Rebirth and making money first

During that time, many people died, including medical staff. Although Zhang Jing didn't contract the disease initially, her life was greatly affected. It even caused vinegar prices to rise, and later, salt and isatis root! Seeing that she still had time, Zhang Jing decided to hurry up and prepare.

But what can I do now? I can't just buy a bunch of vinegar and keep it around, and I can't buy a bunch of medicine and keep it around. Oh, there seems to be another stock, Baiyunshan, that sells medicine, and Banlangen seems to come from that company. It's been skyrocketing for a few days! I'll check it out when I have time.

The product is in great demand, and it seems the stock has also risen. If I have nothing else to do, should I seize this opportunity? There are still two months until then, and in these two months, I can always do something in advance.

At the very least, the whole family must be safe. Otherwise, Zhang Jing would never forgive herself. So Zhang Jing thought about it and bought some strong liquor and vinegar in advance and piled them on the balcony at home. Aunt Sun was very puzzled and asked, "If you buy so many things and pile them there, what will happen if they expire?"

Zhang Jing asked, "How could they be expired? These have a two-year shelf life, so they'll be useful. You'll know when the time comes!" Aunt Sun shook her head. She didn't bother to ask about her master's affairs. As long as she got paid on time, it didn't hurt her. So she gladly accepted the masks, garlic, and other items Zhang Jing brought home.

It wasn't until the pandemic hit that Aunt Sun realized how foresighted some of her hostess's actions had been. Thanks to Zhang Jing's habit of stockpiling, everyone stopped scrambling for these things. She even bought so many bags of salt—enough to last a year or two.

Zhang Zhi laughed at Zhang Jing: "Are you planning to open a restaurant? Or a snack stand? You have so much vinegar and salt piled up on that balcony. I don't know what you're planning to do with it." Zhang Jing said: "Don't mind my business. You'll know when the time comes."

"Okay, okay, I don't care. By the way, why did you buy so much Isatis root? It's cheap, and there are tons of it in the pharmacy." Zhang Jing said, "I need to stock up on more masks." Zhang Zhi said, "Just mess around! Do you have too much money to burn?"

Zhang Jing said the secret couldn't be revealed. "I've saved some for you too. I urge you to prepare more masks!"

Zhang Zhi looked at Zhang Jing strangely. "You really haven't been hurt?" Zhang Jing said, "To tell you the truth, I was reborn from the future. There are some things I can't reveal too much about!" Zhang Zhi said, "Then tell me, the lottery jackpot is now over 2 million. Which set of numbers won in the end? You don't have to tell me which draw, just tell me the numbers and I'll keep buying. If you really win, I'll believe you!"

Zhang Jing said, "If I could remember, I would have bought it myself a long time ago."

Zhang Zhi looked at Zhang Jing with pity. "That's why I say don't write novels if you don't have anything to do. If you write too much, you'll start to believe it. Many people with mental illnesses have written novels, and some have even committed suicide. If you don't believe me, look it up. I advise you not to let your imagination run wild every day."

Seeing that Zhang Jing ignored her, Zhang Zhi started talking about her sister-in-law again. She was planning to bring her children and Filipino maid back to Hong Kong from abroad to visit her parents-in-law. "Let me tell you, my sister-in-law is really a piece of shit. She brought the children and the maid back with her. Every year when she comes back, she always has something going on. Sometimes she just leaves the children and the maid at my mother-in-law's place. Then, she runs off to the mainland and looks for massages, foot baths, and those young men who serve her."

"Every time she comes back, she asks us to go see her. She just brings some gifts and sends us away, just for a meal. It's like Yuanchun coming home to visit her parents! If I dare to say no, look at my husband's face, he's as gloomy as if his father had died. It makes me angry just thinking about it. Why do we have to make such a big fuss every time she comes back to her parents' home, with the whole family rushing over to see her? Who does she think she is? Well, in the end, it's all because my father-in-law is useless."

"My father-in-law didn't support his three sons' education. Only his daughter earned a doctorate and married and settled abroad. After she married, she never came back. His parents can't even see him if they want. My father-in-law still regrets it. He says if he had known he was training wives for other people's sons, why would he support them? He's supporting his own son anyway. No matter how bad the son is, he's still his."

"They keep telling us that when we have money in the future, we should invest in our sons. We should invest less in our daughters, because when they grow up, they will definitely belong to someone else! You really can't help but believe it. The Chinese people are the best calculators. The poor people have already figured it out. No matter how well you raise your daughter, she will still belong to someone else. If she marries someone else, she will no longer be his. She will have to bear children and take care of the housework."

"Your son is your family member. When you are old, you will rely on your son to take care of you in your old age. You will also burn paper sacrifices for yourself. Think about it, if you don't invest more in your son, what's the point of investing so much in your daughter? It's nothing more than training a high-quality daughter-in-law for others! If your daughter is too outstanding, you can only raise other people's grandchildren to be better, and your family will gain nothing."

"Don't talk about favoring sons over daughters. In fact, ordinary people all know this. We used to think that our parents favored sons over daughters and we were very angry. Now it's our turn. We have both a son and a daughter. Think about it, it's the same. What's the saying that the palms and backs of the hands are all flesh? Even though they are all flesh, they don't hurt the same when pricked!"

Zhang Jing said, "Hearing what you said, I feel you're really old! You're so nagging!" Zhang Zhi rolled her eyes and asked Zhang Jing, "Do you think I should just take the older son back and leave him behind? But he's so young, and I'm worried about leaving him behind. If I take him, I don't want to bother him. Oh, what a dilemma! My husband is like his sister, and even her farts smell good. He listens to her in everything. The whole family revolves around her."

Zhang Jing said, "It all depends on you. If you want to go back, go back. If you don't want to go back, forget it. Can't you handle two children? Don't think that just leaving your daughter with me means it's my responsibility. After all, she's your daughter! Can you take care of two children by yourself? If you have the guts, ask your husband to come back and pick her up and take her with you. Otherwise, how can you take care of two children by yourself? Stop being ridiculous!"

When Zhang Xiaobing came over, he saw the things piled up on the balcony and asked curiously, "Sister, is there going to be a famine? Why are you stockpiling so much salt and wine? What are those things? And why is there a big bag of garlic? What are you doing? Are you going to pickle garlic?"

Zhang Jing glared at him and said, "Why pickle garlic? I'm afraid of a flu epidemic, so I'm preparing it first." Zhang Xiaobing asked, "Can you drink that wine?" Zhang Jing said, "That's white wine, used for disinfection. If you want to drink it, you might as well buy some beer."

Zhang Xiaobing said, "Forget it, I can't drink it all by myself. I see there's so much vinegar, can you give me a bottle? I'll take it home and make some vinegar garlic. I heard that can cure colon cancer. I'm always constipated, so I can't drink it. I've also been suffering from hemorrhoids for a long time, and it's unbearable. You happen to have vinegar here, so give me a bottle."

Zhang Jing said, "Then take a bottle. Oh, and bring some masks with you. Just in case anything happens, you'll have some protection." Zhang Xiaobing said, "Alright, you women are just crazy all the time. You're wasting money on this and that." Zhang Jing said, "Now you see me wasting money. Don't beg me for mercy later if you can!"

Milk ball had a runny nose, and Zhang Jing, anxious, rushed her to see a doctor. Once there, she realized something was wrong. She immediately brought her back, made her some ginger and sugar water, and then helped her sleep in bed for a while. When she woke up, she was fine, and Zhang Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

At the beginning of this epidemic, many people thought it was just a minor cold. Later, it became really serious and could be fatal. It seems that I can only control the family first. So Zhang Jing told Aunt Sun to pay attention to everyone's hygiene in the future. She also wore a mask when going out to buy groceries, but Aunt Sun didn't agree and always pretended to obey.

What Zhang Jing didn't expect was that the outbreak would start so soon. Before long, many people outside were staying home and trying not to go out. Those who went out also wore masks, and Zhang Jing's mask finally came in handy!

Aunt Sun thought Zhang Jing was really far-sighted. Even Zhang Zhi came over and told Zhang Jing to get some masks for them first. When her sister-in-law heard about the infectious disease, she didn't dare to come. "Sister, give me some of the vinegar, white wine, and garlic you have stored, and give me some of the isatis root too."

Sister Zhang asked, "Are you here to buy some?" Zhang Zhi said, "Don't you know the prices out there are getting higher?" Zhang Jing said, "There aren't many people in your family, and besides you and the kids, you probably won't need all that much. Feel free to come and get some if you need anything. But I'm warning you, don't tell anyone that we have this stuff in stock. Otherwise, everyone will come and ask for it, and my place will become a warehouse."

Even Zhang Xiaobing called and said, "Sister, you're awesome! Please get some for me too." Zhang Jing replied, "I've already prepared your portion, but there's a condition: you're not allowed to tell anyone what I have. If anything comes up, everyone can come to me. I don't have that much to give you."

Zhang Jing did not call Zhang Zhi and Zhang Xiaobing to tell them that they could buy Baiyunshan stock. This epidemic is a very short-term market, so they should not make any moves.

Zhang Jing quietly opened her account and saw that the Baiyunshan stock she'd bought a few days ago had already gone up in value. After some thought, she decided to set a selling price. She knew she could definitely make a killing this time. She could just buy it quietly; it was also a way to capitalize on the national crisis.

Soon, even Zhang Jing stopped going out for morning exercises. Everyone in the community stayed at home, or went out with extreme caution, because the news was getting worse and worse. It was said that the infection was spreading rapidly and there was no cure.

Everyone started buying up liquor, then salt. Then came isatis root. The price of isatis root quickly went up, and everyone rushed to buy it again, with news breaking one after another.

What Zhang Jing didn't expect was that Achen's father, her own father-in-law, was actually rushed to the hospital! He even received emergency treatment, and this time even family members were not allowed in. Zhang Jing anxiously waited for a call, and when she was waiting for her mother-in-law to notify her, she learned that her father-in-law had passed away!

Zhang Jing was shocked. How could this happen? Everyone around them was fine, so why did her father-in-law have to suffer? Later, her mother-in-law said she hadn't even seen her father-in-law's body. Everything was handled by medical staff. Special cases require special treatment, so they couldn't go to the hospital.

Because of my father-in-law's situation, the entire residential complex where my mother-in-law lives has been sealed off. Some people have been admitted to the hospital for examinations, but no one is allowed in or out. After waiting for a long time, I could only contact them by phone, and they said they were also under quarantine. I'm worried there might be problems. If there are any problems, I don't know what to do.

Zhang Jing knew that her mother-in-law was afraid, so she comforted her and said that there was nothing to be afraid of, and as long as she could stay at home, she should just relax and everything would pass.

Aunt Sun approached Zhang Jing and asked if she could share a bottle of vinegar and some garlic. Zhang Jing asked, "Where else are you going to take them from our house?" Aunt Sun explained that she had a son who was also confined to a university dormitory and could be released for now. But she was worried he wouldn't survive without these things.

Zhang Jing thought about it and gave her some, and also gave her a few packets of Isatis root, telling her that it was just for him. Remember, don't say you have the stock here, otherwise it will be difficult to explain.

Zhang Jing didn't expect Aunt Sun to come with her son! Aunt Sun's son said to Zhang Jing, "Sister, please help us! We are all students in the same dormitory, and none of us can afford these things! We are also afraid to go out." Zhang Jing asked, "How much more do you need? How much more do you think I can help you with?"

Aunt Sun's son blushed and asked, "Can you give us some more masks or garlic? We're in the dormitory, and some of our classmates are coughing." Zhang Jing was a little angry when she heard this and said, "Aunt Sun, if you are like this, why did you bring your child to my place? You know I have several children here. If they really get infected, who among us can bear the responsibility?"

Aunt Sun also apologized repeatedly, saying that her son came wearing a mask and she did not let him in. But her son wanted to thank Zhang Jing in person. Zhang Jing thought about it, took out vinegar and wine, as well as isatis root and garlic, and gave them to Aunt Sun and her son: "You go back today, go back to your own home. Don't come here again, come back after this epidemic is over. I won't make it difficult for you now, and you don't have to make it difficult for me. After all, I still have several children and a husband, and I don't want my family to be in trouble. This is the last thing I can do for myself and you at the moment."

Aunt Sun, feeling both grateful and guilty, bowed without argument and left with her son. It's always right to prioritize yourself before life or death. Zhang Jing began to disinfect with vinegar. The room reeked of vinegar, and Milk Ball kept complaining about the unpleasant smell.

After Zhang Zhi found out, she said to Zhang Jing, "You shouldn't give things to people like her! Did you know that bottled white vinegar is selling for over 120 yuan a bottle right now?" Zhang Jing said, "Forget it. We're all mothers, and we all have children. Everyone wants their children to be happy, but we all live in the same dormitory. Think about it, we're all classmates. Who has the heart to only care about themselves and ignore others? I only have so much stuff, and I can only do this. You should just stay home and don't run around. Your daughter is doing well with me, and the three children are here. As long as no one else comes into the house, I'll be spraying alcohol and vinegar every day, just for fear of infection. I can't even sleep well just thinking about it!"

Zhang Zhi was surprised to learn that Zhang Jing's father-in-law had passed away. Zhang Jing only realized it belatedly and had kept it a secret from Achen.