Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 248 Old Yu is moving?
The last few days in Harbin were smooth and monotonous.

After finishing his last exam and walking out of Zhengxin Building, Zhai Da fully entered winter break mode.

There are practically no people left on campus.

I just had this inexplicable feeling that the people in the Materials Science and Engineering class were a bit strange.

Chatting and joking around isn't as relaxed anymore. Even when telling jokes, a group of people standing there feel awkward, as if they're saying, "Laugh! Laugh now!"

Could it be that he had something to do with the fact that he didn't attend the pre-holiday gathering?
After the exam, he stayed another day to make some arrangements with Wu Yue.

"Yueda Catering" is bound to expand next year, and some preparations can already begin.

For example, the craft beer base at the back gate has rented out an entire row of shops.

As mentioned before, there used to be only one large car maintenance shop here. Because the rent was cheap, almost the entire row of shops were taken over and could be called repair shops.

After closing down, the place remained vacant for a long time. "Yueda Catering" had rented most of it, but this time Wu Yue contacted the landlord and simply took over the whole place.

Gradually, it felt like the company was going to take over the whole street.

It's true that this place was originally called "Unnamed Road" on the map, so it wouldn't be a problem to call it "Yueda Road" from now on.

With the 30% expansion, there will be ample space here to standardize and increase production capacity, such as a dedicated parking garage, separate raw material and finished product storage areas, and more craft brewing equipment.
In addition, Zhai Da reserved a separate room for himself, 80 square meters, which retains the style of the original auto repair shop. Next year, he will start to work on the "Mechanical Core" and will need a dedicated place for it.

Or rather, it's your own workshop.

Xu Xuejun will also be moving after the New Year. "Yueda Catering" plans to find a proper industrial site nearby to set up a small factory.

Expanding into various regions, the production of craft brewing equipment is the source of everything and their biggest core competitiveness. If they can't keep up in this area, everything else is meaningless. So it's time to build a dedicated factory!

On the 16th, Zhai Da packed his belongings, leaving the unimportant and space-consuming equipment at the Shenzhou Mansion.

Small and convenient items can be carried on your person or in your suitcase.

The two "equipment slots" contain the least convenient items: the [Mechanical Core] and the [Pure Gold Secret Staff].

If such a large volume of gold were swept out, Uncle Hat would definitely ask about it.

If he can't produce proof of purchase, Zhai Da will probably be on the news the next day.

Then, holding Little Wooden Head's hand, they embarked on their journey home.

Downstairs, a black Land Cruiser Prado was parked on the side of the road, and Wang Xiaolong waited there, looking quite energetic.

Zhai Da raised an eyebrow: "You're buying a car already? Do you have enough money?"

Wang Xiaolong chuckled and said, "It's secondhand, and I even paid in installments. Brother Da, I didn't waste money; it's for work."

It's half true and half false, but he is, after all, an A-level employee who frequently deals with the outside world. Having a nice car is always a plus, and people in Northeast China really value that.

This car must cost four or five hundred thousand yuan a new one; he thought it was borrowed by Wang Xiaolong from Wu Yue.

However, Zhai Da only didn't want his employees to mess around; he didn't care about how they spent their money.

"Let's go, straight to the airport."

Old Xu couldn't hold back any longer, and with his wallet bulging, he left the day after the annual meeting.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Despite headwinds, the journey went smoothly throughout.

Four hours later, at Lianshi Baita Airport, Zhai Da walked out of the simple arrival exit and saw someone waving vigorously outside.

"Zhai Da! Over here!"

Zhai Da pushed the suitcase forward and said, "Long time no see, Uncle Li."

Li Dongdong took Zhai Da's luggage. Hugging between boys is awkward, but shaking hands doesn't seem intimate enough, so they just stood there grinning like idiots.

Li Dongdong's father, Li Kangda, the county magistrate of Dongyang, was much simpler. He extended his hand to shake Zhai Da's hand and said with a smile, "Little Zhai, welcome back. Let's go."

About three days ago, the Utopia group chat, where everyone was on holiday, became lively. They checked their schedules and found that Zhai Da and Li Dongdong had landed one after the other.

Dongyang has no airport or train, so everyone returning home has to transfer through Lianshi or Qianshi. Li Dongdong suggested that they all be taken back together, which led to today's situation.

Li Dongdong is currently studying at Rongcheng University in Sichuan Province. With his limited score, this is the best possible outcome for college application guidance. He is very likely to be admitted to a first-tier university in the future, so he can say that he can reap the benefits without effort.

Moreover, he had gained a lot of experience in the provincial capital, so Li Kangda was not only grateful to Zhai Da for being the top scholar in his county, but also personally very grateful to Zhai Da.

As for Li Dongdong's dividends at the time, well, it's best not to talk about it, but Li Kangda said: Uncle remembers it all!

This is legitimate income; he wrote the application materials to claim it later.

I was happy for almost half a year.

A rather unassuming Audi A4 headed towards Dongyang County. County Chief Li was driving himself. Zhai Da didn't ask whether it was an official vehicle or a private car; in 09, regulations weren't strict.

The atmosphere on the way was harmonious. County Chief Li was here purely for family matters today, picking up his son's classmates and friends. He was all smiles and seemed no different from any other middle-aged man.

Asking about the weather in Harbin and university life, time flew by. Before we knew it, the car had entered Dongyang County and was on a road familiar to Zhai Da.

Zhai Da stared blankly out the car window at the road, feeling a little different from summer, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

This impoverished county in the province has started to show some improvement in recent years, or rather, it can't compare to those monsters in the southern part of the province, but it's on the right track.

However, given the low starting point and the unruly teammates, even if it eventually becomes one of the "Top 100 Counties in the Country," it may not be able to shake off the label of "Impoverished County in the Province."

For example, the roads in this industrial zone are still the same old bumpy, potholed roads.

At that moment, a familiar object appeared in front of Zhai Da.

"Discovered a special item with blue rarity, [Execution of Old Elm]: There used to be an old prison where every execution took place under a tree. Many people's last glimpse was of the old elm's canopy."

Status: Not owned, not activated.

"Effect: Increases the probability of accidents within the area by 50%, accelerates the decomposition speed of corpses under the tree by 300%, ???"

Special effects: ???

"Unsealing Mission: ???"

Zhai Da's gaze followed the old elm tree. In winter, it had lost all its leaves. Several crows or some other dark birds perched on its branches, their heads slowly turning, their scarlet eyes following the car Zhai Da was in, making them look particularly eerie.
The atmosphere is fantastic.
After navigating several large potholes, the Audi A4 creaked and groaned like a roller coaster, making County Chief Li somewhat embarrassed. He then said, "This road will be renovated and redesigned in the spring. The road surface is about 10 years old and needs repair."

“Especially that intersection we just saw, the planning was not very reasonable, and accidents occurred frequently. It needs to be completely rebuilt.”

Zhai Da's heart skipped a beat: "Will they dig up that big tree from earlier?"

"A big tree? I think so."

"So what's usually done with trees like this?"

"What's wrong with sawing it off?"

Saw it off? What a waste!

This is blue-tier equipment! It's on the same level as the Uncertainty Pocket Watch, the Pure Gold Secret Cane, and the Mechanical Core!
Those question marks might conceal a very strong ability, and he can now turn off equipment effects, so he's not afraid of incurring negative consequences.

Generally speaking, roadside trees are simply treated unless they are protected plants or ancient trees of historical significance.

That old elm tree held a special and powerful significance for the system, but in the real world, it was just an elm tree. Furthermore, the definition of an ancient tree was unclear in 09.

It's been sawed off, so be it.
That's the difference between weighing yourself and not weighing yourself.

With a sudden thought, Zhai Da immediately said, "Uncle Li, to be honest, I have a connection with that big tree."

County Chief Li thought he had misheard, but he has now figured out which big tree Zhai Da was referring to.

"Actually, my mom works at a nearby wool mill. When I was little, I often played under that tree. We made a promise with it—cough, it would bless me to study hard, and I would take good care of it when I grew up."

Perhaps feeling that his explanation was too abstract, Zhai Da unusually hesitated and lacked confidence.

County Chief Li's response was: Are you kidding me?

But since it was Zhai Da who spoke, we had to listen carefully, no matter how abstract the answer was.

"Um, I'll ask around later and see if we can transplant it to another location?"

Zhai Da shook his head, saying that even if it were transplanted, ownership wouldn't belong to him: "I want to buy it. If there are any additional costs, I'm willing to pay them and go through the proper procedures."

Li Kangda hesitated for a moment, mainly because he didn't know what kind of procedures or systems were involved. But it didn't sound like a big deal.

"I'll look into it later; I really haven't had any experience with this before."

The car slowly came to a stop in Sanmao Community. Lu Wei stared blankly at the familiar sidewalk next to her. The gardenia trees looked listless, as if they didn't remember every step the boys and girls took in the summer.

Yu Xiaoli, who had already taken half a day off, stood at the entrance of the community looking around. When she saw her son and goddaughter get out of the car, she couldn't help but smile.

To everyone's surprise, Lu Wei suddenly jogged over and gave Yu Xiaoli a big hug.

"Teacher Yu, we're back."

Yu Xiaoli was a little stunned by the sudden attack. After all, she was a girl weighing several tens of kilograms. She staggered backward and almost fell. While holding on, she looked at Zhai Da, as if to say: What's going on?
Zhai Da shrugged, as if to say: "I'm getting better."
This pose just looks familiar.
Yu Xiaoli hugged Lu Wei tightly, even lifting her feet off the ground, and weighed her in her arms: "Good girl, you've finally gained some weight and gotten quite plump!"

Lu Wei: "Teacher Yu, you too."

Yu Xiaoli:
Suddenly I don't feel like hugging anymore.
Of course, it was just talk. After the hug lasted for several seconds, Yu Xiaoli was about to say, "Let's go upstairs, it's cold outside," when Zhai Da hugged her tightly again.

"Mom, you're back."

Zhai Da lifted Yu Xiaoli's feet off the ground, then turned to Lu Wei and laughed, "Nonsense, Ms. Yu hasn't gained weight!"

Yu Xiaoli was all smiles.

"It's just a little too solid."

Yu Xiaoli: ?

(End of this chapter)