After checking, there was no problem with the phone.
Jiang Tao put the phone into a black backpack he normally carries home.
After placing the phone well, he glanced at the time; it was around 5 PM.
The car left at the repair shop was probably fixed by now!
Jiang Tao went downstairs to catch a bus to the repair shop to pick up his car.
"Master Jiang is here, have a smoke, the car is repaired, it's over there, go take a look."
The owner of the repair shop greeted Jiang Tao with a smile and tossed him a cigarette.
"I naturally trust Master Tian's skills! Otherwise, I wouldn't have come all this way to have you repair the car."
Jiang Tao reached out to catch the cigarette Master Tian tossed him, then took a lighter from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff.
These cigarettes costing fifty to sixty yuan taste different from those costing ten some yuan.
Jiang Tao couldn't help but exclaim in his heart that car repair really makes good money.
The boss smokes the high-end stuff, much better than what I can afford!
Why didn't I learn car repairing when I was young!
After a bit of small talk with the repair shop boss, Jiang Tao went to check the newly replaced windshield of his car.
After a thorough inspection and finding no issues, he drove off directly.
He parked the car at the entrance of Xiaoshanhe Village, at the same spot as yesterday, turned off the engine, pushed the door open, and got out, humming a tune as he walked into the village.
Despite losing a day's work due to car repairs, he gained an iPhone 15 and 8,000 yuan.
Today was arguably Jiang Tao's happiest day of the year!
Making over ten thousand in a day was indeed a highlight in his life!
The last time he made over ten thousand in a day was about three or four years ago when he was hit by a BMW while riding and got a bump on his head.
The other party was in a hurry and couldn't go through insurance, so they directly handed Jiang Tao 10,000 yuan for medical expenses.
Jiang Tao spent 2 yuan at the pharmacy to buy a box of band-aids, and the rest became his nest egg.
Passing by Pang Dongdong Supermarket, Jiang Tao thought about how he only had one box of cigarettes at home, so he turned into the supermarket.
"Boss, do you have any whole packs of 'Red Luck' today?"
As he entered, Jiang Tao smiled and greeted a plump, fair-skinned boss who was calculating with an abacus behind the counter.
The boss was Yu Dongdong, also 30 years old, same as Jiang Tao, but with a different life.
Yu Dongdong was a native of Xiaoshanhe, and this supermarket, occupying over 200 square meters, was in their own house.
Though Xiaoshanhe isn't large, with fewer than 1,000 locals, it accommodates over 50,000 tenants like Jiang Tao.
Even the supermarkets and restaurants in the village do quite well.
Despite being inconspicuous, Yu Dongdong's small supermarket reportedly earns over 100,000 yuan a month—a classic example of making a fortune quietly.
"Master Jiang, I've saved a pack just for you after work, pretty thoughtful, right?"
Seeing Jiang Tao enter, Yu Dongdong paused in his calculations.
While greeting Jiang Tao with a smile, he reached down behind the counter to pull out a pack of 'Red Luck' and placed it on the counter.
In recent years, tobacco control has been strict. Cigarettes like 'Red Luck,' costing about ten yuan a pack, have become scarce and harder to get.
Typically, only well-acquainted acquaintances can buy a whole pack.
"Thanks, give me a bottle...a bottle of 'White Niu Er,' 10-year aged, please!"
Having made more than 8,000 yuan today, Jiang Tao wanted to indulge a bit, opting for a slightly better bottle of liquor to enjoy.
He usually drinks the 15-yuan version of 'White Niu Er,' but the 10-year-aged one costs 95 per bottle!
"Wow! Seems like Master Jiang had a good day! Made some big money!"
Hearing Jiang Tao ask for 10-year-aged 'White Niu Er,' Yu Dongdong teased him with a smile.
Jiang Tao laughed: "Us taxi drivers just make some hard money, can't compare to you supermarket owners making easy millions annually."
"Ah, none of it's easy! I'm tied here like a donkey all day."
"Every day I'm stuck in this tiny spot behind the counter, can't go anywhere."
"Not as much fun as you out there on the road every day!"
While chatting and laughing with Jiang Tao, Yu Dongdong took a bottle of 10-year-aged 'White Niu Er' from the shelf.
"By the way, Master Jiang, Blue and White got a promotion going on. Want to try your luck with a bottle?"
"If you're lucky and hit the second prize, this bottle is on the house, and you'll get another one."
"If you hit the jackpot, you'll directly win a higher-end 'Red Yun Lang'!"
"A bottle of 'Red Yun Lang' sells for 2,500! You can even net 1,000 yuan!
Yu Dongdong said while taking a bottle of Qinghua Lang from the shelf, trying to sell it to Jiang Tao.
Jiang Tao asked curiously, "How much is a bottle of this liquor?"
Yu Dongdong: "1,499!"
"So expensive! Almost as much as Maotai! Boss Yu, you overestimate me, my mouth isn't worthy of such expensive liquor!"
Jiang Tao was instantly deterred by Qinghua Lang's price when he heard Yu Dongdong's quote.
As for winning a prize...
Heh heh.
If winning were that easy, Boss Yu wouldn't need to sell it here; it'd be all sold out!
These promotions from liquor factories are like the carrot in front of a donkey.
Visible but unattainable!
Just a gimmick!
"The prize rate is 100%! At the very least, you'll get this small bottle of trial sample."
Yu Dongdong said while picking up a 100ML sample on the counter to show.
Jiang Tao remained uninterested and said with a smile, "I don't have that kind of luck. I'll leave the good fortune to someone else. Boss Yu, just let me know the total."
Yu Dongdong calculated and said, "It's 251 in total. Sure you don't want to try, Master Jiang?"
"No, I don't have that luck!"
Jiang Tao shook his head with a smile, paid 251 yuan via QR code, and left with his cigarettes and liquor.
Leaving Pang Dongdong Supermarket, Jiang Tao bought a freshly grilled pancake as he passed the steamed bun shop.
At the deli, he grabbed nine yuan worth of mix salad, and half a pound of pig's head meat.
After a round of shopping, Jiang Tao carried several bags back to his rented apartment.
Jingle jingle—
As soon as he got home, his wife Xu Li's video call came through.
Jiang Tao swiped his finger to answer the call.
"Honey! Did the phone you scanned yesterday ship?"
As soon as the video call connected, Xu Li asked about the phone from yesterday.
"It's already in my hands!"
"So fast!"
"Of course! Same-city delivery in Beijing is very quick."
"I checked online, the model you won has dropped in price, it's only over 4,300 now, and if we sell it, we could get about 3,800 or 3,900! Let's sell the phone!"
"Sure, I'll take it to the village's phone store tomorrow if I have time to see what they offer. If the price is right, we'll sell it."
"God truly has eyes, letting you win such a big prize when we needed it most!"
"Indeed..."
The couple chatted on and off for about an hour before hanging up.
After the call, Jiang Tao started his dinner.
A pancake rolled with pig's head meat, 'White Niu Er' with some small salads and leftover peanuts from yesterday.
A simple yet fulfilling dinner.
After satisfying his hunger, Jiang Tao didn't have any evening entertainment, so he washed his feet and face, and went to bed listening to an audiobook.
Recently, he was listening to a book titled "Running an Inn at Sanqing Mountain, Signing in Weekly for Random Rewards."
This book was quite interesting, a good way to pass the time.
While listening to the book, Jiang Tao was also pondering about the next piece of news.
What will the next piece of news be?
If only it could be something as lucrative as yesterday's and today's news!
A few more of these might allow him to clear his family's external debts before the New Year!
By then, debt-free, he could spend a good New Year with his wife and child!