help with?” “Here’s the thing, Uncle Zhang. If we have our own venue and several people want to learn to drive, could your driving school send someone with a car to come to us for lessons?” Coach Zhang was taken aback; he’d never encountered a situation like this before. He thought for a moment and asked, “How many people are there? Also, we’ll need to come take a look at the location in person, and I’ll have to run this by my superiors.” Mu Dong replied, “I have four people right now—maybe five. The location is at the old elementary school in Tanzhuang Town, and there’s plenty of space. Please see if you can make it work; we’re willing to pay a higher price.” Mu then gave Coach Zhang a detailed description of the elementary school’s conditions and explained the difficulty they faced—since they were looking after the willow saplings on campus, they couldn’t leave to take driving lessons. Coach Zhang expressed his understanding. He agreed to take his superiors to inspect the site the next day and then get back to Mu Dong. Mu Dong wanted Mu Xiaoxia, Zhong Guodong, Mu Daguo, and Xie Donglin to learn to drive, and then he’d try his best to convince his father to join as well. After all, they didn’t have much to do at school during the day, so it would be a good way to make use of their time. As for the venue, although there were a few stacks of willow branches stored on the playground, there was still plenty of space left. As for the cost of their driving lessons, Mu Dong planned to cover it himself, as a reward for their hard work. Mu Dong hadn’t mentioned this to Mu Daguo and the others yet, to avoid raising their hopes in vain if Coach Zhang didn’t approve. He’d wait until he received Coach Zhang’s reply tomorrow. He called Mu Daguo and told him that a friend would be visiting the school tomorrow and asked him to show the friend around. After hanging up, Mu Dong shared his plans with Xiao Xiao. She felt deeply touched; seeing Mu Dong make such arrangements for his family brought her great comfort. That night, of course, they indulged in a passionate encounter; the longing that had built up over time needed to be slowly released. Monday rolled around. After breakfast, Xiao Xiao headed to work, while Mu Dong strolled over to Northern Company. Han Yong’s office was empty, but loud voices could be heard coming from the small conference room—they must have been in a meeting. It seemed Han Yong was really going all out for the new business. Mu Dong had no choice but to wait for a while in the lounge area in the hallway. Having been away from the company for so long, he felt awkward about wandering around aimlessly. A little over an hour later, the conference room door opened. Han Yong came out first. Spotting Mu Dong, he paused for a moment, then greeted him warmly and invited him to his office. Mu Dong nodded in response, exchanged greetings with his old colleagues one by one, and turned to leave. “Mu… Big Brother Mu?” A soft voice called out from behind Mu Dong. Mu Dong turned around and saw a young woman with a round face and long hair falling to her shoulders, dressed in the company’s promotional staff uniform. But he clearly didn’t recognize her, so he looked a bit puzzled. “Who are you?” “I’m Fang Xiaojie, Brother Mu. It really is you! We met on the train—that time when I was late for the start of the semester…” Mu Dong remembered—he had once met two fellow villagers from Southern Shandong on a train, and they’d even asked him for his business card. “I remember now, I remember now. You were with a classmate, sitting across from me.” “My classmate’s here too. Fangfei, Fangfei, we found Brother Mu—come quick…” Mu Dong was taken aback when he heard this. What? She came here specifically to find him? A girl with an oval face and a ponytail walked over as well. Fang Xiaojie said, “This is Liu Fangfei. You remember her, don’t you, Brother Mu?” Mu Dong smiled at Liu Fangfei, and the two exchanged greetings. Just then, Lin Xiangyan came out of the conference room and called out, “Fang Xiaojie, you’re supposed to tie your hair back while you’re working…” As she walked over and spotted Mu Dong, she paused in surprise, then quickly greeted him and asked, “Manager Mu, do you two know each other?” Mu Dong replied, “I don’t even work here anymore, Sister Lin. Just call me Mu Dong. These are two friends from my hometown—we met on a train a while back.” Fang Xiaojie continued, “We have Big Brother Mu’s business card. We saw that Northern Electronics was hiring, so we came to apply.” Lin Xiangyan sighed inwardly. Mu Dong, even though you’ve been gone for so long, you still have this kind of influence—it’s really frustrating. She said to Mu Dong, “Manager Mu, you guys go ahead and talk. I’ve got to get back to work.” Then she turned to Fang Xiaojie and Liu Fangfei and said, “Come see me in a little while.” With that, she turned and walked away. After chatting with the two fellow townsfolk for a few moments, Mu Dong learned that they were new campus promoters. In the virtual operations pilot program Han Yong was running, campus promotion was treated as a key channel, so a group of promoters had been recruited from various schools. When Fang Xiaojie and Liu Fangfei saw Northern Electronics’ job posting, they remembered that the fellow townsman they’d met by chance on the train also worked there, so they applied and were successfully hired. The two had originally thought that once they started working, they’d have a fellow townsman to look out for them, but they later found out that Mu Dong had left the company—so they never expected to run into him again today. The three chatted for a while. Mu Dong encouraged them to work hard, then said goodbye and headed to Han Yong’s office. As Han Yong was leaving, he saw Mu Dong and the other two chatting. When Mu Dong walked in, Han Yong teased him, “Can’t tear yourself away from the pretty ladies? I thought your girlfriend was pretty, wasn’t she?” Mu Dong laughed and replied, “Food and sex are human nature. Besides, it’s not as complicated as you make it out to be—they’re just two fellow townsfolk from Southern Shandong who met on the train.” After joking around for a while, Mu Dong took a bank card out of his pocket—the very one Han Yong had given him earlier—and said seriously, “Brother Yong, the yard business is wrapped up. Here’s your share; there’s 1. 17 million in there.” Han Yong was taken aback: “How did it get to be so much?” When Han Yong first invested, he’d been aiming for an annual return of over 30 percent—he never expected it to reach this level. Mu Dong then unfolded several photocopied financial statements and explained the income, expenses, and profits to Han Yong in detail. Finally, Mu Dong said, “This 1. 17 million is the profit from your 300,000. As for the 200,000 you lent me, I’ll pay you back in a few months.” Han Yong fell silent—there was actually another 200,000 yuan! After thinking for a moment, Han Yong took out the agreement and IOU Mu Dong had given him from his drawer, laid them out in front of Mu Dong, and said, “Dongzi, I didn’t expect the returns to be this high. You’ve put in a tremendous amount of hard work—thank you, brother. Here’s the original agreement and the IOU for the 200,000. Take a look.” After Mu Dong had a look, Han Yong reached out, took the agreement and IOU, clicked open his lighter, and set them on fire. As the flames flared up, Mu Dong realized what was happening and rushed to grab them, exclaiming anxiously, “Brother Yong, what are you doing? Don’t burn them!” Han Yong dodged and weaved, and the two pieces of paper were soon reduced to ashes. He swept up the ashes, clapped his hands, and said to Mu Dong, “Dongzi, if you still consider me your older brother, then let’s put the 200,000 matter to rest once and for all. Don’t bring it up again. Otherwise, our relationship is over.” Those words carried such weight that Mu Dong fell silent. Han Yong said nothing either, and the room fell silent. After a long while, Mu Dong said in a deep voice, “Brother Yong, thank you. I’ll take your advice.” Han Yong perked up and said, “That’s the spirit! Come on, I’ll treat you to a big meal. What do you feel like eating?” Mu Dong glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “No way, big brother. It’s only 10:40. Isn’t that too early?” Han Yong replied, “By the time we get there, it’ll already be 11. Hurry up and decide where we’re going.” The two finally decided to go to Golden Leopard for the buffet, then headed out together. When they stepped outside, they noticed Fang Xiaojie and his friend were still in the hallway, as if waiting for Mu Dong. When they saw Mu Dong come out, the two hurried over to greet him. Han Yong gave Mu Dong a knowing wink and slipped away first, saying he’d wait in the parking lot. The two had come to thank Mu Dong. It turned out that both of them were currently living on campus—specifically at Ludong University’s East Campus. However, when work assignments were handed out this time, Fang Xiaojie was assigned to Ludong University’s South Campus to conduct promotional activities, while Liu Fangfei was assigned to Ludong Normal University. Earlier, after the meeting, the two had approached Lin Xiangyan to ask if they could be reassigned to Ludong University’s East Campus, but their request was denied. Then they ran into Mu Dong, and shortly after, Manager Lin called them in to say that the assignment had been adjusted again—they could now conduct their promotional activities at the East Campus. The two were delighted, as this would save them a lot of commuting time each day. After giving it a moment’s thought, they realized that Lin Xiangyan had done them this favor out of respect for Mu Dong, so they waited there specifically to thank him.