After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

By the time I returned to the small courtyard with the word "demolish" written in large characters on the wall, it was already completely dark.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard a greeting, "Old Gong, you're back early today. Who's this?"

The one who greeted me was Old Niu, who shared the courtyard with me.

"It's almost eight o'clock, it's getting late."

Old Niu clicked his tongue twice. "Indeed, he usually doesn't get back until nine or ten. How about today, did you get some easy work, coming back so early?"

Gong Yuelong shook the bag in his hand.

"I ran into a young woman assembling furniture; she's doing a decent job. Haven't eaten yet? Perfect timing, let's get something good to eat."

Old Niu used to run a small business, but his wife got sick, and he lost all his capital and his wife. He was left with two children, so he had to go out to work. Luckily, he knew some bricklaying skills.

He was even more surprised when he saw the meat and tofu: Had the sun risen in the west? He was usually so frugal that he barely had enough money to save for his daughter's toys, but today he was unusually going to treat her to something nice!

Old Niu sighed inwardly. He knew everything about Gong Yuelong's affairs.

His debt was both unjust and deserved. Unjust because the developer absconded, leaving him, the general contractor, to take the fall; deserved because he had expanded too much initially and ignored all advice.

What's most puzzling is his divorce. It wasn't that the feelings were gone; he insisted on the divorce—just to give his wife and children all the remaining savings and the house, so that his debt of over four million yuan wouldn't burden them.

He was a real man: "I'll take the debt; I can't let Duoduo suffer."

But things in this world don't always go as planned.

The marriage is over, the assets have been cleared, and the creditors can no longer find the ex-wife.

Gong Yuelong was determined to turn his life around and reunite his family. But less than six months later, news came that his ex-wife had taken their daughter, Duoduo, and gone to work for a government official with a stable job.

Old Niu was choked with anger when he heard this. While they were risking their lives to protect their property, they had already found a new buyer.

He sighed:

"Old Gong, why are you doing this to yourself? Earning money isn't easy. Don't always mistreat yourself, eating nothing but steamed buns and pickled vegetables all day. What if you ruin your health?"

Considering that Gong Yuelong often saved his own food rations and occasionally helped him with a meal, Lao Niu rarely offered more words of advice.

Gong Yuelong grinned: "Old Niu, debts have to be repaid little by little, and life has to be lived one day at a time. We've had good luck today, so we should treat ourselves."

"You've really come to this realization?" Old Niu asked, half-believing.

He had advised Gong Yuelong more than once not to work too hard. In the past, he would just smoke silently, treating paying off his debts as his lifeblood, as if he were possessed.

"Well, the girl assembling the furniture today was very helpful, and the payment was reasonable." Gong Yuelong didn't specify the exact amount.

"A young lady?" Upon hearing this, Lao Niu looked at Gong Yuelong. With a straight nose, he was actually a rather handsome young man.

His tone was tinged with bitterness: "You're lucky, it seems a young girl has taken a liking to you. I'm too old for that, I'm afraid it's too late for an old man like me to meet a young girl."

Old Niu's words, though seemingly accidental, actually make some sense!

Yes, even if you clean up your face, your true appearance is still there.

The effect of today's tidying up is obvious, isn't it? He could feel the pleasing and reassured look in the girl's eyes right then and there.

I'm also grateful for the system notification, which is why I thought of going to the tap to wash my face so carefully.

That eight hundred dollars... this meal of meat... even the little profit that might be squeezed out from the Gold Coast in the future... all originated from that crucial prompt from the system.

Thinking of this, Gong Yuelong grinned and said to the old ox:

"You know what, the girl really likes me! Haha."

Widow Qin emerged from the next door, her hair loosely tied up, her eyes bright and lively, her voice crisp and clear:

"Hey, Brother Gong, you're having a nice day today, shall I join in?"

Old Niu chuckled and teased in a low voice:

"Sister Qin, you're really showing favoritism. I, Old Niu, pass by your door every day, and I've never seen you offer me a hot meal."

Widow Qin twisted her waist and raised her hand as if to slap him: "Get lost! Brother Gong is a man who has done great things and suffered great hardships. How can you compare to him?"

If you ever find yourself carrying millions in debt and still stand tall without collapsing, I'll bring you steamed buns every day, as many as you want!

Old Niu wasn't annoyed by the rebuke; instead, he laughed. "Did you hear that, Brother Gong? We're benefiting from your fame. Sister Qin has you in her eyes, and we're getting honored too!"

He then turned to Widow Qin, rubbing his hands together and laughing:

"Sister Qin, well... Brother Gong really had some luck today, he earned eight hundred this morning!"

Widow Qin glanced at the vegetables in Gong Yuelong's hands. "Here, give them to me, I'll go get you some more vegetables!"

Widow Qin is a very good cook and is famous among the tenants in this area, but most people don't know her name.

Gong Yuelong nodded to Widow Qin, "Thanks, Sister Qin."

He neither refused nor showed any particular enthusiasm, maintaining his usual politeness.

Women are too dangerous.

Widow Qin smiled and said, "Alright. Go wash your face first. Look how dirty your face is. The dishes will probably be ready by the time you're done washing your face." With that, she turned and went back into the house.

Old Niu moved closer to Gong Yuelong, offered him a cigarette, lit one for himself, exhaled a smoke ring, and sighed:

"Sister Qin... she's really good at handling things. She treats you quite differently."

Gong Yuelong didn't respond. He wasn't exactly moved, but he was also clearly aware that:

In this society, personal connections are the most valuable currency. Used well, they are a ladder to climb higher; used poorly, they are a noose around one's neck.

Now, he has to carefully weigh every relationship, holding on tightly to those that should be held onto and avoiding those that should be avoided.

He went back to his room.

Eight hundred yuan.

The number rolled around in his mind.

Five years ago, that would have been just the cost of a meal, not even enough to give a red envelope to a leader.

But now, in this compound, in the eyes of the tenants around who struggle to survive by doing odd jobs and earning three to five thousand yuan a month, earning eight hundred yuan a day is a number that can make people's hearts race with envy.

When good things happen, one should be in high spirits.

Within a day, the system was activated, the intelligence came true, and I actually got 800 dollars, and even got a piece of the gold coast project.

Compared to the days I spent waiting at the labor market without any prospects, worrying about where my next meal would come from, today feels like I've stepped on a lucky cloud.

He opened his phone, glanced at his balance: 865.5 yuan.

He thought to himself, "Gong Yuelong, Gong Yuelong, eight hundred yuan and you're already out of your mind?"

You still have 4.2 million yuan in debt, and your daughter Duoduo's tuition alone costs more than that per year.

Yes, today is a good start, much better than expected.

But they are still a long way from turning things around.

Excitement is possible, but it can only last for a moment.

More importantly, it should be about calmness, calculation, and how to use this lucky first pot of gold and that intelligence system...

I broke it apart, crushed it, and figured out how to use it to pry open the next crack, how to make it produce more eight hundred pieces, or even eight thousand or eighty thousand.

The road ahead is long, and the debt is like a mountain; we've only just begun.

Since things have come to this, let's have a meal first.

Widow Qin's skills were as good as her figure.