Summer #19

Don't Turn from Summer (莫负寒夏) by Ding Mo (丁墨)

Chapter 19

The day Mu Hanxia goes to resign is an overcast day. The gray clouds are piling in the sky like the pushing waves stacked together. When she walks by the office area, the atmosphere is also dim and subtle. Some are looking at her, some are exchanging looks with each other.

She ignores all of them and keeps a calm look. When she encounters someone on her way, she gives a polite and humble smile as usual.

Finally she gets to Meng Gang’s office. Only his signature is needed as the final step of her resignation.

Meng Gang is sitting in the coach reading the documents with a cigarette between his lips. Seeing her, he quietly puts down his work.

Mu Hanxia says, “Manager Meng, this is my application for resignation. Please sign it.”

Meng Gang takes it over with a calm look. He takes up the pen and signs his name on the last page, but doesn’t pass it back to her immediately. Instead, he says, “Takes a seat, let’s talk a little more.”

Mu Hanxia always has complicated feelings before him. She doesn’t really want to have more words with him, but on some indescribable impulse, she sits down. Hands clasped together on her lap, she looks at him calmly.

Meng Gang takes up the cup, has a sip of tea, and says, “Remorseful?”

“Regretful, but not remorseful.”

Meng Gang smiles slightly and says, “Mu Hanxia, you should understand, many goals of our life can not be achieved merely by hard work. You will need help from others, need to say what you don’t want to say, and need to bend your head when necessary, in exchange of some things. You are smart, the smartest one I’ve ever seen all these years among store assistants. But you’re just an assistant after all. Do you know that when you leave Le Ya, leave the nest that I’ve protected so well for you, and gets out there, you will have to work much harder than others, and bend yourself much more to possibly become as successful as others?”

Mu Hanxia says nothing.

Meng Gang takes a puff at his cigarette. The smoke slowly drifts to her face. Does he do it intentionally or inadvertently, out of slight or reluctance to let go? It’s unknown.

“You need to be more selfish and more willing to give yourself up. You are shrewd but not snobbish enough. If you don’t change it, you will be used by others again in the future and will have bigger stumbles.”

“Manager Meng,” Mu Hanxia says slowly, “If the condition to get above people in this society is to live in a so messed-up manner that one can’t even recognize oneself, I would rather stay poor and be myself. But I don’t think it’s like this, at least not always. There must be a lot of people out there who are like me. There must be somewhere that one can live well based on one’s talent and diligence. When that day comes, will you envy me?”

Meng Gang can’t hold back his laugh. He laughs at the naivety and indomitable spirit in her words.

“No,” He says, “this rule works anywhere.”

Mu Hanxia also gives a smile, takes the resignation document from the desk and turns to the door.

“If...” He suddenly asks behind her back, “In the future someone asks for the same thing from you as I did, with a higher price, high enough to bring you success, as well as to destroy you, will you really refuse?”

Mu Hanxia is quiet for a moment, and answers, “I will never accept.”

--------

The next morning, Mu Hanxia says goodbye to He Jing.

He Jing has come to her home in the ghetto, helping her pack up with reddish eyes.

“These few stuff is all you have?” He Jing pats on her backpack.

“Yeah.” Mu Hanxia answers, “It’s not like I’m not coming back. Why should I take so much along.”

He Jing feels a pang of sadness in her heart and wants to find fault with other things, so she says fiercely, “It’s all Lin Mochen’s fault! So sly, so cruel! You looked at him as a friend and he turns around and robs you of the lychees, selling them at 5 yuan a pound at Yong Zheng. Now Yong Zheng is enjoying a complete victory and Le Ya is totally beaten. But I see that even Meng Gang isn’t affected and is still sitting in his store manager’s seat. Only you will be gone, be gone!”

Mu Hanxia is lost in thought for a moment, but then she says, “Actually in the first few days, I also had gripes against Lin Mochen. But when I calmed down, I didn’t think too badly of it. Standing in his shoes, what’s wrong with his doing that? If it was me, I might have done the same. It’s me myself... who did not separate the professional stuff from the personal. And, you have nothing to be mad at for me at all. Whether the lychee business succeeds or not, I will leave Le Ya all the same. Would I want to see Meng Gang every day?”

He Jing mumbles, “That’s right though. Xia, where do yo plan to go explore next?”

Mu Hanxia puts on a brilliant smile at the words, puts her arms around her shoulder, and says, “Why would I make thing hard for myself? Meng Gang gave me a few months’ extra salary, and I plan to first go vacation for some time and then think about the next step. Hey, we haven’t had nice vacations during the last few years. Say, don’t you envy me?”

He Jing gives her a flick on the forehead as usual. The worries on her face have dispersed, and she smiles, “Yes, yes, yes. I knew you’ve been longing to go have some fun and I envy you so much. Be careful on the trip, don’t get swindled or abducted.”

“Yes, I will remember that.”

After a moment, He Jing says again, “Xia, I actually believe you should go explore the outside world. You should not live like this, like me. You deserve a better life.”

--------

All is settled. Lin Mochen also takes his leave from Jiang Cheng, by air on a misty morning.

Cheng Weiwei is fully recovered and takes over the fully thriving Yong Zheng from him. She sends him to the airport.

“Thank you, school brother [1].” Cheng Weiwei smiles delicately, “I go to Beiing quite often. You won’t mind me bothering you sometimes, will you?”

[1: The way Cheng addresses Lin here is typically Chinese. In old times, the word literally means the older ones among the apprentices who follow the same master. Nowadays, as in this novel, it more commonly means a fellow student in the same major at the same school who begins earlier than oneself. A strict word-for-word translation could be ‘big brother in study.’ But it sounds very odd to me here. So I change it to ‘school brother.’ I also don’t want to change it to his name or other unrelated words as other translators did in earlier chapters, because I think here it is used by Cheng particularly to emphasize their special relationship.]

Lin Mochen has only a small briefcase with him. With the sunglasses on his eyes, he smiles lightly, “Why will I? You are a major client of Feng Chen in the future. Welcome to visit often.”

Cheng Weiwei smiles with satisfaction. They stand at the entrance of the security checkpoint, people coming and going all around them and the marble floor smooth, shiny and cool. A thought suddenly pops up in her mind -- will Lin Mochen give her a hug out of politeness?

But he just nods slightly to her and turns to enter the checkpoint without a bit of hesitation.

Cheng Weiwei gazes on until he disappears from her vision. Outside the window, the planes are leaving and landing. She thinks, the battle at Yong Zheng may just be a casual stroke made in Jiang Cheng by such a man as Lin Mochen. In Beijing, his company of Feng Chen, his enterprise in China, is just taking off.

Lin Mochen takes a short nap on the flight and suddenly wakes up. He looks out of the narrow window and sees the piling clouds and the tiny constructions on the ground. All of a suddenly, he thinks of Mu Hanxia.

Since that day, they haven’t contacted each other. He heard that she has resigned from Le Ya and has left Jiang Cheng.

An attitude of bidding farewell to everything and being through with him.

At this thought, the corner of his mouth shows a little trace of cool smile.

As soon as the plane lands, he takes out his cellphone, holds it in his hand for a moment, and finds her number.

“Come to Beijing, my company. Be my marketing manager.”

But after a long time, till he has returned to his home in Beijing, the cellphone has been quiet. She hasn’t replied.

Lin Mochen is suddenly a little angry. He throws the cellphone on the couch and checks it no more.

--------

A month later.

Lin Mochen’s company is located in a splendid office building at the International Trade Center in Beijing. The company isn’t big yet, and the employees are not many, only a little more than twenty. The rented office space is only a little over 200 square meters, but is furnished delicately and luxuriously. The face of the company, it has to be very beautiful.

In the afternoon, Lin Mochen is drinking coffee in his office. The many plans of the company are being pushed forward. But it’s not time to lay everything out yet. So he is still quite at leisure.

The secretary knocks on the door and walks in, with a puzzled look on her face: “Chief Lin, someone is here for an interview.”

Lin Mochen says coolly, “When did I want new hires?”

The secretary’s expression is even more puzzled, “But Chief Lin, she said you asked her to come.”

Lin Mochen is surprised momentarily and suddenly smiles, “Let her wait in the reception room.”

Mu Hanxia didn’t know that Lin Mochen would let her wait for three hours. Only when the sun is setting and the rosy color tints up the whole reception room, does the pretty and elegant secretary come back into the room and says, “I’m sorry, Miss Mu. Chief Lin has been busy and hasn’t got any free time until now. Please come with me.”

Even though Mu Hanxia gets a little restless with the wait and doubts whether Lin Mochen has left her in the cold on purpose, she swallows it up and follows the secretary to his office.

Some employees look up at them and Mu Hanxia feels her heart beats faster. In the lingering light of the setting sun, he is in a white shirt and suit pants. The tie is neatly in place. He is reading documents at his big-boss office desk.

The secretary goes out and closes the door. It is very quiet in the room. He doesn’t look up at all. Mu Hanxia opens her mouth: “Lin Mochen.”

He then puts down the documents, leans slowly back into his chair, and looks up at her.

“Why are you here?” He asks with a half smile.

Mu Hanxia suddenly realizes that he is mad and knows why he is mad. For some reason, she doesn’t feel angry or embarrassed. Instead, she feels a warm tranquil in her heart, just like the twilight surrounding them. She doesn’t in the least mind the stab he gave her in the back. After so much time, those things seem so distant as if they were from the past life to her. She understands him, just like she understands herself.

So, she gives him a smile, and answers evenly, “I’m here to be your marketing manager.”

Lin Mochen gazes at her quietly. Her face looks darker, which must be tanned during these days. Her slick long hair is tied up and coiled into a bun on the back of her head, making her look neat and efficient. She has put on an office dress suit with knee-high skirt. The thin high heels stand steadily but not slackly on the floor. She looks into his eyes with the clear and bright eyes of hers. But in the depth of her dark pupils, there’s a little uncertainty, a little delicate timidness and anticipation.

Jusk like a layer of extremely thin paper, seemingly smooth and straight, will rip with the slightest touch.

Lin Mochen replies lightly, “OK.”

Later, Lin Mochen always remembers this afternoon. He has seen too many pitiful people, pleading people. But for the first time in his life, at the look of this woman’s eye in that instant, his heart becomes so tender, like the fine sands falling.

---- The end of Volume I ----

Summer #18

Don't Turn from Summer (莫负寒夏) by Ding Mo (丁墨)

Chapter 18

Two days later, Mu Hanxia receives the phone call from Meng Gang in the late night.

He says, “Mu Hanxia, I listened to the report from your manager earlier tonight, and agree that you directly purchase lychees from Hainan.”

Mu Hanxia replies, “OK.”

“About the details, your manager will communicate with you.”

“OK.”

It is quiet for a moment on the phone, neither seems to have anything to say. Mu Hanxia sits in her bed, looking up at the very dark sky outside the window. The sky is like a vast deep lake with no boundaries. There will a few more hours before it becomes bright again.

“You’re always out of my expectation.” Meng Gang says.

Mu Hanxia suddenly smiles quietly and says, “Manager Meng, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

“Wait,” His voice turns slightly hoarse in the deep night, “After this task, come back to my side.”

Mu Hanxia feels a little shiver in her heart, as if pinched by someone. There is a hint of smile in her voice, “Manager Meng, I don’t quite understand what you mean. When did I ever go to your side?”

But Meng Gang is in no hurry. Through the phone line, Mu Hanxia can imagine his steady and shrewd composure on the other side. He replies, “Mu Hanxia, little girl, now that you would take such a step, I can tell you won’t regard the incident on that day as a dead knot. Since you’re not pursuing the past mistake, I don’t think why I can’t keep you. Your education and background is not good enough, and only gets to your current position after working three years in Le Ya. Do you want to give up like this? Do you think I really like the idea of sending you to a place without any reliance? When you come back, stay in sales department. The merit you win this time, I will reward with a promotion and salary raise. As to what happened between us, if you’re not willing, I won’t mention any more. Won’t this do for you?”

Mu Hanxia is silent for a long while, and answers with a smile, “Manager Meng, thank you for being so generous.” It’s hard to tell if it’s heartfelt or sarcastic from her tone. Meng Gang says nothing.

Then Mu Hanxia hangs up.

The call from Meng Gang made Mu Hanxia somewhat depressed and restless in sleep during the later half of the night. Nevertheless, she gets up early in the morning and goes to finalize the agreement with Zhang Yulei.

The sun is hanging brightly above the horizon. It’s another sunny day. Mu Hanxia has been busy for the whole morning and finally signed paper contracts with several farms. The procurement amount from Zhang Yulei’s farm is the largest among them, with a total of five truck loads. It’s agreed that they will all be shipped off to Jiang Cheng this same evening.

Everything is ready, only the last kick is needed to hit the goal.

In the afternoon, Zhang Yulei drives Mu Hanxia to the train station. Mu Hanxia is still carrying a backpack, light and gallant. Probably because the success is within reach, there is cheerfulness in her eye and on her face. But Zhang Yulei looks at her darker skin obviously tanned in the last few days, and urges caringly, “Captain, take care on the trip. We’ve been to hasty to buy any food. Don’t be afraid of spending money, buy the boxed lunch on the train.”

Mu Hanxia pats her backpack with a little uneasiness, “I’ve got bread here.”

Zhang Yulei frowns, “How can that be enough? It’s a trip of over 20 hours. Listen to me, don’t sacrifice your own health.” He then smiles, “Didn’t you say? Once this this done, you will stand back up. So you won’t be short of money any more.”

Mu Hanxia also smiles and clasps her hands, “Thank you for your blessings.”

People are bustling around. It is crowded and chaotic. The broadcast starts to announce the check-in of her train. Zhang Yulei looks at her warmly, “Go, my captain. Wish you a smooth trip!”

Mu Hanxia doesn’t move, instead holds his hand lightly but solemnly and says, “Yulei, you’ve always been a generous and good person, I remember it all in my heart. Thank you so much this time. The shipment, please keep a close eye on it for me. Please, it can’t go a little bit wrong. I really...rely on this last chance.”

Zhang Yulei is very touched at her words and nods, “Rest reassured. At six this afternoon, all the lychees will be loaded and shipped on time. I guarantee with my reputation, nothing will go wrong.”

The train leaves the platform. From the damp and hot Hainan, crossing the trait, it slowly enters the inner land. Mountains and cities flash by quickly. Mu Hanxia sits by the window and doesn’t even feel hungry when the day turns into night. She checks her cell phone constantly and finally at six thirty she receives the message from Zhang Yulei: “All done! Ten trucks have all got onto the highway.” A photo follows behind, a long line of trucks in the setting sun, all fully loaded with lychees.

Mu Hanxia feels her heart loosens up, as if finally coming back to a cool space after a whole day’s sun burn. The joy rises from the heart and quietly spreads all over her chest. She leans against the window and a smile shows up at the corner of her mouth. After a while, she falls fast asleep out of extreme fatigue.

On the other side, Zhang Yulei is also relaxed after finishing the job. He stands in the sunny but dark night, gazing at the vast farm, and decides to take a patrolling round of it. The last few days he has left quite some work behind to help Mu Hanxia.

At a little past nine, when he just comes out from the farm, someone runs to him with a message, “Yulei, a man with the last name of Lin just came to see your father, saying he wants to buy all our production.”

Zhang Yulei is confused, “For the next few days? But all our products have been shipped to Jiang Chen.”

The messenger’s expression is also a little strange, “He said he will buy it back with double price. Right now the old man is having tea with him. You know, with double price, we will have a huge profit, but he will definitely lose money.”

Zhang Yulei goes blank for a second and suddenly feels an explosion in his mind. Last name Lin, double price, right when Mu Hanxia just left... He starts to dash toward home, “We can’t sell it to him!”

While Zhang Yulei is running toward home like crazy, his father Zhang Ziqiang and Lin Mochen are sitting in the family living room, the atmosphere quiet and harmonic.

Zhang Ziqiang has been in business for his whole life. A few years ago he came to Hainan to plant lychees with a few buddies. The business isn’t very large, but still it counts to something. He is a simple but shrewd middle-aged man. Although the last one year or two he let his son manage the business, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t know anything.

Like right now, this young man, with his fine outfit and imposing air, suddenly came to visit. Zhang Ziqiang knows he has too meet this person himself.

 With a light smile on his face, Lin Mochen sips the good tea from the Zhang’s and slowly explains the purpose of his visit, as if making casual chats. However, Zhang Ziqiang quietly thinks for a few moments at his words, and then nods, “OK. If Mr. Lin is really willing to pay double price, how can I refuse? This batch of lychees, I’m willing to sell you. The thing is, the products have been shipped this afternoon. We have to get them back first.”

Lin Mochen answers with a smile, “No need. My store is also in Jiang Chen. Just send them directly into my warehouse.”

Zhang Ziqiang gives him a look and nods, “OK.”

The two of them hold up their tea cups and clink them together lightly.

When Zhang Yulei breathlessly rushes into the living room, this is exactly what he sees. He feels all his blood has rushed into his brain and shouts, “Dad, you can’t send the products into his warehouse.”

Lin Mochen puts down his cup and gives hims a short glance, as if not caring about what he says at all. He stands up with a smile, “Chief Zhang, 50% of the amount will be transferred to your account quickly. Once the contract is signed and the goods arrive, I will pay the remaining 50%. Good bye.”

Zhang Ziqiang nods and looks at his son with his face dropped, “What did you say? What can’t send? You sell the products to that little girl with discounts, you think I don’t know it? Don’t meddle in this deal any more.”

Zhang Yulei is sad and angry at the same time. He casts a fierce stare at Lin Mochen. But Lin remains calm as usual, even with a hint of smile at the corner of his mouth, and walks out.

After the door is shut, the arguing sound in the room can be heard from several yards away. But this already has nothing to do with Lin Mochen. He is sure that Zhang Ziqiang will send those lychees into his warehouse.

The moonlight is so clear, the dirt road soft, and the warm humid air brushes on his face. In front of the house built by the Zhang family, there is also a grove of lychee trees. Lin Mochen walks through it, feeling the serenity and the freshness, his brain seeming to become extremely tranquil.

However, he suddenly thinks of Mu Hanxia. He remembers that night when they were trapped in the warehouse, darkness all around them, he saw her sitting in the corner holding her knees in her arms, so thin and so helpless.

Lin Mochen lowers his eyes. After tomorrow, she may cry. Because she will be beaten to the bottom of the valley, no longer able to fight back.

These thoughts won’t make him soft-hearted or remorseful. In his heart, he only feels a quiet emptiness.

Right at the moment, there come the hasty footsteps from behind. Lin Mochen stops and wants to step aside, but it’s already too late. Zhang Yulei has given him a might punch in the face with his fist.

Lin Mochen staggers a few steps before he can steady himself. Zhang Yulei has done a lot of physical labor these years and he is sure strong. Lin Mochen, however, has been in comfort for long and is thin. This one punch makes him bleeding badly; his face, shirt and all over are immediately stained with blood. Lin Mochen covers his face with his hand and says coldly, “Are you crazy?”

Zhang Yulei has a gentle personality after all. This one punch is already very difficult for him. But he doesn’t want to stop there yet. So he stands in the fugitive patterns of the trees shadows, furiously staring at Lin Mochen: “How can you treat her like this? How can you give her a stab in the back like this? How could you bear to?”

Lin Mochen takes out some tissues, wipes off the blood with an indifferent face, and presses on his nose, exposing only his deep and cold eyes: “Ah...Didn’t she come to Hainan to set me up in my back?”

Zhang Yulei is choked by his words for a moment, but immediately contradicts, “That’s different! She is almost pushed away by her manager. She does it to save herself.”

Lin Mochen gives a cold smile, “Save herself? Classmate Zhang, you single-mindedly take her part. But have you ever thought how ruthless and how slick this move of hers is? Ah, new-born calves are not afraid of tigers. Just based on a few data chart curves, she could find the price and time difference and is determined to sell the lychees at an impossible price. If she succeeds, the outcomes I’ve had for months and the several million invested will all result in a discount. No only many customers will go back to Le Ya, but also the reputation of Yong Zheng will be damaged. Won’t the customers think, since Le Ya sells at 5, why would Yong Zheng sell at 10? Isn’t this price-gouging? What reason do I have to let her get her way? Do I work for charity?”

Zhang Yulei’s face is white and blue; he can’t say a word. The wood becomes so quiet, only the moonlight sparsely covering the ground between them.

Zhang Yulei feels a helpless sadness all of a sudden. He squats down and says slowly, “Lin Mochen, she mentioned you to me -- She regards you as a friend.”

Lin Mochen is quiet for a moment and answers, “I know.”

Zhang Yulei jerks his head up to look at him, “What you’ve done here, she won’t forgive you.”

However, under the mysterious night sky, he only sees the deep and dark eyes of Lin Mochen. This guy definitely has a heart hard as rock, unmovable as the look in his eye. On his face, there even appears a little unfathomable smile.

“No, she will remember me.”

Mu Hanxia arrives in Jiang Chen the next night. The night wind in May is still a little chilly, but she doesn’t care. In her heart there seems to be a fire, jumping and anxious. Only when this fire truly burns out, can she have the real peace.

She is not sleepy either. She should go home to bed but she doesn’t want to. So she just takes the night bus and goes directly to the store warehouse. In four or five hours, it will be daytime, and the lychees will have arrived by then.

There’s someone on duty at the warehouse and she is allowed to stay in the door-keeper's room. Her cellphone ran out of battery on the way, now she finally can have it charged. Holding her knees in her arms, she sits in the cold and hard worn-out chair, casually covered with a jacket. She looks outside the window at the sky that’s still dark. A street lamp lonely stands there in the dark. The picture somehow makes her uneasy.

Later, she dozes off.

She has a dream. A man in suits sits nearby and smiles at her. She can’t see his face but just feels familiar and warm. Then she lowers her head and smiles too.

It’s a lightly sweet dream.

When she wakes up again, it’s already broad daylight. Rubbing her eyes, Mu Hanxia gazes at the quiet sunlight outside the window. Suddenly she remembers something, and cold sweat bursts out on her back.

Summer #17

Don't Turn from Summer (莫负寒夏) by Ding Mo (丁墨)

Chapter 17

Mu Hanxia looks up at the blue sky. The sun shines so strongly that she can hardly open her eyes. With slightly squinted eyes, she looks at the numerous lychee trees, leaves green and fruits red, bunches and bunches of lychees hanging heavily from the bruches. She smiles softly and thinks to herself, if she really succeeds, that would be like living a dream.

What she is feeling now, is like walking on the high wire. She is a gambler who’s make a last strike, gambling huge with herself in an unnoticed corner.

Zhang Yulei stands a few steps beside her, gazing at her. They were high school classmates and haven’t seen each other for a few years. But there are some people who make you feel trust and warmth whenever you think of them. To many people, the once God-favored Mu Hanxia is probably someone like this, even though she is experiencing her life lows right now.

Zhang Yulei remembers clearly that she used to wear a white dress, hair neatly combed to the back, smiling brightly and slyly among classmates. Now, her smiles are the same, her spirit is still high, but something has changed in her look.

It’s a calm and quiet kind of change.

“Honey peaches from Zhen Jiang, mushrooms from Hu Bei, and Lychees from Hai Nan, they truly live up to their fame.” Mu Hanxia turns to look at him smilingly, “Da Lei, please give me all you can produce from the lychee farm next week. I will also take the products from the several lychee farms nearby.”

Zhang Yulei is quite taken aback. He already knows Mu Hanxia is only an unimportant sales assistant in the supermarket.

“You...you want? What do you want? Where do you get money from?”

Mu Hanxia grins and gives him a light punch, “Why? Think so light of me? Can’t I ever come to do business with you? The thing is, I’m not a sales assistant now, I’m in the sales department. If you could give me the opportunity, I will talk to my manager and purchase directly from you.”

Zhang Yulei thinks for a moment without answering immediately. Although his father is still managing the lychee farm, he is almost in charge of most of the business. As far as the price is fine, he should be able to make decisions. And privately, he is even willing to let Mu Hanxia have a price that’s a little lower. Although the request she raises is a little abrupt, in his heart, he just trusts her.

So, he nods, “Fine. But you have to be fast. You know the Hai Nan lychees sell well, and it’s the peak season right now, the wholesale price changes every day. I can’t give you an exact price right now. But I can give you a small discount based on the day’s real-time price.”

Mu Hanxia looks at him gratefully, “I know. Thank you!”

The wholesale price for lychees in Hainan changes all the time, that she is certainly aware. This is why she came to Hainan.

The two of them walk through the lychee trees, stepping on the dirt path that has been hardened by the sunshine. Zhang Yulei listens to Mu Hanxia unhurriedly talking about her whole plan --

“As the assistant of the sales department, I dealt with numbers everyday, lots and lots of numbers. Sales data, supplies data, production data, supplier data, and so on. Gradually, I discovered a pattern. As you know, many seasonal and regional products, are not directly purchased from the production region by our supermarket, for example, lychees and other fruits, and rice in bulk too. If the store assigns people to procure every kind of product from out-of-town, they will need a lot of people, which is certainly impossible. So, like lychees, we just purchase from a supplier in Jiang Cheng. The supplier buys from you people in Hainan. Then there is a price difference in between.”

Zhang Yulei nods, “Exactly. But if you want to do direct procurement, you have to be responsible for the cost of shipment and labor. You won’t have any gains from it. Why would you do that?”

Mu Hanxia smiles, “Who said there won’t be any gains? I looked at those data closely every day, and discovered the problem in it. I went to discuss with the other more experienced employees in the department, but no one paid attention. Instead they thought I was looking for trouble. But the more I thought about it, it more certain I felt. There hides an opportunity in this market of supply and demand.”

“What opportunity?”

“Usually, if I change to direct procurement, we won’t earn more, right? Because the supplier in between doesn’t earn much after all. This is the automatic adjustment mechanism of market price.

However, I studied the the wholesale price of lychees in Hainan during the last five years in this season, around the twenty days about now to be exact. I also studied the price chart provided by the suppliers and discovered that, here in Hianan, the price changes everyday. The more the daily production is , the lower the price goes and the faster it goes lower, right? The price chart from our supplier shows the same tendency. But, because the suppliers vary in quality, and there is a distance between us and the production region, the supplier market is not well regulated, and the information does not flow very smoothly, there price adjustment is not as prompt as you the producer. There is a lag of 3 to 5 days in the least.”

Zhang Yulei’s heart jumps at the words. He seems to understand where the ‘opportunity’, as Mu Hanxia says, lies hidden.

Mu Hanxi’s eyes seem especially clear in the sun. Looking at her, Zheng Yulei feels as if he is looking at a different person. She says, “I’ve looked. The local price here in Hainan today is 7.2 yuan, while in Jiang Cheng, the supplier’s price is 8.4 yuan. And the retail prices in Le Ya and Yong Zheng are both around 10 yuan. Based on the sales pattern and the weather forecast, next week will probably be a sales peak in Hainan and the real-time wholesale price will be less than 5 yuan. But the prices in Jiang Chen won’t change until three days later. What I’m trying to do, is to take advantage of the brief time and price difference and take the lychees back through direct procurement.”

Zhang Yulei asks, “How much do you plan to sell then?”

Mu Hanxia answers, “Yong Zheng, and all other supermarkets in Jiang Cheng are still selling at 10 yuan, only we sell at 5 yuan, a low price totally beyond imagination. What do you thing the customers would think? They would feel unbelievable and then fight to buy them out. Consequently, the lychees from all other supermarkets won’t be able to sell. As long as I succeed at this single thing, Le Ya will be regain customers’ attention and come back to life.”

--------

It is damp and sweltering at dusk in Hainan. Mu Hanxia stays in a very cheap express inn. After taking a shower, she changes into the loose T-shirt and shorts and lies in bed, gazing at the crystal blue sky out of the window.

Zhang Yulei insisted that she stay in his home but she declined. For one thing, she doesn’t want to bother him too much. Secondly, in Zhang Yulei’s home, it’s his father who’s the boss after all. Staying at his home like this may not be good for the business she’s going to do with them.

Today she has the spoken promise from Zhang Yulei, and with his help, she has come to agreement with another lychee farm nearby. After reaching just another two farms tomorrow, she could then report her whole plan to the sales manager.

Although she is only an unimportant person, she is sure that the plan won’t get neglected by the manager and will be reported to Meng Gang immediately. And Meng Gang is sure to agree and try his best to get it done.

But if Meng Gang wants to send another person to Hainan for the negotiation, it definitely won’t be soon enough to catch the price difference. So he can only rely on her.

Then, she will get what she wants to get.

But, would everything go smoothly as she plans? In her heart, she’s somehow uncertain.

Since the night she almost got hurt by Meng Gang, there has been a strong sense of valor in her heart. When she came up with the plan, the valor has driven her forward, regardless of anything. She wouldn’t think about how many difficulties she would encounter, nor how tiny how unimportant a role she is. She just gives all herself out trying to be successful at this one thing. D- it! Other people’s life is life, other people’s desire is desire. What about hers then? Isn’t hers what it is too?

......

However, what she doesn’t know is, in this hotel, there is another guest who’s also from Jiang Cheng.

The night is falling outside the window. The setting sun leaves just a little light, tinting the sky so dimly. Lin Mochen stands in his room, a little unpleasant.

He has never stayed in such a shabby hotel before. Cotton bed sheet, the two curtain drapes hanging like noodles, and the floor that are stained with tiny dots if you look carefully. Each more look just makes him slightly more sick.

But there’s nothing he can do; that woman is staying here.

About his decision of leaving everything in Yong Zheng behind and flying to Hainan, Chen Weiwei expressed her bewilderment, and says on the phone, “Jason, you are always steady and reliable. But now you suddenly put down the things I ask you to help with, I really don’t understand.”

Lin Mochen replied, “I can make clear judgment about what is the most important to me. I’ve made arrangement about the upcoming business plan of Yong Zheng. Even if I’m not there, it will run on its own. If you don’t understand, that’s your problem.” At these words he hangs up.

What is the most important to him now, is Mu Hanxia. With this thought, the corners of his mouth turn up coolly. In the business world, does one only rely on one’s brain? No, many times, one relies on instinct. The other day when he heard Mu Hanxia talking to He Jing, mentioning words like “market of supply and demand”, “data”, “opportunity”, he started to feel something wrong somehow. Then he heard her say “cut a gash in the seige of of Yong Zheng,” exactly what he doesn’t want to happen. So, how could he let this scourge develop right before his eyes? God knows the more unimportant one seems, the more easily one does something totally unbelievable.

So he followed her here. After following her for a day, he has learned what is woman basically wants to do.

On the ground floor of the hotel, there’s a very tiny and relatively serene courtyard, with a few tree growing in it. It’s dark now. Lin Mochen has been standing in front of the window for just a few moments when he sees the room across the yard is opened. Mu Hanxia comes out from it.

Lin Mochen turns slightly and stands behind the curtain, watching her.

She appears to be a little preoccupied. Circling the yard and touching the leaves and flowers a couple of times, she seems rather restless in her mind. Finally, she sits down at a partly damaged stone stool, with her back right against Lin Mochen’s window but very close to him. He can even see her skin behind the ears, white and fine, blurry under the soft yellow light in the yard.

Maybe he has been standing in this shabby room for too long, Lin Mochen suddenly feels a little anxiousness from within. But he keeps gazing at her, motionless and soundless.

She sits for a while, draws out a pedant from around her neck and holds it in her palm. Lin Mochen notices it’s a small jade Buddha hanging on a red string.

She closes her eyes, puts her palms together, and prays in a low voice, “Mom, you must bless me. This is the only chance I’ve got to stand back up. Bless me to be smooth, to have no trouble. Bless me to win this merit, so that no matter I stay or leave, there will be someone who thinks high of me. I don’t want to be a store assistant anymore, I don’t want to be slighted or insulted any more. I want to climb higher, climb to whatever height I can reach in my life.”

After saying this, she puts down her hands. As if she is purposefully relaxing herself, she makes a long exhale. And then, she walks back into the room and shuts the door.

It suddenly becomes extremely quiet in the yard. The moonlight on the ground is clear and thin as water. Above the building, the dark clouds are dimly piled. Lin Mochen suddenly curls up the corner of his mouth and smiles.