Daily Intelligence System: Financial Independence-Chapter 52: My Husband’s Luck Has Been Pretty Good Lately! (Happy New Year)
Ping County, Jiang Family Manor, inside a brand new 180-square-meter house.
It was the chill of winter outside, but warm as spring inside.
The room temperature wasn’t any worse than the centralized heating in the city.
From the layout design to the style of decoration and the chosen finishes—
Custom-made wardrobes throughout, curtains, and appliances.
This new home, from nothing to everything, took a lot of Xu Li’s efforts.
For this house she designed herself, Xu Li was satisfied and really liked it.
Living in the village, things like food, clothing, housing, and transportation are actually pretty good.
In all aspects, it’s not much different from the city, and prices are even cheaper.
Meituan delivery, Pinduoduo groceries, and all sorts of couriers can deliver right to the supermarket at the village entrance.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, there are always all kinds of seasonal veggies from their own gardens.
The only thing that’s somewhat lacking is education—compared to the city, it’s way behind.
When Jiang Tao was little, Jiang Family Manor Primary School was still a full elementary school.
There were plenty of students, grades one through six, with two or three dozen kids per class.
But in the past twenty years or so, student numbers at the school kept dropping.
Until last year, the whole school had less than twenty students and teachers combined.
Jiang Family Manor Primary School was then merged directly into a neighboring village by the education bureau.
Even merged together, each grade only had seven or eight, maybe ten or so students.
Not enough to make up a standard class at all.
This year, Jiang Xue is still in kindergarten; next September, she’ll be starting first grade.
Xu Li and Jiang Tao plan to let Jiang Xue attend East Street Second Primary School, allocated to her grandma’s area, when the time comes.
It’s not the easiest thing to manage, but it can be done.
Xu Li’s cousin Xu Kai works at the county education bureau, and cousin-in-law Gao Yunting is the vice principal at East Street Second Primary School.
Jiang Family Manor is just over two kilometers from East Street Second Primary, so there’s no need to rent a place in town for school, let alone buy a house.
That’s why the couple decided to build a house in the village in the first place.
When Xu Li got up, she put on a pair of light pink pajamas with cute bears and went to the kitchen to make Jiang Xue her favorite stuffed pancake.
She also used the milk pot to heat up a catty of fresh milk.
Once breakfast was ready, she went and pulled Jiang Xue out of her warm, cozy bed.
While Jiang Xue ate breakfast, Xu Li called Sun Na on her phone.
She told Sun Na, from start to finish, about what Jiang Tao had told her that morning.
"Old Jiang from your family dreamed I won third prize? How much is the third prize?"
On the other end, Sun Na found what Xu Li said pretty amusing.
Xu Li, having some bread, said, "Third prize is a flat 3,000 yuan."
"Hahaha... I’ve got that kind of luck?"
"Then if I play a hundred times that ticket, does that make me an instant billionaire?"
It was clear Sun Na didn’t take Xu Li’s words seriously.
Xu Li said, "My husband told me not to get greedy, max ten times, and you too; if we do it too many times, his dream won’t work."
"Listen to you—like it’s real—it’s just a dream! How could it be that accurate!"
"I’ve already sent you the ticket photo. If you want to play, you do it yourself. I’m not wasting that money."
"Darling, I have to go to work now, gotta hang up, we’ll talk tonight."
"Nana, you’re really not betting? My husband’s luck has been pretty strong lately."
"No, not betting. I don’t believe in that stuff~ Bye-bye, wish you and Xiao Xue a wonderful day!"
On the other end, Sun Na finished and hung up the video call.
With lottery stuff, Xu Li didn’t want to push any more.
If you win, it’s great, but if not, it’s money down the drain.
Actually, she knew the lottery was all luck and superstition anyway.
If something is meant to be yours, it’ll come; if not, no use chasing it.
So many lottery fans have dreamt of winning.
But how could your own dreams change reality?
When Jiang Xue finished her stuffed pancake, the two of them each drank half a catty of milk.
After quickly washing up, Xu Li took Jiang Xue to Ping County town on her e-scooter.
She went straight to her usual lottery shop and bought Sun Na’s random 5-entry, 10-yuan ticket, playing it ten times over, spending 100 yuan in all.
After that, Xu Li drove her e-scooter, with Jiang Xue, towards grandma’s house.
"Mommy, when is Daddy coming home? I haven’t seen him in ages, I really miss him."
On the back seat, Jiang Xue, wearing a pink kiddie helmet, hugged her mom’s waist and asked in her little voice.
"Soon, Daddy said he’ll be home in five or six days, and then he’ll take Xiao Xue to the amusement park and zoo, okay?"
"I really miss him."
"Mommy misses him too~"
...
Beijing.
After cashing in the 20,000 yuan scratch-off win, Jiang Tao was going to continue wandering around.
Widen his radius, visit more spots.
The more places he went, the more likely he’d pick up some high-value intel.
But while waiting for the bus, he got a call from his landlord, Brother Lü Qian.
Lü Qian asked him to help Ma Dongmei move and haul some things.
"Of course, Brother Lü! Are you and Sister Ma about to start the sweet life of living together?"
When Jiang Tao saw Lü Qian waiting for him at the place where he parked his truck, he joked and teased him.
Today was yet another day of Lü Qian cosplaying Xu Wenqiang. No one shone flashier than him on the street.
"Hahaha, not yet, not yet~"
"Xiao Mei rents a place out in Bai Gezhuang, conditions there are much worse than ours."
"I just had a tenant move out of my place, so it’s perfect for her."
"Come on, Xiao Jiang, Xiao Mei is already waiting there, let’s go."
As Lü Qian spoke, his face glowed with happiness, just like a boy in love.
"Proximity is key, Brother Lü, you’re a genius!"
Jiang Tao grinned and gave Lü Qian a thumbs-up.
"You and your big mouth! C’mon, here’s a pack of smokes to shut you up."
Lü Qian smiled, pulled out an unopened pack of Huazi cigarettes, took one for himself and handed the rest to Jiang Tao.
"Alrighty! Bai Gezhuang, right? I know the place. Brother Lü, get in!"
Jiang Tao didn’t stand on ceremony, took the pack of smokes, lit one up, and tucked the rest straight in his pocket.
The two of them got in the truck and Jiang Tao headed off toward Bai Gezhuang.
After ten minutes or so, the truck reached the old site of Bai Gezhuang Village.
This area is already being cleared for redevelopment—they started moving people out three or four years ago.
The whole village was full of broken walls left by excavators.
Only seven or eight "nail houses" were still standing, stuck out alone amidst the ruins.
Ma Dongmei was renting in one of those nail house apartments.
Conditions here really were way worse than over at Xiaoshanhe.
Under Lü Qian’s direction, Jiang Tao parked the truck downstairs and met up with Ma Dongmei, who was already waiting.
Ma Dongmei was wearing a long, brown puffer coat, her graying hair all neatly done up.
She didn’t talk much, but always had a warm, comforting smile on her face.
When she saw Jiang Tao, Ma Dongmei smiled and waved hello.
She had a great impression of Jiang Tao, and was grateful he introduced her to Lü Qian.
Lü Qian, when seeing Ma Dongmei, never stopped smiling.
He gestured and waved, then called Jiang Tao to come with him into the building.
Even though the building was pretty run-down—dark and damp—
Ma Dongmei’s place, like herself, was neat and tidy, spotlessly clean.
She’d lived there for over ten years, but didn’t have much stuff.
The three of them cleared out all her belongings in one go.
Once everything was moved, Lü Qian called her old landlord to say she was moving out.
In this kind of shabby old dorm, landlords never even bother to check when someone moves out—no need for any formal inspection.
After the call, Jiang Tao drove Lü Qian and Ma Dongmei back to Lü Qian’s little house at Xiaoshanhe.
Jiang Tao helped carry all the things up to a sunny room on the first floor.
Busy work, the whole morning flew by.
At noon, Lü Qian treated Jiang Tao and Ma Dongmei to a meal at a small restaurant in the urban village.
First, to thank Jiang Tao for his help that morning, and second, to celebrate Ma Dongmei’s new home.
While eating, Lü Qian stuffed 1,000 yuan as a labor fee into Jiang Tao’s hands.
If you refuse, that means you look down on your Brother Lü!
