Rebirth and making money first

Dazhuang returned two weeks later, but nothing much changed. The only surprise was that Zuo Panxue had brought him back. She even walked up to Zhang Jing and said, "My son Zhang Zhiqiang will be back as usual. If you have any questions, just contact me. Take my phone number." Zhang Jing looked at Zuo Panxue in surprise, and she was quite pleased. "You didn't expect that, did you? I'm Dazhuang now—oh, no, I'm Zhang Zhiqiang's personal assistant. Please call him by his full name from now on."

Zhang Jing finally confirmed Zuo Panxue's resignation and decided to pursue her own goals. She lamented that everyone has their own ambitions. Despite graduating from university and coming from a well-off family, she still took shortcuts. She hoped she wouldn't regret it, and reflected deeply on her own choosiness in making money, which was why she couldn't strike it rich. She also admired Zuo Panxue's fearless drive. There's always someone willing to do what you're unwilling to do. Zhang Jing was grateful that her relentless pursuit of money was precisely to open herself up to more options.

Alan and the class monitor were very friendly with Dazhuang, eager to learn why he wasn't here. They explained that the teacher was now teaching radio exercises. Dazhuang, anxious, expressed his desire to learn. Zhang Jing reassured him that he could catch up, but Dazhuang said he was unhappy because his parents had gone abroad. He stayed home with Teacher Zuo, but he still missed everyone. Now he could come every day again.

Zhang Jing has now started taking accounting classes, and she can pay her tuition in installments. At school, she unexpectedly ran into a former colleague. This colleague also paid her tuition in installments, but after two years, she still failed one exam. However, she found true love while attending night school. This left Zhang Jing speechless, as it sounded quite outrageous. Later, she told Zhang Jing that if she still couldn't pass the exam in the third year, she would have to retake it.

Fortunately, tuition was free, as the school offered free admission if you failed the exam, but the tuition wasn't refundable. Zhang Jing thought about it and decided to pay the tuition in installments to avoid being caught out. Seeing her colleague, seemingly in love and completely dismissive of the exam, she knew she hadn't been studying hard enough. Sure enough, she soon became pregnant and simply gave up the exam. She consoled herself by saying, "Having a husband is a win, so I'll just consider it the matchmaking fee." Although her tone was lighthearted, she still felt a bit reluctant. She even suggested to Zhang Jing that she could take the exam again after she had the baby, since the teacher said she could continue studying for free as long as she failed.

Zhang Jing secretly made up her mind that no matter what, she would never let herself go to that point, because she knew that once she had a family and children, it would be difficult for her to spare the time and energy to complete these things.

The mother has returned to her hometown in Northeast China, and before leaving, her sister specially gave her a thin gold necklace as a gift. This necklace was originally won in a lottery at Zhang Zhi's unit, but because it was too thin, Zhang Zhi disliked it and gave it to her mother. Her husband was even more generous. He directly bought a pure gold ornament - a monkey holding a peach - from Hong Kong and gave it to his mother-in-law to express his gratitude for her care during the confinement period. Before leaving, the Hong Kong man asked Zhang Zhi to ask his mother-in-law what she thought of him. However, the old lady responded bluntly: "I only have one opinion, that is, when he calls me mother-in-law, he never calls me mom!"

My mother didn't realize that even if some people became relatives, they were merely passing strangers in each other's lives. This postpartum care was the only time my mother and her son-in-law would ever meet. This wasn't a fictional story; it was a real event. My mother was planning to give her future daughter-in-law a gold necklace as a wedding gift. Zhang Xiaobing had already separated from his classmates and gone to Shanghai to work. My mother's request to Zhang Jing was that she marry quickly, "even if there's no betrothal gift, I'll accept it."

Zhang Jing was a year older, and she longed for a peaceful life. Her relationship with A-Long was on the rocks, and only her writing income was slowly increasing. She could barely scrape together a down payment for a small apartment. She had hinted to A-Long several times about wanting to get married, but he'd either say he hadn't earned enough money or it wasn't the right time. Finally, he simply asked, "Isn't this good enough? Why do you have to get married? What's the difference between now and getting married?"

Zhang Jing knew that asking further would only bring shame upon herself, so she simply ignored him. Thinking that he was just like in his previous life, planning to have a lifelong relationship with a man and a woman, she felt disheartened.

Upon learning a colleague had given birth, Zhang Jing went to visit. The eight girls who had once shared a dorm had all married and had children. Zhang Jing felt helpless, even being pressured by them. Ah Ying said she liked handsome men, but they couldn't make a living. So she chose to marry an ugly man who could afford to buy a house. Such is life.

Zhang Jing was secretly surprised to see her colleague's two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with a down payment of 24 yuan, plus monthly payments of more than 20 yuan for years. Zhang Jing believed that Aying had chosen the right person. Importantly, the man made Aying the head of the household, and the property deed was in Aying's name alone.

After the shock, Zhang Jing calmed down after returning home. She realized she couldn't accept a materialistic marriage. She couldn't force someone she didn't like, and she couldn't pretend. Zhang Jing sighed. She mentioned a colleague's house purchase to A-Long on the phone, saying she wanted to buy one too. She asked A-Long how much he had saved. A-Long said houses were too expensive, and he didn't want to become a mortgage slave, as it would lower his standard of living. He only had 10 yuan in savings, and his parents' house in his hometown was in terrible condition. He had paid for a renovation, and he had to repair the ancestral home, otherwise people would look down on him.

Zhang Jing deliberately asked him, "I haven't been to your house yet. When will you take me back?" Zhang Jing was still giving him a chance, but A-Long said, "We're very poor. You won't be able to live here. My brother and sister are all away. My parents are the only ones left at home. There's no need to go back." Zhang Jing knew this man would have no place for her in the future. After hanging up the phone, Zhang Jing cheered herself up. Since no one had given her a home, she decided to make one for herself.

Zhang Jing bought a map and carefully marked the old buildings that had been demolished in her previous life, circling any places she could remember. Then she began her house-hunting journey. She thought, if she could find a bargain, that would be the best. So, she began looking at houses frequently. When her colleagues learned she was looking for a house, some enthusiastically asked about her ideal apartment type and price range. Even Director Chen praised her courage and determination.

However, despite Zhang Jing's persistent efforts to find a suitable property, she found that prices were generally higher than she had expected. Furthermore, prices seemed to be getting even higher over time. This left her feeling apprehensive and unsure how to make a decision. She was caught in a dilemma: the properties she had her eye on were too expensive, while the more affordable ones didn't meet her expectations.

When Ah Ying heard about this, she couldn't help but laugh. She asked Zhang Jing with concern if she had any concerns about second-hand properties. It turned out that someone in Ah Ying's neighborhood was selling a house. The property was strategically located, with convenient transportation and a bus terminal right outside. But when Zhang Jing heard Ah Ying's price, she shuddered and immediately backed off.

Zhang Jing was shocked to see Zuo Panxue's bulging belly. As usual, Zuo Panxue rolled her eyes at Zhang Jing. The two of them being able to sit face-to-face and chat in KFC was something they had never imagined before. As someone who had experienced this before, Zuo Panxue no longer had the jealousy or hatred she once had. She even felt sympathy for Zhang Jing, who had been fooled around by A-Long. In her eyes, Zhang Jing was just a love-brained person.

"Are you married? Is the child Dazhuang?" Zhang Jing's repeated questions made Zuo Panxue think that Zhang Jing was inferior to her. She stroked her belly and smiled with satisfaction. She decided to teach Zhang Jing a lesson. This low-educated person was just stupid!

"Why do you say you're working?" Zuo Panxue asked Zhang Jing. "To realize my self-worth," Zhang Jing confidently gave a high-sounding answer. "To make money! Can you be more serious?" Zhang Jing quickly admitted her mistake and asked Teacher Zuo to teach her by example.

Zuo Panxue recounted her own story, pointing out that Zhang Jing had missed a golden opportunity. In this era of mocking poverty, everything is about making money. "No one else has it as good as me!"

"Are you willing to accept this?" This was also what Zhang Jing was curious about. "It's not like I haven't been in love before! Now I think it was all fake, only the money was real."

"Da Zhuang can't support the family, so I will. His parents thought they bought me for 30 yuan for five years, and I will give birth to this child. We even got a marriage certificate. Those two old guys can't beat me. All the property in the future is mine."

Zhang Jing then asked, "Aren't you afraid of giving birth to an abnormal child?" Zuo Panxue replied that she had already consulted a doctor and that Dazhuang's condition developed later in life and wasn't hereditary. "Now, let's talk about your problem. A-Long isn't the type to live with, so don't waste your time on him. Find someone suitable and have a child as soon as possible." This time, Zhang Jing didn't contradict Zuo Panxue.

Zhang Jing was anxious about the house until she got a call from her mother, talking about some household chores. There were rumors that the house was going to be demolished. Zhang Jing finally remembered what was going on and decided to take some time off to go home.