The navigation distance from Jiangjiazhuang to Baigezhuang New Village in Pingchang District, Beijing, is 428 kilometers.
They set off at 2:30 in the afternoon, stopping at three service areas along the way.
By the time Jiang Tao drove into Baigezhuang New Village, it was already past 8:00 in the evening.
"Brother Jiang, Sister-in-law, Uncle, Auntie, Grandpa Sun, Xiaoxue, you all must be tired from the journey."
Zhang Chao, who had been waiting downstairs at Old Sun's place for quite a while, eagerly stepped forward to greet everyone.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Chao had returned to Beijing early due to a heated argument with his family.
Jiang Tao had asked him to help rent a three-bedroom apartment in the Baigezhuang community and to arrange for a deep cleaning by professionals.
Of course, Jiang Tao didn't let him do it for free—he gave Zhang Chao a hefty 3,000-yuan red envelope for starting the job.
With this generous red envelope, coupled with Zhang Chao's eagerness to curry favor with Jiang Tao, he naturally put in his best effort when handling the task.
"Thanks for your help, Zhang Chao. Once we're settled, we'll treat you to a meal."
Jiang Tao smiled as he greeted Zhang Chao. This younger brother was pretty reliable.
Aside from his love for gaming and wandering through the alleys of urban villages, he didn't have any obvious flaws.
Besides, for a single, older young man, getting a foot massage or a spa treatment wasn't exactly a heinous crime.
After a brief chat, Zhang Chao led Jiang Tao's family toward the building where he had rented the apartment.
Building 28, Unit 1601.
A spacious, well-lit three-bedroom, one-living-room, two-bathroom apartment, 138 square meters in size.
The interior was exquisitely renovated, furnished with mid-to-high-end domestic brand furniture and appliances.
The rent was 15,000 yuan per month, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent paid upfront.
As soon as Xu Li stepped inside, she fell in love with the apartment, thinking to herself, *If only we could buy a house like this in Beijing!*
"Brother Jiang, Sister-in-law, this apartment…"
Once inside, Zhang Chao acted like a real estate agent, introducing the basic details of the apartment to Jiang Tao and Xu Li.
Of course, he was just parroting what the real estate agent had told him, learning and relaying on the spot.
"A house this big in Beijing must cost a fortune," Jiang Tao's mother, Tian Xiaomei, remarked, marveling at the luxurious decor as she entered.
"The price in this community is about 38,000 yuan per square meter. In a place like Beijing, that's relatively affordable," Jiang Tao said with a smile. "If it were in the Second Ring, any random community would easily cost 100,000 to 80,000 yuan per square meter."
Tian Xiaomei exclaimed in shock, "38,000 yuan per square meter… We couldn't even afford one square meter with a year's worth of work. A house this big would take over a hundred years to afford!"
Jiang Tao laughed, "Hahaha, no need for you to work for a hundred years. When your son makes it big, I'll buy you and Dad a house just like this."
"Don't talk nonsense, kid. Your dad and I are perfectly fine living in the village. Save your money for you and your wife," Tian Xiaomei said, glancing at her daughter-in-law, worried she might take offense.
Xu Li smiled gently, "Mom, if my husband strikes it rich in the future, you and Dad can settle in Beijing with us. We'll all look out for each other."
"I hope you two make it big. We'll see when the time comes," Tian Xiaomei replied.
After some casual conversation, Xu Li and Tian Xiaomei went to their respective rooms to make the beds.
Though the apartment was move-in ready, Xu Li preferred to sleep on her own bedsheets. She had brought three clean sets from home—one for her and Jiang Tao's room, one for her in-laws' room, and one for Jiang Xue's room.
By around 9:00 p.m., after settling in, Jiang Tao took everyone downstairs.
He drove them to a nearby commercial street, found a restaurant that was still open, and they had a simple meal.
After eating their fill, Zhang Chao took a taxi back to the urban village in Xiao Shahe.
Jiang Tao drove his family back to the newly rented apartment.
On their first night in Beijing, Jiang Xue wasn't used to the new environment and didn't dare sleep alone. She slept between her parents.
"Dad, are we going to live in Beijing from now on? There are so many tall buildings here—it's so big~"
Coming from Jiangjiazhuang to Beijing, even though this was just a community outside the Fifth Ring, it was far more bustling than their hometown.
It was Jiang Xue's first time leaving her hometown and coming to a big city, and her little face was filled with excitement.
"Yes, we'll live here from now on. Once Dad earns some money, we'll buy our own house," Jiang Tao said. "We'll find you a good school, and Mom will sign you up for a dance class. You can start learning to dance this year, okay?"
"Yay, yay, yay! I can finally learn to dance! I'm so excited!" Jiang Xue's eyes sparkled with joy, and she danced around happily.
Xu Li teased from the side, "Hmph, I bet you won't like it for more than a month."
"No way! I'll love it forever and ever and ever! It's my dream~" Jiang Xue said with a proud little expression.
"Good, chase your dreams. Dad will always support you from behind," Jiang Tao said.
"Thank you, Dad~ You're the best, most handsome dad in the world~" Jiang Xue, thrilled by her father's support, planted a kiss on his cheek.
Xu Li gently pinched her daughter's nose and smiled warmly, "Remember what you said today. Mom loves seeing you so passionate about your dreams."
"Mhm! I'll definitely become a famous dancer in the future," Jiang Xue declared. "Mom, you'll be the mom of a famous dancer. Dad, you'll be the dad of a famous dancer."
"You haven't even started yet, and you're already painting big dreams for me and your mom," Jiang Tao teased.
"What big dreams? Where? Where?" Jiang Xue, hearing something about food, immediately perked up, her little head swiveling around, revealing her true foodie nature.
Jiang Tao and Xu Li burst into laughter at their little foodie's antics.
They chatted and laughed until past 11:00 p.m., when Jiang Xue fell asleep from exhaustion.
Xu Li, tired from hours of traveling, also fell asleep soon after.
As usual, Jiang Tao stayed up until midnight for the intelligence refresh.
**[Today's Intelligence 01]:**
You dined at Yuxiang Renjia Restaurant in Hongfu Garden yesterday and obtained related intelligence—
The golden toad ornament placed on the counter at Yuxiang Renjia is an unactivated special item.
After obtaining ownership and activating it, a random attribute can be unlocked.
…
"An unactivated special item?"
"It can unlock a random attribute after activation?"
"This thing feels a bit like a protagonist's cheat code from an online novel!"
Seeing the first piece of intelligence for the day, Jiang Tao's eyes lit up.
His mind immediately conjured up scenes from online novels.
The protagonist's family falls into ruin, their restaurant business fails, and they're on the verge of closing down.
The girlfriend, driven by vanity, cheats with some rich second-generation heir.
By chance, while cleaning the golden toad, the protagonist accidentally cuts his finger.
Then, *ding*, the cheat code activates, and his life begins its counterattack!
"I have to find a way to get that toad tomorrow!"
Recalling the dining experience that evening, Jiang Tao remembered noticing the bronze-colored golden toad on the counter while paying the bill.
At the time, he hadn't thought much of it.
Restaurants, clothing stores, even barbershops—any business would commonly display a lucky cat or golden toad for prosperity.
Who would've thought an ordinary golden toad would be anything but ordinary?
It could be activated and had attributes!
Items with attribute enhancements, though their specific value wasn't stated, were undoubtedly worth more than a few hundred thousand in cash.
Take the "River Stone" that Jiang Tao and Xu Li carried with them, for example. If someone offered a few hundred thousand to buy it, Jiang Tao wouldn't even consider it.
The "luck" attribute didn't just help with making money.
It could also help the owner avoid disasters, essentially acting as a highly effective protective charm!
To Jiang Tao, the River Stone was practically priceless.
Let alone a few hundred thousand—even a million, ten million… well, ten million might make him think twice.
But he doubted anyone would pay ten million for his stone.
After reading the first piece of intelligence, Jiang Tao mentally flipped to the second.
**[Today's Intelligence 02]:**
You had contact with Zhang Chao yesterday and obtained related intelligence—
Zhang Chao is the long-lost son of the owner of Beijing's Xiahua Liangzi, abducted many years ago.
Helping Zhang Chao reunite with his biological father can earn you a 1 million yuan cash reward from his father!
…
"What? This…"
Seeing the second piece of intelligence, Jiang Tao's jaw dropped, and he was speechless for a long time.
What was going on?
Zhang Chao was actually the son of some tycoon!
A second Xie Qingshuai?
Beijing's Xiahua Liangzi…
Jiang Tao recalled that it was a well-known chain of large-scale foot massage parlors in Beijing.
The fact that the owner was offering a million-yuan reward to find his son showed his considerable wealth.
"No wonder Zhang Chao loves getting massages and foot therapy so much," Jiang Tao thought.
"Case closed—it turns out his family business is in this industry."
"He's got it in his genes!"
Honestly, seeing this intelligence, Jiang Tao felt a bit envious of Zhang Chao.
A poor kid from the countryside, just like him, suddenly becoming a rich second-generation heir out of nowhere?
His father was willing to offer a million-yuan reward to find him, so he definitely wouldn't treat Zhang Chao poorly once they reunited.
"How should I bring this up with Zhang Chao tomorrow…"
Jiang Tao started pondering this question.
He had just learned from the intelligence that Zhang Chao wasn't the biological son of his current parents.
Did Zhang Chao know about this?
What was his relationship with his parents—no, his adoptive parents now?
Would it be too abrupt to suddenly tell Zhang Chao he'd found his biological father?
Regardless, Jiang Tao wasn't about to pass up such a great opportunity to make money.
A 1 million yuan reward was too tempting!
Besides, this was a win-win-win situation—a great deed!
A father desperate to find his son would be reunited with him.
A son struggling at the bottom of society would gain a wealthy father.
And Jiang Tao would earn a substantial reward.
A triple-win situation—what reason was there not to do it?
"Forget it, no more thinking. I'll sleep now and find a chance to talk to Zhang Chao tomorrow."
After reading both pieces of intelligence, it was past 12:30 a.m. With a thought, Jiang Tao closed the system interface and went to sleep!
The first day back in Beijing, and he'd already triggered intelligence worth a million yuan. Not a bad start!
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If you happen to notice any errors, typos, or inconsistencies in the text, please don't hesitate to leave a comment. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will help me improve the story. Together, we can make it as polished and enjoyable as possible!
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