Chapter 212: Auspicious Ingots In Hand And The Platinum Butterfly Carp Caught By Father-in-law!
When Xu Li and Jiang Xue were at their father-in-law’s home.
Xu Sha drove Jiang Tao and her own father to Qisan Reservoir again.
“Shasha, you go play. Call us when we want to go back.”
“Here’s some pocket money. Go to the mall and see if there’s anything you like.”
After Jiang Tao got out of the car, he took out a wad of cash from his pocket without looking and handed it to Xu Sha.
“Thank you, Brother-in-law! Hehe~ My brother-in-law is so generous!”
Xu Sha didn’t stand on ceremony with her brother-in-law. She smiled sweetly, called him brother-in-law, and took the cash from Jiang Tao’s hand.
Xu Sha found it a bit strange that her brother-in-law often took out large sums of cash recently, but she didn’t think much of it.
It doesn’t matter if it’s cash or a mobile transfer; it can be used for consumption and buying things. That’s good money!
It’s like the saying goes, it doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it can catch mice!
“You little girl, now you know how good your brother-in-law is to you.”
Xu Wencheng smiled as he looked at his second daughter, seeing that her relationship with his elder son-in-law had eased and they were getting along harmoniously.
As her father and father-in-law, he felt very relieved.
“Hehe, of course I know. My brother-in-law is the best brother-in-law in the world~”
Xu Sha smiled sweetly, her gaze towards Jiang Tao filled with both affection and admiration.
Jiang Tao had arranged a high-paying job for her and occasionally gave her pocket money like today.
Her attitude towards her brother-in-law, Jiang Tao, had done a complete 180-degree turn!
She was now as fond of him as she had been indifferent before.
Jiang Tao knew that his sister-in-law’s change in attitude was mostly due to “Money Power.”
As for his personal charm, he believed that played a part too.
But he didn’t actually mind it.
After all, she was his wife’s own sister, his own sister-in-law.
And his “Money Power” wouldn’t disappear; it would only grow stronger in the future.
After a bit more idle chat, Xu Sha drove the G-wagon back to the county town.
Jiang Tao and Xu Wencheng went to the reservoir management office and paid 240 yuan for the pit fee.
Xu Wencheng took the fishing gear and went to find a spot to set up his rod.
Jiang Tao, however, looked at a small boat used for baiting that was parked on the reservoir bank, his eyes gleaming.
“Boss, could you lend me that boat to drive for a bit of fun?”
As Jiang Tao spoke, he took out a pack of Da Tian Ye cigarettes from his pocket and handed them to the boss with a smile.
“Do you know how to drive a boat? How about I take you for a ride?”
The reservoir boss’s name was He Qiang, and he was a villager from Hejiazhuang, a village near the reservoir.
He Qiang had been feeding fish at the reservoir for many years, and he also enjoyed fishing.
Constantly exposed to the sun and wind, he had become dark-skinned, like an African.
Just by looking at his skin color, one could guess that his “fishing spot” was definitely not low.
Jiang Tao had visited Qisan Reservoir several times in the past two days, and He Qiang remembered him.
As He Qiang spoke, he took a cigarette from Jiang Tao’s cigarette case and then offered the case back to Jiang Tao.
Jiang Tao smiled and pushed He Qiang’s hand away, saying with a chuckle:
“Boss, keep them for yourself. I have more. I just want to experience driving the boat. If you drive me, how can I experience it?”
“This thing is not a game. If you don’t know how to drive it, you’ll fall into the water by accident.”
“Can you swim?”
He Qiang was also a long-time smoker and naturally knew that a pack of Da Tian Ye cigarettes cost over a hundred yuan.
He subtly accepted Jiang Tao’s cigarette, and his tone became more polite.
“Haha, I won’t hide it from you, boss. I grew up by the river, and swimming in the water is like walking on land for me.”
“My friends call me ‘Wave Rider White Stripe.’ I can dive twenty to thirty meters like it’s nothing.”
Jiang Tao’s words were naturally exaggerated.
He said this to gain the boss’s full trust.
After all, it was risky for a novice who had never driven a boat to do so on a lake.
If something happened, the boss would also be held responsible.
It was better to have no trouble than to have trouble. The boss didn’t want to create problems for himself.
Therefore, even though he had a good impression of Jiang Tao, he wasn’t entirely at ease and didn’t give a quick answer.
“How about this, boss? I’ll give you another 500 yuan, you let me experience driving for a bit, and no matter what happens, it has nothing to do with you.”
“Before we go in the water, we can find other anglers to be witnesses, and you can also record our conversation as evidence.”
Seeing that the boss was hesitant, Jiang Tao decided to up the ante again.
For the Auspicious Ingot worth over 600,000 yuan, spending a little money was nothing.
As expected, when the boss heard that Jiang Tao was willing to pay 500 yuan to experience driving the boat, he was overjoyed!
With 500 yuan delivered to his doorstep, there was no reason to refuse!
“Then… alright! But young man, before you drive the boat, could you write me a note?”
“It’s not that I’m cursing you, old brother, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
He Qiang looked at Jiang Tao and made his final request.
Jiang Tao smiled and said, “Okay! No problem! I understand, big brother. You don’t need to say it. Where should we write it?”
“Let’s go to my office over there.”
He Qiang pointed to a blue container-like iron house not far away.
“Alright!”
Jiang Tao nodded in agreement and followed He Qiang to the office to write a guarantee letter similar to a waiver of liability.
The content stated that he would be solely responsible for any consequences arising from his boat driving experience, and it had nothing to do with He Qiang.
After writing the guarantee letter, both of them signed their names and pressed their handprints on it.
Jiang Tao also readily added He Qiang on WeChat and transferred 500 yuan to him.
The liability waiver was signed, and the transfer was received.
He Qiang led Jiang Tao down to the riverbank and to his baiting boat, which he normally used for scattering bait.
This small boat had a diesel engine at the stern.
He Qiang briefly explained the technique of operating the boat to Jiang Tao.
Jiang Tao learned quickly, and it wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined.
Vroom, vroom—
After a simple lesson in driving the fishing boat, Jiang Tao started the engine and steered the boat towards the center of the reservoir.
To avoid attracting the attention of the anglers on the shore, Jiang Tao first drove the boat erratically around the lake for over half an hour.
He also got to enjoy the thrill of driving the boat.
After half an hour, his boat driving skills improved.
He Qiang was initially a bit worried and watched Jiang Tao from the shore.
After watching for more than twenty minutes and seeing Jiang Tao’s increasing proficiency, he finally turned and left with peace of mind.
After a while longer, Jiang Tao steered the fishing boat towards the location indicated by the flashing red dot on his retina.
Soon, Jiang Tao arrived at the spot where the flashing red dot on the panoramic map on his retina overlapped.
【 The target item is 38 meters directly below you. No third party is observing. Do you want to retrieve it immediately for 6666 yuan? 】
Seeing the price for obtaining the Auspicious Ingot this time, Jiang Tao didn’t feel any heartache.
Spending over 6,000 yuan to get an Auspicious Ingot worth over 600,000 yuan was almost a hundredfold return!
“Yes!”
Jiang Tao chose to pay without hesitation to retrieve the item.
At a depth of 38 meters, he couldn’t retrieve it himself, so this money was unavoidable.
【 Deducting fees, please wait… 】
【 Fee deduction complete. Retrieving item, please wait… 】
【 Item successfully retrieved! 】
Seeing the third prompt message appear on his retina.
Jiang Tao suddenly felt something appear in his pocket.
He reached in and felt something cold and hard.
He took it out and saw a silver ingot, about the size of an egg, with a rough surface, silver with some black specks.
This silver ingot was different from ordinary silver ingots seen in historical dramas.
It was actually engraved with a couplet.
On the right side: “Money God Child arrives.”
On the left side: “Lucky Official comes.”
Horizontal inscription: “Heavenly Official Bestows Blessings.”
Jiang Tao learned through research that this Auspicious Ingot was also called an “Opening Furnace Auspicious Ingot.”
In the past, when silver furnaces opened to cast silver ingots, they would first cast a few auspicious ingots for good luck.
These auspicious ingots were usually given to high officials and nobles and did not circulate in the market.
Auspicious ingots were not only made of pure silver but were also more exquisite in craftsmanship than ordinary circulating silver ingots.
In simple terms, they were like collectible coins issued by banks today.
They were not circulated in the market but had high collection value.
Due to their rare mintage and auspicious inscriptions, these Auspicious Ingots were often kept by wealthy families as treasures to protect their homes.
One was auctioned at a previous auction for over 600,000 yuan.
The System Brother’s valuation of Jiang Tao’s Auspicious Ingot at 600,000 yuan was based on reality.
“600,000 yuan in hand, mission completed!”
Jiang Tao played with the Auspicious Ingot in his hand for a while, then restarted the engine on the small boat and turned it back towards the shore.
Vroom, vroom—
The baiting boat quickly docked. After jumping off, Jiang Tao informed the boss and then went to meet his father-in-law, who was fishing.
“Wow! Dad, you’ve got a good catch! You’ve caught so many!”
“The boss would probably cry himself to death if he saw this.”
When Jiang Tao found his father-in-law, he saw five fish struggling in a red bucket by his feet. He praised him with a smile.
It only took him about an hour to go out on the lake to retrieve the Auspicious Ingot.
His father-in-law’s catch was quite impressive!
“Hehe, Jiang Tao, the lucky charm beaded bracelet you gave me is really effective!”
“Ever since I started wearing it, my luck has really improved so much!”
Xu Wencheng smiled at Jiang Tao, raising his hand to show off a beaded bracelet on his wrist, strung with Heluo Stone by Jiang Tao.
“Luck is only part of a big catch; you also need excellent skill!”
Jiang Tao sat down at the fishing spot next to his father-in-law and praised him again with a smile.
Everyone, whether man or woman, old or young, likes to be praised.
A word of praise can provide significant emotional value to others.
Therefore, Jiang Tao never hesitated to praise others.
Praising someone costs at most a little saliva and effort.
It’s a worthwhile exchange to provide emotional value and gain favor from others.
“Haha! Dad likes to hear that! Say more!”
Old Xu was overjoyed by his elder son-in-law’s praise, his old face beaming with a smile.
“Huh? Dad, what kind of fish is this? Why does it look like that?”
Jiang Tao hadn’t looked closely when he first arrived. It was only when he approached the bucket that he noticed a small, all-white fish inside, which looked exceptionally beautiful.
“Haha, you mean the white one? That’s called a Platinum Butterfly Carp. It’s a type of albino carp.”
“It’s still small now, so you can’t see much. When it grows and its fins spread, it’s truly beautiful.”
Xu Wencheng knew which fish Jiang Tao was referring to without looking back.
That Platinum Butterfly Carp stood out among ordinary carp.
It was also the first time he had caught such a fish.
A few years ago, during good market times, such mutated albino fish could have sold for several thousand, or even tens of thousands of yuan!
Now, the market for mutated ornamental fish has cooled down and is not worth much.
A fish like the one Xu Wencheng caught today would be worth at most a hundred or eighty yuan, and even then, there might not be buyers.
“Platinum Butterfly Carp? That’s a nice name.”
Jiang Tao squatted by the bucket and poked the white fish with a wild grass, causing it to wriggle.
“The tail fin of this kind of fish is wider than that of ordinary carp. When it grows up, its tail fin will spread out like a butterfly’s wings.”
“When it swims in the water, its tail fin drifts like light gauze, which is quite beautiful.”
Xu Wencheng chuckled as he described his catch to his son-in-law.
Jiang Tao asked jokingly:
“This thing should be worth more than ordinary fish, right? Have we earned back our pit fee?”
Xu Wencheng smiled happily and said:
“Haha, it used to be valuable, but not anymore. At most, it can be sold for a few hundred yuan. We have indeed earned back our pit fee.”
Jiang Tao asked curiously, “Why isn’t such a beautiful fish worth much anymore?”
“Although the Platinum Butterfly Carp looks beautiful, it’s also very delicate. The difficulty of raising it is proportional to its appearance.”
Xu Wencheng explained with a smile: “If the water temperature is below 22 degrees Celsius, it can easily catch a cold, become congested, or even develop tail rot, directly losing its ornamental value.”
“To raise it well, the temperature must be maintained between 22 and 29 degrees Celsius, simulating a tropical fish environment.”
“This one I caught today, I suspect some idiot released it into this reservoir.”
“This isn’t releasing it, it’s practically killing it. What’s the water temperature in the reservoir now?”
“This Platinum Butterfly Carp won’t survive more than a week.”
Old Xu was explaining the habitat for raising the Platinum Butterfly Carp while also complaining.
Jiang Tao chuckled and said, “Haha, after hearing you say that, it really is a bit delicate.”
“More than a bit.”
Old Xu continued: “This thing also has very high water quality requirements.”
“Even with the best nitrifying bacteria, you have to wait two to three days for the water quality to stabilize before you can put it in.”
Jiang Tao had never raised fish before, and he only vaguely understood what his father-in-law was saying, forgetting it as soon as he heard it.
The father and son chatted intermittently, staying by the reservoir until past 7 PM.
As the sun began to set, Jiang Tao’s phone rang. Xu Li was calling to ask him and his father-in-law to come home for dinner.
The 240 yuan pit fee allowed for half a day of fishing.
Old Xu planned to come back after dinner for another satisfying fishing session to further hone his fishing skills.
He had now joined Jiang Tao’s MCN company and become an “on-duty angler.”
Going out fishing had transformed from what his mother-in-law called “not doing proper work” into a formal profession.
Old Xu now felt more confident about going out fishing.
He could go out whenever he wanted and fish for as long as he wanted!
His mother-in-law also supported her husband’s work with actions, bringing him hot water in a thermos, snacks, and fruit.
Old Xu was quite satisfied with his current life.
This was the life Old Xu should be living!
It felt like the past few decades had been lived in vain!
