After completing the special mission [Know People and Use Them Well] triggered by Dan Yang, Jiang Tao's physique increased by 6 points, reaching 88 points.
According to the strict evaluation mechanism of the system, with this level of physique, he was undoubtedly among the top-tier strong individuals in the human population.
With a single slap, let alone a fish, even a pig could be knocked out cold.
He pressed hard on the fish's belly with his hand.
As expected, Jiang Tao could clearly feel a hard, strip-shaped object inside the fish's belly.
"How did they stuff this thing in there?"
Jiang Tao leaned closer to inspect the fish's belly and noticed a row of densely packed stitches.
Seeing this, Jiang Tao understood.
So, the fish had its belly cut open, a gold bar was placed inside, and then it was sewn back up.
"I'll give you a quick end."
Jiang Tao didn't overflow with sympathy for a mere fish.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a fruit knife, and cut open the fish's belly again, retrieving a shiny gold bar from inside.
The fish had been gutted before and soaked in water for a long time, so the wound had started to rot. It was definitely inedible.
After taking the gold bar, Jiang Tao swung the fish by its head and flung it far away, tossing it back into the water.
He washed the heavy gold bar clean in the water.
Then, Jiang Tao stuffed it into the pocket of his work uniform and turned to walk toward the shore.
Back on land, he opened the trunk of his car and changed back into his original clothes.
He took out the box containing the river stone and the gold bar from the work uniform.
Then, Jiang Tao tossed the work uniform and rubber boots into the bushes by the roadside.
He got into the car, started the engine, made a U-turn, and drove toward the Baigezhuang neighborhood.
*"I once dreamed of wielding a sword and wandering the world, to see its bustling splendor."*
*"The heart of youth is always a bit reckless, and now you call the four seas your home."*
On the quiet midnight road, Jiang Tao softly hummed along with the song playing on the car's stereo.
His thoughts wandered freely in his mind.
As he thought, Jiang Tao recalled his father-in-law, who had triggered three pieces of intelligence today.
His father-in-law, Xu Wencheng, was 56 years old and a mid-level manager at a manufacturing company in Ping County.
His monthly salary was around 12,000 yuan after taxes.
In a small place like Ping County, that was quite decent.
Over the years, relying on this stable income, he had bought a house, a car, and supported his two daughters through university.
He had also saved six or seven hundred thousand yuan for retirement.
With a car, a house, savings, and a future pension, the old couple's life was fairly comfortable, far exceeding the national average.
But if another "money-eating beast" came along…
Their savings wouldn't be enough to handle it.
**[Ding! Congratulations, you have triggered the special mission [Better to Teach a Man to Fish than to Give Him a Fish]!]**
Suddenly, a *ding* sounded in Jiang Tao's mind, accompanied by the system's prompt.
At the same time, a line of futuristic blue text appeared on the windshield in front of him.
**[Mission Name]: Better to Teach a Man to Fish than to Give Him a Fish**
**[Mission Objective]: Guide Xu Wencheng into an industry highly compatible with his talents, helping him achieve a life-changing comeback!**
**[Mission Rewards]: 1.99 million yuan in cash, +50,000 yuan to the salary card limit, 10 physique points, 5 charm points!**
Seeing the mission details displayed on the windshield, especially the generous rewards, Jiang Tao's eyes lit up!
The rewards for this mission were almost as good as the special mission triggered by Jiang Yi before!
Moreover, the mission's name was quite intriguing.
*"Better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish…"*
*"Guide my father-in-law into an industry highly compatible with his talents."*
Using the [Bole] title, Jiang Tao had checked his father-in-law's talents and the industries he was suited for.
The top recommended profession was fishing enthusiast!
"I'm already planning to start an MCN company. I could sign my father-in-law and have him livestream fishing?"
"By the way, one of today's pieces of intelligence was about a fishhook, described as a special fishhook."
"I don't know what's special about this fishhook, but it's probably related to fishing, right?"
"With my father-in-law's skills, the luck provided by the river stone, and a special fishhook…"
"With these three combined, having him livestream fishing might create some really impressive results!"
"As for the salary… the mission reward alone gives a 50,000 yuan salary card limit!"
"Even if I pay my father-in-law 30,000, I'd still have 20,000 left!"
After reading the description of the [Better to Teach a Man to Fish than to Give Him a Fish] mission, Jiang Tao's mind buzzed with ideas, and he quickly figured out how to arrange things for his father-in-law.
This was a win-win situation for both his father-in-law and himself.
His father-in-law would get a job that perfectly matched his interests and hobbies, with a salary far exceeding his current job.
Jiang Tao would gain 1.99 million yuan in cash, 10 physique points, 5 charm points, and a 50,000 yuan salary card limit!
Why wouldn't he do something that benefits both sides?
By the time Jiang Tao drove back to the Baigezhuang New Village neighborhood, it was around 1:30 a.m.
After returning home, he tiptoed back to the bedroom.
He activated [Deep Sleep Mode] for himself and went to bed.
…
In the same neighborhood, Building 62, Apartment 1504.
Xu Wencheng and Du Yongmei lay on the master bedroom's large bed, both unable to sleep.
Having a child at their age was a blessing for wealthy families or couples without children.
But for Xu Wencheng and Du Yongmei, it was a bittersweet dilemma.
"Old Xu, you're the head of the household. You make the call. Whether we keep this child or not, I'll listen to you."
Du Yongmei turned to look at Xu Wencheng lying beside her, leaving the final decision in his hands.
"Let's keep it! Who knows how much good fortune this child accumulated in their past life to be reborn into our family."
"No matter what, it's a life. We can't do something so heartless."
"After we go back, I'll work harder to earn money. I'll stop fishing."
"After work and on weekends, I can drive for ride-sharing apps. Earning an extra three or four thousand a month shouldn't be hard."
After much deliberation, Xu Wencheng finally decided to keep the child!
Deep down, he also had a faint hope.
What if…
What if this child was a boy?
For so many years, though Xu Wencheng always said boys and girls were the same, and he treated his two daughters wonderfully, whenever he attended someone else's son's wedding, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
The Chinese tradition of carrying on the family line was deeply ingrained.
Xu Wencheng and Du Yongmei were no exception.
"Old Xu…"
Du Yongmei reached out and touched Xu Wencheng's no-longer-smooth face.
Her hand brushed over his hair, now streaked with white, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Deep down, she also really wanted this child.
But thinking about the costs of raising this child in the future, she felt heartache for her Old Xu.
"Our family's situation now is much better than when we had Lili and Shasha, isn't it?"
"No problem, just focus on taking care of yourself and the baby. Earning money is a man's job."
Having made the decision, Xu Wencheng stopped wavering, his expression calm and composed.
Du Yongmei touched her belly and smiled, "Old Xu, I have a feeling this time it's a boy."
"Haha, boy or girl, it's all the same. They're our child."
"May the heavens bless us. If it's really a boy, Lili and Shasha will have a little brother."
"…"
The old couple chatted on and off until two or three in the morning before falling asleep.
…
The next morning.
When Jiang Tao woke up, Xu Li and his mother had already prepared breakfast.
Although the family's financial situation was now much better than before, breakfast hadn't changed much.
Millet pumpkin porridge, paired with a plate of homemade eight-treasure pickled vegetables from their family's food factory and steamed meat buns made by his mother.
A simple breakfast, nutritious and healthy.
After breakfast, his parents left for work at the food factory.
Jiang Tao waited until Xu Li had put the dishes in the kitchen's dishwasher before pulling her to sit on the living room sofa.
"Honey, I want to discuss something with you."
"What's up? Why so secretive?"
Xu Li's big eyes looked at Jiang Tao curiously.
"It's like this, honey. I'm planning…"
Jiang Tao explained his plan to start an MCN company to Xu Li in detail.
Seeing his confident demeanor, Xu Li naturally expressed her full support.
"Your dad loves fishing, right? I'm planning to sign him on."
"What? Sign my dad as a livestreamer?"
"Exactly. The fishing niche has a lot of potential. For example, Tianyuan Deng Xiaogang has over 30 million followers, and there are plenty of fishing enthusiasts with millions of fans."
"Your dad has decades of fishing experience. With a bit of packaging and promotion, his account could take off quickly."
"Plus, this way, your dad and Shasha can stay in the capital to work, and they can keep living in Building 62."
"Since we're in the same neighborhood, it'll be convenient for you to visit and take care of your mom."
Jiang Tao's words warmed Xu Li's heart.
A son-in-law who thinks so much about his in-laws was truly rare!
"Thank you, honey. Thank you for everything you've done for our family."
Xu Li reached out, wrapped her arms around Jiang Tao's neck, and, filled with gratitude, gave him a long, sweet kiss.
At 9 a.m., Jiang Tao and Xu Li arrived at the door of Apartment 1504 in Building 62 and knocked.
"Lili, Jiang Tao, come in, come in!"
Du Yongmei, opening the door and seeing her eldest daughter and son-in-law, joyfully welcomed them inside.
"Mom, did you not sleep well last night? You look a bit tired."
As soon as Xu Li entered, she noticed her mother's slightly weary expression and asked with concern.
Du Yongmei smiled, "We're going back home soon, and I'm just reluctant to leave you and your sister."
Xu Li grinned, hugged her mother's waist, and playfully said, "Hehe, if you can't bear to leave me and Shasha, then don't go back. Stay in the capital."
Du Yongmei laughed, "Your dad can't cook or do laundry. How could he manage alone back home?"
"That's easy. Just have Dad stay too~"
After saying this, Xu Li glanced at her father, who had just stood up from the sofa to greet them.
Du Yongmei smiled, "Your dad has to work and earn money. The responsibility of supporting the family is big."
"That's no problem. Let Dad work in the capital too. My husband came here today to recruit someone."
Hearing Xu Li's words, Du Yongmei and Xu Wencheng were stunned, looking at Jiang Tao in surprise.
"Dad, I'm planning to start an MCN company and sign a group of streamers to build their accounts."
"You love fishing, and you have a lot of fishing experience."
"With a bit of packaging and promotion, it'll be easy to grow your account."
Jiang Tao didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose to his father-in-law.
"Me… I'm just messing around. Can I really do it?"
Xu Wencheng loved fishing and followed more than a dozen fishing streamers on his short video account.
Seeing them fish and earn tons of gifts, he couldn't deny feeling a bit envious.
He had tried livestreaming himself.
But each time, his livestream only had a handful of viewers, fewer than ten coming and going.
There were barely any free likes, let alone paid gifts.
He believed his skills weren't much worse than those streamers.
But his livestreams just didn't get any traction.
After several attempts, he gave up on the idea entirely.
After all, there were countless fishing enthusiasts out there.
But only a few became famous.
In any industry, the famous ones were the minority, while the majority remained obscure.
Now that Jiang Tao brought it up again, Xu Wencheng felt a spark of interest but was also deeply apprehensive.
On one hand, he had his stable "iron rice bowl" job of several decades.
On the other, a new job with an uncertain future.
What if he quit his job and the livestreaming didn't work out? What then?
Old Xu was a respectable man who didn't want to burden his son-in-law.
Xu Li smiled encouragingly from the side, "With Dad's skills and my husband's company operations, it'll definitely work out!"
"Lili's right. Your skills are definitely not the issue. What you're missing is professional operations."
"I happen to have a classmate who does this, and I've already signed him to the company."
"Once you join, you won't need to worry about anything else. Just focus on fishing every day."
"Filming, editing, and account management will all be handled by professionals."
Jiang Tao's words stirred Xu Wencheng's interest even more.
But thinking about his over thirty years of seniority at his company and his current salary…
In a small county like Ping County, a job with social insurance and a monthly salary of over 10,000 yuan was hard to come by.
He had only reached his current salary level due to joining the company early and his long tenure.
With his qualifications, if he left, he definitely wouldn't find a job with the same pay.
"As for salary, I'll start you with a guaranteed monthly salary of 30,000 yuan."
Seeing the hesitation in his father-in-law's expression, Jiang Tao dropped his trump card.
This offer was hard for his father-in-law to refuse.
Sure enough, upon hearing the salary Jiang Tao offered, Xu Wencheng, Du Yongmei, and Xu Sha, who had just walked out of her room, were all stunned.
"How… how much?"
Xu Wencheng looked at Jiang Tao in shock, asking again.
He felt like he must have misheard!
A monthly salary of 30,000 yuan??
Xu Wencheng couldn't even dream of earning a 30,000 yuan monthly salary in his lifetime!
What kind of skills did he have to deserve such a high salary?
"Guaranteed 30,000. After social insurance deductions, you'd take home a little over 20,000."
Jiang Tao's voice wasn't loud, but to the Xu family, it was deafening.