Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

The post office newspaper deliveryman noticed something was going on in front of the newsstand ahead; three men were holding a large, fat man hostage. He parked his green tricycle on the side of the road, got off, and called out, "The delivery guy's here, Old Liu's in..."

"Hey!" Boss Zhou shouted, feeling the gray-clad man's fingers tighten and loosen on his wrist. He also noticed the short man constantly shifting his stance. "Come on, come on, Old Liu told me to wait for you here!"

The deliveryman nodded and walked over with small, hurried steps.

"The post office people are here! Take a good look!" Boss Zhou looked at the three men smugly. He knew that in the eyes of the locals, post office workers represented the government. Unless someone like Qian Youde was completely out of their mind, even if they had the greatest audacity, they would never dare to cause trouble in front of government officials.

Boss Zhou felt the gray-clad man hesitate and then let go of his hand.

"Oh?" The deliveryman looked at the magazines scattered on the ground with a puzzled expression. "These people look unfamiliar. Are they new here? Old Liu has been running this kiosk for twenty years, and this is the first time I've seen people helping to move books like this."

The blond man leaned forward, pretended to throw a punch at the deliveryman, and roared, "What's it to you? You old idiot!" Boss Zhou saw a look of surprise on the deliveryman's face.

The man in gray coughed a few times, cleared his throat, and forced a smile: "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! We just came... to promote some new magazines." He waved to his two companions, "It's alright, let's go."

Mr. Zhou made a face at the deliveryman as an apology. The three men jumped into the car, started the engine, and drove off.

"Where's Old Liu?" the deliveryman asked.

"I dodged." Boss Zhou patted the dirt off his clothes and grinned. "Those guys were really fierce. An old man like him, if he didn't dodge, he'd be waiting to get beaten up, wouldn't he?"

"You're from Bluebird, right?" the deliveryman asked, bending down to pick up Bluebird magazines.

How did you know?

"I heard yesterday that someone was causing trouble in Zhujiajiao, and they were throwing away magazines like these." The deliveryman wiped the dirt off the Qingniao magazines and placed them on the counter. "I've been doing this route for eight years, and I know exactly what each stall gets. Your magazines are a recent addition, and they're selling quite well. Old Liu told me the day before yesterday that a fat guy surnamed Zhou came, that he's a nice guy, and his magazines are top-notch."

Boss Zhou took out his cigarette case, pulled out two cigarettes, and handed one to the deliveryman: "My name is Zhou Defu, but everyone calls me Fatty Zhou. Thanks to you today, brother, otherwise those three would have been causing trouble for who knows how long."

The deliveryman held a cigarette between his two wrinkled knuckles and to his ear: "My name is Sun Jianguo. Don't thank me, I'm just a newspaper deliveryman. No matter how arrogant those guys are, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on someone in front of the post office. That's the rule in our system. I think you're a decent guy. People in this town value reputation and trust people. If you've managed to stand here and not run away today, your magazine will be established in Songjiang Town from now on."

"Brother Sun's words warmed my heart," Boss Zhou said with a smile, squatting down to help pick up the magazines. "To be honest, I don't have any great skills, but I just believe in one principle: that is, to do honest business and not let anyone bully me."

"Brother, let me tell you the truth, Qian Youde has been a tyrant in Songjiang for seven or eight years. He started out as a truck driver for a local boss, but gradually he built his own group and started managing things."

"manage?"

"It's all about collecting money," Sun Jianguo said. "He goes to every shop in town with even a little business, and he talks to them. Small supermarket owners, rural passenger transport operators, scrap collectors—no one escapes his clutches. He collects anywhere from thirty to fifty to a hundred yuan a month, calling it security fees or sanitation fees, but it's really protection money. Some people put up with it, some left, and some became his people. This time, I don't know who instructed him, but he's started publishing a magazine."

"Brother Sun, how do you know so much?"

"I run the postal route, dealing with these ordinary people and stall owners every day. They tell me about their purchases, returns, who they've been wronged by, and which magazines sell well. After a while, what don't I know?"

Boss Zhou looked at Sun Jianguo thoughtfully, then suddenly his spirits lifted. He remembered that Cheng Xu from the publishing house had told him that Han Fei had asked him to collect stories because of a "Roots-Seeking Project." Cheng Xu had explained that the "Roots-Seeking Project" wasn't just about finding stories, but about planting roots in rural towns and in the hearts of the most genuine people. Wasn't Sun Jianguo a ready-made root?

"Speaking of which," Sun Jianguo sighed, picking up the last copy of Bluebird Magazine, "your boss is really patient, letting you come here alone to handle this."

"No, no, no," Boss Zhou shook his head repeatedly. "Our President Han doesn't know I ran away. He told me to wait for news in the shop, but I can't sit still. Our president, how should I put it... I've been dealing with him for a while now, and he's never let me suffer a loss. Last time he came to talk about cooperation, I said, 'Your terms are too good, is there some kind of trap?' Guess what he said?"

"How so?"

"He said," Zhou Laoban mimicked Han Fei's tone, "'Zhou Laoban, you do legitimate business, I make legitimate money, neither of us should cheat the other, only then can this business last.'"

Sun Jianguo chuckled a few times and stacked the magazines on the counter. "That's the truth. In all my years working at the post office, eight out of ten bosses I've met have said 'This money is easy to make' as their first comment. It's rare to find someone who can say 'long-term'." He flipped through the top magazine. "I've flipped through your magazine on the way here. It's different from those flashy ones. The writing has a certain energy."

"Oh, Brother Sun, you noticed too?" Boss Zhou said, "Our editor-in-chief Han said that this kind of thing isn't afraid of being rough, but it's afraid of being fake. He said that those stories made up while sitting in an office can be recognized as fake by readers at a glance. What's truly irreplaceable is what grows from the ground and smells of mud."

"Growing from the ground?" Sun Jianguo laughed. "That's an interesting way to put it."

There's a chance! Boss Zhou hoped his voice would remain calm, without revealing any excitement: "He also said that, especially someone like you, Brother Sun, who has spent your whole life running around rural towns, must have a ton of stories inside you. Just a few of them would be better than those made up."

Sun Jianguo glanced at Boss Zhou and smiled meaningfully: "I'll go to the car and get you today's Xinmin Evening News and Newspaper Digest. Please sign for them."

Boss Zhou leaned against the counter, shaking his heels, scratching his unkempt chin, his eyes fixed on Sun Jianguo's back.

He was filled with excited anticipation, but also a little guilty. He had disobeyed President Han's orders and almost caused a major disaster. But if he could help Qingniao recruit a key figure like Sun Jianguo, who had connections and a compelling backstory, he could redeem himself.

He took out his phone and checked his call log. Three calls were from Han Fei, and one was from his wife. He could probably call President Han back now. He pulled up Han Fei's number, placed his thumb on the green button, and hesitated. Call now. This can't be kept a secret anymore. He'd first honestly explain that he'd disobeyed and come to Songjiang, then focus the conversation on Sun Jianguo, emphasizing his value to the "Roots-Seeking Project." That would be less awkward than a simple apology and admission of wrongdoing. Okay. He pressed the button.