Inside the urban area of Ping County.
A flashy red BMW X3 cruised smoothly along a quiet road.
Inside the car.
A woman with heavy makeup was talking on the car's phone system with a man.
"Darling, I've arrived in Ping County. I just dropped the kids off at home."
"That deadbeat doesn't know what's wrong with him; he's been hospitalized."
"The old hag just called me, asking me to come over."
"It's the New Year, and going to a hospital? I'm really afraid it'll bring me bad luck!"
"How about the fifth day? We don't visit relatives on the fifth day around here. Let's go hiking then."
"Alright, you rest early. Goodnight, bye~"
The moment the call ended, the smile on Yan Ping's face vanished, replaced by impatience. Her face changed so quickly it was almost an art form.
When Yan Ping drove to the hospital, it was already 3:08 AM.
"Yan Ping! It's so late, and you're not at home—what were you doing?! Your husband almost died, do you even know that?!"
Her uncle-in-law, Xu Wenchao, saw his tardy daughter-in-law and was so furious that the veins on his forehead bulged.
"The kids wanted to go celebrate New Year's Eve. What's wrong with me taking them out for a bit of fun?"
"Could I control Xu Jiantao getting into a car accident? Did I want this to happen?!"
"What's the use of yelling at me? Am I a doctor or a nurse?"
"Even if I stayed here like you all, what could I do?"
"Could I operate on him or perform surgery?"
Yan Ping's barrage of nonsense left everyone speechless.
"You, you, you, you… ugh, my heart!"
"Auntie!"
"Sister-in-law, please, don't get mad."
"You family members over there! This is a hospital, not your house. There are other patients here. If you want to argue, take it outside!"
Yan Ping, the cousin-in-law, was truly a handful.
Her arrival was like dropping a depth charge into a calm lake.
The scene instantly erupted into chaos.
If it weren't for Jiang Tao, his wife, and his in-laws trying to calm things down, Uncle Xu's family would've gone full-on team PK mode.
The phrase "chickens flying and dogs jumping" wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the situation.
The arguing continued until past 5 AM. With nothing more to do, Jiang Tao and Xu Li said their goodbyes and left.
Seeing the situation at Uncle Xu's family, Jiang Tao couldn't help but sigh inwardly: every family has its own troubles.
The poor have their worries, and the rich have theirs too. Everyone's just human.
By the time Jiang Tao and Xu Li drove back to Jiangjiazhuang, it was 6 AM.
The early risers in the village had already started setting off firecrackers, the crackling sounds filling the air.
After returning home, Jiang Tao also set off a few firecrackers and a massive 100,000-cracker roll of "Big Red Earth."
Setting off firecrackers on the first day of the Lunar New Year symbolizes bidding farewell to the old, warding off evil, and welcoming good fortune.
The loud blasts represent dispelling the year's plagues and bad luck while ushering in prosperity for the new year.
After the firecrackers, Jiang Tao and Xu Li went back inside to catch up on sleep.
The couple hadn't slept a wink the previous night, staying up at the hospital.
"Honey, about last night…"
In bed, Xu Li lay diagonally on Jiang Tao's left side.
Her fair, slender arm, like a lotus root, rested on his chest.
Their bodies pressed close together, an intimate scene.
Seeing Xu Li's hesitant expression, Jiang Tao knew what she wanted to ask.
Why did he know about his cousin's car accident last night?
The moment he saw the news about Xu Jiantao, it was an emergency.
With a life at stake, Jiang Tao had hurriedly called Xu Li to rush out without thinking much.
But on the way to the rescue, as Xu Li drove, Jiang Tao's mind was already racing, thinking of ways to dodge his curious wife's questions.
Back when he was alone in Beijing, he could drive out in the middle of the night to save Old Sun without explaining anything to anyone.
But now, with Xu Li and the kids around, if he kept darting out of bed for "missions"…
"Alright, honey, it's time I told you the truth."
Jiang Tao looked down at Xu Li, who was wearing just a thin layer of clothing, her skin smooth and fair. His expression turned serious.
"If… if it's not convenient to say, you don't have to."
As the truth was about to be revealed, Xu Li was even more nervous than Jiang Tao.
"You're my dearest wife, so it's fine to tell you. But you can't tell anyone else—not even our daughter."
"You know I'm a low-key guy. I don't like being too flashy."
"Some things can wait until she's older to tell her."
"Mm-hmm, honey, go ahead. I'm all ears!"
Xu Li's curiosity was piqued by Jiang Tao, her sparkling eyes fixed on him, her chest rising and falling with excitement.
Jiang Tao said solemnly, "Actually, my true identity is the Dark Knight, also known as the Beijing Batman."
Σ(⊙▽⊙"a!!!
Xu Li's beautiful eyes blinked at Jiang Tao. After a few seconds, she burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha…"
"You're Batman? Then I'm Sailor Moon!"
Xu Li's chest jiggled as she nearly laughed herself to tears at Jiang Tao's "Beijing Batman" claim.
"Honey, come on, tell me! I really want to know."
Xu Li's curiosity was overwhelming, and she shook Jiang Tao's arm, slipping into full-on coquettish mode.
After Xu Li's relentless pestering, Jiang Tao finally got a bit more serious.
"Actually, I promised my master to keep it a secret."
"But since you asked, I won't hide it from you. After all, you're my dearest wife."
"Here's the story…"
To satisfy Xu Li's probing, Jiang Tao put in some effort and spun a convincing tale.
After all, Old Jiang was a veteran reader of Qidian novels, and he could easily pull plot points from various stories.
In his tale, he and his master, Sun Xiaobao, met by chance and became master and disciple.
After that, while driving and delivering goods, he studied divination and the art of the Eight Trigrams under his master for six years, achieving some small success.
Now, he could predict fortune or misfortune based on someone's birth chart and had some skill in feng shui.
Last night, while waiting to take a shower, he practiced his divination skills and did a reading for his cousin Xu Jiantao.
The result was shocking: Xu Jiantao was destined for a bloody disaster!
That led to the subsequent rescue.
As for how he knew the exact location of Xu Jiantao's accident…
Well, that was the mystical intuition of Master Jiang, the feng shui expert!
Though Jiang Tao's story sounded far-fetched and fantastical, combined with the undeniable events of the previous night, it felt oddly believable.
"Honey, is everything you said true?"
"I… I'm starting to believe you."
Xu Li's beautiful eyes blinked at Jiang Tao, her face showing she was mostly convinced.
"Of course it's all true. If I'm lying, I—"
"Don't say that!"
Before Jiang Tao could finish, Xu Li covered his mouth with her hand, rolling her eyes playfully. "Silly, why say that? I didn't say I don't believe you."
"You've studied this stuff, and you still don't know to respect the heavens? Some things shouldn't be said out loud."
"Heh, alright, I won't say it."
Seeing that Xu Li believed him, Jiang Tao felt a wave of relief.
It seemed he'd need to brush up on some I Ching and Eight Trigrams "mysticism" to better disguise the intel provided by his system.
"Alright, let's get some sleep. We're visiting Mom and Dad to pay New Year's respects this morning."
"Mm-hmm, I'm sleeping while cuddling my husband~"
Xu Li snuggled closer to Jiang Tao, hugging him tightly like a giant stuffed toy.
The couple napped until 8 AM.
Xu Li dressed their daughter, Jiang Xue, in a festive red dress and a pair of delicate black leather shoes.
The little girl took after Jiang Tao's looks and Xu Li's figure, perfectly combining their best traits.
With Xu Li's simple styling, she looked like a little princess, utterly adorable.
Xu Li also changed into a red wool coat over a form-fitting cream-colored top.
She wore stylish ankle-length leggings and a pair of Martin boots.
Her outfit perfectly showcased her tall, stunning figure, leaving Jiang Bing, who was nearby, in awe.
How could her second sister-in-law be so beautiful and feminine?
After changing into new clothes, the family of three, along with Jiang Bing, headed to their parents' house for New Year's greetings.
"Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma! Wishing you wealth—where's my red envelope?"
Jiang Xue ran to her grandparents the moment she entered, demanding her red envelope.
"Here, here, here! Grandma's precious granddaughter, I wish you grow more beautiful, stay safe, and be healthy!"
Seeing her adorable granddaughter, Grandma's face wrinkled with smiles as she pulled a big red envelope from her pocket and handed it to Jiang Xue.
"Thank you, Grandma~ I wish Grandma lives to a hundred and never leaves Little Xue~"
"Oh, my little darling, who taught you to say such sweet things? Your little mouth is too charming!"
Hearing her granddaughter's pure blessings, Tian Xiaomei was so touched that tears nearly fell.
"Did anyone need to teach me?"
Jiang Xue tilted her head, glancing at her two cousins standing like telephone poles nearby.
"…"
"…"
Jiang Shijie and Jiang Shaojie, standing off to the side, looked at their little cousin speechlessly.
When little sister Jiang Xue said those words, it was like she came with cheerful background music—so joyful.
When the two of them paid New Year's respects to their grandparents, it was like reading from a textbook—completely different vibes!
No wonder Grandpa and Grandma loved their little sister so much!
"Grandpa, Grandpa~ Wishing you good health, all your wishes come true, and lots of wealth—red envelope, please~"
After greeting Grandma, little Jiang Xue ran to the kitchen to pay respects to Grandpa, who was preparing offerings for the ancestral worship.
"Oh! Grandpa's good girl~ Grandpa's got a big red envelope for you! Look, it's even bigger than Grandma's!"
Grandpa, who had been in a bad mood after arguing with Grandma that morning, instantly cheered up seeing his little granddaughter.
"Happy New Year, Second Uncle and Aunt."
"Happy New Year, Second Uncle and Aunt."
"Happy New Year! Wishing you both academic success and progress in your studies."
Xu Li smiled and handed two bulging red envelopes to her nephews.
"Thank you, Second Uncle! Thank you, Second Aunt!"
Feeling the weight of the envelopes, the brothers knew there was at least 500 yuan inside, and their faces lit up with joy!
This year, not only had Grandpa and Grandma's red envelopes upgraded from 50 to 200 yuan, but Second Uncle and Aunt's envelopes were thicker too!
"You two rascals, behave yourselves at home and don't upset your parents or mine, got it? Here."
Though Jiang Bing, their aunt, seemed stern on the surface, she was good to her nephews, giving each a big red envelope.
"Thank you, Aunt! Thank you, Aunt~"
The brothers thanked her in unison, their excited expressions impossible to hide.
Aunt's red envelopes had upgraded this year too!
"Where are your parents? Why aren't they here?"
Jiang Tao noticed his older brother and sister-in-law were absent and asked the nephews.
He'd been back since the 27th of the last lunar month—two or three days—and still hadn't seen them.
"Dad went to cover a shift for a colleague this morning. Mom's feeling a bit sick, throwing up, so she's not coming either."
Eldest nephew Jiang Shijie spoke with a hint of disappointment on his face.
His parents always seemed so busy, too busy to spend time with family.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, a time for family reunions and joy, his dad chose to work an extra shift for 300 yuan instead of resting.
Younger brother Jiang Shaojie also looked downcast.
At family gatherings like this, their parents were always absent for one reason or another.
The brothers longed for their parents to sit with Grandpa, Grandma, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, and Aunt, enjoying a lively family meal together.
Such a small, simple wish felt so hard to achieve.
In their parents' eyes, it seemed like nothing mattered more than money, money, money…
Even family wasn't as important as earning money.
Of course, the brothers were old enough to understand that their parents worked hard for them.
Studying, going to college, getting married, having kids…
There were still so many expenses ahead!
"Oh."
Seeing his nephews' low spirits, Jiang Tao dropped the topic.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two movie tickets, handing them to the boys.
"Go watch a movie after lunch. It's on your Second Uncle."
"Is it *Nezha*?! Thank you, Second Uncle!"
"Thank you, Second Uncle!!"
The brothers took the *Nezha 2* tickets from Jiang Tao, their moods lifting considerably.
*Ding-dong!*
Just as Jiang Tao was about to check on his dad's progress with the ancestral offerings in the kitchen, his phone chimed.
He pulled it out and saw a transfer notification from Du Ennan.
Opening WeChat to Du Ennan's chat, he saw the transfer amount—88,888!
[Happy New Year~]
Jiang Tao wasn't too surprised by the amount.
After all, his system had already tipped him off.
"Wow!! Second Brother! Who's this? Sending you such a huge red envelope!!"
Jiang Bing leaned over to peek at Jiang Tao's phone. Seeing the transfer amount, she was floored.
88,000!
What kind of concept was that?
That one red envelope was worth more than she'd made in a year of e-commerce!
"What big red envelope? Let me see… eighty-eight thousand eight hundred eighty-eight!"
Xu Li saw the transfer from Du Ennan on Jiang Tao's phone, her lightly painted lips parting in shock, almost wide enough to fit an egg.