Rebirth and making money first

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Zhang Jing quickly entered the room and carefully pulled out her lottery tickets. She took a deep breath and then carefully checked the numbers on each ticket, one by one. When she finished looking at them all, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. All together, she had only won 10 yuan.

Zhang sat quietly, contemplating for a moment, then decided to shred all the lottery tickets she hadn't won. She stood up and, without hesitation, tossed the scraps into the toilet. She flushed the toilet, watching them disappear into the drain. She then casually tucked the two winning tickets, each worth 5 yuan, into her purse, figuring she'd ask Ah Chen to help her redeem the prize money when she had some free time.

Just then, there was a commotion outside. It turned out that Mom was getting on the bus for the return trip. After some discussion, Zhang Jing and her younger brother and sister decided that her younger brother, Zhang Xiaobing, would be responsible for seeing her off at the station. Before the old lady boarded the bus, she worriedly warned her two daughters, "If you encounter any problems, you must discuss and resolve them with each other."

My sister-in-law was already in tears at this moment. She held on to her mother-in-law's clothes tightly and refused to let go. She sobbed and said, "Mom, can you please not leave? If you leave, what should I do alone? I can't bear to see you go!"

The mother gently patted the back of her daughter-in-law's hand and comforted her, "Silly child, Mom is just going to go back and clean up the house first. When you have the chance, you can all come back to visit. If Mom misses you, she will come here to stay for a while. Stop crying, it's so ugly! If you scare my precious grandson, I won't forgive you!" After that, the mother turned around, got in the car, and slowly left.

After their mother left, Zhang Jing and Achen took care of the two children at home, and they were still busy every day. That night, when the younger brothers and sisters were sitting together chatting, Zhang Xiaobing saw his sister was exhausted and suggested with concern: "Sister, why don't we still eat together like before? That way we can help each other and you won't have to work so hard." Zhang Jing said, "You and your second sister can stay together. I have my parents-in-law and grandfather here, so I don't know whose house we will go to for dinner. I can leave you then."

"Then let me ask her," Zhang Xiaobing said, "You don't know. After the old lady passed away, my wife cried and cried at home. No matter how I tried to persuade her, it wouldn't work. Later, I scolded her, saying, 'Are you going to cry yourself to death? You were fine before my mom came, but now that the old lady is gone, you're upset. Are you reluctant to leave my mom? Are you crying because no one cooks for you? She's feeling better now."

Zhang Jing said, "She lives far away from home and has a young child. If you have any questions, talk to her nicely and don't be so picky. Her parents aren't around, so be nice to her."

Zhang Xiaobing said, "Am I not good enough to her? As soon as I get off work, I wash clothes and cook. I told her to go see her village and see what other women are doing! Even my father-in-law often says she doesn't know how to appreciate the good things she has."

Zhang Jing noticed Zhang Xiaobing's overpowering male chauvinism and, not wanting to argue, asked him about his future plans. "Will your wife stay home to take care of the children, or will she go to work? Is her niece looking for a job?"

Zhang Xiaobing said, "The child is too young and needs to be taken care of. I'll stay home to take care of her for now. Her niece needs to go back to school to repeat her ninth year of junior high school, and she's too young for a job. I'll send her back before the Lunar New Year."

Zhang Jing said, "I'm really impressed by you. You brought the child here and you have to send him back. How much does that cost? You're always taking leave, and you don't earn much. How are you going to make a living?"

Zhang Xiaobing said, if you have more money, you should spend more; if you have less money, you should spend less; if you have no money, you should spend nothing. "That's fine. I told her long ago that I'm a poor guy and I don't have that much money. If she wants to live with me, then she can live with me. If she doesn't want to, I won't force her. If she doesn't want to take care of the child, she can just leave it to me."

Zhang Jing's chest heaved with anger, her pretty face flushed crimson. She glared at Zhang Xiaobing and said angrily, "You ungrateful wretch, can't you say something nice? Do you really have to be so angry that your wife leaves you happy?"

Zhang Xiaobing, however, wore a look of disdain, his lips curled up slightly as he said disapprovingly, "What's the point of saying nice things? You women just love hearing these sweet words, but they're not enough to make a living! Can you be more practical?"

Zhang Jing was completely enraged by his words. She pointed at the door and yelled, "Go back home! Don't hang around here for no reason! I get annoyed just by the sight of you!"

Zhang Xiaobing snorted, turned, and walked away. Watching him go, Zhang Jing took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. After a while, she gradually calmed down and thought to herself: Isn't everyone's life like this? Filled with trivialities and worries, a mess. Why should I force others to do the same? She couldn't care less, nor did she have the energy to.

However, things did not develop as peacefully as Zhang Jing had hoped. Not long after, her sister Zhang Zhi came to visit. As soon as she saw Zhang Jing, Zhang Zhi could not wait to say, "Sister, you have to help me. I really can't stand my sister-in-law, that old country woman. She puts so much oil in cooking, it's so greasy, I can't stand it after eating a few times. I told her to use less oil, but she actually argued that it wouldn't taste good without oil! So, I plan to take the children and stop eating at her house. I'll eat at your place from now on. Is that okay?"

As soon as Zhang Zhi finished speaking, her sister-in-law hurried over. With a broad smile on her face, she said to Zhang Jing flatteringly, "Sister, your brother is at work and has work meals. It would be a waste for my niece and I to cook at home. Besides, my second sister is coming to eat at your place, so why don't we cook together and save some money? Don't worry, just leave the cooking to me. I won't let you do it!"

Zhang Jing said, "You all want to live with me, but I've made it clear I don't agree. I'm already overwhelmed by my two children, and I also have to take care of Ah Chen. I don't have that much energy. Since we all have our own families, we can each do our own thing! Anyone who needs help can lend a hand, so we can all feel more comfortable that way."

Zhang Zhi said, "I get off work too late and can't pick up the kids. If either of you is free at 4 o'clock, please pick them up for me. Just give them something to eat."

My sister-in-law said she could go pick him up, but the child wouldn't eat the food she cooked. Zhang Zhi suggested that you just pick him up and bring him to your eldest sister's house to eat. Then you can pick him up after get off work. My sister-in-law agreed.

Zhang Jing said, "I see. You just don't want to cook. Since you all want to cook here, how much are you willing to pay for food?" "My family only provides one dinner, so please name a price. Everything is negotiable."

Zhang Zhi said, "I pay 800 yuan a month, mainly for my daughter's food, and I eat out occasionally." The sister-in-law said, "I can't make the decision. I need to go back and discuss it with your brother."

Zhang Jing's mother-in-law learned her mother had passed away and came to see if she needed any help. Zhang Jing said that aside from the children's vaccinations, she could still manage for the time being. Her younger sisters and brothers also had children, so they could help each other out and get through it.

My mother-in-law hurriedly said, "If you have anything to say, just tell me, don't keep it in your heart. With several adults in the family, we can definitely take care of the two children."

When Ah Chen returned, Zhang Jing had already prepared dinner. Naituanzi had also been brought back by his sister-in-law. She refused to stay for dinner and hurried home.

Zhang Jing and Achen finished cleaning up and asked Achen to take Naituanzi downstairs to help digest the food. Soon, Zhang Zhi also got off work. She didn't mind the leftovers and started eating. Zhang Jing asked her, "The nursing home provides meals, so why didn't you come back without eating?"

Zhang Zhi said, "Don't even mention the food in the nursing home. It's really not tasty!"

Just then, Zhang Xiaobing and Achen brought in the baby. The sister-in-law carefully held the child and followed closely behind them. Zhang Jing looked up and saw this scene. She immediately understood that today was probably to discuss the dinner arrangements for each family.

Zhang Zhi was still sitting at the table, concentrating on her meal. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaobing quickly said, "My family prepared a special meal for you. Why didn't you come over to eat?"

Without even looking up, Zhang Zhi continued to stuff her food into her mouth and casually replied, "Those dishes you cook at home have way too much oil in them. I can't eat them at all. I still think the vegetarian dishes here are more to my taste!"

Zhang Xiaobing scratched his head helplessly and explained with a wry smile, "Actually, I don't really like eating greasy food myself. But my wife just cooks like that. She won't listen to me, and there's nothing I can do about it."

My sister-in-law said, "Food won't taste good if it's cooked without oil!" Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she stopped talking.

Zhang Xiaobing glared at his wife, took a deep breath, and continued, "The main reason we came here today is to discuss living together with you. To be honest, I'm not afraid of you two laughing at me, but my current job only makes three to four thousand yuan a month. It's really hard to support my wife and children with this income."

He looked at Zhang Jing and the other person, then continued, "That's why I was thinking about whether I could cook with you guys? That way, we can all take care of each other and save some money. But I've mentioned it a few times before, and you two didn't seem very willing..."

Zhang Zhi frowned and said, "I have to go to work every day, and the company provides meals. Besides the children, there's no such big need at home! I can just make ends meet for the two of us. There's really no need to share a meal!"

Zhang Xiaobing turned to Zhang Jing and said, "Sister, I understand everything. You have two children to take care of, and you have to worry about your brother-in-law. The pressure of life is really not small. But I really have no other choice now, so I thought of asking you for help."

"How about this? Every month, you sisters can each help me out a little, so I can take a break. Is that okay with you? Of course, the specific amount is entirely up to you two sisters. I won't force you. When my shop starts to have a stable income next year, I won't bother you anymore. And look at my son. He's in poor health and has a chronic allergy. If he gets sick, he has to spend money on treatment. It's simply a bottomless pit!"

The sister-in-law at the side also echoed and said with a worried look on her face: "Sister, sister, we are a family. We are really in a desperate situation now. We really can't think of any other way! Please help us. You can't just watch us not even have a meal to eat." After saying that, the sister-in-law looked at Zhang Zhi eagerly.

Zhang Zhi thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, if that's the case, I'll give you 2000 yuan every month. But don't let my husband know about this, or he'll be upset. Also, after you finish paying for the shop and start collecting rent, I won't contribute any more. As for how much I want to contribute, you two can discuss it privately!"

Zhang Xiaobing asked Zhang Zhi if he could give her eight months' salary in one lump sum. Zhang Zhi replied, "What are you thinking? How can I have so much money?"

"Okay then!" Zhang Xiaobing turned to Zhang Jing and Achen and asked, "Sister, how much can you help your nephew?"

Zhang Jing frowned slightly and said, "Your second sister can give me 2000 yuan every month, so of course I have no problem with that. I can give it all to you at once, but I'm worried that once you get the money, you'll hoard it and not use it for household expenses."

When the sister-in-law heard this, she quickly responded with a smile: "Sister, don't worry! He will never do that. If you are really worried, then just give the money to me! Let me keep it. Now you can finally rest assured, right?"

Zhang Xiaobing, who was sitting next to him, quickly agreed, "Yeah, we already owe you so much money, how can we even think about saving any more? Don't worry about it, just be at peace!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jing sighed helplessly. She thought, if that's the case, she might as well just give the money all at once to avoid having to worry about it later. But then she thought again, she didn't want the process of giving the money to seem too easy or smooth. So, she deliberately dragged her feet and said, "Okay, I'll give it to you tomorrow after I go to the bank to withdraw the cash. You can just come and pick it up tomorrow."

After hearing this, Zhang Xiaobing and his wife immediately showed happy smiles on their faces, nodded in agreement, and then left happily with their child in their arms.