Rebirth and making money first

Upon learning Zhang Jing was planning to buy a house, Li Xiangyue curiously inquired about her ideal home. Zhang Jing answered without hesitation, "I want a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment, preferably with a spacious balcony where I can enjoy the sunshine. Of course, it would be even better if it had nearby amenities, such as convenient medical facilities and transportation." After listening to Zhang Jing's description, Li Xiangyue nodded in understanding, but cautioned, "Houses like these are hard to find; you need to take your time selecting."

At this moment, Zhang Yongle interrupted their conversation: "Okay, let's not talk about this for now, come and have dinner. Let's continue our discussion while we eat. I'll go call my son out to have dinner together." Hearing this, Zhang Jing hurriedly washed her hands and took the initiative to help bring the dishes to the table and arrange them neatly.

After a while, the family of four sat around the dining table ready to enjoy a sumptuous dinner. However, Zhang Jing, who had just sat down, suddenly realized that one person was missing - Lao Zhang had not returned home yet. So she casually asked, "Why hasn't Lao Zhang come back yet?" Before she finished speaking, Zhang Yongle, who was standing beside her, immediately frowned and corrected her, "You should call him dad. You can't always be so disrespectful and rude!" Faced with her brother's rebuke, Zhang Jing didn't care. Instead, she retorted mischievously, "I don't believe it! I bet you that Lao Zhang would prefer me to call him that. Humph, anyway, you don't understand him as well as I do!" Seeing her sister so stubborn and cute, Li Xiangyue couldn't help laughing, but she still suppressed her smile and persuaded, "Okay, okay, you two brothers and sisters stop bickering and eat more food."

Zhang Yongle gently peeled the shells of the crystal clear shrimps and placed them into Zhang Jing's bowl. He then did the same thing and put some into his son's and wife's bowls.

At this time, Zhang Jing turned her head and looked gently at the cute little boy Zhang Haoyu beside her, and said softly: "Little Haoyu, auntie came back this time and brought you a lot of delicious candies unique to my hometown. Not only that, there are also those sweet and delicious corn beans. I believe these must be your favorites." As soon as the words fell, the smart little guy's eyes lit up instantly, and a brilliant smile bloomed on his face. He responded quickly and sensibly: "Thank you, auntie!" This crisp and pleasant thank you sounded like a spring breeze blowing through everyone's hearts, causing everyone present to laugh.

On the other hand, Li Xiangyue, like most mothers, warned with a little concern: "Don't eat too many candies at once, otherwise you will have a toothache." Then she looked at Zhang Jing with some anger, and muttered and complained: "Oh, Xiaojing, why did you bring so many things from home? Can't you keep them and enjoy them slowly? Why do you have to give them to the children?" Hearing this, Zhang Haoyu, who was originally in high spirits, suddenly became a little depressed, with his little mouth pouted.

Seeing this, Zhang Jing couldn't bear it and hurried to comfort Zhang Haoyu: "Haoyu, don't be sad. Auntie knows that you like to eat these snacks just like me, but as long as you listen to your mother, eat them in moderation every day and remember to brush your teeth well, it won't cause much harm to your teeth."

"And this will not only satisfy your appetite, but also keep your body healthy. So, sister-in-law, you don't have to be too strict, you can relax a little bit~" After saying that, Zhang Jing winked at Li Xiangyue mischievously, trying to ease the slightly tense atmosphere at the moment.

"You don't know, this kid is naughty and lawless. He often makes me so angry that my liver hurts. A while ago, the teacher even called me out of school because he got into a fight with a classmate."

Zhang Haoyu's face was full of indignation. He stiffened his neck and shouted, "It was obviously them who provoked me first! I was just forced to fight back! I didn't expect these people to have the nerve to go and complain to the teacher. It's so hateful! Humph, I'll teach them a lesson and make them convinced!" Zhang Jing looked at the stubborn little guy in front of her and couldn't help but mutter in her heart, this kid is really not an easy person to deal with.

At this moment, Zhang Yongle, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. He said sternly, "You'd better behave yourself, or I'll beat you up!" His commanding voice seemed to carry an invisible pressure that instantly intimidated Zhang Haoyu. Although he was still somewhat reluctant, facing his father's powerful aura, Zhang Haoyu didn't dare to say a word.

Seeing the situation finally quiet down, Li Xiangyue quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, alright, let's get down to business." Hearing this, Zhang Jing came to her senses and remembered her most pressing work issue. She frowned and asked, "You said you were going to reassign me to a new position. Where exactly are you planning to transfer me to? I haven't even got my Intermediate Accountant certificate yet. Will I be qualified for the new job?"

Zhang Yongle coughed lightly, then explained slowly, "Well, the specific situation is this. First, you will be temporarily transferred to the nursing home, where you will work under your sister-in-law. This job is relatively leisurely and not too tiring. After a while, your sister-in-law will be transferred to the Women's Federation, and you will then take over her current position."

Zhang Jing looked at Li Xiangyue in surprise. Seeing her nod in confirmation, she suddenly felt uncomfortable, "I'm afraid I can't do it." Li Xiangyue said, "I'm not leaving so soon. You learn from me first." Zhang Jing had to thank the couple for making plans for her and agreed to report to the nursing home on Monday.

Speaking of housing, Zhang Yongle explained that the government is raising funds for housing construction. They qualify, but given their financial pressures, they're not planning to buy. "If you have the conditions, you can use this quota. However, construction hasn't started yet, so you have to pay upfront, starting at 80 yuan."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jing hurriedly asked how big the apartment was and how many rooms it had. Zhang Yongle explained that the larger the apartment, the more expensive it was, and that most apartments had three or more bedrooms. Zhang Jing advised Zhang Yongle not to miss out. After all, his son would need a house when he grew up, and if he didn't buy now, the price would skyrocket.

Zhang Yongle said, "There's nothing I can do. I don't have enough money." Zhang Jing laughed at him, "You're going to borrow from Old Zhang. Don't you think about your grandchildren?" Zhang Yongle said he was enjoying himself right now and didn't have the heart to worry about his descendants. Zhang Jing didn't believe him and said she would call and ask. If Old Zhang ignored her, she would just buy it.

Uncle Zhang's call was connected, and Zhang Jing turned on the speakerphone. Uncle Zhang was delighted to hear Zhang Jing's call. They discussed their respective situations, and Zhang Jing recounted the government's housing fund-raising efforts. Finally, she asked Uncle Zhang, "Do you think my brother can buy this house? He doesn't have enough money, so he doesn't want to buy it, so he'll let me buy it. What do you think?"

Uncle Zhang, as experienced as he was, let his son buy this house. His reasoning was sound: "Government-funded housing, first of all, must be of excellent quality; no one dares to cut corners. Secondly, it's full of civil servants, and the good environment is good for children's development. If you don't buy, the house will be more expensive in the future. If you don't have enough money, just pay the down payment and the monthly installments. Try to buy a larger house so that the monthly payments can be made over a longer period of time. Never pay all at once!"

Zhang Jing was also puzzled and asked why they did this?

Uncle Zhang explained that as a government official, he had no other source of income besides his salary. If he suddenly spent a large sum on a house, others would think it was illicit income. He couldn't afford to give others a handle on him, and besides, the pressure wouldn't be that great if he only paid the down payment. He could also contribute part of the money to his grandson, and then he would discuss it in detail with his son.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Jing looked at Zhang Yongle. "Brother, you see, Old Zhang isn't someone who doesn't care about his children and grandchildren. You should cheer up too. Pick out a big house and give Old Zhang a room. If his love fails, there's still family to back him up. You can't let him despair and lose heart."

Zhang Yongle didn't say anything. Zhang Haoyu said, "Dad, I miss Grandpa. When will he come back?"

Li Xiangyue touched his head and said, "It will be soon. Wait until your dad and grandpa call each other. Don't cause trouble at school, your grandpa will be unhappy when he comes back."

"I didn't, it was others who flirted with me first."

"Xiao Jing, I will consider Dad's suggestion. But there are people who don't want the collective housing. I will help you get a quota when the time comes. We can all live in the same community. It will be convenient for us to visit each other and take care of each other."

"That's great, but don't force it if you can't get it. It'll give people something to talk about."

On the way to send Zhang Jing home, Zhang Yongle said, "Don't rush to settle your personal affairs. Choose carefully, and I'll help you keep an eye out. If that person isn't suitable, break up. You have to throw away useless things, no matter how delicious they are."

Zhang Jing nodded thoughtfully.