At noon, Jiang Tao, Xu Li, and Jiang Xue had lunch at Jiang Tao's parents' place.
His older brother, Jiang He, was still at work and didn't have time to come back.
His sister-in-law, Zhang Xiaoyan, was busy selling fried skewers at the market and couldn't make it home for lunch either.
The market was packed today, and she could earn nearly 1,000 yuan in a day, so naturally, she wasn't willing to miss out on that income.
Jiang Tao's two nephews from his older brother's family were also out playing with their classmates every day during the holiday, ignoring everyone's attempts to rein them in.
Only Jiang Tao, their second uncle, could get them to listen. One phone call from him, and they'd come running back home.
"Second Uncle, did you get that Mercedes on a loan or pay in full? That car is so cool!"
His older nephew, Jiang Shijie, looked at Jiang Tao with admiration.
He only found out today that his second uncle had driven back in a Mercedes.
But by the time he ran to Jiang Tao's place to check it out, his aunt Jiang Bing had already taken it for a spin.
"Second Uncle, have you made it big?!"
His younger nephew, Jiang Shaojie, was equally full of admiration.
Having a second uncle who drove a Mercedes gave him serious bragging rights!
Even his buddies gave him more respect because of it!
"You two kids don't know squat. Why are you blabbing about this stuff? Is this any of your business?"
"Have you finished your winter break homework? How many points did you score on your final exams? What was your class rank?"
"…"
"…"
The two brothers were instantly silenced by Jiang Tao's barrage of soul-piercing questions, feeling utterly deflated.
They bowed their heads and focused on eating without another word.
Though Jiang Tao, as their second uncle, was usually a bit strict, he had always been good to his nephews.
After lunch, he gave each of them 200 yuan for pocket money and let them run off like tigers released back into the wild.
Jiang Tao knew these two nephews weren't cut out for studying.
Even when it was time to study, they couldn't focus, let alone during the holidays when they were supposed to have fun.
It was the New Year, after all—being happy was what mattered most.
…
After lunch, Xu Li diligently helped her mother-in-law, Tian Xiaomei, wash the pots and dishes.
Jiang Bing, ever the lively one, took Jiang Xue out for another drive, this time bringing along their father, Jiang Wen, to let him experience riding in a Mercedes.
Old Jiang, nearing sixty, was sitting in a Mercedes for the first time.
He sat steadily in the back seat, his face expressionless, but inside, he was thrilled beyond words.
*My old Jiang butt has now sat in a Mercedes—talk about making it big!*
Swallowing hard, Jiang Wen tried to ask in a calm tone, "Third Child, how much did your second brother's car cost?"
"Probably over a million after everything's said and done. Maybe more," Jiang Bing replied proudly while driving.
"Over a million!"
Jiang Wen was both shocked and exhilarated.
This meant his second son had outdone that Jiang Tianming kid when it came to cars!
This was a huge win for the family's pride!
*Your second son drives a BMW worth just over 300,000 yuan, but my second son drives a Mercedes worth over a million!*
*One of ours is worth three of yours!*
While driving, Jiang Bing teased with a grin, "Dad, why are you asking? You're not planning to go next door and show off to Uncle Tianming, are you?"
"What nonsense! Am I that shallow?" Old Jiang retorted, though in his mind, he was already plotting how to steer the conversation toward cars when he visited Jiang Tianming later.
Should he directly ask if Tianming had ever ridden in a Mercedes, or should he casually share his own experience of riding in one?
…
Back at home, after Xu Li and her mother-in-law finished cleaning up, she and Jiang Tao returned to their own place.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so during their lunch break, the couple squeezed in another "friendly match."
At 5 p.m., Jiang Bing returned from the drive with their father and Jiang Xue.
Jiang Xue was holding some fried skewers, clutching a plush toy bigger than herself, and wearing bunny ears on her head.
She hadn't gone out for nothing—this trip was full of treasures.
At 5:30, Jiang Tao drove Xu Li and Jiang Xue toward Ping County's town center.
In less than ten minutes, the Mercedes GLS pulled into West City Mansion, widely regarded as the most expensive neighborhood in Ping County.
Xu Li's family had gotten lucky buying early. Over a decade ago, they purchased a 120-square-meter, three-bedroom apartment in West City Mansion.
Back then, it cost just over 3,000 yuan per square meter. Now, prices had soared to over 9,000, almost hitting 10,000!
It was hard to imagine that in a small county with limited resources and few good job opportunities, housing prices could climb this high.
In the neighborhood, downstairs from Building 22, Xu Wencheng was waxing his beloved car with a sponge.
He took great care of his car.
Though his Passat was seven or eight years old, after a good waxing, it gleamed like it was brand new.
"Old Xu, it's about time you replaced that Passat," said a man waxing his daughter's car nearby, enthusiastically recommending a BMW. "These days, big international brands like Mercedes and BMW are starting to compete on price, and they've come down a lot."
"My daughter got a BMW X3, paid in full, just over 400,000 yuan. It's about 100,000 cheaper than before."
"Back in our day, we didn't have these kinds of opportunities!"
"Wages were low, cars were expensive—who could've imagined we'd one day drive a BMW?"
The man, named Gao Daqiang, was Xu Wencheng's upstairs neighbor.
Car owners are like that—whatever brand they buy, they think is the best and eagerly recommend it to friends and family.
Xu Wencheng stayed silent, quietly waxing his car, thinking to himself, *Your daughter's car isn't even yours, so what's there to brag about?*
Seeing Xu Wencheng wasn't taking the bait about cars, Gao Daqiang switched tactics. "By the way, Old Xu, what kind of liquor did your daughter get you this year?"
"My daughter got me a case of Moutai. I told her not to waste money, but she wouldn't listen. Isn't that infuriating?"
"Yeah, pretty infuriating," Xu Wencheng nodded, but what he found infuriating wasn't Gao's daughter—it was Gao himself.
*So what if your daughter married some rich second-generation guy with a bit of money? Look at you acting all high and mighty!*
*My eldest daughter may have lost out, not marrying as well as yours, but my second daughter hasn't made her move yet.*
*That girl's sharp as a tack—she doesn't act unless she's sure. She might just marry better than your daughter.*
*Beep beep!*
Just as Xu Wencheng finished speaking, a sleek black Mercedes GLS pulled up in front of him.
The passenger door opened, and a woman with long legs and exquisitely beautiful features stepped out.
"Dad! It's freezing out here, and you're still fussing with your car," Xu Li said with a cheerful smile, greeting her father before opening the back door to lift Jiang Xue out.
"Grandpa! My dad bought a new car! Come try it—it's so comfy, even comfier than your car. Come on, give it a try!" Jiang Xue, as soon as she got out, eagerly grabbed her grandfather's hand, pulling him toward the car like she was showing off a treasure.
"Lili, this car… Jiang Tao bought it?" Xu Wencheng was shocked, delighted, and a bit confused. *When did my eldest son-in-law get this kind of money?*
He'd heard from his wife that Jiang Tao had transferred 200,000 yuan to his daughter.
But 200,000 was just a fraction of this car's cost!
Xu Li noticed their upstairs neighbor, Uncle Gao, standing dumbfounded next to his BMW.
She knew Uncle Gao loved to brag about his daughter and son-in-law in front of her dad.
With a sly glint in her bright eyes, Xu Li seized the chance to give her dad some bragging rights.
"My husband just picked up this car a few days ago. Looks pretty good, right?"
"Absolutely, it's amazing! This car's gotta be over a million, right?" Xu Wencheng deliberately raised his voice when saying "over a million," making sure Gao Daqiang got the point.
Xu Wencheng felt a surge of satisfaction. *My eldest daughter and son-in-law showed up at the perfect time!*
*This comeback from a losing position feels so damn good!*
*Click.*
The driver's door opened, and Jiang Tao stepped out, smiling as he greeted Xu Wencheng. "Dad, Lili and I brought you some cigarettes and liquor."
Unlike his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who were a bit snobbish, Jiang Tao had always gotten along well with his father-in-law, Xu Wencheng.
Every year on the third day of the Lunar New Year, when visiting Xu Li's family, Xu Wencheng would bring out his own Moutai to share with Jiang Tao.
One bottle was just right for the two of them.
Of course, Xu Wencheng would only buy a couple of loose bottles at most, never splurging on a whole case.
"Didn't you already bring something a couple of days ago?" Xu Wencheng looked at Jiang Tao and Xu Li, feeling a bit puzzled.
"My husband said the cigarettes and liquor I bought were too cheap and didn't count," Xu Li said. "So he got you a case of your favorite Moutai and two cartons of Zhonghua. Isn't your son-in-law filial?"
Xu Li already had maxed-out favor with her dad, so she didn't need to score more points.
Instead, she gave all the credit to Jiang Tao to boost his standing with her father.
Without a word, Jiang Tao opened the trunk and pulled out a case of Moutai and two cartons of Zhonghua.
Xu Wencheng forgot all about waxing his car and immediately invited his daughter's family upstairs.
Left behind was Gao Daqiang, standing alone in the chilly wind, utterly stunned.
*What's the deal with Old Xu's eldest son-in-law?*
*Wasn't he just a delivery driver? How's he driving a Mercedes now?!*