The transaction for the second-hand old Audi was completed around 1 p.m.
Jiang Tao took the elevator to the food court on the 6th floor of Wanxiang Plaza for a simple lunch.
After eating his fill, Jiang Tao bought two cans of Red Bull, went downstairs, got into his car, and left.
The moment the Mercedes-Benz GLS emerged from the underground parking lot, it exuded an aura as if a fierce tiger had returned to the mountains.
Jiang Tao activated the navigation and drove toward home.
Today wasn't an official holiday yet.
Although most companies had already slowed down on assigning specific tasks, employees still had to idle around for a couple more days before the break.
There weren't too many cars on the Fifth Ring Road today, and the journey was smooth.
In just one hour, he left the capital and entered the Jingkun Expressway.
Feeling the steady handling and surging power of the Mercedes-Benz GLS, Jiang Tao's emotions were hard to calm.
As he drove, his mind played a montage of the incredible experiences he'd had since meeting "System Bro," like a short movie.
A bottle cap in a trash can, a discarded down jacket, a forgotten winning lottery ticket, and skyrocketing tangerines.
A jar of *Nü'er Hong* wine buried underground, hidden cash in a sofa, gold bars in a car door, and a river rock picked up by the riverside.
Each of these experiences was more exciting than the entirety of his past thirty years combined.
The money he had earned in these past ten days far surpassed what he had made in his entire thirty years.
Based on System Bro's current performance, his future looked bright.
Who knows, maybe in the near future, he could earn a few "small goals" and experience what it's like to be a billionaire!
This life, as if he had a cheat code, brought Jiang Tao unprecedented joy!
The journey from the capital to Jiangjiazhuang in Ping County was 435 kilometers in total.
Jiang Tao set off from the underground parking lot of Wanxiang Plaza around 2 p.m.
He only stopped once at a service area to use the restroom and smoke a cigarette before continuing on.
At 6:23 p.m., he drove off the expressway exit in Ping County and entered the city.
This was Jiang Tao's first time driving a Mercedes-Benz into his hometown county.
In ancient times, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang returned home in glory; today, he was returning home in a luxury car.
Looking at the streets filled with private cars ranging from tens of thousands to a hundred thousand yuan, Jiang Tao felt a strong sense of superiority.
"Damn, I'm really acting like a poor guy who just got rich and is getting carried away."
Jiang Tao shook his head and chuckled, mocking himself.
But after all, he was just an ordinary man, and it was hard to escape such vulgar tastes in such a short time.
He wanted to drive a luxury car, live in a mansion, wear designer clothes, and give his wife and daughter the best life possible.
So what if he was vulgar?
What was wrong with being a happy, vulgar man?
As he drove past the only KFC in Ping County, Jiang Tao noticed an empty parking spot right in front. He lightly turned the steering wheel and pulled into the spot.
His wife, Xu Li, and his little daughter, his "little cotton jacket," were both foodies who loved hamburgers.
Every time Jiang Tao returned home from the capital, he would bring them a meal set as a surprise gift.
A meal set worth a few dozen yuan could make the two foodies happy for an entire evening.
They would keep calling him "hubby" and "daddy" nonstop.
The happiness of ordinary people was just that simple.
Jiang Tao entered the KFC, ordered a meal set for three at the counter, and added a whole chicken and some snacks that weren't included in the set.
The total came to just over 200 yuan.
In the past, he might have felt a pang of reluctance, but now he didn't care at all.
Although Jiang Tao was still some distance away from achieving financial freedom, he definitely had the means to let the two foodies at home enjoy "KFC freedom."
"Hey, Jiang Tao, when did you get back? Where are my sister and Little Snow?"
Just as Jiang Tao finished paying, a familiar voice came from behind.
Turning around, he saw his sister-in-law, Xu Sha, standing with a slightly dark-skinned, short, chubby girl with a face full of youthful acne.
He had to admit, Xu Sha was good at choosing friends.
Standing next to this friend, it was as if Xu Sha had a beauty filter applied to her.
"I just got back from the capital and haven't made it home yet. Your sister and Little Xue are at home right now."
"Is this your friend? What do you two want to eat? Order whatever you like, my treat."
Jiang Tao smiled calmly and greeted Xu Sha.
As a grown man, he naturally wouldn't stoop to bickering with a young girl like his sister-in-law.
In all the years he'd been married, she'd never once called him "brother-in-law," and he wasn't going to make a fuss about it this time either.
"Tch, no thanks. Stop acting generous. You should save your money to pay off your debts."
Xu Sha didn't appreciate Jiang Tao's offer, letting out a haughty little huff before walking to the counter to order a double meal set.
Then she and her friend found a window seat to wait for their food.
Xu Sha had never had a good impression of Jiang Tao, her brother-in-law, from the start.
She always felt that her sister marrying Jiang Tao and suffering with him was such a waste of her life.
She was determined not to follow her sister's path and was set on marrying a rich man in this lifetime.
Seeing that his sister-in-law didn't want to talk much, Jiang Tao didn't bother trying to force a conversation.
He found an empty table, sat down, and started scrolling through his phone, browsing his WeChat Moments.
By pure coincidence, the first post in his Moments was one Xu Sha had just shared.
[Life's ultimate goal—cool Mercedes-Benz GLS! In the future, I'll definitely rely on my own efforts to own one!!]
The post included a photo of her posing with a peace sign in front of the Mercedes-Benz GLS.
Seeing his sister-in-law's post, Jiang Tao shook his head with a light smile.
He really didn't know where this sister-in-law, who was studying at an ordinary vocational college in the city and still relied on family for living expenses, got the confidence to believe she could buy a Mercedes-Benz through her own efforts.
Scrolling further, the second post was from Li Ming at the second-hand car dealership, advertising an Audi A6 for sale.
It was the exact same car Jiang Tao had returned that morning.
The same car, but this time its "value" was worlds apart.
The fourth post was from Zhang Bo, sharing information about antiques and collectibles.
This was something Jiang Tao paid close attention to.
He had even set Zhang Bo as a "starred friend" in his WeChat.
He might as well have been openly signaling to System Bro to keep an eye on this guy!
While Jiang Tao was waiting for his food and scrolling through Moments, the girl with Xu Sha sneaked several glances in his direction.
"Sha Sha, is that your brother-in-law? He's pretty handsome!"
After observing Jiang Tao for a while, Wang Xiaohong mentally gave him a score of 7 out of 10.
"Tch, what's the use of being handsome? You can't eat good looks."
"With the little salary he earns each month, my sister and Little Xue are doomed to a life of hardship with him."
Though Xu Sha didn't like Jiang Tao, she couldn't deny that he was indeed somewhat good-looking.
Her sister's "love-struck brain" had been charmed by his looks, leading her to step into the abyss of poverty.
Wang Xiaohong's dark cheeks flushed as she said, "Well… still, he's really handsome. He's kinda my type."
"You're just like my sister, a hopeless romantic with no cure!"
Xu Sha looked at her friend with exasperation and quietly suggested, "How about you try hard and win him over, Xiaohong? I'll thank your ancestors for eight generations on behalf of my sister and Little Xue."
"Stop it! He's your brother-in-law! How could I do something like that?"
As the two chatted noisily, Wang Xiaohong's peripheral vision caught Jiang Tao heading to the counter to pick up several bags of food before leaving.
Her gaze followed him outside, where she saw him open the passenger door of the Mercedes-Benz GLS.
"Hey, hey, Sha Sha, Sha Sha, look, quick, look! Oh my gosh, your brother-in-law, he…"
Wang Xiaohong, as if she'd discovered a new continent, excitedly grabbed Xu Sha's head and turned it to look behind her.
Xu Sha turned just in time to see Jiang Tao open the door of the same Mercedes-Benz GLS she had posed with earlier and get inside.
Jiang Tao, inside the car, noticed Xu Sha and Wang Xiaohong's gazes.
He honked twice in their direction before slowly backing out onto the main road and speeding off with a press of the gas pedal.
"What… what's going on…"
Seeing that Jiang Tao wasn't driving his old beat-up truck but a brand-new Mercedes-Benz, Xu Sha was dumbfounded.
Rented?
Yes, Jiang Tao must have rented a Mercedes-Benz to show off for the New Year!
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