Rebirth and making money first

Zhang Jing went to the secondhand market again, hoping to find a suitable dining table and some matching chairs. However, after browsing several stores, she couldn't find anything satisfactory. She preferred lightweight designs over overly heavy ones. After much searching, she finally found a foldable dining table that caught her eye and perfectly matched her aesthetic.

The store also had six matching chairs to choose from. When she inquired about the price, she learned that the entire set cost 1600 yuan, while the table alone would cost 1000 yuan. She also found a wooden bunk bed with a clean, neat color for 1200 yuan.

Zhang Jing began to haggle with the store owner, eventually securing the three items for 2500 yuan. She requested delivery and installation. Returning home, Zhang Jing was delighted with her new furniture, but then she wanted to replace all the curtains. She carefully measured the windows, noting the hooks, and then went out again to find the right curtains.

This time, Zhang Jing found a shop specializing in curtains. Upon entering, the enthusiastic proprietress greeted her and introduced her to a variety of curtain styles. Zhang Jing selected several styles she liked and provided her measurements, but encountered difficulty deciding on the fabric. She wasn't satisfied with any of the fabrics the proprietress recommended, and just as she was about to leave, a customer came in to return some goods, which caught her attention.

The customer claimed a relative had brought good material from Hong Kong and provided a design, asking the owner to remake it. The finished piece was no longer needed, and the owner's wife was angry and refused to return it. The argument continued, and Zhang Jing looked at the returned piece. It was similar to her own, but with a more romantic feel. The fabric and pattern looked sunny, just what she liked.

"How much is this?" Zhang Jing asked, and the two of them looked at her as they walked away. "You want to buy it?" Zhang Jing replied, "If the price is right, the size is about right, and installation is included, I'll buy it." The three parties reached a truce and discussed the details. Knowing that Zhang Jing lived nearby, the proprietress finally decided to take the curtains to Zhang Jing's house for installation, and the customer went along to see the results.

Zhang Jing took down the old curtains and replaced them with new ones. While they were a bit large, it didn't detract from the overall effect. The room instantly brightened. She found two dolls from a corner—a monkey and a rabbit, two small animals often used by people in their past lives—and placed them on the curtains as tie straps. Then she opened the window, letting the sunlight in. Seeing the two adorable little animals clinging to the curtains, one on each side, Zhang Jing was delighted.

This arrangement is both interesting and lively, even the proprietress and

Customers were dazzled by the decoration and expressed their desire to imitate this style of decoration to decorate their own shops and homes.

After some haggling, Zhang Jing finally bought the items for 580 yuan, which left her feeling heartbroken and nearly in tears. She couldn't help but sigh, "Money is such a waste!" Given financial pressures, she decided not to replace the curtains in the other two bedrooms and would continue to use the existing ones. She planned to wash the fabric and keep it for later use.

After bidding farewell to the landlady, an exhausted Zhang Jing returned to her room and lay down on her bed, ready to rest for a while. However, before she could sleep for long, her cell phone suddenly rang, interrupting her sweet dreams. It was A-Long, asking if Zhang Jing was in the dorm and suggesting they go out for dinner that evening. Zhang Jing, realizing she hadn't yet told him about her purchase, felt a pang of guilt.

Zhang Jing felt a little conflicted, but she pretended to be calm and replied, "Sorry, I just woke up and really don't want to go out. Besides, there's a dinner party organized by my colleagues tomorrow, and I need to save my stomach for a good meal. How about this, you go try the delicious food at that seafood restaurant by yourself?"

Aaron didn't seem to be giving up and continued to ask, "What's wrong with you lately? I asked you out several times, but you refused to come out." Zhang Jing sighed helplessly and replied, "My job changed, and I haven't fully adapted yet. I feel very tired. Besides, you don't plan to get married, so why should we be so serious? You can try to invite some female colleagues you are close to to go out together!"

Hearing this, Aaron finally realized something was wrong. He frowned and asked, "What do you mean?" Zhang Jing took a deep breath and explained calmly, "Actually, I'm different from you. I'm in a relationship with the intention of getting married. But if you just want to enjoy the process of dating and don't want to consider marriage, then let's not waste each other's time. I will find someone else to date. After all, I'm not young anymore. If I don't hurry up, it may be difficult for me to have children in the future."

After a moment of silence, Aaron said, "Okay, good luck to you! Remember to notify me when you get married, and I will give you a big red envelope." However, Zhang Jing responded without hesitation, "That's not necessary. A good ex should disappear as if he were dead." After that, she hung up the phone.

The decisiveness she'd felt when she hung up the phone contrasted sharply with the bewilderment she felt at this moment. Zhang Jing sat there motionless. She had to admit, she was truly devastated. She'd thought she'd found love, but she hadn't expected the person who'd come to teach her was the one who'd taught her. As time ticked by, Zhang Jing finally came to her senses. Slowly, she opened her computer and decided to write a novel about her experiences.

The heroine in this story is herself, while the hero is the man who hurt her. Zhang Jing meticulously depicts the man's coldness and callousness, as well as the woman's endless imagination and fantasies. Despite the admonitions of friends and family, the heroine stubbornly clings to her own ideas, creating a story filled with twists and turns.

Ultimately, the once radiant woman lost the halo of love and returned to reality, her face old and haggard. She discovered that she had only ever treated the man as a vehicle for her love, her true self long lost. Years later, she still reminisces about that time, the once devoted and passionate girl having quietly transformed into a mature woman. In reality, it's not the passage of time that truly ages us, but the loss of emotional control.

Zhang Jing finally diagnosed her love after two lifetimes. As the recipient of this giving, all she had to do was not reject it. Aaron's role as a carrier was merely a coincidence. The eight sufferings of the Saha world are love and separation, resentment and resentment, unfulfilled desires, birth, old age, sickness, and death, all raging like the five aggregates. As a human being, who is immune?

After putting away her laptop and eating some noodles, Zhang Jing started thinking about what to treat everyone tomorrow. Alan and the squad leader were both from Guangdong and loved to make delicious soups. Zhang Jing thought about it and decided to make a vegetarian soup, one she'd eaten during a temple ritual. It had no bones or meat, just vegetarian ingredients. She wrote on a piece of paper: corn, lotus root, carrots, red dates, yam, longan, barley, mushrooms, rice beans... a little bit of each to make a big pot of thick soup.

Zhang Jing nodded in satisfaction. The main course was dumplings. Just a few for the three of them would be enough. After checking the kitchen supplies, Zhang Jing realized she needed to buy a lot of things. She'd have to take her time. She didn't have a rolling pin for the dumpling wrappers, so she used an empty wine bottle instead. After cleaning it and letting it cool, a table would work.

Time flies when she's distracted. Zhang Jing has a lot of shopping items on her paper. Going to the supermarket isn't worth it, so she'll just go to the market. She'll buy from a vegetable stall and get up early tomorrow morning. She'll go after her workout.

Alan and the class monitor loved Zhang Jing's house. Alan even asked, "Can I come live here? I love this big room." Zhang Jing said, "You're welcome anytime." Alan said she was joking. It turned out that the teacher really liked her. It wasn't just being polite to her as her adoptive parents said. She had very few friends, almost none. "Teacher Zhang, I declare that you are my friend from now on!"

Zhang Jing said, "Okay! From now on, just call me Ah Jing in private, not Teacher Zhang." Alan asked, "What about at work?" Zhang Jing replied, "Just call me that." Alan was delighted. Zhang Jing finally understood what was wrong with Alan.

The dumplings delighted Alan and the class monitor. Zhang Jing asked them to learn how to make them together, with her guidance. They spent the entire morning working and eating, and all three were delighted. The soup was also a favorite of the two. Alan said he'd get the same compliment from his parents when he got home, so Zhang Jing simply copied the list to Alan.

The squad leader said he wanted it too. Zhang Jing gave them a piece of paper and told them to copy it while she cleaned up the kitchen. When she came out, she saw they were still arguing about how to write the words, so she decided to write them herself. Alan remembered the gift he brought and quickly gave it to Zhang Jing. "It's my mom's fried fish with a little chili. It's delicious. I could eat two big bowls of rice with it. Jing, try it."

Zhang Jing smelled the fishy smell in the bottle and immediately felt nauseous and retched. She pushed Alan away and ran to the bathroom. After retching for a long time, she finally calmed down, rinsed her mouth to wash away her tears, and came out of the room to tidy up her appearance. Seeing Alan and the class monitor were very nervous, she asked, "Teacher, what's wrong?" The class monitor also asked, "If you feel unwell, let's go to the hospital."

Zhang Jing smiled and reassured them, "It's okay. The teacher is a vegetarian and rarely eats meat or fish. She gets this way when she smells it. She won't feel sick if she eats dumplings with less meat and more vegetables. I'll just rest for a while. Alan, take the fish home and eat it. Don't waste it."

"Okay then, but I don't have any gift for you?"

"It doesn't matter. Your presence is the best gift you can give me. I'm really sorry. Please buy me one of your hair clips as a gift in the future."

"Okay, okay, this one's very cheap. What color do you like?"

“I like everything Alan chooses!”

"Then it's settled!"

The squad leader also presented Zhang Jing with his gift: a calligraphy piece inscribed with the phrase "A harmonious family brings prosperity." Zhang Jing couldn't help but praise him, realizing he'd written it himself. He said his grandfather had taught him how to write it. When asked about his family, he revealed he had parents and a younger brother. He was the only one who had lived with his grandfather for a long time, taking care of him.

"You're really great!" Zhang Jing couldn't stop praising him, and Alan also gave him a thumbs-up. Before leaving, Zhang Jing divided the snacks he brought back from the nursing home into two, giving each student a bag. The class monitor said with emotion: "Teacher, I just want to marry a girl like you."

Zhang Jing smiled and said, we will find it.

Once the others were in the car and gone, Zhang Jing headed to the pharmacy. She bought two pregnancy tests. A vague sense of unease permeated her mind, as she suspected she might be pregnant.