Fire and water show no mercy.
There are countless tragic cases online where years of hard work were reduced to ashes due to a single fire.
Seeing the first piece of news pop up today, Jiang Tao couldn't help but feel worried for Li Ming.
Although the two hadn't known each other for long and hadn't interacted much, they got along well.
Li Ming gave Jiang Tao the impression of being a friend worth getting to know better.
Last night, Li Ming had spent five or six thousand just treating Jiang Tao, Xu Li, and Zhang Bo to dinner.
This alone was enough to show that Li Ming genuinely considered him a friend.
Now, seeing the news about Li Ming's car lot, Jiang Tao naturally couldn't remain indifferent or turn a blind eye.
Even putting that aside, wasn't there also the 200,000-yuan thank-you red envelope Li Ming had given him?
Yesterday, Jiang Tao spent 700,000 buying a car from Li Ming, and after deducting the 200,000, it was equivalent to getting a Mercedes-Benz GLS worth a million for just 500,000—an absolute steal.
It seemed like a long time had passed, but the various thoughts flashing through Jiang Tao's mind took only about ten seconds.
A spark can start a prairie fire, let alone a car that's caught fire on its own!
This was an urgent matter that couldn't wait!
Grabbing his phone, Jiang Tao got out of bed and headed toward the door while dialing Li Ming's number.
*Beep beep beep—*
"Come on, pick up! Don't tell me you're drunk or something!"
Seeing the call wasn't connecting, Jiang Tao grew anxious for Li Ming.
A car fire could reduce a vehicle to a hollow shell in just a few minutes.
If it spread to nearby cars, the losses would be catastrophic!
…
In a room at the Bulgari Hotel in Sanlitun.
*Ring ring, ring ring—*
The abrupt sound of the phone ringing startled Li Ming, who was in the middle of something important, instantly ruining the mood.
Annoyed, he grabbed his phone and saw the caller ID: "Brother Jiang."
"Whose call is it, darling? Ignore it, let's continue."
Li Ming's companion reached for the phone, but he dodged her by moving his arm.
"I need to take this call. Be quiet."
Li Ming signaled to his companion before sliding his finger to answer the call.
"Li Ming, I just saw a video on Kuaidou saying a second-hand car lot caught fire."
"It looks a lot like your car lot."
"Are you at the lot? Go check it out quick."
The moment the call connected, before Li Ming could even greet Jiang Tao, he heard Jiang Tao's urgent warning.
"What? Brother Jiang, you're not messing with me, are you? It can't be our lot; we have a night watchman."
"If something like that happened, the watchman would've notified me immediately."
Though Li Ming felt it was unlikely to be his car lot after hearing Jiang Tao's words, a sliver of unease crept into his heart.
"If it's not your lot, that's the best-case scenario. I hope it's not yours either."
"But with other people's cases as a warning, you should pay more attention to this kind of thing."
"Nothing else to say, just wanted to give you a heads-up. I'm going to bed now."
After warning Li Ming, Jiang Tao didn't linger on the conversation and hung up directly.
The reason for hanging up so quickly was to avoid delaying Li Ming's chance to respond to the emergency.
"Who was that, Ming Bro? Calling you in the middle of the night?"
Li Ming's companion, lying back on the headboard and lighting a cigarette, said with some irritation.
"Shut up! This isn't something you get to butt into!"
Li Ming shot her an annoyed glare, then lowered his head to operate his phone, opening the app to check the surveillance footage of the car lot.
Seeing the raging flames in the northeast corner of the lot, Li Ming was dumbfounded, a chill running from his spine to his head.
It really was his damn car lot on fire!!
"Damn it! What the hell is Uncle doing?!"
Cursing under his breath, Li Ming hurriedly dialed the number of the car lot's night watchman.
While dialing, he frantically started putting on his clothes, ignoring his companion's shouts, and rushed out of the hotel room.
"Damn it! Answer the phone!!"
Waiting for the elevator, Li Ming stared at the still-unanswered call on his phone, mentally cursing his uncle's entire family tree.
*Ding!*
The moment the elevator doors opened, the call finally connected.
"Hello, Xiao Ming…"
"Wu Defa! What the hell are you doing?!"
"What??"
Wu Defa, on the other end of the line, was stunned by his nephew's angry outburst.
"What 'what'?! The D section of the lot is on fire!"
"Are you still sleeping or what?! Get your ass out there and put out the fire!!!"
Li Ming's furious roar in the middle-of-the-night hallway startled many hotel guests who were "exercising" in their rooms.
Burning with rage, Li Ming didn't care about public decency.
After yelling, he stepped into the elevator, frantically pressing the close-door button.
Hearing Li Ming's words, Wu Defa let out a shout on the other end, rushing out of his room to put out the fire without even grabbing his phone.
Half an hour later.
The hotel car Li Ming was in pulled up to the entrance of the car lot.
Getting out, he anxiously opened the gate and sprinted toward Section D of the lot.
Section D housed luxury cars from brands like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz (BBA).
Even as second-hand vehicles, their prices ranged from 200,000 to 300,000, with some even reaching 600,000 or 700,000.
The most expensive was a G-Class worth over a million, which Li Ming had driven out to show off today.
If Section D caught fire, the losses would be astronomical!
Entering the lot, Li Ming immediately smelled a strong burnt odor.
Arriving at Section D and seeing three cars reduced to charred shells, still emitting black smoke, Li Ming's heart ached terribly.
One was a BMW i3, another an Audi A4L, and the third an Audi Q3.
The acquisition cost of these three cars combined was over 500,000!
In other words, this fire had burned away 500,000 of Li Ming's money in one night!
And this was with Jiang Tao's timely warning!
Without Jiang Tao's heads-up, if the fire had spread further, the entire car lot could've turned into a crematorium!
Thinking of this, Li Ming's gaze snapped to a middle-aged man nearby, his face so blackened by soot that his features were unrecognizable.
It was clear the man had rushed out in a hurry, wearing only a pair of shorts, no shoes or shirt.
"Wu Defa, were you drinking again tonight?!"
Though he was his uncle, thinking of the horrific consequences that could've happened without Jiang Tao's warning, Li Ming couldn't help but be furious—extremely furious!
"I'm sorry, Xiao Ming, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Wu Defa knew he'd caused a huge mess this time, his soot-covered face full of guilt.
He knew the value of those three cars!
With his current salary, it'd take seven or eight years without eating or drinking to cover that!
As the night watchman for the car lot, he was undeniably responsible and had caused a massive disaster!
"Sorry? Does sorry fix anything? Can it restore those three cars?!"
"I pay you over 6,000 a month, cover your food, drinks, and smokes, and this is how you do your job?!"
"I'm sorry, Xiao Ming, punish me! Tonight was my negligence, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Looking at his uncle's repeated apologies and thinking of his late mother, Li Ming's eyes flickered for a long time. In the end, he let out a long sigh, unable to bring himself to fire his uncle.
"Go grab a few more fire extinguishers, spray those three cars again, and move the surrounding cars away."
"Okay, okay, okay!"
Hearing Li Ming's instructions, Wu Defa hurriedly ran off to grab the extinguishers.
After giving Wu Defa his orders, Li Ming tagged everyone in the car lot's work group chat, telling them to come to the lot.
Tonight's incident at the lot, with losses in the hundreds of thousands, warranted another safety meeting.
After sending the message in the work group, Li Ming glanced at the black Submariner watch on his wrist.
It was already past 12:40 AM—very late.
Li Ming decided he'd call Jiang Tao to thank him after daylight.
At the same time, he felt fortunate to have a friend like Jiang Tao.
That one phone call from Jiang Tao tonight had saved him from incalculable losses.
This incident also solidified Li Ming's trust in Jiang Tao as a friend.
…
7:00 AM.
When Jiang Tao opened his eyes in bed, he found Xu Li was no longer there.
From outside came the soft murmurs of his mother and Xu Li talking.
Since moving to Beijing, his mother and wife had been getting along day and night without the earlier friction.
A harmonious family brings prosperity, and this was vividly embodied in their household.
"A new day begins~"
Jiang Tao sat up in bed, stretched, yawned, and picked up the clothes Xu Li had prepared for him.
Last night, aside from the news about Li Ming's car lot, which had some value, the other two pieces of information were irrelevant.
Jiang Tao didn't have anything particularly urgent to do today, so he felt completely relaxed.
After getting dressed, he first opened the safe by his bedside.
Carefully, he took out the [Fortune Toad] inside.
In his vision, a semi-transparent virtual screen appeared above the [Fortune Toad].
The screen displayed a prompt:
[Yesterday's 10,000 RMB income is available for collection. Collect now?]
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, Jiang Tao chose to collect.
Immediately, his phone on the table buzzed with a notification of a bank transfer.
Waking up every day to collect 10,000 yuan—what a thrill!
Jiang Tao genuinely loved this [Fortune Toad].
Doing nothing and earning 300,000 a month!
This income already surpassed that of most ordinary workers.
After collecting the [Fortune Toad]'s money, Jiang Tao picked up his phone and checked his investment income on Alipay.
The fund he'd bought had confirmed its shares, and today's profit was +15,888 yuan.
The fund chosen by the System Bro was indeed extraordinary!
Waking up and earning 25,888 yuan without doing anything—equivalent to three or four months' wages from his old delivery job!
Life was getting more and more promising!
Locking the [Fortune Toad] back in the safe, Jiang Tao was about to head out for breakfast when another prompt appeared on his retina.
[The Eight Treasures Pickles fermented in the Delicious Pickle Jar have finished fermenting and are ready for sale!]
"Done fermenting? That fast!"
Seeing the prompt on his retina, Jiang Tao couldn't help but be surprised!
The Eight Treasures Pickles, at most, had only been fermenting for about two days—how could they be done so quickly??
At this rate, couldn't he ferment 15 jars a month?
This production speed far exceeded Jiang Tao's expectations.
He'd thought six or seven jars a month would be impressive, but the actual output was double that!
Assuming one jar held 500 jin of Eight Treasures Pickles, 15 jars would be 7,500 jin!
Even at a market price of 15 yuan per jin, the monthly output value would be over 110,000 yuan!
The raw materials for Eight Treasures Pickles were inexpensive.
Even factoring in the rent for a stall at the vegetable market, the monthly cost would be 30,000 yuan at most.
The rest was pure profit!
Moreover, Jiang Tao had no intention of selling at 15 yuan per jin.
With the optimized recipe from System Bro and the flavor-enhancing Delicious Pickle Jar, doubling the price was the least he'd do!
Of course, the exact price would depend on tasting it first.
But it would definitely be much pricier than ordinary Eight Treasures Pickles on the market.
"I'll go get the Eight Treasures Pickles out later and start fermenting a new batch!"
"Time is money. The Delicious Pickle Jar needs to be fully utilized to avoid wasting its cooldown time!"
With a plan in mind, Jiang Tao pushed open the bedroom door.
As he stepped out, he saw his mom and Xu Li bringing food from the kitchen to the dining table.
Today's breakfast was millet pumpkin porridge—nutritious and healthy.
"Honey, go wash your hands and get ready to eat. Dad went downstairs earlier to buy your favorite xiaolongbao and youtiao."
Seeing Jiang Tao come out, Xu Li greeted him with a smile, clearly content with their current life.
The family together every day, happy and healthy, without worries about daily necessities—this was the ideal life she'd long dreamed of.
And now, it had all come true.
For Jiang Tao and Xu Li's small family, 2025 felt like the start of a new era, a new life.
And it all began with that rock that fell from the sky and smashed Jiang Tao's delivery truck.
Of course, this secret would forever remain in his heart, never to be shared with anyone.
Otherwise, triggering the system's unbinding protocol would leave him with nowhere to cry!
After washing up in the bathroom, Jiang Tao sat at the dining table to eat.
During breakfast, he said to his parents:
"By the way, Mom, Dad, after breakfast, let's bring the jars for the Eight Treasures Pickles and head to Xiao Sha River to check if the pickles are ready."
"I reckon they're probably done fermenting and ready to be taken out for a new batch."
"What? Done fermenting? It can't be that fast!"
"We only started fermenting them yesterday morning."
As expected, upon hearing Jiang Tao say the Eight Treasures Pickles were ready, his parents' faces showed surprise.
"Honey, stop teasing Mom and Dad. How could Eight Treasures Pickles ferment that quickly?"
Xu Li thought Jiang Tao was joking with his in-laws, giving him a playful glare and lightly punching his arm.
"Do I look like I'd joke about something serious like this?"
Jiang Tao explained with a smile:
"The recipe I learned isn't an ordinary one."
"The brine from this recipe makes the flavors soak in quickly. A little over a day is enough."
"Son, you're not joking, are you?"
His mom still looked skeptical.
Having fermented pickles for decades, she'd never heard of Eight Treasures Pickles being ready in a day.
Jiang Tao smiled and said, "You and Dad will see when you come with me later."
His dad, Jiang Wen, asked curiously, "Son, if we have this technique, why not get more pickle jars and ferment them together? Wouldn't that be more efficient?"
While eating some store-bought Eight Treasures Pickles, Jiang Tao half-jokingly replied:
"Dad, you don't get it."
"The pickle jar we're using was a gift from Old Lu, the landlord who visited us."
"That jar has been passed down from Old Lu's grandmother's generation, over a hundred years old."
"Pickles fermented in an old jar have a richer, more mellow flavor. New jars can't produce that taste."
"Oh… so there's that kind of know-how."
Hearing Jiang Tao's explanation, Jiang Wen nodded thoughtfully, not pressing further.
"Exactly. Even with the same ingredients for Eight Treasures Pickles, you can get dozens or hundreds of different flavors. There's a lot of knowledge behind it."
After swallowing a sip of millet pumpkin porridge, Jiang Tao continued:
"The ingredients for the brine—every gram matters. Too much or too little of any one ingredient, and the flavor will noticeably differ."
With the [Eight Treasures Pickles Fermentation Technique] rewarded by the system, Jiang Tao could now be considered an expert in this field.
He could talk about the intricacies of fermenting Eight Treasures Pickles with ease, going from a novice to a master.
Jiang Wen and Tian Xiaomei listened to their son speak confidently, only able to nod along.
In front of their son, they were now like two obedient apprentices.
Of course, Jiang Tao had no reservations about teaching his parents how to ferment Eight Treasures Pickles.
He was always open and thorough, teaching them wholeheartedly.
His ultimate goal was for his parents to independently handle the fermentation process so he could be a hands-off boss.
After the family of four finished breakfast, Xu Li went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
She had a busy morning ahead—cleaning the house, doing laundry, and following a workout routine from Keep.
Xu Li's days were full and far from boring.
Jiang Tao took his parents downstairs.
The three first went to the nearby market and bought five 20-liter glass pickle jars.
They also purchased the ingredients and spices needed for fermenting Eight Treasures Pickles.
After getting everything they needed, they drove to Xiao Sha River.
Since they'd bought a lot this time, Jiang Tao drove straight to the alley outside the rented tube-shaped building.
After unloading with his parents, he drove the car back to the village outskirts.
He parked the Mercedes-Benz GLS next to his old delivery truck.
Stepping out of the car, Jiang Tao stood in front of the two vehicles.
Looking at his old "comrade" and his current "ride," he felt a wave of emotion.
In less than two months, he'd gone from a delivery driver in debt for 70,000–80,000 yuan to a multimillionaire driving a Mercedes.
It all felt like a dream!
But it was all real, absolutely not a dream.
Nor was it some "dying loser's fantasy" as netizens might say.
"The days ahead will only get better! Keep working hard!"
Cheering himself on, Jiang Tao strode confidently toward Old Lu's tube-shaped building.
After some effort, Jiang Tao and his parents moved all the purchased ingredients to the upstairs room.
"This place is too small, and the conditions are too poor."
"Mom, Dad, this afternoon, find some time to rent a stall at the vegetable market."
"From now on, we'll handle and ferment everything there to save the hassle of going back and forth."
After moving all the ingredients and closing the door, Jiang Tao couldn't help but sigh.
Any problem that could be solved with money was no problem at all for him.
"Alright, your mom and I will do whatever you say."
Jiang Wen nodded, fully agreeing with Jiang Tao's arrangements without any objections.
"Now's the moment to witness a miracle."
Jiang Tao said with a smile, walking a few steps to stand by the [Delicious Pickle Jar] against the wall.
Jiang Wen and Tian Xiaomei's gazes followed their son's steps, finally settling on the pickle jar.
Honestly, they were even more curious than Jiang Tao about how special and delicious the Eight Treasures Pickles made with the secret recipe would be.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Tao removed the film covering the [Delicious Pickle Jar].
A rich, indescribable aroma of fermented pickles hit his nose.
The tangy scent of vinegar, the savory aroma of soy sauce, the sweet fragrance of sugar, and the salty tang of salt blended together.
Mixed in were the spicy kick of garlic, the zing of ginger, and the aromatic notes of peppercorns, star anise, and other spices from the spice packet.
The overall aroma was rich, mellow, and lingering, making one's mouth water just by smelling it.
"This… this is the Eight Treasures Pickles we fermented? It's too fragrant!"
"Just the smell alone is ten times better than the Eight Treasures Pickles sold on the market!"
"This recipe is incredible. It smells so good, the taste must be amazing too!"
Jiang Wen and Tian Xiaomei were instantly captivated by the aroma from the pickle jar.
Their confidence in their product grew even stronger!
"Mom, Dad, come try it and see how it tastes."
Jiang Tao opened a pair of disposable chopsticks, picked out some Eight Treasures Pickles from the [Delicious Pickle Jar], and shared them with his parents.
*Crunch crunch crunch—*
The family of three each took a pair of chopsticks and tasted the Eight Treasures Pickles they'd made, eating in silence.
"Delicious, this is way too good!"
"This is the best Eight Treasures Pickles I've ever had! It'll definitely sell like crazy!"
After tasting the pickles, his parents' faces lit up with joy and excitement.
Few would describe Eight Treasures Pickles as having "color, aroma, and taste" all in one.
But the pickles from Jiang Tao's jar perfectly embodied all three.
They smelled amazing, and they tasted even crisper and more flavorful!
You couldn't stop eating them!
*Crunch crunch crunch…*
As Jiang Tao chewed the pickles, his eyes narrowed, savoring the unique texture.
The flavor of the fully fermented Eight Treasures Pickles far exceeded his expectations.
Originally, he'd thought renting a shop and selling the pickles at double the market price was already taking it seriously.
But after tasting the pickles made with the system's secret recipe and enhanced by the [Delicious Pickle Jar], Jiang Tao realized how grossly he'd underestimated their value!
Too conservative—he'd been far too conservative!
With this taste, they could easily rival the century-old Beijing brand Liubiju's Eight Treasures Pickles!
Over the past couple of days, Jiang Tao had done some online research about Eight Treasures Pickles.
At Liubiju's 600-year-old flagship store in Qianmen, Beijing, their loose-packed Eight Treasures Pickles sold for 90 yuan per jin!
Liubiju's price was three times higher than the 30 yuan per jin he'd estimated!
If he priced his pickles to match Liubiju's, the [Delicious Pickle Jar] could produce about 500 jin per batch, earning around 45,000 yuan per jar!
Fermenting one jar of Eight Treasures Pickles, from preparing ingredients to completion, took about two days.
Fermenting 15 jars a month was no pressure at all!
One jar at 45,000 yuan meant 15 jars would bring in over 670,000 yuan!
Originally, Jiang Tao thought earning over 100,000 yuan in monthly profit would be great.
Now, it seemed 600,000+ yuan a month wasn't even a big deal!
After finishing the pickles in his mouth, Jiang Tao had made up his mind.
Since he had the strength to compete with Liubiju, why not?
With the system's optimized recipe in one hand and the [Delicious Pickle Jar] in the other, he was holding a royal flush—failing to challenge Liubiju would be too cowardly!
Without even this much ambition, why bother doing business? He might as well go home and raise pigs!
Of course, before taking on Liubiju, there was one critical thing Jiang Tao hadn't done.
Previously, not knowing how delicious his pickles would be, he didn't care much about branding.
But after realizing the true value of the Eight Treasures Pickles recipe from System Bro, Jiang Tao felt it was absolutely necessary to establish a proper company and register a corresponding brand trademark!
Small-scale operations didn't matter, but to grow big, everything had to be done properly from the start.