Jiang Jiaqi's parents were both odd-job workers, not even considered temporary employees.
The bosses they worked for would, at most, provide them with accident insurance worth a little over 100 yuan a year.
In case something unexpected happened, it was a minimal safety net.
They had never even heard of the "five insurances and one fund" (social security benefits).
To put it bluntly, the older generation in rural areas traded their time and health for money.
Every cent they earned was hard-earned, soaked in sweat and toil.
When they got too old and no one wanted to hire them, they were forced to retire.
Jiang Tao had heard from his mother that, in the past, the oldest person doing odd jobs with them was an old lady in her eighties.
Rural elderly folks without social security lived in an entirely different world compared to urban retirees who enjoyed the benefits of the "five insurances and one fund."
The salary Jiang Tao offered wasn't low, and crucially, it included the "five insurances and one fund."
Moreover, since he had registered a formal company, they could access social security benefits in Beijing.
With a net monthly salary of 5,000 yuan, the gross salary would easily exceed 7,000 yuan!
If his parents could secure a job with such great benefits, they could retire later with a decent pension and enjoy their later years in comfort.
No longer would they have to scrape by like the elderly in their village, relying on a meager 100-yuan monthly subsistence allowance from the government.
"Thank you, Uncle Tao, for giving my parents such a great opportunity."
"I'll ask them after work and give you their answer tonight via phone. Is that okay?"
Jiang Jiaqi looked at Jiang Tao with eyes full of gratitude.
How could she not see that Uncle Tao was trying to help her parents?
Jiang Tao nodded with a smile. "Sure, ask them. It'd be great if they can come, but no pressure if they don't want to."
Jiang Jiaqi quickly replied, "With such a good job and such great benefits, I'm sure they'll come!"
"How's it going for you here? Any feedback or suggestions?"
Jiang Tao asked casually as he walked toward the door, chatting with Jiang Jiaqi.
"No complaints, everything's great! Working with you, Uncle Tao, feels amazing!"
Jiang Jiaqi wasn't just flattering Jiang Tao with these words.
Every sentence came straight from her heart.
Currently, the Jiang Food Factory only had three employees: her and Jiang Tao's parents.
In their village, Jiang Jiaqi's family was of a younger generation, so she called Jiang Tao's parents "Grandpa" and "Grandma."
Jiang's parents treated this young girl from their village with care, never treating her like an outsider.
Whenever there was something tasty or refreshing, they'd bring some for her.
If they bought too much fruit at home and couldn't finish it, they'd bring it to the company during work hours to share with Jiang Jiaqi, constantly "feeding" her.
Just yesterday, they brought her over 5 jin (2.5 kg) of braised beef from their hometown.
At market prices, that much braised beef was worth two or three hundred yuan.
Working at the Jiang Food Factory felt like finding a home for Jiang Jiaqi. She went to work happily every day and left just as joyfully.
After working for nearly a year since graduating, this was the first time she felt the joy of work.
It was also the first time she truly loved a job.
She felt like she could work at the Jiang Food Factory for a lifetime!
She even wanted to treat it as a lifelong career.
At least, that's how she felt for now.
While chatting casually, Jiang Tao and Jiang Jiaqi left the workshop and returned to the office area of the food factory.
The office area currently consisted of just three small offices.
One was for Jiang Tao, the general manager, furnished with a desk, chair, and a desktop computer.
Next to it was an office for Jiang Bing, the deputy general manager.
The last one was shared by Jiang's parents and Jiang Jiaqi.
"Alright, Xiao Qi, go do your thing. Don't worry about me; I'll hang out in my office for a bit."
"Got it, Uncle Tao. Just call me if you need anything."
After giving Jiang Tao a tour, Jiang Jiaqi headed back to her office to continue working.
Jiang Tao watched her leave, then sat down in the boss's chair behind his desk.
He pulled out his phone and saw over a dozen messages on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace app).
Some were trying to haggle, others were asking if he could give items away for free to their students—there were all sorts of weirdos.
Only one person seemed genuinely interested in buying, but when they asked for a slight discount, Jiang Tao rejected it outright.
He wasn't in a rush to sell. If the price wasn't right, he'd just wait.
After browsing Xianyu for a bit, Jiang Tao scrolled through his WeChat Moments.
Then he checked the trending news of the day.
After that, he chatted in the small group for the Tianjiazhuang cattle farm with his uncle and Liu Zhiyuan about the progress of the cattle farm.
With international trade tensions rising, beef prices were steadily increasing.
The price of live cattle had stabilized at around 25 yuan per jin, with no major fluctuations.
The cattle farm was still selling off its stock.
This morning, they sold over 50 head of cattle, with total sales exceeding 700,000 yuan.
The situation was looking very promising.
At the current pace, they'd sell out within a week, and the project would wrap up successfully.
By then, it'd be close to the Qingming Festival holiday.
His parents were planning to return to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors.
Jiang Tao was also planning to take Xu Li, Jiang Xue, and Old Third (Jiang Bing) for a vacation back to their hometown.
While there, he'd gather the shareholders to distribute the funds from the public account.
Before he knew it, it was already 5:30 p.m.
It was time to clock out at the Jiang Food Factory.
Jiang Tao put away his phone, got up, and went next door to call Jiang Jiaqi to leave together.
"Uncle Tao, I talked to my dad and mom this afternoon about the job openings here."
"They both said they want to come after hearing about the benefits! They asked me to check when they can start."
Jiang Jiaqi looked at Jiang Tao with a beaming smile, practically bouncing with joy, her eyes filled with a hint of admiration.
Securing such a well-paid, clean, and easy job for her parents gave her, as their daughter, a strong sense of accomplishment.
Jiang Tao smiled. "They can come anytime after settling things at home. Oh, and tell them to keep their train tickets—I'll reimburse them when they get here."
"Got it! Thank you, Uncle Tao! I'm thanking you on behalf of my parents!"
"You're still calling me Uncle? No need to be so formal with me."
"Hehe, it's not about being formal. It's about knowing how to be grateful!"
"Uncle Tao, you've helped our family so much. If I didn't even say thank you, wouldn't that make me an ungrateful jerk?"
"Haha, you've got quite a conscience."
"Of course! From now on, I'll follow you unwaveringly, Uncle Tao. If you tell me to go east, I won't go west. If you tell me to chase a dog, I won't chase a chicken."
"Hahaha, where did you learn these catchy phrases, you little rascal?"
Jiang Tao burst out laughing at Jiang Jiaqi's string of playful remarks.
"Catchy phrases? This is clearly my heartfelt loyalty to you, Uncle Tao!"
The two chatted and laughed as they walked.
After stepping out, Jiang Jiaqi locked the large iron gate.
Then she continued walking alongside Jiang Tao toward the bus stop near the food factory.
They took the same bus route home, but in opposite directions.
Jiang Tao's bus came first. After scanning his fare and getting on, he waved goodbye to Jiang Jiaqi through the window as the bus pulled away from the stop.
[**Ding! Jiang Jiaqi's favorability toward you has increased to 70 points. Your friendship level has reached 70 points!**]
"Huh…"
Seeing the virtual interface pop up out of nowhere in public, Jiang Tao wasn't startled, just a bit surprised.
He hadn't really considered Jiang Jiaqi as a "friend" before.
He'd always seen her as a younger relative.
"Well, that's an unexpected bonus."
With a thought, Jiang Tao closed the system interface and turned his gaze to the scenery speeding by outside the window.
Come to think of it, ever since he won that Mercedes GLS in a lottery, it had been a while since he'd taken the bus.
Riding it occasionally and reminiscing about his old life brought up a lot of emotions.
After drifting in Beijing for over six years, he'd finally put down roots in the capital this year.
He now owned not just one house, but three—all paid in full!
From a drifter renting in a cramped urban village, he'd transformed into a landlord.
From a low-level worker grinding away in society, he'd become a well-off middle-class man.
In one leap, he'd crossed two social strata.
Jiang Tao was getting closer and closer to his grand dream of financial freedom.
With a bit of luck, maybe one piece of information could make it happen!
At 6:00 p.m., Bus 463 stopped at the Baigezhuang New Village stop.
Jiang Tao swiped his card to get off and walked toward the entrance of the residential complex.
*Ring ring ring—*
Just a few steps in, his phone rang in his pocket.
He pulled it out and saw the caller ID: "Wife."
"Hey, honey."
"I'm almost at the complex entrance."
"Alright, I'll come meet you guys."
"Cool, bye."
After a brief call, Jiang Tao crossed the street and headed toward the Jingkelong supermarket opposite the complex.
He met up with Xu Li and Du Ennan in the fresh produce section.
"Jiang Tao, I'm crashing at your place for dinner again."
Du Ennan greeted him with a chuckle, poking fun at herself.
"Haha, you're our honored guest. We'd welcome you every day!"
Jiang Tao genuinely didn't mind Du Ennan coming over for meals and wasn't annoyed in the slightest.
Du Ennan's father, Du Taiming, had a net worth comparable to Zhang Chao's father, Wang Minglong—conservatively estimated at two or three billion yuan.
Unlike Wang Minglong, who was a notorious playboy, Du Taiming was devoted to his wife and had only one child, Du Ennan.
To put it bluntly, when he passed away, his entire fortune would go to Du Ennan.
So, Du Ennan was a proper wealthy heiress.
Plenty of people would kill for a chance to befriend her, but they didn't even have a way in.
The three of them pushed a shopping cart through the supermarket, stocking up on vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, milk, and more, filling the cart to the brim.
At checkout, Xu Li used a 4,999-yuan shopping card Jiang Tao had won in a lottery to pay for over 1,200 yuan worth of groceries.
As they left the supermarket, Old Third (Jiang Bing) also got off work and drove straight to the supermarket entrance.
The four of them drove back to the complex. Jiang Tao, Xu Li, and Jiang Bing carried the bags, managing to get everything in one trip.
As for Du Ennan, being close to her due date, she naturally wasn't allowed to carry anything.
Not long after they got home, Jiang Tao's parents also returned from work.
Seeing Du Ennan visiting, the elderly couple welcomed her warmly and, as always, prepared a lavish table of dishes.
This was Du Ennan's third time visiting the Jiang family, and she was already very familiar with everyone.
Three women make a show, and with four women—Xu Li, Du Ennan, Jiang Tao's mom, and Old Third—the conversation was lively, jumping from one topic to another.
Jiang Tao and his father opened a bottle of Maotai, sipping and chatting.
Everyone talked about their own things, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
Dinner stretched from around 7:00 p.m. to past 8:00 p.m.
After eating their fill, Xu Li, Du Ennan, and Jiang Bing hit it off and decided to head to a high-end women's beauty salon in Huilongguan called Zhuyan.
Du Ennan was a premium member there, and Xu Li and Jiang Bing could use the balance on her membership card.
She mentioned that since getting pregnant, she hadn't gone much, and there was still over 300,000 yuan left on her card.
Jiang Tao's mom wasn't interested in beauty treatments and went downstairs with his dad to dance.
The elderly couple had recently become obsessed with dancing, going every day.
It was good exercise and lifted their spirits, so Jiang Tao and Xu Li supported their hobby.
After resting for about half an hour after dinner, Jiang Tao changed into his workout gear and hopped on the treadmill for his daily exercise.
Running for an hour on the [**Health-Boosting Treadmill**] had a high chance of increasing his Constitution by 1 point.
Over time, his Constitution had gone from "weak" to "normal," with noticeable results.
Standing steady on the treadmill, Jiang Tao took a deep breath and pressed the start button.
The belt started moving slowly, then picked up to a steady pace. He adjusted his breathing, swung his arms naturally, and gradually quickened his steps.
After consistent running, his technique had improved significantly.
The treadmill speed had gone from just over 4 to over 10, more than doubling.
*Swish swish swish, swish swish swish—*
The sound of the belt, the hum of the motor, the steady thud of footsteps, and his slightly heavy breathing filled the air.
His Bluetooth earphones played music with a 180-step-per-minute tempo.
Sweat soon soaked his tank top, dripping down his neck and splashing tiny droplets onto the treadmill's metal platform.
Jiang Tao's calf muscles tensed like bowstrings, each step creating a faint sound as the anti-slip soles rubbed against the belt.
One minute, two minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes…
Soon, an hour passed.
The treadmill's display showed he'd run 10 kilometers.
From a running newbie to completing 10 kilometers in an hour.
This was thanks to Jiang Tao's persistence over this period.
And the Constitution boost from the [**Health-Boosting Treadmill**].
Suddenly, Jiang Tao felt a surge of heat spread from his chest to his limbs.
It was as if countless tiny electric currents were flowing through his veins.
He was all too familiar with this sensation—it was the feeling of a Constitution reward settling in!
His legs, which had started to feel heavy, suddenly felt light.
The burning in his lungs turned into a refreshing flood of oxygen.
Even the world before his eyes seemed clearer.
[**You exercised for 1 hour on the Health-Boosting Treadmill. Congratulations, you gained 1 Constitution point!**]
[**Your current Constitution is 62 points (Normal).**]
A blue virtual interface popped up, displaying two notifications.
Seeing the reward settle, Jiang Tao pressed the "STOP" button on the treadmill, ending his workout for the day.
"Phew~"
Grabbing the towel draped over the treadmill, he wiped his sweat and glanced down at his stomach.
Though he hadn't specifically trained his abs and only ran on the [**Health-Boosting Treadmill**], his belly fat had noticeably reduced with his rising Constitution, and faint outlines of abs were starting to show.
Watching his Constitution steadily increase and his stamina improve day by day was rewarding.
The instant positive feedback after each workout was almost addictive.
"What would happen if I got my Constitution to 100? Or 1,000?"
As he headed to the bathroom, Jiang Tao's mind wandered to such thoughts.
For others, the [**Health-Boosting Treadmill**] could only increase Constitution by up to 30 points.
But for him, there was no limit, no cap.
Theoretically, he could push his Constitution to 1,000 or even 10,000 points!
Based on the system's description of "Constitution" and its strict evaluation standards, the human limit was likely around 100 points.
Most people would never reach that.
But with the [**Health-Boosting Treadmill**], Jiang Tao could break through human limits and reach higher values.
Of course, that was a long way off.
His current 62 points were still rated as "normal" by the system.
Reaching the 100-point limit would take a long time.
*Ring ring ring—*
Before he reached the bathroom, his phone rang on the living room coffee table.
He walked over, picked it up, and saw it was Xu Li calling.
"Hey, honey."
"Alright, I just finished running. I'll shower and head over."
"Cool, take your time. No rush. Bye."
Hanging up, Jiang Tao put the phone back on the table and headed to the bathroom.
He took a 15-minute hot shower.
Then he found a fresh set of clothes in the bedroom wardrobe and changed.
Grabbing the keys to his BAIC EU5 from the entryway, he headed downstairs.
Outside the building, he quickly spotted the BAIC EU5 parked by the roadside.
The car's roof displayed 10,000 gold coins. With a thought, he collected them.
*Clink clink clink, clink clink clink—*
A flood of gold coins surged toward him, converting into 10,000 yuan in his bank account.
Around 9:30 p.m., the BAIC EU5 parked under Building 26 in Longzeyuan.
Jiang Tao got out, grabbed a few shopping bags from the trunk, and walked into the building, taking the elevator to the 12th floor, apartment 1203.
Before he even entered, he heard Jiang Xue's clear, giggles from inside.
Every day after school, Jiang Yi would bring Jiang Xue home to tutor her and make her delicious meals.
Spending so much time together, their bond had grown close, and people often mistook them for mother and daughter when they were out.
*Knock knock knock—*
Jiang Tao knocked on the door with his free left hand.
"Teacher Jiang, my mom's here! I'll get the door~"
*Click~*
The door opened, and Jiang Xue, dressed in a small yoga outfit, looked surprised to see Jiang Tao.
"Daddy! Why are you picking me up today? Where's Mommy?"
"Your mom went with your godmother to get a beauty treatment. What, not happy to see Daddy?"
Jiang Tao chuckled, ruffling his little girl's head as he stepped inside.
Entering, he saw Jiang Yi, dressed in a cool yoga outfit, hurriedly getting up from a blue yoga mat in the living room, looking slightly flustered.
Jiang Yi was wearing a white sports bra that revealed her neck and a sliver of her toned midriff, paired with lake-blue yoga pants that perfectly outlined her hips and legs.
Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail.
Her flushed face glistened with sweat, suggesting she'd just been doing yoga.
"Ahem, Jiang, Jiang Tao, you're here to pick up Xiao Xue today."
Jiang Yi stood up from the mat, barefoot, and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, looking slightly embarrassed.
At that moment, feeling Jiang Tao's subtle gaze, she wished she could crawl into a hole!
She hadn't expected Jiang Tao to show up tonight, catching her off guard.
"Her mom had something to do with a friend, so I came. Sorry for disturbing you, Teacher Jiang."
As he spoke, Jiang Tao stepped forward and placed the shopping bags on the coffee table in the center of the living room.
"Thanks for looking after Xiao Xue this whole time, Teacher Jiang. I bought some fruit for you at the supermarket outside our complex."
"Yay! More fruit to eat! Wow, there's cherries! Daddy, quick, wash some—I want to eat them."
Jiang Xue's eyes were instantly drawn to the fruit on the table.
Her little hands swiftly grabbed a box of glossy cherries and handed them to Jiang Tao to wash.
Jiang Tao laughed helplessly. "These are for your teacher. If you want some, I'll wash them for you at home."
"No way, I want to eat now! Teacher Jiang and I are best, best friends. We share everything, right, Teacher Jiang?"
Jiang Xue looked at Jiang Yi with a proud little expression, acting completely at home, like a little host.
"Of course, we're the best of friends."
Jiang Yi smiled warmly at Jiang Xue's innocent words, her fleeting charm catching Jiang Tao off guard for a moment.
"But when your dad comes to my place, he's a guest. We can't make guests do work, okay?"
After gently teaching Jiang Xue, Jiang Yi turned to Jiang Tao with a smile. "Thanks for the fruit, Jiang Tao. I'll accept it this time, but don't be so polite in the future."
[**Jiang Yi's favorability toward you has increased by 1 point. Her current favorability is 74 points (Good Friend).**]
[**Your friendship with Jiang Yi has deepened to 74 points.**]
As soon as Jiang Yi finished speaking, a blue virtual panel appeared before Jiang Tao, displaying two notifications.
"It really worked!"
Seeing the system prompt about the 1-point favorability increase, Jiang Tao's heart leaped with joy. He couldn't wait to keep "feeding" her every day.
If he could raise her favorability to 90, he'd earn a 1-million-yuan reward and a [**Friendship Boat**] that could be redeemed for a yacht.
Only a fool would pass that up!
"Alright, I won't be so polite in the future."
Jiang Tao said with a smile, secretly adding in his mind, *As if!*