In the courtyard of Jiang Tao's house.
Several workers neatly stacked over a hundred large boxes.
The boxes occupied nearly half the space of Jiang Tao's small courtyard.
Each box contained exactly 100 items, with a total of 102 boxes, plus a few dozen extras.
The order was for 10,000 units, and the additional 200 or so were a gift from Wang Xiaobai to Jiang Tao.
After checking the quantity and confirming it was correct, Jiang Tao handed each worker a pack of Huazi cigarettes and sent them on their way.
"Mr. Jiang, here are 20 movie tickets for *Nezha 2* for the first day of the Lunar New Year."
"If you have time, you can take your family and kids to watch a movie or something."
After checking the goods, Wang Xiaobai took out a stack of movie tickets from a small bag she was carrying and handed them to Jiang Tao.
"Thanks, Xiao Wang. It's been a pleasure working with you guys."
Jiang Tao didn't stand on ceremony with Wang Xiaobai and cheerfully accepted the movie tickets.
Taking his wife to a movie during the Lunar New Year wouldn't be a bad idea.
Seeing Jiang Tao in a good mood after accepting the tickets, Wang Xiaobai seized the opportunity to ask, "By the way, Mr. Jiang, some of my colleagues still have some popcorn buckets. Are you interested in ordering more?"
"No need. This batch of goods I have will probably take a while to sell."
Although he knew these popcorn buckets would be a huge hit and bring in massive profits, Jiang Tao resisted the temptation.
Brother System had indicated that this project should be limited to purchasing 10,000 units, and there must be a reason for that.
Over the past couple of days, Jiang Tao had figured out some of the logic behind it.
If he bought up a large number of Flying Pig popcorn buckets in advance and hoarded them, restricting their circulation, fewer customers would buy them, and the product would generate less discussion and buzz.
Would it still become a viral hit then?
For a product to explode in popularity, it requires the perfect alignment of timing, location, and people—none of these can be missing.
A single small variable could lead things in an entirely different direction.
If his greed triggered some variable and the product didn't take off, he'd be the one to crash and burn!
So, to play it safe, Jiang Tao genuinely planned to sell only 10,000 units—not a single one more.
As for the extras Wang Xiaobai had given him, he'd use them as small New Year gifts for friends and family.
You can't earn all the money in the world, so there's no need to rush to make millions or tens of millions on a single project to achieve financial freedom.
You can't become a fat cat overnight.
With a reliable "wise assistant" like Brother System providing all sorts of information, financial freedom was just a matter of time—no need to rush.
Good food is savored slowly, life is lived fully over time, and money should be earned gradually.
Earning a hundred million in a single day? Let those generous, eloquent netizens who read novels on Qidian experience that!
"Oh, alright."
Wang Xiaobai had only asked casually. Seeing Jiang Tao wasn't interested, she didn't press further.
After all, she had already met her sales quota and could enjoy a relaxed New Year.
She was just asking on behalf of a colleague she was close to.
"Wow! Daddy, what are all these things? So many big boxes~"
While Jiang Tao and Wang Xiaobai were talking in the courtyard, Xu Li returned with Jiang Xue and Jiang Bing.
"Are all the goods here, Second Brother? When do we start working?"
Jiang Bing's eyes sparkled with excitement as she saw the pile of cardboard boxes in the courtyard. These were all money!
Earlier, Jiang Tao had told her that for this deal, they'd split the profits 80-20.
Jiang Bing didn't need to invest a single penny—just contribute her effort—and she'd get 20% of the net profit.
Of course, sales and after-sales service were also crucial components.
Jiang Bing's 20% share was well-earned.
"Soon, just wait a bit."
Jiang Tao's gaze was steady, a smile on his face, but he didn't say much more.
Xu Li smiled gently and said, "We've got so many guests at home today. Hubby, why don't you ask Mom and Dad to come over and help? It'll be lively with more people."
"Alright, let's go, Little Xue, to Grandma's house."
Jiang Tao chuckled and agreed, taking Jiang Xue's chubby little hand and heading toward the door.
Xu Li's suggestion wasn't really because there was so much work that they needed Jiang Tao's parents to come help.
With guests at home, the meals would be more lavish, certainly better than the simple fare the elderly couple would have on their own.
She wanted her in-laws to come over and enjoy a better meal but didn't say it outright. Jiang Tao understood her intention.
After so many years of marriage, Xu Li had been quite filial to Jiang Tao's parents.
The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law wasn't as terrifying or exaggerated as people online made it out to be.
Though their family wasn't wealthy, Xu Li would buy a few seasonal clothes for Jiang Tao's mother, Tian Xiaomei, every spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
They weren't expensive—spring, summer, and autumn clothes cost at most 80 to 100 yuan, while winter coats were a bit pricier, maybe 200 or 300 yuan.
Tian Xiaomei usually couldn't bear to wear the clothes Xu Li bought her.
She'd only take them out when visiting relatives, proudly showing them off to friends and family.
Among their relatives and friends, there weren't many daughters-in-law like Xu Li who bought clothes for their mothers-in-law.
"Daddy, Mommy said after the New Year, you're taking me to Beijing. Is that true?"
On the way to Grandma's house, hand in hand, Jiang Xue looked up with her little face and asked in her sweet, childish voice.
Her short legs quickened their pace to keep up with her father's steps.
Her father's hand was always so warm and strong.
"Of course it's true. From now on, Daddy will play with you every day, buy you lots of yummy food, and get you tons of pretty clothes."
"Didn't you say you want to be a ballerina? When we get to Beijing, Mommy will take you to learn dancing."
Jiang Tao spoke with confidence as he walked, his words brimming with assurance.
In the past, when his daughter said she wanted to be a ballerina, Jiang Tao would just smile and not take it seriously.
Kids don't understand reality—how could their family afford that?
A kid from the countryside becoming a ballerina? It wasn't realistic or practical!
As she grew up and faced reality, she'd forget this wish or change it to something else.
But now, with Brother System's help, Jiang Tao's ability to earn money had skyrocketed.
He wanted to give his daughter the best opportunities and try to fulfill all her wishes!
He would use his own hands to turn all her dreams into reality.
"Yay, yay, yay! That's awesome! So awesome! I can learn to dance~~"
Jiang Xue was so thrilled by her father's words that she spun around him several times, even tiptoeing like a ballerina, happily twirling.
"Daddy, a bunch of kids in my class have been to Beijing's Nantianmen."
"I want to go to Nantianmen and take pictures too!"
"Then you can post them in our kindergarten group chat."
Jiang Tao burst into laughter at his daughter's innocent words:
"Hahaha, that wish might be a bit tricky. You're giving your dad a big challenge."
Little Jiang Xue let go of Jiang Tao's hand, indignantly saying, "What's so hard about it? Why can other kids' dads take them there, but my dad can't?"
"Hahaha, alright, alright, your dad can do it!"
"But it's called Tiananmen, not Nantianmen, got it?"
Jiang Tao lovingly ruffled his daughter's head, feeling he owed her so much.
For city kids, weekend outings and holiday trips were commonplace.
At such a young age, they'd already traveled across the country with their parents.
But for his daughter, Jiang Xue, in her six-plus years of life, she'd barely left Ping County.
Her furthest trips were the annual visits Jiang Tao took her and Xu Li on to Shijiazhuang to see the zoo or botanical gardens.
Now that he had money and time, he'd take his wife and daughter out more often—it'd be good for both body and mind and would broaden their horizons.