The property transaction is complete.
It was already 11:38 in the morning.
Jiang Tao took Old LĂŒ and the others to Brother Fattyâs Seafood Barbecue in the center of Xiaoshanhe Village for lunch.
Back when he first bonded with the system,
Jiang Tao spent just a few hundred yuan here to buy a coconut snail, and ended up getting a Meile Pearl worth 120,000.
This place could be considered one of the sources of his fortune.
Back then, 120,000 was an absolute fortune to himâit instantly paid off all his familyâs debts.
Now, 120,000 means nothing to him anymore.
Even if he spends every day lying around doing nothing,
the Wealth-Attracting Golden Toad, Money Breeds Money, Platinum Butterfly Carp, and Beiqi EU5âthese special itemsâstill automatically hand him 40,000 yuan in pocket money every day.
These days, you could say that Jiang Tao has already achieved financial freedom ahead of time, in a way.
"Director Tian, Uncle LĂŒ, you both came together."
"Please come in, come in, Iâll take you all upstairs to a private room!"
The restaurant ownerâs wife also knew LĂŒ Qian and Director Tian.
When she saw them, she enthusiastically led everyone up to a private room upstairs.
"Director Tian, Brother LĂŒ, Aunt Ma, Sister Sun, order whatever you feel like eating, no need to be polite."
After everyone sat down at the table, Jiang Tao smiled and greeted them.
"Donât worry, weâre definitely not going to hold back with you!"
"Xiao Zhu, start us off with 50 lamb skewers and 4 grilled kidneys. Some river snails, edamame, peanutsâbring those too."
"And letâs get a large portion of spicy hotpot with duck blood and clams, 20 oysters to start."
"Bring two jin each of green prawns, mantis shrimp, and crayfish."
LĂŒ Qian really didnât bother being polite with Jiang Tao, just grabbed the menu and started ordering non-stop.
Director Tianâs full name was Tian Jianhui, a middle-aged man in his early forties, a bit on the chubby side.
Since it was his first meal with Jiang Tao, Tian Jianhui was quite reserved and just ordered two simple dishes.
Ma Dongmei and Sun Xiangxiang declined back and forth several timesâneither of them ordered anything, so in the end Jiang Tao added some more dishes himself.
He waved his hand and added eight signature seafood barbecue dishes, plus a coconut snail costing over 400 and a case of Feitian Maotai liquor.
Although Tian Jianhui and LĂŒ Qianâs financial situations werenât bad,
both being Beijing locals with inherited property and some savings,
a coconut snail costing over 800 and a bottle of Feitian Maotai at over 2,000 each were a bit "over the top" even for them.
Jiang Taoâs bold and generous nature instantly won Tian Jianhuiâs favor; he felt respected and valued.
After some small talk, several waiters started bringing in large trays and blasters full of food.
All the dishes they ordered quickly filled the table to the brim.
With Brother LĂŒ acting as the lively moderator, Jiang Tao and Tian Jianhui quickly hit it off and started calling each other "brother."
"Itâs truly an honor to meet a young and promising talent like Younger Brother Jiang today,"
Although Tian Jianhui was flattering him a bit, he genuinely took Jiang Tao seriously as a little brother.
After signing the contract, Jiang Tao didnât hesitate to transfer 2.1 million yuan to Sun Xiangxiang.
Then, with that Benz car key casually tossed on the table,
among the people Tian Jianhui knew, Jiang Taoâs capabilities definitely ranked in the top tenâsomeone well worth getting to know.
"Brother Tian, youâre being too generous. Thanks for all your help today. Letâs have another drink, just us brothers."
"Great! I really like working with straightforward people like you, Younger Brother Jiang!"
As he spoke, Jiang Tao grinned and raised his glass, toasting again with Tian Jianhuiâboth downing another drink together.
By now Jiang Taoâs constitution was up to 132 points, far beyond the normal human limit.
Alcohol basically had almost no effect on his body anymore.
Drinking 53-degree Feitian Maotai was like drinking waterâhe didnât feel a thing.
These days, only the wine in his [Jade Dew] bottle could let him taste even a hint of alcoholâs flavor.
This meal started around noon and lasted all the way until about 1:30 in the afternoon.
The atmosphere at the table was very harmonious.
The meal drew Jiang Tao and Tian Jianhui closer, and they added each other as friends.
Although Tian Jianhui was just a villager cadre in a city village,
at times, he could play a key roleâhe was a valuable network connection.
After eating and drinking his fill, Jiang Tao went downstairs and paid over 10,000 yuan for the meal.
Of course, most of todayâs bill was for the drinks.
That case of Feitian Maotai that the three of them polished off cost more than 10,000 alone.
But this kind of money meant nothing to Jiang Tao now.
Besides, the house he bought from Sun Xiangxiang had appreciated 1,000% in value.
When the price went up and he flipped it, todayâs meal wouldnât even amount to a drop in the bucket compared to the profit heâd make.
"Younger Brother Jiang, thanks for your hospitality at lunch today. Next time, itâs on me!"
After the meal, a slightly tipsy Tian Jianhui threw his arm over Jiang Taoâs shoulder in a show of deep camaraderie.
"Sure, letâs find another time when you, Brother Tian, and Brother LĂŒ are free."
Jiang Tao himself had drunk more than three bottles, but he looked the most sober and unaffected among the three.
"Yes, and Uncle LĂŒ, heâs got to join us too! Uncle LĂŒ, you shouldâve introduced me to Younger Brother Jiang sooner!"
Tian Jianhui turned to LĂŒ Qian, his speech slurring a bit.
"Heh, this oneâs on me, your uncle. I admit it,"
LĂŒ Qian acknowledged out loud, but inwardly he didnât care that much.
Jiang Tao had rented from him for seven or eight years, and in the first six or seven, he was just an ordinary, couldnât-be-more-average truck driver.