Rebirth and making money first

Zhang Jing carefully placed the soy sauce and vegetables in her dormitory, then happily headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. She expertly ordered a bowl of fragrant fried rice noodles, a bowl of steaming red rice porridge, and a plump, hard-boiled egg.

Contentedly sitting at the table, Zhang Jing began to savor her delicious breakfast. However, she felt a slight regret—the fried rice noodles didn't come with her favorite vinegar and chili peppers. After all, for someone as young and energetic as her, it was perfectly normal to pursue exciting and diverse flavors. However, she then considered the elderly, whose health often prevented them from tolerating strong seasonings. Perhaps she, too, would face the same limitations in her later years.

I read a report about an octogenarian grandmother in a distant foreign country who has remained devoted to the unique charm of chili peppers throughout her life, her love for them unwavering. Her continued enjoyment of chili peppers at such an advanced age is truly enviable! "Perhaps it's because she's not in a nursing home that she can indulge her cravings so freely!" Zhang Jing thought to herself.

It was still early, so Zhang Jing decided to take the soy sauce and vegetables to Mrs. Xu's room. When she arrived at the door, she found Mrs. Xu standing in front of the stove, concentrating on cooking, wearing a loose vest and baggy shorts.

Seeing Zhang Jing arrive, Mrs. Xu's face immediately lit up with joy. She enthusiastically took the basket from Zhang Jing's hand and asked with concern, "Child, how much did these things cost you? Are they enough? If not, I can give you more."

Hearing this, Zhang Jing quickly waved her hand and said, "Auntie, you are too polite! It's just a little over two dollars in total. I can make up this small amount myself. Please don't take it to heart." But Mrs. Xu was not willing to accept this suggestion. She took out another five dollars from the table and forced it on Zhang Jing.

"Oh, no, no, I don't have any change on me right now. Otherwise, you have to find me two dollars in change. Otherwise, I absolutely cannot accept this money." Zhang Jing was determined not to accept the money. She sincerely expressed her hope to pay according to the actual price.

Unexpectedly, her insistence instead aroused the dissatisfaction of Mrs. Xu, "Take it, I have money. I am not short of money. Besides, the extra money can be regarded as the fee for your help, don't think it is too little! It is not easy to do anything when you are old. I think you are a kind-hearted person, come in and let's chat." As she said this, she turned off the power of the stove, stopped cooking, and invited Zhang Jing into the room.

Seeing that she seemed to have something else to say, Zhang Jing had no choice but to obey. She warmly invited Zhang Jing into the room, then cautiously stuck her head out to look into the corridor. After confirming that no one was around, she closed the door with peace of mind.

Zhang Jing couldn't help but take a closer look as she entered the studio apartment. The scene that greeted her could be described in one word: chaos. If she had to be more precise, it would be sheer chaos. She couldn't imagine how a person's living space could be so cluttered and filled with all sorts of things.

Zhang Jing couldn't help but sigh inwardly: As expected, only those who devote themselves to spiritual practice can achieve a clear mind and few desires, and just preparing a bowl is enough; while ordinary people are often dragged down by many external things.

At this point, Mrs. Xu gestured for Zhang Jing to sit down first. However, Zhang Jing said that she had work to do and hoped that the other party could explain things as soon as possible. Seeing this, Mrs. Xu hurriedly said, "Don't worry, child, I won't take up too much of your time. I just want to ask, are you married now?"

Hearing this question, Zhang Jing answered without hesitation: "Not yet. Judging from the current situation, I'm afraid I will be alone for the rest of my life."

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Xu responded immediately: "Actually, I'm the same as you!"

"What? Impossible?" Zhang Jing's face was full of suspicion, and she obviously didn't believe it.

"It's absolutely true! I have never been married in my life!" said Mrs. Xu in a firm tone.

"Then you must have brothers and sisters or nephews and nieces or other relatives, right?" Zhang Jing still did not give up and continued to ask.

"None of them." Old Mrs. Xu gave a negative answer without hesitation.

"Then how did you get into this nursing home? Who is your guardian?" Zhang Jing became interested.

"A good sister." Mrs. Xu interrupted Zhang Jing and began to ask Zhang Jing, "Do you make 8000 yuan a month?"

Zhang Jing's eyes widened. "I only have a little over half, how could I possibly take so much?"

"Do you know how to feed liquid food, change diapers, and bathe the elderly?" Mrs. Xu asked again.

Zhang Jing, who had a vague guess, said, "I've learned it, but I'm not proficient yet. I'm still practicing."

"Oh, okay! I get it. We can talk about this later. Go back to work!"

Zhang Jing said, "Then I'll leave. If you need any more vegetables, tell me and I'll buy them for you."

"Thank you! Is this too much trouble for you?"

"It's not a bother, it's just a simple thing. I'll buy you some green onions and cilantro tomorrow, no matter how much money you give me. But I have work to do, so I can't deliver it so early. I'll deliver it before lunch, so don't worry."

"Then thank you! Can you buy me another pair of pork ribs, a carrot, and a head of corn? I want to make some soup. I'll give you the money!"

Zhang Jing said, "I'll give it to you when I get it back. I really have to go to work, so you should get busy."

After Mrs. Xu thanked her profusely and walked out of the room, Zhang Jing breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as she closed the door, she quickly rushed to the window, breathing in deep gulps of fresh air while patting her chest and mumbling, "Oh my goodness, I'm almost suffocating! What's that weird smell in this old lady's room? How did she stay there?"

The nurse on duty nearby couldn't help but burst out laughing when she heard this. Zhang Jing, perplexed, asked, "Don't you usually help her clean up?" The nurse shook her head helplessly and replied, "It's not that we don't want to help, it's just that this old lady is too difficult to please. Every time we try to clean up, she ruthlessly drives us out. It's as if she's hiding some treasure in her room and she's afraid we'll do something bad if we go in."

"But we can't just ignore her, can we?" Zhang Jing couldn't understand. The nurse said, "We try to let her supervise the cleaning, and we go together, just in case we can't explain it clearly and there's no one to testify. I'm sorry to say this, but apart from the director occasionally coming to check on the room or check the wiring, you're the only one she can invite into her room. Simply put: we're not qualified!"

Zhang Jing was speechless after hearing this, and could only turn around and leave in frustration. She secretly planned to never come to this place again after buying her last batch of groceries tomorrow.

Just then, the finger exercise activity began. Zhang Jing was about to join in, but suddenly saw Li Xiangyue waving at her.

"Sister-in-law, what do you want to talk to me about?" Zhang Jing walked quickly to Li Xiangyue and asked.

"I haven't seen you since early in the morning. Where have you been? Come to my office right away." Li Xiangyue said in a serious tone.

"Sister-in-law, an elderly woman asked me to buy groceries for her, and I just delivered them to her."

"You should stay out of some things if you can. You're still inexperienced."

"Sister-in-law, then you have to teach me more."

Li Xiangyue said an elderly woman was making a scene, insisting the caregiver had stolen her money. "Let's go and appease her, and you should learn how to handle it too."

The two of them came to a room where the caregiver's eyes were red and the old man was muttering, "There are only two of us in the room, and we always lock the door when we go out. You're the only one who came back, and you said you didn't take it. Didn't you see a ghost?"

The caregiver explained, "I'm paid. Our parents taught us not to steal since we were little. Grandma, if you're like this, I can't do my job. If you're not satisfied with me, you can ask for a replacement!"

The old man said, "I don't mind which caregiver takes care of me. Some people are just bad. They even steal the money of the elderly. They don't know that the money of the elderly is hard-earned. I was careless and didn't lock the drawer, so the money disappeared!"

"Grandma, we're here to see you! What's wrong? Why are you unhappy?" Li Xiangyue walked into the room with a smile and signaled the nurse to go out first.

"Grandma, if you have any problem, tell me and I'll take care of it. Don't be angry, your health is the most important thing."

The old lady smiled again and invited Li Xiangyue to sit down. After repeated questioning, the old lady said that she had lost a lot of money. Li Xiangyue asked, "Grandma, did you bring a lot of money in? Our nursing home stipulates that you can only keep 200 or 300 yuan in your hands, and family members can give it back after you use it. How much money did you lose?"

"It wasn't a lot of money, only about two or three hundred yuan. But I still had a few thousand yuan in my locker, and now the key is gone."

"Then I'll help you look for it and see if you remembered it wrongly."

"No, I'm not senile. I've already told my daughter that I don't want to live here anymore. I want to go home!"