Chapter 262: This Thing Is Worth 80,000 Yuan?
Woke up naturally.
By the time Jiang Tao woke up, it was already past 8 AM.
At this time, he neither had to go to work nor worry about money.
One house in his hometown, one house in the county town, and three houses in the capital city.
He also owned two luxury cars worth over a million each.
Moreover, they were all fully paid for, with not a single cent of external debt.
Plus, every day when he woke up, he could earn 30,000 yuan in revenue from the Money-Attracting Golden Toad, 【 money-making money 】, and the BAIC EU5.
Jiang Tao’s current life was exceptionally comfortable.
In a way, he had already achieved financial freedom and would never have to worry about money again for the rest of his life.
He got up slowly, washed up, and then took the elevator down to a breakfast shop outside the residential area for a simple breakfast.
While eating breakfast, Jiang Tao sent a message to Yu Shuai on WeChat.
He lied that a friend of his who understood astrology had observed the stars last night and predicted a hailstorm in Ping County tomorrow.
Whether Yu Shuai believed it and took precautions was his own business.
Anyway, it had nothing to do with Jiang Tao.
Even if the hail destroyed all of Yu Shuai’s farm’s fruits, he would suffer no loss.
It was already very generous of him to kindly remind Yu Shuai.
It was only around 9 AM when Jiang Tao finished breakfast.
He had arranged to pick them up at their home around 2 PM with Yuan Mengqi’s family.
He still had the entire morning free.
“I’ll first go ask Uncle Shuisheng about his ex-wife and daughter!”
Jiang Tao wouldn’t refuse 1.5 million yuan that was being handed to him.
Moreover, this matter also involved national security.
While earning money, he could also help the country identify three spies.
Jiang Tao would definitely do such a win-win thing and wouldn’t have any psychological burden.
After paying, Jiang Tao drove directly towards Jiang Family Village.
In less than 10 minutes, his Mercedes-Benz G-Class was parked in front of his house.
What a coincidence!
Jiang Tao saw a blue electric tricycle parked at his main entrance, and the gate was open.
He figured Uncle Shuisheng must have come to water his trees.
After getting out of the car, he closed the car door with a bang and strode into the courtyard.
Just as he had expected, Jiang Shuisheng was carrying a water bucket made from a plastic bucket towards the mutant hairy walnut tree by the west wall.
“Uncle, you’re here so early to water the trees.”
Jiang Tao quickened his pace towards Jiang Shuisheng, greeting him with a smile.
“Taozi, you’re back. What time are you leaving for the capital today?”
Jiang Shuisheng turned his head to look at him when he heard Jiang Tao’s voice and greeted him with a smile.
“After lunch, I’ll leave around 2 PM. Uncle, have a cigarette.”
As Jiang Tao spoke, he took out a pack of Da Tian Ye cigarettes he had just opened at the breakfast shop.
After taking out one for himself, he handed the cigarette pack to Jiang Shuisheng.
“This cigarette is really good!”
Jiang Shuisheng took a cigarette from the pack and offered the pack back to Jiang Tao, but he refused.
Jiang Tao pushed the cigarette back and said with a smile, “Uncle, you can keep the rest. I have more in my car.”
“Oh, that’s too embarrassing!”
Jiang Shuisheng said he was embarrassed but nimbly put the cigarettes into his pocket.
A pack of Da Tian Ye cost over a hundred yuan, which was equivalent to several days of his salary!
With the cost of a pack of cigarettes, Jiang Tao had gained a lot of favor from Jiang Shuisheng.
After he finished watering the tree pit with all the water from the bucket, Jiang Tao invited him inside for a chat.
Originally, Jiang Shuisheng was unwilling to go inside.
He was afraid his shoes would dirty the floor and his dirty clothes would mess up the sofa inside.
But due to Jiang Tao’s enthusiastic invitation, he eventually went inside with him.
However, he refused to sit on the sofa no matter what, moving a small stool to sit by the coffee table, opposite Jiang Tao.
“Uncle, are you still in contact with your ex-wife and Jiaojiao girl?”
After they sat down, Jiang Tao got straight to the point and asked about the matter he cared about most.
“Don’t mention them! I never want to hear their names again in this lifetime! I’ll pretend I don’t have that daughter!”
As soon as his ex-wife and daughter were mentioned, Jiang Shuisheng’s expression turned extremely grim.
This matter had become a lifelong heartache and an unhealed scar for him.
Jiang Tao bringing them up in front of him now was no different from reopening his wound.
It was only because it was in front of Jiang Tao that he remained somewhat rational despite his grim expression.
If it were someone else, he would have already lost his temper and argued with them.
“Uncle, don’t misunderstand. I just have something I need to inquire about regarding their situation.”
“For example, which city they are living in now, where they work, etc.”
Jiang Tao waited until Jiang Shuisheng’s emotions had stabilized somewhat before explaining.
“They’ve been in Pingchang District in the capital city. They seem to be working in some research unit.”
Jiang Shuisheng didn’t know much about his ex-wife and daughter’s current situation, only some basic information.
“Research unit!”
Upon hearing that they were working as assistants in a research unit, Jiang Tao felt a sense of urgency.
Leaving them in that unit for another day might lead to more secrets being stolen by them.
This matter could not wait any longer; it was urgent!
Jiang Shuisheng suddenly thought of something and added:
“Oh, right, I remember! They seem to be in a unit that researches tanks or something.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Jiang Tao nodded, silently memorizing the information Jiang Shuisheng had given him.
However, in front of Jiang Shuisheng, Jiang Tao didn’t feel comfortable directly calling the reporting hotline to have them arrested.
Even though they had become the past.
But one was his former wife, and the other was his biological daughter; could he truly have no feelings at all?
After Jiang Shuisheng left, Jiang Tao took out his mobile phone and dialed the 12339 hotline for reporting spies.
When the call was connected, the operator’s voice was gentle with a hint of sweetness.
Jiang Tao cut to the chase, not wasting time, and stated what he wanted to report.
Upon hearing that Jiang Tao intended to report three spies at once, the other party was dumbfounded.
The operator treated Jiang Tao as someone who was fantasizing due to an obsession with money!
After all, the police hotline received all sorts of bizarre calls every day.
Reports of one’s own father, son, wife, grandparents, and grandson.
It was not uncommon to receive reports like Jiang Tao’s, accusing an entire family of three of being spies!
Although it felt somewhat absurd, the operator faithfully recorded Jiang Tao’s phone number, contact information,
and the content of his report, and quickly forwarded it to the relevant department.
…
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Tao glanced at the time displayed on his phone.
Unconsciously, it was already 10 AM.
There were still more than two hours until lunch.
“Should I go to Yuan Mengqi’s house to mooch a meal and perhaps scheme for their painting?”
Jiang Tao lit another cigarette, exhaling smoke as he thought about how to ask for the Nine Fish Painting.
To Yuan Mengqi’s family, it was just an ordinary painting.
But to Jiang Tao, the Nine Fish Painting, recognized by the system as a special item, was an extremely rare treasure!
“I’ve got it!”
After finishing the cigarette, Jiang Tao suddenly had an idea.
Ring ring ring—
Just as Jiang Tao was about to get up and head to Yuan Mengqi’s house, his phone suddenly rang.
He took out his phone and saw the caller ID displayed as “Class Monitor Yuan,” and Jiang Tao smiled.
He thought of her, and just then, Yuan Mengqi called.
“Hello, Class Monitor Yuan.”
With a swipe of his finger to answer the call, Jiang Tao greeted Yuan Mengqi with a smile.
“Haha, I was just worrying about where to eat lunch. I won’t be polite then!”
“Okay, okay, see you later then.”
“Yes, goodbye.”
After a brief conversation on the phone, Jiang Tao hung up with a smile.
What a coincidence.
Yuan Mengqi had just called to invite him to lunch at their house today.
It was truly like someone offering a pillow just when he was feeling sleepy.
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Jiang Tao got up from the sofa, strode out the door.
Around 10:30 AM, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class reappeared at Yuan Mengqi’s house in Yuan Family Village.
Yuan Mengqi’s family of three and Lin Ranran came out to greet him upon hearing the commotion outside.
After everyone welcomed Jiang Tao into the living room, someone served tea, someone went to wash fruit, and someone brought nuts.
Jiang Tao was treated with great respect at the Old Yuan family’s house.
After some idle chat, Yuan Mengjie and Lin Ranran went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Only Jiang Tao and the mother-daughter duo, Yuan Mengqi and Zhao Huilan, remained in the living room.
Jiang Tao casually shifted his gaze to the Nine Fish Painting hanging on the west wall of the living room and said:
“Aunt Zhao, this painting looks antique. It’s clearly an authentic ancient painting. It must have been expensive when you bought it, right?”
“Pfft hahaha~”
Before Zhao Huilan could speak, Yuan Mengqi, who was peeling an apple for Jiang Tao, couldn’t help but laugh, her chest heaving.
“Jiang Tao, you’ve misjudged this time.”
“Child, Jiang Tao was just making conversation. You’re taking it seriously and laughing at him.”
Zhao Huilan playfully chided her daughter before turning to Jiang Tao and explaining with a smile:
“Xiao Jiang, this painting was bought by Qi Qi’s father and me 10 years ago at a street stall during a market fair in a nearby town.”
“I remember it clearly. The owner wanted 28 yuan, and we bargained it down to 20 yuan.”
“Really? It was bought for only 20 yuan?”
Jiang Tao said, standing up and walking towards the Nine Fish Painting by the wall.
Arriving in front of the Nine Fish Painting, Jiang Tao meticulously examined it from top to bottom, left to right.
As he did so, he took out his phone and took several photos, then pretended to chat with someone on WeChat.
“What’s wrong, Jiang Tao? Does this painting really have something special about it?”
Yuan Mengqi and Zhao Huilan were puzzled by Jiang Tao’s actions.
Jiang Tao looked at Yuan Mengqi and her mother and said with a smile:
“Yuan Mengqi, Aunt Zhao, congratulations, congratulations!”
“Ah? Congratulations on what?”
Yuan Mengqi and her mother were a bit confused by Jiang Tao’s sudden congratulations.
Jiang Tao smiled and said, “Aunt Zhao, Yuan Mengqi, have you ever heard of finding a bargain?”
“Finding a bargain?”
Zhao Huilan looked confused. She had never heard of it. Did it mean the painting had been soaked and suffered flooding?
Had she and her husband been cheated by the stall owner back then?
However…
It had been 10 years, and it was only about 20 yuan. It didn’t seem worth fussing over.
“Finding a bargain? Jiang Tao, do you mean this painting might be an original?”
Zhao Huilan didn’t understand the meaning of “finding a bargain,” but Yuan Mengqi, as a young person, certainly did!
When she used to sell houses, she would often post “bargain housing listings” to attract customers.
“Yes, I just took photos and sent them to a friend. He said it’s an original by a relatively well-known artist.
If you’re willing to sell it, he’s willing to pay 80,000 yuan for it.”
Jiang Tao was talking nonsense with a straight face. The friend he mentioned was himself, a tactic called “creating a friend out of thin air.”
Spending 80,000 yuan to buy a flower recognized by the system as a special item was, in his opinion, quite worth it.
As for asking for more, he wasn’t against it, but he felt it wasn’t necessary.
After all, hanging on Yuan Mengqi’s family’s wall, it was just an ordinary painting worth 20 yuan. Only in his hands could it display higher value.
His purchase of this painting would not be considered plundering Yuan Mengqi’s family’s opportunities.
“How much?”
“80,000?”
Upon hearing the quoted price from Jiang Tao, Yuan Mengqi and Zhao Huilan both showed expressions of extreme surprise.
A painting bought for 20 yuan at a market 10 years ago was now being offered at 80,000 yuan!
It had appreciated 4,000 times in 10 years!
“Jiang Tao, you… you’re not joking with us, are you? This thing… is worth 80,000 yuan?”
Yuan Mengqi pointed at the Nine Fish Painting on the wall, her face filled with disbelief.
Last year during Spring Festival, her younger brother Yuan Mengjie had even suggested taking down this painting and replacing it with a family photo.
Fortunately, their mother didn’t agree at the time, so the painting was preserved.
Otherwise, wouldn’t they have lost 80,000 yuan?
If Jiang Tao hadn’t reminded them today, they probably would have thrown the painting into the village trash can without anyone picking it up!
“I’m not joking. My friend said he’d buy it if the price wasn’t higher than 80,000.”
“Aunt Zhao, Yuan Mengqi, what do you think?”
“Should we keep hanging this painting here, or sell it to my friend for money?”
Jiang Tao looked at Yuan Mengqi and her mother calmly, asking for their opinion.
“It’s really unnecessary for our home to hang such an expensive painting… right, Qi Qi?”
Zhao Huilan looked at Yuan Mengqi. Her intention was clear; she preferred to sell the painting for cash.
After all, in a small rural household, who would hang a painting worth over 80,000 yuan in their living room?
This money could buy daily necessities and last the family for several years.
“Cough cough, I think so too. If this painting is really worth 80,000 yuan, it’s better to sell it as pocket money for Mom.”
Yuan Mengqi nodded in agreement. She also felt it was unnecessary to hang such an expensive painting at home; it was too extravagant!
Zhao Huilan said, “You and your brother can each have half of this money. I don’t need it.”
Yuan Mengqi said, “No, my brother and I can also earn money. You should keep this money and spend it slowly.”
Jiang Tao was overjoyed listening to the mother and daughter; they had decided to sell the painting.
Putting himself in their shoes, he would have made the same choice.
