Chapter 159: Intelligence Regarding Bronzeware? This Is Too Much!
Drove out of the Xia Hua Liang Zi company headquarters.
Jiang Tao drove around Panjiayuan on the way.
He sold the Gold Axe he just salvaged today for 710,000 yuan to Zhang Bo.
Because it was just in time for lunch.
Zhang Bo treated him to a seafood buffet near Panjiayuan at a five-star hotel, costing 800 yuan per person.
After eating his fill, Jiang Tao then drove back.
He planned to first go to Cui Village to check on the work situation of his third sister.
And also to see how those 4 genetically mutated blueberry potted plants were growing.
If those 4 genetically mutated blueberry potted plants could be sold successfully.
The money spent to purchase 100,000 blueberry potted plants would be recouped directly!
A few days ago, blueberry potted plants were trending on hot searches for two consecutive days, attracting a large amount of traffic.
A blueberry-growing craze swept across the internet.
Netizens grew them on their balconies, on their office workstations, each becoming a “city farmer,” endlessly enjoying themselves.
Under this wave of trends, even the price of blueberries in supermarkets was affected, being driven down considerably by netizens.
This overwhelming fortune was considered to have been seized by Jiang Tao and his third sister.
In the past ten days or so, the daily total sales of Jiang Bing’s shops on several platforms have basically remained above 5,000 pots.
In just over ten days, more than half of the 100,000 blueberry potted plants have been sold, with extremely considerable sales volume.
Along with that, many other goods in her online store were also sold, and she benefited quite a bit from it.
The daily shipping volume of several thousand items from the greenhouse is a considerable workload.
Du Jun and the temporary workers he leads have been working in the greenhouse during this period, and they are working with great vigor.
After more than ten days of working together, Jiang Tao is also very satisfied with the efficiency and attitude of these workers.
Around 3 PM.
A Mercedes-Benz GLS stopped in an open area outside a greenhouse in Cui Village.
The moment Jiang Tao parked the car and opened the door to get out, a silver-gray Tesla drove towards him.
The Tesla suddenly stopped when it drove beside Jiang Tao.
The car window rolled down, and Liu Yuan smiled and greeted Jiang Tao:
“Jiang Tao, long time no see. Your blueberry potted plants have completely taken off, congratulations!”
“Heh heh, it’s just good luck, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.”
Jiang Tao smiled and chuckled, responding to Liu Yuan with great humility.
The 100,000 blueberry potted plants he had were all purchased from Liu Yuan’s husband, Xu Xinlei.
Now, with the blueberry potted plants suddenly booming in popularity and their prices skyrocketing.
It was estimated that these two would have some lingering resentment.
“Brother Jiang~ Long time no see~”
He Jing, sitting in the front passenger seat, also waved and greeted Jiang Tao with a smile.
The two had met several times since they met last year, and had even eaten together twice.
During their interactions, their impressions of each other were quite good.
They could now be considered good friends.
“Let’s get together at Xiao Shahe sometime when you’re free. I’ll treat you, Aunt Ma, and Brother Lu to seafood barbecue.”
Jiang Tao also greeted He Jing with a smile.
Speaking of which, He Jing had also brought him a lot of good luck.
For example, when he ate with He Jing previously, he triggered intelligence about the Melo Pearl.
And then there was the 【Body-Strengthening Treadmill】 he bought from her.
Jiang Tao’s physique has now reached 56 points, and the improvement effect is very significant.
He runs more easily, and his endurance and explosiveness have also improved considerably.
Even with the increase in physique, the excess fat on his stomach has shrunk, and his physique has become better.
This was all thanks to that 【Body-Strengthening Treadmill】.
“Okay~ It’s a deal! I’ll wait for Brother Jiang’s call.”
When it came to eating, He Jing was not polite with Jiang Tao and readily agreed.
“We still have some things to do, we’re leaving now, you be busy.”
“Okay, bye.”
Jiang Tao waved goodbye to Liu Yuan and watched her drive away before turning to head towards the greenhouse he had contracted.
Pushing open the small door of the greenhouse and entering, the temperature instantly rose by several degrees.
In the current weather, a light sweater and jacket are just right outdoors, but it’s a bit hot inside the greenhouse.
Jiang Tao took off his jacket and held it in his hand, looking at the busy people inside the greenhouse and nodding to himself.
The people Du Jun brought are all diligent in their work and honest, not slacking off or goofing off.
Therefore, Jiang Tao paid them their wages promptly and often provided them with food like bread and chicken legs to replenish their energy.
“Good afternoon, Boss Jiang.”
“Good afternoon, Boss Jiang.”
“Boss Jiang…”
Several workers who were packing saw Jiang Tao and greeted him with smiles, showing respect for him.
“You’ve all worked hard. I’m treating tonight. Du Jun will take you out for a meal.”
Jiang Tao responded to the greetings of several workers with a smile.
He was earning tens of thousands every day during this period, so he didn’t hesitate to spend a thousand or eight hundred yuan to treat everyone to a meal.
“Boss Jiang is too generous!”
“It’s so comfortable working for Boss Jiang! Boss Jiang, we’ll look for you if you have more work in the future.”
“Thank you, Boss Jiang!”
Hearing that Jiang Tao was treating them to dinner that evening, everyone was even more grateful to him.
Amidst the grateful voices, Jiang Tao pushed open the door and entered the simple office inside the greenhouse.
“Second Brother! We got explosive orders again today! As of now, we’ve already sold 5,800 pots!”
Jiang Bing turned her head and saw her second brother entering, reporting today’s performance to him with excitement.
“Well done. It looks like this project can be wrapped up in a few days.”
Jiang Tao’s smile widened even more upon hearing his third sister’s report.
As he spoke, he walked a few steps to the northwest corner of the office and squatted down to look at one of the genetically mutated blueberry potted plants.
After more than ten days of growth, these four genetically mutated blueberry potted plants had also borne small fruits.
However, the fruits were still too small at the moment, and it was not yet possible to see any difference from ordinary blueberry potted plants.
“Huh…”
Suddenly, Jiang Tao’s gaze flickered, and he noticed a blueberry on a branch of a blueberry potted plant towards the inner side that was already showing signs of mutation.
A blueberry, the size of a thumbnail, on a branch in the middle section, showed a rainbow-like seven colors.
Seeing this “special” blueberry, Jiang Tao’s eyes lit up.
The color of blueberries is mainly determined by the variety.
Most varieties turn dark purple, dark blue, or violet when ripe, with a few varieties turning red.
Blueberries that show multi-colored hues such as red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, like the one before him, are definitely rare worldwide!
“What’s wrong, Second Brother?”
Hearing her second brother’s soft exclamation, Jiang Bing also shifted her gaze from her computer screen and turned to look at Jiang Tao.
“Third Sister, come here, I want to show you something good.”
Jiang Tao beckoned to his third sister, signaling her to come closer.
“What good thing?”
Jiang Bing, full of curiosity, stood up from her seat and walked a few steps to Jiang Tao’s side. She emulated him, squatting down in front of the blueberry potted plants.
“Look at this.”
Jiang Tao pointed to the seven-colored blueberry.
“This is… Wow! So beautiful! So many colors! I didn’t see it yesterday!”
“What, what, what is happening?”
Jiang Bing saw the seven-colored blueberry Jiang Tao was pointing at, and her face showed surprise and confusion.
In the recent period, as Jiang Bing began to interact with blueberries, she gained a general understanding of blueberry varieties.
She could skillfully name sixteen or seventeen types of blueberry varieties and their characteristics and sweetness.
A blueberry of seven colors like today’s was extremely rare!
“I told you, these four blueberry potted plants might have undergone genetic mutation for some reason.”
“You didn’t believe me before, but now you do, right?”
Jiang Tao looked at his third sister with a smile, his expression one of immense pride!
He had previously told his third sister to take good care of these four blueberry potted plants.
And told her frankly that these four were genetically mutated.
But Jiang Bing had never believed him, thinking Jiang Tao was joking with her, playing a prank!
Now, with the seven-colored blueberries right before her eyes, Jiang Bing had no choice but to believe!
“It’s pretty, but… what’s the use of it?”
“Customers buy blueberries to eat, not to look at. The main thing is how it tastes, right?”
After appreciating the seven-colored blueberry, Jiang Bing looked at Jiang Tao, her eyes full of confusion.
“You haven’t tasted it, so how do you know it doesn’t taste good?”
Jiang Tao had great confidence in the intelligence provided by System Brother.
Since System Brother said that this kind of genetically mutated blueberry potted plant was worth 200,000 yuan per pot, there must have been a reason.
It wasn’t just the outstanding color; the taste should also be good.
It might even taste better than existing varieties!
Jiang Tao continued:
“Also… tree species with such genetic mutations would surely be of great interest to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.”
“The Academy of Agricultural Sciences is interested?”
Hearing her second brother’s words, Jiang Bing’s eyes also lit up:
“Second Brother, you mean, a pot like this can sell for several thousand yuan?”
Jiang Tao smiled and said, “That’s too conservative.”
“Several thousand yuan is still too conservative? You’re not going to say this thing can sell for over ten thousand yuan, are you?”
Jiang Bing looked at her second brother in astonishment, thinking he was quite ambitious.
“Heh heh, just wait and see.”
Jiang Tao chuckled, playing coy a bit.
“Go do what you need to do. I’m going to ask Liu Yuan if she has any connections at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.”
As Jiang Tao spoke, he stood up from the ground, took out his phone from his pocket, found Liu Yuan’s number, and dialed it.
Compared to Liu Yuan’s husband, Xu Xinlei, Jiang Tao felt more at ease interacting with Liu Yuan, his fellow villager.
Ring ring ring—
The call was quickly connected, and Jiang Tao didn’t waste words with Liu Yuan, getting straight to the point and asking if she had any connections at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
There were thousands of greenhouses in Cui Village, and many bosses who contracted greenhouses had close ties with the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
“Excuse me, Liu Yuan, I wanted to ask if you have any connections at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. I have…”
Jiang Tao described the four genetically mutated blueberry potted plants as being entrusted to him by a friend for sale.
This was to avoid making Liu Yuan and Xu Xinlei feel even more unbalanced.
If these two learned that among the 100,000 blueberry potted plants they sold to Jiang Tao, there were 4 genetically mutated blueberry saplings of immense value.
They would likely regret it immensely!
Facing Jiang Tao’s request for help, Liu Yuan was as enthusiastic as ever.
She did indeed know a few minor leaders at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
After chatting on the phone for a few minutes, Liu Yuan sent Jiang Tao the WeChat contact card of Director An, whom she knew.
Jiang Tao swiftly added Director An on WeChat.
After adding Director An on WeChat, Jiang Tao noticed that the other party was also a woman.
Looking at the photos she posted on Moments, she appeared to be around forty years old.
Jiang Tao did not directly call Director An for a voice or video call; instead, he communicated with her via text message on WeChat.
【Genetically mutated blueberry trees? What variety, how did they mutate? Do you have photos? Can you show me the photos first?】
An Menglin showed great interest upon hearing Jiang Tao say that he had discovered four genetically mutated blueberries!
Jiang Tao, as requested by An Menglin, took over a dozen photos from various angles and sent them to her.
Although not very professional, they were passable.
【Can I come to the site tomorrow morning for an on-site inspection?】
After reviewing the photos, An Menglin was very interested in the seven-colored blueberries in the pictures.
【Yes! You’re welcome anytime!】
【Then around 10 AM tomorrow! I’ll drive over.】
【Alright Director An, we’ll be waiting.】
Jiang Tao and An Menglin chatted briefly on WeChat and confirmed their meeting for the next morning.
Then the communication ended.
Jiang Tao fully understood An Menglin’s caution.
After all, these four special potted plants were not cheap.
Just the four genetically mutated blueberry saplings were worth about as much as 10 ordinary blueberry potted plants.
This was the huge difference between premium and ordinary items!
“Third Sister, you must keep a close eye on these four pots for me. If they’re lost, bring me your head.”
Jiang Tao walked to the desk, reminded his third sister again, and prepared to leave.
“Don’t worry! They won’t be lost! Even if I get lost, your four precious blueberry trees won’t be!”
Jiang Bing gave her second brother a glare, letting him understand the meaning in her eyes.
Jiang Tao always told her this when he came and left, she had heard it so many times her ears were almost calloused.
“You be busy. I’m leaving now. I’m going to the vegetable market to see how Mom and Dad are doing.”
After saying this, Jiang Tao pushed open the door, walked out of the simple office, strode out of the greenhouse, and drove away directly.
Around 4:30 PM, the Mercedes-Benz GLS stopped in an open space outside the Bai Ge Zhuang Vegetable Market.
Jiang Tao got out of the car, locked the door, and walked into the vegetable market.
Students hadn’t finished school yet, and office workers hadn’t gotten off work, so there weren’t too many people shopping for groceries.
As soon as he entered the vegetable market, Jiang Tao looked in the direction of their stall and saw a crowd gathered there from afar.
“It seems today’s event is quite lively.”
Jiang Tao smiled and strode towards the stall they had rented.
“Everyone line up, there’s enough for everyone, enough for everyone.”
From afar, Jiang Tao heard Xu Li’s voice and was slightly surprised.
During this time, the two had been focusing on their second child plan, and Jiang Tao hadn’t let her worry about work, telling her to focus on preparing for pregnancy at home.
Approaching, Jiang Tao saw a line of twenty to thirty people queuing at the entrance to receive free Eight Treasure Pickles.
Among them, most were elderly men and women, with only a few young people.
Inside the shop, his parents and Xu Li were serving samples of Eight Treasure Pickles to everyone.
“Please make way…”
Pushing aside the crowd blocking the entrance, Jiang Tao also squeezed into the shop.
“Son, you’re here!”
“Husband~”
Xu Li’s mood instantly brightened upon seeing Jiang Tao.
The word “husband” made the men queuing outside extremely envious!
Where could one find a wife who was beautiful, had a sweet voice, and was in such good shape!
All eyes were fixed on Jiang Tao.
Their gazes held envy and jealousy!
In front of so many customers outside, Jiang Tao didn’t discuss business matters with his parents and Xu Li.
He joined the activity of giving out free Eight Treasure Pickles.
The family of four worked until around 5 PM, ending today’s free giveaway event and closing for the day!
His parents went to buy groceries from other merchants in the vegetable market.
Xu Li linked her arm through Jiang Tao’s, leaning against him.
The couple also took the rare opportunity to stroll through the vegetable market and walk along the road.
“Husband, Mom said Dad is planning to take leave from next Monday to Wednesday.”
“Plus Saturday and Sunday, he’ll have 5 consecutive days off.”
“Oh, and Husband, Sasha is unemployed at home right now. Should we ask her to come along too?”
“Dad and Mom have invited them, so it doesn’t seem right not to invite her.”
“Come on, if you want to come, everyone come. We’re not short of her.”
“Mmm! My husband is so generous~ Sasha was ignorant in the past, but you, as her brother-in-law, shouldn’t be petty.”
“Don’t worry, am I that petty? If I minded, I wouldn’t have mentioned inviting your parents to visit Beijing.”
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the two chatted as they strolled, their lives quite leisurely.
After buying things and returning home, his parents cooked, Xu Li helped out, and also learned culinary skills.
Jiang Tao was assigned to go downstairs to walk Wang Cai.
In recent days, Wang Cai has had “remarkable achievements.”
Besides bringing back a gold bean the first time he was taken to Du En Nan’s villa area by Xu Li and Jiang Xue.
Recently, it also “picked up” a gold ring and a diamond ring!
Jiang Tao didn’t let his mother and Xu Li keep these items of unknown origin and took them directly to Zhang Bo to sell, using the money to buy them new items.
“Woof woof woof~ Woof woof woof~”
Jiang Tao walked Wang Cai for about half an hour in the residential area, pulling on the leash.
When he received a call from Xu Li saying that dinner was ready, he led Wang Cai home.
“Woof woof woof, woof woof woof~”
Returning home, the moment Jiang Tao let go of Wang Cai’s leash, Wang Cai happily ran to the kitchen and circled around Xu Li.
“Huh, Husband, look what this is!”
Xu Li exclaimed and gestured for Jiang Tao to come closer.
“What is it?”
Jiang Tao walked up to Xu Li and his eyes lit up when he saw a small golden bead the size of a Liuwei Dihuang Pill in her hand.
“Huh? Where did you get this? Don’t tell me it’s another gold bean!”
He reached out and picked up the small golden bean in Xu Li’s palm.
Jiang Tao put on a surprised expression, but in reality, he was very calm.
Bringing home valuable items is a concrete manifestation of Wang Cai’s 【Wang Cai】 attribute!
“It looks very similar to the gold bean it brought back earlier!”
“Our Wang Cai must have found treasure again!”
Seeing the small golden bead in Xu Li’s palm, his parents also smiled and looked at Wang Cai, who was wagging its tail happily on the floor.
The little guy seemed to be saying “Praise me, praise me”!
In recent times, after witnessing Wang Cai’s “treasure-finding” ability, everyone knew how fitting its name was.
It was truly a lucky charm!
Roughly estimated, the few items Wang Cai brought home are worth at least six to seven million in total.
It had already earned back double the money Jiang Tao spent to buy it.
“Little Wang Cai is amazing, you’ll get an extra chicken leg tonight~”
Xu Li smiled, crouched down, and petted Wang Cai a few times, her eyes full of joy.
Xu Li was growing to like her new family member more and more.
“Everyone wash your hands and let’s eat. Why isn’t Third Sister back yet?”
Just as his mother finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. Speak of the devil, and she shall appear; Third Sister also returned from work.
Upon learning that Wang Cai had brought home another gold bean, Jiang Bing also exclaimed in disbelief.
It made her want to get a dog too and name it Wang Cai.
Jiang Tao just chuckled in response.
Not all “Wang Cai” are 【Wang Cai】!
Third Sister was really overthinking it!
After dinner, Xu Li drove to take Jiang Bing home and then pick up Jiang Xue, who was attending tutoring with Jiang Yi.
His parents had recently become obsessed with dancing, and the elderly couple went to the square every evening to learn dancing.
Jiang Tao leaned back on the sofa and first scrolled through his Moments from the day.
After scrolling through Moments and letting his stomach digest a bit.
He then changed into his sportswear and athletic shoes.
He stepped onto the 【Body-Strengthening Treadmill】 once again and began his daily running workout.
Swish swish swish, swish swish swish—
Swish swish swish, swish swish swish—
After more than ten days of running workouts and an increase of 9 points in physique.
Jiang Tao’s running ability had greatly improved, and he could now run for an hour without stopping.
【You have run for 1 hour, congratulations on triggering a physique reward +1!】
【Your current physique is 60 points （Normal）】
After receiving the 1 point of physique for today, Jiang Tao’s physique finally returned to the system’s recognized normal level.
Yes, this was definitely the system’s own standard of judgment.
As of now, among the people Jiang Tao knew and had interacted with, no one had a physique exceeding 60 points.
Everyone’s physique basically fluctuated between 20 and 60.
Yet, the system actually set reaching 60 points as the passing line.
This passing line was clearly set a bit too high; 50 points would have been more reasonable.
Seeing the reward information floating across his retina.
Jiang Tao reached out and pressed the “stop” button, ending his run for the night.
He picked up the towel draped over the treadmill to wipe off his sweat, changed into slippers at the door, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
As usual, while Jiang Tao was showering, Xu Li and Jiang Xue returned, and his parents returned a short while later.
The family sat in the living room chatting for a while before taking turns washing up.
After washing, they each went to their rooms to sleep.
For everyone, today was another fulfilling and busy day.
As always, Jiang Tao first activated 『Sleep Mode』 for his parents and Jiang Xue.
After playing cards with Xu Li, they chatted for a while longer before he activated 『Sleep Mode』 for Xu Li.
He himself, as per routine, waited for the intelligence refresh at midnight.
【Today’s Intelligence 01】:
You lingered in the Bai Ge Zhuang Vegetable Market yesterday and obtained related intelligence—
A bronze ware from the Warring States period is buried in a certain area of the Bai Ge Zhuang Vegetable Market!
……
“Bronze ware… That’s too risky!”
“System Brother, take it easy! Is that something we can mess with!”
Seeing the first piece of intelligence refreshed for the day, Jiang Tao chuckled and decisively gave up.
Although he wasn’t an expert in antiques, he did have some knowledge.
Bronze wares are national prohibited items for business, and illegal reselling is forbidden.
Reselling national prohibited cultural relics for the purpose of profit.
If the circumstances are serious, one shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, and be fined.
Jiang Tao’s mind moved, and he continued to look at the next item.
