Full and satisfied.
Jiang Tao wasn't in a hurry to leave.
He lit a cigarette and called Xu Li on WeChat.
Ring, ring, ring—
The phone rang only a few times before it connected, and Xu Li's tall figure appeared on the screen.
Her delicate little face had no makeup, just a touch of lipstick.
Her coat was a long coffee-colored down jacket, with a plain white top underneath.
Xu Li's tall figure could perfectly handle this style of dress.
"Hey hubby, I'm shopping at the mall with my mom and sister. My mom said she'll buy our daughter a new dress for New Year's."
"Have you finished eating? What did you have?"
Xu Li has been in a good mood these days, and even her voice became sweeter when she called Jiang Tao hubby.
The reason for her good mood, of course,
is that Jiang Tao has been transferring a lot of money to her on WeChat these days.
Although they might not be able to pay off all their external debts this year, they can pay off part of it and have a happy New Year.
"I had fried pancakes today. Sweetie, I've got something to discuss with you."
Seeing his beautiful wife, Jiang Tao felt very happy in his heart.
The only thing a little lacking is that the couple can only video chat with each other every day now.
They'll have to wait another ten days or so before they can play cards together.
"It definitely can't be anything good~"
Xu Li rolled her eyes playfully.
They have been dating for over six years and married for seven, so they know each other very well.
Jiang Tao's intentions are clear to Xu Li at a glance.
And vice versa.
Jiang Tao chuckled and said, "How can it not be good news? It's huge news!"
Xu Li said directly, "Go on, how much is it?"
Jiang Tao didn't beat around the bush with his wife and directly held up five fingers: "50,000."
Xu Li rolled her eyes at him again: "So, whatever money you give me, you're counting on taking it all back, right?"
Jiang Tao laughed: "I'll only need it for a maximum of 10 days, and I'll return 100,000 to you by then."
"Really?"
Xu Li's eyes lit up, feeling this deal was doable!
"Really!"
"If you lie to me, you'll be sleeping in a separate room when you get back."
"I wouldn't dream of lying to my beautiful wife!"
"Cut it out, stop sweet-talking me. What do you need the money for?"
"It's a secret. If I tell, it might not work out. Anyway, you know me well—without full confidence, I usually don't proceed."
"Alright, alright, if you don't want to say, forget it. You're the head of the household; the money you earn is all yours. Whatever you do, I'll support you."
While talking to Jiang Tao, Xu Li operated her phone and transferred 56,000 yuan to Jiang Tao on WeChat.
Her account balance instantly dropped below a thousand yuan again.
"Don't worry, dear. After this wave, not only can we pay off our family's debt, but we'll also have plenty left for a good holiday!"
"When we make money, I'll buy you a few new outfits."
With his wife's unconditional support, Jiang Tao felt even more confident!
This time, he was determined to seize the opportunity and make it happen!
"Mm-hmm, go hubby~ I always support you."
"Thank you, honey. Marrying someone as wonderful as you must mean my ancestors are smiling down on us."
After discussing serious matters, the couple continued with sweet nothings, making two single guys at the neighboring table very envious!
After getting his wife's 50,000, Jiang Tao had just over 70,000 left on his phone, not even 80,000.
According to today's market for pulling goods with Yu Dongdong, the current market price for large sugar oranges is 3.5 yuan per jin.
A box of 10 jin costs 35 yuan.
With the money Jiang Tao currently has, he can only wholesale about 2,000 boxes.
Based on intelligence from the Intelligence System, this price increase is expected to continue for a week.
Even if he does it alone, 2,000 boxes won't be hard to sell.
If he adds Xiao Liu, Xiao Dan, and Xiao Zhang, this amount will hardly be enough!
This time, Jiang Tao plans to use all of his accessible funds to go all in on sugar oranges!
Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity lay right before him.
The heavens have practically fed him; he must open his mouth wide and eat as much as possible!
After settling the bill, Jiang Tao exited the restaurant and returned to his cargo truck.
Thinking it over, Jiang Tao set his sights on borrowing from Old Ma via some payment platform.
The maximum borrowing limit was 176,400, with an annual interest rate of 9.72%.
Under an interest-first, principal-later repayment plan, borrowing for three months would incur extra interest of 4,760 yuan.
Jiang Tao estimated that the uptrend in sugar oranges might last no more than 10 days.
When it's over, he'll pay Old Ma back with the interest, costing only about one or two hundred yuan!
The only one beside him who could lend over 170,000 and was willing to do so was Old Ma.
"With my money and this, it's about 250,000, which should be enough. A person shouldn't be too greedy,"
"With the Intelligence System, there will be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future. No need to gulp it all at once."
As Jiang Tao sat in the car waiting for business, he contemplated how to persuade Xiao Liu and the others to join him that evening.
Of course, if they weren't interested, Jiang Tao wouldn't force anyone.
The opportunity was presented to them, and whether they could seize it was up to them.
While Jiang Tao was thinking, a client came up to him.
"Driver, how much to deliver two beds and a few chairs to Xiaoshanhe?"
"80."
"How about 50?"
"It's 80 here. If you don't believe me, go ahead and ask."
"Alright, alright, 80 it is."
After agreeing on the price, Jiang Tao drove with the client to the market and started his afternoon work.
In the afternoon, Jiang Tao made four more deliveries, earning 330.
Adding that to the morning's 240 and the 600 for delivering to Yu Dongdong,
Jiang Tao earned a total of 1,170 yuan for the day.
It was his most profitable day of side jobs this year!
Of course, compared to the money-making opportunities from the Intelligence System, this amount was just small change.
At 5:30 in the evening, Jiang Tao finished his day's work and drove back to Xiaoshanhe Village.
He bought pig head meat, pork liver, crayfish, marinated duck neck, skewered meat, and chicken drumsticks from a deli.
He also bought two sausages, a three-way roasted duck, and a large bag of cold dishes.
Finally, he went to Pang Dongdong Supermarket and bought two bottles of ten-year-old Baijiu and two large bottles of Sprite, along with a pack of cigarettes.
After a shopping spree, Jiang Tao returned to his rented apartment.
Before Xiao Liu and the others arrived, Jiang Tao tidied up the place a bit.
He then placed a small round table in the center of the room,
and arranged the pile of meat and vegetable dishes he'd bought on the way home.
Just as Jiang Tao finished getting ready, he heard the cheerful sounds of Xiao Liu and his friends coming up the hallway.
Jiang Tao stepped outside and saw Xiao Liu and his group arriving on the second floor.
None of them came empty-handed; each was carrying a large bag.
Some had bought vegetables, some had bought alcohol, and naturally, they also brought some fruit for Jiang Tao.