Do a good deed every day.
Jiang Tao snuffed out the cigarette in his hand, washed his hands, and went back inside to sleep.
As for whether they could catch Liu Hongwei, that depended on how capable the police uncles were.
The rest was beyond his control; he just had to wait for the notification to collect the reward money.
About seven kilometers away from Jiangjiazhuang, at the Ping County Public Security Bureau.
After hanging up the phone, Han Shasha looked at the notes she had jotted down in her small notebook, feeling a surge of excitement.
"Liu Hongwei, the criminal from the 404 major case! We finally have a lead!"
After the initial excitement, Han Shasha didn't call the police station in Mang Village's jurisdiction but instead directly contacted the county's Public Security Bureau.
For a major criminal like this, they needed to handle it with extra caution.
"Hello, Captain Liu, I just received a tip-off call…"
Han Shasha carefully relayed the details of the report she had just received before hanging up.
At the Ping County Public Security Bureau, in a duty room filled with swirling cigarette smoke.
"Alright, boys, we've got a job, and it's a big one! Get ready to move!"
Liu Guangtian, the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team, hung up the call from the dispatch center and excitedly called out to the other officers, who were dozing off at their desks.
"What's the big job, Captain Liu?"
The officers perked up at the mention of work, standing up from their seats and asking curiously.
"The dispatch center just got a tip-off call. Liu Hongwei, the key suspect in the 404 case, has secretly returned home. Let's hope we don't come up empty-handed this time."
As Liu Guangtian spoke, he grabbed his gun holster and handcuffs.
"This better not be a false alarm!"
"Based on the big data AI analysis of the caller's voice and tone, the likelihood of it being a lie is very low."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move! This is a big score!"
"This night shift wasn't in vain—landing a big case like this!"
As they spoke, the officers quickly geared up. Liu Guangtian also called the Mang Village police station, asking them to send officers to assist.
If the tip was accurate, they had to take down Liu Hongwei in one fell swoop!
Under the cover of night, while the masses slept soundly in their comfortable beds, a team dedicated to maintaining social order and stability quietly mobilized, heading toward the criminal's location.
Fifteen minutes later, four police cars silently rolled into Mang Village and parked along the roadside at the village entrance.
Over a dozen officers got out of the vehicles and jogged toward Liu Hongwei's house.
A few officers from the Mang Village police station had arrived earlier, bringing a wooden ladder.
Three officers were left to guard the entrance.
The remaining dozen or so officers climbed over the wall into the courtyard of Liu Hongwei's parents' house using the ladder, catching Liu Hongwei in the act as he chatted with his parents in the living room.
The operation was large in scale, but the arrest went smoothly.
There was no dramatic police-chase scene like in TV dramas.
Faced with the overwhelming number of officers, Liu Hongwei knew escape was impossible. He didn't resist and surrendered on the spot.
Amid the cries of Liu Hongwei's parents, he was led out of the house. Surprisingly, there was no fear on his face—only a faint smile of relief.
…
When Jiang Tao woke up on his big bed at home, it was already past 8 a.m.
Another day of sleeping in until he naturally woke up.
During the New Year holiday, he didn't have to work and could enjoy the cozy life of having his wife and daughter by his side.
It was practically a god-like existence.
He reached for his phone on the bedside table and checked it.
There was a text notification about a bank transfer.
[Your ICBC savings account ending in XXX has received a deposit of 100,000 yuan. Current balance: 978,856.75 yuan!]
"Looks like last night—no, early this morning—the arrest went pretty smoothly."
"The police uncles are quite reliable."
Jiang Tao's fingers moved quickly, quietly deleting the transaction text before getting dressed and out of bed.
A man loves his wife, sure, but he's gotta have a little private stash of his own.
"Honey, go wake up Third Sis and our daughter. We're having millet pumpkin porridge today~"
As soon as Jiang Tao stepped out, he heard the hum of the range hood from the kitchen. Xu Li was wearing a red checkered apron, cooking away.
The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, embodying the warmth of home in that moment.
"Got it, your wish is my command~"
Jiang Tao chuckled and agreed, taking a few steps to his daughter's room and pushing open the door.
It took a Herculean effort to drag the two sleepyheads out of their blankets.
The cozy family of three, plus a disheveled Jiang Bing with dark circles under her eyes, sat down at the dining table together.
As Jiang Tao ate the freshly stir-fried cabbage Xu Li had made, he said, "By the way, honey, we didn't finish the beef kidney from yesterday, right? Have Mom stir-fry some for lunch."
"If you have time during the day, go buy some lamb kidney or pork kidney, too."
"Pfft~"
Jiang Bing couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing at her second brother's words, laughing loudly.
"Second Bro, what's wrong with you? Feeling weak, huh? Hahaha…"
"I get it, I totally get it. With a beautiful wife at home, even goji berries can't cure you!"
"You need to nourish yourself properly, hahaha…"
"I'm telling you, besides kidneys, you can also eat some shrimp, cashews, walnuts, stuff like that, hahaha…"
Jiang Bing was laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes as she listed kidney-nourishing foods for her brother.
"…"
Jiang Tao looked at his third sister speechlessly.
How dare she laugh?
The one who's actually "weak" is her!
Xu Li also gave Jiang Tao a playful, reproachful glance.
Her look seemed to say, *You could've talked about this privately. Why bring it up in front of Third Sis?*
The nutritious and hearty breakfast was finished in a cheerful atmosphere.
"Second Sister-in-Law, your cooking is amazing. I'm so lucky to eat your food every day."
Jiang Bing didn't forget to flatter Xu Li after the meal, making her beam with joy.
"Then just move in with us, and I'll cook for you every day."
Xu Li said with a sweet smile, treating Jiang Bing like her own little sister.
The bond between the sisters-in-law had always been strong.
Back when Jiang Tao worked in Beijing, Jiang Bing would occasionally return to the village and stay with Xu Li.
"Second Sister-in-Law is the best to me!"
Jiang Bing hugged Xu Li's exaggeratedly slim waist, acting like a child clinging to an adult.
"By the way, Second Bro, Second Sister-in-Law, guess how many Flying Pig popcorn buckets we've sold?"
The moment the Flying Pig popcorn buckets were mentioned, Jiang Bing instantly became excited.
Jiang Tao grinned and teased, "Don't beat around the bush. Spill it, or I'll dock ten percent of your share."
"218! As of last night when I went to bed, we sold 218!"
"Total sales are already over 43,000!"
"I bet from last night to this morning, we've probably sold another few dozen!"
"Our Flying Pig is about to soar to the skies, Second Bro!"
"So many sold?!"
Xu Li's pretty face showed a cute expression of surprise upon hearing Jiang Bing's sales report.
"Yup, yup! Second Sister-in-Law, speaking of this, I have to praise Second Bro's foresight again."
"Now even the manufacturer of this product is out of stock. They've started taking pre-orders, and it'll take one or two months to ship."
"The 10,000-plus units we have in stock are practically flying off the shelves!"
Though Jiang Bing liked to bicker with her second brother, when it came to serious matters, she genuinely admired him.
Who could've imagined that an ordinary popcorn bucket like the Flying Pig would hit the jackpot, with the whole internet clamoring to buy it?
When a product is in short supply, it's only natural for the price to rise.
However, it was rare for something like the Flying Pig popcorn bucket to see such a dramatic price surge in such a short time.
The root cause was the massive success of *Nezha 2*.
With *Nezha 2*'s box office soaring and its popularity unprecedented, all the related merchandise skyrocketed as well.
While witnessing multiple box office records being set, Jiang Tao also got a piece of the movie IP's profits.
Beyond being a bystander, he became a small participant in the phenomenon.
Of course, the money he earned was just a drop in the bucket compared to *Nezha 2*'s billions—or even potential tens of billions—in box office revenue.
*Ding-a-ling—*
His phone rang. Jiang Tao glanced at it and saw it was a call from the 110 dispatch. He quietly slipped into the storage room behind him to take the call.
"Yes, okay, that's me, good, uh-huh…"
The police station informed him that the arrest had been completed, and the tip he provided was of significant value.
They told him to go through the formalities with the exclusive number he received when reporting, and he could collect the reward.
Jiang Tao listened patiently until the officer finished before hanging up.
That morning, Jiang Bing went into work mode, calling the SF Express courier to come to the house to start shipping.
Xu Li eagerly helped out on the side.
With nothing else to do, Jiang Tao took Jiang Xue for a leisurely walk to his older brother's house.
"Second Uncle, you're here! Little Xue, want some candy? Big Bro will get you some!"
His little nephew, Jiang Shaojie, saw Jiang Tao arrive with Jiang Xue and hurriedly ran back into the house.
The kid came back carrying an entire plastic bag of candy, letting Jiang Xue pick whatever she wanted.
As the only little girl in the old Jiang family, Jiang Xue was practically the family's darling.
"Where's everyone else? You home alone?"
Jiang Tao looked at the empty, somewhat desolate courtyard of his brother's house and asked his nephew.
"Dad got off the night shift at 7 a.m. and is sleeping in the house now."
"Mom went to town to set up her fried skewer stall."
"My brother's probably off playing in the county again."
Jiang Shaojie suddenly leaned closer to Jiang Tao and whispered mischievously, "Second Uncle, I'll tell you a little secret. My brother's got a girlfriend. He's in puppy love!"
"He's been running to the county every day these past few days to see her."
Jiang Tao looked at his sly little nephew and chuckled, "What about you? Got a girlfriend at school?"
"Girls just slow down my sword-drawing speed. Dogs don't even bother with love! Starting *Genshin Impact* is way more fun!"
Jiang Shaojie waved his beat-up phone, looking like the picture of clarity.
"You little rascal. Games are fine, but don't overdo it. Don't let it mess with your studies."
"Take your sister outside to play for a bit. I'm going to check on your dad."
Jiang Tao handed Jiang Xue to his nephew and stepped up to the house.
He navigated the cluttered living room, where there was barely room to step.
At the door to the east room, he knocked lightly. No response. He pushed the door open.
The bedroom was a mess, with clothes and shoes strewn about haphazardly.
On the messy bed lay a man with disheveled hair, snoring soundly.
This was Jiang Tao's older brother, Jiang He.
In his youth, Jiang He had been a rebellious type—spiked hair, bell-bottoms, smoking, drinking, getting perms, skipping school to hang out at internet cafes.
He dropped out after junior high and started working in a factory. By his early twenties, he was married and soon became a father.
As his small family grew, the burden on him as the breadwinner grew heavier, and his responsibilities piled up.
Unfortunately, with no education, no degree, and no grand vision or business savvy, Jiang He could only rely on his physical strength to earn a living.
His life vividly illustrated the saying, "If you don't work hard in your youth, you'll regret it in old age."
Of course, Jiang Tao, as the younger brother, wasn't in any position to judge. Before he got his system, he was wasting away in Beijing, too.
Trading time—or rather, his life—for meager pay.
Year after year, the money he earned was spent, and the cycle repeated, but his youth was gone forever.
The main difference between Jiang Tao and his brother was that Jiang Tao only had one daughter, so the pressure wasn't as intense.
Jiang He, with two sons, had to think about their education, buying them houses, and helping them get married. He had no choice but to work himself to the bone.
Though only five years older than Jiang Tao, Jiang He looked weathered, like he was in his fifties.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that if Jiang He stood next to their father, Jiang Wen, people might mistake them for brothers.
Seeing his brother like this, Jiang Tao felt a pang of sorrow.
[Jiang He: Meets the invitation criteria.]
Seeing the text appear above his brother's head, Jiang Tao breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if he only invested 200,000, with a 55% return, his brother could earn around 100,000.
That was roughly equivalent to a year and a half of his backbreaking wages.
When it was within his power and beneficial to himself, helping his own brother was only right.
"Bro, wake up. Hey, wake up."
With this in mind, Jiang Tao stepped forward and gently shook his brother's shoulder, waking him up.
"Second Bro, when did you get here? What's up?"
Jiang He opened his eyes, looking groggy and disoriented, his face contorted as he yawned and asked.
He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
Jiang Tao reminded him, "Bro, take it easy with work. Don't just chase money and ruin your health. You've got a long life ahead."
Jiang He scratched his nest-like hair and gave a simple smile. "It's just these few days during the New Year that I can pick up extra shifts for some cash. It's not usually this bad."
"Come on, let's go to the living room. I've got something to talk to you about."
Jiang Tao turned and left the east room.
A moment later, Jiang He shuffled out in a pair of worn-out, blackened cotton slippers that barely resembled their original color.
Looking at his disheveled brother, who seemed like an old man, Jiang Tao sighed inwardly.
Raising two sons as an ordinary person was no easy feat—it'd wear anyone down to the bone.
Half-grown boys could eat their father out of house and home, let alone two of them!
"What's up, Second Bro? Something going on?"
Jiang He sat on the wooden sofa next to Jiang Tao, pulling a cigarette from the pack on the coffee table and lighting it.
Jiang Tao didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "Bro, I'm planning to invest in a project. You interested?"
"Invest in a project?"
Jiang He looked at his brother with some hesitation. He'd worked his whole life and never invested in anything.
"Yeah, didn't Little Uncle mention the other day that the boss of their cattle farm wants to sell some cows? I'm planning to buy a few hundred head while the market's low."
Jiang Tao didn't waste words, laying out his investment plan and some market analysis.
Jiang He listened, half-confused, but he could tell his brother was confident about the project.
When he heard Jiang Tao say the total investment would be around 3 million, Jiang He looked at his brother in shock, thinking he'd misheard.
"Second Bro, how much did you say the total investment was?"
Jiang He interrupted Jiang Tao's enthusiastic explanation, asking uncertainly.
"About 3 million, give or take."
Jiang Tao's expression was so calm it was as if he were talking about 300 yuan, not 3 million.
"3 million…"
For someone like Jiang He, who earned just over 5,000 yuan a month, that number was astronomical.
He only dared to dream of such a sum when fantasizing about winning the lottery's first prize, netting over 3 million after taxes.
Earning 3 million through his own efforts? He'd never manage that in a lifetime, even if he starved.
"Right. If we're gonna do it, we go big and make a killing."
The system capped it at 300 head, so Jiang Tao naturally planned to buy the maximum to maximize profits.
"Ahem, that's a big deal, Second Bro. You're different from before this time you came back."
Jiang He's gaze lingered on his brother.
Though this was only their second meeting this year, he keenly noticed the change in Jiang Tao.
Confident, composed, magnanimous, radiating an approachable charm.
Jiang He had seen that kind of aura in the factory manager at his workplace.
"Heh, I'm still me. Nothing's changed. And you'll always be my big brother."
Jiang Tao smiled warmly at his brother, not letting a bit of money go to his head or distance him from his family.
Jiang He felt his brother's sincerity and was deeply touched. He said frankly, "Second Bro, don't laugh, but I can only scrape together 70,000 or 80,000 at most. 200,000 is way out of my reach."
Jiang Tao had made it clear that to join the investment, the minimum was 200,000.
Of course, this wasn't his rule—it was the system's requirement.
Only when a partner's investment reached 200,000 would they count as a valid participant, allowing Jiang Tao to claim the one-times multiplier reward.
Jiang Tao had already considered his brother's financial situation on the way over and said readily, "If you're short on cash, I can cover the difference. Whatever you're missing, I'll front it. You can pay me back slowly once we make money.
Third Sis also agreed to join in. We're family—no one gets left behind."
"Second Bro, you…"
Jiang He was moved again by his brother's words, almost to the point of tears.
Before Jiang He could finish, Jiang Tao cut him off with a smile. "We're brothers. No need for formalities. Besides, I'm lending you the money, not giving it to you."
"Alright, I won't get sappy with you," Jiang He said, then shifted gears. "But this is a big deal. I need to talk it over with your sister-in-law first before I give you an answer."
"Sounds good! I'll wait for your good news, Big Bro. This is a rare opportunity—don't miss it."
Jiang Tao didn't rush his brother, giving him plenty of time to think it over.
"Alright, I'll get back to you soon."
Jiang He nodded, his expression more serious and solemn than ever.
The brothers chatted a bit more before Jiang Tao left with Jiang Xue.
With his brother included, he now had three confirmed partners, which would net him an extra three-times return.
He still needed to find and recruit the remaining two partners.
Jiang Tao drove Jiang Xue to visit Zhang Chao, Shan Yifei, and Liu Zhiyuan.
Coincidentally, both Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yifei also met the invitation criteria.
With them, he had exactly five partners!
When Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yifei heard Jiang Tao was planning a new investment project, they agreed to join without a moment's hesitation.
They were even quicker to agree than Jiang Tao's father-in-law.
Having worked together in Beijing and made big money before, their trust made all the difference.
After lunch, Jiang Tao took Xu Li, Jiang Xue, and the "investment feasibility report" freshly generated by the system to his in-laws' house.
His father-in-law, wearing reading glasses, studied the 23-page report for over two hours before finally agreeing to join.
That evening, Jiang Tao's family of three ate dumplings at his mother-in-law's house.
Jiang Tao shared a few drinks with his father-in-law.
During dinner, he got a call from his brother Jiang He, who also agreed to invest but needed to borrow 90,000 yuan from Jiang Tao.
For family, this small favor was nothing. Jiang Tao agreed readily.
With that, all five partners were confirmed.
The next day, the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.
Even with the system's luck boost, Jiang Tao's luck wasn't great.
The two pieces of information he received that day were practically useless.
One was that his sister-in-law had secretly taken a bottle of their father-in-law's liquor to celebrate Wang Xiaohong's birthday.
The other was that Jiang He's second-hand electric bike would be stolen.
Jiang Tao sent his brother a quick text to warn him and didn't dwell on it.
At noon, Jiang Tao hosted a lunch at their father's house in the big courtyard.
He gathered the five investors and went over the investment plan in detail again.
Each of the five committed 200,000 yuan, totaling 1 million.
The project's total investment was around 3 million, with Jiang Tao covering the remaining 2 million.
Once the funds were secured, Jiang Tao contacted the current owner of the cattle farm where his uncle worked, arranging to meet and discuss buying the 100-plus head of cattle and the farm itself.
They agreed to meet at 7 p.m. at the owner's house.