Chapter 14: To Hell With An Annual Income Of One Million!
Jiang Tao was a cautious person his entire life.
Even though he had already obtained something as powerful as an intelligence system.
He didn’t immediately abandon his original job.
This thing came suddenly, what if it suddenly disappeared again?
It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!
The biggest trap on the road to financial freedom for ordinary people is consumption upgrade.
When a person’s earning ability improves, they start thinking about living in a bigger house, driving a better car, wearing more expensive clothes, and eating better meals.
These are not impossible, but the node should be placed after achieving financial freedom, not before.
Without achieving financial freedom yet, blindly upgrading consumption and seeking pleasure will undoubtedly prolong the process of achieving financial freedom.
Furthermore, when a person falls into the consumption trap carefully designed by capitalists and is dominated by materialism.
He is very likely to miss out on “financial freedom.”
And spend his entire life busy working.
World-famous boxer Tyson once earned over 500 million US dollars in income, but eventually went bankrupt due to extravagance.
Dance king Michael Jackson once signed a sky-high contract worth 1 billion US dollars.
His total record sales also reached an astonishing 800 million copies.
But in the end, he was also over 300 million US dollars in debt due to excessive consumption and legal disputes!
These are all living examples!
Moreover, Jiang Tao still has tens of thousands of dollars in external debt that he hasn’t paid off.
In the past two days, he has earned a lot of money through the intelligence system.
But at most, he would eat a lamb soup costing tens of yuan and drink a bottle of fine wine worth a hundred yuan.
The most urgent task now is to earn as much money as possible before the Spring Festival to pay off the external debt at home first.
So that the family doesn’t have creditors coming to their door and can celebrate the Spring Festival happily.
During the daytime, Jiang Tao was busy hauling goods at the Hongxing Second-hand Furniture Wholesale Market.
It wasn’t until 6:30 in the evening, when the market closed, that he finished work.
Excluding the 29,800 yuan found in the sofa, he earned another 400 yuan waiting for work today.
With both incomes combined, his daily income officially broke the 30,000 mark!
While driving home, Jiang Tao hummed a song, thinking happily to himself, if only he could earn 30,000 every day…
That would be 90,000 a month, and nearly a million a year!
“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! I have an intelligence system, and I’m still thinking about an annual income of one million? Am I cursing myself!”
When he stopped the car and got out, Jiang Tao suddenly realized that he was still too timid.
He already has an intelligence system, so a daily income of 30,000 is nothing!
He will definitely be able to earn more in the future!
To hell with an annual income of one million!
An annual income of ten million, or even tens of millions, would be more like it!
Thinking this way, Jiang Tao’s mood immediately improved.
On the way home, he bought another baked flatbread, a pound of pig head meat, and some small cold dishes.
The ten-year-old Niu Er liquor at home had only half a bottle left, so he didn’t need to buy more.
Back in his rental room, Jiang Tao ate the baked flatbread with pig head meat, while drinking his small liquor, living a rather comfortable life.
While eating, he also wondered if he should tell his wife about the nearly 30,000 yuan he found in the sofa.
How should he explain it?
After thinking it over, he decided against it.
Winning a mobile phone with iced black tea could be explained as good luck.
But how to explain the cash hidden in the sofa?
It would simply be asking for trouble.
Ring ring, ring ring—
Midway through his meal, Xu Li’s video call came in.
Jiang Tao answered the video call.
The couple chatted about family matters for over an hour before ending the call.
Ring ring—
As soon as he hung up his wife’s video call, another phone rang.
The caller ID showed “Brother Wang.”
“Hello, Brother Wang.”
Jiang Tao swiped his finger to answer the call, greeting the person on the other end with a smile.
“Ah? The light bulb is broken? You’re not home?”
“Alright, alright, no problem, it’s a small matter, I’ll head over now.”
“Drive carefully, bye.”
After hanging up the call with Wang Lianming, Jiang Tao grumbled as he got up, threw on the black cotton-padded jacket hanging on the rack, and went out.
After going downstairs, Jiang Tao skillfully headed towards the house where Wang Lianming and his wife rented a room.
Wang Lianming had just called to say the light bulb at home was broken, and his wife was home alone.
He was currently delivering goods and wouldn’t be home for at least another hour, so he asked Jiang Tao to go over and take a look.
After walking for about five minutes, Jiang Tao arrived outside another dormitory building.
“Xiao Jiang! You’re here, I’m really sorry, thanks for making the trip.”
He Fang, who had been waiting downstairs for a long time, greeted Jiang Tao with a smile upon seeing him.
He Fang was petite with a round, baby face, and had a dimple on her cheek when she smiled.
No one would guess she was 37 years old and a mother of two.
Standing in front of her, Jiang Tao, who was 1.82 meters tall, was more than a head taller than her.
It seemed He Fang had just returned from work.
She wore a light green down jacket over a women’s small suit workwear.
Her lower half was a pair of textured-looking small suit pants.
Her work makeup was still on her face.
Honestly, Jiang Tao sometimes envied Brother Wang’s luck.
Apart from her height, He Fang’s appearance was quite good.
If full marks were ten, she’d get about a seven.
The couple had been married for over ten years. Wang Lianming had gotten fat and bald from being fed by the “pig feed” of time.
But He Fang hadn’t changed much from the wedding photos taken when they got married.
Jiang Tao smiled and politely said to He Fang:
“Sister-in-law, you’re still being so formal with me. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“Xiao Jiang, have you eaten? If not, I’ll make you some noodles later.”
“No need, Sister-in-law, I’ve already eaten.”
“Then I won’t bother you.”
The two of them entered the hallway, chatting and laughing, and went upstairs to room 206.
The ceiling height in old-fashioned dormitory buildings like this was only a little over two meters.
Jiang Tao could reach the ceiling by standing on a stool.
“Be careful, Xiao Jiang, I’ll hold you.”
He Fang said, using both hands to lightly support Jiang Tao’s legs.
“Uh…”
As He Fang supported him, Jiang Tao felt a tingling sensation like an electric current coursing through his body.
He was so startled that he thought the wires on the ceiling were leaking electricity.
“Ahem…”
Jiang Tao coughed a bit awkwardly and continued to dismantle with a screwdriver.
Soon, Jiang Tao removed the broken lamp fixture and replaced it with a new one He Fang had bought downstairs.
Click!
He Fang pressed the switch by the door, and the room lit up.
“Sister-in-law, please go cook. I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll be going back now.”
After replacing the lamp fixture, Jiang Tao got down from the stool and smiled as he bid farewell to He Fang.
“There’s nothing for you to do back there, why don’t you rest here for a while.”
He Fang looked at Jiang Tao and said with a smile, inviting him to stay:
“Your Brother Wang will be back soon, and you both love drinking. Let’s have a couple of drinks together later, and I’ll stir-fry a couple of dishes for you.”
“That would be too much trouble.”
“What’s the trouble? You sit here and play with your phone, I’ll go change my clothes first.”
“Uh…”
Hearing that He Fang was going to change clothes, Jiang Tao’s heart couldn’t help but pound a few times.
Sister-in-law really doesn’t treat me like an outsider!
Their place is just a one-bedroom apartment!
“Oh, right, Sister-in-law, I just remembered, I have water boiling at home. I’ll head back now. I’ll come find Brother Wang for a drink another day!”
Jiang Tao didn’t want Brother Wang to misunderstand anything, so he quickly made an excuse and left.
