Chapter 122: Golden Toad In Hand!
By 12 AM, the Xiao Shahe urban village, which had been bustling all day, also quieted down.
In a dimly lit alleyway flickering with many dark red lights.
Zhang Chao walked home, smoking, and secretly regretted that he shouldn’t have paid for extra time earlier.
He earned only two to three hundred yuan from selling fruit all day.
In just a short while, 400 yuan was gone.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he had lost out.
After finishing his cigarette, Zhang Chao returned to the dormitory building where he rented his room.
He swiped his access card to enter the main gate, went upstairs, and returned to his small room.
Without even taking off his shoes, he lay down directly on the messy bed.
Zhang Chao’s gaze was fixed on the ceiling.
His mind first conjured the voluptuous and alluring body of the auntie who had given him extra time earlier.
Only after that did the scene of spending time with Jiang Tao’s family last night come to mind.
It wasn’t long ago, before the Spring Festival, that Brother Jiang was also a driver like him.
The difference was that he transported fruit, while Brother Jiang transported goods; the gap between him and Brother Jiang didn’t seem very large.
When did the gap suddenly widen?
After the Spring Festival, he was still himself, still that poor loser.
But Brother Jiang seemed like a changed person, his demeanor was completely different.
He drove a Mercedes-Benz GLS worth over a million yuan, with a sister-in-law by his side who was more beautiful than a movie star and had a great figure.
He could rent a house costing 15,000 yuan in rent per month on a whim.
“On the Satsuma Mandarin Project, Brother Jiang probably only earned a few hundred thousand, why…”
“Are there other projects that are more profitable that we don’t know about?”
“Stocks? Funds? Or did he win the lottery?”
“Or did he meet a benefactor who gave him advice?”
“Sigh! I’m so envious of Brother Jiang’s good luck!”
“Although I haven’t bought a house yet, he’s driving a Mercedes, his wife is so beautiful, and his child is so cute; he’s simply a winner in life.”
“Unlike me, my father doesn’t love me, my mother doesn’t love me, everything is for my younger brother, what the hell am I…”
As he thought, Zhang Chao remembered the unpleasant experiences during the Spring Festival at home, and tears of grievance welled up.
After the Spring Festival, Zhang Chao was already 29 years old, on the verge of turning thirty.
At his age, he was considered an older unmarried youth in the village.
He himself had only graduated from junior high school; he had no education, no skills, not much ambition, and he liked getting foot massages.
He earned eighty to ninety thousand yuan a year selling fruit in the capital city. Apart from daily expenses and foot massages, it was considered good if he could save twenty to thirty thousand yuan by the end of the year.
Facing the ever-increasing cost of marriage, with his conditions, even if he worked hard for another 10 years, he wouldn’t be able to save enough for a wife.
His parents never bothered to arrange a marriage for him; they completely let him fend for himself as their eldest son.
His younger brother was four years younger than him, only 25 this year.
His parents were busy looking for potential partners for his younger brother, meeting six people a day during the Spring Festival.
As the elder brother, he appeared indifferent on the surface, but inside, he was almost twisted with envy.
With so many blind dates, even if… one could be for him!
But he didn’t get any.
Even worse, his parents were arranging for his brother to buy a house in the county town, and because the down payment wasn’t enough, they wanted him to help his brother raise the money.
Zhang Chao said he had no money, and his mother suggested he borrow some online first, to help his brother through the immediate difficulty.
Because of the matter of buying a house for his brother, Zhang Chao had a big argument with his parents.
He was called ungrateful and told he lacked the responsibility of an elder brother.
In anger, Zhang Chao returned to the capital on the fifth night of the Lunar New Year.
“Am I even their biological son?”
Thinking about the vastly different treatment his parents gave him and his brother, Zhang Chao felt a wave of desolation in his heart.
Since childhood, he had been a child whom his father didn’t dote on and his mother didn’t love.
After his younger brother was born, his parents sent him to his grandparents’ house.
He lived with his grandparents until he graduated from junior high school.
After his grandparents passed away, Zhang Chao moved back to his parents’ home.
Although they were a family in name, their interactions were awkward, and he always felt somewhat superfluous.
As for the warmth of a home, he felt none of it.
Reflecting on his nearly thirty years of life.
Zhang Chao saw countless bricks labeled “failure” flying towards him, crushing him beneath them, making it difficult to breathe.
…
Bai Ge Zhuang Residential Area.
Jiang Tao got up unusually early.
When he woke up, Xu Li and Jiang Xue were still fast asleep.
He tiptoed out of bed, quickly washed up, and went downstairs.
At home, Xu Li always took care of the family’s daily life with meticulous care.
Arriving in the unfamiliar environment of the capital city, Xu Li was naturally a little unaccustomed.
As a husband, Jiang Tao also took on his responsibilities, taking care of Xu Li and his little cotton jacket in return.
He went downstairs, walked out of the residential area, and after less than a 5-minute walk, he arrived at the commercial area where they had dined last night.
Besides restaurants, barbershops, and tobacco and alcohol shops, there were also breakfast shops selling breakfast here.
Not far away, there was also a morning market selling vegetables.
In the early morning, the streets were bustling with hurried pedestrians.
Besides the laborers rushing to their early shifts, there were also many old men and women carrying baskets, preparing to go to the morning market.
Jiang Tao stopped across the street from the “Yu Xiang Ren Jia” restaurant where they had eaten last night, his gaze fixed on the restaurant’s main entrance.
He had come in a hurry last night and hadn’t paid much attention, but today he noticed that the restaurant was for sale.
A prominent red notice saying “Prime Store for Transfer” was posted on the restaurant’s large floor-to-ceiling window.
Jiang Tao took two more steps forward, adjusted his angle, and looked into the store through a gap next to the “Prime Store for Transfer” notice.
In his field of vision, on the dimly lit counter near the entrance, the Lucky Toad was emitting a dark golden glow.
After confirming with his eyes, it was this toad!
However, this kind of restaurant that only served main meals was not open in the morning.
They usually opened around 9 or 10 AM.
There was no use for Jiang Tao to be anxious now; he could only wait until they opened before trying to get the Golden Toad.
Just as Jiang Tao was about to leave to buy breakfast, the door of Yu Xiang Ren Jia suddenly opened from the inside.
A young man with streaks of yellow hair dyed on his head, wearing tight pants that exposed his ankles even in the winter, yawned as he walked out.
Heh~ spit!
After the young man with yellow hair came out, he first spat a thick glob of phlegm into a small flower pond in front of his door.
Then, he reached into his back pocket, pulled out a pack of Huazi cigarettes, lit one, and began to smoke.
Jiang Tao had an impression of the young man with yellow hair who had come out of the restaurant.
When he was paying the bill last night, he heard the cashier girl call him Brother Mao.
Jiang Tao analyzed that this young man with yellow hair was either the owner of the restaurant or the owner’s son.
With his slovenly demeanor, he definitely wasn’t a waiter or the like.
Jiang Tao looked at the young man with yellow hair and contemplated for over ten seconds.
The young man with yellow hair seemed to feel Jiang Tao looking at him, and turned his head to look at Jiang Tao, their gazes colliding instantly.
Jiang Tao took a deep breath, smiled, and walked towards the young man with yellow hair.
“You scoundrel, no, handsome guy, I need to ask you something.”
Damn it!
Jiang Tao blurted out “scoundrel” and realized he was mistaken, so he quickly corrected himself.
On the way over, he had been frantically rehearsing lines in his head, and in his nervousness, he blurted out “scoundrel.”
“What is it?”
Huang Mou looked at Jiang Tao with some displeasure; he had clearly heard the word “scoundrel.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Jiang Tao was taller than him and seemed to be a strong fighter, he would have confronted him already.
Huang Mou also had some impression of Jiang Tao, after all, Jiang Tao had eaten at his restaurant last night.
Furthermore, Jiang Tao’s appearance was not that of an ordinary passerby.
Although he was already in the “uncle” age group, he was still very handsome and easily left an impression on people.
Of course, the main reason Huang Mou remembered him was Xu Li.
Huang Mou usually frequented nightclubs and entertainment venues, and had seen countless beauties.
But a virtuous young married woman as beautiful, elegant, and well-figured as Xu Li was absolutely a rare find.
The scene of Xu Li affectionately holding Jiang Tao’s arm when he was paying the bill last night had made Huang Mou envious for a long time.
“When I ate at your restaurant last night, I felt that the Golden Toad on your counter seemed quite spiritual.”
“Handsome guy, would it be convenient to tell me where you bought that Golden Toad? How much did it cost?”
“I also want to buy one to put at home for good luck.”
In ancient times, Cao Zhi could compose a poem in seven steps; today, Old Jiang had concocted a clumsy excuse within seven steps, hoping to fool him.
Huang Mou took a puff of his cigarette, his expression somewhat impatient:
“My parents bought that thing; I don’t know where they bought it from.”
Jiang Tao gradually led him on, saying, “I see your restaurant is for sale? Are you not going to continue operating it?”
Huang Mou said, “Something happened at home, so we’re not going to continue. If you’re interested in our restaurant, we can go inside and talk in detail.”
“Haha, brother, I’m only interested in the Golden Toad on your counter. Since you’re selling the whole restaurant, how about selling me that Golden Toad?”
After chatting with Huang Mou for a while, Jiang Tao revealed his true intentions, his target fixed on the Golden Toad.
“You want to buy that Golden Toad?”
Huang Mou’s eyes lit up when he heard Jiang Tao’s words, thinking it wasn’t impossible.
After all, he wasn’t planning to continue running this restaurant.
Moreover, as an outstanding youth of the new era, he didn’t believe in all that superstitious stuff.
If Lucky Cats could attract wealth, why would every household only have one?
Wouldn’t placing a hundred or a thousand of them bring customers flocking in and endless business?
It was just self-deception; that thing was useless!
“Yes, I have a very good feeling about the Golden Toad displayed on your family’s counter.”
“I searched online for a similar one after returning home but couldn’t find an identical one.”
“That’s why I came to ask where you bought it from.”
“If handsome guy is willing to part with it, the price is negotiable.”
Jiang Tao smiled. Although he really wanted that Golden Toad with attribute bonuses that was yet to be activated.
His expression was restrained, not appearing too eager.
Huang Mou’s small eyes darted around, and he said:
“My parents bought that thing; I don’t know the exact price.”
“Look, brother, if you’re sincere about wanting it, go buy me a pack of Huazi from the tobacco and alcohol shop next door, and you can take the Golden Toad.”
Huang Mou said, pointing to the tobacco and alcohol shop next to their restaurant, and stated his price.
“Hahaha, brother, you’re so straightforward. If I were to hesitate any longer, it would be my fault.”
“Alright! A pack of Huazi it is. I’ll buy it for you.”
“Who told me I have a connection with that Golden Toad.”
After saying that, Jiang Tao walked directly towards a tobacco and alcohol shop that was already open next to Yu Xiang Ren Jia.
Shops like roadside tobacco and alcohol stores are truly examples of making money silently.
You might pass by every day and see the owner leisurely lounging at the counter, scrolling on his phone.
You might think they have few customers and are on the verge of bankruptcy.
But in reality, the money they earn in a day might be equivalent to your monthly salary.
First, the tobacco and alcohol industry has a solid moat protecting it.
Tobacco cannot be purchased online; smokers can only buy it at offline tobacco and alcohol shops.
The amount of tobacco an old smoker consumes per month is generally fixed.
Once a tobacco and alcohol shop has been operating for a while and has a group of regular customers.
There is a fixed income every month.
The profit from alcoholic beverages is also multifaceted.
They earn money from brand manufacturers’ listing fees and also from customers’ money, profiting from both sides.
Furthermore, retail sales of alcoholic beverages only account for a small portion of the sales volume of tobacco and alcohol shops.
Company team-building events and large banquets for weddings and funerals are the main sources of profit.
In a large city like the capital, there are many weddings and funerals every day.
New companies are established every day, holding team-building events and anniversary celebrations.
Even if they don’t get big orders every day, receiving an order for banquet wine every few days adds up to a substantial amount by the end of the month.
After entering the store, Jiang Tao saw only one middle-aged man, around forty years old with a protruding belly, inside.
“Boss, do you have whole packs of Huazi?”
“Soft or hard, at that price range.”
“Classic Soft Zhonghua.”
“700 a pack.”
“Okay, one pack.”
Jiang Tao had a brief conversation with the boss, then cheerfully scanned the QR code and paid 700 yuan. He took the cigarettes handed to him by the boss and walked out.
“Brother, here are the Huazi cigarettes. I’m taking that Golden Toad.”
Jiang Tao returned to Huang Mou, happily handing him the pack of Huazi cigarettes, not giving him a chance to regret it.
“Of course, I, Huang Mou, am a person of integrity and keep my word! You can take it.”
Huang Mou happily took the cigarettes from Jiang Tao, not having any intention of regretting it.
He had traded a piece of scrap metal for a pack of cigarettes; he was making a huge profit!
“Thanks, brother. I’ll go get it then. I also wish you luck in selling your store soon.”
Jiang Tao said with a smile to Huang Mou and walked directly into the store.
Under the bewildered gaze of an auntie sweeping the floor, he picked up the Golden Toad and left.
The auntie saw that her young master was outside, and it seemed he had agreed to it, so she didn’t interfere and remained silent.
Jiang Tao suddenly stopped and asked the sweeping auntie:
“Auntie, could you give me a larger trash bag? I need to pack this thing.”
“Oh, yes, wait a moment, I’ll get it for you.”
The sweeping auntie was quite helpful; she turned and went into a small room nearby to get a large black disposable trash bag and handed it to Jiang Tao.
“Thanks, Auntie. Here’s some change for you. I wish you a happy life.”
As Jiang Tao took the trash bag, he scooped a handful of one-yuan and five-jiao coins from the Golden Toad’s mouth and handed them to the auntie.
After packing the Golden Toad into the trash bag, he carried it out.
“I’m leaving, brother. See you.”
“Bye-bye.”
Huang Mou tossed the pack of Huazi cigarettes into the air and caught them precisely. He watched Jiang Tao’s receding back and quietly muttered, “Sillyder!”
The Golden Toad was actually something he had bought for his parents on Pinduoduo.
He had paid 80 yuan for it and reported 800 yuan to his parents.
After selling it to Jiang Tao for a pack of Huazi cigarettes, he had profited several times over!
How could he be so smart!
He was naturally suited for business and making big money!
“Fortunately, I met someone not very bright, and got it so smoothly.”
Jiang Tao, carrying the Golden Toad, quickly disappeared from Huang Mou’s sight, as if afraid he would go back on his word and chase after him.
This thing was a “special item with attribute bonuses” that System Brother had alerted him to.
Let alone 700 yuan, even if Huang Mou had asked for 7,000, 70,000, or even 700,000, Jiang Tao would have gritted his teeth and paid.
The two small “Heluo Stones” had already given him many pleasant surprises.
The attributes of this Golden Toad couldn’t be that bad.
Its value could absolutely not be measured by money.
On the street, Jiang Tao suppressed his excitement and first went to buy breakfast for Xu Li and his parents.
4 steamed buns, both meat and vegetarian, four bowls of Tofu Pudding, plus soy milk with extra sugar, then five tea eggs, and a few fried dough sticks.
When he returned home with bags and packages, it was not yet 8 o’clock.
As soon as he got home, Jiang Tao found that the whole family had woken up.
Xu Li and his parents were chatting on the sofa while brushing Jiang Xue’s hair.
“Daddy, you’re back~ Do you have my soy milk?”
Jiang Xue smiled sweetly when she saw her father enter, a deep dimple appearing on the left side of her face.
“Husband, what’s in your bag?”
Xu Li saw that besides a pile of breakfast, Jiang Tao was also holding a black trash bag and asked curiously.
“I bought a small trinket at the morning market. Mom, Dad, you guys eat breakfast first. My master will come to visit you later.”
Jiang Tao greeted everyone with a smile, then walked directly to the dining table and placed the purchased breakfast there.
“Son, once your father and I get familiar with this place today, leave the breakfast shopping to us in the future. You young people should sleep in more.”
“Hahaha, how can we accept that?”
“Silly boy, what are you embarrassed about with your mother?”
“Alright! It’s good for you and your dad to go out and explore more.”
Jiang Tao did not refuse his mother’s kind offer.
Based on his understanding of his mother over the years.
If she lived here and had nothing to do, and couldn’t find her sense of purpose, she wouldn’t feel comfortable.
Only by finding her value of existence could she live here with peace of mind.
After Xu Li finished braiding Jiang Xue’s hair, mother and daughter also came to the dining table.
Fortunately, the dining table was large, so it wasn’t crowded even for a family of five to dine together.
After a breakfast filled with laughter and conversation, Old Sun came and took his father, mother, and Jiang Xue away.
Old Sun had already planned the itinerary: the first stop today was Tiananmen, then the Bird’s Nest, and the Water Cube.
Jiang Tao and Xu Li had to find a kindergarten near the residential area for Jiang Xue today, so they didn’t go with them.
Today was already the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, and there were only two or three days left until the kindergarten opened.
The primary task was to resolve Jiang Xue’s enrollment issue.
In the morning, the couple visited two kindergartens near the residential area.
One was a public welfare kindergarten, Bai Ge Zhuang Kindergarten, a second-tier kindergarten.
The monthly nursery fee was 650 yuan, and the meal fee was 550 yuan, totaling 1200 yuan.
The facilities in the yard were also good, with various slides and toys for children to play with.
The teachers in the kindergarten were all professional kindergarten teachers with bachelor’s degrees.
The teaching staff and hardware facilities of this kindergarten were far superior to Jiang Family Village Kindergarten.
There was also an international kindergarten called Aidi Kindergarten.
According to the admissions teacher, Aidi Kindergarten covered an area of 370,000 square meters.
The kindergarten had a lake and a greenhouse for vegetables.
The kindergarten used English immersive education for teaching and also offered courses such as golf, dance, Chinese studies, and martial arts.
Foreign teachers in the yard held foreign expert certificates and qualifications for teaching English abroad.
All Chinese teachers had graduated from preschool education and early childhood education programs and 100% held teaching certificates.
They were all first-tier teachers with more than 5 years of teaching experience.
This Aidi Kindergarten could be called a “noble school”!
Compared to Jiang Family Village Kindergarten, the gap was immense, like heaven and earth.
Of course, the price difference between the two kindergartens was also substantial.
Jiang Family Village Kindergarten only cost 350 yuan per month, and a mere 5,000 yuan per year.
The annual tuition fee for Aidi Kindergarten was 188,888 yuan!
As soon as Xu Li heard the price quoted by the admissions teacher, she wanted to drag Jiang Tao away.
Spending 180,000 yuan a year on kindergarten?
Weren’t they just burning money!
“Husband, let’s go to the public one. The tuition fee for that international kindergarten is too frightening.”
After learning about the two kindergartens, they returned home, and Xu Li unhesitatingly chose the public one.
Although Jiang Tao had made a lot of money recently.
But in Xu Li’s opinion, much of it was due to luck.
Her husband couldn’t possibly be so lucky forever.
Rent of over 10,000 yuan per month, kindergarten fees of over 10,000 yuan per month, plus the food and pocket money for a family of three.
It would cost nearly 30,000 yuan per month, nearly 400,000 yuan per year!
Xu Li didn’t want to put such great pressure on Jiang Tao.
“Wife, I’ve also thought about it. I think we should still go to the international kindergarten!”
“We can’t let our daughter lose to the little ones at the international kindergarten right from the start.”
“It’s just an annual tuition fee of 180,000 yuan, that’s trivial.”
Jiang Tao’s thoughts were different from Xu Li’s this time.
He wanted to do his best to provide better conditions for his daughter.
Based on his current income level, sending Jiang Xue to the international kindergarten would not be a problem.
“But…”
“No buts. You don’t need to worry about the money.”
“I have confidence that I can give you and our daughter a life ten or even a hundred times better than now.”
“Husband~”
Xu Li looked at Jiang Tao’s confident expression, smiled charmingly, and threw herself into his arms, gazing at him with adoration.
“How come I feel like my husband is becoming more and more charming and handsome.”
“Hahaha, really? I think so too.”
“Husband, if sending Xiao Xue to the international kindergarten costs so much money for a year, can our family still have a second child?”
Xu Li looked at Jiang Tao with her beautiful, sparkling eyes; she had even considered this aspect.
“Hahaha, of course, we can. Let alone a second child, a third, or even a fourth is not a problem.”
“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing in broad daylight?”
As soon as Jiang Tao finished speaking, Xu Li wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards the bedroom.
“Want~”
“Mom and Dad are here, it’s not convenient now. We’ll do it during the day later~”
Bang!!!
The master bedroom door closed.
Soon, faint moans of anticipation from Xu Li could be heard from inside the room.
An hour later…
When Jiang Tao and Xu Li finished showering, the takeout they had ordered on their phones also arrived.
“Husband~ Being together every day feels so happy.”
Xu Li ate the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs that Jiang Tao had ordered for her, her beautiful eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Old Jiang, her face filled with happiness and satisfaction.
