Chapter 134: A 240,000 Bonus Arrives, And Du Ennan Visits!
The two found a vacant spot and sat down.
Jiang Tao handed the menu to Jiang Yi and let her order.
The prices of the dishes at this restaurant were moderate, focusing on being affordable.
After picking up the menu, Jiang Yi only ordered a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes and a plate of fish-flavored shredded pork.
When Jiang Tao saw the prices, less than 40 yuan for both dishes combined, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of amusement and helplessness.
He wondered if Jiang Yi was always this thrifty or if she was trying to save money for him.
“Teacher Jiang, are you particular about lamb?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Alright then, let’s have cumin lamb. Can you eat spicy food?”
“I can eat a little.”
“Then let’s have boiled beef and Maoxuewang, plus braised prawns in oil and saliva chicken.”
Jiang Tao said, while starting to add dishes to the menu paper.
Hearing Jiang Tao order so many dishes in a row, Jiang Yi quickly said:
“That’s enough, Jiang Tao. How can two people eat so much? It’ll be a waste if we order too much.”
“There are only 7 now, let’s make it 8 dishes for good luck.”
Jiang Tao said, and finally added a dish of boiled fish to the menu paper.
“Boss Lady, we’re done ordering.”
Jiang Tao waved to the boss lady, who approached with a smile to take his order.
The boss lady’s gaze swept over the order and saw that they had basically ordered the restaurant’s signature dishes.
A rough estimate put the price of this meal at over 300 yuan, and her eyes immediately lit up, looking at the two with even more ambiguity.
Eight dishes for two people, and they were so willing to spend money on a meal.
They said they weren’t a couple, who would believe that!
The boss lady said with a chuckle:
“I’ll have my husband show off his skills for the handsome guy. If it’s delicious, remember to come back often!”
“Absolutely.”
Jiang Tao smiled and agreed, but didn’t take it seriously.
“The handsome guy has good taste~”
“Xiao Jiang is beautiful and gentle, marrying her would definitely make a good wife who can manage the household and raise children~”
The boss lady said with a chuckle, then took the menu and walked towards the kitchen.
Jiang Yi was left feeling so awkward she could dig her toes into the ground, unable to respond!
“Hehe, this boss lady is quite humorous…”
Jiang Tao said with a smile, trying to ease the awkwardness between them.
“Yes, Sister Tang likes to joke around.”
Jiang Yi awkwardly fiddled with her hair, then proactively shifted the topic to Jiang Xue.
After chatting for about six or seven minutes, the boss lady began serving the dishes one by one.
This was a common couple’s shop, where the husband served as the chef in the kitchen and the wife worked as the waitress at the front.
In less than 20 minutes, all the dishes were served.
Besides being clean and hygienic, the taste was also quite good.
The two ate and chatted, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
After these two days of interaction, the sense of unfamiliarity between them had diminished, and they were more at ease than before.
It was past 1 PM when the meal ended.
Jiang Tao went to the service desk to settle the bill, which came to 365 yuan in total, and the boss lady directly waived 5 yuan.
On the principle of saving, Jiang Yi packed up all the remaining dishes.
As Jiang Tao was escorting her downstairs to leave, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.
He took out his phone and saw it was a call from the Security Section Chief Dong, whose last name was Dong, that he had called that morning.
Seeing Jiang Tao had a phone call, Jiang Yi waved goodbye and said:
“Jiang Tao, you go ahead. I’m going upstairs. Thank you for lunch today.”
“Goodbye.”
Jiang Tao also smiled and waved goodbye to Jiang Yi, then turned to leave, swiping to answer the call.
“Hello.”
“Yes, it’s me who called you…”
While on the phone, he found his car and got back inside.
After ending the call, Jiang Tao snapped his fingers with a smile.
Jing Xin Fishery had just called to invite him to the company to discuss matters, most likely about the bonus.
Jiang Tao had thought they would contact him after some time, once this matter was resolved.
He didn’t expect them to contact him so soon.
He casually tossed his phone onto the front passenger seat and entered “Jingxin Fishery Co., Ltd.” into the navigation.
The navigation showed that Jingxin Fishery Co., Ltd. was just over 7 kilometers away from Jiang Tao’s current location.
He activated the navigation and drove directly towards it.
11 minutes later.
The Mercedes-Benz GLS was stopped by the gate security guard at the entrance of Jingxin Fishery Co., Ltd.
Jiang Tao gave Dong Qiang’s name, and after the security guard contacted Dong Qiang, he was allowed to pass.
“Hello Jiang Tao! Welcome to our Jingxin Fishery Co., Ltd.!”
Dong Qiang personally came down to greet Jiang Tao at the entrance of a 3-story office building within the Jingxin Fishery processing plant.
“Hello Section Chief Dong.”
Jiang Tao shook hands with Dong Qiang with a calm expression, his demeanor neither humble nor arrogant.
“Please, Mr. Jiang, I’ll take you to our General Manager’s office. Thank you so much for today’s matter.”
“Your one phone call saved us a lot of losses.”
Dong Qiang said as he turned and led the way, taking Jiang Tao into the general manager’s office on the third floor.
“Hello Jiang Tao, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Qi Dongqiang, the General Manager of Jingxin Fishery.”
Upon seeing Jiang Tao, Qi Dongqiang greeted him courteously and introduced himself.
“Hello General Manager Qi.”
Jiang Tao also greeted Qi Dongqiang with a smile.
“Please sit, Jiang Tao. You’ve helped Jingxin Fishery a great deal today.”
“After I reported this matter to the board of directors, the shareholders unanimously agreed to reward you as a token of our gratitude.”
Qi Dongqiang cut straight to the chase and stated the purpose of inviting him to the company.
“Reward?”
Jiang Tao had already learned about the reward through the intelligence system, so he appeared very calm.
“Yes! After deliberation by the board of directors, our company has decided to award you a bonus of 300,000 yuan as a token of our appreciation.”
After Qi Dongqiang finished speaking, seeing Jiang Tao’s expressionless face, he couldn’t help but be somewhat surprised by his reaction.
A bonus of 300,000 yuan!
For an ordinary person, this was definitely a substantial bonus!
Dong Qiang, on the other hand, seemed to understand why Jiang Tao was so calm.
When he went downstairs to pick up Jiang Tao, he had seen Jiang Tao’s million-dollar Mercedes-Benz GLS.
It was only normal for someone who could afford a million-dollar luxury car to remain calm when faced with a bonus of 300,000 yuan.
Jiang Tao calmly asked, “Is that before tax?”
There was no reason to refuse something that was already offered.
Moreover, he had helped Jingxin Fishery immensely this time, so he felt he deserved this bonus.
“Haha, regarding taxes, our finance department can handle it for you.”
Qi Dongqiang was amused by Jiang Tao’s straightforwardness and looked at him with even more admiration.
Jiang Tao smiled and said, “Then I’ll trouble you.”
“Mr. Jiang, if I may be so bold, how did you know about Qi Jin Xiong stealing our company’s confidential recipe?”
Qi Dongqiang looked at Jiang Tao with curiosity, as he was genuinely puzzled about this matter.
“I’m his neighbor.”
Jiang Tao lied casually, without batting an eye:
“By chance, while I was smoking on my balcony, I overheard him on the phone on his balcony.”
“When the person was talking about confidential information, prices, and things like that.”
“So I became suspicious and called Section Chief Dong just to remind you. This bonus is an unexpected surprise.”
“So that’s how it is. It truly shows that what goes around comes around, and the net of justice, though vast, misses nothing! Even heaven is helping us!”
“Mr. Jiang’s small act saved our company tens of millions, even hundreds of millions in losses!”
“This bonus of 300,000 yuan is also a small token of our gratitude to you.”
Qi Dongqiang didn’t doubt Jiang Tao’s explanation. In his view, Jiang Tao had no motive to deceive him.
Moreover, the outcome of this matter was beneficial for Jingxin Fishery.
As for the details of the process, there was no need to delve into them.
Afterward, Qi Dongqiang chatted with Jiang Tao for a few more minutes and called the company’s finance personnel to the office.
The young lady from finance processed the bonus payment for Jiang Tao on the spot.
First, he signed a supplementary agreement, then after deducting 20% for incidental income, Jiang Tao received a legal income of 240,000 yuan!
With one phone call, he earned more than a year’s tuition for his daughter!
With the bonus in hand, Jiang Tao chatted with Qi Dongqiang for a few more minutes, they added each other on WeChat, and then he took his leave.
Qi Dongqiang escorted Jiang Tao to the ground floor. Seeing him drive away in a Mercedes-Benz GLS, he shook his head and laughed:
“I was wondering why Jiang Tao was so calm about getting a 300,000 yuan bonus. Turns out he wasn’t short of money to begin with!”
Watching Jiang Tao’s car disappear into the distance, Dong Qiang’s heart was also stirred.
He worked hard for a whole year and only earned a salary of 150,000+ yuan.
This person earned 300,000 yuan with just one phone call, which was equivalent to two years of his salary!
Dong Qiang felt envious and jealous!
…
Leaving the Jingxin Fishery Feed Processing Plant.
Jiang Tao drove directly towards the Xiao Shahe Urban Village.
In less than 10 minutes, he arrived at the village entrance.
After parking the car on an open patch of ground at the village entrance, Jiang Tao got out and walked into the village.
Passing by Pang Dongdong Supermarket, Jiang Tao walked in.
“Hey! Master Jiang, it’s been a while. I thought you had gone back to your hometown to develop!”
Yu Dongdong saw Jiang Tao and greeted him with a smile.
“Haha, no, I’m still making a living in the Capital City. I just rented a place elsewhere, so I don’t live here anymore.”
After greeting Yu Dongdong with a smile, Jiang Tao asked:
“Boss Yu, I’m planning to buy a lot of ingredients to pickle vegetables. Could I use your three-wheeled cart later?”
Yu Dongdong smiled and said, “Don’t be so polite. Even if you didn’t buy anything, I’d still let you use my three-wheeled cart.”
“Great! That’s what I wanted to hear! Then I’ll go get the ingredients. Oh, and give me two packs of Huazi cigarettes too. I’ll pay for them all together later.”
After greeting Yu Dongdong, Jiang Tao turned and headed towards the supermarket’s fruit and vegetable section.
Although the area of Pang Dongdong Supermarket was far less than large supermarkets like Yonghui and Wumei, its selection of fruits and vegetables was quite complete.
White radish, carrots, lotus root, screw vegetable, green peppers, Jerusalem artichoke, bamboo shoots, and some shelled roasted peanuts.
He procured all the ingredients for pickling Eight Treasure Pickles in one go, and also bought some seasoning and garlic, and ginger.
Jiang Tao planned to fill up the Delicious Pickled Vegetable Jar this time, so he bought quite a lot of materials.
The various raw materials added up to over 400 jin, costing him over 1300 yuan.
Plus two packs of Huazi cigarettes.
It cost nearly 3000 yuan in total.
Finally, Yu Dongdong asked a store employee from the supermarket to accompany Jiang Tao back to his rental room to help him move the goods.
“Thanks, Auntie. Here are two packs of cigarettes for you to give to your husband.”
Jiang Tao thanked the auntie who helped, then opened the cigarette case and handed her two packs of cigarettes.
“Oh, you shouldn’t have!”
The auntie said she was embarrassed but quickly reached out and took the cigarettes from Jiang Tao.
As a supermarket employee, although she didn’t smoke, she was exposed to it daily and knew that a pack of Huazi cigarettes cost 70 yuan, which was almost her daily wage!
“It’s just a small token of my appreciation. You can go back to your work now.”
“Alright! See you later!”
The auntie took the two packs of cigarettes and left downstairs, very satisfied.
After seeing off the supermarket auntie, Jiang Tao took out his phone and called his father, asking him to take a taxi to bring his mother to the urban village.
Jiang Tao did not want to spend too much energy on the Eight Treasure Pickles business in the future.
Therefore, he wanted to pass on the skills he had mastered to his father and mother.
From pickling Eight Treasure Pickles to selling them, he would leave it all to them, and he would be a hands-off manager!
Less than 10 minutes after making the call, the old couple arrived at the urban village by taxi. Jiang Tao went downstairs to pick them up and bring them to his residence.
“Son, is this where you used to live? It’s so small, like a prison.”
Upon seeing Jiang Tao’s former living space, his mother couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.
Although the room he lives in now faces the sun, its size is far inferior to the rooms in his rural hometown.
He has a spacious and bright house in his hometown, but to make a living, he has to come to the capital city and live in such a small dwelling.
Most Beijing Drifters are like this.
If you endure the most bitter of hardships, you will have endless hardships to endure.
“Haha, it can’t compare to our big house, but it’s enough to keep out the wind and rain.”
“By the way, Mom and Dad, how is the rental of the shop in the vegetable market?”
Jiang Tao chuckled and proactively changed the subject to the matter of renting the shop.
“This morning, your mother and I have already signed the rent contract with the market management department.”
“The shop is located not far from the exit, and its area is 18 square meters.”
“We paid a total of 35,000, with an annual rent of 31,000 and a deposit of 4,000.”
As his father spoke, his expression showed a hint of pain.
It was the first time he had spent so much money in a single day!
“Okay, regarding the renovation, I’ll arrange it as soon as possible.”
“Don’t you two worry, this project is guaranteed to make money!”
“With that amount for rent, it will be earned back in at most one or two months.”
“When our first jar of Eight Treasure Pickles is ready, you’ll see.”
Jiang Tao smiled and comforted his parents.
On his left hand, System Brother analyzed and optimized the Eight Treasure Pickles recipe.
On his right hand was the Delicious Pickled Vegetable Jar.
With the combination of Big and Small Wang, how could they lose?
Mother Tian Xiaomei exclaimed, “It can be earned back in one or two months, thirty to forty thousand?”
Jiang Tao smiled and said, “That’s being conservative.”
Father also marveled in surprise, “Thirty to forty thousand a month… how many Eight Treasure Pickles would we have to sell? Will that many people buy them?”
Jiang Tao smiled and said, “This is the information age. As long as our Eight Treasure Pickles taste good, the entire capital city is our market. The potential is huge!”
Father nodded and said, “That’s true… I saw online that when Zibo barbecue was popular last year, many people took planes to eat barbecue. Nowadays, there are too many people with money and free time.”
“Exactly, once people get used to good food, they’ll go to great lengths for it. Of the people who have tasted our Eight Treasure Pickles, at least 6 out of 10 will become our regular customers.”
“As we operate for a longer time, relying solely on regular customers will be enough for us to earn.”
Hearing Jiang Tao describe the market prospects, the elders’ confidence immediately grew, and they no longer had any worries.
Jiang Tao took out his phone and saw that it was getting late; it was time to get down to business, so he said:
“Mom and Dad, I have already mastered the technique of pickling Eight Treasure Pickles. Today, I will start teaching you two how to do it.”
“From now on, I will be fully responsible for the Eight Treasure Pickles business with you two.”
“Let’s start by processing these ingredients.”
“Okay! We’ll do it however you say! We’ll listen to you!”
As Jiang Tao spoke, he began to guide his parents in processing the ingredients.
With three people working together, the efficiency was quite high.
It took more than two hours to process all the ingredients Jiang Tao had bought.
Afterward, he began to gradually instruct his father and mother to boil the pickle brine.
After unlocking the skill of pickling Eight Treasure Pickles.
Jiang Tao now knew what to do without looking at the recipe he had previously recorded.
From past 2 PM to around 6 PM, they were busy.
With very rudimentary conditions and equipment.
The family of three worked together with all their might, completing all the preparation work.
Tomorrow, they only need to put the water-drained ingredients into the pickle jar.
And then pour in the cooled pickle brine.
Ring ring ring—
Just as Jiang Tao was about to take his parents home, his phone in his pocket rang.
He took out his phone and saw it was a phone call from Xu Li.
“Hello, wife.”
“Du Ennan is coming to our house as a guest?”
“Okay, alright. You take Xiao Xue to the supermarket first, and Mom and Dad and I will be back soon too.”
“We’ll meet you directly at the supermarket.”
“Okay, bye-bye.”
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Tao put his phone back in his pocket.
His mother asked curiously, “Who is Du Ennan?”
“A friend of Xu Li and mine. She’s coming to our house for dinner tonight.”
“Xu Li and Xiao Xue have already gone to the supermarket to buy groceries, let’s go too.”
After explaining with a smile to his parents, Jiang Tao and his parents left the house together, went downstairs, and headed straight back.
Ever since Jiang Tao took Xu Li and Jiang Xue to have dinner with Du Ennan once, Xu Li and Du Ennan had become friends.
These two exchanged messages on WeChat almost every day, having become closer than ordinary friends.
Living in the capital is not easy; making more friends is a good thing.
Jiang Tao arrived at the Jingkelong Supermarket outside the residential area with his parents at exactly 6:30 PM.
He parked the car on the curb opposite the supermarket and quickly met up with Xu Li and Jiang Xue after entering.
The family bought meat, eggs, milk, and various fruits and vegetables together, another big shopping trip.
They arrived home at past 7 PM, and his father, mother, and Xu Li went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
Meanwhile, Jiang Tao was pulled by his “little cotton jacket” to read her children’s picture books.
At 7:30 PM, Du Ennan called to say she was downstairs.
As Jiang Tao and Xu Li took the elevator downstairs together, Xu Li quietly told Jiang Tao about the major news that had happened in the residential area that day.
“Honey, a lot of police came to our neighborhood during the day and directly arrested our neighbor, that guy. I don’t know what he did.”
“He deserved it. This is karma.”
Jiang Tao had a gloating smile on his face.
He didn’t tell Xu Li that it was all because of his one phone call reporting the crime.
As for the potential risks…
Jingxin Fisheries had promised to strictly keep this matter confidential and protect Jiang Tao’s privacy.
Qi Jin Xiong also didn’t know that his arrest was due to Jiang Tao.
Moreover, according to Qi Dong Qiang, the crime Qi Jin Xiong committed this time was not minor, at least a 5-year sentence.
In 5 years, Jiang Tao’s family would have long since moved out of here.
As he was earning more and more money recently, Jiang Tao’s desire to buy a large villa grew stronger.
More than half of Jiang Xue’s classmates live in the Walden Lake Villa Area, about 4 kilometers away from the Bai Ge Zhuang Residential Area.
When he has enough money, Jiang Tao plans to buy a villa there too.
Compared to an apartment in a residential area, living in a large villa completely surpasses it in all aspects except for the higher price!
Ding~
The elevator doors opened, and Xu Li walked out with Jiang Tao’s arm linked.
As soon as they stepped out, they saw Du Ennan, holding several bags, walking towards the building entrance with a smile.
“Lili, Jiang Tao.”
Du Ennan saw Xu Li coming out of the building entrance and greeted her with a smile.
“Ennan~ You didn’t have to bring so many things!”
“You’re pregnant, so don’t carry anything too heavy. Honey, hurry up and give her a hand.”
Xu Li exclaimed softly and quickly urged Jiang Tao to go help Du Ennan with her things.
Du Ennan truly brought a lot of things!
She was carrying 5 shopping bags, large and small, clearly preparing gifts for all 5 members of Jiang Tao’s family.
Du Ennan handed the shopping bags she was holding to Xu Li and her husband, saying with a smile:
“These are some items from our mall. It’s my first time visiting your home, I couldn’t come empty-handed.”
Xu Li said with a charming smile, “Of course you could! Why are you being so formal with us! We’d welcome you even if you just came with an appetite.”
Du Ennan laughed heartily, “Haha, then next time I’ll just come with an appetite and leave my face at home.”
The three of them chatted and laughed as they entered the hallway, took the elevator to the 16th floor, and entered 1601.
“Auntie Ennan~ Did you bring the baby with you!”
As soon as Du Ennan entered, Jiang Xue ran up to greet her.
“Hahaha, of course. The baby is still in Auntie’s belly, so wherever Auntie goes, she brings her.”
Du Ennan was amused by Jiang Xue’s innocent and cheerful words.
Jiang Tao introduced to his parents, “Mom and Dad, this is Du Ennan, a good friend of Xu Li and me.”
“Welcome, welcome.”
“Welcome to our home, Little Du.”
“Uncle and Auntie, you’ve worked hard. I apologize for the intrusion. For our first meeting, I brought you a small gift.”
As Du Ennan spoke, she took two boxes of American ginseng from Jiang Tao and handed them to Jiang Wen and Tian Xiaomei.
She then handed the gifts for Jiang Tao, Xu Li, and Jiang Xue to each of them.
The gift Du Ennan gave to Jiang Tao was a leather belt worth over 3,000 yuan.
The gift for Xu Li was a set of Burberry cosmetics.
The gift for Jiang Xue was a cute Jellycat bunny plush toy.
In an era where Teddy Bear images are commonplace, the Jellycat bunny quickly became a new favorite.
Celebrities’ daughters like Harper Beckham, Suri Cruise, and children of many domestic stars almost all own a bunny.
Jellycat’s plush toys, costing hundreds or even thousands, have captured a large group of adults who hesitate to order a milk tea costing more than 20 yuan.
It’s evident that Du Ennan put thought into the gifts she gave everyone.
The gifts were different for different ages and genders.
After giving out the gifts, Xu Li pulled Du Ennan to the sofa in the living room to chat.
The topics of their conversations always revolved around children.
Jiang Tao couldn’t interject into their conversation and could only play with Jiang Xue and her new toy.
