Rebirth and making money first

Zhang Jing felt a sudden sinking of heart when she received the call from the nursing home, as if a huge rock had suddenly pressed down on her. She had long anticipated that this day might come for Old Lady Xu, but she hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly, so quickly that it caught her off guard.

For a moment, Zhang Jing panicked, her mind blank. But she quickly forced herself to calm down, hurriedly entrusted her young child to the care of her sister Zhang Zhi and her mother-in-law, then anxiously grabbed Ah Chen and rushed to the hospital together.

When they rushed to the hospital, they found Mrs. Xu in a deep coma. Only a nurse and the head nurse were present. Seeing Zhang Jing approach, the head nurse quickly approached, briefly briefed her on the situation, and gave her some necessary instructions.

The minister told Zhang Jing in a serious tone that the old man was now on his deathbed and had very little time left. If Zhang Jing still had anything she wanted to say to the old man, she had to hurry up.

Zhang Jing and Achen quickly changed into sterile gowns and entered the ward. Mrs. Xu was covered in various medical devices, even a long oxygen tube in her mouth. Her once bright eyes now saw the world through a narrow slit, unresponsive to any external stimuli.

Zhang Jing held back her tears, slowly crawled to the head of the bed, tightly held Mrs. Xu's hands which had long become cold and skinny, and whispered: "Godmother, I am Xiaojing. I came to see you, to see you off for the last time... You can go with peace of mind, don't have any worries. I will definitely send your ashes back to Shanghai according to your wishes, so that you can reunite with your parents. There, you will always be the most beautiful and lovely little princess." After saying these words, Zhang Jing could no longer suppress the surging sadness in her heart, tears burst out and slid down her cheeks.

Seeing the old man's eyes tremble slightly, as if he were aware of his surroundings, Zhang Jing's heart was filled with joy. She instantly remembered the nursery rhymes her mother loved to hear her sing when she was a child. So, she leaned close to the old man's ear and sang the familiar melody with deep affection: "Clay doll, clay doll, a clay doll, with those eyes and that mouth, but the mouth doesn't speak... I am its father, I am its mother, and I will love it forever!"

The song was melodious and graceful, as if carrying endless warmth and care. Two lines of tears slowly flowed from the corners of the old woman's tightly closed eyes, sliding down her cheeks. Seeing this, Zhang Jing's eyes reddened, and she said in a slightly trembling voice, "Mom, we're going back to Shanghai. We're leaving right away!"

At that moment, Mrs. Xu's hand, which had been drooping limply, suddenly lifted up and grasped Zhang Jing's fingers tightly. She strained her eyes open and stared directly at Zhang Jing, her gaze revealing something. Zhang Jing, sensing the strength, quickly glanced at the old woman and nodded earnestly, promising to take her home.

In this short yet long moment, Zhang Jing clearly saw a relieved smile in Mrs. Xu's eyes. That smile revealed a sense of relief and liberation, as if all her worries were put down at this moment.

After leaving the ward, Zhang Jing, suppressing her grief, quickly signed the relevant documents. Meanwhile, the director had retained the caregiver who had been caring for the elderly man to assist with follow-up matters. Without hesitation, Zhang Jing opted for the hospital's comprehensive funeral service, arranging for the caregiver to help clean the elderly man's body and change him into clean, neat clothing. Once everything was ready, the three of them took the elderly man to the crematorium.

Along the way, Zhang Jing quietly gazed out the window, recalling every moment she had spent with Mrs. Xu, tears streaming down her face. Yet, she knew she had to be strong and see Mrs. Xu off on her final journey. She couldn't let the old woman go on her journey alone, no matter what.

The funeral was kept simple, with Zhang Jing and Achen wearing mourning clothes. With the help of the nurse, a few of Mrs. Xu's clothes were burned, and Achen was in charge of burning the paper money. Zhang Jing took care of all the arrangements for buying the urn.

Mrs. Xu's ashes were stored at the crematorium. Zhang Jing gave the nurse a large red envelope and asked her to tell the nursing home that she would come and take care of the items in Mrs. Xu's room when she had time.

When Zhang Jing and Achen returned home, their mother-in-law stopped them at the door. They had to step over the fire basin and wash themselves in pomelo leaf water. Zhang Jing wearily said, "Mom, the funeral isn't over yet!" Her mother-in-law said, "Then come back every day and do it." "It doesn't matter to the adults, but the children are afraid of being bumped." Since the children were involved, Zhang Jing immediately obeyed.

That evening, everyone inquired about Mrs. Xu's situation, and their hearts sank. Zhang Jing said they wanted to send Mrs. Xu's ashes back to Shanghai for burial. Her mother-in-law thought the child was too young to be away from home for too long. Zhang Jing said there was nothing she could do; Mrs. Xu had no family. As the heir to her estate, she agreed that only after she was laid to rest would the lawyer declare the agreement valid.

Zhang Xiaobing asked curiously, "Sister, how many things did the old lady leave you? Do you need me to accompany you to Shanghai?" Zhang Jing frowned slightly and asked back, "Don't you feel taboo about sending ashes?" Hearing this, Zhang Xiaobing touched his nose subconsciously, and the idea of ​​accompanying her was instantly dispelled.

Zhang Jing quickly said, "You all should go to work and don't delay your work. I will deal with things as soon as possible and come back. But during this period of time, I'm afraid I will have to trouble Zhang Zhi to help take care of the children. Mother-in-law, you can also lend a hand." Despite this, after some discussion, the family still felt that it was not reassuring to let Zhang Jing go to Shanghai alone.

Just when everyone was frowning, Zhang Zhi's bright eyes suddenly rolled around, as if she had thought of a brilliant idea. She excitedly raised her voice and suggested, "How about we try to ask the nursing home to send someone over to help?" The originally silent atmosphere was stirred by her sudden idea, but it was soon broken by the others shaking their heads one after another.

Everyone said that the nursing home would definitely not agree to such a request. After all, who would easily put down their work and come to help them?

However, Zhang Jing, who had been silent all this time, stood up at this moment. Her face was filled with an extremely determined expression, and she retorted firmly: "As long as we are willing to spend money, how could no one be willing to come? We can fully bear the other party's round-trip air tickets and all food and accommodation expenses, and then pay an additional 8,800 yuan as a reward! I believe that there will be brave men under great rewards!" Her words were like a flash of lightning, cutting through the dark night sky, and instantly brightened the eyes of everyone present.

The moment she finished speaking, Zhang Xiaobing jumped up impatiently, his face flushed with excitement, and shouted at the top of his voice: "If that's really the case, I can take a leave of absence to accompany you! It doesn't matter who earns the money?" As he spoke, he danced with joy, as if he had already seen the generous reward waving to him.

Seeing this, the brother-in-law on the side naturally did not want to be outdone, and quickly agreed: "Yes, yes, I can also ask for leave from work to help! Sister-in-law, you don't have to worry." For a moment, the room was filled with noise and noise, and everyone seemed to be ignited by the passion deep in their hearts by this seemingly tempting deal.

After hearing this, the parents-in-law couldn't help but think to themselves: "That's right, how could this money fall into the hands of outsiders for no reason? Wouldn't that be such a loss!" The two looked at each other and nodded in tacit understanding.

Everyone agreed on the spot - starting from the next day, Zhang Xiaobing and his wife would ask for a week's leave from their respective units and go to Shanghai with their daughter-in-law Zhang Jing, making sure to arrange everything properly and without any mistakes.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jing quickly called her lawyer and explained the situation in detail. The lawyer then said he would contact his counterpart in Shanghai immediately. After the funeral and burial arrangements were completed, the Shanghai lawyer would officially release the contents of the will.

The lawyer also specifically reminded Zhang Jing to always carry all important documents. He also said he would prepare several crucial documents for Zhang Jing to take with her to Shanghai tomorrow. When Zhang Jing learned she planned to fly the day after tomorrow, the lawyer replied that he would wait and provide her with the final results of the consultation.

Zhang Jing then instructed her husband, Zhang Xiaobing, and her uncle to help book flights. As for the thorny issue of transporting the ashes, she didn't need to worry too much. Zhang Jing had originally planned to take some time tomorrow to sort out Mrs. Xu's belongings, but her mother-in-law advised her to focus on all matters in Shanghai first.

As for the belongings in Old Lady Xu's room, it wouldn't be too late to sort them out after a week. After notifying the nursing home, they could keep them until the end of the month. After a heated discussion, everyone left, each going about their own business.

At this time, the two young children seemed a little shy and unfamiliar with people. They seemed to be able to keenly smell the unique scent of their mother. When this familiar smell approached, the originally restless children instantly quieted down.

Zhang Jing gently held the children in her arms, rocked them gently, hummed a soft lullaby, and patiently coaxed them to sleep. When the children fell into a sweet dream, she carefully put them in bed and tiptoed out of the room to take a shower.

Zhang Jing felt exhausted, both physically and mentally. Strangely, despite her exhaustion, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Ah Chen had been acting very quiet and withdrawn for a while, like a completely different person. No matter what she asked him to do, he would do it silently, without a single complaint.

Zhang Jing couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She realized that she had been too focused on other things recently and ignored Achen's feelings. Looking at Achen lying quietly beside her, Zhang Jing felt something. She gently turned around and stretched out her arms to hug him tightly.

Ah Chen was obviously startled by Zhang Jing's sudden action, and his body stiffened slightly. But he quickly reacted, and couldn't help but pat Zhang Jing's back, hugging her back with equal force.

Zhang Jing buried her head in Achen's chest and said with a choked voice, "I'm sorry, Achen. This time, because of me, I made you wear mourning clothes for your godmother. I really wronged you!"

Ah Chen shook his head slightly and replied firmly, "I'm not wronged at all. As long as I can be with you, I will do whatever you do. No matter what happens, we will never separate."

Zhang Jing was deeply moved by Ah Chen's affectionate words. She raised her head, stared into Ah Chen's eyes, and said softly, "Then you must remember, you said you would be with me forever!"

Ah Chen nodded without hesitation and responded, "Yes, I will definitely be with Ah Jing forever!"

Then, Zhang Jing seemed to have remembered something important and said to Achen in a serious tone, "I'm going to Shanghai for a week in a few days. When I'm gone, you'll have to take care of the house and the baby!"

Upon hearing this, Ah Chen blurted out without thinking: "I can also go to Shanghai with you!"