After checking that the phone was fine, Jiang Tao slipped it into the black backpack he usually carried when heading home.
Once the phone was safely stowed, he glanced at the time—it was already around 5 p.m.
The truck at the repair shop was probably fixed by now!
Jiang Tao went downstairs, hopped on a bus, and headed to the repair shop to pick up his vehicle.
"Master Jiang's here! Have a smoke. Your truck's all fixed, parked over there. Go take a look," the repair shop owner greeted Jiang Tao with a grin, tossing him a Huazi cigarette.
"I trust Master Tian's skills! Otherwise, I wouldn't have come all this way to get my truck fixed here," Jiang Tao replied, catching the Huazi with one hand. He pulled a lighter from his pocket, lit the cigarette, and took a drag.
The taste of a 50- or 60-yuan cigarette was indeed different from the cheap 10-yuan ones.
Jiang Tao couldn't help but sigh inwardly—auto repair was a damn lucrative business.
The shop owner was smoking Huazi, a few tiers above his own smokes!
Why didn't he learn auto repair when he was younger?
After chatting briefly with the shop owner, Jiang Tao went to inspect the newly replaced windshield on his beloved truck.
After a thorough check and finding no issues, he drove off.
He parked the truck back at the entrance to Xiaoshahe Village, in the same spot as yesterday, then turned off the engine, got out, and started humming a tune as he walked into the village.
Though he'd lost a day of work due to the repairs, he'd earned an iPhone 15 and 8,000 yuan.
Today was hands-down the best day of Jiang Tao's year!
A daily income of over 10,000 yuan was a highlight of his life!
The last time he'd made over 10,000 in a day was three or four years ago when a BMW hit him while he was riding his bike, scraping his head.
The driver, in a rush and unwilling to deal with insurance, had tossed Jiang Tao 10,000 yuan for medical expenses.
Jiang Tao spent 2 yuan on a box of Band-Aids at the pharmacy and pocketed the rest as his little slush fund.
Passing by Fat Dongdong's supermarket, Jiang Tao remembered he was down to his last pack of smokes and stepped inside.
"Boss, got any full cartons of Hongliqun today?" Jiang Tao called out with a smile to the chubby, fair-skinned boss behind the counter, who was tapping away at a calculator.
The boss, Yu Dongdong, was also 30 years old, same as Jiang Tao, but their lives couldn't be more different.
Yu Dongdong was a local from Xiaoshahe Village. His supermarket, over 200 square meters, was housed in a building his family owned.
Xiaoshahe wasn't large, with fewer than 1,000 local villagers, but it was home to over 50,000 renters like Jiang Tao.
Businesses like supermarkets and restaurants in the village did pretty well.
Yu Dongdong's unassuming little supermarket reportedly raked in over 100,000 yuan a month—a classic case of quietly striking it rich.
"Master Jiang's off work! I saved a carton just for you. Am I a good pal or what?" Yu Dongdong stopped his calculations when he saw Jiang Tao walk in.
Grinning, he greeted Jiang Tao and bent down to pull a carton of Hongliqun from under the counter, placing it on top.
In the past couple of years, tobacco regulations had tightened, making cheap smokes like Hongliqun, which cost around 10 yuan, increasingly hard to come by. Unless you were tight with the seller, getting a whole carton was nearly impossible.
"Thanks! And, uh… give me a bottle of 10-year-old Bainiu Er!" Jiang Tao said.
Having made over 8,000 yuan today, he felt like splurging a bit and treating himself to a slightly better bottle of liquor.
Normally, he drank 15-yuan Bainiu Er, but a bottle of the 10-year-old version cost 95 yuan!
"Whoa! Looks like Master Jiang's business is booming today! Struck it big, huh?" Yu Dongdong teased with a grin when he heard Jiang Tao order the 10-year Bainiu.
Jiang Tao chuckled, "Us truck drivers just scrape by with hard-earned cash. Can't compare to you supermarket bosses, raking in millions a year without breaking a sweat."
"Psh, it's tough all around! I'm tied to this place like a donkey all day long," Yu Dongdong shot back. "Stuck spinning in this tiny spot behind the counter, can't go anywhere. Not like you, Master Jiang, out there having fun driving around!"
As he bantered with Jiang Tao, Yu Dongdong grabbed a bottle of 10-year-old Bainiu from the shelf behind him.
"Oh, by the way, Master Jiang, with the year-end coming, Qinghualang's holding a promotion. Wanna try your luck with a bottle?" he said. "If you're lucky and hit the second prize, you drink for free and get another bottle. And if your luck's off the charts and you snag the first prize, you get a bottle of premium Hongyunlang!"
"A bottle of Hongyunlang sells for 2,500 yuan! You'd even make a 1,000-yuan profit!"
As he spoke, Yu Dongdong grabbed a bottle of Qinghualang from the shelf and started pitching it to Jiang Tao.
Curious, Jiang Tao asked, "How much is that bottle?"
Yu Dongdong: "1,499!"
"That expensive? Almost as much as Maotai! Boss Yu, you're giving me too much credit—my palate's not fancy enough for that!" Jiang Tao was instantly put off by the price of the Qinghualang.
As for winning a prize…
Heh.
If winning were that easy, Yu Dongdong wouldn't need to pitch it—it'd be sold out already!
These liquor company promotions were like carrots dangled in front of a donkey.
You could see it, but no one could actually get it!
All a scam!
"This liquor has a 100% win rate! At the very least, you'll get a 100ml sample bottle like this one," Yu Dongdong said, picking up a small sample bottle from the counter to show off.
Jiang Tao wasn't swayed. "Nah, I don't have that kind of luck. Leave the good fortune for someone else. Boss Yu, just ring me up."
Yu Dongdong tapped on his calculator and said, "Total's 251 yuan. Sure you don't wanna give it a shot, Master Jiang?"
"Nope, I'm not that lucky!" Jiang Tao shook his head with a laugh, scanned the QR code to pay 251 yuan, grabbed his smokes and liquor, and left.
Leaving Fat Dongdong's supermarket, Jiang Tao passed by a steamed bun shop and bought a freshly made flatbread.
At a deli, he picked up 9 yuan worth of cold mixed vegetables and half a jin of braised pig head meat.
After his shopping spree, Jiang Tao returned to his rental with several bags in hand.
*Ding-a-ling—*
Just as he stepped inside, his wife Xu Li called via video chat.
Jiang Tao swiped to answer.
"Honey! Did the phone you won yesterday ship yet?" Xu Li asked the moment the call connected.
"It's already in my hands!" Jiang Tao replied.
"That fast?"
"Yup! Same-city delivery in the capital is quick."
"I checked online, and the model you won has dropped to about 4,300 yuan. If we sell it, we could probably get 3,800 or 3,900. Let's sell it!" Xu Li said.
"Yeah, tomorrow I'll swing by the phone shop in the village and see how much they'll offer. If the price is right, I'll sell it," Jiang Tao agreed.
"God must be watching out for us, letting you win such a big prize when we're so strapped for cash!" Xu Li exclaimed.
"Yeah…" Jiang Tao nodded.
The couple chatted back and forth for about an hour before hanging up.
After the call, Jiang Tao sat down to eat dinner.
Flatbread rolled with pig head meat, paired with Bainiu Er, cold mixed vegetables, and some leftover peanuts from yesterday.
A simple yet incredibly satisfying meal.
After eating his fill, Jiang Tao had no evening plans for entertainment. He washed his feet and face, slipped into bed, and started listening to an audiobook.
He was currently hooked on a book called *Running an Inn on Sanqing Mountain, Weekly Check-In for Random Rewards*.
The book was kind of interesting, perfect for passing the time.
While listening, Jiang Tao's mind wandered to the next piece of intelligence.
What would the next tip be?
If only it could be another money-making tip like yesterday's and today's!
A few more like that, and he might clear his family's debts before the New Year!
Then, debt-free and light as a feather, he could spend a happy New Year with his wife and kid!