Du Yongmei, the mother-in-law, is 56 years old this year.
After marriage, she has always been a full-time housewife.
Her greatest hobby is playing mahjong.
Her second favorite hobby is researching various recipes and cooking.
At 7:30 PM, a large table of well-balanced meat and vegetable dishes, each looking appetizing with vibrant colors, aromas, and flavors, was served.
There was Xu Li's favorite braised prawns, her favorite sweet-and-sour pork ribs, and her favorite fish-flavored shredded pork.
There was also the boiled pork slices that Xu Li ordered for Jiang Tao and the minced meat egg custard for their daughter…
Looking at today's lavish spread, Xu Sha felt utterly speechless!
This is the treatment you get as the biological daughter!
Normally, when her older sister wasn't around, her mom would be glued to her mahjong games.
She'd either make Xu Sha eat instant noodles or spicy pickled noodles!
How could the gap between people be so huge?
Xu Li and her mom, Du Yongmei, would go shopping together every few days, meeting up more than a dozen times a month.
But every time they met, the mother and daughter acted like they hadn't seen each other in a year, always having endless things to talk about.
They chatted before dinner; while Du Yongmei cooked in the kitchen, Xu Li helped out and kept chatting; even during dinner, they didn't stop talking.
Jiang Tao and his father-in-law enjoyed the delicious dishes paired with small glasses of Maotai, chatting about cars, houses, and fishing.
Today, without the glares from his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, the atmosphere was unprecedentedly harmonious and pleasant.
Xu Sha couldn't get a word in edgewise. Plus, unlike her sister, who could eat anything without gaining weight, Xu Sha didn't dare eat more after a few bites.
She quietly took Jiang Xue to the side to play on their phones.
Dinner lasted from around 8:00 PM until 9:30 PM.
After dinner, they drank tea and chatted until 11:00 PM.
The father-in-law's family of three saw Jiang Tao's family of three downstairs.
Jiang Tao had been drinking and couldn't drive, but fortunately, Xu Li often drove her dad's car and had decent driving skills, so she took over.
On the way home, Jiang Xue was already fast asleep from exhaustion.
Once home, Jiang Tao carried her out of the car and into her small bedroom.
Jiang Bing had mentioned earlier that she'd come over to sleep at their place, but it was just talk.
Although she was still an unmarried young woman, she knew her second brother and sister-in-law had been apart for a while, so things at home were bound to be lively tonight.
She only stopped by around 8:00 PM to take a shower at their place before heading back to her parents' house.
After settling the kids, the couple washed up and had two "friendly matches," switching sides once before falling asleep in each other's arms.
Jiang Tao was exhausted from the day and didn't check the intelligence updated at midnight right away.
He slept until 8:08 AM.
When Jiang Tao woke up and opened his eyes, he found Xu Li was already up.
Rubbing his eyes and washing his face to clear his head, he finally activated the daily intelligence system panel with a thought.
**[Daily Intelligence 01]**:
You drove the Mercedes GLS, gifted by Du Ennan, to your father-in-law's house for dinner yesterday, obtaining related intelligence—
The Mercedes GLS gifted to you by Du Ennan was a vehicle returned by another customer and had been repaired before sale.
The host can pursue legal action to protect their legitimate rights and achieve a "return one, compensate three" claim.
**[Note 1]**: The host can contact the local Mercedes 4S dealership, provide the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to check the vehicle's repair records, and preserve the evidence.
(This evidence will disappear when the countdown reaches zero: 03:37:01)
**[Note 2]**: The car has been repaired, and all safety hazards have been eliminated, so it can be driven with confidence.
"A returned car? Return one, compensate three!!"
Seeing the first piece of intelligence updated today, Jiang Tao sat up excitedly from under the covers.
Noticing the system's **[Note 2]**, Jiang Tao wasn't worried about the car's safety.
The key was the system's mention of "return one, compensate three"!
This meant that if he returned the current Mercedes GLS, he could demand triple compensation from the 4S dealership where it was purchased.
According to Du Ennan, the Mercedes GLS cost 1.18 million yuan to purchase.
"Return one" meant getting back the 1.18 million yuan purchase price, and "compensate three" literally meant receiving three times the purchase price, which is 3.54 million yuan!
1.18 million + 3.54 million = 4.72 million yuan!
Seeing the countdown in **[Note 1]**, Jiang Tao immediately felt a sense of urgency.
It seemed that the Mercedes 4S dealership would erase the repair records once the countdown ended.
If that happened, no one would know the car was a returned vehicle!
Without the system's reminder, Jiang Tao wouldn't have thought twice about it and would've been completely fooled by the 4S dealership!
"There's a little over four hours left. No way I'm passing up 4.72 million yuan delivered to my door."
While pondering ways to preserve the evidence in his mind, Jiang Tao flipped to the second piece of intelligence.
**[Daily Intelligence 02]**: You had contact with your nephew Jiang Shijie yesterday, obtaining related intelligence—
Jiang Shijie and Jiang Shaojie, the two brothers, will fall into an ice hole and drown while skating at the "Qisan Reservoir" at 8:22 AM today.
A kind reminder could prevent this tragedy from happening.
…
Seeing the second piece of intelligence, Jiang Tao felt a chill run down his spine!
Both nephews drowning in an ice hole!
Damn, it's like the heavens want a double kill!
Thank goodness for the system's reminder.
Otherwise, this New Year would be unbearable!
Although his two nephews were naughty, disobedient, and terrible at school, they were still his family.
Jiang Tao couldn't possibly stand by and let them get into an accident.
He grabbed his phone and checked the time—it was already 8:10 AM.
Jiang Tao broke out in a cold sweat.
If he had stayed in bed just a few minutes longer, his two nephews might've…
With trembling hands, he unlocked his phone and dialed his older nephew Jiang Shijie's number while hurriedly getting out of bed to put on clothes.
*Beep beep beep—*
The phone kept ringing with no answer, and Jiang Tao cursed under his breath.
He hung up, called again, and still no answer!
"This brat's asking for a beating! Ignoring my calls! I'll break both their legs this time!"
Jiang Tao pulled up his pants, grumbling as he stormed out of the bedroom.
"What's wrong, honey? Who upset you this early in the morning?"
Xu Li, who was making a heartfelt breakfast in the kitchen, turned around to see Jiang Tao storming out with a dark expression. She quickly turned off the stove and approached him.
"Sweetie, you and Xue eat first. Don't wait for me."
"I'm heading out for a bit. I'll explain when I'm back."
Time was tight, and Jiang Tao didn't have time to explain to Xu Li in detail.
He didn't even change his shoes, rushing out in slippers.
"Honey, wait for me!"
Xu Li had never seen Jiang Tao so flustered before and immediately sensed something serious was happening. She chased after him, still wearing her apron.
As she stepped outside, she saw Jiang Tao already starting the car. Xu Li quickly opened the passenger door and got in.
"No matter what's going on, I'm coming with you."
Xu Li grabbed Jiang Tao's right hand, looking at him with concern and determination in her eyes.
"Okay."
Jiang Tao knew Xu Li's temperament and could tell she was worried about him.
With time running out, he didn't have time to explain. He started the car and sped toward the Qisan Reservoir, three kilometers from Jiang Family Village.
*Beep beep beep—*
Jiang Tao kept redialing Jiang Shijie's number, but no one picked up.
His face was as dark as a storm cloud.
Xu Li took a moment to call Jiang Bing, asking her to go to their house to look after Jiang Xue, who was still sleeping.
The Mercedes GLS hit 120 km/h on the rural road to the Qisan Reservoir.
Luckily, it was a rural area, and there were hardly any cars on the road that morning, so it wasn't too dangerous.
"Honey… everything will be okay."
Sensing Jiang Tao's tension, Xu Li reached out again to hold his hand, offering comfort.
"I hope so."
Jiang Tao glanced at the dashboard clock—it was already 8:15 AM.
Only seven minutes remained until 8:22 AM, as mentioned in the intelligence!
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