After a brief inquiry, it was learned:
The old man's name was Sun Xiaobao.
He was small and thin, with dark skin. Not only did his name resemble that of a certain comedian, but his appearance was strikingly similar too!
Sun Xiaobao's home was in Baigezhuang New Village, not far from the demolition area.
At first glance, Baigezhuang New Village sounded similar to Xiaohe Village, where Jiang Tao rented a place, or their hometown, Jiangjiazhuang.
But in reality, the difference was vast—worlds apart, to put it mildly.
Baigezhuang New Village was a modern, large-scale residential community with hundreds of high-rise buildings.
It was a resettlement neighborhood for the original Baigezhuang Village after its demolition, with current average property prices exceeding 30,000 yuan per square meter, nearly 40,000!
Jiang Tao noticed that Sun Xiaobao referred to it as "his home" rather than saying he lived in that neighborhood.
Combined with the intelligence provided by Brother System about tea and Maotai…
"Could it be that this old man named Sun Xiaobao is also a resettlement resident?"
"But that doesn't add up. If he's a resettlement resident, why would he be out picking up scraps?"
"Yet, the intelligence from Brother System is never wrong…"
Jiang Tao's mind swirled with speculations about Sun Xiaobao. This old man was truly an enigmatic figure.
"Take it slow, Grandpa, don't choke. Have some water."
Seeing Sun Xiaobao wolfing down food, Jiang Tao worried he might choke and quickly handed over his thermos.
But considering the old man had been trapped here for two days and two nights, starving for just as long, his ravenous eating was understandable.
"Burp~"
Sun Xiaobao let out a belch, took the thermos from Jiang Tao, and gulped down a full cup of water in one go.
"Thank you, young man, thank you. Without you, this old man's life would've ended here today."
After finishing the bread and water, Sun Xiaobao sincerely thanked Jiang Tao with a face full of gratitude.
"No need to be polite, Grandpa. It's just a small gesture. Try standing up and walking again. If you can't, I'll take you to the hospital."
As he spoke, Jiang Tao tried once more to help Sun Xiaobao up from the ground.
Sun Xiaobao's legs, numb from prolonged inactivity and the cold weather, had lost sensation.
On top of that, having starved for two days, he had little strength left.
Jiang Tao's earlier attempt to lift him had failed.
But now, after eating some bread and drinking a cup of warm water, Sun Xiaobao felt warmer and regained some energy.
This time, when Jiang Tao tried to help him up, he succeeded.
Sun Xiaobao wobbled a bit but managed to stand again.
After adjusting for a moment, he could even walk.
"Young man, why do you look a bit familiar…"
With some energy restored, Sun Xiaobao looked at Jiang Tao with a puzzled expression, his weathered face showing signs of deep thought.
"Oh! I remember now! Aren't you the guy working at the Hongxing Secondhand Furniture Wholesale Market?"
Sun Xiaobao's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed at Jiang Tao, looking excited.
"Grandpa, you… know me?"
Hearing that Sun Xiaobao even knew about his work at the Hongxing Secondhand Furniture Market, Jiang Tao's face showed equal surprise.
Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind.
More than ten days ago, when Jiang Tao had just bonded with the intelligence system, he'd gone to rummage through a dumpster based on Brother System's information. There, he'd encountered an old scavenger wearing a green army coat.
Now, thinking back, the images of the two scavengers overlapped—they were indeed the same person!
"So it's you!"
Recognizing Sun Xiaobao, Jiang Tao couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of fate.
"That's right! It's me! Looks like we're quite fated, huh!"
"Come on, young man, take me home first. Grandpa's gotta thank you properly!"
As he spoke, Sun Xiaobao grabbed Jiang Tao's clothes and started heading out.
Jiang Tao mumbled something about no need for thanks but followed along naturally.
Getting up in the middle of the night from a warm bed to rescue someone in a ruin—taking a little reward wouldn't be too much, right?
Besides, it wasn't like he was asking for it; it was being offered.
The two of them, one old, one young, stumbled their way out of the ruins.
Through their conversation, Jiang Tao learned that Sun Xiaobao was indeed a resettlement resident of Baigezhuang, owning five properties.
His reason for scavenging wasn't to make money—it was just a hobby.
Moreover, he never carried a phone when he went out, so he couldn't call for help when he got trapped this time.
Jiang Tao was speechless.
It was the first time he'd heard of someone treating scavenging as a hobby!
But the world is vast, and nothing is too strange.
This hobby might be niche and hard to understand, but… if it exists, it must be reasonable, right?
At least it was better than those old folks who ride buses aimlessly all day and guilt-trip young people into giving up their seats.
Chatting as they went, it took them over half an hour to leave the ruins and reach Jiang Tao's truck.
Jiang Tao drove, with Sun Xiaobao in the passenger seat giving directions.
The truck entered Baigezhuang New Village through the north gate and stopped at Building 79.
Sun Xiaobao led Jiang Tao into Building 79, and a right turn to Unit 101 brought them to his home.
Upon entering, Jiang Tao saw that the place was relatively tidy, not the dirty mess he'd imagined.
Sun Xiaobao usually sold his scavenged items to the recycling station and didn't bring them home.
After inviting Jiang Tao to sit, Sun Xiaobao busied himself with cooking.
The few pieces of bread Jiang Tao brought clearly weren't enough to satisfy his hunger.
After about twenty minutes, Sun Xiaobao cooked a large pot of instant noodles, adding four poached eggs, and warmly invited Jiang Tao to eat some more.
It was already past 1 a.m.
After all this commotion, Jiang Tao was actually a bit hungry.
Not standing on ceremony, Jiang Tao ate a big bowl of noodles, two poached eggs, and drank all the broth.
Satisfied, the two sat on opposite ends of the sofa, each lighting a cigarette.
As they neared the end of their cigarettes, Jiang Tao looked at Sun Xiaobao and said his goodbyes:
"Grandpa Sun, it's getting late. I should head back. Thanks for the hospitality."
"Alright! There's only one bed here, so I won't keep you overnight. Hold on a sec, Little Jiang, let Grandpa get you something."
As he spoke, Sun Xiaobao got up and headed to a room inside the house.
Less than a minute later, he returned, holding a box with a black square box on top.
Seeing the liquor box and the tea box Sun Xiaobao brought out, Jiang Tao once again marveled at Brother System's accuracy. It even predicted this?
"Grandpa, this is…"
Jiang Tao stood up from the sofa.
Though he already knew this reward was coming, he still feigned surprise.
"Little Jiang, this is just a small token of Grandpa's gratitude."
"A box of liquor and a box of tea. With the New Year coming, take them home to enjoy and save yourself the trouble of buying them."
"You're my lifesaver. If it weren't for you, I might've died out there."
"This little thank-you gift—don't think it's too shabby."
"And don't you dare say no! If you refuse, I'll smash them right here!"
As he spoke, Sun Xiaobao made a gesture as if to throw the boxes on the floor.