Financial freedom starts with the daily intelligence system!

Xu Li and Jiang Xue were visiting her father-in-law's house.

Xu Sha drove Jiang Tao and her father to the Qi San Reservoir again.

"Sasha, go have fun. We'll call you whenever we want to go back."

"Here's some pocket money. Go to the mall and see if there are any clothes you like."

After Jiang Tao got out of the car, he took out a wad of cash from his handbag without even looking at it and handed it to Xu Sha.

"Thank you, brother-in-law! Hehe~ My brother-in-law is so generous!"

Xu Sha didn't stand on ceremony with her brother-in-law, sweetly calling him "brother-in-law" and taking the cash from Jiang Tao's hand.

Xu Sha was a little surprised that her brother-in-law had been frequently taking out large sums of cash lately, but she didn't think much of it.

Whether it's cash or mobile transfer, it can be used for consumption and buying things, that's good money!

As the saying goes, it doesn't matter if a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat!
"You silly girl, now you know how good your brother-in-law is to you, right?"

Xu Wencheng looked at his second daughter with a smile, seeing that she and his eldest son-in-law had improved their relationship and were getting along well.

He, as both a father and father-in-law, felt extremely gratified.

"Hehe, of course I know, my brother-in-law is the best brother-in-law in the world~"

Xu Sha smiled sweetly, her eyes filled with both affection and admiration as she looked at Jiang Tao.

Jiang Tao arranged a high-paying job for her and would give her pocket money from time to time, just like today.

Her attitude towards her brother-in-law Jiang Tao has now completely changed 180 degrees!
The more indifferent they were before, the more they like me now.

Jiang Tao also knew that his sister-in-law's change in attitude towards him was mostly due to her "money power".

As for personal charisma, I believe I possess it.

But deep down he wasn't actually averse to it.

After all, she is his wife's younger sister, his own sister-in-law.

And their "money power" will not disappear; it will only grow stronger in the future.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Xu Sha drove her G-Wagon back to the county town.

Jiang Tao and Xu Wencheng went to the reservoir management office and paid 240 yuan for the pit space.

Xu Wencheng first took his fishing gear to find a place to prop up his rod.

Jiang Tao's eyes gleamed as he looked at the small boat his boss was using to spread feed on the reservoir bank.

"Boss, can I borrow your boat for a spin?"

As Jiang Tao spoke, he pulled out a packet of Da Tian Ye from his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper with a smile.

"Can you drive a boat? How about I give you a ride around?"

The reservoir's owner is named He Qiang, a villager from Hejiazhuang, a village near the reservoir.

He Qiang feeds the fish at the reservoir year-round, and he also enjoys fishing.

Exposed to the wind and sun for a long time, his whole body became dark and looked like a black person from Africa.

Just by looking at the color of their skin, you can tell that their "fishing spot" is definitely not low.

Jiang Tao has visited the Qi San Reservoir several times in the past two days, and He Qiang also remembers him.

As He Qiang spoke, he took a cigarette from Jiang Tao's cigarette case and then handed the case back to Jiang Tao.

Jiang Tao smiled and pushed He Qiang's hand back, saying with a laugh:
"Boss, keep it for yourself. I still have some. I just want to experience what it's like to drive a boat. If you drive me, how am I supposed to experience it?"

"This thing is no joke. If you don't know how to drive it, you might accidentally fall into the water."

Can you swim?

He Qiang was also a long-time smoker, so he naturally knew that a box of Da Tian Ye cigarettes cost around a hundred yuan.

He accepted Jiang Tao's cigarette without making a sound, and his tone became even more polite.

"Haha, to be honest, boss, I grew up by the river. Swimming in the water is just like walking on the road."

"My friends call me 'White Streak in the Waves,' because I can dive twenty or thirty meters in one go like it's nothing."

Jiang Tao's words were certainly exaggerated.

He said this in order to gain the boss's full trust.

After all, it is risky for a novice who has never sailed a boat before to take it out on a lake.

If something goes wrong, the boss will also be held responsible.

It's better to avoid trouble than to cause trouble; the boss doesn't want to create problems for himself.

Therefore, even though he had a good impression of Jiang Tao, he wasn't entirely at ease with him, and his answer wasn't very straightforward.

"Here's what I'll do, boss. I'll give you another 500 yuan. Let me experience it for a bit. Also, whatever happens, it's none of your business."

"Before going into the water, we can find other anglers to testify, or you can record the conversation as evidence."

Seeing that his boss wasn't entirely willing, Jiang Tao had no choice but to raise the price again.

For that auspicious ingot worth over 60 yuan, spending this little bit of money is nothing.

Sure enough, the boss was overjoyed when he heard that Jiang Tao was willing to pay 500 yuan to experience driving a boat!
With 500 yuan practically handed to me, there's no reason not to eat it!

"Alright then! But young man, before we set sail, could you give me a written agreement?"

"It's not that I'm cursing you, brother, but it's always better to be safe than sorry."

He Qiang looked at Jiang Tao and made his final request.

Jiang Tao laughed and said, "Okay! No problem! I know, I understand without you having to tell me, where shall we write it?"

"Go to my office over there and write it."

He Qiang pointed to a blue container-shaped metal house not far away.

"Row!"

After Jiang Tao nodded in agreement, he followed He Qiang to the office and wrote a guarantee that resembled a letter of responsibility.

The message stated that he would take full responsibility for all consequences arising from his experience of sailing the boat, and that He Qiang would have no involvement whatsoever.

After writing the guarantee, the two signed their names and pressed their fingerprints on it.

Jiang Tao readily added He Qiang on WeChat and transferred 500 yuan to him.

The liability waiver was signed, and the transfer was received.

He Qiang led Jiang Tao down to the riverbank and onto the feed-spreading boat that he usually used.

The small boat has a diesel generator at its stern.

He Qiang gave Jiang Tao a brief explanation of the boat-driving techniques.

Jiang Tao learned quickly, and it wasn't as difficult as he had imagined.

Buzzing, buzzing—

After learning a few basic fishing boat driving techniques, Jiang Tao started the engine and steered the boat toward the center of the reservoir.

In order to avoid attracting the attention of the fishermen on the riverbank, Jiang Tao first steered his boat around the lake erratically for more than half an hour.

I also got to experience the thrill of sailing a boat.

After half an hour, his boat-driving skills improved significantly.

At first, He Qiang was a little worried and kept watching Jiang Tao from the shore.

After watching for more than twenty minutes and seeing that Jiang Tao's skills were becoming more and more proficient, he finally felt relieved and turned to leave.

After a while, Jiang Tao steered the fishing boat toward the location where the red dot was flashing on his retina.

Soon, Jiang Tao arrived at the location where the panoramic map on his retina overlapped with the location of the flashing red dot.

The target object is 38 meters directly below you. No third-party observation has been observed. Do you wish to immediately spend 6666 yuan to retrieve it?

Seeing the price of acquiring the auspicious ingots this time, Jiang Tao wasn't too bothered.

For just over 6000 yuan, you can acquire a lucky charm worth over 60 yuan, which is almost a hundredfold return!

"Yes!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Tao chose to pay to retrieve the items.

At a depth of 38 meters, he couldn't salvage it himself even if he wanted to; he couldn't save the money.

[Deducting payment, please wait...] [Deduction complete, retrieving item, please wait...]

[Item retrieved successfully!]

I saw the third notification message appear on my retina.

Jiang Tao suddenly felt that something had appeared in his pocket.

When I reached in, it felt icy cold and hard.

Upon closer inspection, it was a silver ingot about the size of an egg, pitted and uneven, with some black streaks in its silver color.

This silver ingot is quite different from the ordinary silver ingots seen in period dramas.

It actually had a couplet engraved on it.

On the right is: The Wealth-Bringing Boy Arrives.

On the left is: "The God of Prosperity Arrives".

Horizontal scroll: Heavenly Official Bestows Blessings.

Jiang Tao learned through research that this auspicious ingot is also called "auspicious ingot for opening the furnace".

In the past, when silver furnaces were being opened to cast silver ingots, a few auspicious ingots would be cast first, for good luck.

These auspicious ingots usually end up in the hands of high-ranking officials and nobles, and are not circulated in the market.

The auspicious ingots are not only of high purity, but their casting process is also more exquisite than that of ordinary circulating silver ingots.

To put it bluntly, it's similar to those collectible coins that banks are currently withdrawing from circulation.

It will not circulate in the market, but it has a high collectible value.

These auspicious ingots, due to their rarity and the auspicious meanings of their inscriptions, were often regarded as treasures to ward off evil spirits by wealthy families.

One of them was sold at auction before for over 60 yuan.

The auspicious ingot in Jiang Tao's hand was valued at 60 yuan by Tongzi Ge, and there is a basis for this assessment.

"60 yuan secured, operation successfully completed!"

Jiang Tao carefully examined the auspicious ingot in his hand for a while, then restarted the engine on the small boat, turned the bow around, and headed towards the shore.

Buzzing, buzzing—

The feed boat quickly docked. Jiang Tao jumped off the boat, told the boss, and then went to meet up with his father-in-law who was fishing.

"Wow! Dad, that's a great catch! You've caught quite a lot!"

"The boss would probably cry himself to death if he saw this."

When Jiang Tao found his father-in-law, he noticed five fish thrashing about in a red bucket at his feet, and he smiled and praised him.

It takes him about an hour to sail out of the lake and retrieve the auspicious ingots.

My father-in-law's results are quite impressive!
"Hehe, Jiang Tao, this lucky charm bracelet you gave me is really effective!"

"Since I started wearing this, I've noticed my luck has improved so much!"

Xu Wencheng smiled and looked at Jiang Tao, raising his hand to show off the bracelet on his wrist that Jiang Tao had made from river stones.

"Luck is only part of getting a good item; you also need to have excellent skills!"

As Jiang Tao sat down at the fishing spot next to his father-in-law, he smiled and praised him again.

Whether man or woman, old or child, everyone likes to hear others praise them.

A single compliment can provide immense emotional value to someone.

Therefore, Jiang Tao is never stingy with praising others.

Praising someone only costs you a little saliva and a bit of talking.

It can provide emotional value to others and gain their favor, which is still worthwhile.

"Haha! Dad loves to hear that! Say it more often!"

Old Xu was overjoyed by his eldest son-in-law's praise, and his old face beamed with joy.

"Hey Dad, what kind of fish is this? Why does it look like that?"

Jiang Tao didn't see it clearly when he first came over, but after walking into the bucket, he discovered that there was a small, beautiful white fish inside.

"Haha, you mean the white one? That's called Platinum Butterfly Koi, it's a type of albino koi."

"It's still small now, so you can't see anything yet. But when it grows up and opens up, it will be truly beautiful."

Xu Wencheng knew which line Jiang Tao was talking about without even turning around.

That platinum butterfly koi still stands out when placed next to a regular koi.

This was also the first time he had ever caught this kind of fish.

If it were a few years ago when the market was good, these albino mutant fish could have sold for several thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan!

The popularity of mutated ornamental fish has cooled down, and they are no longer valuable.

The one Xu Wencheng caught today is worth at most a hundred or two hundred yuan, and even then, it's not certain anyone will buy it.

"Platinum Butterfly Koi? That's a nice name."

Jiang Tao squatted down beside the bucket and poked the white fish with a blade of grass, causing the fish to thrash and jump around again.

"This fish has a wider tail fin than ordinary carp. When it grows up, its tail fin spreads out like butterfly wings."

"When it swims in the water, its tail fin floats like a light veil, which is quite beautiful."

Xu Wencheng smiled and introduced his spoils to his son-in-law.

Jiang Tao asked jokingly:

"This thing should be worth more than a regular fish, right? Have we made back our spot fees?"

Xu Wencheng smiled happily:
"Haha, these things used to be quite valuable, but not anymore. They can only sell for a few hundred yuan at most. We've definitely made back our slot fees."

Jiang Tao asked curiously, "How come such beautiful fish are worthless?"

"Although these platinum butterfly koi are beautiful, they are also very delicate, and the difficulty of raising them is proportional to their beauty."

Xu Wencheng explained with a smile, "If the water temperature is below 22 degrees Celsius, it is prone to catching a cold, congestion, or even developing tail rot, which directly renders it unworthy of being admired."

"To keep it healthy, the temperature must be kept between 22 and 29 degrees Celsius to simulate the environment of tropical fish."

"I reckon this one we caught today was released into the reservoir by that idiot."

"This isn't releasing animals, it's more like killing them. What's the temperature of the reservoir right now?"

"This platinum butterfly koi won't live more than a week before it kicks the bucket."

As Lao Xu introduced the breeding environment of the Platinum Butterfly Koi, he made a comment.

Jiang Tao laughed from the side, "Haha, now that you mention it, it is indeed a bit delicate."

"It's more than just a little."

Old Xu continued, "This thing also has very high requirements for water quality."

Even with the best nitrifying bacteria, you have to wait two or three days until the water quality stabilizes before adding them.

Jiang Tao had never raised fish before, so he only vaguely understood what his father-in-law was saying and forgot it as soon as he heard it.

The father and son chatted casually, staying by the reservoir until after 7 p.m.

As the sun set, Jiang Tao's phone rang. Xu Li was calling to ask him to come home for dinner with his father-in-law.

The 240 yuan fee for a fishing spot allows you to fish for half a day.

Old Xu plans to come back for a good fishing session after dinner to further hone his skills.

He has now joined Jiang Tao's MCN company and become a "working fisherman".

Going out fishing, once considered "not doing proper work" by his mother-in-law, has become his official profession.

Old Xu is getting more and more confident when he goes fishing now.

You can go out whenever you want and fish for as long as you want!

The mother-in-law also supported her father-in-law's work by bringing him hot water, snacks, and fruit in his thermos.

Old Xu is quite satisfied with his current life.

This is the kind of life Lao Xu should be living!
It feels like I've wasted the last few decades of my life! (End of Chapter)