Rebirth and making money first

Zhang Jing received a call from Zhang Xiaobing and learned that his sister-in-law would be leaving her confinement the following week and that they would be arriving after packing up. Zhang Jing muttered to herself that the house at home was barely livable, and her sister's family would have to book a hotel room.

Before she could sort things out, Zhang Zhi called again. Same question: "Can your house accommodate so many people? How about we get a room? When is your wedding? We can go a day before, or even the day of the wedding if that's not possible."

Zhang Jing thought, this is too much trouble. So, she decided to contact her second uncle's family in Huizhou to see how many people would come before making a decision. Unexpectedly, the two elderly people said they were not fit to travel long distances and could not come. Instead, they sent their younger cousin to attend the wedding as their representative.

The other cousins, aunts and uncles, cited busy work schedules as reasons for not being able to take leave. Zhang Jing couldn't help but sneer, thinking, "There's always an excuse for not wanting to come." But she didn't care; she didn't need them to keep her company, anyway.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Jing decided against holding a wedding banquet. She thought it would be enough for the two families to have a meal together, discuss the betrothal gifts, and then go home. After all, she was pregnant and didn't have much energy to deal with such things.

After learning of Zhang Jing's family's plans, Achen's family estimated that at most three tables would be enough. Achen's mother also felt that a major event wasn't necessary, as they had just bought a house and were under considerable financial pressure. They counted the number of relatives and friends and found only five or six tables, and that was a reduced number. To prevent an overcrowding, they temporarily reserved 12 tables.

After some discussion, Achen's family prepared a betrothal gift of 200,000 yuan, a figure Zhang Jing was very satisfied with. She could even imagine her mother's satisfied smile, after all, these 200,000 yuan would eventually fall into her son's hands.

However, family pressures kept her from relaxing. She had to shoulder the costs of renovating both her home and her new home, which felt a bit heavy. Sometimes she wondered if it was worth it.

Zhang Jing secretly calculated and decided to withhold the 100,000 yuan betrothal gift, not wanting to be taken advantage of. She began sorting through valuables at home, replacing the golden Guanyin statue with a porcelain one. Even Ah Chen grew nervous. He began diligently cleaning the house, muttering, "My mother-in-law is coming!" as if he were preparing for a crucial exam.

Zhang Jing looked at Ah Chen's nervous expression and laughed herself. She quickly comforted him, "Don't be nervous. My mom won't be away for long. You're great. She'll love you!"

But in fact, she was also full of anticipation and anxiety, not knowing what the outcome of this meeting would be.

Despite her anxiety, the old lady finally arrived. But first, she went to Huizhou and rested at Zhang Zhi's house. Then she went to her second uncle's house, where my mother spent two days chatting with her uncle and aunt. After everyone discussed the date of the banquet, they decided to come to Shenzhen together.

……

Zhang Jing looked at the long list of people on the list and was relieved to find that there were enough people for two tables. She then asked how many people were staying overnight and decided to book three rooms.

Director Chen, Alan, Dazhuang and his wife, Mrs. Xu, Uncle Zhang and his family, plus an old colleague, added another table. Achen's mother didn't mind, and Zhang Jing was relieved.

The hotel was near Zhang Zhi's residential complex. Zhang Zhi's uncle and his daughter each drove a car, bringing her family, her second uncle and his wife, and Zhang Xiaobing, the elderly woman, all from Huizhou. Since it was still early for the banquet, they followed Achen and Zhang Jing on a tour of their new home.

Seeing Achen's expression, everyone tried to act nonchalant. Achen greeted everyone warmly, making people feel particularly friendly. The cousin once quietly asked Zhang Jing about her choice, but he didn't comment too much on her choice, saying that what she thought was most important was that it was good. Only the second grandfather and the second grandmother grumbled quietly, "My granddaughter is beautiful and smart, why did she choose such a person?"

After hearing this, Zhang Jing hurriedly explained: "Achen is a very obedient person, I can control him." The mother next to her also showed dissatisfaction and pulled Zhang Jing into the room to talk.

Facing her mother's reproach, Zhang Jing quickly pointed to her belly and said, "I don't want to be an elderly mother. Besides, he's just a husband. His family also hopes that he can have someone to take care of him so that the child can be registered smoothly after birth. They also gave us a generous betrothal gift. You must not be upset. Just smile more at them."

The old lady immediately understood and sighed: "You will have to work hard in the future, it's up to you!"

Guests from both sides gathered, counting twelve full tables. The officiant spoke, and both sets of parents, including Uncle Zhang and Mrs. Xu, were invited to the stage. They drank tea from Zhang Jing and Ah Chen, and after receiving their change of phrase fee, they obediently changed their phrases.

Achen's family offered a 20 yuan betrothal gift, which stunned Zhang Jing's mother. She hadn't expected such a large sum. She was filled with gratitude and asked Zhang Jing and her husband to keep the gift for their own future. Knowing her mother's pride, Zhang Jing accepted the gift and began the meal.

The dinner brought joy to both parties. Although many people did not understand why Zhang Jing married Achen, and some envied Achen for marrying Zhang Jing, it did not affect the atmosphere.

Uncle Zhang and Old Lady Xu were also toasted by Zhang Jing and Ah Chen, who told them to live well. They also gave them large red envelopes, and Zhang Yongle watched with a smile. Zhang Jing asked him to take Old Lady Xu back to the nursing home after dinner. Zhang Yongle agreed, feeling like a winner.

After everyone left, Zhang Zhi's family, her cousin's family, and her second uncle's parents checked into a hotel, while her mother, Zhang Xiaobing, and Zhang Jing returned home. They agreed to have morning tea together the next morning before returning to Huizhou.

The gifts were also taken home, and Ah Chen watched Zhang Jing and her mother register and count them. Zhang Jing simply asked him to chant sutras in exchange for the fruit offerings.

If you don't count, you'd realize they collected over a hundred thousand yuan. After deducting the banquet expenses, there was still over 9 yuan left. Uncle Zhang and Old Lady Xu contributed the bulk, with Dazhuang and his wife also contributing a significant amount. Zhang Jing took a quick look: Zhang Zhi's family contributed 1500 yuan, Zhang Xiaobing 1000 yuan, her second uncle and his wife 1000 yuan, and her cousin's family 2000 yuan. She also contributed 2000 yuan on behalf of the brothers and sisters who didn't come.

Zhang Jing couldn't believe that her cousins ​​would chip in 2000 yuan for her. She felt that it was probably just her cousin trying to show off his wealth. When Zhang Xiaobing heard that there were over yuan, he said enviously, "So much money? Can you give some to us poor people?"

His mother simply told him to get lost and stop embarrassing himself here. Zhang Jing arranged for Achen to take Zhang Xiaobing to the guest room, while she and her mother slept together. Before bed, Zhang Jing specifically told Zhang Xiaobing not to bully Achen, which nearly made Zhang Xiaobing laugh. Even more speechless was the incredibly familiar way Achen called him "brother-in-law." Even calling him "mother-in-law" made his mother's mouth twitch. There was nothing she could do; Achen was a fool after all, and she couldn't argue with him.

While her mother was showering, Zhang Jing quickly locked most of the cash in a locker. She then took out another 10 yuan, which she planned to give to her mother later. While this amount might not seem like much to Zhang Jing now, it was a significant sum for her family back home, helping them solve many problems.

When her mother came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, she saw the 100,000 yuan in cash on the table and told Zhang Jing to put it away. She told Zhang Jing, "This is a gift from your mother-in-law. I hope you two can live a good life. I didn't prepare a dowry for you, so just consider this money a token of my appreciation."

Zhang Jing looked at her mother with some embarrassment. She explained, "The house we're going to build, if it's actually completed, will need renovations. This little money is just a drop in the bucket, it's far from enough. And while the house we live in now doesn't need renovations, the government-funded house we bought will need renovations as soon as it's delivered next year, so I can only give you less."

Seeing her mother shaking her head, Zhang Jing continued, "You must keep this money as your pension. Don't let anyone know about it, or someone might come and borrow it. If you're worried about losing it, you can let me go to the bank with you tomorrow to deposit it. Remember, don't let anyone know about this money, especially your son. You can't let him know. This is the reward for all your hard work in raising your daughter!"

After collecting the money, her mother said, "I'll keep it for you. When you need money later, don't ask." Zhang Jing said, "No need." "Everyone's betrothal gift is given to the bride's family. Don't think too much about it. I don't need money now."

Zhang Jing had long been numb to such blank checks from her mother in her previous life, and she didn't take them seriously. She gave them to whoever she wanted.

Before going to bed, the old lady asked, "If you give birth, who will take care of you during the confinement period?" Zhang Jing said she hadn't thought about it. "Do you want to stay?" The old lady said, "You still have six or seven months to go. I'd better go home and wait. I'll come back when you're almost born!"

Zhang Jing said, "If you don't have time, you don't have to come. I'll hire someone to take care of me."

"What can you do? You're showing off just because you have a little money. I'll take care of each of you three siblings during their confinement period. I'm impartial. Don't let anyone accuse me of being partial!"