Rebirth: Seven Years in a Great Dream

Chapter 46: Selling Willow Branches

“What? You’re going to provide willow branches to the farmers at a low price?” Old Man Su exclaimed in surprise. “Not to all farmers—only to those who used to sell willow branches to us,” Mu Dong corrected. Mu Dong approached Old Man Su with a proposal, and Old Man Su was taken aback. Mu Dong’s plan consisted of two parts. First, farmers who had suffered a total loss of willow harvest and had previously sold willow to the Daxiang Crafts Company would be provided with 500 jin of willow at a reduced price per household, upon presentation of the county’s total loss subsidy paperwork and purchase receipts from Daxiang Crafts Company Second, 100 folk willow weavers aged 50 or older would be subsidized, with each person eligible to purchase 500 jin of willow branches at a discounted price. This proposal left Old Su utterly stunned; he stared at Mu Dong with a look of disbelief. “Little Dongzi, have you done the math? If we do it this way, will you have enough willow?” Mu Dong replied, “I did a rough calculation. The total area of fallow land in the county is 10,000 mu. Nowadays, willow is planted in large plots—basically, each household has at least five or six mu, and some even have over ten mu. Let’s say, on average, each household cultivates six mu. That comes to about 1,700 households. and there are bound to be some among them who’ve never sold willow branches to me before. Even if a third of them haven’t, that still leaves 1,130 households. At 500 jin per household, that’s 565,000 jin. Add the 50,000 jin from the second source, and it comes to about 615,000 jin. I currently have about 3 million jin in stock—that’s more than enough.” After a brief pause, Mu Dong continued, “Even if every household that had lost its crops had sold willow branches to me, the total wouldn’t exceed 1 million jin at most.” Old Su was deeply impressed. This kid really had put some thought into it—what a noble gesture! According to Mu Dong’s plan, farmers facing crop failure would receive some income from the willow branches—whether they used them themselves or sold them at a high price—which would help offset the losses caused by the crop failure. Combined with the county’s subsidies, they would essentially be able to weather the crisis. As for those who had never sold willow branches to Mu Dong before, I’m sorry, but I really can’t help them. As for those with reduced yields, I’m even more sorry—but with willow prices so high this year, they’ll suffer almost no losses. Old Man Su pondered for a while, then said to Mu Dong, “Little Dong, this old man admires your generosity. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll put up 20,000 jin too, and join you in this wild venture.” Mu Dong replied, “Old Man, please don’t. You’re in a different situation than I am. I’m still young—I’ll have plenty of chances to make money in the future. That’s your retirement savings; let’s not do this. I appreciate the gesture, though. The main reason I came to see you is about the second matter: those 100 traditional folk artisans. You’ll be in charge of evaluating and recommending them—is that okay, Old Man? Running errands is hard work, so I’ll send you a car to take you around.” Old Man Su was completely speechless. By stepping in to make the recommendations himself, he’d earn a great reputation without having to part with any of his own willow. This Little Dong was practically handing him a huge favor on a silver platter. After thinking for a moment, Old Man Su said, “I’m fine with that. Xiao Dongzi, I have a suggestion: we should carry this out after you’ve sold most of your willow products. Just set aside a portion for this in the early stages.” Mu Dong asked, “Why? I’d actually like to get this done first.” Old Man Su glared at him and said slowly, “There are two reasons. First, the price of willow branches is still rising. It’s expected to peak after the wheat harvest. If you wait until later, the gap between your discounted price and the market price will be much wider, yielding better results. Second, making such a big splash might attract a few hungry wolves. If you still have willow branches on hand, that’ll be a huge problem for you.” Mu Dong was completely convinced. He hadn’t anticipated the second point at all; he’d only been thinking about doing a good deed and hadn’t considered that it might attract malicious covetousness. However, he didn’t quite understand the first point, so he asked, “Why will prices peak after the wheat harvest?” Old Man Su said smugly, “The willow-weaving industry relies on handcrafting. During the wheat harvest, everyone is busy reaping the wheat, so no one has time to weave. Once the harvest is over, everyone has time to work again. That’s when orders from large factories are distributed to individual farmers, and the factories need large quantities of willow branches. Do you understand?” Mu Dong truly understood and secretly felt fortunate to have met such a veteran of the trade, who would help him avoid many detours. Once everything was settled, Old Man Su said goodbye to his family and went with Mu Dong to the elementary school. The next day, Mu Dong had Mu Daguo drive them around as they took Old Su to visit various locations to identify the elderly artisans in need of financial support. Old Man Su first identified those among his acquaintances in the trade who needed support—focusing on those who were elderly, highly skilled, and either didn’t grow willow themselves or had lost their willow harvest. This way, he initially identified about a dozen people. For the remaining spots, they would need to visit various towns and villages. So, whenever Old Su arrived in an unfamiliar village, he would introduce himself as a technician from Da Dong Crafts Company, explaining that he was looking for elderly artisans to help produce some intricate crafts. When he visited the artisans’ homes, he would chat with them at length to understand their family circumstances—whether they grew willow and how their harvest was—which helped him determine if they needed financial assistance. Working this way, he was able to find a few candidates every day. Old Man Su would then carefully compare them and eliminate some from the list. Ultimately, after about ten days, the list of 100 elderly artisans was finally finalized. During this time, Mu Dong only stayed at the elementary school for two days before heading to Quancheng to be with Xiao Xiao and his mother. With the two most important women in his life in Quancheng, Mu Dong was deeply concerned about them, so after making some quick arrangements at the school, he rushed back. Besides, the third most important woman in his life was growing inside Xiao Xiao. On June 10, after receiving a call from Old Man Su confirming that the list was finalized, Mu Dong returned to Southern Shandong. Several days had already passed since the Grain in Ear solar term, and the wheat harvest in Southern Shandong was essentially over. By this time, the price of willow branches had risen to 4. 5 yuan per jin for white willow branches and 10 yuan per jin for steamed willow branches. The key issue was that while prices were high, there was no market—very few willow branches were circulating on the market, as everyone was hoarding their stock. Mu Dong decided to make his move. Although he knew there was still some room for the price to rise, he didn’t want to wait any longer. Getting stuck at the peak was simply too risky. At noon, Mu Dong posted a message on Old Man Su’s social media feed announcing his plan to sell willow branches. Two hours later, Mu Dong found himself cornered in the elementary school office. The visitors were acquaintances: Coach Zhang and Jia Fugui. Mu Dong’s black Audi was actually purchased from Boss Jia. Jia Fugui had been on the verge of losing his mind lately. He had a $1 million export order for laundry baskets, due for delivery in three months—any delay would result in a penalty. But right now, not only had he not started processing the order, he hadn’t even managed to buy the willow branches yet. No matter whom he asked, the answer was always “not for sale” or “out of stock.” At market prices, fulfilling this order would require 1. 8 million yuan worth of willow branches alone—most of which had to be high-quality, steam-treated branches. On top of that, orders for Christmas gift baskets from Europe and the U. S. were about to come in, and he wasn’t even sure if he dared to take on those orders. Jia Fugui had long since heard that Mu Dong had some willow on hand. He’d heard it was for personal use, but since he’d never seen anything processed at Mu Dong’s factory, he decided to pay a visit to buy some. He knew Coach Zhang was on good terms with Mu Dong, so he’d asked him several times, but Coach Zhang didn’t know for sure whether Mu Dong would actually sell any, so he hadn’t dared to approach him directly. They were friends, after all—if he were turned down, it would be too embarrassing. Unexpectedly, word spread at noon today that Boss Mu was planning to sell his willow branches! Jia Fugui immediately tracked down Coach Zhang and dragged him straight to the school. Mr. Jia was a wealthy and powerful businessman; he opened with an offer of 700,000 jin—200,000 jin of unprocessed willow and 500,000 jin of steamed willow. Mr. Jia was in a hurry; he wanted to buy some in advance so he’d have the confidence to take on orders from Europe and the U. S. for Christmas. Mu Dong was a bit surprised. He thought to himself, “Now that’s what a big-time boss looks like—deep pockets, throwing around deals worth millions right off the bat.” After thinking for a moment, Mu Dong said, “Mr. Jia, we’re old acquaintances. Look at that Audi—I’ve been driving it very well, and I’ve always been grateful to you.” Mr. Jia’s heart skipped a beat. Oh no, this guy is about to make a demand—he’s starting with flattery, so it can’t be anything good. Mu Dong continued, “Mr. Jia, I’ll be blunt: I plan to sell this off little by little. I can only give you 200,000 jin—whether steamed or boiled, it’s up to you. As you know, prices are still rising. Actually, I was originally planning to use this myself, but my wife is pregnant now, so I don’t have time to run around taking orders.” After saying this, Mu Dong silently prayed: “Xin’er, don’t blame me—Dad’s just building a family business for you.” Mr. Jia waved his hand, signaling the others to step out. With only the two of them left in the room, Mr. Jia pulled up a chair and sat down right in front of Mu Dong, reaching for a cigarette out of habit. Mu Dong quickly stopped him: “Mr. Jia, I really can’t let you smoke here—it’s all flammable material. Please bear with me.” Mr. Jia felt instantly embarrassed, quickly put the cigarettes away, and forced a smile: “Sorry, it’s just a habit. My apologies, my apologies.” He inwardly seethed—his rhythm had been completely thrown off, and his momentum was completely gone! But there was nothing he could do—it was a seller’s market. Boss Jia leaned in closer, his chubby face right in front of Mu Dong’s eyes. “Brother, I know the price of willow branches is still going up, but I’ve got no choice here. Don’t you think you should give me a hand? Here’s the deal: do me a favor—700,000 jin. You name the price. How about it?” He was clearly trying to take advantage of Mu Dong. Mu Dong wasn’t about to fall for that. “I’m not going to name a price—you name it yourself.” So Mu Dong just scratched his head and said nothing. Mr. Jia waited a moment. Seeing no response, he gritted his teeth and said, “5 yuan for raw willow strips, 10 yuan for steamed ones. How about it, buddy?” Mu Dong still said nothing, though he was already grinning from ear to ear inside. Mr. Jia waited a little longer, still getting no reaction, so he gritted his teeth again: “Five yuan fifty for the plain ones, ten yuan fifty for the steamed ones.” After saying that, he leaned back, pushed his chair back, and slumped into it, as if all his strength had been drained from his body. In reality, Boss Jia was just putting on an act—in this line of work, it’s all about acting skills. Mu Dong figured that was about right. 700,000 jin—an extra 5 mao per jin—that’s 350,000. This money was coming in way too fast—it was a real thrill. So Boss Mu scratched his head again and said, “Brother Jia, I can tell you’re a straight shooter. I’ll take your word for it—let’s be friends. Actually, I think steamed pork could go up to twelve or thirteen, and fresh pork to seven or eight. Never mind, never mind. Let’s just go with what you said: 5. 5 for fresh pork and 10. 5 for steamed pork. But, Brother Jia, I only take cash. My company is currently up to its neck in debt.” Jia Fugui thought to himself, “You’re going to strike it rich this time, kid—those debts won’t be a problem anymore.” He quickly replied, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’ll arrange the transfer right away. Just give me your account number.” Jia Fugui didn’t want to wait a single moment longer. He immediately contacted several large trucks and dispatched a group of workers from his company to prepare for loading. There was a weigh station in town with a good reputation, so Mu Dong sent Mu Daguo to keep an eye on things there. Several empty trucks were weighed and then drove to the elementary school to wait. Half an hour later, 6. 35 million yuan was deposited into Mu Dong’s personal account. Boss Mu gave a sweeping gesture, signaling the start of loading, and dozens of workers sprang into action. They started by loading the willow bundles from the playground. Since the weight of each pile had been meticulously recorded during stacking, they could estimate the weight of each truck as they loaded. They worked until nightfall, but Jia Fugui had only managed to haul away about half of the load. Mu Dong suggested continuing the loading the next day, but Boss Jia refused, insisting on finishing the transport that very night. “That’s ridiculous,” Mu Dong retorted. “Willow prices change daily. What if you change your mind tomorrow morning?” Mu Dong had no choice but to let everyone keep working. They worked until just past 3:00 a. m. before all 700,000 jin of willow branches were finally transported away. The last truck had about 500 jin of extra white willow branches, but Boss Mu waved his hand magnanimously and said, “Never mind—consider it a gift!” Jia Fugui’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. “It’s just a few jins,” he thought. Mu Dong arranged for the main gate to be locked and for the night shift staff to remain on duty, then went to his office for a sound sleep—even in his dreams, he was counting money. Over the next two days, owners or buyers from willow-weaving factories came by every day to purchase willow twigs. The smallest order was 100,000 jin, and the largest was 500,000 jin. Mr. Mu had a peculiar pricing strategy: the more you bought, the higher the price—because your purchase would affect his future profits. Everyone accepted this. There was no other option—it was nearly impossible to buy in such bulk elsewhere. Buying a few hundred or a few thousand jin at the market would have incurred much higher labor costs alone. By the afternoon of June 12, aside from the 200,000 jin of steamed willow and 800,000 jin of raw willow he had set aside, Mr. Mu announced that he was no longer selling—he had sold out. Grandpa Su’s entire stockpile of steamed willow was sold to a factory owner. Grandpa Su had initially invested 200,000 yuan to purchase over 80,000 jin of steamed willow; now, he had sold it for 870,000 yuan, yielding a net profit of 670,000 yuan. Holding his bank card, Old Man Su was deeply moved. He had never imagined that the greatest fortune of his life would come to him at the age of sixty. Watching Mu Dong bustling about in the courtyard, Old Man Su thought to himself, “This young man really has a knack for making money—even I’ve benefited so greatly from it.” Someone who knew there was still some stock left in the building asked, “What about the rest?” “We’ll use the rest ourselves—we’ve got orders to fill!” That was a perfectly valid reason, and the questioner had no reply. On June 13, Boss Mu arranged for Mu Daguo to drive Grandpa Su to deliver a subscription card to each of the veteran artists on the list. The cards read: “Present this card to purchase 400 jin of raw willow strips and 100 jin of steamed willow strips at a discount. The price for raw strips is 3 yuan, and the price for steamed strips is 5 yuan. Address: Inside the old primary school in Tanzhuang Town.” They were also stamped with the red seal of “Dadong Crafts Company.” At the same time, Mu Dong instructed Old Man Su to publicize the assistance program for farmers who had lost their willow harvest while distributing the cards. With the county’s crop-loss subsidy receipt, combined with a sales receipt from Da Dong Company for willow products, farmers could purchase 400 jin of raw willow strips and 100 jin of steamed willow strips at the prices of 3 yuan and 5 yuan per jin, respectively. Those who heard this news and those who received the cards were initially skeptical. Had the owner of this so-called “Dadong Company” lost his mind? After all, current market prices were 6 yuan for raw willow strips and 11 yuan for steamed willow strips. If one could actually buy these willow strips from Dadong Company and resell them at the market, the net profit would be 1,800 yuan. But some people did believe it—and who were they? They were the people who knew Old Man Su well. Some were Old Man Su’s former colleagues from his younger days, while others were friends he’d later teamed up with to sell willow strips. They knew Old Man Su was trustworthy, and after listening to his patient explanation of Mu Dong’s intentions, they felt a warm glow in their hearts and were filled with gratitude toward Mu Dong. With their hearts warmed, they wanted to repay Boss Mu—perhaps by giving him a gift? But what should they give? On June 14, a group of people came to the elementary school to purchase willow products at a discounted price. Many of the veteran artisans arrived bearing gifts. Some artisans who wove traditional items brought bamboo baskets, grain bins, and other such goods; others brought all kinds of exquisite willow-woven vases; still others brought various storage baskets, laundry baskets… The selection was vast and dazzling. Someone remarked, “Mr. Mu, since you run a crafts company, why not set up a showroom to display these items?” Mu Dong was at a loss for words—this company was just for show; he had no intention of taking on any orders, so what was the point of setting up a showroom? But what could he do? It was all a gesture of goodwill, so he had to accept them. He couldn’t just pile them up haphazardly, so he decided to set up a showroom—after all, it would only cost a few sets of shelving. As luck would have it, the rooms on the first floor had all been cleared out. Mu Dong had Da Guo drive to the county seat to buy a few sets of shelving, and he set up a sample room in the room next to the dormitory—the very one where Old Su used to store his wickerwork. Seeing that Mu Dong had accepted the samples, the veteran artisans were all delighted. They said to him, “Mr. Mu, if you ever need any samples in the future, just let us know—we’ll make them for you free of charge. If you have any orders, we’ll help you with those too, and we’ll give you a discount on the labor fees.” Mu Dong quickly clasped his hands in a bow: “Thank you all so much! Thank you!” Soon, the first group of about 20 people that morning left after purchasing the willow wicker at a discount. In the afternoon, as word spread, people realized it was actually true! So, crowds poured in. In just one afternoon, the entire discounted supply from the 100 veteran artisans was sold out. More than 200 farming households that had lost their livelihoods also bought willow branches. As a result, the news spread even further. Over the next three days, large numbers of farmers whose crops had failed came every day with two receipts to buy willow branches, and many brought gifts. Some who didn’t process the willow themselves even brought local specialties. As a result, over the course of a few days, Mu Dong collected several hundred jin of peanut oil alone—in five-jin and ten-jin packages. There were also some who tried to take advantage of the situation, but before Mu Dong could intervene, they were dealt with by the angry farmers themselves, and no more fraudsters or unscrupulous individuals appeared afterward. By the morning of June 17, very few people were coming—only a dozen or so farmers showed up—and by the afternoon, not a single one remained. Mu Dong tallied the numbers: a total of 992 households had applied to purchase the discounted willow branches, which was slightly fewer than he had initially estimated. This left a surplus of reserved willow branches: 360,000 jin of raw willow and approximately 90,000 jin of steamed willow. It would be best to sell these willow branches as soon as possible. Mu Dong thought for a moment, then dialed Jia Fugui’s number.