Crunch, crunch...
Jiang Tao trudged home through the snow, each step deep or shallow.
He first washed his face with hot water, then poured it into another basin to soak his feet for a while.
Afterwards, he climbed into bed, snuggled under the covers, and opened his phone to find a book to read.
When he found a book he was interested in, he saved it, gave it a vote, and left a comment.
By doing this, he could boost the book's stats a little, which could help the author get better recommendations.
This way, the author could write more passionately, and he could enjoy reading more!
That's how he supported young authors on Qidian!
Soon, it was already 12 at night.
Jiang Tao closed the reading app on his phone, then opened the Intelligence System to check for new information.
[Today's Intelligence]: You had contact with He Fang yesterday and received the following intel—
He Fang is currently in the early stages of cervical cancer; the sooner it's found and treated, the better the effect!
...
"What the hell?"
Seeing the newly refreshed intel, Jiang Tao's expression suddenly turned serious.
Sister-in-law looked fine, and she actually has cervical cancer?
Seeing the word cancer, Jiang Tao felt a tightness in his chest.
Luckily, it's in the early stages!
"I need to remind Brother Wang about this tomorrow! This can't be ignored!"
"If discovered late, it could be life-threatening!"
Just like the intel showed, the sooner cervical cancer is treated, the better the effect, and it can even be cured.
The later it's discovered, the harder it is to treat, and the higher the mortality rate!
"When I make some money, I need to let mom, Xu Li, and mother-in-law, sister-in-law, all get the nine-valent vaccine!"
"This thing is really..."
"Who knew? Sister-in-law seems perfectly healthy, but just like that..."
Although there was no intel on making money today, Jiang Tao didn't feel it was a loss.
He and Wang Lianming are from the same village, have worked together for more than six years, and get along like real brothers.
He Fang also treats Jiang Tao very well.
Every time they made dumplings at their house, they would invite Jiang Tao to join them.
When steaming buns or frying meatballs, they would get Wang Lianming to bring some to Jiang Tao.
While thinking about how to remind Brother Wang tomorrow, Jiang Tao dozed off on his pillow.
At 7 a.m. the next morning.
Jiang Tao was woken up by the alarm on his phone.
Without extra information income today, Jiang Tao hesitated to splurge on sheep soup.
He simply cooked a pack of instant noodles at home, and added two poached eggs to make do.
After breakfast, he headed downstairs towards the direction of the village entrance where the vehicles were parked.
As he approached the village entrance, Jiang Tao noticed a familiar figure ahead.
Wang Lianming, Brother Wang!
Wang Lianming seemed to sense a familiar presence behind him, turned his head, and met Jiang Tao's gaze.
"Xiao Jiang, are you sneaking up for a surprise attack, following quietly without saying a word!"
Wang Lianming stopped and teased Jiang Tao with a smile.
"Haha, no, no, I was just lost in thought about something."
"What are you pondering?"
"Making money, of course! Isn't it almost New Year? Need to earn more to have a good New Year celebration!"
Wang Lianming suddenly asked, "By the way, Jiang Tao, when do you plan to go back this year?"
Jiang Tao said as he walked, "I plan for either the 27th or 28th of the lunar month, but I'll see how it goes."
Wang Lianming said, "Why not set it for the 27th, come over to my place, and we'll make dumplings!
Then we can invite Xiao Liu, Xiao Dan, Xiao Zhang, and the others to join us for some fun."
Jiang Tao readily agreed, "Sure! It's been a while since we last hung out with Xiao Liu and the gang, I'll bring the drinks!"
"Come on, man, you're treating me like a stranger, just bring yourself! Drinking at my place, no need for you to buy drinks!"
Wang Lianming knew about Jiang Tao's family's tight finances this year, so he didn't want him to spend too much money, and said while they walked:
"Oh, by the way, Jiang Tao, if you're short on cash for the New Year, I can lend you 20,000 for emergencies; just pay me back when you're able."
"..."
Hearing Wang Lianming offering to lend him money, Jiang Tao felt a warmth on this cold day.
Brother Wang is really someone you can count on!
"Thanks, Brother Wang, if I really need it, I won't be shy with you."
"That's the spirit, we're like brothers, no need to be formal."
Wang Lianming laughed and patted Jiang Tao on the shoulder, acting every bit the responsible older brother.
While chatting casually with Wang Lianming, Jiang Tao was pondering how to subtly remind him.
As they neared their trucks, Jiang Tao finally spoke up:
"By the way, Brother Wang, how's sister-in-law's health recently? Had any check-ups lately?"
"What check-ups when you're not sick or in trouble? That's just throwing money at the hospital for nothing! If we've got extra money, better to buy some fruit or meat for ourselves."
With an unconcerned look, Wang Lianming seemed not to care. If it weren't for the village pushing cooperative health insurance these couple of years, he wouldn't even bother with that.
He and his wife, He Fang, were pretty healthy, only getting a cold or fever for a few days a year, which a bit of cold medicine would fix right up.
"You can't say that, Brother Wang. Last night my wife called and told me that three of her high school classmates were diagnosed with cervical cancer one after another this year."
"One in early stage, two in late stage, it's terrifying!"
"As soon as I heard, I told her today to take my mom and her mom, along with her sister, to get a check-up. Spend a little money for some peace of mind."
In a hurry, Jiang Tao made up a story on the spot, talking with such detail that it sounded believable, showing quite a talent for fabrication.
"Damn, three in a row? Is that thing so prevalent now?"
Upon hearing Jiang Tao's words, Wang Lianming's heart skipped a beat, sending a chill through him.
It always felt like cancer was something far removed from him, without much personal impact.
Now hearing Jiang Tao say it happened so close to home, the impact was definitely different.
"Exactly! After the pandemic, everyone's constitution has weakened, and there are more diseases."
Jiang Tao continued as he walked: "From now on, I'm planning to have Xu Li and my mom do a check-up annually, just to buy some peace of mind with money!"
Though Jiang Tao was making things up, he genuinely intended for Xu Li to take both sides' parents for check-ups.
He Fang's cancer ordeal really left a significant impact on him.
Wang Lianming said, "Alright, tonight after work I'll talk to your sister-in-law, see what she thinks."
Jiang Tao gave one last reminder: "Brother Wang, it's crucial to take this seriously. Save where you can, but don't cut costs where you shouldn't."
"Alright, alright, this time I'll listen to you. I'm off to work now."
Wang Lianming laughed, patting Jiang Tao on the shoulder and striding briskly towards his truck.
"Brother Wang, I can only remind you this much, hope sister-in-law stays safe and sound!"
Jiang Tao sighed, turned around, and got onto his own truck, beginning another day of the grind.
Jiang Tao's luck wasn't too bad today.
He earned more than 700 yuan after a day's work.
After deducting fuel and vehicle wear and tear, there was nearly 500 yuan in pure profit!
"Damn it, out of gas again."
At the end of the workday, Jiang Tao saw his fuel gauge was empty once more.
With no choice, he went to his regular gas station and spent over 600 yuan to fill up the tank.
What a mess, today's earnings went straight into the tank again!
No wonder Xu Li always jokes that the truck is Jiang Tao's 'little wife.'
The amount he spends on his 'little wife' is way more than what he spends on his 'big wife' Xu Li.
Repairs, maintenance, fuel – keeping the truck running cost him tens of thousands a year.
Xu Li is so frugal she won't even buy cosmetics for herself, spending less than ten thousand on herself in a year.
After refueling, Jiang Tao asked the lady for two towels, and two packs of tissues.
As he was about to drive off with the freebies, he suddenly heard a loud rumbling behind him.
Looking in the rearview mirror, he saw a bright red Ferrari sports car!
"Wow, talk about rich!"
Seeing other people's 'little wife,' then looking at his own, Jiang Tao drove off.
By the time Jiang Tao returned to his Xiaoshanhe rental room, it was already past seven in the evening.
On his way home, Jiang Tao bought two kilos of loose frozen dumplings at Pang Dongdong Supermarket.
According to Yu Dongdong, the dumplings were handmade by a few old ladies in the village and sold here on his behalf.
Whenever Jiang Tao craved dumplings, he'd buy two kilos, finding them tastier than the big brands' frozen dumplings.
Back at the rental, he plugged in the electric cooker, dropped the dumplings directly into cold water, and sprinkled some salt in.
In less than 8 minutes, the water in the pot boiled, and the dumplings floated to the surface.
After the water boiled, he cooked them for another three minutes, then turned off the heat and scooped the dumplings into a bowl.
Just as he finished scooping the dumplings, Xu Li's routine 'inspection' video call came through.
Jiang Tao placed the bowl of dumplings on the table and swiped to answer the call.
On the phone screen, Xu Li's image appeared after a flicker.
"Hey honey, why are you home so late today? What are you having for dinner?"
Seeing his wife on the screen, Jiang Tao immediately felt that his big wife was prettier and more appealing.
"Eating sister-in-law today... I mean, dumplings. Had a craving on the way home, so I bought some."
"Hahaha, eat your sister-in-law, are you trying to eat people!"
Jiang Tao's words had Xu Li at the other end of the line laughing for a long time.
This silly wife's humor threshold was really low!