Rebirth and making money first

That day, my mother found Zhang Jing who was busy, and asked with difficulty: "Xiao Jing, I want to trouble you for a favor. Can you help me book a train ticket back home?" Before Zhang Jing could respond, Zhang Xiaobing and Zhang Zhi on the side hurriedly started to persuade her.

"Mom, please don't leave. It's better for you to stay here so we can take care of you. Your daughter-in-law can't support the family, and you are worried about your grandson suffering?" Zhang Xiaobing said anxiously.

"That's right, Mom. We're really worried about you going back alone. Why don't you just move the family here? The Chinese New Year is still a few months away anyway. What's the point of you being alone over there?" Zhang Zhi echoed her brother's words.

However, my mother shook her head firmly and refused, "That won't do! If I don't go back, the bedding and clothes at home will start to grow mold. Besides, our new house is about to be delivered, and I have to go back to keep an eye on it."

Seeing the mother's resolute attitude, everyone knew that it would be futile to persuade her to stay. At this time, Zhang Jing thought of her mother who was alone and had a long journey back home, so she suggested booking a plane ticket for her to reduce the fatigue of the journey.

Unexpectedly, the old lady waved her hands and said distressedly, "Oh, what a waste of money that would be! I'm not in a hurry to get on the road, I can just take the train and go slowly. Back then, I could go all the way south from the north by myself, so now I can definitely go back north from the south safely. Don't worry about it!"

At this moment, Zhang Xiaobing asked out of the blue: "Mom, do you want to go back to Shandong this time to visit my aunt and the others?" Hearing this, the old lady was obviously stunned for a moment, with an indecisive look on her face, and muttered: "Well... it's okay to see, and it's okay not to see." However, the three siblings, who were sensitive in their minds, saw through it at a glance that their mother was actually moved.

So, they all expressed their support for their mother to return to Shandong to visit relatives and friends. The old lady immediately became excited and without a word, she pulled a wad of cash from her pocket and handed it to her son, asking him to help book the tickets. Meanwhile, the old lady herself swiftly began packing her luggage, muttering about what local specialties she would bring back for her relatives.

Zhang Jing couldn't help but stroke her forehead. It seemed she would have to stay home and work as a housewife. She hurriedly told Zhang Xiaobing to book a ticket for a week later. He had some things to take care of, but Zhang Xiaobing didn't take it seriously. "I'm leaving sooner or later anyway, so what's the big deal?" But he listened anyway.

Zhang Jing was busy packing when her phone rang. It was Old Lady Xu calling. A sense of inexplicable nervousness welled up in her. She answered the phone, and Old Lady Xu told her to drop everything and come to the nursing home. She quickly asked her mother to look after the child while she hurried to the home.

When Zhang Jing arrived at the nursing home, she saw that besides Mrs. Xu, there were also lawyers and notary staff in the room. Her heart sank, and a sense of foreboding came over her. Sure enough, after a conversation, Zhang Jing learned that Mrs. Xu had come to sign inheritance documents with her.

A thick stack of documents lay on the table. Zhang Jing carefully leafed through them, her surprise growing. Among them was a psychiatric evaluation report from a hospital, which made her brow furrow slightly. She had a vague feeling that Mrs. Xu was making arrangements for her final arrangements, and her heart involuntarily grew heavy.

Just as Zhang Jing was feeling flustered, Mrs. Xu gestured for the lawyer to produce several more contracts. Zhang Jing's eyes widened as she took a closer look—these contracts were all about the transfer of ownership of a Shanghai villa and several office buildings, and the recipient was none other than herself! Furthermore, Mrs. Xu made a request: her adopted daughter, Zhang Jing, would be fully responsible for handling her funeral arrangements. The lawyer then handed over a set of adoption documents, emphasizing that all of them would take effect immediately.

Zhang Jing was completely stunned. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She knew the value of these properties was immense, yet Old Lady Xu had entrusted them all to her without reservation. "How could I possibly deserve such deep trust and love from you?" Zhang Jing's voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes.

After the lawyer and notary left, Zhang Jing was filled with anxiety. She held Mrs. Xu's withered hands tightly and said in a trembling voice, "Don't worry about giving all this to me! You still have a long time to stay with me. What if one day I no longer care about you? What will you do then?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xu smiled kindly. She patted Zhang Jing's hand and consoled her, "Silly girl, you're right! Even if I really did misjudge someone, this would be my last failure. Besides, since you're a Buddhist, you must firmly believe in karma. Since you asked me this, I'm sure I wasn't mistaken!"

"I'm a little tired now. You should go back and look after the children. They need adult care."

Zhang Jing nodded and told Mrs. Xu, "My mother will be returning to her hometown next week. As soon as she leaves, I'll come pick you up and bring you home to live with me. Please pack your things and get ready."

When Mrs. Xu heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up with joy, and she nodded repeatedly in response, "Great, great, great! I'm already content to be able to live with my daughter and watch my grandchildren in this life!"

When Li Manyue saw Zhang Jing off, her eyes were filled with envy, and she couldn't help but sigh, "Ah Jing, you're so lucky! Who would have thought that the seemingly ordinary Mrs. Xu actually had such a rich family background!"

Zhang Jing's face was filled with bitterness, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly in a helpless smile. She gently pressed her forehead. She thought to herself, "Truthfully, deep down, I don't want to accept this fortune at all. To others, this wealth might be a coveted treasure, but to me, it's a hot potato. Accepting it will only add to my endless worries and stress."

Zhang Jing had always dreamed of a path to wealth that didn't rely on sudden fortunes. Instead, she wanted to realize her dream step by step through her own unremitting efforts and indomitable fighting spirit.

But the cruel reality is always unsatisfactory. It seems that an invisible force is constantly forcing her to deviate from the originally envisioned path and take a shortcut that seems to allow her to overtake others and rise rapidly.

If others knew about this, would they think I was being pretentious?

Besides, my mother didn't have many personal belongings at home, but my sister Zhang Zhi had sent a lot of old things. Seeing these old things, Zhang Jing's heart suddenly surged with an unknown fire. Without saying a word, she picked them all out and threw them aside.

He turned around and shouted to his mother, "Don't take these old things! They just take up space. If you take them back, won't the neighbors laugh at you and say you are unfilial?" After hearing this, his mother was stunned at first, and then she understood.

After a brief thought, she rummaged through the boxes and cabinets and found a large pile of things to give to her daughter-in-law. Oddly enough, the relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law was unusually harmonious, one willingly giving and the other accepting without hesitation.

Before Zhang Jing could savor this rare harmony between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, her mother grabbed her and dragged her into the room for a heart-to-heart talk. Her mother said sternly, "Xiao Jing, I'm leaving here in a few days. As the eldest daughter in the family, you'll have to take care of your younger siblings!" Zhang Jing thought to herself, "I can't handle this responsibility."

"There's an old saying that goes, 'An elder brother is like a father, and an elder sister is like a mother.' The second child is carefree and carefree, like a boy. I'm not too worried about her. But her daughter is still young and needs help. Her husband is often away from home, so you can't count on him to share much of the burden. So, if you have the opportunity to help, do your best. After all, we're all family, and it's really not easy for her to live alone with a child."

Zhang Jing nodded: "I know, I will help you even without your permission."

My mother added, "As for Xiaobing, they finally bought a house, so the pressure is immense. Life must be tough, and my salary can only make a limited difference. But thankfully, the shop in Huizhou will start to generate revenue next year. Right now, we just need to work together to help them get through these last few months of the year!"

"My dear, please beg me. I know very well that you have always been a capable and talented child. I also know that I have wronged you. This is out of my selfishness. If any of my children are not doing well, I will not be able to eat or sleep. Please don't give up on your brother."

If you raise a child for one hundred years, you will be worried for ninety-nine years.

Seeing her mother looking at her expectantly, her eyes filled with hope and pleading, Zhang Jing sighed helplessly and said, "Mom, I get it. I have a family to support myself, and a whole family to worry about! But don't worry, the three of us brothers and sisters will definitely take care of each other."

Seeing her mother sighing in relief and about to say something, Zhang Jing quickly spoke up, "Also, I'm planning to sell my house in Northeast China. Also, I'll try to persuade Xiaobing to sell his shop too!"

Mom was shocked, "Have you thought it through?" Zhang Jing nodded.

"Think about it, you're getting older and your health isn't as strong as it used to be. It would be best if you could come south early and enjoy your retirement. When the day comes when you become unable to move, we can't just abandon our respective families and travel thousands of miles back to the Northeast to be with you. This is a very practical issue, and you have to think it over carefully. And please don't keep saying things like 'a child's home is not your own home after all.' Times have changed now, and being a happy and harmonious family together is more important than anything else!"

After hearing this, the old lady finally nodded slowly, agreeing. "I'll think about it carefully. But can you give me your brother's IOU? I don't think you need the three hundred thousand!" The mother said, looking cautiously at Zhang Jing.