I changed the world.

Page 365

"I see. Then let him rest well and have someone send him some medicine," An Zhengquan said after thinking for a moment.

“They said they’ve already consulted a doctor they know well, and he’s taken the medicine they have at home. If it doesn’t work, they’ll go to the hospital,” An Zhengquan nodded. Then he told her, “Have someone from your family send him some things over, so he doesn’t feel neglected.”

Upon hearing this, An Xuqing sighed, nodded, and after a moment of silence said, "This child has been obedient since childhood, so I suppose he can understand."

An Zhengquan nodded upon hearing this: "Speaking of which, even if Lingling really takes over in the future, he can still handle things on his own. With such a large operation like Qianluo, it's impossible for him to be overlooked..."

An Xuqing nodded upon hearing this, without saying much. She saw some people and things clearly, and understood their thoughts, including those of her own family and even her nephew. However, while her daughter's poor health was one thing before, now that it was visibly improving, as parents, how could they possibly give up the family business? Even if her nephew was close to her family, he couldn't be as close as her daughter, who was, after all, her own flesh and blood.

Despite the fact that many people think she is very supportive of her maternal relatives, An Xuqing clearly distinguishes between those close to her and those distant from her.

Since her daughter's health improved, her husband, An Zhengquan, had been grooming her to take over the family business in the future, a fact she was aware of and supported. As for her nephew, although he was always filial and close to her family, she could only sigh in that respect.

Born into a noble family, she knew that some flattery and belittling were inevitable in the process. Her nephew had never been sick before, but he suddenly fell ill today. She wondered if there was any psychological factor involved, but even if there was, she could only pretend not to see it.

"Dad, Mom, hasn't Cousin Guanyun arrived yet?" An Huiling, dressed neatly, came out of her room, walked down the stairs to the living room, and clearly heard her mother answer the phone and her parents' conversation afterwards. However, she pretended not to know and asked.

"Oh, your cousin suddenly developed a fever and passed away. Let's go now." An Zhengquan folded the newspaper and put it aside, then stood up and said.

"Oh, my cousin has a fever? Is it serious?" An Huiling asked, a few doubts creeping into her mind. She had just been pondering the eerie creature she encountered last night, and now her cousin was sick this morning. She wondered if there was any connection between the two...

* * *

承和三十七年 2016年4月5日9:23 江东省景山县

Today is Qingming Festival. Although I am a time traveler, I still retain the memories of the original body and, to some extent, I have inherited the bonds of the original body.

Zhang Jing did not intend to sever these ties, after all, even immortals have emotions and desires, and if one were to truly be detached from emotions, it would be meaningless.

Let nature take its course...

Today, Zhang Jing decided to visit his parents' graves as per custom.

His parents' graves were not in Linzhou, but in his hometown of Jingshan County. However, distance was not a problem for Zhang Jing. After dressing neatly and taking some items he had prepared in advance, he disappeared from his home.

....................................

Every year on this day, outside the Li Family Archway in the northern suburbs of Jingshan County, Jiangdong Province, the area is always bustling with activity. Many vendors set up stalls there, selling flowers, incense, candles, and paper money.

Zhang Jing bought some incense and paper money from a stall, carried it in a bag, and walked along the road. Following his memory, he finally found his parents' tombstones in the northeast corner of the cemetery.

The stone tablet reads "Tomb of my late father (and mother) Zhang Jin (Qian Mei)".

Zhang Jing looked at the tombstone, sighed, and took out the shovel and brush he had prepared beforehand to clean away the moss and other plants attached to the tombstone and the grave mound.

After cleaning, he took out the candles he had just bought outside the archway, lit them, and stuck them in the soil on both sides of the tomb. Then he took out incense sticks, bowed three times, and stuck them in the soil as well. Finally, he took out paper money and started burning it.

All of this is unrelated to practicality; it is simply a way of expressing grief.

Just as he was burning paper money, footsteps approached from afar, growing closer to him. It was his uncle and aunt, accompanied by Qian Ju. Zhang Jing had already noticed them before they even saw him.

Originally, Zhang Jing did not intend to trouble his uncle and aunt when he came to his hometown, but he did not expect them to come to visit his parents' graves. Since they were here, he could not pretend not to know, so Zhang Jing got up to greet them.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 733 Mom... Don't worry about my brother's affairs.

"Ah Jing is here! He's come to see your parents!" Zhang Jing's uncle and aunt were clearly surprised to see him. His uncle smiled and nodded at him. The usually taciturn Zhang Jing didn't say anything, just said "You're here," and then set out incense and candles.

Auntie, on the other hand, was initially delighted and quickly came over to look Zhang Jing up and down, then complained, "You came all this way and didn't even bother to call."

"I was just trying not to cause you any trouble..." Zhang Jing said with a smile, "I still have things to do in Linzhou, so I just came here temporarily."

"We're all family, there's no trouble at all. Let's have lunch together at home." Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Zhang Jing had no choice but to agree.

At this moment, Qian Ju walked up and greeted him, "Brother."

"A-Ju's back too?" Zhang Jing asked with a smile. "Is the company on holiday?"

"Today is Qingming Festival, and the company has a day off," Qian Ju nodded.

"Ah Jing, it's all thanks to your help. Ah Ju has now been promoted to a full-fledged employee, and they even made him a junior manager at his workplace," Auntie chimed in with a beaming smile, her face full of pride.

Zhang Jing was slightly taken aback. He didn't remember helping in any way.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, he saw Qian Ju lean over and whisper to him, looking embarrassed, "Brother, it should be that...that..."

"Which one?" Zhang Jing didn't react...

"It's that... Sister Huiling's place..." Qian Ju's voice grew softer and softer.

"Oh... Huiling, did she go to say hello?" Zhang Jing asked curiously, also in a low voice.

He knew about An Huiling's visit to Qian Ju's company, and Qian Ju had called him at the time, but he hadn't heard anything about what happened afterward.

"No, not really... but the company did give me a permanent position, and General Manager Zhou also promoted me to team leader..."

"Oh, right... Later, Sister Huiling had someone send me something again, it was food..." What Qian Ju didn't say was that when the things were delivered, An Huiling had Mei'er come directly to the office to deliver them, and they were supposedly some pastries that An Huiling had made herself.

During this period, Qian Ju felt that the previously precarious workplace atmosphere had suddenly changed. People around him greeted him with smiles, which gave him the feeling that "everyone around me is a good person, and they speak so kindly."

"It's alright, just take what Huiling gave you." Hearing that it was just food, Zhang Jing didn't pay much attention and said casually.

Then, Zhang Jing turned to his aunt and smiled, "A friend of mine happens to know the leader of Qianju Company. I met him when I went to the company that day and we exchanged a few words."

Judging from Qian Ju's expression, Zhang Jing knew that he hadn't told his parents about An Huiling, and since he wasn't planning to bring it up anyway, he simply left it at that.

"Actually, it's because Aju is outstanding, and his company's leaders also value him highly," he added.

As Qian Ju listened, he subconsciously recalled Director Wu Zhaoyu, who had knelt down in front of him. Although he hadn't done anything to kick someone when they were down since then, the director had eventually resigned.

"Ah Jing, don't be modest. There are so many outstanding people in this society, why should he be the one chosen? If you don't have connections, who will pick you when it matters?"

"Ah Jing works for a big company, under the Qianluo Group. Countless people envy him. Getting promoted isn't that easy, let alone getting a promotion..." Uncle chimed in from the side. Although he was just an ordinary citizen, he still had this much knowledge.

"We can't let this favor go unrewarded. Go home and get some things to take back to your friend later. We may not be a wealthy or powerful family, but we have to know the rules and not let people gossip."

"Since you two are both going back to Linzhou later, let's have your uncle drive you back to Linzhou," Auntie said from the side.

Zhang Jing sighed inwardly. He couldn't very well say that he didn't actually need to go through all that trouble, so he could only nod in agreement.

Afterwards, the uncle and aunt also took out the things they brought in front of the tombstone, including incense, candles, paper money, and some Qingming Festival dumplings and other offerings.

After arranging everything, the group began burning paper money. As they burned, the aunt muttered things like, "Now that A-Jing is successful, you don't need to worry down there..." "I'll come to see you every year, please bless everyone with peace and safety," "Bless A-Jing to find a girlfriend soon, so he can give you a grandson or granddaughter..." and other similar words...

"By the way, Ah Jing, the other day Aunt Wang next door mentioned that her daughter also works in Linzhou. I was thinking, she's about your age, why don't you two meet her?" After burning the paper money, the group stood there chatting while waiting for the incense to burn out. The custom here is that when sweeping the tomb, you have to wait until the incense has burned out before you can leave.

Aunt Wang, whom my aunt mentioned, is her neighbor. Her family runs a restaurant. The couple's daughter didn't want to inherit the business and went to Linzhou to work. This is a common choice for many people in small places who don't want to stay in the place where their ancestors lived for generations and continue a monotonous, predictable life.

"Mom... don't worry about my brother's affairs..." Just as Zhang Jing was considering how to refuse tactfully, Qian Ju spoke up: "Then Sister Wang and my brother are not suitable..."

"Why isn't she suitable? Xiaolian is a college graduate. I saw her when she came back for the last New Year. She has a good figure, and although she's a bit sturdy, she's fertile. Men should marry when they're of age, and women should marry when they're of age. Maybe they'll hit it off after meeting..."

Listening to his mother's words, Qian Ju subconsciously recalled the sister-in-law he had met that day—whose temperament, figure, appearance, and family background were all top-notch… Comparing the two, he said helplessly, "Mom… Anyway, don't worry about this, it's really not suitable…"

The uncle, however, seemed to realize what was going on and said, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, so don't worry about it. With Ah Jing's looks and character, how could he not find a girlfriend..."

Then, she looked at Zhang Jing and asked, "You already have one, right? When are you going to bring it to your uncle's house so that your uncle and aunt can see it?"

"We're not officially dating yet. Once we are, I'll definitely bring her back to meet my aunt and uncle." Zhang Jing could only force a smile; he figured he could delay as long as possible…

Qian Ju moved his lips to speak, but ultimately remained silent.

Seeing that the incense had burned halfway, the group started talking about other things. The topic returned to Qian Ju's job in Linzhou and the rising housing prices there. It was clear that the uncle and aunt intended to buy a house for their son in Linzhou, but the housing prices there were too high, especially in middle-class and above communities.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 734 The Corpse Came Back to Life!

Although it's far less expensive than the crazy housing prices under the real estate economy that dominated Zhang Jing's previous life, for his uncle and aunt, this price represents their life savings.

As for houses in marginalized communities or slums, they are indeed much cheaper, but the infrastructure, education, medical care and other supporting facilities are much worse, and the security situation is also a big problem.

Unlike Zhang Jing's previous life, in this world, the location of your house, to some extent, represents your social status. If you live in a slum, you will be looked down upon in many situations. Therefore, for many families, this money cannot be saved, which is also due to the social atmosphere.

However, the matter of houses in Linzhou was clearly beyond the scope of knowledge for my uncle and aunt, who had rarely traveled far from home in their lives.

Zhang Jing pondered that if his cousin really wanted to buy a house in the future, he might as well help him out. After all, his cousin was one of his few remaining relatives, and his aunt and uncle had always been very supportive of him...

However, it wasn't convenient to say this now, and my uncle wouldn't accept it anyway, so I decided to wait until they actually bought it and then give them a red envelope myself...

A simple ringtone came from the phone; it was Qianluo's notification that she had received a message. Zhang Jing picked up the phone and saw that it was a message from An Huiling, containing photos of her participating in tomb sweeping.

Zhang Jing smiled slightly and replied with a patting head emoji.

Soon after, An Huiling replied with a pitiful kitten emoji that said "I miss you".

Zhang Jing then replied with an emoji that said "I miss you too".

While interacting with his junior sister, a light mist suddenly rose around them. Zhang Jing frowned, glanced in another direction, and then smiled at his uncle, saying, "Uncle, I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back in a bit."

His uncle readily agreed, briefly indicating the direction of the toilet before telling him to make his own way. Zhang Jing then turned and headed towards the toilet.

Even after walking some distance, he could still faintly hear sounds coming from behind him...

"When Aju gets married, I hear that the girls in Linzhou have high standards. I wonder what kind would be suitable..."

“Ah Jing has a girlfriend and they’ll get married someday. He’s lost his parents, so as his uncle, I have to help him out. I don’t want his wife’s family to look down on him…”

"I don't think there's a rush. My salary is pretty good now that I've been promoted, and I can afford to buy a house myself with a loan..."

“How could I let you buy it yourself… Your parents aren’t incapable of doing chores…”

Walking forward to a place where his uncle's family couldn't see him, Zhang Jing quickened his pace, his entire figure like a painting being gradually erased, slowly dissolving into the mist.

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Lijiapailou Cemetery is a cemetery with a long history. The mountain behind the cemetery connects to a large forest. This area was originally a tea plantation, but it was abandoned. It is said that this was due to urban demolition. At that time, the government relocated the farmers who originally lived nearby in order to convert this cemetery into a public cemetery for standardized management.