Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 42: Getting Cars for the Family

As the yellow paper burned, billowing smoke filled the air, and the Mu family knelt and bowed before the ancestral graves. The Qingming Festival is a day to commemorate ancestors. In China, it perfectly embodies the Western philosophical question of “where we come from,” allowing people to reflect on their origins and contemplate their ultimate destination on this special day. The next morning, Mu Dong bought some simple gifts and went to Xiao Xiao’s house early. After sitting for a short while, he got up to take his leave, picked up Xiao Xiao, and headed to his eldest aunt Mu Hong’s hotel. It had been a long time since he’d been back, and he’d missed his eldest aunt, so Mu Dong came by to visit. Watching Mu Dong unload the gifts from the car, Mu Hong felt very happy. The hotel had everything one could need, but her nephew’s thoughtful gesture filled her with a special sense of fulfillment. They stayed for lunch at the hotel. Mu Hong had the kitchen prepare a feast, filling the table with an abundance of dishes. Her younger sister, Wang Wen, happened to be home on vacation, so along with Wang Shaoqiang, the group of five gathered in the dining hall for a festive meal. Mu Dong kept his uncle company as they drank baijiu, while the ladies sipped soft drinks, and the luncheon proceeded in a lively atmosphere. Mu Hong truly loved the feeling of the family eating together, and having Mu Dong there today made her especially happy. Having given birth to two daughters herself, Mu Hong subconsciously treated Mu Dong almost like a son. After the meal, Mu Hong took out a bank card and insisted on pressing it into Xiao Xiao’s hand. Xiao Xiao was at a loss and looked at Mu Dong with a pleading gaze. Mu Hong said, “Xiao Xiao, don’t look at him. This is from your aunt. I’m very pleased with you as my niece-in-law. This is my wedding gift for you—after all, you’re getting married on May Day, which is just around the corner.” Xiao Xiao and Mu Dong were at a loss for words. Mu Hong then turned to Mu Dong and said, “Xiao Dong, it makes me feel guilty to keep the money you’ve worked so hard to earn. I’ve set quite a bit aside, but if you don’t let Xiao Xiao keep this…” Okay, enough already. Mu Dong had been thoroughly scared by Han Yong and Cai Jiaojiao; he absolutely couldn’t let his eldest aunt say anything like that. He quickly said to Xiao Xiao, “Take it, take it. Whatever Aunt Mu gives us, we’ll take it.” At least he’d managed to cut his aunt off. Xiao Xiao put the bank card away as instructed and said softly, “Thank you, Auntie.” Mu Hong and Mu Dong both breathed a sigh of relief. After sitting for a while longer, Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao left the restaurant. Once in the car, Xiao Xiao slipped the bank card into Mu Dong’s hand and said, “It’s no use to me. You should use it for something worthwhile.” Mu Dong didn’t hesitate and put it away. They passed an ATM along the way, and Mu Dong got out to check the balance—it showed 200,000. Mu Dong shook his head vigorously. “What a mess this has turned into—there’s no solution!” The elementary school was bustling with activity; several people were taking turns practicing driving, while Mu’s parents stood on the sidelines watching the commotion. The towering plane trees had grown large, lush leaves that cast a dense shade over the ground. A gentle breeze swept by, causing the leaves to rustle softly. Mu Dong felt as if his childhood had returned. Mu Dong called over his older sister, Mu Xiaoxia, and asked her to test drive the Lavida. The brand-new Lavida, inside and out, was a world apart from the worn-out Santana driving school car. Mu Xiaoxia climbed into the car cautiously, afraid of dirtying the seats. After getting used to it, Mu Xiaoxia quickly became proficient at handling the car; since it was an automatic, it was much easier to drive than the manual-transmission training car. Mu Xiaoxia drove the car, circling the playground over and over. Mu Dong sat in the car, watching his sister beaming with excitement, and felt very happy. After driving for a while, Mu Xiaoxia pulled over. Mu Dong asked in confusion, “Why did you stop?” Mu Xiaoxia replied, “It’s such a nice car—I’ve had my fill of driving it. I can’t just keep driving around in circles and getting it dirty.” Mu Dong waited until his sister had brought the car to a complete stop and applied the parking brake. He asked, “Sis, do you like this car?” Mu Xiaoxia replied, “I do! This car is way nicer than the driving school car.” Mu Dong said, “I’m glad you like it, Sis. This car is yours.” Hearing this, Mu Xiaoxia was startled and tried to stand up suddenly, but her head lurch forward and she slammed it right into the windshield. Thud! Ouch! Mu Xiaoxia cried out in pain. Ignoring her own head, she hurried to check the windshield, saying, “Thank goodness, it’s not broken… it’s not broken…” Mu Dong was startled as well. He’d expected his sister to be surprised by the news, so he’d waited until the car had come to a complete stop before telling her—but he hadn’t expected it to nearly end in an accident. He grumbled, “Sis, come on. You really gave me a scare.” Mu Xiaoxia glared at him. “You gave me a scare! What did you say? You’re giving it to me? Isn’t this Xiao Xiao’s car? You said you bought Xiao Xiao a car—isn’t this the one? You’re giving it to me? How is Xiao Xiao supposed to look at me, her older sister?” Mu Dong sighed in exasperation and explained in detail to his sister how someone had given him another Audi. Mu Xiaoxia stared at Mu Dong in disbelief, thinking to herself: Since when has my little brother become so successful that people are lining up to give him Audis? Mu Dong continued, “Sis, this car was bought in February—it’s been less than two months. Xiao Xiao and I have agreed to give it to you. She really loves this car, and she’ll feel at ease knowing it’s in your hands.” Mu Xiaoxia felt as if she were drowning; her mind went blank. She had just started learning to drive, and her brother was giving her a brand-new car—this was simply too unexpected! She remembered him saying the car cost over 100,000! With that in mind, Mu Xiaoxia waved her hands repeatedly: “Xiao Dong, this is far too expensive—I can’t accept it. I’ve talked it over with your brother-in-law. Once I get my driver’s license, we’ll just buy a regular minivan or something—it’ll be more practical for life in the countryside.” Mu Dong knew exactly how to handle his sister. He spread his hands wide: “Anyway, both Xiao Xiao and I have cars, so we don’t need this one. Either you drive it, or it’ll just sit there and rust.” Mu Xiaoxia was at a loss for words. Such a great car—how could she just let it sit there and rust? That Xiao Dong! After thinking for a moment, she said, “Xiao Dong, how about this—I’ll pay you for it.” Mu Dong laughed. “Sis, we’re blood siblings—why are you being so formal? Nobody knows how much money I have, but you do, don’t you? I’m giving you this car as a gift. I’ve got plenty of money!” As he spoke, he made a sweeping gesture with his hand. Mu Xiaoxia was amused by him and burst out laughing, saying nothing more. Mu Dong breathed a sigh of relief, though he felt a bit frustrated. Why was everyone so hard to deal with? Having persuaded his sister, Mu Dong took advantage of a lull in the group’s activities to call his sister, brother-in-law, Mu Daguo, and Xie Donglin—four of them in total—into his office. Mu Dong first announced that he was giving the Lavida to his sister. Then, paying no heed to the surprise of those in the dark, he went on to announce that once they had completed their driver’s education, each of them would be assigned a car. His sister immediately jumped up in protest: “There’s no need to get another car for your brother-in-law. This one is plenty for the two of us. If you get him another car, I won’t take this one either.” Zhong Guodong quickly followed his wife’s lead and immediately voiced his support. Come on—if he didn’t listen to his wife, would he ever have a good life? Mu Xiaoxia continued, “Daguo, Donglin, don’t be shy. Since Xiao Dong means well, just accept it—we’re all family.” Now it was Mu Daguo and Xie Donglin’s turn to be at a loss for words. Having been studying for their driver’s licenses for a while, they’d both actually been thinking about buying a car. Mu Daguo had his eye on a Wuling minivan, while Xie Donglin wanted a subcompact car—something like a QQ or a Lechi. Judging by Big Brother’s tone, it seemed like he was aiming even higher! Xie Donglin was the first to snap out of it: “Really? Brother Dong, what kind of car should we get?” Mu Dong said, “I haven’t decided yet. What kind of car do you guys like?” Mu Daguo finally spoke up: “I like minivans—the Wuling kind.” Xie Donglin quickly chimed in, “I like the Lechi or the QQ.” Mu Dong felt exasperated, thinking to himself, “I’m buying you guys cars to save face and help you find wives—what on earth are you picking?” He finally said, “I’ll think about the specific models, but your choices aren’t suitable. All right, go practice driving now—if you don’t even have driver’s licenses, buying a car won’t do you any good.” The group rushed out and got to work with great enthusiasm. Mu Xiaoxia didn’t want to use the Lavida for practice, so she squeezed into the instructor’s car with them. Mu Dong and Coach Zhang chatted on the sidelines, discussing the car purchase and asking Coach Zhang for advice on models priced around 100,000. After a moment’s thought, Coach Zhang offered several options: the Santana Zhijun, the Jetta, the Volkswagen Polo, the Buick Excelle, and the Chevrolet Cruze. Mu Dong listened and decided the Jetta and Santana were too outdated and could be ruled out. The Polo didn’t seem to have a sedan version yet, but the Buick Excelle and Chevrolet Cruze were worth considering—they had good design, sleek lines, and looked impressive. Anyway, he wasn’t planning to buy one right away, so he could take his time choosing. Even if Xiao Xiao’s Lavida hadn’t “retired,” Mu Dong had already planned to buy a few cars for his family. Everyone had worked hard alongside him through a long, harsh winter to achieve this prosperity, and Mu Dong wanted to express his gratitude. Although he had already handled matters well—whether it was profit-sharing or salaries—the cars were a personal gesture funded entirely by Mu Dong himself. He hoped everyone could live comfortably and with dignity, and he hoped Da Guo and Dong Lin would find partners as soon as possible. Mu Dong felt that spending around 100,000 on a car was actually not excessive at all. Mu Daguo had long been in charge of yard operations, handling tens of thousands in cash every day without a single mistake. His sister, too, managed a large portion of Mu Dong’s funds with utmost dedication. His brother-in-law, Zhong Guodong, and his cousin, Xie Donglin, worked hard every day operating the forklifts. Mu Dong kept all these acts of kindness close to his heart. All he had started with was an idea for cheating, but turning it into a success ultimately relied on the combined efforts of his entire family. So Mu Dong wanted to reward everyone. During dinner, Mu Dong told his parents about the car as well, and they were both delighted. They knew that Mu Dong now had some money and was still thinking of his family—which was a good thing. That night, Mu Dong stayed at his office on campus. Xiao Xiao drove Mu Dong’s parents home. After finishing the willow branch purchase, Mu Dong had gone to Quancheng. So, strictly speaking, he had never worked the night shift at the school before. This time, he wanted to do his part. Mu Daguo was on duty with him tonight; the school usually had two people on night duty. The first half of the night went smoothly. The two chatted over tea and took the occasional stroll around the playground; the time passed quickly. Mu Dong thought to himself, “This is pretty easy.” In the latter half of the night, drowsiness gradually set in, and Mu Dong began to doze off in his chair. He forced himself to stay awake and went out for a while, but when he returned, he dozed off again. Eventually, he fell asleep without knowing what time it was. When he woke up, it was already daylight. Mu’s parents had already arrived at the school, and Xiao Xiao was reading by the desk. Seeing that Mu Dong had woken up, she went over and sat on the edge of the bed, and the two of them whispered to each other. Mu Dong remembered falling asleep on a stool that night; he guessed Daguo must have carried him to bed. If he couldn’t even make it through one night, it must be incredibly tough for them—staying up late every night and practicing driving during the day. Over breakfast, Mu Dong asked everyone how the night shifts were scheduled. Mu Daguo explained, “The two people on the night shift usually sleep for two or three hours in the afternoon first. Then, when people from the school arrive at dawn, they can sleep through the morning—those on the night shift don’t practice driving in the morning.” Mu Dong said, “That won’t work—it’s wearing everyone out. Let’s bring back three or four of the veteran workers. From now on, one of you will take the night shift with a worker, rotating every three or four days. That way, everyone can get a good night’s rest.” Mu’s father agreed and said he’d ask around that morning to see who was available. Finding people for the Mu family was a breeze—everyone knew they paid well, paid on time, and even provided meals. By noon, four workers they knew from before had already shown up. Mu Dong gave everyone a brief briefing, emphasizing safety and strictly prohibiting smoking, then had Mu Daguo take them to set up the duty roster. After lunch, Coach Zhang drove the Lavida to take Mu Dong and Xiao Xiao to the train station, where the two headed back to Quancheng. The train was absolutely packed. Although they both had seats, the congestion in the car made them both frown. It really is true that “it’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality.” Accustomed to driving, the two found themselves in a state of bewilderment—not knowing whether to laugh or cry—in the severely overcrowded car. Come to think of it, they owned three cars between them, yet here they were, crammed into a car as packed as a can of sardines. Such is the way of life—it’s truly unbearable. After four hours, the delayed train finally arrived at Quancheng Station. As soon as they stepped off, they both took deep breaths—the air on the train had been unbearably stuffy. They tried to hail a taxi but couldn’t get one, so they had no choice but to take the bus. Fortunately, since they’d recently come into money, they both still had their bus cards. The bus was crowded too, and Mu Dong carefully shielded Xiao Xiao. She snuggled tightly against his chest, recalling the days when they used to squeeze onto buses every day—and in that moment, she realized just how wonderful their life was now. Feeling content, Xiao Xiao gave Mu Dong quite a surprise that night. As the passionate “Little Dong” moved in and out of her mouth, Mu Dong felt as if he were about to fly… Afterward, Xiao Xiao returned to work, and Mu Dong resumed his role as a nanny. In their spare time, they went to the auto mall to browse cars. In the end, Mu Dong chose a Chevrolet Cruze for Mu Daguo and Xie Donglin—a stylish car perfect for young people. It had a 1. 6L engine, a manual transmission, and came in a red color popular among young people. Mu Dong hoped that this festive color would bring the two of them some romantic luck. Mu Dong called a local Cruze dealer in Southern Shandong and discovered that the price there was actually more than 8,000 higher per car; he later learned this was due to local territorial pricing restrictions. In the end, Mu Dong decided to pick up the car in Quancheng. Due to regulatory restrictions, if he picked up the car in Quancheng, he could only register it there and wouldn’t be able to transfer the registration for another year. Mu Dong didn’t mind, though—he’d just register it in his name for now and worry about the rest later. Eight thousand yuan per car—that was enough to cover the purchase tax. Keep in mind that in 2009, the purchase tax for cars with an engine displacement of 1. 6L or less was halved, down to just 5%. Having made up his mind, Mu Dong paid the deposit and agreed to pick up the car within a month. With the car issue settled, all that was left was to prepare for the wedding. He’d discussed it with Xiao Xiao before: the wedding would be held in their hometown. Mu Dong just needed to go back before the end of the month to help with the preparations; after all, his parents had already started handling most of the arrangements. Mu Daguo had been feeling a bit down these past few days. A few days ago, Coach Zhang organized a mock parallel parking and road test, and to his surprise, he didn’t pass—but his sister, brother-in-law, and Xie Donglin all did. Mu Daguo felt both embarrassed and upset. “I’m really so clumsy,” he thought. In fact, Mu Daguo had spent the most time practicing. Everyone thought he was a slow learner, so they’d given him extra attention during practice, letting him stay a little longer each time. Now that he’d failed the mock test, everyone felt bad for him but didn’t know how to comfort him. Instructor Zhang was at a loss—everyone has a different aptitude for driving. Some people are natural drivers who can handle a car with ease within minutes of getting behind the wheel. Others, however, have naturally slower reflexes and need extensive practice to gradually grasp the skills. Unfortunately, Mu Daguo fell into the latter category. Coach Zhang called Mu Dong to explain Mu Daguo’s situation. If Mu Daguo fails the official exam, Coach Zhang won’t be able to provide him with private lessons, and this needs to be made clear to Mu Dong. Mu Dong had faced the exact same situation as Mu Daguo in another timeline. When he was learning to drive back then, he had to retake the off-road test twice and the on-road test once before barely passing. So, Mu Dong could really relate to this situation. After giving it some thought, Mu Dong called Mu Daguo. “Daguo, I know about the mock exam. Don’t worry—it’ll be fine. I’m going to ask you a few questions; just answer honestly.” “Okay, big brother.” “Did you feel like the car was so big while driving that you didn’t even dare to look in the rearview mirror?” “Big Brother, how did you know? As soon as I got in the car, I felt it was too big—I didn’t dare move a muscle.” “Did you feel like you didn’t dare to step on the gas or turn the steering wheel?” “Yes, big brother. I feel like if I step on the gas, the car goes too fast and I can’t control it.” Mu Dong understood—this was exactly the same situation he’d encountered before. The driver was being controlled by the car; he hadn’t established a connection with it and lacked a feel for the vehicle. “Daguo, here’s what you do: next time you practice, try stepping on the gas a little harder. Don’t be afraid—we’ve got plenty of space here, and there’s a brake in the passenger seat, so you’ll be fine. Also, when you turn the wheel, make the turns a bit sharper. Practice like this for a few days, and you’ll find the car doesn’t feel that big at all—it’ll feel really small. I’ll talk to Coach Zhang about it, too. Keep it up—I’ve already picked out a car for you. You can buy it as soon as you get your license.” Upon hearing this, Mu Daguo immediately felt a surge of energy. Time to practice—practice hard. Big Brother said to step on the gas harder… Mu Dong then called Coach Zhang to share this approach, specifically emphasizing that he’d faced a similar situation before and that this method had worked for him. Coach Zhang could hardly believe his ears. Telling a timid person to practice driving aggressively? That just didn’t sound right at all! It was completely contrary to the theories he’d been teaching for so many years! This was going against the grain! Could it be some new theory? On the phone, Mu Dong specifically instructed Coach Zhang that safety must come first—he had to be ready to hit the brakes from the passenger seat. Only then should they proceed with the high-intensity driving practice. Finally, he managed to convince Coach Zhang to give it a try.