Outside Jiang Taoâs house.
"Whoa, a Benz! Could it be that Second Brother drove it back?"
Jiang Bing, who rushed back from Ping County after receiving Jiang Taoâs call, looked at the Mercedes GLS parked outside Jiang Taoâs house with a face full of surprise.
Such a luxury car worth a million is rarely seen in the county town, yet here it is, shimmering right outside my second brotherâs house.
"Could Second Brother have won millions in the lottery and gotten rich overnight?"
"Does this mean I now have a wealthy brother?"
At the thought of this possibility, Jiang Bing excitedly ran into Jiang Taoâs house.
"Second Brother, Second Brother, did you buy a Benz?"
"How much was it? That car is so cool!"
"Can I borrow it for a spin?"
"Iâve never even touched a Benz steering wheel in my life!"
Jiang Bing rushed into the house to find only Jiang Tao in the living room.
She hugged his arm, sweetly calling him "Second Brother" over and over.
The three siblings of the Jiang Family: the eldest Jiang He is 36 years old, the second Jiang Tao is 30, and Jiang Bing is 26.
Jiang Bing is ten years younger than her eldest brother, Jiang He, so they never played together much as kids.
She always tagged along behind Jiang Tao, the second brother, like a little follower, much closer to him.
"Just over a million or so, drive it if you want, but bring it back by 5 PM; we need to go to your sister-in-lawâs for dinner tonight."
While speaking, Jiang Tao picked up the car keys from the coffee table and handed them to Jiang Bing, pampering his little sister.
"Thanks, Second Brother! Hey, where are Sister-in-law and Xiao Xue? Arenât they home?"
With the keys in hand, Jiang Bing only then noticed Xu Li and Jiang Xue were not home and curiously asked.
Jiang Tao laughed, "They went to the big market to buy New Yearâs goods. But letâs talk business; I just landed another deal. Interested?"
"Yes, yes, yes, definitely! Whatâs the project this time?"
Previously, Jiang Bing helped Jiang Tao sell Ultraman hairpins and sold quite a lot of products from her store in the process.
The income from the last month before the New Year was worth several months!
Though others might not know, she certainly knew her second brother made even more.
Just from the Ultraman hairpins, Second Brother netted a profit of eighty-thousand to ninety-thousand!
In just a few days, he made money that others couldnât earn in a year!
"See that, over there," Jiang Tao pointed to the flying pig popcorn bucket on the TV cabinet.
"Oh, I know this! Isnât that a Nezha 2-themed popcorn bucket? Is this what weâre selling next?"
Jiang Bing got up, went to the TV cabinet, picked it up, and took a look. It was indeed quite cute, definitely snatching one before leaving later!
Jiang Tao nodded, "Thatâs right, but not now. We wait until Nezha 2 releases and gains popularity before selling.
We can take a break and enjoy the New Year; weâll talk about making money afterward."
"Talk about it later? Why did you call me back today? Youâre killing me here!"
"As soon as I get home, Dad and Mom are setting me up on blind dates. Itâs driving me nuts."
Jiang Bing threw herself onto the sofa, then suddenly sprang up excitedly, hugging Jiang Taoâs arm and whining:
"Second Brother, your new place is so cozyâhow about letting me crash here for the night? Iâll go home tomorrow."
"No."
Old Jiang refused categorically.
This kid, Third Brother, just doesnât get it at her age!
If she stays here for the night, how would her sister-in-law feel at ease?
"Second Brother, please, just one night. Youâve got so many rooms here, and itâs nice and warm."
"I even want to take a shower tonight; our bathroom doesnât even have a heater; itâs freezing."
Jiang Bing shook Jiang Taoâs arm back and forth, resorting to her tried-and-true tactics of begging and whining.
"You can stay the night, but you must call home and inform Dad and Mom. Coming to the village and not returning homeâwhat does that look like?"
Old Jiang eventually relented. As the eldest brother, he couldnât really say no to Third Brother.
Moreover, conditions at their parentsâ place werenât as good as the new house here.
Jiang Bing had stayed here many times before, always sharing a room with Jiang Xue.
"Thanks, Second Brother! Youâre the best at spoiling me~ hehe~"
Jiang Bing achieved her goal and smiled triumphantly, ready to leave with the keys in hand.
"Wait, open the trunk first; I need to send some stuff to Dad and Mom."
Jiang Bing asked curiously, "What stuff?"
"Cigarettes and liquor."
"I called Mom a couple of days ago; she said Sister-in-law already sent some over."
Jiang Tao laughed, "Who said you canât send more after the first time?"
"Alright then! Youâre really a filial brother, the epitome of filial piety!!"
The siblings chatted and laughed as they went to the car and opened the trunk.
"Whoa, Maotai! Zhonghua!"
"Second Brother, youâre really rolling in dough now!"
"If you give this to Dad, he might get overwhelmed with joy!"
"Maybe I should go back first and give him a heads up?"
Seeing the boxes of Maotai and Zhonghua in the trunk, Jiang Bing was once again astonished.
"Go play elsewhere."
Jiang Tao said as he took a box of liquor and several packs of Zhonghua out of the trunk.
"Hehe, Iâm leaving, Second Brother~"
Jiang Bing chuckled, opened the car door, got in, and drove away.
Third Brother had long bought a hybrid BYD Qin with her own efforts, having four or five years of driving experience.
Her driving skills were pretty decent among all female drivers.
Jiang Tao wasnât worried about any scratches or dings when giving her the car to drive.
Watching Third Brother drive away, Jiang Tao sent a message to Xu Li on his phone, telling her he was going to their parentsâ place.
He put the extra Zhonghua back in the house.
Jiang Tao carried a box of liquor and two packs of Zhonghua as he headed towards his parentsâ place.
The two houses werenât far apart, just two rows away, with a small alley between them, less than 60 meters in a straight line.
After returning last night, Jiang Tao took Xu Li and Jiang Xue for a drive.
This morning, he had to stay home waiting for Wang Xiaobai to discuss business and hadnât had a chance to visit his parentsâ house yet.
Reaching the door, Jiang Tao saw his mother, Tian Xiaomei, sweeping the front with a large broom.
"Mom."
The moment he called out "Mom," Jiang Tao felt like a child again.
"Son! Youâre back!"
Tian Xiaomei looked up at Jiang Tao, and her face lit up, the wrinkles relaxing, and her dim eyes brightened considerably.
Of the three kids, Tian Xiaomei always liked Jiang Tao, the second child, the most.
Whenever she wasnât feeling well, it was Jiang Tao who took care of her, bringing her medicine and water.
The eldest, who was always running wild outside, and the youngest, who only watched cartoons, couldnât be counted on at all.
"Why did you bring liquor again? Lili already brought some to your Dad the other day."
"Hurry up and take it back, why spend this money unnecessarily!"
"And the cigarettes, take them away too."
"Lili already sent some, you take these home and smoke them yourself."
After the joy of seeing him, Tian Xiaomei noticed the box of liquor Jiang Tao was holding and the cigarettes he was carrying and started to push him out the door.
When they send homemade peanut oil and sweet potatoes to their sons, they always send as much as possible, fearing it wasnât enough.
But when the sons send them something, they donât want to take more than a bit.
Parental love is universal.
In their view, itâs the older generationâs responsibility and duty to "give" to the younger.
Whereas the younger generationâs "giving back" to the older ones is seen as a burden.
The contrast in their generosity when giving and modesty when receiving is stark.
Jiang Tao ignored his motherâs nudging resistance.
With a quick shoulder move, he slipped past Mom into the house.
"This kid, Old Two, really!"
Though her words were complaints, Tian Xiaomei felt deeply moved, her eyes turning red.