Chapter 130: Boosting Jiang Yi’s Favorability!
Since I took sick leave today, I don’t have to go to work.
Jiang Yi also got to sleep in, waking up naturally.
And because her foot was injured, she was too lazy to go downstairs to buy groceries.
Breakfast was just a simple bowl of millet porridge and one egg.
Paired with the Eight Treasure Pickles she pickled herself, it was light and delicious.
“The Eight Treasure Pickles are something I just pickled casually myself.”
“If you like them, I’ll pack some for you to take back when you leave later.”
Wearing a limited-edition skin, she was chatting idly in the living room with a former student, now a student’s parent.
Jiang Yi’s pretty face flushed with embarrassment, her jade-like toes digging into the ground.
Anyone in the family know how embarrassing this is!
Jiang Tao laughed, “My parents also really like eating Eight Treasure Pickles, so I won’t be polite.”
“Um, Teacher Jiang, you eat breakfast first. I’ll go to the room to make the bed for my sister.”
Jiang Tao also noticed Jiang Yi’s awkwardness and quickly found an excuse to give her time to change.
He then turned and picked up the bedding set and other things he had discarded on the floor, heading towards the master bedroom.
Seeing Jiang Tao enter the room, Jiang Yi lightly patted her heaving chest and sighed in relief.
Then, she hopped on one leg towards her bedroom, feeling a strong sense of stealth.
As she hopped, her ample curves swayed, as if they might fall from the branches at any moment.
When Jiang Tao had finished roughly making the bed with the bedding set he bought and walked out of the master bedroom.
Jiang Yi had already changed out of her limited-edition skin.
She had changed into ordinary home clothes that were more than ten times more conservative than before.
A simple orange sweater and a pair of yoga pants that made her legs look round and slender, and she was still wearing those pink slippers.
“Are you done making the bed, Jiang Tao? When is your sister coming?”
Seeing Jiang Tao come out, Jiang Yi took the initiative to find a topic to chat with him to break the silence.
“She was supposed to come these past few days, but there’s been a change in her plans, so it might be another ten days to half a month.”
“My sister, she’s really unreliable.”
When Jiang Tao brought up Jiang Bing as a scapegoat to bear the blame, Jiang Bing, hundreds of kilometers away, sneezed three times in a row.
“Oh.”
Jiang Yi looked at Jiang Tao with a slight hint of embarrassment, thinking if she had overcharged him rent because of this.
“Well, how about this, Jiang Tao, when your sister comes…”
Jiang Tao interrupted with a smile, “No need, Teacher Jiang. Just continue according to the rental contract.”
“You don’t need to feel embarrassed or anything. This has nothing to do with you; it’s my sister who’s unreliable.”
“Oh right, you said earlier you would give me some Eight Treasure Pickles, is your word still good?”
Jiang Tao smiled and steered the conversation back to the Eight Treasure Pickles.
“Of course, it’s good. Please wait a moment, I’ll go to the kitchen to get some for you.”
After speaking, Jiang Yi, mainly on her right foot and lightly tapping with her left, limped towards the kitchen.
Seeing this, Jiang Tao frowned and asked, “Teacher Jiang, have you seen a doctor about your foot? What did the doctor say?”
“I haven’t been to the hospital. I just twisted it a little. It should be fine after resting at home for a day.”
“Then do you have any liniment or blood-activating medicine at home?”
“I don’t think it’s a big problem; it’ll be fine even without medicine.”
As soon as Jiang Yi finished speaking, she suddenly heard the room door open with a click and then close with a click.
“Huh?”
She turned and looked through the frosted glass of the kitchen towards the door and the living room. Jiang Tao, who had been standing in the living room talking to her moments ago, had disappeared.
“Why did he disappear while we were talking?”
Jiang Yi stood there in confusion. Should she still pack the Eight Treasure Pickles?
Never mind, she’d pack some.
She could give them to him another day when she had the chance, or let him pick them up at her place.
Jiang Yi took out a transparent glass bucket, about the size of a 10-liter water bucket, from a cabinet.
Inside the glass bucket was the Eight Treasure Pickles she had pickled by hand a month ago.
Jiang Yi learned the skill of pickling Eight Treasure Pickles from her grandma.
The Eight Treasure Pickles she pickled were sour with a hint of sweetness, a touch of spice, and just the right amount of savory aroma, making them exceptionally good with rice.
Jiang Yi’s colleagues often asked her for Eight Treasure Pickles.
A full barrel, and Jiang Yi could eat it all year by herself.
But with her colleagues, it would be finished in about three to four months, and she would need to pickle a new batch.
Jiang Yi was not stingy.
She directly used a clean plastic container, left over from when she packed food for others, to pack a full box of Eight Treasure Pickles for Jiang Tao and put it in the refrigerator.
After packing the Eight Treasure Pickles, Jiang Yi first tidied up the dining table, then washed the pots and bowls.
Finally, she wiped the kitchen clean with a cloth before tiptoeing back to the living room.
As Jiang Yi was watering the succulents on the balcony, she suddenly heard the room door open again.
Jiang Tao, carrying a bag, had returned.
“I went to the pharmacy outside the residential complex and bought you a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao spray and some blood-activating medicine.”
“Apply it externally and use it internally; it will heal faster.”
Jiang Tao walked up to Jiang Yi, who was standing there blankly watering the plants on the balcony with a spray bottle, holding the bag and offering it to her.
“So, you just went to…”
Jiang Yi looked at the bag Jiang Tao was holding, filled with medicine, and then at him, and her heart was instantly touched.
Jiang Tao smiled and said, “Our Xiao Xue really likes you. She misses you if she doesn’t see you for a day, so get better soon.”
“Thank you, Jiang Tao. How much did these medicines cost? I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Jiang Yi said as she turned to go to her bedroom to get her phone to transfer the money to Jiang Tao.
“No need, Teacher Jiang. It didn’t cost much in total. Let’s not be so polite between us.”
“Our Xiao Xue will need to trouble you more in the future.”
“No, one thing is one thing. I’m very grateful that you helped me buy medicine; I can’t let you pay for it.”
“Really, no need to be so polite, Teacher Jiang. Oh right, I have some things to do this morning, so I’m leaving. Where are my Eight Treasure Pickles?”
“In the refrigerator, go get them yourself. I’m going to get my phone.”
Jiang Yi said as she tiptoed into her bedroom.
Jiang Tao strode to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, got the Eight Treasure Pickles, said goodbye to Jiang Yi, and really left.
Ding dong!
When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, Jiang Tao also received a WeChat transfer of 500 yuan from Jiang Yi.
It seemed she had transferred the money for the fruit as well.
But Jiang Tao just looked at it and didn’t accept the payment.
He’ll let it be automatically returned tomorrow!
Today, he bought fruit and medicine for Jiang Yi, not because he coveted her beauty.
Firstly, they had known each other for many years, and seeing Jiang Yi injured, he couldn’t just ignore it and be indifferent.
Secondly, Jiang Tao also wanted to use this opportunity to improve Jiang Yi’s favorability towards him.
It was also a prelude to purchasing her secret recipe for Eight Treasure Pickles in the future.
Upstairs in the room.
Jiang Yi sat on the sofa in the living room, holding her phone.
Looking at the shopping bag containing the medicine on the coffee table, she felt a warm current flowing through her heart.
She hadn’t experienced this feeling of being cared for since her parents passed away.
Of course, the solicitous inquiries from those boring suitors didn’t count.
Seeing that Jiang Tao refused to accept her transfer, Jiang Yi didn’t press the issue.
She silently recorded this favor from Jiang Tao in her heart.
After Jiang Tao went downstairs, he walked directly towards where his car was parked.
Back in the car, he didn’t rush to drive away immediately.
He first opened the third piece of intelligence about the fund held by Jiang Yi, which had refreshed today, and compared it carefully.
“Jinxin Quantitative Selection Mixed A/C Fund…”
Soon, Jiang Tao found the name of this fund on Alipay.
As a novice in wealth management, Jiang Tao had no idea where to open an account or buy funds offline.
Buying on Alipay might incur slightly higher fees, but it was convenient and fast.
Jiang Tao had previously experienced wealth management products like funds on Alipay because of a wealth management red envelope worth over 20 yuan.
That time, he bought 200 yuan worth of funds and let them sit in his balance gathering dust, barely operating them.
Due to his meager principal, the fluctuations of this fund were basically between a few mao and a few yuan.
He couldn’t earn much money, nor could he lose much money.
After rising and falling for more than a year, he didn’t even earn enough for a pack of cigarettes; it was purely for show.
“102% increase in the past year, net value 2.15066…”
Jiang Tao’s limited knowledge of wealth management didn’t truly understand what these numbers meant.
However, he had absolute confidence in the intelligence provided by the System Brother.
After a slight hesitation of more than ten seconds, Jiang Tao still decided to trust the System Brother!
He clicked “Buy” and directly entered 2 million.
The ICBC savings card prompted a successful deduction, and the purchase was successful.
However, it would take another two days to confirm the specific shares.
“Done!”
Last time, he bought 200 yuan of funds for a 20 yuan wealth management red envelope.
This time, it increased to 2 million.
Although he knew that with the System Brother’s intelligence, this wave was a sure thing with no losses.
Still, his heart couldn’t help but be a little nervous!
“After this market trend ends, I’ll definitely treat Jiang Yi to a meal to show my appreciation.”
“When it’s time to sell, I’ll remind her as well!”
After buying the fund, Jiang Tao looked at the box of Eight Treasure Pickles he had casually placed on the center console.
He reached out, picked up the box, opened the lid, and directly pinched a small piece of pickled cucumber with two fingers and put it in his mouth.
Crunch, crunch, crunch…
The crisp pickled cucumber was fresh and delicious, it tasted really good!
Jiang Tao had eaten a lot of Eight Treasure Pickles and pickles, but this was the first time he had eaten such delicious ones!
No wonder the System Brother would evaluate Jiang Yi’s secret recipe as having high commercial value!
It truly lived up to its ancestral heritage; it really had something special.
Afterwards, in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the Eight Treasure Pickles product.
For the entire morning, Jiang Tao drove to four supermarkets.
He re-purchased eight different brands of Eight Treasure Pickles.
Some were in bags, and some were sold by weight.
At noon, Jiang Tao returned to his small rented room in Xiao Shahe with his packed lunch and nine boxes of Eight Treasure Pickles.
He lined up the 9 types of Eight Treasure Pickles and began the tasting.
The taste, well…
The eight types of Eight Treasure Pickles purchased later were similar in flavor, with no discernible significant differences.
However, compared to the one Jiang Yi made herself, the difference was obvious.
Jiang Yi’s Eight Treasure Pickles were much fresher in texture.
While maintaining the texture, it didn’t have as strong a sauce flavor as other Eight Treasure Pickles.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of taste Eight Treasure Pickles will have when made with Jiang Yi’s skill and my Pickle Jar.”
After tasting the Eight Treasure Pickles of different brands separately, Jiang Tao became even more confident in Jiang Yi’s ancestral secret recipe.
The Eight Treasure Pickles in the supermarkets, the cheap ones were around 9 yuan, and the expensive ones sold for 15 yuan.
With the Eight Treasure Pickles pickled using Jiang Yi’s secret recipe, selling them for 15 yuan per jin should not be difficult to sell.
On top of this, with the added bonus of the Pickle Jar.
Theoretically, selling them for 30 yuan per jin should not be considered expensive, right?
One jar can pickle 500 jin of Eight Treasure Pickles, and the output value can reach 15,000 yuan.
【The Delicious Pickle Jar 】 also has an accelerated pickling effect.
If he could pickle 2 jars a month, that would be 30,000 yuan.
In a year, that would be over 300,000 yuan in revenue!
Even after deducting raw materials and labor, the final net profit would be over 100,000 yuan.
Even small amounts add up; although it wouldn’t make him rich, earning some pocket money would be nice.
Of course, Jiang Tao definitely wouldn’t sell pickles himself.
The first thing he thought of was to hand over this business to his parents.
His parents had been working as laborers with trucks in the village for years. The working hours were long, the labor intensity was high, and it caused great damage to their bodies.
Keeping them in the Capital City, he could open a small shop for them at the vegetable market next to the residential complex.
Every day, protected from the wind and rain, manning a small shop selling Eight Treasure Pickles would be a business suitable for retirement.
Of course, all of this was still in the theoretical stage and needed to be implemented as soon as possible.
After eating, Jiang Tao took the 9 boxes of Eight Treasure Pickles downstairs again.
He happened to run into Lu Qian and Ma Dongmei returning from shopping.
Jiang Tao had them all taste the Eight Treasure Pickles he bought and choose the one they thought tasted the best.
As expected.
Lu Qian and Ma Dongmei finally chose the one they thought tasted the best, which was also the box Jiang Yi pickled herself.
The experimental data now had two more samples.
Jiang Tao planned to ask Xu Li and his parents for their opinions when he got home tonight, to collect as many samples as possible.
…
In the afternoon, Jiang Tao didn’t rush home.
He drove directly to the vicinity of Panjiayuan Antique Street.
He parked the car in an open-air parking lot first, then walked to Antique Street.
As usual, he first wandered around Antique Street for a while.
The purpose was naturally to increase the probability of triggering intelligence related to antiques.
While wandering, even when he saw shops specifically collecting stones, Jiang Tao was too lazy to go in.
He wandered until around 3 p.m.
Jiang Tao felt it was about time.
He then skillfully found the shop of his old acquaintance, Zhang Bo.
“Yo! Brother Jiang! Please sit, please sit, I’ll pour you some tea!”
Zhang Bo, upon seeing Jiang Tao, invited him to sit down with a smiling face, eagerly pouring him tea and water, being extremely polite.
“Zhang Bo, I got another stone from a friend. Do you guys buy them?”
Jiang Tao didn’t waste Zhang Bo’s time.
He directly reached into his pocket and took out the Shou Tian Huang stone raw material that looked like a potato.
“A stone? Brother Jiang, your interests are quite broad.”
“But this time, you’ve really touched upon my knowledge blind spot.”
“I really don’t know anything about stones.”
Zhang Bo laughed after seeing the Shou Tian Huang stone raw material Jiang Tao casually took out of his pocket, admitting he wasn’t an expert.
There was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Their shop’s main business did not include these peculiar stones.
Just as Jiang Tao thought he would have to find another way, Zhang Bo added:
“However, Brother Jiang, my dad understands this. I’ll call him and let him take a look.”
“Okay, you can call him. If the price is right, I’ll sell it at your place. I’m too lazy to haggle with others anymore.”
Jiang Tao nodded with a smile. He had great admiration for Zhang Bo’s father, whom he had never met.
Other antique dealers would scrutinize items with a microscope for a long time, using carbon-14 testing and other methods, being extremely cautious, for fear of being duped.
Zhang Bo’s father, however, didn’t even need to be present.
Whether it was items worth tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions.
He could directly bid after just a video call.
Skillful and bold, that probably described Zhang Bo’s father.
Jiang Tao learned from his conversation with Zhang Bo.
His father had only been deceived once when he was in his twenties and just starting out in the business with his grandfather, losing over a hundred thousand yuan.
Since then, Zhang Bo’s father had been motivated by shame, diligently studied all kinds of antique knowledge, and developed a pair of discerning eyes.
Ring ring ring—
Zhang Bo’s call was answered after more than ten seconds.
The phone screen flashed, showing Zhang Long, wearing a military coat and a large cotton hat, fishing on the ice.
“Dad, Brother Jiang brought another stone today. Do you think our shop will buy it?”
Zhang Bo said, pointing the phone’s camera at the stone Jiang Tao brought to show him.
“Wow! It’s actually a Shou Tian Huang stone raw material with its original skin. It’s not small either; it could be made into a large seal.”
The moment Zhang Long saw the stone, he identified its origin. His broad knowledge and unique insight were truly impressive.
“Son, shine a strong flashlight on it for me so I can see what’s inside.”
Hearing his father’s words, Zhang Bo took a strong flashlight from a drawer on the coffee table and began to shine it on the Shou Tian Huang stone raw material Jiang Tao brought.
“The quality is quite good. Xiao Jiang, you’re listening nearby too, so I won’t beat around the bush with you.”
“I can offer you a maximum of 180,000 yuan. If you think this price is acceptable, I’ll buy it.”
“If you think it’s not suitable, you can look around the market again.”
“But I estimate you won’t find anyone who offers a higher price.”
On the other end of the phone, after verifying the stone’s quality, Zhang Long also gave his intended price.
“180,000…”
After listening to Zhang Long’s words, Jiang Tao’s eyes narrowed, and his mind raced, considering his gains and losses.
Although the intelligence from the System Brother said this Shou Tian Huang stone raw material could be sold for up to 190,000 yuan.
But as a retail investor, it wasn’t that easy to find a buyer willing to pay 190,000 yuan.
Although Zhang Bo’s father’s price was 10,000 yuan lower than the System Brother’s estimated price, it was not unacceptable.
Besides, people who run businesses must make a profit to make a deal.
“Okay! We’re old acquaintances. Since Boss Zhang has offered this price, I’ll naturally give you face.”
Jiang Tao seized the opportunity and smiled, agreeing to Zhang Long’s quote.
He got the item for free, so any amount he sold it for was profit; there was no possibility of losing money.
Moreover, essentially, Jiang Tao was also a bit lazy and didn’t want to spend too much mental energy on a stone.
Selling it for 10,000 yuan less was fine; he valued his peace of mind.
“Son, you handle the handover with Xiao Jiang. I’ve got a bite on the line, I’m hanging up!”
Zhang Long on the phone hastily finished speaking and hung up.
It was as if he had just concluded a minor, insignificant business deal.
Indeed, for their family, a business of 180,000 yuan was not that large.
With Zhang Long’s authorization, things became much simpler.
Zhang Bo first printed two contracts for the transaction of valuable items.
After signing, he promptly transferred 180,000 yuan to Jiang Tao, and the two parties successfully completed a transaction.
The transaction was completed, Jiang Tao chatted with Zhang Bo for a few more words, and then took his leave.
After leaving Zhang Bo’s shop, he returned to the parking lot the way he came, got his car, and went straight home!
Jiang Tao had invited Old Lu and Ma Dongmei to his home for dinner tonight.
He had also notified Xu Li and his parents in advance.
On the way home, Jiang Tao hummed a tune, feeling absolutely wonderful.
Who would have thought that a stone he found by the roadside would sell for 180,000 yuan!
Moreover, this stone was picked up and then discarded by Jiang Yi.
If she knew the value of this stone…
Never mind, it’s best not to upset her.
She’s already pitiful enough with her sprained ankle.
This matter will forever be kept in his heart as his own little secret!
When Jiang Tao drove back to the downstairs of his residential complex, it was only 5 p.m.
It was still 2 hours before his dinner appointment with Lu Qian.
After parking the car, Jiang Tao took out his phone, found Xu Li’s number, and called her, asking her to come downstairs to go to the supermarket to buy groceries together.
Less than three minutes after hanging up, Xu Li came running out of the hallway.
She looked around at the entrance of the hallway, saw their car, and ran towards it with a joyful expression.
Click~
She opened the front passenger door and got in.
Xu Li plopped down in her designated front passenger seat.
While fastening her seatbelt, she smiled and looked at Jiang Tao, saying:
“Husband~ You must have worked hard today.”
“Make a few extra dishes tonight to reward our great contributor.”
Jiang Tao didn’t start the car immediately and asked curiously:
“Huh? Where’s your daughter? Why isn’t she with you?”
“Her? She’s upstairs having a video call with her homeroom teacher.”
Xu Li said with a sweet laugh:
“According to her dorm supervisor, your daughter cried today because she didn’t see her Teacher Jiang at school.”
“She didn’t have much appetite for meals, eating half as much as usual.”
“As soon as she got home, she pestered me to call her Teacher Jiang.”
“Hahaha, it seems she gets along well with her Teacher Jiang.”
Jiang Tao said as he started the car and drove towards the exit of the residential complex.
“Isn’t she your Teacher Jiang too? It’s quite a coincidence that you two were taught by the same teacher after so many years.”
Xu Li chuckled and teased Old Jiang:
“Husband, be honest, did you have any improper thoughts about your Teacher Jiang when you were in school?”
“No, I was pestered by you every day back then, so I didn’t have time to pay attention to other women.”
“Tsk, who was pestering whom? You were pestering me every day, you wouldn’t leave.”
“Ah, yes, yes, yes, it was me pestering you, I remembered it wrong.”
“You really didn’t like your Teacher Jiang? She’s so beautiful, has such a great figure, and such large… well, you know.”
“Uh, wife, you shouldn’t be so self-deprecating. Yours is quite large among women too.”
As the couple chatted, the topic became a bit inappropriate for children.
