Ring, ring, ring—
At exactly 5 a.m., the alarm on my phone went off.
Jiang Tao dazedly lay in bed for another five minutes before suddenly sitting up.
After dressing, he quickly washed his face, grabbed a flashlight, and headed out the door.
In the dead of winter, at 5 a.m., the sky was still full of stars.
The breakfast spot Jiang Tao frequented, known as "Old Guo's Shop," had just opened.
The owner, surnamed Guo, ran the store with his wife; they were also migrant workers striving to make a living in Beijing.
Jiang Tao paused outside the breakfast shop and asked, "Boss Guo, are the buns ready?"
"Another three minutes; Master Jiang, come inside and wait. Come, have a cigarette first. By the time you finish, the buns will be ready, and you can enjoy some hot food."
The breakfast shop owner greeted Jiang Tao with a smile and pulled out a pack of Yuxi cigarettes, offering one to Jiang Tao.
"Thanks, boss. I'll wait; I've got hard work ahead, and empty stomachs are weak."
Jiang Tao took the cigarette with a grin and entered the shop.
It was just 5:12 a.m., and there was still time for breakfast.
After greeting Jiang Tao, Boss Guo went back to kneading dough to prepare the next batch of buns.
Despite this breakfast shop being just over thirty square meters,
It could make over a thousand yuan in a morning.
The couple only served breakfast and lunch, taking the afternoons and evenings off to rest and sleep.
After monthly expenses and rent, they still made a net profit of about fifteen or sixteen thousand yuan a month.
It's more than Jiang Tao makes from hauling goods.
But hard work is truly hard work.
Jiang Tao thought getting up at 5 a.m. was tough; the couple at the breakfast shop started their day as early as two or three in the morning to prepare.
"Master Jiang, the buns are ready, what filling would you like?"
Jiang Tao hadn't even finished his cigarette when Boss Guo announced the buns were ready.
"I'll have a tray of pork and green onion ones! And also some tofu pudding."
"Alright! One moment, Master Jiang!"
After that, Boss Guo took a tray of steaming meat buns from the steamer.
He also served a big bowl of tofu pudding from a thermal container, topped with a salty sauce.
Jiang Tao added some chili from the table to his tofu pudding.
A tray of buns and a bowl of tofu pudding cost 12 yuan, and it was filling.
After eating, Jiang Tao settled the bill, lit another cigarette, and headed in the direction of the village entrance with his flashlight on.
As he walked, he saw with his flashlight a chubby guy in a green army coat walking ahead.
The chubby guy was about 1.7 meters tall, with a round physique and a Lei Feng hat on his head.
Jiang Tao sped up and patted the guy on the shoulder.
"Xiao Liu! Why so cheerful? Has your family already set you up for New Year's matchmaking?"
"Yo! Brother Jiang! How come you're up so early today?"
Xiao Liu, whose full name is Liu Zhiyuan, lived in the neighboring village to Jiang Tao's, two years younger and still single.
Jiang Tao laughed and said, "Today, I'm heading to the fruit wholesale market to pick up some sugar oranges for the Pang Dongdong Supermarket boss."
"That's perfect; we're heading the same way. Coincidentally, I'm also getting sugar oranges to sell at the Sha River market today!"
Liu Zhiyuan always spoke with a smile, and his small eyes would squint into slits, which seemed quite comical.
Jiang Tao didn't bother with small talk and went straight to the point:
"By the way, Xiao Liu, since I bumped into you, there's something I need to tell you.
Tonight, I'm inviting Tian and Zhang over to my place.
I have a money-making opportunity to discuss with you guys."
"A money-making opportunity? Brother Jiang, can you give me a hint?"
Liu Zhiyuan's small eyes lit up; no one would refuse a money-making opportunity.
"It has to do with the fruit business you guys are in. I'll explain it all when we meet tonight and everyone's there."
"Tonight at 7, don't miss it."
After Jiang Tao finished speaking, he headed towards his truck not far away.
"Okay, Brother Jiang! I'll be there!"
After assuring Jiang Tao, Liu Zhiyuan also got into his car.
The two vehicles drove one after the other towards the Huilongguan fruit and vegetable wholesale market.
Although both were after sugar oranges, they sourced them from different wholesalers, so they split up upon entering the market.
Following the address Yu Dongdong gave him yesterday, Jiang Tao arrived at the D area, stall 245, of the fruit and vegetable wholesale market.
Early in the morning, the sky was still dark, yet there were already a dozen trucks lined up to load goods.
Jiang Tao went into a temporary office at the stall to get the pickup slip, then lined up outside to wait for his turn.
It took about an hour for his turn to come.
The sugar oranges were packed in blue plastic boxes weighing 10 kilograms each. With his strength, Jiang Tao could carry five boxes at a time.
Loading 200 boxes took around twenty minutes.
After loading, he drove back to Xiaoshanhe Village, to the temporary storage behind Pang Dongdong Supermarket.
Finishing the unloading at exactly 8 a.m., he didn't waste any time getting back to the market for more hauling jobs.
After settling accounts with Yu Dongdong, Jiang Tao drove his truck to the Red Star Second-hand Wholesale Market to wait for job requests.
By noon, he'd already completed three jobs, earning a solid 240 yuan.
For lunch, he stopped by a roadside diner and ordered a plate of stir-fried buns, then checked his bank account on his phone.
"Damn, if I'd known about the sugar orange intel, I would've delayed paying off the construction debts to those bosses!"
Seeing his balance, a measly 18,000 yuan, not even 20k.
Jiang Tao suddenly regretted paying off those external debts so early!
In recent days, using the intelligence system, he'd made himself hundreds of thousands.
He used some to settle his family's debts and transferred over 50,000 to his wife, Xu Li.
The money Jiang Tao had came fast and went just as quickly, leaving him with not much in the end.
With his current funds, he could only buy about 500 boxes of 10-kilogram sugar oranges, nothing that could cause a stir!
At best, he could earn a bit of hard cash.
To make serious money, he needed more capital investment!
"This sugar orange intel is definitely a rare opportunity."
"With prices set to rise by 100%, even a 50% markup would yield a fortune."
"If the heavens are handing me food, and I don't have the guts to eat it, I'll never amount to much in the future!"
"With the intelligence system, am I going to spend a lifetime waiting for job requests here?"
"Caution isn't cowardice; knowing a product will increase in value but not daring to act is plain foolish!"
Having been bound to the intelligence system for a while now, Jiang Tao had great faith in the information it provided.
From phones in bottle caps to hidden money in second-hand sofas and pretty bills in ATMs...
Every piece of intel was genuine and reliable.
After finishing his stir-fried buns, Jiang Tao was determined.
This batch of sugar oranges before the New Year had to be big!
Whether or not he could have a good New Year depended on this wave!