Rebirth and making money first

Zhang Jing wanted to go home, but her mother disagreed, saying it was too far and she had work to do. "If not, just mail the round-trip fare to me. It doesn't matter whether you come back or not!" Zhang Jing certainly didn't want to go through all that trouble, but for the sake of her future life, she had to make this trip.

Zhang Zhi told her to stop messing around and advised her to mail the money back. Zhang Xiaobing also complained, "Why go back if there's nothing to do? Didn't we just see the old lady?" Zhang Jing realized that no matter what she did, they would talk about it, so she might as well just go back.

Knowing that Zhang Jing was arriving soon, her mother said to her, "You arrived after 2 a.m., and I can't pick you up. Your coming back has kept me awake, so why don't you just wait in the station waiting room until daybreak?"

Zhang Jing said, "Mom, don't worry about it. I'll find a place to stay and go home at daybreak." It was still dark when she got off the train. There was a guesthouse on the right side of the station with a sign saying "20 per day." Without hesitation, Zhang Jing went in and booked a room, intending to sleep until daybreak.

Zhang Jing was awakened by a phone call from a deep sleep. She picked up her phone and saw several missed calls. Her mother had also called three times. Seeing that it was almost 9 o'clock, she immediately got up and called her mother back. As usual, she was scolded and told to go home immediately.

Zhang Jing took a taxi home. Her mother said she was worried sick because she didn't answer her phone. She thought she'd been abducted, but Zhang Jing told her mother not to panic, saying she'd simply fallen asleep at the guesthouse. Knowing Zhang Jing had arrived home and paid 20 yuan for a room, she ignored her and waited at the train station until dawn. The old lady was furious, saying, "You just can't handle hardship. You're used to having a good life! You feel uncomfortable if you don't spend money." Zhang Jing believed that enjoying life within one's means was perfectly acceptable; the purpose of earning money was to live a good life.

The mother stopped talking for now, thinking that the money had been spent anyway. There was no point in talking about it, and asked Zhang Jing what she wanted to eat and let her buy it herself. Zhang Jing looked at her mother's stock of vegetables and planned to buy some vegetables and fruits. This time the old lady took out 50 yuan and gave it to Zhang Jing, but Zhang Jing refused, saying that she had more. The old lady was more persistent this time, "What you have is yours. You came back from so far to see me, and I can't let you pay for it yourself."

Zhang Jing had no choice but to continue, even asking her mother what she wanted to eat so she could bring some back. She finally found some proof that her mother still cared about her. "This old lady is quite shrewd, but when it comes to her son's problems, she devotes herself wholeheartedly and neglects her daughter. She always thinks raising a son can provide for her old age. How sad!"

News of Zhang Jing's return spread quickly. Classmates gathered, and close friends met up. Even her mother's close friends showed up, and Zhang Jing gave each of them a wholesale silk scarf. The elderly ladies, some of whom were members of the yangko dance troupe, were delighted. Zhang Jing also met Aunt Tian, ​​who often accompanied her mother shopping. She didn't get angry even when her mother scolded her for doting on her son.

Zhang Jing greeted her happily. Knowing that Zhang Jing liked chili peppers, she gave Zhang Jing a bottle of red and green chili sauces she made to try. She asked her to see which one tasted better and she would send more to Zhang Jing. Knowing that Zhang Jing loved cherries, she broke off the cherry tree and held it up to Zhang Jing, saying, "The tree is too difficult to pick cherries, so you can pick and eat them at the same time. Throw away the branches after you are done." What touched Zhang Jing was the private warning from Aunt Tian in her previous life, "It's hard to work outside, so don't always send money to your mother. She is not short of money, she always says she won't ask you for it, and you have spent it all. If she helps you save it, don't believe her."

Zhang Jing was overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing Aunt Tian again. In her previous life, after Aunt Tian passed away, someone tried to introduce Zhang Jing to her son, but her mother strongly objected, saying that Aunt Tian's son was lazy and unfit for life. Zhang Jing remembered that Aunt Tian's old house was demolished shortly after it was sold, and she moved into an upper floor, while her mother's house remained intact until her death. Her mother never lived in an upper floor.

This time, Zhang Jing didn't let it go. She asked Aunt Tian if anyone was selling a house. Aunt Tian asked who was going to buy it, and Zhang Jing said she was going to buy it herself. She wanted a place to stay in case she couldn't make it, so Aunt Tian asked, "Can't you live in your mother's house?" Her mother immediately said, "My house is mine. They can live in it even if they don't buy it."

Aunt Tian said, "I can sell my house to you for 6 yuan." My mother said, "Whose house is so expensive? I won't buy it!" Zhang Jing knew that Aunt Tian's house was sold for 8 yuan in the previous life, and immediately said, "I'll buy it. Aunt Tian, ​​do you have the final say?" Aunt Tian said, "I have the final say. I'll go back and discuss it."

After Aunt Tian left, her mother persisted, calling Zhang Jing stupid. "How could her house be worth 6 yuan? Her neighbor's house is only selling for 5 yuan." Zhang Jing urged her mother to be patient, saying that houses would only get more expensive and that she could just buy it and wait for the house to be demolished. However, her mother felt that demolition wasn't certain to happen.

The situation ended acrimoniously, and Zhang Jing decided to act first and consult later. She secretly visited Aunt Tian's house and was very satisfied. They agreed on a price of 10,000 yuan, allowing Aunt Tian's family to continue living there while they looked after the property until it was demolished. Zhang Jing's mother locked up the household registration booklet needed for the transfer, but this didn't bother her.

Zhang Jing took advantage of the fact that her mother and Aunt Tian were shopping together and didn't take the key with her. She opened the old lady's locked box, found the household registration booklet and put it in her bag. Since her mother didn't use it and didn't look at it often, it gave Zhang Jing an opportunity.

Aunt Tian confirmed Zhang Jing's intention to buy the house, and then called her son back. The transfer process was completed quickly, and the money was transferred. Zhang Jing wrote another contract, "Aunt Tian, ​​let's be humble first and then be a gentleman. I don't know when I'll be back after I leave. Don't bother two people with one thing. You can live in the house. If there's any news about demolition, let me know, and I'll come back to handle the paperwork."

Aunt Tian was also satisfied and decided to keep it a secret from Zhang Jing's mother. Zhang Jing planned to tell her later when the house was demolished. She remembered that her classmate A Yan also had an apartment. When her family was moving to Xinjiang to develop their business, she was looking for someone to sell her house. She even offered to sell it to Zhang Jing when she met her at her home, saying that she would sell it to her for only 4 yuan because of her classmate's kindness. But she wanted cash.

This time, Zhang Jing planned to take possession of the property and hold onto her household registration for now. Through a classmate, Zhang Jing contacted A Yan, and sure enough, A Yan warmly invited Zhang Jing to her home. She even showed her large house to Zhang Jing and asked about each other's circumstances. As expected, just like in her past life, A Yan announced that her family was moving to Xinjiang and that they were planning to sell their house. "Prices are low here, and houses won't sell for a good price," A Yan lamented, then had an idea. "Do you want to buy it? We're old classmates. I'll give you a real price: 4 yuan. No one else can."

A Yan said the house was too big and belonged to the bank president. The president had been placed under double supervision, and three successive managers had been replaced, each with their own problems. They all said the house was unlucky. "I stole a bargain and bought it for 28,000 yuan. You're sure you can handle it, so buy it. Your mother can live there too, and it's not a high floor."

Zhang Jing pretended to think, then asked, "Do you have the final say?" A Yan replied, "That's funny! I'm the boss of my family! If you agree, we can transfer ownership tomorrow." Zhang Jing agreed. A Yan was worried, "Whoever changes their mind is a dog?" Zhang Jing laughed and pulled out the household registration booklet from her bag. "I was afraid you'd change your mind."

A Yan was excited. She joked, "Great! Man, you've become a rich man after not seeing you for a few years!" Zhang Jing said, "The real rich man is selling his house to a poor guy like me." The two seemed to have returned to the happy days when they were in school.

After agreeing to transfer the money the next day, Ayan asked if Zhang Jing's mother's neighbor's house was for sale; she wanted to buy it. The house was close to the road, and it looked like Ayan had mentioned going to Xinjiang to sell it. However, Zhang Jing knew that Ayan ultimately went to Xinjiang for development. The house she had sold to Zhang Jing for 4 yuan had skyrocketed to over 30 yuan, and the compensation for the demolition was 80 yuan. Her classmates regretted not buying her house, and Ayan regretted selling it too soon.

Of course, Zhang Jing played dumb. They were all adults, and no one was innocent. She told Ayan's mother that her neighbor's house had changed hands so frequently that the property certificate wasn't available. Ayan was disappointed, but she remained steadfast and insisted on sending Zhang Jing back home to take another look. Zhang Jing warned her not to tell her mother about her purchase, or the deal would fall through. If it did, it would belong to her brother. Ayan looked at Zhang Jing sympathetically, saying that it was right to be selfish.

After Zhang Jing's mother confirmed that the property deed to the neighbor's house was missing and had changed hands numerous times, and that it would flood back when it rained, A Yan finally gave up on buying the house. She then deliberately told Zhang Jing's mother that she was selling her own house for 4 yuan, "Auntie, will you buy it?"

"How can I afford it? Stop teasing me."

"Then I'll trade you the building. Auntie, just give me 2." This time, Zhang Jing's mother refused even more. "My house is about to be demolished. I won't trade with you!"

"Auntie, I asked Zhang Jing to buy it, but she said she didn't have that much money. How about you lend her 2 yuan? She doesn't have a house anyway." Zhang Jing's mother said, "If she has the money, she can buy it. My son doesn't have a house yet."

A Yan winked at Zhang Jing and said goodbye, patting her on the shoulder before saying, "Remember to come see me at 8 o'clock." As soon as Zhang Jing left, the old lady accused A Yan of always thinking of good things. Zhang Jing tested her mother, "How about you lend me 2 yuan so I can buy her house?" Her mother refused, saying, "It's second-hand, and the fourth floor is too high. What's the point of buying it if you don't come back to live there? Don't waste your money!"

The next day, Zhang Jing received a call from A Yan, saying she had something to do and that the sale would be delayed for a few days. Zhang Jing knew there would be other people looking at the house, and that A Yan might raise the price, but there was no rush. She simply found an internet cafe to download novels. This time, when she returned home to buy a house, she would be in her early teens. She calculated that her current funds were even further away from the down payment for a house in Shenzhen, so she needed to work harder.

A Yan called three or four days later, explaining she was busy. Zhang Jing wasn't soft-hearted, saying, "I've been thinking about it. I don't come back often, so wouldn't it be inappropriate to buy a house there?" A Yan was anxious. "You can't go back on your word. You're a bitch if you go back on your word. I was going to take you to transfer the property today, but I have something to do and it's been delayed for a few days. How can you be so kind? We've been classmates since we were little."

Zhang Jing was picked up by A Yan and his wife in a special car. After all the formalities were completed, he watched Zhang Jing transfer the house payment before he breathed a sigh of relief. Still unwilling to give up, he told Zhang Jing, "You've made a killing. There were three groups of people vying for my house, but I refused to sell it for the sake of my classmates. I even refused to sell it for 5 yuan. I leave it to you!"

Zhang Jing said, "Okay, okay, old classmates are the best. Thank you for your kindness. Remember to keep it a secret!" A Yan said, "I've already bought it, why would you keep it a secret? You're such a fussy person!" Zhang Jing was foolishly happy. After all, she had gotten a bargain. She just had to wait for the property deed to arrive and then leave. As for the future, they would talk about it later.