The main customer base of a roadside diner like "Wangcai Restaurant" consisted of migrant workers from the urban village.
Its main appeal was affordability, with even the most expensive dish costing less than 100 yuan.
The four buddies ate and drank to their hearts' content, and it only cost Jiang Tao less than 500 yuan.
When they settled the bill, the restaurant's lady boss even gave each of them a small bottle of soda.
These past few days, the four of them had been coming here every day for team bonding.
As a result, the lady boss had become noticeably warmer toward them.
In the past, spending 500 yuan on a single meal would have made Jiang Tao's heart ache all night.
But today, before even splitting the money from the tangerines, Jiang Tao had already made a tidy profit of over 70,000 yuan from selling lottery tickets.
The cost of this meal was really nothing to him now.
The guys had worked hard all day, so it was only right for Jiang Tao, the major shareholder who had been absent for the day, to treat everyone to a meal.
Laughing and joking, the group returned to Jiang Tao's rented apartment to split the day's earnings.
Today's sales were slightly better than yesterday's, totaling 182,800 yuan.
According to the profit-sharing agreement, Jiang Tao took 71%, which amounted to 129,788 yuan.
Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yufei each took 14%, getting 25,592 yuan each.
The remaining 1,828 yuan went entirely to Zhang Chao, and Jiang Tao topped it up with an additional 1,200 yuan.
Afterward, he also gave Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yufei an extra 1,000 yuan each as wages.
Normally, after splitting the money, Liu Zhiyuan and the others would be buzzing with excitement, heading off to Zhang Chao's place to play "Fight the Landlord."
But today, despite splitting a decent amount, the guys didn't seem very enthusiastic.
Puzzled, Jiang Tao asked, "What's up? Why aren't you guys playing cards tonight? You all look kinda down."
"Well, Brother Jiang, our tangerines will probably sell out tomorrow, and it won't be worth continuing after that."
Liu Zhiyuan looked at Jiang Tao with a regretful expression.
This time, he had invested 50,000 yuan with Jiang Tao in the tangerine venture, and in just a few days, he had made over 130,000 yuan.
After deducting his initial 50,000 yuan investment, his net profit was over 80,000 yuan—averaging 20,000 yuan a day!
These past few days were undoubtedly the highlight of Liu Zhiyuan's life!
Unfortunately, this peak moment only lasted a short few days. Tomorrow, it would end, and everything would return to normal.
"If only I had listened to Brother Jiang and invested more back then."
Shan Yufei also had a regretful look on his face.
He actually had more than 50,000 yuan in savings and could have easily put in another 50,000!
But his risk tolerance was limited to 50,000 yuan, and he didn't dare go all-in like Jiang Tao did.
Zhang Chao: "…"
If anyone regretted it the most, it was definitely Zhang Chao.
Back then, Jiang Tao had practically spoon-fed him the opportunity, but he didn't take a single bite—not investing a single yuan!
Thankfully, Jiang Tao was a stand-up guy. These past few days, Zhang Chao had earned nearly 10,000 yuan just from wages.
While the others were eating meat, he at least got to sip some broth.
"Brother Jiang, if there's another chance to make money like this, please call us. You eat the meat, and we'll be happy with some broth."
Zhang Chao looked at Jiang Tao with even more respect than before.
"Don't worry, guys. If there's another money-making opportunity in the future, I won't forget you all."
Through this tangerine project, Jiang Tao had gotten to know Liu Zhiyuan, Shan Yufei, and Zhang Chao much better.
Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yufei were honest and reliable guys, trustworthy partners.
As for Zhang Chao, aside from his fondness for foot massages and "ladies," he was actually pretty decent in other aspects.
If the intelligence system provided any more suitable projects in the future, Jiang Tao would definitely consider these three first.
After all, they had a history of working together and a foundation of trust.
"Then thanks in advance, Brother Jiang! Thank you for leading us to riches!"
"Thanks, Brother Jiang! This year, I earned two or three years' worth of money. I can go home with my head held high!"
"Thank you, my Brother Jiang!"
Liu Zhiyuan, Shan Yufei, and Zhang Chao thanked Jiang Tao again, their sincerity unmistakable.
"We're brothers. Saying thanks is too formal."
Speaking of brothers, Jiang Tao thought of Wang Lianming, who was still at the hospital taking care of his wife.
These past few days, he had been so busy with various things that he hadn't had time to visit the hospital.
"If we wrap up early tomorrow, I'm planning to visit Wang at the hospital. You guys want to come?"
Jiang Tao looked at the three of them, asking.
"I'm in. I was already planning to visit Sister-in-Law before heading home for the New Year."
"I'm going too."
"Count me in."
Shan Yufei and Zhang Chao agreed readily.
Jiang Tao finalized the plan: "Alright, it's settled then. We'll visit Wang and Sister-in-Law first, then grab a meal afterward."
"Sounds good!"
"No problem!"
After discussing business, Liu Zhiyuan and the others chatted with Jiang Tao for a bit before saying their goodbyes and leaving.
Jiang Tao walked them downstairs and stopped by Yu Dongdong's Supermarket to buy a pack of Huanghelou cigarettes.
As his days got better, his daily "rations" had upgraded a little too.
On his way back after buying the cigarettes, Jiang Tao ran into Landlord Brother Lü at the alley entrance.
Brother Lü was dressed as flamboyantly as he was yesterday.
Wearing a long black wool coat and a black fedora, he looked like Xu Wenqiang from *Shanghai Beach*.
"Little Jiang, have you eaten yet?"
Seeing Jiang Tao, Lü Qian quickened his pace, approaching with a cheerful grin and a greeting.
"I've eaten. Wow, Brother Lü, you're looking sharp! Off to a date?"
Jiang Tao gave Lü Qian a once-over, teasing with a smile.
"Heh, you got me there, Little Jiang!"
"Today, I went with Xiao Mei to the Forbidden City, then to Quanjude for roast duck. After that, we visited Tiananmen Square and the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. What a fulfilling day!"
"Xiao Mei, she…"
Lü Qian excitedly shared every little detail about his time with Ma Dongmei, barely giving Jiang Tao a chance to get a word in.
It was clear that things between them were progressing smoothly—and quickly!
This must be the power of that 97% compatibility!
Jiang Tao had once heard someone say that who you spend your life with is predestined.
As long as you find the right person, you don't need to try too hard to become a couple.
That's how it was with Jiang Tao's older brother, Jiang He, and his sister-in-law, Zhang Xiaoyan. The same went for him and Xu Li.
And it was probably the same for Landlord Grandpa and Ma Dongmei.
They hadn't had enough chatting on the way.
Lü Qian even invited Jiang Tao into his place and talked for another half-hour before letting him go!
Back upstairs, Jiang Tao washed up briefly and slipped into bed.
Rubbing his hands together, he opened the Alipay app and checked his account balance.
"304,794!"
"When did our Old Jiang's little treasury get this rich?!"
"Life's getting good!"
Seeing the balance in his Alipay account, Jiang Tao swallowed hard, his expression brimming with excitement.
Just over ten days ago, he was still agonizing over an 80,000-yuan debt.
He was worried about debt collectors showing up during the New Year, losing sleep every night from anxiety.
Now, not only had he paid off his debts, but his little treasury had also grown to over 300,000 yuan!
Add to that the 200,000 yuan he transferred to Xu Li, the 100,000 yuan spent on upgrading Brother System, and the 60,000 yuan he sent to his little sister, Jiang Bing, for stocking up.
Plus, the unsold Daughter's Red wine under his bed and the remaining tangerines.
In just over ten days, Jiang Tao had made seven or eight hundred thousand yuan thanks to Brother System's intel!
Hitching a ride with Brother System was like cozying up to a sugar mama.
In just ten days, he had earned wealth that would have taken him over a decade to accumulate otherwise!
The future looked even brighter!
Thinking of the Daughter's Red Wine under his bed, Jiang Tao's craving was suddenly triggered.
He immediately got out of bed, pulled out a jar from under it, and poured himself a glass.
The reason? To celebrate his little treasury breaking the 300,000-yuan mark, of course!
At this rate of earning, buying a house and a car wasn't far off.
The thought of buying a house made Jiang Tao's gaze drift through the window of his rented apartment toward the glowing lights of the high-rise buildings in the distance.
Less than two kilometers from Little Sand River Village was a residential complex, less than five years old.
The clean, tidy environment and spacious, bright apartments there were a completely different world from the urban village!
Even though this was already outside the Fifth Ring Road, the average price of a house was still over 30,000 yuan per square meter.
The money in Jiang Tao's Alipay account was only enough to buy a bathroom.
Before today, as a veteran drifter in Beijing for seven or eight years, Jiang Tao had never dared to dream of buying a house in a city where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.
But now, looking at the distant high-rises, he suddenly felt a strong urge to settle down there.