Chapter 59: One Lost, One Found, We Still Profited!
Lu Qian and Jiang Tao’s dinner appointment was at 7:00 PM sharp.
It was only around 4:30 PM now.
Jiang Tao went to Panjiayuan to sell tea today, taking the subway back and forth for nearly four hours.
Although he didn’t do anything, it was more tiring than driving for a whole day.
With just over 2 hours left, he didn’t plan to do anything else and just went back to his rental room to rest.
He slept until 6:30 PM.
After waking up, Jiang Tao washed his face, washed his hair, shaved, and changed into clean clothes.
After a simple tidy-up, Jiang Tao’s entire demeanor changed dramatically.
He instantly transformed from an unkempt, sloppy middle-aged man into a distinguished uncle.
Back when he was in school and Xu Li was pursuing him, half the credit went to the face his parents gave him.
After washing up, the time had already reached 6:50.
When Jiang Tao went downstairs, he found He Jing had already arrived and was smilingly gesturing something to Ma Dongmei.
“Hey, you look quite handsome after tidying up, young man! You’re almost as handsome as I was when I was young!”
Seeing the freshly cleaned Jiang Tao, Lu Qian teased him with a smile.
Jiang Tao usually looked scruffy and unkempt when driving and hauling goods for work.
Only when he returned home did he properly wash up and bring his best self to see his wife and children.
After more than six years together, Lu Qian had rarely seen such a neat and tidy Jiang Tao.
“Almost as handsome as I was when I was young” was his highest compliment to Jiang Tao’s appearance.
“Haha, I can see that, I can see that. Brother Lu was definitely an idol to thousands of girls in the capital city when he was young, the face of Sijiu Cheng.”
Jiang Tao looked at Lu Qian, who was once again impersonating Xu Wenqiang, and praised him with a chuckle.
“Brother Jiang, you’re here.”
Seeing Jiang Tao, He Jing also smiled and greeted him proactively.
The Jiang Tao today was different from the two times He Jing had seen him before.
He was more handsome and had more charm, which was obvious.
And also…
For some reason, He Jing felt that the Jiang Tao before her was completely different from the Jiang Tao she first met when she bought the watch.
His demeanor had become more composed and confident.
The tone of his speech also felt more cheerful and positive.
One was Jiang Tao, heavily in debt, suffering from severe insomnia due to anxiety about earning money to repay his debts as the new year approached.
The other was Jiang Tao, free of debt, who had received help from System Brother and had already amassed a net worth of hundreds of thousands, eating well, drinking well, and sleeping soundly every day.
The two vastly different states of Jiang Tao naturally gave different impressions.
After a brief idle chat, Lu Qian led them towards the restaurant where he was treating them tonight.
Lu Qian learned from Ma Dongmei that He Jing liked seafood.
So, he chose Pang Ge Seafood BBQ in the urban village as the venue for tonight’s treat.
Although Pang Ge Seafood BBQ was just a BBQ shop located in an urban village, its scale was not small.
The three-story building along the street was exquisitely decorated, and the average consumption was not low.
The restaurant also had a complete variety of seafood, including shellfish, shrimp, and fish.
Pang Ge Seafood BBQ was quite famous in this area.
Many customers living in the city district drove a long way to dine there every day.
Lu Qian appeared to be a regular here.
As soon as he entered with Jiang Tao and the others, a waiter led them to a private room on the second floor that he had reserved in advance.
Upon entering the private room, Lu Qian simply asked Jiang Tao and He Jing if they had any dietary restrictions.
After asking, he directly began to order food.
There was every kind of seafood imaginable, including oysters, clams, scallops, prawn, shrimp, shrimp paste, saury, and squid.
They also ordered a bunch of skewers.
“We’re drinking this tonight~”
After ordering, Lu Qian, as if presenting a treasure, took out a jar of Nu’er Hong from a black tote bag he was carrying. This was the wine he had bought from Jiang Tao for 20,000 yuan per jar.
Ma Dongmei’s eyes lit up when she saw the Nu’er Hong wine jar.
Clearly, she had tasted this wine before.
Jiang Tao also learned from chatting with Lu Qian that Ma Dongmei also enjoyed drinking and had a good tolerance for alcohol.
It was no wonder their compatibility was as high as 97%, with such a high match in hobbies and interests.
Soon, the waiter brought out plate after plate of various shellfish, fish, and shrimp to the table.
Lu Qian, as the host for the evening, said a few simple words, expressing his welcome to He Jing, and then they officially began their meal.
The Nu’er Hong, which Jiang Tao had sold to Lu Qian, which had been truly aged for nearly 20 years, was still rarely seen on the market.
Even He Jing, who had always abstained from alcohol, couldn’t help but be curious after hearing Lu Qian’s showy introduction to Nu’er Hong, and poured a small cup to taste.
Even He Jing said the Nu’er Hong was delicious, with its complex and rich fragrance.
The meal was harmonious and enjoyable, with less unfamiliarity and more familiarity between the group.
The four of them drank the entire 2-jin jar of Nü Hong’er.
After eating and drinking their fill, Lu Qian went downstairs to settle the bill, which came to over 2,400 yuan, averaging a little over 600 yuan per person, which wasn’t too extravagant.
However, if they added the 20,000 yuan jar of Nu Hong’er, the average cost would skyrocket to over 5,000 yuan per person, making it a truly grand meal!
It was already past 9 PM when they returned to the apartment building in front of Lu Qian’s home.
Jiang Tao still needed to go back to have a video call with his wife and children. After bidding farewell to the others, he went straight upstairs.
Back in his room, he simply washed up and drank a large glass of plain water to sober up.
Only then did Jiang Tao take out his mobile phone and make a video call to Xu Li.
“Honey, am I really stupid and useless…”
“I can’t earn a single cent, and I lost 30,000 yuan. I’m so useless.”
Xu Li still hadn’t forgiven herself for losing the lottery ticket worth 30,000 yuan.
Her small face had a wronged expression, like a child who had made a mistake.
Seeing this, Jiang Tao felt a bit helpless. He had already comforted her as much as he could that morning.
He had also clearly told her that he didn’t blame her at all and that she should relax.
But since Xu Li blamed herself, couldn’t forgive herself, and was getting stuck in a rut, Jiang Tao didn’t have many other solutions.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Jiang Tao, and he said:
“Wife, there was something I originally wanted to tell you after I got home and got into bed.
But given how unhappy you are today, I’ll tell you now.”
“What is it?”
Xu Li’s interest was piqued by Jiang Tao’s words, and she looked at him with curiosity.
“This is more fantastical than reality. You probably won’t believe it when I tell you, but that’s okay, I have proof.”
“A couple of days ago…”
Jiang Tao recounted the story of how he found the second prize winning lottery ticket in the used car, slightly adapting it for Xu Li.
Xu Li heard that someone else had lost more than she had, and that her husband had found it!
With one losing and one finding, they had actually earned over 30,000 yuan!
To make Xu Li believe him, Jiang Tao also sent her the transfer records from the lottery shop owner’s transaction with him.
Seeing the transaction record of 68996, Xu Li couldn’t help but believe it!
“I’d say, all of this was destined by heaven.”
“Perhaps that lottery ticket wasn’t lost by you, but heaven felt it was giving us too much and took some back.”
“Is that really so, honey?”
After Jiang Tao’s persuasion and comfort, Xu Li’s mood had indeed improved significantly.
“Absolutely!”
Jiang Tao replied decisively, without any hesitation.
The couple chatted until past midnight before ending the call.
After hanging up, Jiang Tao’s mind moved, and he opened the intelligence system panel to check the latest intelligence.
