Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 43: Third Aunt and Eldest Aunt

No sooner had Coach Zhang hung up the phone than he saw Mu Daguo running over excitedly, immediately asking to practice driving. “No problem,” Coach Zhang thought to himself. “I was just about to look for you.” So the two got into the car. Coach Zhang gave a brief instruction: “You can step on the gas a little harder…” Before he could finish, Mu Daguo had already started the engine, shifted into gear, and slammed the gas pedal—the Santana shot forward with a “roar.” Then it came to a screeching halt. Coach Zhang had hit the brakes. Coach Zhang turned pale with fright. He quickly buckled his seatbelt, gripped the armrest tightly with his right hand, pressed his left hand against the dashboard, and placed his foot on the passenger-side brake pedal, ready to brake at a moment’s notice. Mu Daguo, however, was thrilled. He started the engine again, and the car shot forward once more. A feeling he’d never experienced before welled up inside Mu Daguo. So it turns out you can drive without having to be so careful after all. As the car picked up speed, Mu Daguo shifted into second gear, then third, still pressing the accelerator deeply. The car gradually accelerated, and Mu Daguo’s expression relaxed considerably as he prepared to shift into fourth gear. Instructor Zhang wouldn’t have it; he told him to take it slow and get used to it for a while. That’s when Mu Daguo remembered the second tip Mu Dong had given him: increase the steering angle. He slowly turned the steering wheel; the car’s momentum caused his body to tilt gradually. After repeating this a few times, Mu Daguo suddenly realized that his body could actually move in sync with the car’s motion—he wasn’t rigidly strapped to the seat. It was as if a light bulb had gone off in Mu Daguo’s head—he had an instant epiphany! It turned out that he had always been afraid before, but now he wasn’t—the car seemed to obey his commands. Mu Daguo wasn’t a stupid man. A stupid man couldn’t possibly manage such a large yard; he had simply never been able to shake off his fear of driving. Once he overcame that fear, he instantly grasped the knack of driving. The vehicle was much smoother now. Mu Daguo shifted into fourth gear, and the car glided steadily across the yard, like a playful fawn running joyfully. Instructor Zhang also relaxed. He wondered to himself, “Is that it—is he really there yet?” Although Mu Daguo’s driving was still a ways off from passing the test, his movements were no longer stiff, and he no longer looked tense. With a few days of focused practice, he had a very good chance of passing both the on-site and on-road exams. Over the next few days, Mu Daguo spent most of his time practicing in the training car, and gradually, his control of the vehicle became more and more natural. Coach Zhang focused on teaching him some reverse parking techniques. The on-site test was coming up soon—let’s hope Mu Daguo passes. Mu Xiaoxia reluctantly made her Lavida available for herself, Zhong Guodong, and Xie Donglin to practice in. On April 12, the four took the on-site test and all passed without a hitch. During the test, Mu Daguo stalled the engine once while reversing, but in the end, he passed with a close call. Coach Zhang was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. On April 18, the four took their final on-road test and once again, all passed. It was finally over. The four’s outstanding performance once again cemented Coach Zhang’s reputation as a “gold-medal coach.” Coach Zhang was overjoyed and called Mu Dong to explain the situation. If all goes well, the four of them will receive their driver’s licenses in three or four days. Mu Dong was also very happy and decided to go to the Chevrolet dealership to pick up the car. April 19 happened to be a Sunday, so Mu Dong took Xiao Xiao with him to pay for and pick up the car. They arrived at the dealership, swiped their card, and selected a car, but since the DMV was closed that day and they couldn’t complete the paperwork, the two didn’t end up taking the car home. The next day, Xiao Xiao had to work, so Mu Dong went to the dealership by himself. It was a packed day, and by the time he left work, he had barely managed to complete all the paperwork. He decided to skip the window tinting and other customizations, leaving that for Mu Daguo and Xie Donglin to handle on their own. On April 23, Mu Dong picked up the license plates and installed them on the two Cruze cars. He then asked Cai Jiaojiao to find two drivers from her father’s company—one to drive each Cruze—while he drove his Audi back to Southern Shandong. As they neared the elementary school, Mu Dong pulled his Audi over to the side and let the two Cruzes file into the school one after another. The family had been waiting at the school for quite some time, and firecrackers were quickly set off at the entrance. Mu Dong had specifically instructed that while setting off firecrackers was allowed, it had to be done outside the main gate—not inside the school grounds—and fireworks were strictly prohibited. It was already noon, and the family had happily set up a banquet in the office. Mu Dong ushered the two drivers to their seats. Mu Daguo and Xie Donglin took the car keys—one car each—and drove a few laps around the playground. In no time at all, they drove off without even stopping for lunch. Mu Daguo drove around outside for a short while before returning to join everyone for lunch. Xie Donglin had disappeared somewhere and didn’t come back until lunch was over. After lunch, Mu Dong drove the two drivers to the long-distance bus station in the city center, helped them buy tickets, and gave each of them a red envelope containing 200 yuan. He watched as their bus pulled away before returning to the school. Now that he was back, Mu Dong had no immediate plans to leave again; with the wedding just around the corner, he intended to stay home to make preparations. In another timeline, Mu Dong had already been married, so he was well-versed in the procedures. During his time in Quancheng, the wedding photos had already been taken, and this time he brought back an enlarged copy to display in the bridal chamber at his parents’ home. He and Xiao Xiao had also purchased their wedding attire, shoes, and socks, and had even bought some decorative flowers to wear. As for the rest, Mu Dong’s parents had nearly finished preparing everything according to local customs. The bridal chamber—set up in Mu Dong’s room—had been freshly painted, furnished with a new bed, and made up with brand-new bedding. When Mu Dong returned to school, his sister, brother-in-law, and parents were all there. The group discussed some of the wedding details together when Xie Donglin pulled up in his car, followed by Mu Dong’s second aunt and uncle. When Mu Dong applied for license plates in Quancheng, he chose two plates with consecutive last digits—one ending in 5 and the other in 6. Mu Daguo selected the plate ending in 5, while Mu Dong gave the one ending in 6 to Xie Donglin. So as soon as the car pulled in, Mu Dong recognized it. The three of them had come to express their gratitude, and Xie Donglin had even brought some gifts. Mu Dong was happy, yet also felt a bit helpless. He was happy because he could sense how delighted his second aunt and uncle were. He felt helpless because Xie Donglin had bought gifts—that kid, what was he up to? Aunt Mu was indeed very happy. Her son had long ago mentioned that “Brother Dong” was going to provide a car, but she had been skeptical. Now that she saw it with her own eyes, she was convinced that her nephew truly cared for her son and genuinely valued her as his aunt. Aunt Mu felt very proud. Now that the family had some savings, and with this car to boot, finding a wife for her son should go much more smoothly. The three from Aunt Mu’s family sat for a little while before taking their leave. Mu Dong continued discussing the wedding arrangements with his parents, sister, and brother-in-law. Just as they were talking, another visitor arrived—this time, Aunt Mu No. 3. Mu Dong sensed that something was off about her demeanor; it seemed as though she had come looking for trouble. Aunt Mu No. 3 had indeed come to pick a fight. That afternoon, she’d overheard villagers at her family’s grocery store saying that Mu Dong had bought two new cars—one for Mu Daguo and one for Xie Donglin. On top of that, she’d heard a few days earlier that Mu Dong had also given a car to Mu Xiaoxia. Aunt Mu felt something was off. “Why didn’t our family get one?” she thought. “We all invested in the storage yard. Even though the money has been divided up, shouldn’t our family get a car too?” So she talked it over with Uncle Mu San, asking him to find Mu Dong and ask when their family would get a car. As soon as Uncle Mu San heard this, he flew into a rage, had a huge argument with her, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. “You good-for-nothing,” Aunt Mu San cursed under her breath. “Since you’ve run off, I’ll go ask him myself.” So she rode her electric scooter to the elementary school. As soon as she saw Mu Dong, Aunt Mu San put on a stern face and asked, “Xiao Dong, I heard every family got a car. When are we getting ours?” Mu Dong was completely taken aback! He had never expected such a question. Standing nearby, Mu’s parents were fuming. His sister and brother-in-law were also clearly embarrassed. Mu Dong grumbled to himself: “Aren’t you just looking for trouble? How I spend my own money is my business—do I have to set some aside for you?” But since they were elders, he couldn’t say that out loud; he had to brush it off. He put on a broad smile: “Auntie San, I just registered a company, and I bought two cars. I sent Daguo and Donglin out for a drive—I haven’t allocated a car to anyone yet.” Aunt Mu San’s expression turned icy as she said, “Xiao Dong, you gave your sister a car a few days ago. Since you’re siblings from the same mother, I won’t say anything about that. But now, if Daguo and Donglin have one, our family has to have one too. You have to treat everyone equally.” Mu Dong scratched his head in confusion. Could logic really be twisted like this? He thought to himself, “It’s my choice who I buy a car for—logically, you have no right to interfere. How did this turn into ‘your family has to have one too’?” Mu Dong said with a smile, “Aunt San, the money for the car is my own. I’m buying it for convenience when the company has business in the future. Right now, none of your families hold shares in the company. Daguo, Donglin, my sister, and my brother-in-law are all my employees—this car is provided for the employees.” At that thought, Mu Dong suddenly remembered that the car was registered in his name—just as his sister’s Lavida was registered under Xiao Xiao’s name. Great! Mu Dong called Da Guo and Dong Lin and asked them to drive over. In no time, the two arrived. Mu Dong retrieved the registration certificates for all three cars, laid them out in front of Aunt San, and said, “Aunt San, please take a look. My sister’s car is registered under my wife, Xiao Xiao’s name, and the other two are registered under mine. These are all my cars, and it’s my prerogative to let whoever I want drive them. You don’t need to worry about this.” At first, Mu Dong had spoken in a lighthearted, joking manner, but by the end, he’d lost his temper, and his tone turned serious. Aunt Mu was taken aback by Mu Dong’s tone; the names on the registration certificates were indeed Xiao Xiao’s and Mu Dong’s. She stood up and shouted, “These are all your tricks—this isn’t over yet!” With that, she stormed out. Mu Daguo said sheepishly, “Big Brother, maybe we should just give this car back to you…” As he spoke, he pulled out the keys and set them on the table. Mu Dong quickly stopped him and said, “You guys can all drive it without worry. Just because you hear a mole cricket chirping, are you going to stop farming? Just wait—I’ll find someone to deal with her.” With that, he pulled out his cell phone, called his eldest aunt, and explained the situation. Everyone in the room burst out laughing—the only person who could handle Aunt Mu San was Aunt Mu Da. After listening to Mu Dong, Aunt Mu said, “Wait there—I’ll be right over!” An hour later, Aunt Mu arrived. She headed straight for Uncle Mu San’s grocery store, where she unleashed a torrent of curses and began smashing everything in sight, knocking over several shelves. When Aunt Mu No. 3 had married into the family, Aunt Mu No. 1 hadn’t yet been married off. The two had clashed many times, and Aunt Mu No. 1 had always emerged victorious. Back then, Aunt Mu No. 3’s family hadn’t yet become wealthy, and they weren’t as arrogant as they were now, but Aunt Mu No. 3’s fear of her younger sister-in-law’s illness had already taken root by then. Mu Dong later heard from his mother that on one occasion, Aunt Mu San was showing off a new dress in front of Aunt Mu Da. Unable to contain her anger, Aunt Mu Da secretly clenched a sickle in her right hand, hiding it behind her back. She stepped closer and said, “Aunt Mu San, that dress is quite pretty. Let me take a look…”Then, with her left hand, she grabbed the hem of the dress, while her right hand drew the sickle—with a “swoosh,” she slashed from top to bottom! The dress was split in two. Aunt Mu San was so terrified she froze on the spot; the tip of the sickle was probably only a few millimeters away from her stomach. From then on, Aunt Mu No. 3 was absolutely terrified of this younger sister-in-law who had nearly slit her open. Aunt Mu Da was still smashing things around in the supermarket, shouting as she went: “Your conscience must have been eaten by a dog! Xiao Dong works day and night to earn money for you—you want a car, but why don’t you just ask for a plane? Every single thing in this house was earned by Xiao Dong—this was earned by Xiao Dong, and so was that…” As she spoke, she picked up one item after another and hurled it to the ground. At the supermarket entrance, onlookers had gathered in layers upon layers. Before long, Uncle Mu III returned and tried to wrest the items from Aunt Mu’s hands, saying in a stern voice, “Enough already. Have you had your fill of this?” Aunt Mu pointed at her third brother’s nose and said, “You good-for-nothing! You can’t even control your own wife—you’re a waste of space! If you can’t stand living with her, just divorce her. I’ll find you a younger one!” Aunt Mu III hid behind the cash register, her face flushed bright red, not daring to say a word. Aunt Mu, tired of smashing things, clapped her hands and said to Aunt Mu’s Third Sister-in-Law, “If you don’t want to live a peaceful life, just say the word—I’ll make sure you don’t have a moment’s peace. Go try to get back together with Xiao Dong!” With that, she stormed off. When Aunt Mu arrived at the school, she saw several people there. She said happily, “All done! I’ve taken care of it! I trashed the supermarket!” Mu Dong was stunned: “Aunt Mu, wasn’t that a bit too extreme?” Wang Shaoqiang chimed in from the side, “Ruthless my ass. She just smashed some worthless stuff—plastic basins, instant noodles. Not nearly enough impact!” Great, here’s someone who loves to stir up trouble. Mu Hong shot her husband a withering look: “Just scare her a little—you can’t go too far. That’s all my third brother’s business, okay?” Wang Shaoqiang thought to himself, “Now’s the time she remembers her third older brother.” Even though Aunt Mu went a bit overboard with this, why did everyone seem a little pleased? Aunt Mu completed her mission and headed back to the county seat. Truly, she had the heart of a Bodhisattva but the force of a thunderbolt. The group watched the “female Bodhisattva” depart with deep reverence. Back in the house, Mu Dong said to the others, “Sis, Brother-in-law, Da Guo, Donglin—these three cars haven’t been transferred to your names yet, and they all have Quancheng license plates. Let’s leave it like this for now—this whole thing has caused quite a stir. Once things calm down, I’ll transfer the cars to your names. You can drive them without worry.” The others said it didn’t matter whether the cars were transferred or not. They truly didn’t mind—they fully sensed Mu Dong’s determination to protect them. He had even mobilized a “nuclear-level” reserve like Aunt Mu Da to resolve the trouble cleanly and decisively. What a magnanimous gesture! In the evening, Mu Dong went to the home of Mu Hua Feng, the village chief. Mu Dong had come to give Mu Hua Feng some money. Back then, Mu Hua Feng had lent Mu Dong 50,000 yuan, and Mu Dong had agreed to pay 1% monthly interest over a six-month period; it had now been nearly a month past the due date. The principal plus seven months’ interest totaled 53,500 yuan, so Mu Dong handed Mu Hua Feng 65,000 yuan. Mu Huafeng retrieved the handwritten IOU Mu Dong had written back then and returned it to him. Then, after glancing at the money, he said, “Xiao Dong, this isn’t right, is it? Are you trying to bribe me? Our village is poor—bribing me won’t do you any good.” Mu Dong replied, “Uncle, the extra money is for the elementary school’s bonus. Didn’t the town withhold half of it from you? I’m making up the difference for you.” Mu Huafeng declined, saying, “Forget it. It was just a small favor—I can’t possibly take money from a younger generation like you.” Mu Dong held his hand and said, “Uncle, don’t make me feel embarrassed. If I ever need your help, give my third uncle a call and invite him over for a drink. You’ll have to treat us.” Mu Huafeng stopped refusing, pocketed the money, and called Uncle Mu San. Mu Dong knew his third uncle must be feeling down, so he used Mu Huafeng’s place as a venue to have a drink and chat with him. What his third aunt had done was indeed unscrupulous, but his third uncle had always been genuinely kind to him, so Mu Dong had to treat the two situations differently—he couldn’t let his third uncle’s heart grow cold. Uncle Mu was stewing in silence at home when he received a call from Mu Huafeng and hurried over. As soon as he walked in and saw Mu Dong there, he turned on his heel and left. Mu Dong quickly stepped in to stop him, forcing a smile. “Uncle Mu, please don’t be angry. I’m truly sorry. I never imagined my eldest aunt would be so harsh. This is my fault—it’s all my fault…” Mu Dong apologized in front of the village chief, and Uncle Mu felt he’d regained quite a bit of face. On top of that, his wife had indeed acted wrongly, and since he hadn’t stopped her, he felt he’d let Mu Dong down. Uncle Mu III turned around and pointed at Mu Dong, saying, “You little rascal, you’re thoroughly rotten.” Mu Dong sensed a chance to smooth things over and quickly said, “Uncle San, I’m here to apologize, aren’t I? Please, have a seat.” After saying that, he turned toward the kitchen and called out, “Auntie, is the food ready yet? Let’s have a couple of dishes first.” A voice from the kitchen—belonging to Mu Huafeng’s family—replied, “It’ll be ready in a minute. You guys sit down first.” Mu Huafeng said to Uncle Mu San, “Third Brother, I heard about what happened. At first, it really wasn’t Xiao Dong’s fault—it was Third Sister-in-Law who was being unreasonable. Don’t be angry anymore. Let’s have a few drinks later. Here, have a cup of tea first.” Uncle Mu San said, “My wife—she gets so stubborn when she’s in that mood. I can’t control her. What an embarrassment!” After taking a sip of hot tea, Uncle Mu continued, “But it’s actually a good thing his aunt came and made a scene. My wife will tone it down for a while, and I’ll get some peace. Xiao Dong, your Auntie was in the wrong here, and I didn’t stop her either. As your uncle, I’m sorry.” Mu Dong quickly replied, “It’s okay, Uncle Mu. Auntie was just acting out of concern. I don’t blame her, and I certainly don’t blame you. I’m the one who handled it poorly—it’s my fault. Please tell Auntie when you get home that I’ll go apologize to her tomorrow. I’m getting married in a few days, and you two will have plenty to worry about then. Also, tell Auntie that for my wedding, we’ll be getting the cigarettes, alcohol, candy, sunflower seeds, and everything else from the supermarket. Ask her to take the trouble to help prepare them.” Mu Hua Feng wondered to himself, “What’s going on in that kid Mu Dong’s head? How is he so good at sweet-talking people?” In a little while, when Hua Lei takes this news back home, he’ll probably be able to cheer his wife right up. In no time, the food and drinks were served, and the three of them ate and chatted, the atmosphere becoming much more relaxed. Mu Dong let out a sigh of relief. He’d finally cleared up this little misunderstanding with Uncle San—it felt so good.