Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 40: Cai Jiaojiao’s Way

After hearing what Fang Xiaojie said, Mu Dong was at a loss for words. He had already left the company and really didn’t want to exert any influence there anymore. However, since his two fellow townsfolk had been taken care of and seemed very happy, Mu Dong didn’t want to dampen their spirits. Mu Dong offered them a few words of encouragement, and the three said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Mu Dong found Han Yong’s car in the parking lot. Han Yong looked at Mu Dong with a mischievous grin and said, “Dongzi, that round-faced girl seems to have taken a liking to you. The way she looks at you—there are little stars in her eyes.” Mu Dong replied irritably, “Brother Yong, I didn’t realize you had a knack for gossip.” Han Yong just chuckled without reply, started the car, and drove out of the parking lot. The two soon arrived at the nearby Golden Leopard. The Golden Leopard was a mid-to-high-end buffet restaurant, priced at 299 yuan per person for lunch and 399 yuan for dinner. Right after it opened, it quickly became a sensation in Quancheng thanks to its dazzling array of dishes. The two sat in the lavishly decorated restaurant, enjoying their meal and chatting happily. Mu Dong glanced around and sighed inwardly—what a shame; such a great restaurant would be closing its doors for good in a few years. Fortunately, it was still incredibly popular at the moment, especially with its abundant supply of seafood. The two of them savored their meal for over an hour before leaving satisfied. At noon, they received some good news: Coach Zhang called to say he had inspected the venue and was very satisfied. As long as there were at least four students, they could send a training vehicle to provide on-site instruction—though the price would be 500 yuan higher per person, mainly to cover the daily round-trip costs of the training vehicle. Mu Dong said that was fine and that he would discuss it with his family and get back to him right away. Mu Dong then called Mu Xiaoxia and asked everyone to gather at the elementary school office. He dialed the landline, and the other party put the call on speakerphone. He explained the situation regarding getting driver’s licenses and having an instructor come to their location for lessons. Everyone was a bit taken aback. “Getting a driver’s license? Are we going to drive in the future?” Mu Dong then dropped a bombshell: “Whoever learns to drive will get their own car!” At this news, Xie Donglin was the first to jump up, shouting excitedly, “Brother Dong, is that true? Is that really true? You can’t go back on your word…” Mu Dong had no choice but to patiently explain to everyone for quite a while that once they knew how to drive, it would make life much more convenient. Then he called his dad to encourage him to take the course too. But Mu’s dad flatly refused: “I’m an old man now—why should I go through all that hassle with you guys? It’s enough that you all learn.” Mu Dong tried to persuade him patiently, pointing out that there were plenty of people in their sixties and seventies driving in the city, and that since Dad was only in his fifties, he was still considered a “young person” according to UN standards… But his dad wouldn’t budge, so Mu Dong finally had to give up. Finally, Mu Dong reminded everyone to study hard, get their driver’s licenses as soon as possible, and to be careful around the willow branches stored at the elementary school. Then he hung up. Mu Dong then called Instructor Zhang back, explained that there were four students, asked for the driving school’s bank account information, and transferred the tuition for all four. As for their registration documents, he told them to submit those in person when they met. Instructor Zhang assured him that he had already made arrangements with his superiors and would personally teach these four students. Mu Dong felt even more at ease; Coach Zhang had a steady, reliable teaching style and was trustworthy. That afternoon, Mu Dong arranged to meet Cai Jiaojiao for tea. He had originally invited Cheng Qiang as well, but Cheng had a meeting that afternoon and couldn’t slip away. When they met, Mu Dong once again produced the financial records and explained the revenue situation. Cai Jiaojiao and Cheng Qiang had each given Mu Dong 250,000; now, the bank card Mu Dong had brought back contained 975,000. Cai Jiaojiao was stunned—in just a few months, the funds had already generated such enormous returns. It seemed that Mu Dong’s repeated insistence that she invest had indeed been driven by genuine sincerity and goodwill. Cai Jiaojiao felt that this was too much money—it was almost too hot to handle. This was money Mu Dong had worked so hard to earn, and it seemed somewhat inappropriate for her to receive it so easily. Cai Jiaojiao’s mind went blank; she returned home in a daze and told her father what had happened. After hearing the story, Cai Guoming was also taken aback. Having navigated the business world for so many years, he had rarely encountered such massive returns in such a short period. He pondered for a moment, then recalled with Cai Jiaojiao the scene when Mu Dong had invited her to invest, and gradually began to grasp the underlying logic. It seemed that Mu Dong had indeed been motivated by a desire to repay a debt of gratitude at the time. Finally, Cai Guoming said to his daughter, “Jiaojiao, you need to hold on to this friend of yours, Mu Dong. He’s a really good young man—he knows how to repay a favor, and he’s a shrewd businessman. If you get along well with him, he’ll be an invaluable asset to both you and Cheng Qiang in the future. Here’s what you should do…” At that moment, Mu Dong was in high spirits. Now, aside from a few loans, all returns to investors had been fully distributed. From this point on, the only debts he owed to the outside world were financial—he no longer owed anyone any favors. Debts are easy to settle, but debts of gratitude are much harder to handle. However, he still owed a favor regarding Brother Yong’s matter. Oh well, he’d put it out of his mind for now and deal with it later. Humming a tune cheerfully, Mu Dong headed to the farmers’ market to do some shopping. From now on, he’d have time to take care of Xiao Xiao and spend quality time with her. Mu Dong had no idea that an even bigger debt of gratitude was about to come his way. He hummed a tune as he finished shopping, and hummed a tune on his way home to cook. When Xiao Xiao got home from work, a table full of delicious-looking, fragrant, and flavorful dishes was already set, and their blissful dinner began. After dinner, they cleared the table, and Xiao Xiao went to take a shower. Mu Dong, with a sheepish grin, squeezed his way in, saying he wanted to take a bath together. Xiao Xiao tried every trick in the book to stop him, but in the end, he got his way… Early the next morning, before the two had even gotten out of bed, the doorbell started ringing insistently. Mu Dong got up to answer the door and saw Cai Jiaojiao and Cheng Qiang standing there, smiling at him. Mu Dong quickly invited them inside. But the two of them just stood there at the doorway. Cai Jiaojiao shoved a beautifully wrapped little box into Mu Dong’s hands and said, “It’s a little gift from the two of us for our sister-in-law.” With that, she tugged Cheng Qiang along, and they dashed off in a flash. Mu Dong watched as the two of them, their whole bodies trembling, ran off, shaking with every step. He shook his head with a wry smile and muttered, “They’re quite a match.” Then he went inside, casually tossed the box onto the table, glanced at his watch—it was only 6:30—and crawled back under the covers, wrapping his arms around Xiao Xiao as he drifted off to sleep. At 7:00, Mu Dong got up to make breakfast, and a little while later, Xiao Xiao got up too. At 7:40, after finishing her lovingly prepared breakfast, Xiao Xiao gave Mu Dong a light peck on the cheek, then went downstairs on her own to head to work. Xiao Xiao now drives herself to work and won’t let Mu Dong drive her anymore. A short while later, Xiao Xiao returned with a pout and a frown on her face. She said to Mu Dong, “Honey, the entrance to our garage is blocked by a car. I can’t get my car out.” Mu Dong hurried downstairs with Xiao Xiao to take a look. At the garage entrance, a white Audi A4 was parked perfectly straight, completely blocking the garage door. It was a new car—it didn’t even have a license plate, not even a temporary one. Mu Dong looked around but couldn’t find a phone number on the car. He asked some neighbors passing by, but none of them knew whose car it was. Mu Dong couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief—what a lack of public spirit! With no other option—and Xiao Xiao in a hurry to get to work—Mu Dong quickly got into his own car and drove her to school, agreeing to pick her up again after work that afternoon. When he returned to the complex, the car was still parked there, not having moved an inch. Mu Dong was getting a little worked up—this was infuriating! How could anyone park like that? Mu Dong kicked the tires twice with all his might, setting off the car’s alarm, but no one showed up for ages. “This is weird,” Mu Dong thought angrily as he sat in his car. He decided to stake out the spot for a while. “When the owner shows up, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind,” Mu Dong thought to himself. He waited for over half an hour, but no one showed up. Oh well, never mind. I still have some laundry to do upstairs; I’ll go up and get that done first. Someone will probably drive this car away soon anyway. Mu Dong went upstairs and happened to spot the little box Cai Jiaojiao had given him. Oh right, I forgot to tell Xiao Xiao earlier that Cai Jiaojiao dropped off a gift this morning. Never mind—it’s for Xiao Xiao anyway. I’ll let her open it herself when she gets home from work. Mu Dong did the laundry and cleaned the room. He went downstairs to check, and the car was still there. After lunch, he went downstairs to check—it was still there. He took a nap—it was still there. He read for a while in the afternoon—it was still there. He waited all the way until he drove to pick up Xiao Xiao from work—and that car was still there! Mu Dong was furious! How shameless—it had been parked there all day! When he picked Xiao Xiao up and brought her back, that car was still—there! Xiao Xiao was furious too. She walked around the car a few times, as if trying to find some flaw. But she really couldn’t find anything. The two of them went upstairs, seething with indignation. Seeing how upset Xiao Xiao was, Mu Dong handed her the box and said, “It really is infuriating, honey. Let’s do something to cheer us up. Jiao Jiao and Cheng Qiang dropped this off this morning—they said it’s a gift for you. Go ahead and open it.” With that, he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. A moment later, Xiao Xiao rushed into the kitchen and held out the box to Mu Dong: “Honey, take a look at this…” Mu Dong took a look. Inside the box lay a set of car keys, bearing a logo with four circles. The two exchanged a glance, suddenly realizing something, and ran downstairs together. When he reached the garage entrance, Mu Dong took the key from the box and pressed the button on the remote control, aiming it at the white Audi parked in front of the garage. Beep, beep—two soft beeps—and it responded. Mu Dong reached out to pull the car door, and it opened! The two exchanged another glance, their eyes wide with disbelief! The brand-new white Audi A4 that had been blocking the entrance to their garage all day was actually a gift from Jiaojiao and Cheng Qiang to Xiao Xiao! Cai Jiaojiao, taking her father’s advice, was prepared to spend a large sum of money to thank Mu Dong. After the father and daughter discussed it, they finally decided to buy Xiao Xiao a car. Cai Jiaojiao didn’t know that Xiao Xiao had already bought a car. After Mu Dong bought the car for Xiao Xiao, he didn’t go around telling everyone about it. Xiao Xiao was a reserved person; he’d only mentioned it to his family, and the rest only found out when his coworkers saw it. Cai Jiaojiao had seen Mu Dong’s Audi A4 a few times, so she thoughtfully chose the same model in white as a gift for Xiao Xiao—one black, one white, a matching couple’s set. To get the car as quickly as possible, Cai’s dad even reached out to a friend. Yesterday evening, Cai Jiaojiao spent 310,000 yuan to pick up a white 1. 8L Audi A4 with an automatic transmission. Then Cai Jiaojiao approached Cheng Qiang, told him about Mu Dong’s money distribution, mentioned her plans to show her appreciation, and asked Cheng Qiang to chip in as well. The barrage of information left Cheng Qiang’s mind in a complete whirl. It took him quite a while to realize that the 50,000 he’d invested in Dongge had actually turned into 195,000!!! That’s way too much! He’d originally thought that if it turned into 60,000 or 70,000, he’d be over the moon! A thank-you gift? Absolutely! And it has to be a generous one! Finally, Cai Jiaojiao suggested giving Xiao Xiao an Audi A4 as a gift, with the cost split between the two of them in the same 4:1 ratio they’d used when investing in Mu Dong. Cheng Qiang said, “Forget the four-to-one split—I’ll put all my money in, and you just cover the rest.” Well, he sure knows how to sweet-talk a woman. Cai Jiaojiao shot him a sidelong glance, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Still, they decided to handle the money exactly as she’d suggested. After discussing it, the two decided to force the car on Mu Dong and then make a quick getaway. This morning, they quietly parked the car in front of Mu Dong’s garage door. They still remembered the garage from their last visit to Wenguo. Then they went upstairs, rang the doorbell, dropped off the little gift box containing the keys, and took off running. After that, they each went to work. But a whole day had passed, and Mu Dong hadn’t even called—wasn’t he keeping his cool a little too well? Little did they know that over the course of that day, both Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao were nearly driven crazy by that car. Mu Dong was completely taken aback. Han Yong’s generosity had already stunned him, but he never expected Cai Jiaojiao’s gesture to be even more staggering. This gift was just too extravagant! Mu Dong composed himself, parked the new car in another spot in the complex, then went upstairs and dialed Cheng Qiang’s number: “Qiangzi, what are you two up to? This gift is way too heavy. Get it out of here fast—it’s been blocking my garage door all day.” “Brother Dong, this was all Jiaojiao’s idea. I was just going along with it. With something this big, how could I possibly call the shots? Why don’t you talk to my Jiaojiao about it?” “Fatso, you’re something else. ‘Your Jiao Jiao’—you know this is a huge deal, yet you didn’t even consult me. You didn’t give me a heads-up either; you just shoved it down my throat. That’s no way to do things. Hurry up and come drive it away.” “Hey, Brother Dong, the signal’s bad—hey, hey…” The call dropped. Mu Dong was at a loss, so he called Cai Jiaojiao again: “Jiaojiao, you’ve really gone all out this time, girl. You’ve scared both me and your sister-in-law.” Cai Jiaojiao giggled: “Brother Dong, it’s not as dramatic as you’re making it out to be. Would something this small really scare you? Don’t make excuses—this is just a little token of appreciation from Cheng Qiang and me. Since you treat us like brothers, just accept it with a smile. You can handle the paperwork yourself. There’s a business card in the box—call the guy on it and mention my dad’s name. I haven’t even issued an invoice yet.” Mu Dong said, “Jiaojiao, I really can’t accept this. Besides, your sister-in-law already has a car—she just bought it last month.” “Huh?” Jiaojiao hadn’t expected that. “Even if she has a car, I don’t care—we’ll just take turns driving it.” With that, he hung up the phone. Mu Dong let out a huge sigh! What on earth was going on? In truth, Mu Dong didn’t realize that the return he’d offered was far, far too high—scarily high. After all, this was a return offered with absolutely no oversight from the investors. If Mu Dong were to rig the numbers, forget 3. 9 times—even a twofold return would have the investors waking up smiling in their sleep. So while Han Yong and Cai Jiaojiao’s reactions were wild, they were understandable. The main reason was that they were all decent people with moral boundaries. Early the next morning, Mu Dong intercepted Cheng Qiang at the Provincial Department of Education, dragged him to the hospital, and caught Cai Jiaojiao before she had finished her night shift. The three of them found a tea house, sat down, and talked quietly. Mu Dong firmly refused to accept it, but the other two insisted on giving it to him, causing the atmosphere to grow tense. Cai Jiaojiao, feeling helpless, had no choice but to pull out the trump card her father had taught her. “Brother Dong, if you don’t take this car, our friendship will be over. Furthermore, we won’t keep any of the profits—we’ll return everything to you. The two of us will only take back our principal. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways.” Mu Dong scratched his head. How come he and Han Yong both used the exact same tactic? Was he supposed to just give up? This was exactly the tactic Mu Dong feared most. He shook his head helplessly and smiled wryly. “I’m scared of you two. Fine, I’ll take it. But there’s one thing, Jiaojiao: my sister-in-law already has a car. If she doesn’t want to drive this one, could I trade it for two cheaper ones? I’d like to give them to my sister and brother.” Cai Jiaojiao said, “No problem—it’s no big deal. If you need to swap it out, just let me know, and I’ll go with you. All right, I’m dead tired—I’ve got to go home and get some sleep.” The three parted ways and went their separate ways. Mu Dong decided he’d still try his best to persuade Xiao Xiao to drive this new car. It was a gesture of goodwill from Jiaojiao and Cheng Qiang, and only by driving it would Xiao Xiao truly honor their kindness. If he really couldn’t convince her, he’d swap it for two other cars. That evening, when he suggested to Xiao Xiao that she drive the new Audi, she was, as expected, reluctant. Xiao Xiao was deeply attached to her Lavida. She and Mu Dong had carefully selected this car together; it embodied their shared taste and choices. Before she even had her driver’s license, this car had accompanied her through a difficult period, carrying her hopes and dreams. Every time Mu Dong returned to Quancheng, he’d take her out for secret drives, and the car held their passion and sweet memories. How could she possibly be asked to give up this beloved car now? Mu Dong had no choice but to explain each point to her one by one. This Audi was a thank-you gift from Jiao Jiao and Cheng Qiang. Why a thank-you gift? Because of the hard work your husband—me—put in. So this car is something I earned, and it’s essentially a gift I bought for you. Jiaojiao and Cheng Qiang gave us this car; if you don’t drive it, they might get the wrong idea, and it could strain our friendship. As long as we’re together, every day is sweet. Not to mention driving—we were just as sweet riding our electric scooter, and now we’ve traded the scooter for a car, haven’t we? It’d be so nice if we both drove the same car—Jiaojiao specifically picked out this couple’s car for us. Finally, let your sister and brother-in-law drive your Lavida—it’s not like we’re selling it. What do you think? This last suggestion put Xiao Xiao’s mind at ease. Letting family members drive it was something she could just about accept. In the end, Xiao Xiao finally agreed to drive the new car. However, Xiao Xiao was still a little upset, so during their intimate moment that night, she bit Mu Dong hard on the shoulder. After the passion subsided, she realized she’d almost broken the skin; she felt so sorry for him that tears nearly welled up in her eyes. Over the next two days, Mu Dong was busy at the Audi dealership getting the invoice, handling the paperwork, registering the license plate, and having the window tint installed. Since the car was registered under Xiao Xiao’s name, she had to be present to sign for some of the procedures, so she even took a day off work for it. Xiao Xiao’s coworkers noticed that when Teacher Li returned to work after her day off, she was driving a brand-new Audi. However, Teacher Li looked very unhappy—completely lacking the radiant expression she usually had when driving. What was going on? But seeing how downcast Teacher Li was, no one dared to ask.