Chapter 208: A 600,000 Value Auspicious Ingot In The Reservoir!
Jiang Family Village is less than 4 kilometers away from Qisan Reservoir.
It only takes a little over ten minutes to drive there.
Intelligence indicates there are 20 minutes left until Bai Yulan falls into the lake.
Jiang Tao can make it there if he leaves now.
The situation was critical, so he couldn’t bother looking at the next two pieces of intelligence.
He quickly put on his clothes, grabbed the car keys from the television cabinet, and rushed out the door.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon parked outside the door turned on its headlights, instantly illuminating the darkness ahead.
Jiang Tao started the car and headed straight for Qisan Reservoir.
In the middle of the night, the rural road was deserted with not a single car, so he had a clear path.
In less than 10 minutes, Jiang Tao arrived at the bank of Qisan Reservoir.
During the Qingming Festival holiday, Qisan Reservoir is visited by many tourists and anglers every day.
During the day, it’s as lively as a temple fair.
Some tourists who prefer quiet choose to come here for night fishing, enjoying the tranquility of the night.
Bai Yulan was one of them.
She didn’t like crowds and preferred to be alone.
Whenever she felt troubled, her only way to de-stress was fishing, especially night fishing.
After finishing a day’s work, she drove to Qisan Reservoir alone.
After paying the fee, she specifically found a spot far from other anglers to fish by herself.
Croak, croak, croak~
Plop, plop, plop~
Listening to the frog calls from the reeds by the shore and the occasional splashing sounds from the water’s surface.
Looking at the crescent moon reflected in the reservoir.
Feeling the river breeze brushing past her skin.
Bai Yulan seemed to enter a state of “clear mind,” as described in legends.
She felt perfectly fused with nature, becoming one with it.
All the worries from her work and life seemed to be carried away by the evening breeze.
“Sigh, this is probably my fate, just go with the flow…”
Taking a deep breath, Bai Yulan felt refreshed, and her mind became much clearer.
After sitting for a while longer, she suddenly felt the urge to urinate.
She nimbly secured her fishing rod to the tackle box.
As Bai Yulan stood up, she suddenly felt her vision go black and the world spin!
The next second, her body fell straight backward and plunged into the water with a splash!
Plop, plop, plop~
“Whoa, help, help~~”
Bai Yulan instinctively began to paddle and flail, crying for help.
In her panic, she thrashed around, and instead of getting closer to the shore, she moved further away.
At this moment, a terrible thought flashed through her mind.
It’s over, I’m going to die today!
While night fishing, she had deliberately chosen a quiet spot with few people.
The nearest angler was still a hundred meters away.
Others might not hear her call for help.
Within a few seconds, Bai Yulan had swallowed several mouthfuls of water, and the air in her lungs was rapidly depleting.
Furthermore, it was only early April, and the temperature at night was at most eleven or twelve degrees Celsius.
Falling into the icy lake water, her body temperature dropped quickly, and coupled with extreme fear, Bai Yulan’s legs began to cramp uncontrollably.
This cramp was like adding insult to injury.
Just as Bai Yulan despaired, thinking she would die there today.
In the darkness, a tall figure rapidly approached her.
Someone was coming to save her!
“Help, help…”
After despair, seeing hope again, Bai Yulan felt like crying.
Whether it was real or her imagination, she quickly called out for help a few more times and swallowed a few more mouthfuls of water.
SPLASH!!!
Jiang Tao, who had rushed over, jumped into the water without hesitation.
Splish, splash, splish, splash—
Jiang Tao had swum in rivers since he was young and was a decent swimmer.
In less than ten seconds, he reached Bai Yulan from behind.
Jiang Tao extended his left arm, passing it under Bai Yulan’s armpit, and lifted her head and mouth out of the water.
Although Jiang Tao was not a professional lifeguard, he had a tiny bit of experience in rescuing drowning victims.
Splish, splash, splish, splash, splish, splash—
After successfully reaching Bai Yulan, Jiang Tao swam towards the shore using a sidestroke.
His physique was now over 90 points, and his strength was astonishing.
Dragging a small figure like Bai Yulan was incredibly easy.
From the moment Bai Yulan fell into the water to when Jiang Tao carried her to the shore, the entire process took less than a minute.
But this one minute was the most perilous and longest minute of Bai Yulan’s life.
“Hoo hoo hoo, hoo hoo hoo…”
Having survived, Bai Yulan breathed in large gulps of air.
Only those who have experienced a near-death experience know how blissful it is to breathe freely.
“Elder Sister, do you need to be taken to the hospital?”
Jiang Tao looked at Bai Yulan with concern and asked.
At this moment, Bai Yulan’s upper body was leaning on Jiang Tao.
The posture between them was somewhat ambiguous.
However, Bai Yulan was still shaken and felt completely weak.
She couldn’t afford to pay attention to such minor details.
While speaking, Jiang Tao also took the opportunity to size up Bai Yulan, whom he had just rescued.
Her fair, round, oval face had exquisitely placed features.
Her soaked clothes clung tightly to her body, outlining a perfect figure.
Bai Yulan lived up to her name.
His first impression of her was like a white magnolia flower meticulously nurtured by time.
Blooming gently, exuding a faint and long-lasting sweet fragrance.
Although her expression was slightly flustered and frightened, she was not without her beauty.
Bai Yulan’s appearance gave off a hazy sense of agelessness.
She could be seen as a young married woman in her thirties or a noblewoman in her forties.
The unique temperament that time had refined in her was difficult for those without life experience to imitate.
“No need to go to the hospital, thank you for saving me just now. My name is Bai Yulan, what’s your name, young man?”
Bai Yulan, as someone who had been through a lot, was indeed remarkable.
She quickly recovered from the shock of nearly drowning, her expression returning to composure.
Realizing that her position with Jiang Tao was a bit inappropriate, she shifted forward slightly, creating some distance.
“My name is Jiang Tao, from Jiang Family Village nearby.”
Jiang Tao readily gave his name.
He had driven over in the middle of the night and jumped into the water to save her; he wasn’t trying to be a nameless hero.
“Hello, Jiang Tao. Let me reintroduce myself, my name is Bai Yulan, and I’m the boss of the Bai Yulan Restaurant in Ping County.”
“Today I owe you my life. If you ever need anything from me in the future, you can find me at Bai Yulan.”
“Also, from now on, whether you dine at our restaurant alone or treat guests, it will be on the house.”
After getting up from the ground, Bai Yulan looked at Jiang Tao and made her promise solemnly.
“Bai Yulan Hotel? That’s the most high-class hotel in our Ping County, and you own it?”
Playing along, Jiang Tao feigned ignorance and acted surprised at Bai Yulan’s words.
“Yes, the restaurant is named after me.”
Bai Yulan nodded and frankly admitted it.
“From now on, whether I go alone or treat guests, it’s all on the house?”
“Aren’t you afraid, President Bai, that I’ll bring a whole group of people to eat for free every day?”
Jiang Tao smiled at Bai Yulan and asked jokingly.
Of course, he was just joking with Bai Yulan to lighten the mood.
Even if Bai Yulan was serious, he wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing a group of people to eat for free every day.
“Compared to you saving my life, these things are nothing.”
Bai Yulan looked at Jiang Tao with sincere eyes.
Only those who have walked through the gates of hell truly understand the preciousness of life.
“President Bai, you don’t need to keep mentioning the life-saving favor, it’s making me a bit embarrassed.”
“I was just acting out of bravery. I believe anyone who saw it would have stepped forward.”
Jiang Tao smiled, his expression nonchalant.
Although he intended to connect with Bai Yulan through this, he never thought about leveraging the favor for personal gain.
“Let’s add each other on WeChat, Jiang Tao. You look to be in your thirties, and I’m a few years older than you, so call me Sister Bai from now on.”
As she spoke, Bai Yulan took out a mobile phone from a box next to the tackle box and opened the add friend interface.
“Okay, it’s my fortune to get to know a big boss like Sister Bai.”
Jiang Tao replied politely with a smile and took out his wet mobile phone from his pocket.
Fortunately, modern phones have good waterproof capabilities, and his phone was not submerged and could be used normally.
He opened the WeChat app on his phone, scanned the QR code on Bai Yulan’s phone, and they successfully added each other as friends.
“Achoo!”
After adding each other, Bai Yulan suddenly sneezed.
The temperature at night was only eleven or twelve degrees, and her clothes were soaked; it would be strange if she didn’t feel cold.
“Sister Bai, your clothes are all wet. Hurry back and change into dry ones. Can you manage on your own? Do you need me to drive you?”
Jiang Tao also felt a chill and asked Bai Yulan with concern.
“No need to trouble you, Jiang Tao. I can manage. Thank you for tonight, I’ll be heading back now.”
Bai Yulan’s voice trembled slightly, clearly indicating she was quite cold.
Jiang Tao didn’t insist and nodded, saying, “Drive carefully on your way back, Sister Bai.”
“If you don’t mind that I’ve used them, I’ll give you this fishing gear as a meeting gift. If you don’t like it, you can give it to someone else.”
Bai Yulan looked at the fishing gear worth over 60,000 yuan, which someone had given her, by the riverbank. She had no inclination to pack it up now.
Jiang Tao smiled and said, “You’re too kind, Sister Bai. You go ahead, I’ll pack it up for you and deliver it to you when I have time tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll trouble you. I’m going back to change. I’ll thank you properly tomorrow.”
Bai Yulan wasn’t the type to be hesitant, and besides, she was very cold. After speaking, she turned and left gracefully.
Jiang Tao watched Bai Yulan walk about ten meters away before turning to pack up her fishing rod.
Swish, swish, swish~
“Huh, I actually got a bite!”
As Jiang Tao lifted the fishing rod, he found a fish the size of an adult’s arm hooked on it. This was an unexpected bonus.
On the other side, Bai Yulan hurried back to a Land Rover Range Rover parked by the riverbank.
As soon as she got in, she quickly started the car and waited for about three minutes before turning on the car’s heater.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
Feeling the warm air blowing from the vents, Bai Yulan’s body temperature gradually returned to normal.
Her purplish lips gradually regained their color.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, Bai Yulan’s mind kept replaying the scene of struggling for survival in the lake.
Although she was somewhat perplexed by Jiang Tao’s sudden appearance, her gratitude was even greater.
Regardless of the reason or motive for his presence.
He had, after all, saved her life and pulled her back from the brink of death.
“Jiang Tao…”
“Jiang Family Village.”
Recalling the conversation she had with Jiang Tao in her mind.
Bai Yulan’s intuition and her extensive experience in judging people told her.
Jiang Tao was not the kind of person who would approach her with ulterior motives.
Both his tone of voice and his demeanor conveyed a sense of trustworthiness.
Furthermore, based on his appearance, Jiang Tao had a loyal and trustworthy countenance, fitting the description of “peace and prosperity for the nation.”
His handsome and upright appearance was very attractive to women.
Jiang Tao’s features perfectly matched the traditional standard of “three courts and five spaces.”
Not overly three-dimensional, and harmonious and grand overall.
If he were to act in a television drama, he would be a perfect protagonist embodying integrity.
“Making another friend is a blessing in disguise!”
Bai Yulan had few friends, but this time she felt a strong liking for Jiang Tao and wanted to try befriending him.
After sitting in the car for about ten minutes with the hot air conditioning on, her body temperature fully recovered.
Bai Yulan took one last look at the reservoir not far away through the window.
Today’s experience made her a little more fearful of water, and her interest in fishing had plummeted.
“Fishing is too dangerous. I’d rather do more running from now on.”
Bai Yulan murmured to herself again.
Afterward, she started the car, turned it around, and drove towards Ping County.
…
After packing Bai Yulan’s fishing gear, Jiang Tao put it into the trunk of the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon.
He raised his hand and glanced at the wristwatch on his wrist.
After all the commotion, it was now 00:52.
He took out a new pack of cigarettes from the car and opened it.
After lighting one, he mentally focused and continued to check the remaining two pieces of intelligence for the day.
【 Today’s Intelligence 02】:
You went camping at Qisan Reservoir yesterday and obtained relevant intelligence—
Somewhere at the bottom of Qisan Reservoir is a Qing Dynasty “Tiān Guān Cì Fú” fifty-tael auspicious ingot, valued at 600,000 yuan.
…
“What in the world is an auspicious ingot?”
Seeing the content of the second piece of intelligence, Jiang Tao’s eyes lit up again.
Although he didn’t know what an auspicious ingot was, it wasn’t important.
System Brother said this thing was worth 600,000 yuan.
That was what Jiang Tao was most concerned about.
Jiang Tao looked towards the surface of Qisan Reservoir.
The holographic map in his field of vision showed that the auspicious ingot was over 300 meters away from his current location.
Furthermore, its position was near the center of the reservoir, not within reach.
“I’ll rent a boat and paddle over to take a look tomorrow.”
“It’s too cold now. If I were to swim halfway and my legs cramped, I’d lose my life here.”
After a brief calculation in his mind, Jiang Tao decided to take a more cautious approach.
It wasn’t worth risking his life for 600,000 yuan.
