"Quick, quick, quick, come in, come in."
Old Xu had just made a stunning comeback downstairs, feeling on top of the world.
He eagerly welcomed his daughter and her family of three into the house.
Du Yongmei, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard the commotion at the door and turned off the stove to greet them.
Of course, her attention was solely on her precious elder daughter and granddaughter.
As soon as she stepped out, she was taken aback seeing the box of Maotai liquor in Jiang Taoâs arms.
For so many years, the wines Jiang Tao gifted during the New Year were always the common wines worth three to five hundred yuan.
Giving Maotai, this was truly an unprecedented first!
"Mom~ do we have spicy boiled pork slices tonight? Itâs my husbandâs favorite; it absolutely must be on the menu!"
Xu Li affectionately clung to her momâs arm, inquiring about the dishes for the evening.
"Yes! Youâve mentioned it eight times on WeChat! How could I not make it!"
Du Yongmei averted her gaze from the Maotai box in Jiang Taoâs arms with an exasperated roll of her eyes.
"Hehe, thanks, Mom, youâre the best!"
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
Sitting on the living room sofa browsing Little Sweet Potato, Xu Sha observed her sister acting coquettishly with their mom, utterly speechless!
It was hard to believe this was a thirty-year-old woman behaving so childishly, like a three-year-old!
"Happy New Year, Mom."
Jiang Tao smiled as he greeted Du Yongmei.
Even though he knew his mother-in-law wasnât particularly fond of him, she was still Xu Liâs mom.
Jiang Tao always treated Du Yongmei with respect, never overstepping boundaries.
"Hmm."
"Xiao Xue, your Aunt bought lots of yummy treats earlier, come, Grandma will take you to get some."
Du Yongmei simply acknowledged Jiang Tao with a hum, then removed her apron, taking Jiang Xueâs hand to raid Xu Shaâs snack stash.
"Mom! No! Xiao Xue, come, Auntie will take you to buy new ones. Kids shouldnât eat adult snacks; theyâre not healthy!"
Seeing her snack stash about to be raided, Xu Sha sprang up from the sofa as if on springs.
She hurriedly grabbed Jiang Xueâs hand and whisked her out, all the while never sparing her brother-in-law Jiang Tao a glance.
After a few pleasantries, Old Xu and Jiang Tao headed to the living roomâs tea table for some tea.
Meanwhile, Xu Li mysteriously pulled her mom into the bedroom.
"Mom, this is from my husband for you."
Once inside, Xu Li handed a bulging red envelope from her pocket to her mom.
"This is..."
As soon as Du Yongmei felt the thickness, she knew how much it was, her face showing surprise.
"My husband said itâs not right to get Dad cigarettes and liquor without getting you anything."
"So heâs giving you a red envelope, so you can buy whatever you like."
"Hehe, isnât my husband thoughtful?"
Xu Li wrapped her arms around her momâs waist, resting her head on her momâs shoulder, boosting Jiang Taoâs image to her mom.
"Well, he sure is thoughtful, with the Maotai, the Zhonghua, and now this hefty red envelope. Did he make a fortune this year?"
This year, Du Yongmei was indeed seeing Jiang Tao in a new light.
"My husband had a good year, or rather, it would be more accurate to say he has a keen eye!"
"Not long ago, he and some friends ventured into sugar oranges; you would never guess how much he made."
At the mention of her husbandâs lucrative projects, Xu Liâs eyes sparkled with admiration.
Du Yongmei said, "How much could he make selling sugar oranges? A hundred thousand at most, right?"
"750,000! In just about ten days, my husband made 750,000! Hehe! Do you think my husbandâs capable?"
Talking about the money Jiang Tao made from the sugar orange project, Xu Liâs face glowed with pride.
"How much?"
Du Yongmei was stunned, her expression asking if it was really 750,000, not 75,000.
"When he spotted the business opportunity, he decisively invested 250,000, and ended up netting 750,000!"
"Come on, praise my husband; after being together for so many years, Iâve never heard you praise him!"
"Now with such a big achievement, isnât it time for some compliments?"
Xu Li shook her momâs arm, lobbying for praise for her husband.
"Well... that is quite impressive."
At this moment, Du Yongmeiâs regard for Jiang Tao rose yet again.
Whether itâs luck or foresight,
being able to make 750,000 in such a short time takes skill!
The familyâs savings from many years only amounted to about a million.
Xu Li continued, "And Mom, let me tell you another even more stunningly explosive piece of news!"
"How explosive can it be? Look at how excited you are, acting like a girl whoâs never seen the world, even at your age."
Despite her face showing disdain, Du Yongmei felt quite amused.
Every time her elder daughter showered her with affection, she felt ten years younger.
Xu Li joyfully said, "My husband did a favor for a big boss, and the boss gifted him a Mercedes-Benz GLS! Worth over a million!"
"A Mercedes over a million! Are you saying someone gifted Jiang Tao a Mercedes over a million?"
Du Yongmei was once again shocked, in disbelief.
In just a few minutes, Jiang Tao had given her one surprise after another.
Xu Li chuckled, "Yes, yes, the car is downstairs, Iâll take you for a drive when we have some time."
"What did Jiang Tao do for them to deserve such an expensive car? Those bosses sure are generous."
Du Yongmei couldnât figure it out, and started to worry that Jiang Tao might have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
"That big boss is the president of a large mall chain in Beijing; I even spoke to her on the phone, sheâs definitely not a bad person."
"And, you know my husband, he wouldnât do anything illegal."
"Thatâs true..."
Du Yongmei nodded, deciding to stop inquiring further.
Her son-in-lawâs mid-life rise was something she, as a mother-in-law, was happy to see.
It seemed her precious elder daughter was finally seeing the end of her struggles; it was a good thing!
The mother and daughter chatted away in the room for over an hour.
Xu Li proudly showed her mom the new phone and gold bracelet Jiang Tao had gifted her.
Seeing her elder daughter so happy and fulfilled, Du Yongmei suddenly admired her elder daughterâs judgment.
When she first married Jiang Tao, they barely had anything, poor as can be.
Not to mention a house in the city, they didnât even own one in the village, living with parents and a sister.
Only this year did they finally build a new home, giving the young couple a place to call their own.
"As they say, a change of house brings prosperity, Lili, you and Jiang Tao building a house in the village was a great move."
"Living in a new house must have changed your luck, bringing prosperous stars, which is why Jiang Tao had such wealth this year."
Du Yongmei thought and thought, eventually attributing Jiang Taoâs unbelievable fortune this past year to the mystical forces.