Rebirth and making money first

When Uncle Zhang arrived, Zhang Jing was still staring at the market chart on the screen. Uncle Zhang couldn't help but say, "You little girl, you came without even saying hello. How is it? Did the stock go up?" Zhang Jing smiled and replied, "It went up. I just sold it." Hearing this, Uncle Zhang's eyes widened and he shouted, "How can you be so stupid! Why didn't you discuss it with me before selling it all?" Zhang Jing suppressed a smile, nodded, and said softly, "Uncle Zhang, don't be angry. I've made some money and I'm satisfied. How about I treat you to dinner?"

Uncle Zhang responded grumpily, "What are you eating? You're pissing me off!" However, seeing the old man's rage, Zhang Jing felt an indescribable sense of familiarity. She then said to Uncle Zhang, "Uncle Zhang, I actually just bought another share of Fuyao." Uncle Zhang immediately put aside his previous anger and began to inquire carefully. Zhang Jing then pointed out Shuanghui, Yili, and Fuyao stocks to Uncle Zhang. After some analysis, Uncle Zhang thought Yili and Shuanghui were performing quite well, but he wasn't particularly optimistic about Fuyao.

When Zhang Jing mentioned that she had purchased 200 shares and planned to hold them for a decade or two, simply to enjoy the annual dividends, it would save both time and worry. If she was lucky and the shares multiplied several times, she would consider it a windfall, like casting a long line to catch a big fish.

After hearing this, Uncle Zhang thought for a moment and decided to buy 200 shares of each stock. Similarly, he planned to wait for dividends for a long time; after all, he had enough patience. At this moment, Zhang Jing couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Having money means you can be willful! People really are incomparable."

Uncle Zhang then began to brag about the pharmaceutical stocks he'd bought, revealing he'd bought shares of Tong Ren Tang. Zhang Jing couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy when she learned he'd paid just over 19 yuan for them. After all, if the stock languished at that price for too long, Uncle Zhang wouldn't be able to make any money. Zhang Jing deliberately asked Uncle Zhang, "Why not Yunnan Baiyao? Its current share price is only 11.09 yuan. Huadong Medicine is also a good option." Uncle Zhang confidently replied, "Tong Ren Tang is a state-controlled enterprise; they won't delist easily." However, Zhang Jing disagreed. She believed Yunnan Baiyao had made tremendous contributions to the country and its people, both before and after the Liberation Movement, and therefore held even greater potential. As for Huadong Medicine, its weight-loss medication held a promising market prospect...

After hearing this, Uncle Zhang promptly bought a block of 100 shares. Seeing Zhang Jing's stunned expression, Uncle Zhang laughed. "Actually, I just bought it for fun. I came here to get some inside information!" Zhang Jing was speechless. She couldn't help but ask Uncle Zhang, "So how much money did you make?" Uncle Zhang gave an awkward smile and replied, "Not much, just enough for tea." Zhang Jing suddenly realized that Uncle Zhang was a stock market leek, one of the seven losers in the "one win, two draws, and seven losses" formula.

Seeing Zhang Jing still staring intently at the screen, Uncle Zhang asked, "Which stock do you want to look at?" Zhang Jing answered "Gun Mining Energy" without hesitation. Uncle Zhang quickly told her to stop staring, saying he could use the stock calculator to search. Uncle Zhang expertly operated the calculator and asked if she remembered the stock's ticker symbol. Zhang Jing shook her head, indicating she didn't know. So Uncle Zhang began searching manually, casually asking, "Is this a Shandong stock?" Zhang Jing replied in the affirmative, then eagerly inquired whether he had found it and what the price was. Uncle Zhang advised her to be patient and then provided her with the relevant information: her current price was 7.07 yuan.

Zhang Jing was filled with mixed emotions, a mixture of joy and sorrow. She was happy because the stock price was dirt cheap compared to later generations; yet she was worried that buying 200 shares would put her cash on hand at a premium. However, the greedy Zhang Jing ultimately made up her mind to buy 200 shares. When Uncle Zhang saw her complete the transaction, he hurriedly questioned her reasoning.

Zhang Jing explained, "This is my family's property. It's the largest state-owned coal mine in our country! I bought 200 shares because I plan to hold it for twenty years and wait for the dividends. It'll be so impressive to tell others about it—'Even if I'm poor, I still own a mine!'" Uncle Zhang thought this made perfect sense, and without further ado, he immediately went out and bought 500 shares. Zhang Jing could only shake her head helplessly. Later, when she learned the size of Uncle Zhang's pension, she realized she had been skeptical. Uncle Zhang, who had no shortage of money, jokingly invited Zhang Jing, saying, "Girl, Uncle Zhang is treating you to a nice dinner today! Let's have a good chat!"

Zhang Jing didn't refuse, saying, "Uncle Zhang, I don't have a job yet. I'll treat you when I do." Uncle Zhang replied, "I was just about to tell you about work. Let's go, let's talk after dinner." Zhang Jing couldn't persuade Uncle Zhang to go get some fast food, and he took her to a clean, tidy little restaurant. They ordered two signature dishes and a soup, one chicken and one fish, which were quite good. He then let Zhang Jing add whatever she wanted. Zhang Jing ordered a vegetable, and Uncle Zhang added another.

The two talked about work, and Uncle Zhang asked Zhang Jing what kind of job she had been looking for recently. Zhang Jing said that she was a private boss who sold mobile phones, and told her about the A-Long brothers. Uncle Zhang immediately told Zhang Jing not to go, saying it was too complicated. Zhang Jing also talked about the things about the old landlord, including the free babysitting to pay the rent. Uncle Zhang was annoyed and said that these people were going too far. He talked about the job he introduced to Zhang Jing, and the two analyzed it and found that it was the most suitable for Zhang Jing. Zhang Jing also agreed to go and take a look. Uncle Zhang said that he had already talked to his daughter-in-law and wrote down the address and phone number for Zhang Jing. He asked her to go as soon as possible and there would be no problem in starting the job. There would be a dormitory and it would be convenient for meals.

Before parting, Zhang Jing expressed her gratitude to Uncle Zhang again, promising to invite him back once she's settled down. Uncle Zhang told Zhang Jing not to worry about her at work and to call him anytime if she needs help. He also told everyone that Zhang Jing is his niece. Zhang Jing happily agreed, expressing her gratitude for the kindness of the world, even those not related by blood, who are willing to lend a hand.

Zhang Jing had originally planned to go home for a nap, pack her bags, and then go for the job interview the next day. However, since the monthly salary for the position was less than 3000 yuan, it was difficult to fill a position, so Zhang Jing planned to supplement her income by taking on a part-time job. When she woke up from her nap, she checked the time and found it was only a little after 2 p.m. Since the weather was bad and there probably wouldn't be many people out and about, Zhang Jing decided to go directly to the interview location.

After checking the address, it was far away and a taxi was too expensive, especially since Zhang Jing was running low on money. She took the bus back to her workplace in Futian District. After getting off the bus, Zhang Jing started looking for a taxi. Looking at the buildings in the same old neighborhood, Zhang Jing thought the taxi had found the wrong place until she saw the house number.

The call was answered by Zhang's daughter-in-law, and Zhang Jing called her sister-in-law. After explaining the purpose of the call, Zhang Jing found out that she was not working today. She asked a colleague to show Zhang Jing the work and let her do it if she could adapt. If she couldn't adapt, she wouldn't be forced. Zhang Jing waited for a while, and a middle-aged man came out and introduced himself as the person in charge here. He asked Zhang Jing to call him Director Chen. He asked Zhang Jing if she knew the conditions here. Zhang Jing suddenly had an idea and said, "I've heard a little bit. Why don't you introduce me to him?"

Director Chen was very satisfied with Zhang Jing's attitude. As they walked, he introduced the situation here to Zhang Jing: "Most of the employees here are contract workers, and they are relatively old..."

Zhang Jing listened to Director Chen's introduction while observing the surrounding environment. She found that although the facilities here were a bit old, they were quite complete. She was especially surprised to see the computers.

When Zhang Jing asked about food and accommodation, Director Chen replied: "We have a cafeteria here, and we provide food and accommodation. As for dormitories, there are usually two people in a room, but everyone is basically married, and few people live in the dormitories. Currently, only the security guard and his wife live in a room, another security guard lives in a room alone, and the cook lives in a room with her daughter. If you come, you can have a dormitory to yourself." Zhang Jing was very satisfied when she heard this arrangement.

Finally, Director Chen told Zhang Jing that she could start work tomorrow and reminded her that her office hours were 8 a.m. every day and that she must not be late. Zhang Jing gladly accepted and promised to arrive on time.

After asking for her room key from the finance department, Zhang Jing discovered that the office was short on staff, but all were friendly. The finance lady gave Zhang Jing five rooms to choose from. As she made her way down, people kept greeting her, saying, "New here? Pretty girl!"

She chose a small, quiet room with good sunlight, perfect for writing. After tidying up her room, Zhang Jing planned to move at the end of the month. But her job was coming tomorrow, so she finally didn't have to rush. As for her husband, A-Long, she had long forgotten about him.