By the time Jiang Tao returned to his rental in Xiaosha River, it was already 7:30 PM.
He boiled a pot of water and used his usual enamel basin for eating to prepare two large packs of instant noodles.
*Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling—*
Jiang Tao was halfway through his bowl of noodles when Xu Li's video call came through.
While slurping his noodles, Jiang Tao swiped to answer the call.
Xu Li appeared on the phone screen, wearing pink pajamas.
"Honey, how's Sister-in-Law doing?"
Xu Li's concerned voice came through the phone.
On his way back, Jiang Tao had briefly updated her about the situation at the hospital via text.
"Early-stage cervical cancer. Fortunately, it was caught early, so the chances of a cure are high."
"Sigh! How could someone as good as Sister-in-Law…"
"Honey, I'll transfer some money to you later. Tomorrow, take our mom, your mom, and your sister for a check-up."
"Okay! I'll do as you say."
After what happened with He Fang, Xu Li didn't fuss about the cost this time and readily agreed to get the check-ups.
Jiang Tao continued, "Also, honey, they should have the HPV vaccine where you are, right? Get it for you, our mom, and the others."
"Huh? Isn't that a bit expensive…?"
A check-up wouldn't cost much, but the nine-valent HPV vaccine? Three shots per person would cost five or six thousand yuan!
For four people, that's around 20,000–24,000 yuan!
Xu Li was touched that Jiang Tao suggested she get the vaccine.
But with the family still buried under a mountain of debt…
Xu Li said, "There's no rush for the HPV vaccine. Let's wait until we get through this rough patch first."
Jiang Tao replied, "Don't worry about the money. I'll figure it out."
Xu Li said, "Tomorrow, I'll take Mom and the others for the check-ups. If everything's fine, we can wait a year or two for the vaccine. It's not a big deal."
Hearing Xu Li's words, Jiang Tao fell silent.
It all came down to money, didn't it?
If he and Xu Li had a few hundred thousand yuan in savings, they wouldn't be agonizing over a few thousand yuan for the HPV vaccine!
At that moment, Jiang Tao felt the sting of his own poverty, and his desire to make money grew even stronger!
99.99% of the problems plaguing ordinary people boiled down to money!
"Eat your food quickly and get some rest."
Xu Li, feeling sorry for how hard Jiang Tao worked, said a few more words before hanging up.
After the video call ended, Jiang Tao transferred 20,000 yuan to Xu Li via his phone.
*Slurp, slurp, slurp~*
After sending the money, Jiang Tao finished the noodles in the enamel basin in a few bites, drank all the broth, and let out a satisfied burp.
Full and content, he pulled a cigarette from the pack and lit it.
While puffing out clouds of smoke, Jiang Tao glanced at his phone. It was just past 8 PM.
**[Next intelligence update in 3 hours and 57 minutes. Please wait patiently…]**
Seeing that the intelligence update still required some time, Jiang Tao took the enamel basin to the communal sink outside to wash it.
After cleaning the basin, he boiled another pot of water, washed his face, soaked his feet, and lay in bed listening to an audiobook to pass the time.
Time flew by, and soon it was midnight, marking the start of a new day.
Jiang Tao eagerly opened the system to check today's intelligence.
**[Today's Intelligence]**: Yesterday, while passing through Longxiang Street in Huilongguan on your taxi ride, you obtained related intelligence—
Inside ATM No. 3 outside the ICBC branch, there is a 1999 edition premium numbered 100-yuan banknote worth 40,000 yuan!
…
"Premium numbered banknote?"
Jiang Tao wasn't familiar with things like commemorative coins.
His attention was immediately drawn to the words "worth 40,000 yuan" in the intelligence!
"Does this mean there's a banknote worth 40,000 yuan in that ATM?"
Upon seeing this intelligence, Jiang Tao's sleepiness vanished instantly.
He quickly searched on his phone to figure out what a premium numbered banknote was.
It wasn't as complicated as he'd thought.
Every banknote has a unique serial number, like a person's ID.
A premium number refers to sequences like 12345678 (ascending sequence).
Or 87654321 (descending sequence).
Or repeating numbers like 111, 222, 333 (leopard numbers).
Or even identical numbers across the entire sequence.
Identical number sequences, also called "all-matching numbers" or "unicorn numbers," consist of the same digit repeated throughout.
In short, premium numbered banknotes are like premium QQ numbers, phone numbers, or license plates.
They're highly sought after by collectors who love unique, eye-catching numbers—the more distinctive, the better!
After getting a basic understanding of what premium numbers were, Jiang Tao's sleepiness was completely gone.
The ATM was out there, accessible to anyone who wanted to withdraw cash.
To avoid missing his chance, he had to act fast and get that premium numbered banknote!
If someone else withdrew it while he was sleeping, he'd have nowhere to cry!
"Good thing it's not digging through a dumpster this time!"
Jiang Tao hadn't undressed yet. He threw on the black cotton jacket he wore for hauling goods and headed out.
After a few steps, he turned back, rummaged through a second-hand wardrobe, and pulled out a black knit cap and a disposable face mask.
Fully geared up, with only his eyes visible.
Those in the know would understand he was going to the ATM to withdraw money. Those who didn't might think he was off to rob a bank!
Jiang Tao hadn't been drinking tonight, so he could drive himself, saving the cost of a taxi.
He hopped into his truck and drove toward the ICBC on Longxiang Street.
Having worked in Huilongguan for over six years, he was practically a living map of the area.
Give him any address, and he could find it without navigation.
In 17 minutes, Jiang Tao pulled his 4.2-meter truck up near the ICBC on Longxiang Street.
It was past midnight, and the streets were deserted, with no pedestrians in sight.
Only the occasional late-night taxi passed by.
Jiang Tao parked the truck right on the curb by the bank, got out, and walked toward the ATMs outside.
"ATM No. 3…"
Jiang Tao saw three ATMs lined up outside the ICBC.
The one in the middle glowed faintly with a golden light in his vision, clearly different from the other two.
"Thank goodness for the system's highlighting feature. Otherwise, who the hell would know the middle one is No. 3?"
Jiang Tao muttered to himself in exasperation, then stepped up to the ATM, swiped his bank card, and entered.
It had been a while since he'd used an ATM to withdraw cash, as digital payments had become so convenient.
After fiddling with the machine for a bit, he inserted his card and checked his balance.
After paying off over 80,000 yuan of family debt yesterday and transferring 20,000 to Xu Li, he had only 7,652.67 yuan left.
"So, I can withdraw up to 76 bills at a time?"
After checking his balance, Jiang Tao proceeded to withdraw cash, entering 7,600 yuan on the machine.
*Click, click, click, click, click—*
The ATM whirred for a moment before spitting out a stack of bills from the cash slot.
Jiang Tao took the money and began flipping through the serial numbers, searching for the premium numbered banknote mentioned in the intelligence.
But…
Among the 76 bills, there was no premium number.
Aside from a few consecutive numbers, they were all random sequences!
Undeterred by his first failure, Jiang Tao didn't give up.
He operated the ATM again, depositing the 76 bills back into his account before withdrawing again.
Thankfully, the ATM's withdrawal and deposit functions used separate cash boxes.
This meant he wouldn't end up withdrawing the same bills he'd just deposited.
In other words, each withdrawal gave him a fresh batch of bills.
"Still nothing…"
"Last chance! Please, God of Wealth, let it come through!"
The ATM seemed to have a daily withdrawal limit of 20,000 yuan.
After two withdrawals, Jiang Tao had one last shot.
And this time, he could only withdraw 4,800 yuan!
That meant 48 bills!
If the premium numbered banknote wasn't among these 48, things would get tricky.
He'd have to do a cross-bank transfer and then withdraw from another bank.
To avoid any complications, he had to get that 40,000-yuan premium numbered banknote tonight!
*Buzz, buzz, buzz—*
The ATM dispensed 4,800 yuan.
Jiang Tao took the money and checked each bill carefully.
Suddenly, a bill with a faint glow caught his eye.
Jiang Tao's gaze locked onto the serial number.
DZ44444444!
An all-matching number with all 4s!
"Got it!"
Jiang Tao kissed the premium numbered bill with a loud *smack* and carefully placed it in a notebook he'd brought specifically for this.
A 100-yuan bill worth over 40,000 yuan—that's a 400-fold profit!
After securing the bill, Jiang Tao deposited the remaining 4,700 yuan back into the ATM.
With the premium numbered banknote in hand, Jiang Tao's mission was complete. He drove back to Xiaosha River Village the same way he came.