Rebirth and making money first

A-Long still arrived later than Zhang Jing, which made Zhang Jing very unhappy. She planned to arrive even later next time, otherwise he would think she was out of her league. Zhang Jing always believed that men were not necessary, and it was okay to have them or not. Seeing A-Long walk in in high spirits, Zhang Jing admired his looks, but sighed in her heart, "Tall, rich and handsome men are really something, but it's a pity that this guy is only tall and handsome. If a rich woman waved at him, he would have run away long ago."

"How have you been lately? Have you been bullied?" As soon as A-Long sat down, his sweet talk began. "Have you ordered food? What do you want? Don't save money!" Seeing Zhang Jing's mood, he reached out and patted her. "Why do you look listless? Is the workload too heavy? Are you angry that I left without saying goodbye? Actually, my company wants me to go for training. Next time, I'll definitely be the first to tell you."

While waiting for their food, A-Long and I chatted about our lives since we separated. Zhang Jing asked, "You're also getting training this time. Is it a promotion or a raise?" A-Long replied that it depended on the boss's opinion. Zhang Jing then became anxious, "Didn't the boss explain it clearly before you left?" A-Long hurriedly explained that it wasn't just him, but two others as well. Their salaries would definitely increase, but the exact amount wasn't yet known.

"Okay, let's talk about something happy. I haven't eaten well for more than a month. Beijing mainly eats noodles, and I'm thin because of hunger. If I want to eat some hometown dishes, I have to go to Guangdong restaurants, and there are very few of them. You northerners are really weird, you don't even have soup to drink. I really can't stand it." He nodded quickly as he spoke, as if he wanted to order enough at once and was ready to eat and drink to his heart's content.

Zhang Jing tried to stop him, marking off a few items. "Big eyes, small stomach. When your soup comes, drink more. I'll just eat a little. You should eat with your appetite and don't waste money!" Only then did A-Long give up. Zhang Jing knew that there was still a food issue between them.

Speaking of gifts, A'long opened his bag, pulled out a jewelry box, and handed it to Zhang Jing. "Open it and take a look! I bought this in Wangfujing. It's made of pure silver. It's said to absorb pathogenic qi, and the bracelet will turn black when it does." Zhang Jing opened it and was stunned to see a large, beautiful silver bracelet emblazoned with a dragon and phoenix! Except for the material, it was flawless. Zhang Jing happily put it on and showed it to A'long. "Does it look good?" "It looks good!" Zhang Jing's heart leaped with joy.

"Is it true that you Guangdong people buy gold when you get married?" Zhang Jing was full of anticipation for married life. "Not all families are like this. Those with less financial resources are treated differently." Zhang Jing asked casually while eating. "So, is your family financially well-off or not? I see your brother has a girlfriend, and she's from Guangdong. Your family should give more, right?"

Aaron sighed and said in a heavy tone, "Alas, my family's conditions have never been good, and I was often bullied when I was a child. Later, I studied hard, and after I started working, I earned some money and renovated the house, which improved the situation a little. Now my sister and brother-in-law are both out in business. As for my brother, his future depends on his own luck. We don't have much financial support at home. And when it comes to things like getting married, he has to rely on his own hard work. By the way, I'm the same way."

Hearing this, Zhang Jing couldn't help but feel pity and couldn't help but sigh: "Oh, I didn't expect your family to be so poor! What about your parents? Do they have jobs? Are they retired now?" In fact, she had already expected this, but she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. After hearing this, A Long gently knocked Zhang Jing on the head and scolded her with a smile: "You are such a little fool! My parents are from the countryside. How can they have jobs? And you, do your parents have jobs?"

Zhang Jing nodded and replied with a smile, "Yes, my parents are both city dwellers. They both have jobs and are retired. They receive a monthly pension and medical insurance. Although they are divorced, their lives are still quite comfortable."

Aaron's mouth opened in surprise. He asked in disbelief, "So your family is from the city?" Zhang Jing nodded. "It's a small county town, in the Beidahuang Agricultural Reclamation and Construction Corps. Growing up, everyone I knew had a job. Large factories with tens of thousands of employees all had retirement salaries. I went to schools for children of agricultural reclamation workers."

Zhang Jing continued to ask A Long, "What if you found me, a northerner, and your brother found someone local? Do you think your parents would favor your brother and put the burden of raising him? Would that make you feel relieved? There's a 99% chance that your family and I don't speak the same language, so they probably wouldn't be able to take care of me during the confinement period. Not to mention living together, talking together, and eating together."

A'long said, "You're so smart, you can learn slowly. And you're talking about getting married. Do you want to get married so badly? I think that's a good idea. Let's not talk about this topic. I don't want to get married. I'm still young." Zhang Jing nodded. "Then eat. Eat more. By the way, the silver bracelet is very beautiful. It's not cheap, is it?"

"It's not expensive, just over a thousand. I thought it looked good so I bought it for you. Oh, and the Peking duck you mentioned is in my dorm. Come with me after dinner to get it." Zhang Jing refused. She understood that A-Long had been single for a month and now wanted to reconcile. "No, you can keep it for yourself. I have to work overtime tonight."

"What overtime? Why does your job require overtime? It's over 3,000 yuan a month, not even half of what I make." Aaron said dissatisfiedly, "Look, I'm getting irritated and even having acne from holding it in. Don't you miss me?"

Zhang Jing smiled, "I do, but I'd rather know how much such a large gold bracelet would cost. I'll go ask when I have time, and if it's not expensive, I'll buy one too. Don't mention that I don't have a single piece of gold jewelry from head to toe. It's really unfair when you think about it. Expecting others to buy it for me is unrealistic, I'd better buy it myself."

Aaron laughed again, "You women are so vain and realistic. You wear that thing but you're afraid of being robbed, so you buy it and then hide it. It's like you have wealth. You're wasting money. You might as well use it to make money and start some business."

"You're talking nonsense! Are you talking as if you understand women? The gold necklace around your brother's girlfriend's neck was given to her by your brother, according to the clerk. This is the correct way for a man to pursue a woman: Those who love you are afraid of giving you too little, because you will feel wronged; those who don't love you are afraid that you will ask for too much, because they think you don't deserve it." Zhang Jing said, "I'll return the silver bracelet to you and keep it for your fiancée. I think I deserve better."

A-Long said awkwardly, "I can't even eat in peace. If you don't like it, forget it. I'll give it to my grandma." Zhang Jing laughed angrily, "Your grandma is old, this style is not suitable, why not give it to your mom? You have to buy gifts anyway, let your family try the Peking duck." A-Long heard it and said, "Oh, I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't reminded me." "My grandma can't bite the Peking duck, but my parents can eat it. My grandma can eat the Poria cocos cake."

Zhang Jing re-examined A-Long; he was absorbed in his eating. It turned out it wasn't that he didn't care about others; it was just that she wasn't the person he recognized. From head to toe, she was a joke! She kept deceiving herself, imagining that one day he'd turn around and she'd still be there, waiting for him to be touched, waiting for him to recognize her interesting soul.

Men are indeed different from women. The saying “Men remain young until they die” means that as long as men are not hung on the wall, they will always like young and beautiful women.

Zhang Jing declined A-Long's offer to send her off, insisting on returning home. Unaware, A-Long affectionately warned Zhang Jing to be careful and to "call me when you get home." These warm words from the past at parting were now simply ignored, leaving her heart no longer troubled.

Zhang Jing, feeling down, channeled her anger into motivation and returned home to write a story. This time, she didn't copy anything; she created it herself. It's about a woman whose love-sickness finally awakens. Halfway through, she realized something wasn't right, so she rewrites it to involve a woman who traveled back in time to an ancient love-sick person, completely reversing the original woman's life. Seeing that the woman had stopped pestering him, the hero returns to her side.

After finishing the story, I still wasn't satisfied, so I kept revising it. The heroine, obsessed with love, brought trouble upon her parents, siblings, and brothers. The hero, desperate to escape her, not only ruined her reputation but also destroyed her family. The heroine traveled through time and space to the modern era, changing her fate and no longer being obsessed with love. The hero put aside his little white flower and once again surrounded the heroine, acting like a love-sick person... The story had a climax and a twist; it turns out novels are all about imagination.

Zhang Jing, who had always been unable to copy novels, successfully gained enlightenment because of this seemingly true love affair, writing exciting and explosive points according to her own ideas. Art comes from life, transcends life, and gives back to life.

Zhang Jing and A-Long were definitely done. Needless to say, they were just not right. They were not a good match, their values ​​didn't align, and they couldn't tolerate each other. One person kept giving in, while the other refused to go even one step further. A breakup, understood but not expressed, was a sad experience. Once intimately familiar, deeply ingrained, they had become strangers.

This is not just a passing by, but a passage of souls. The same is that there is no turning back, because you are no longer the same person as you were then, and he (she) is no longer the same person as he was then.

In this space-time called the Saha world, everyone is fulfilling their karmic connections, yet why does my heart still feel sad? Zhang Jing sighed as she wrote, ultimately heartbroken! "I can only write to vent my feelings. I'm so humble and pathetic. The only thing I can do is preserve my self-respect."

"Could it be that he's the one the scriptures say is my adverse karmic connection, sent specifically to save me?" Zhang Jing finished her novel, closed her computer, and concocted a grandiose reason to not hate her boyfriend but to be grateful to him. Then she cursed herself for being so foolish as to write novels.