Chapter 247: Task Name: Grand Opening!
One hour later…
Jiang Tao devoured all the chicken, potatoes, and noodles in the Delicious Clay Pot.
Full and satisfied, he took the hot pot to the kitchen, meticulously washed it clean, and placed it back on the table, liking it more the more he looked at it.
The effect of this Delicious Clay Pot is simply heaven-defying!
Even someone like him, with no experience, could make chicken more delicious than the five-star chef at the White Magnolia Hotel.
If an experienced person were to make it, the effect would surely be even better!
【Ding! Congratulations on triggering the special mission: Grand Opening!』】
Suddenly, a system prompt sounded abruptly in Jiang Tao’s mind.
Immediately after, a azure system interface flashed into view, displaying mission information.
【Task Name】: Grand Opening!
【Task Content】: Open a restaurant with a business area of no less than 200 square meters, specializing in clay pot dishes.
【Task Reward】: 880,000 cash, salary card credit +80,000, physique +8, charm value +8, storage compartment +3!
“Grand Opening, these rewards are quite generous!”
After browsing through the mission page’s information, Jiang Tao’s heart rejoiced once again.
For an ordinary person, this mission would be quite difficult.
Opening a store with a business area of no less than 200 square meters, rent, renovation, purchasing cookware, tableware, labor costs, advertising, etc., etc…
Even in a small county town like Ping County, it couldn’t be done without two to three hundred thousand.
But for Jiang Tao, whose net worth already exceeded ten million.
This mission was practically a “gimme.”
Even though he had just invested five million in Jinwei Welding Materials and was planning to invest another ten million in Shunning Mansion to buy property.
The money he had was enough to open another hot pot restaurant.
Besides the several million cash he still had on hand.
He had also acquired quite a few good things from his hometown during this period.
Such as the Bitcoin USB drive he got at the service area when he first returned home.
And the Auspicious Ingots he salvaged from Qisan Reservoir have not been sold yet.
These can be cashed out by finding Zhang Bo as soon as he returns to the Capital City.
Furthermore, the income from Jiang’s Food Factory can be doubled daily using the Monopoly Dice.
If he got lucky and rolled a “6,” perhaps one day’s income would be enough for him to open a store!
Without any hesitation, Jiang Tao directly accepted the mission.
As for where this restaurant would be opened…
Jiang Tao’s focus would gradually shift towards the Capital City in the future.
After all, compared to the Capital City, Ping County, his hometown, was incomparable in terms of medical care, education, and various other resources.
Coupled with the fact that Jiang Tao already owned considerable real estate in the Capital City and his company was also located there.
Therefore, he decided to open this hot pot restaurant in the Capital City as well.
With this thought, Jiang Tao sent a message to Jiang Jiaqi on his mobile phone.
He explained his requirements to her.
Asking her to keep an eye out for suitable locations for the store.
Jiang Jiaqi, his little assistant, was very reliable.
During Jiang Tao’s absence, she had coordinated and handled many matters in the Capital City.
Jiang Tao found this young girl increasingly useful and felt that hiring her was an extremely wise decision.
*Ding-a-ling—*
After chatting with Jiang Jiaqi on the phone for a while, Xu Li’s video call request suddenly popped up on the screen.
He pressed the answer button and accepted the video call.
The screen flickered, and instead of Xu Li, a cute, rosy little face appeared.
“Husband, look how cute your goddaughter is! She’s changed so much in just a few days~”
“Daddy, Daddy, I just fed sister milk powder, I can take care of the baby now~”
“Jiang Tao, you and Lili need to hurry up.”
From the other end of the phone came the chattering voices of Xu Li and Jiang Xue, accompanied by Du Ennan’s laughter as she played with the child.
“You guys went straight to Ennan’s place as soon as you returned. That little girl really has grown up a lot.”
After a few days apart, Jiang Tao almost didn’t recognize his goddaughter.
“Daddy, is little Yiyi cuter, or was I cuter when I was little?”
“Both are cute.”
“Mommy said she wants to have another little brother for me. When will I have a brother?”
“I’ve already learned how to hold babies and feed them milk, so I can take care of him then.”
“Haha, soon, soon…”
Hearing his “little cotton jacket’s” words, Jiang Tao couldn’t help but feel amused.
It was also quite strange.
Both he and Xu Li were in good health, and their physical examinations showed no issues.
Except for when Xu Li had her period, they hadn’t been lacking in intimacy.
Sometimes once a night, sometimes up to three times.
But they just couldn’t conceive.
They could only comfort each other, perhaps the timing just wasn’t right yet!
Seeing his elder sister-in-law, maternal aunt, and his own mother all pregnant.
Xu Li was actually anxious and blamed herself.
Chatting about this and that, the phone call lasted for over an hour, and they finally hung up when Xu Li and Jiang Xue had to go home.
After ending the call, it was already past 9 PM.
Jiang Tao chatted with Liu Zhiyuan, Shan Yufei, and Zhang Chao in a WeChat group for a while.
Time quickly passed until midnight.
For the first task of the day, Jiang Tao didn’t rush to refresh the intelligence; instead, he checked yesterday’s income.
【Your total income yesterday was 53,566 yuan. Do you want to immediately use the Monopoly Dice for doubling?】
“Yes!”
Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Tao took out the Monopoly Dice from the system’s storage compartment and tossed it onto the table.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble—*
The Monopoly Dice spun rapidly for nearly a minute before slowly stopping. The number shown was “5”!
“Not bad luck!”
Jiang Tao raised an eyebrow. Although he didn’t roll the maximum of 6, a 5 was quite good.
*Bzzzzz~*
His phone vibrated. Jiang Tao picked it up and saw an ICBC bank deposit notification: 214,264 yuan.
This over 200,000 yuan felt as if it had just blown in with the wind!
Ordinary people would have to work hard for several years to save this much money, but Jiang Tao just rolled the dice and got it.
After doubling yesterday’s revenue, Jiang Tao put the Monopoly Dice back into the system’s storage space.
Then, with a thought, he began to refresh today’s intelligence.
【Today’s Intelligence 01】:
You had contact with Zou Ruoqi, the Vice President of the White Magnolia Hotel, yesterday. Relevant intelligence obtained—
Zou Ruoqi has been in love with Bai Yulan for many years, but it is destined not to be.
…
“Zou Ruoqi…”
Jiang Tao still remembered the Vice President he met at the White Magnolia Hotel during the day.
He just didn’t expect that she was a woman and her preference was also women.
Although he didn’t understand, he chose to respect her choice.
“Sister Bai’s charm is quite potent; she can attract both men and women.”
The first piece of intelligence was useless to Jiang Tao.
With a thought, he continued to read the second piece, muttering a prayer to the System Brother for good luck.
【Today’s Intelligence 02】:
You had contact with Lin Ranran at Qiao Shaguo yesterday. Relevant intelligence obtained—
Lin Ranran and her boyfriend Yuan Mengjie have been lurking at Qiao Shaguo for 3 years.
The two have completely mastered all aspects from production to operations.
Recruiting them would allow for rapid replication of Qiao Shaguo’s successful model, greatly shortening the exploration period.
…
“Lin Ranran, Yuan Mengjie…”
“Are these two undercover at Qiao Shaguo?”
Seeing the second piece of intelligence refreshed today.
Jiang Tao couldn’t help but feel amused.
The System Brother used the word “lurking” to describe the two, making it sound like a spy movie.
In reality, it just meant that this young couple was very dedicated to their work.
They also had a certain ambition and aspirations.
Ordinary people working in a restaurant generally just do the bare minimum, going through the motions.
They clock in and out on time, receiving a fixed salary each month.
Some more ambitious individuals might get promoted to supervisor or become a store manager.
Still others, with ideals and aspirations, aim to learn the skills or craft well enough to open their own store and become a boss in the future.
Lin Ranran and Yuan Mengjie, this young couple, undoubtedly fall into the latter category.
However, in recent years, all industries have been difficult to navigate.
The risk of opening a business has increased significantly compared to previous years.
One wrong step could lead to complete ruin!
If a rich second-generation entrepreneur fails, they still have their parents to back them up, allowing them to quickly try again.
For ordinary people, entrepreneurship is fine if it succeeds, but if it fails, they might never recover for the rest of their lives.
Lin Ranran and Yuan Mengjie had never been able to make up their minds, which is why they continued to work at Qiao Shaguo.
“I can talk to this young couple tomorrow.”
Jiang Tao felt that the System Brother’s hint was no longer subtle but a direct suggestion to poach the couple.
Jiang Tao was quite adept at poaching talent.
After reading the second piece of intelligence, Jiang Tao’s mind moved, and he continued to review the last piece of intelligence for the day.
【Today’s Intelligence 03】:
You had contact with Bai Yulan at Bai Yulan’s home yesterday. Relevant intelligence obtained—
A throw pillow on the living room sofa at Bai Yulan’s home is a special item.
Upon obtaining ownership, it can be bound and its random attributes activated.
…
“Another special item!”
Seeing the last piece of intelligence for the day, Jiang Tao’s eyes lit up again.
“The throw pillow on the living room sofa… interesting, I wonder what attributes it will activate this time.”
Jiang Tao didn’t really remember the throw pillow on the living room sofa at Bai Yulan’s home.
But since the System Brother said one of them was a special item, he was determined to get his hands on it.
Items marked as special by the System Brother could only activate random attributes when they were in Jiang Tao’s possession.
For anyone else, they were just ordinary items.
Therefore, Jiang Tao didn’t have any psychological burden about acquiring special items from his friends.
After refreshing the three pieces of intelligence, Jiang Tao smoked a cigarette on the living room sofa before getting up to take a shower.
After showering, he returned to the bedroom wrapped in a bath towel.
Without Xu Li’s company, he found it a bit unaccustomed to being alone.
Lying on the bed, he casually activated Sleep Mode.
In less than three minutes, Jiang Tao was fast asleep.
Meanwhile.
In a ward in the oncology department of the Ping County People’s Hospital.
Yuan Mengqi and her younger brother Yuan Mengjie were still talking in low voices.
“Sister, your old classmate is really going to buy 20 apartments? How much money would that be!”
Yuan Mengjie looked at his sister with surprise, filled with envy.
If he had that much money, he and his girlfriend could have their own restaurant.
“He specifically wants to buy the largest unit. 20 apartments would be around 10 million.”
When speaking of Jiang Tao, Yuan Mengqi’s mind immediately conjured his image.
After many years apart, their reunion this time left a deep impression on her.
In the darkest moment of her life, her husband had proposed divorce.
Jiang Tao, an old classmate she hadn’t seen in years, had given her the greatest help.
She hadn’t even asked him, and no IOU was written.
He had trusted her and generously transferred 300,000 yuan to her!
Perhaps, to him, 300,000 yuan was nothing.
But for Yuan Mengqi’s family, this was her mother’s life-saving money!
At this moment, in Yuan Mengqi’s heart, besides gratitude towards Jiang Tao, there was also a feeling she herself couldn’t quite explain.
“It’s great to have money! After I repay the medical expenses I borrowed from Mom, I’m definitely opening my own store and becoming my own boss.”
“Working for others, you’ll only be an employee for life. Only by starting your own business can you make big money.”
Yuan Mengjie’s eyes gleamed, looking full of fighting spirit.
But reality was like a heavy shackle, firmly locking him in place.
Originally, he and his girlfriend Lin Ranran had saved over 200,000 yuan after working for many years, and they were close to having the startup capital for opening a restaurant.
Unexpectedly, on his way home from work one evening, he hit an elderly person with his electric car, sending them to the hospital with serious injuries.
Coupled with the fact that he had drunk a bottle of beer that day, the situation was even more disadvantageous for him.
He compensated the elderly person’s family 150,000 yuan, and only then did they provide a letter of understanding, allowing him to avoid imprisonment.
Not long after hitting the person, his mother was diagnosed with early-stage liver cancer, requiring various chemotherapy, examinations, and surgical fees.
The total amount needed was four to five hundred thousand yuan.
Yuan Mengjie and his girlfriend’s savings accumulated over many years were all spent in less than a month, and there was still a significant shortfall.
With his mother seriously ill, Yuan Mengqi, as his daughter and sister, naturally wouldn’t stand by idly, contributing money and effort.
As a result, her ex-husband divorced her, leading to the breakdown of their marriage.
Because of this, Yuan Mengjie felt extremely sorry for his sister and was full of guilt.
However, Yuan Mengqi said it was a good thing, allowing her to see a person for who they truly were.
“Hasn’t Ranran’s family said anything else?”
Yuan Mengqi looked at her brother with concern, asking.
“Her parents are urging her to break up with me, but Ranran has no intention of doing so. She’s willing to start over with me.”
Mentioning his girlfriend Lin Ranran, Yuan Mengjie’s expression became one of immense guilt.
He and Lin Ranran were the same age, both 27 this year, already considered mature singles.
Originally, they had planned to get engaged on May 20th this year and get married on September 3rd.
That day happened to be their 10th anniversary of knowing each other, a very significant date.
However, plans couldn’t keep up with changes.
The series of misfortunes in Yuan Mengjie’s family completely disrupted their plans.
Currently, the family still owes 300,000 to 400,000 yuan in external debt, so where would they have the money for a wedding?
Lin’s parents, who were initially quite satisfied with Yuan Mengjie, had also changed their minds.
Naturally, they didn’t want to watch their daughter jump into the Yuan family’s “fire pit” any longer.
For an ordinary family, hundreds of thousands of external debt was like a mountain pressing down on them.
They might never be able to get back on their feet in this lifetime!
Lin Ranran was a loyal and righteous girl. She had set her heart on Yuan Mengjie for this lifetime and was willing to endure hardships with him and start from scratch.
“Ranran is a good girl; you must not let her down.”
Thinking about their situation, Yuan Mengqi sighed, a deep sense of powerlessness welling up within her.
