**[Today's Intelligence 03]:**
You used the water purifier at home yesterday, obtaining related intelligence—
The water pipe of the purifier in your kitchen is connected incorrectly.
Adjust it promptly for health benefits.
…
"Damn… whose subordinate installed this water purifier?!"
Seeing the third piece of intelligence refreshed today, Jiang Tao couldn't help but grumble in his heart.
The water used for washing vegetables, cooking, and washing dishes in their kitchen had always been purified water from the purifier.
They had been living here for nearly a month and hadn't noticed anything unusual.
If it weren't for the Daily Intelligence System's reminder, who knows how long they would have been drinking "wastewater"!
When you don't know, you can turn a blind eye.
But now that he knew, he couldn't let it continue.
Better not cook at home tomorrow morning—buy something outside instead.
He'd deal with the purifier issue first.
This third piece of intelligence wasn't entirely useless, but it wasn't particularly valuable either.
Jiang Tao's gaze shifted to Xu Li. Above her head appeared a virtual azure screen.
A prompt appeared on the screen:
[Would you like to activate Sleep Mode for Xu Li? The cost is 66 yuan per use.]
Ever since Jiang Tao discovered that Xu Li would fall asleep every time he left, he had figured out a hidden function of the Daily Intelligence System.
For just 66 yuan, he could make Xu Li fall into a deep sleep.
It wouldn't harm her health—in fact, it even had some benefits.
While Xu Li was in deep sleep, she wouldn't notice him leaving.
This made it convenient for him to go out at night.
After discovering this hidden system function, Jiang Tao had been mulling over some entrepreneurial ideas using this "hypnosis" ability.
This ability was practically a cure for insomnia.
Sixty-six yuan for a full night's restful sleep.
For people plagued by chronic insomnia, that should be pretty appealing, right?
Of course, that was just the cost price.
To profit from this ability, he'd need to add a markup.
The concept was still just a rough idea in Jiang Tao's mind.
It was still being refined and wasn't ready to be implemented yet.
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, Jiang Tao selected "Yes."
After the system successfully deducted the payment, the information on the virtual screen above Xu Li's head changed.
The screen now displayed: [Xu Li is currently in deep sleep], along with a few small circles representing her breathing.
Jiang Tao quietly got out of bed, put on a robe, and returned to the living room.
His gaze turned to his parents' and Jiang Xue's rooms. He spent another 198 yuan to activate Sleep Mode for all three of them.
Then, Jiang Tao went to the bathroom, took the clothes from the laundry basket, and put them on.
As he changed, the thought of rummaging through a dumpster again made him miss his two nephews.
If they were around, this kind of dirty, tiring work wouldn't fall on him!
Grumbling aside, he had to get that salary card.
After all, it was a "special item" recognized by the system.
If it could activate something like the cashback feature from those "tycoon" web novels, that would be awesome!
After changing, he grabbed the house keys and headed downstairs.
Getting into the car, Jiang Tao first rolled down the window and lit a cigarette.
He took a few puffs to clear his head before starting the car and slowly driving out of the neighborhood, heading toward Sanhezhuang.
Although Jiang Tao didn't know the exact location of Jiang Jiaqi's rented place, the Daily Intelligence System had already marked the location of the discarded bank card.
He projected the image from his retina onto the car's windshield, which looked a bit sci-fi.
On the windshield, a green dot was rapidly approaching a flashing red dot.
Estimated time: about 13 minutes.
The Mercedes GLS arrived at Sanhezhuang Village, where Jiang Jiaqi rented her place.
[You are close to the target. 12 meters remaining!]
Seeing the prompt on the windshield, Jiang Tao's gaze shifted to a dumpster outside a three-story residential building.
Clearly, the bank card was in that dumpster.
"Sigh! I'm turning into a trash scavenger again!"
Though extremely reluctant, for the sake of that special item, Jiang Tao had no choice but to unbuckle his seatbelt, get out of the car, and walk to the dumpster.
He put on a mask and a pair of rubber work gloves. Time to get to work!
*Rustle, rustle, rustle—*
He kept transferring various garbage from one dumpster to another nearby.
Holding his breath, Jiang Tao rummaged through the dumpster for about ten minutes before finally finding a postal savings card glowing with a faint golden light.
He carefully wiped it with tissue paper and then used disinfectant wipes back in the car.
The once-dirty bank card was clean again.
[Detected that the host is holding an activatable special item. Would you like to bind and activate it immediately?]
When Jiang Tao focused his gaze on the bank card, another prompt appeared on his retina.
"Yes, bind!"
Jiang Tao chose to bind it without hesitation.
[Ding! Bank card binding successful! (Not yet activated)]
Seeing the binding success prompt, Jiang Tao instinctively took out a SIM ejector tool from the back of his phone.
Gritting his teeth, he pricked his thumb, squeezed out a drop of blood, and let it fall onto the card's surface.
The blood spread out like it was dropped into water, rippling and quickly disappearing.
[Item activated!]
[Item Name]: Strive-for-Success Salary Card!
[Effect]: Generates a fixed monthly salary quota of 100,000.
[Note]: The salary in the card can only be used for purchasing office supplies, company materials, and employee salaries.
It cannot be withdrawn or used for personal consumption. The quota resets to zero at the end of each month.
"A monthly salary of 100,000, and it resets at the end of the month?"
Seeing the card's effect, Jiang Tao swallowed hard, his expression excited.
The new company needed money for many things.
This salary card came at the perfect time!
He could use it for salaries and purchasing office supplies.
Even buying various materials could be covered by this money, saving him from dipping into his own pocket.
It was like having a big backer to cover his costs!
The risk of starting a business instantly dropped to zero!
"A hundred thousand a month, that's 1.2 million a year, and 12 million in ten years!"
"Though it's not as lucrative as the Money-Generating Toad, it's still a great thing!"
"That Jiaqi girl really is my little lucky star, bringing me such a big gift as soon as she arrived!"
"Once the company's paperwork is sorted, I'll have to give her a raise."
Looking at the bank card in his hand, Jiang Tao felt elated.
Though it didn't have the "tycoon cashback" he'd imagined, he was very satisfied with the card's effect!
After binding and activating, the salary card was directly linked to Jiang Tao's WeChat and Alipay accounts.
He didn't know how the system managed it, but it didn't matter.
In front of the system, the banking system was like a grandchild, easily manipulated.
"Got the item, time to head home and sleep!"
Jiang Tao put the salary card into his cardholder.
After starting the car, he turned around and headed back to Baigezhuang New Village.
Back home, he took off his dirty clothes, took a quick shower, and applied body wash twice.
After cleaning himself up, Jiang Tao returned to the bedroom, slipped into bed, and hugged his sweet-smelling wife to sleep.
…
The next morning at 6:30 AM.
When Xu Li woke up and saw Jiang Tao sleeping soundly beside her, her face instantly bloomed like a spring flower, radiant and charming.
Last night, she had a dream.
She dreamed she became a mother again, giving Jiang Tao a son, finally fulfilling his dream of having both a son and a daughter.
Though Jiang Tao never said it outright and was great to their daughter, Xu Li knew he must want a son too.
"Why hasn't there been any progress after so long?"
"Come on, belly, step it up!"
Xu Li touched her flat stomach, puzzled as to why this pregnancy was taking so long.
Looks like they'd need to intensify their "efforts" going forward.
Xu Li propped herself up and leaned down to kiss Jiang Tao on the lips.
Just as she was about to pull away, a big hand pressed her back down. Jiang Tao was awake.
Feeling that mischievous hand on her body, Xu Li gave Jiang Tao a playful glare:
"Don't mess around, your parents are about to wake up."
"Just keep it quiet."
Morning exercise for half an hour…
"You bad husband, it's all your fault. Now there's no time to make breakfast."
Xu Li tossed the tissue in her hand into the bedside trash can, blushing as she lightly pinched the soft flesh at Jiang Tao's waist.
"Let's order takeout this morning. I keep feeling the water from our purifier tastes off."
"I'll have someone check today to see if something's wrong with it."
Jiang Tao's hand roamed over Xu Li's smooth, fair legs, their jade-like texture endlessly fascinating.
He'd been "playing" with these legs for nearly a decade and still wasn't tired of them.
"Now that you mention it… there does seem to be a lot of scale."
Xu Li, who cooked and boiled water in the kitchen daily, had noticed earlier than Jiang Tao that the purified water wasn't great.
When boiling water, the scale was barely better than tap water.
But she hadn't thought there was an issue with the purifier, assuming it was normal.
While "playing" with her legs, Jiang Tao ordered takeout on his phone.
Xu Li heard noises outside, likely her mother-in-law heading to the kitchen to cook.
She quickly got dressed and went out to tell her not to bother cooking.
At 7:30 AM, the takeout Jiang Tao ordered arrived—a big pile of breakfast items.
Buns, fried dough sticks, beef pancakes, soy milk, millet porridge, tofu pudding—a rich variety.
"Daddy~ What's the surprise you're giving me? Can you tell me now?"
Jiang Xue didn't have school today. After waking up, still in her pajamas, she eagerly pounced on Jiang Tao to ask about the surprise he mentioned last night.
"You'll find out when the time comes. It's definitely a surprise."
Jiang Tao smiled, keeping it a secret.
Jiang Xue pressed impatiently, "When are we going?"
Jiang Tao spread his hands, somewhat helplessly, "After lunch. Daddy has some things to take care of this morning."
"What? We have to wait until the afternoon?"
Jiang Xue's little face fell, her lips pouting, clearly not thrilled.
Xu Li said, "Xiaoxue, Daddy's work is important. No tantrums."
Jiang Xue sighed, "Fine! But I hope Daddy's surprise doesn't disappoint me."
"Don't worry, it's guaranteed to be a surprise!"
After soothing his little darling, Jiang Tao looked at his father and said,
"Dad, I'll transfer 80,000 yuan to you first."
"For the factory, buy whatever's needed. If you run out of money, just let me know."
"Oh, and no matter what you buy, make sure to get an invoice, even if it's handwritten."
As he spoke, Jiang Tao took out his phone and transferred 80,000 yuan to his father.
This money came from Jiang Tao's own funds.
The [Salary Card] could be used to pay suppliers, but it couldn't be directly transferred to family.
However, as long as it was for company purchases and there was an invoice, the [Salary Card] could reimburse it.
It was a bit of a hassle, but it made sense—probably to prevent cashing out.
"Alright."
Jiang Wen nodded. He now supported his son's decisions unconditionally.
Whatever his son said, he did. If he said go east, he wouldn't go west.
"Yesterday, I called Zhang Chao and asked him to help haul stuff today. He's probably on his way."
*Ring ring ring—*
Just as Jiang Tao finished speaking, his phone rang.
He pulled it out and saw the caller ID: "Zhang Chao."
Talk about perfect timing.
"Hey, Zhang Chao."
"You're downstairs? Have you eaten breakfast? Come up and eat something."
"Even if you've eaten, come up anyway. Warm up a bit. 1601—don't make me come down to get you."
"Stop talking nonsense and get up here. No need to be polite with your big brother."
After a brief chat, Jiang Tao hung up and continued eating.
About three minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it~"
Jiang Xue, who had already finished eating, bounced over to open the door for Zhang Chao.
"Our Xiaoxue got even prettier!"
Zhang Chao grinned and complimented Jiang Xue as he walked in.
"Hehe~ Thanks, Uncle Zhang Chao~"
Jiang Xue giggled at the compliment. No little girl dislikes being called pretty.
"Uncle, Auntie, Brother Jiang, Sister-in-law, good morning."
After greeting Jiang Xue, Zhang Chao proactively greeted the rest of Jiang Tao's family.
"Xiao Chao, have you eaten? If not, come eat with us. There's plenty left."
"I've eaten, Auntie, no need. You guys eat. I'll rest on the sofa for a bit."
Zhang Chao sat on the nearby sofa. Being from the same hometown, he didn't stand on ceremony with Jiang Tao's family.
Watching the warm, harmonious scene of Jiang Tao's family, Zhang Chao felt a pang of envy.
Not jealousy, though.
He genuinely respected Jiang Tao as his big brother.
Looking at Zhang Chao, Jiang Tao's thoughts drifted to the intelligence the system had provided about him.
It had been days since he contacted Zhang Chao's father, Wang Minglong, but there'd been no reply.
Jiang Tao was starting to wonder if the system got the intelligence wrong.
"No rush. Good things take time. I'll wait."
Comforting himself, Jiang Tao sped up eating and was the first to finish.
After giving a few instructions to his parents and Zhang Chao, Jiang Tao headed out.
Downstairs, he drove straight to the car lot in the South Third Ring owned by Li Ming's family.
He was set on getting the BAIC EU5 mentioned in the intelligence.
It'd be a hassle if someone else bought it first.
On the way, Jiang Tao kept wondering what kind of attributes the BAIC EU5 would activate.
With the pickle jar and salary card as precedents, it couldn't be too bad, right?
At exactly 10:00 AM, the Mercedes GLS pulled into Old Li's Premium Used Car Market.
Li Ming, who was livestreaming on his phone, saw the familiar Mercedes GLS pull in. He handed his phone to his assistant to continue the stream and walked over with a smile to greet Jiang Tao.
"Brother Jiang, what brings you here? Welcome, welcome~"
Li Ming greeted Jiang Tao warmly as he got out of the car.
Jiang Tao didn't waste words and smiled, "I'm here to buy a used car for my dad to practice with."
"Great! Pick whatever you like, Brother Jiang. Just tell me, and I'll make sure the price satisfies you."
After yesterday's events, Li Ming was even more polite and enthusiastic toward Jiang Tao.
"Alright, you go do your thing. I'll take a look around."
"No problem! Take your time, Brother Jiang. Let me know if you see something you like."
Li Ming didn't stand on ceremony either. After the greeting, he went back to livestreaming.
Their car lot relied heavily on livestream sales.
Li Ming loved to have fun in his free time, but he was serious and responsible at work.
Their lot depended on him for sales.
His personal sales accounted for 60% of the company's total, outpacing the combined efforts of the other five salespeople.
Watching Li Ming walk away, Jiang Tao's gaze turned to Area B in the northwest of the lot.
In his vision was a clear 5D real-time map, perfectly matching the real-world scenery.
Following the golden arrow on the map, Jiang Tao soon found the special BAIC EU5 electric car mentioned in the intelligence.
The car's exterior had been modified to look like a taxi, and it was only about 50% new.
Anyone driving it would likely be mistaken for a taxi driver.
Honestly, if it weren't for its glowing aura, Jiang Tao wouldn't even want it, even if Li Ming gave it to him for free.
Locking onto the target, Jiang Tao waved to Li Ming, who was livestreaming nearby.
Seeing the wave, Li Ming handed his phone to an assistant and jogged over.
"Li Ming, I want this one. How much is it?"
Jiang Tao got straight to the point, pointing at the BAIC EU5 glowing faintly golden in his vision.
Seeing Jiang Tao's choice, Li Ming was visibly surprised.
In his impression, Jiang Tao wasn't someone short on money and was very filial to his parents.
Why… why would he pick *this* thing today?!
"Brother Jiang, I really don't recommend this one. How about I suggest another model in the same price range?"
Li Ming looked away from the BAIC EU5 and said earnestly, "This car used to be a ride-hailing vehicle. It's got 280,000 kilometers on it, and its battery charge-discharge cycles are near their limit."
"In a bit, the battery performance will drop significantly. I really don't recommend it."
Jiang Tao laughed, "Haha, no worries. I'm buying this one to mess around with."
"When it first came out, I wanted to get one but never did."
"Seeing it today, the more I look at it, the more I like it. I'll buy it to play with and let my dad practice."
Naturally, Jiang Tao wouldn't give up a system-certified special item just because of Li Ming's words.
He was determined to get this car.
No one could dissuade him!
Seeing Jiang Tao's insistence, Li Ming laughed heartily, "If you're set on this one, Brother Jiang, just take it. It's on me."
"No way, I can't accept that. Your cars don't grow on trees. You don't have to make money off me, but I can't let you lose money."
Jiang Tao wasn't about to mooch a special item off Li Ming. He still had to pay what was due.
He wasn't friends with Li Ming to take advantage of him.
"Alright, I think we got this car for 21,000. Just give me the cost price, Brother Jiang."
Jiang Tao's attitude made Li Ming like him even more, feeling he was a friend worth keeping.
"Deal! That price works."
Jiang Tao nodded with a smile, then transferred 21,000 yuan to Li Ming via his phone.
They went to the office to sign a purchase agreement, and the BAIC EU5, certified as a special item by the system, became Jiang Tao's.
[You have acquired ownership of the item. Would you like to bind and activate its attributes now?]
The moment Jiang Tao signed his name on the contract, another prompt appeared on his retina.
"Yes! Bind!"
Jiang Tao mentally confirmed, binding the BAIC EU5 first.
As for the blood-drip activation, he'd do that later when he had a moment.
"All set, Brother Jiang. The BAIC EU5 is yours."
"You can test-drive it for a while. No time limit."
"If it doesn't drive well or you want to return it, come back anytime."
Li Ming was giving Jiang Tao exceptional treatment—others didn't get this kind of deal.
Jiang Tao nodded with a smile, "No problem! Can you get someone to drive it to my neighborhood for me?"
"Of course, Brother Jiang. Your wish is my command!"
Li Ming was quick to agree, immediately calling a lot worker to drive the car and follow Jiang Tao back to Baigezhuang.
From the time Jiang Tao arrived at the lot to when he left with the car, it took only about half an hour—smooth and efficient.
By the time he and the lot's driver reached Baigezhuang, it was around noon.
"Mr. Jiang, here are your car keys. Wishing you a happy life and all the best."
The driver respectfully handed the BAIC EU5 keys to Jiang Tao.
"Thanks for coming all this way. Here's a little something for a meal."
As he spoke, Jiang Tao pulled out 300 yuan and handed it to the driver.
This was enough for a good, filling meal.
Since they were strangers, Jiang Tao wasn't going to invite him up to eat.
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang! Thank you!"
The driver, clearly used to receiving tips, thanked Jiang Tao profusely.
"No need to be polite. Go grab something to eat."
Jiang Tao waved goodbye, watching the driver walk off before turning back to the BAIC EU5.