Rebirth and making money first

I told my mother we'd go out for breakfast tomorrow morning and then go to the supermarket downstairs from my second uncle's house to buy Zhang Jing's groceries. If we have enough time, we'll visit my second uncle and his parents. If we don't have time, we'll talk about it next time. My mother said my second aunt had introduced Zhang Zhi to a doctor at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and they were really helpful for her prenatal checkup. Zhang Zhi was already familiar with the route when she took her mother to the checkup, and my mother promised she wouldn't get lost.

At daybreak, her mother was about to get up. Zhang Jing asked, "Why not so early?" Her mother said, "It's better to go early and come back early, so we should go buy groceries first." Zhang Zhi was woken up by her mother's noise and asked them to finish breakfast first. Zhang Jing refused, so her mother cooked noodles for herself and told her to eat after she left.

Zhang Jing washed her face, brushed her teeth, and got dressed. By the time she was done, her mother had even washed the dishes. She was ready to go, pulling a shopping bag with wheels, clearly planning to buy more. Zhang Zhi also came out, instructing them on what vegetables to buy.

After leaving the house, the mother said to Zhang Jing, "Do you know why I don't want to come to her house? It's because I'm annoyed by her bossing me around all the time. Fortunately, you found a job again, otherwise if you came here to help her take care of the children and became a nanny, you would be controlled by her for the rest of your life. You wouldn't even have freedom!"

Zhang Jing agreed, having spent thousands of dollars on Zhang Zhi's money in a previous life, rather than looking for work. Later, she followed Zhang Zhi's advice and left Shenzhen to return to Huizhou to help raise her children, using her salary to offset the outstanding debt. She was given 100 yuan a month in pocket money to buy sanitary napkins. After two years of work, Zhang Jing finally mustered the courage to work at the factory, thanks to her mother's intervention. Her mother said that even earning 500 yuan a month was better than asking for money from others. At least she could buy whatever she wanted without having to worry about others' opinions.

This is the most important lesson my mother taught me: "It is better to rely on yourself than to rely on others. No one else has it as good as you have it!"

Seeing it was still early and the supermarket wouldn't open soon, Zhang Jing decided to take her mother to Sanxin Market. When they reached the bus stop, her mother stopped her from swiping her card and took out four yuan in change. "Don't worry about it," she said, "she gave me the money. It's only right to spend it." Zhang Jing felt her mother's partiality for her once again. She used to think it was ridiculous to hear her younger siblings complain about their mother's favoritism, but now it seemed there was some truth to it. She blamed her mother in a past life; how unfilial she felt.

Zhang Jing was determined not to let her mother follow the same path in her past life, and she wouldn't let him influence her in this life. As the bus pulled up to the stop, Zhang Jing looked out the window, her eyes widening. A building, ablaze with excitement, was covered in red banners reading, "Prosperous Shop for Rent or Sale, 30,000 Yuan Down Payment" and "Welcome to Yiwu Small Commodity City." Was this how Yiwu shops were sold back then?!

At her mother's urging, Zhang Jing got out of the car and took her to the sales office. Her mother quickly explained that the grocery store was across the street. Zhang Jing said, "I know. I want to look at the shops." Her mother replied, "You're not going to buy anything, so why look?" but she followed them into the sales hall. The hall wasn't crowded, and people were looking around more than asking questions. A salesperson was explaining things. Zhang Jing knew she wouldn't miss this opportunity to get on the car, because everyone who had bought a shop here in their past life had made a killing.

"How do I sell a shop?" Zhang Jing asked, and the salesperson launched into a fluent explanation. Prices vary depending on the floor, with a minimum down payment of 6 yuan and three years of monthly payments. If the shop is rented out to Yiwu Management, the owner can collect rent after three years or sell the goods themselves. All the shops that have been sold are marked with red paper, and you can visit the building to see it in person. There are six floors, each divided into areas like A, B, C, and D.

Zhang Jing knew what was sold on each floor in her previous life, so she specifically checked the shops near the elevators on the second and third floors, finding that they had all been bought. Undeterred, Zhang Jing finally discovered that the red paper still remained across from the elevator on the third floor. She pointed it out and asked about it. The salesperson expertly flipped through the information and reported a mere 2200 square meters, with a down payment of yuan and monthly payments of yuan. Zhang Jing decided to take another look, and just as she was watching, she heard another salesperson come over and say, "That customer wants to move from the third floor to the same location on the fourth floor, and also buy the adjacent location. Could you help with the adjustment?"

The salesperson who greeted Zhang Jing was very dissatisfied. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I still need to take down the red paper. Are you sure?" "Yes, yes, there's no stall connected to the staircase on the third floor. They can't help." Zhang Jing immediately asked, "How much is this stall on the third floor?" Seeing that Zhang Jing was interested, the salesperson quickly quoted a price: 5 yuan for a down payment, 2700 yuan for monthly payments, and 20 yuan for full payment.

Zhang Jing, sensing an opportunity, immediately inquired about the necessary paperwork. The salesperson enthusiastically explained that an ID card, bank card, and household registration booklet would be sufficient. Zhang Jing explained that she didn't have one, and that she was a tourist from another province, so she wondered if she could buy one. The salesperson agreed, adding that if she bought it now, she'd be entered into a lottery. Twenty entries were drawn each night, and the prize was a free shop, permanently free.

Zhang Jing, having heard the same thing as in her past life, resolved to buy the shop. Her mother anxiously pulled her aside, urging her to stop. Zhang Jing comforted her mother, saying she knew her limits. The salesperson tactfully brought two glasses of water and asked her mother to sit down and rest. Zhang Jing carefully reviewed the terms of the sales contract and filled out the information with her ID and bank card. She went to the finance department in the next room and swiped 5 yuan, received the invoice, and signed the management and rental contract. Once all the paperwork was complete, the salesperson handed her a raffle ticket. Zhang Jing was invited to participate in the raffle at 7: p.m. As for the property ownership certificate for the shop, she could obtain it by presenting her ID and household registration after paying the monthly installments for three years. Before leaving, Zhang Jing took her mother to see the shop on the third floor at the stairwell; it was spacious enough. In her past life, this shop had been a busy one, so renting it out wouldn't be a problem. As for the monthly payments, she needed to work harder.

After gathering all the receipts, Zhang Jing took her mother to buy groceries. The old lady, bewildered, kept nagging, "You're buying a shop on your own? Why didn't you discuss it with us? You could even ask your second uncle. If you have money, why don't you buy a house first? If you and your sisters don't buy a house, where will you live in the future? You can't just rent forever, can you?" Zhang Jing knew the old lady was deeply upset, so she found a quiet place, sat her down, and talked to her slowly.

He said he'd been working outside for over a decade, and most of his money had been mailed back home. He didn't know where his money would end up in the future, so he decided to buy a shop within his means and collect rent. After three years, he'd be making at least 6000 yuan a month. That way, he wouldn't starve if he didn't work. If he wanted to return home, he could sell the shop and take home hundreds of thousands of yuan for retirement. If he didn't want to go back, he could save for a down payment and use the rent to buy a house, which wouldn't affect his lifestyle. It was definitely a lucrative business.

After hearing this, her mother said nothing more, simply saying, "You decide your own affairs. You won't listen to anything I say anyway." Zhang Jing told her mother not to worry and to keep it a secret. After her mother agreed, they went grocery shopping. Zhang Jing remembered that she hadn't eaten breakfast. She ate a rice noodle roll and asked her mother to join her, but she refused.

Zhang Jing knew that the old lady needed to calm down, so she didn't say much. After eating, they went to buy groceries. Seeing that her mother was absent-minded, Zhang Jing simply bought the groceries herself and her mother followed her to pack them. When they both loaded the groceries into the car, Zhang Jing found that they were still a bit heavy. She warned her mother not to buy too much in the future, even if it was only once every two days, and never to tire herself out. Her mother said, "Is your mother that stupid?"

Zhang Jing decided to send the groceries back and go to the supermarket to buy groceries herself, asking her mother to go back and rest. Her mother refused, saying that Zhang Zhi wouldn't have time to go shopping while she was in confinement. Zhang Jing had no choice but to ask her mother to wait while she took the groceries up. Zhang Zhi had already gotten up and asked her mother about it. Knowing that they had to go to the supermarket to buy groceries, she asked them to eat out. She and her husband also went out to eat, and then they would eat together in the evening as a welcome dinner for Zhang Jing.

Zhang Jing brought her mother to the West Lake and told her they would eat out for lunch. Zhang Zhi and her husband also ate out, and they all ate together in the evening, with her husband treating. The old lady had no objection, so Zhang Jing took her to McDonald's, ready to let her try a hamburger. The mother said she had only eaten KFC, which her cousin took her to in Jinan. Zhang Jing said, "Then try McDonald's today and compare them to see which one tastes better."

Zhang Jing chose a set meal and ordered a large hamburger and a medium Coke for her mother. The old lady ate with gusto, and when asked, she actually said that KFC was better. Zhang Jing said that we should go to KFC next time. When she asked her mother if she wanted to visit her second uncle and second aunt today, the old lady scolded her, "Those are your second grandparents, don't be rude." After thinking for a while, she said, "It's better not to go. You can't go empty-handed. You have to buy things and spend money. You can just visit occasionally in the future. After all, they have children. We are poor, so we shouldn't be annoying."

Zhang Jing knew her mother's low self-esteem wasn't something that happened overnight. She secretly resolved to become wealthy and relieve her mother's worries. She took her mother to the supermarket and even bought her a bamboo fiber towel, which made her nervous. She said she had a towel, but Zhang Jing said the old one had become stiff and she should throw it away and get a new one. The same goes for toothbrushes: don't let people look down on you; be kind to yourself.

After paying the bill, the mother said to Zhang Jing, "You always ask me to come out and spend time with you. I only have a pension of more than 50 yuan. After one trip to the supermarket, more than yuan is gone, and I can't even see a thing. How many times can I come here? Do I have to go without food or drink?"

Zhang Jing remained silent, lost in a deep well of self-blame. Her mother was right, yet she was being scorned. The two generations' perspectives, each believing they were right, only reinforced Zhang Jing's belief that making more money was paramount.