Rebirth and making money first

After packing a set of clothes, Zhang Jing left as soon as she got off work, having already informed the canteen that she didn't have to prepare her own meals for the next two days. Her mother arrived at Zhang Zhi's house and told her to hurry over. She also said she had already visited her third uncle's family and had a cordial conversation with the relatives. Zhang Jing knew with a grain of salt that she was being singled out for criticism again, simply because she had given up the job her eldest cousin had recommended. Her words, "I feel so tired and stressed," had been interpreted as "fear of hardship."

Fortunately, she'd found a new job, and no one knew the details of her situation. "I didn't say anything. Wait until you get back and explain it to them," Zhang Zhi warned Zhang Jing. "Sis, you're on your own!" Zhang Jing scoffed. She had no money and no one to help her, so who was she to ask for an explanation?

They were all very happy to see their mother. Knowing that Zhang Jing hadn't eaten yet, Zhang Zhi said there were some leftovers, "Why don't you grab a bite?" Her mother also complained that Zhang Jing hadn't arrived earlier. Zhang Jing said she'd go downstairs for a quick meal, and her mother wanted to go shopping too. Zhang Zhi suggested that she take the old lady to help her digest the food.

Zhang Jing knew her mother was going to complain to her, but she didn't care. She took her mother to KFC and ordered a set meal. She asked her mother if she wanted to eat anything, but she said no. Knowing she was afraid of spending money, Zhang Jing took the initiative and ordered a hamburger and milk tea for her. Zhang Jing ate while listening to her mother's nagging. Seeing that Zhang Jing didn't want to eat anymore, her mother reluctantly ate the hamburger and drank the milk tea. Worried about her indigestion, Zhang Jing took her to the sports center for a walk, knowing she had a lot to talk about.

As expected, the family dog ​​gave birth to three puppies. She entrusted them to a coworker for care, but upon arriving in Beijing, all the puppies had died. The mother dog was heartbroken and couldn't eat. Now she's slowly recovering. "I can't help it. It's hard to love her. But I have to find a breeder every year, or she gets irritated and miserable." Zhang Jing reassessed her mother, realizing there's still some kindness in human nature, at least when it comes to dogs.

Then he talked about his trip to Beijing, where he met his brother and his girlfriend. "They're quite a good match. The girl is fair, quiet, petite, and adorable. If I hadn't heard your conditions, I'd have thought she was quite nice." His mother grabbed Zhang Xiaobing and finally learned about his family situation: the girl had only one brother, her father had died, and her mother lived with him and his wife, helping with the children and raising pigs. Her mother also had a chronic illness... "Of course I didn't agree. But the brat insisted I check my household registration, and his demands were high. He even pressured me to give him a gift. Thinking about what you said, I was going to give 400 yuan. But then I realized if it didn't work out, I'd be at a loss, so I decided to take 200 yuan." The old lady became excited again as she spoke of this.

"That little bastard thought I gave him too little. He took out another 800 yuan and rounded up 1000 yuan to give to that girl, saying he couldn't let her down. We just slept together, didn't we? She did it voluntarily, no one forced her. She's completely seduced your brother. I can see he'll be a henpecked husband in the future. You can't count on him. Your sister is pressing me, so I had to come over first."

Zhang Jing asked her mother how many days she had been there, and whether the journey was tiring. Did Zhang Zhi go to the train station to pick her up? The moment she brought this up, her mother was furious again. She pulled Zhang Jing to a quiet place and told her that Zhang Zhi had a lot of complaints to pour out. "You agreed to pick me up at the station, and your brother called her in advance to tell her which train and which car I was in, saying that I had a lot of stuff with me and asked her to pick me up," Zhang Jing asked. "What did you bring? Just some clothes to change into?"

Her mother rolled her eyes at Zhang Jing. "What didn't you bring? I only brought diapers for the baby that's about to be born." Zhang Jing was speechless. "Don't you know everyone uses diapers these days? Why are you giving up your good life?" Her mother protested. "How much would that cost?" Zhang Jing knew she couldn't convince her, so she gave up the idea.

When asked if she'd ever visited her second uncle and aunt, my mother expressed strong disapproval of them. "When your aunt and uncle came, they gave up their master bedroom for them. I helped raise five children, and they didn't even get that kind of treatment! You must be less promising than your cousin, and that's why they look down on me too."

Zhang Jing knew her mother was right. "Rich in the mountains, distant relatives; poor in the city, no one cares" absolutely applies to most people. And Zhang Jing could only think, "Even if you were a nanny, no matter how many years pass, you'll still be considered a nanny." Who would be polite to a nanny? Not unless her children have achieved remarkable success.

This was the purpose of Zhang Jing's efforts, hoping to give her mother a better life. However, what happened next left Zhang Jing feeling helpless and angry. Her mother then complained about Zhang Zhi, saying that not only did she not pick her up at the train station, but she also made her take a taxi downstairs. Fortunately, the driver, recognizing her mother's age and the late hour, used his own phone to call Zhang Zhi, who was able to wake her from her deep sleep and come downstairs to check out and pick her up.

Furthermore, her mother complained that the food Zhang Zhi prepared was unpalatable. She placed leftovers in front of her mother and fresh dishes in front of her husband, explaining, "My husband works hard and needs to eat something good. We're not working, so we can just make do with what we have." Zhang Jing knew Zhang Zhi was unhappy with her mother, but she was still furious at her treatment.

Zhang Jing tried her best to comfort her mother, expressing her understanding for her grievance. She then asked if her mother had enough pocket money, saying she would give her more if she didn't. Her mother quickly stopped Zhang Jing and told her she already had enough. She had already given her money for groceries and said she would give more when she ran out of money. Her mother also mentioned that she was going to the nearby market tomorrow morning to buy groceries, as they were cheaper there than at the supermarket. The market was only five bus stops away, and her mother planned to take the bus. Zhang Jing said she would accompany her mother to buy groceries tomorrow.

When they returned home, Zhang Zhi had just finished a phone call with her brother. He looked furious, perhaps complaining about their mother's hands. She was furious that her brother was so devoted to his girlfriend. Zhang Xiaobing's remark, "You all wish I were single! I'm just afraid I'd have to pay you!" caused Zhang Zhi to drop the phone. Upon seeing Zhang Jing and her daughter return, she immediately complained. None of the three could do anything about Zhang Xiaobing's situation. Zhang Zhi told her mother, "I don't have 10 yuan to give to your son. I don't even own a house myself."

Seeing that her mother was silent and listless, Zhang Jing tried to smooth things over, "We don't know whether Xiaobing's marriage can be successful yet. Don't think too much about it. Everything will work out in the end," and advised her mother to take a shower.

After her mother went to take a shower, Zhang Zhi and Zhang Jing chatted for a while. Zhang Jing asked her why she didn't go to pick up her mother. What if the elderly woman got into trouble? Zhang Zhi said, "She originally came to take care of her after the confinement period, and she needs to exercise first. I have taken her to the supermarket, and she knows how to buy vegetables. She always says that vegetables are expensive, so I took her to Sanxin Market, which costs more than one yuan and is five stops away. She can go back and forth, but she can't carry too many and heavy vegetables. It just so happens that you can go with her tomorrow morning to buy more. I will give you another hundred yuan, and you can buy as much as you want."

Speaking of eating leftovers, Zhang Zhi also got angry. She'd told her mother not to make more, but she always refused to listen. "I just let her eat it herself. What's she got to complain about? I'm eating it too, right?" Zhang Jing was so angry she laughed, not knowing what to say. She couldn't figure out the outcome of these people's lawsuit.

Zhang Zhi then asked with concern if she wanted to buy a house. Zhang Zhi said her mother was urging her to buy a house after getting married, saying that renting a house long-term wasn't a good idea. Her husband also asked her, but she said she didn't need to yet, saying renting wasn't expensive anyway. Zhang Jing knew that Zhang Zhi had given birth to a daughter and a son in her previous life, and that they hadn't bought a house even when the children grew up. She hadn't bought a house before because she hadn't planned to live with her husband, and now she couldn't afford it.

Zhang Jing knew she had to buy a house in this life. The struggles between her mother and brother, Zhang Zhi, were ultimately due to poverty. The root of poverty is internal conflict. They say, "A poor couple suffers a thousand sorrows," and the same is true for single-parent families. Someone had to break this perception, for her rebirth to have meaning.

Speaking of which, she also needed to buy some supplies, but this supermarket didn't have everything. The chain supermarket of the same name downstairs from her second uncle's house had a much better selection, so Zhang Jing planned to go shopping there. She also planned to take her mother there to see it.

That night, Zhang Jing's mother shared a room with her. She excitedly chatted with her for a long time, asking about her work and life. She also said she'd had someone tell her fortune and that the landlord had taken a liking to her and had performed a ritual to prevent her from moving out, hoping to keep her as his wife and take care of her until she was old. Fortunately, she had left, as she hadn't listened to the advice she'd given her. Zhang Jing, recalling this, sighed deeply.

"So, Mom, have you calculated when I can get married?" Mom paused, sighed, and said, "There's nothing I can do about that." Then she started talking about how Zhang Jing was destined to have a difficult time getting married. She said even her grandmother and aunt were worried, so it was hard to rush Zhang Jing. Mom explained that in Guangdong, there's a saying: "If the younger one gets married first, you must buy a red pillowcase, red clothes, or a red quilt for the older one. Otherwise, it'll be hard for the older one to get married."

"Your second grandmother has been staring at me so many times, and this time she's asking again. She's insisting that Zhang Zhi buy you something new, no matter what red color. Did she buy it?" her mother asked in a low voice. Zhang Jing said that Zhang Zhi had given her a red shirt and underpants, saying she'd only worn them once and considered them new. She also said that feudal superstition was unacceptable. As expected, her mother cursed, but she could do nothing.

Although Zhang Jing didn't care, she still had feelings for Zhang Zhi. Because of a saying in her past life that "getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year will kill your uncle," Zhang Zhi deliberately chose the first month of the lunar year to shave her son's head. She even sent a picture to Zhang Xiaobing, asking him if he believed it and if he would be angry. She then said she thought it was nonsense and wanted to give it a try. This offended Zhang Xiaobing, who angrily scolded her. She then went to Zhang Jing to complain about her grievances.

Now it seems that Zhang Jing feels that there must be something wrong with Zhang Zhi's brain. She is seriously ill and is different from normal people.