Jiang Tao and his group set out early.

Although the traffic wasn’t too bad along the way, there were some minor delays.

During holidays, traffic jams everywhere around Beijing have already become the norm.

After about two hours, the group finally left Beijing and got on the Jingkun Expressway heading towards Ping County.

When passing near the B State Service Area, Jiang Xue needed to get off to use the restroom.

Xu Li made a call to her father-in-law in the following car to touch base.

The group then entered the B State Service Area together for a break.

Based on previous experience, once out of Beijing, the Jingkun Expressway is usually smooth sailing.

It can indeed be considered a "halfway point."

After the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Mercedes-Benz GLS drove one after the other into the service area,

everyone got out, some heading to the restroom, others grabbing a drink.

Those who were hungry grabbed a snack, while some took the chance to have a smoke.

Xu Sha even took Jiang Xue and Wang Cai for a little run in the service area.

"Hey, Old Jiang, do you think that’s a prickly walnut?"

While smoking, Xu Wencheng curiously pointed at a lush walnut tree in the northwest corner of the service area.

"It doesn’t quite look like the regular walnut tree we have back home."

Jiang Wen wasn’t too familiar with prickly walnuts, but he felt there was a small difference from the tree in his own yard.

"I heard online that it’s like gambling; if you’re lucky, the walnuts can sell for thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars!"

"Our general manager loves these; he’s been polishing a pair for four or five years, and they’re stunning."

"And guess what happened?"

Xu Wencheng chatted gossiply about the general manager while smoking.

"What happened?"

Jiang Tao, intrigued by his father-in-law’s gossip, asked cooperatively.

Jiang Wen, standing nearby, also exhaled a smoke ring, pretending to listen intently.

Xu Wencheng couldn’t help but laugh:

"Well, one day, one accidentally fell and broke on the ground, turns out it was a plastic fake."

"Hahaha..."

"Fake? After all those years of polishing, he didn’t notice?"

Jiang Tao and Jiang Wen, father and son, laughed at the gossip about their general manager mentioned by Xu Wencheng.

"The craftsmanship on those fake walnuts was impressive, and even our seasoned general manager got fooled; he stopped playing with walnuts after that."

Xu Wencheng laughed while smoking, "That incident practically became our general manager’s black history; he gets furious whenever it’s mentioned."

"Hahaha, the hunter gets hunted; it’s quite embarrassing."

Jiang Tao could completely imagine the manager’s embarrassment.

Jiang Wen looked at the prickly walnut tree, smacked his lips, and said:

"What’s the fun in this? Only people with too much time on their hands play with these."

"Playing with cultured walnuts, spinning balls, rich people carry gourds, lords have their three treasures: thumb rings, walnuts, and caged birds."

Xu Wencheng laughed, "Many Beijing Masters play with these; our unit’s manager is a born and bred Beijing native."

Heard that his family also lives in a villa, and besides eating and drinking, he just plays around."

Hearing Xu Wencheng talk about their former unit, Jiang Tao followed the topic:

"By the way, Dad, speaking of your previous unit, I saw a friend on WeChat moments say that your unit is preparing for financing?"

Xu Wencheng nodded, "Yes, there’s news about it; they say they want to buy some more land to expand the factory and add some production lines."

"You worked there for decades, so you should know it well. What do you think about the risks and returns of this investment?"

Although Jiang Tao knew the investment was a safe bet, he still pretended to humbly ask his father-in-law for advice.

"Our unit isn’t that strong, but it does have some reputation in its niche."

"Over the years, it has developed a good number of loyal customers."

"And ever since I joined the company, which is nearly 30 years ago,"

"except for those special two years when performance stagnated,"

"the company’s annual sales have generally increased, definitely a quality asset."

Faced with his son-in-law’s humble inquiry, Xu Wencheng spoke honestly and truthfully.

Jiang Tao didn’t beat around the bush with his father-in-law and directly said:

"Dad, to be honest, I happen to have some spare money on hand, and I’m considering investing in this project."

"If possible, could you introduce me to your general manager?"

"You want to invest in our...in Huaying Glass Art Factory?"

Xu Wencheng still wasn’t quite used to his current role, almost slipping back into his identity as a former employee.

Jiang Tao laughed, "Yes, as you said, I’m quite interested in your former company and want to make an investment."

"If you’re serious about investing, introductions are no problem; I can directly tell the general manager, and he’d definitely want to meet you."

Even though Xu Wencheng wasn’t a big shot, he diligently worked for decades and rose to a middle management position.

He could at least talk to the general manager.

Jiang Tao smiled, "Then please arrange a meeting with the manager for me when you have time! I’d like to discuss it with him in person."

"I guess he’s already on his way back to Beijing, so meeting would have to wait until after the holiday."

"I’ll call him now to ask."

After saying this, Xu Wencheng took out his phone from his pocket.

He searched through his contacts for a while before dialing the number saved as "Manager Zhu."