I packed everything up and shipped it out.

Just in case, I listened to my son and used a fake shipping address.

The whole process was video recorded to ensure authenticity. They could inspect the goods freely upon arrival. They were one hundred percent genuine.

Afterward, I went to a store and bought the laptop I'd been eyeing for years. It cost twenty thousand dollars!

When I was paying the bill, my vanity skyrocketed.

I suddenly turned rich!

I went home and sobbed uncontrollably while hugging my laptop.

“My son, do you know how hard life has been for me all these years? Waaaaah!"

“Why didn't you show up sooner?"

I wailed for over half an hour. I stopped crying when my son said, [If you continue to cry, I won't let you collect trash anymore.]

That could not happen!

Collecting trash had become my life’s mission!

I wiped away my tears and started searching online for information about the elites.

There was almost no useful information.

That was understandable. The super-rich were usually quite private.

“My son, do you know what your dad looks like? Is he handsome?”

[I don’t know. I would think so. Haven’t you slept with him? Shouldn’t you know better?]

I scratched my head, feeling a little embarrassed.

“I was drunk at the time. When I wake up, I realize I’m fully naked, and there’s a man next to me. I’m scared out of my wits. I couldn’t care less what he looks like, but he has a nice bod, teehee.”

[Mom, please wipe your drool.]

I hurriedly grabbed a tissue and wiped my mouth.

My heart was pounding.

“I really can’t…” What if I could become the rich man's wife?

He must be good-looking since he has such a nice figure.

I would have the upper hand over the other women since I was pregnant, right?

Luckily, my son's words brought me back to reality.

[Stop being so vain, unless you want to die.]

“Alright.” I gave up the idea of becoming a rich man’s wife.

I had ten million in my pocket.

No, it was nine million nine hundred and eighty thousand.

That was something I never even dared to dream of before.

I stroked my belly happily.

I would buy whatever I saw!

Even if I emptied my whole shopping cart, I only spent a hundred thousand dollars.

So liberating!

This kind of living was so exhilarating that I was afraid to sleep.

What if I woke up and realized it was all just a dream?

For almost a week, I had just been eating and sleeping.

My son who had been quiet all this while suddenly spoke up, [Quick! It’s Christmas Eve! Dad's making his move!]

I rode my shared electric scooter and rushed to the address my son gave me.

I had decided I would get a driver’s license and buy a car!

Otherwise, it would be hard for me to bring back the trash I collected, even if I could fool people with sacks.

If I did it too often, I might run into someone I know.

I needed car insurance.

I bought some fries. While sitting across the street, I ate and kept watch of the fancy restaurant.

“No wonder it's a five-star hotel. Even the exterior is so extravagant. Is that door made of gold?”

[Mom, please calm down.]

[Dad’s inside.]

[When the girl comes out, you quietly follow her. Whatever she throws away, you just pick it up.]

I thought for a bit and said, “Why don't I bring over a sack and rummage through all the trash cans on this street? It's Christmas Eve, there must be plenty of other people throwing away good things too."

[Those aren't worth much. My dad has jewelry worth millions. A single piece can sell for millions even if it’s sold secondhand.]

[The total price of those smartphones and gold still won’t be as valuable as this jewelry.]

Although it made sense, something still felt off.

The girl came out after a while.

No man was with her. I listened to my son and followed her from a distance.

I saw the girl throw something into the trash can, so I immediately went over to rummage through it.

When I took the gift box out from the bin, another hand reached in to grab it.

I instinctively pulled back, but the other person still caught hold of it.

He tried to snatch it from me.

I glared back at him and said, "You let go! I saw it first! It is mine!"

It was getting dark and there weren't many people around.

I'd heard before that some people deliberately lurked around on holidays like Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They would rummage through trash cans to pick up things to sell for money.

If it were ordinary trash, I would have let it slide, but this was a necklace worth tens of millions!

I bit the person's arm before he could even speak.

When he cried out in pain and loosened his grip, I immediately bolted in the opposite direction. I jumped on my electric scooter, and sped off as fast as I could.

"Trying to snatch it from me? Not a chance.

"Hmph! See that, son? Your mom's awesome, right?"

[You are the greatest.]

For some reason, my son seemed distracted.

However, I couldn't help but notice the people carrying bouquets of flowers.

I'd heard people picked up smartphones and gold. Why not give it a go?

I put on a mask and threatened my son to tell me which trash cans had valuables.

I picked up three of the latest-model smartphones, several rings—diamond, gold, and platinum ones. I was so annoyed to find a fake ring inside too. I immediately tossed it back into the trash can.

"Hmph, what a scumbag. I can't believe someone would use a fake diamond ring to propose."

I picked up other random valuables as well.

Looking at these treasures, I hugged them to sleep every night.

My dreams were all about being filthy rich.

When the police came knocking on my door the next day, I finally understood why my son wouldn't let me pick up those thrown-away valuables.

I gave a statement at the police station.

I had to turn in the valuables that I collected from the trash.

I even had to write one thousand words of self-reflection and promised I would turn in any valuables that I picked up to the police.

Of course, I turned in everything except for the necklace.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

I kicked the stone hard. Smack! My foot was so painful that I squatted down. My heart ached.

"Why do I have to return the valuables I pick up from the trash can? Why? Waahhh…"

It surprised me that my son didn't mock me. He comforted me instead.

[Mom, we should not take from the poor.]

[If presents can be thrown away, what does that signify?]

I replied, "What does that mean?"

[It means the woman doesn't like the man, but the man forced it on her anyway. When he finds out his gift has been thrown away, he will want it back. If the surveillance camera captures whoever picked it up, they're out of luck.]

[My dad's different. He is filthy rich. He does not need to worry about money.]

[His gifts are worth millions or tens of millions. If they are being thrown away, he couldn't care less.]

I was unhappy.

He continued to console me. [What you lost is less than fifty thousand. But the necklace you picked up? That's worth tens of millions.]

I wiped away my tears and became confident again.

That was tens of millions!

As soon as I got home, I searched for the original price of the necklace.

When I saw the price tag, thirteen million, I was startled.

I jumped around while hugging the necklace case.

My son was shouting inside my belly, [Ahh, Mom, be careful! Watch it! I'm still inside of you.]

I quickly calmed down.

All the unpleasantness at the police station this morning vanished into thin air.

I put on a mask and headed to a luxury resale shop.

I sold it at 80% of the original price.

The buyer inspected the item and confirmed it was genuine.

The deal was completed.

I took the money and went to buy the latest model flip-phone.

The flip-phone was really cool!

Even though the smartphones I picked up were confiscated, I could buy them myself.

After the incident, I strictly followed my son's instructions.

I rummaged through the trash cans in town and picked up valuables!

I became a VIP member of the bank.

I wore fancy clothes.

I got my driver's license and bought a small car.

I applied for yoga classes and found my hobbies. When I had spare time, I would attend various classes.

I employed a nutritionist to take care of my meals.

I hired a nanny to take care of my daily needs.

I bought a villa, renovated it, and moved in.

I finally achieved my financial freedom from picking up trash.

As my belly grew, my son excitedly said, [I'm coming out soon. I'm so happy!]

I bathed under the sun on the balcony.

I asked curiously, "My son, are you reborn?"

[Yes, I am. When you found out you had me, you went and searched for my dad in the past.]

[Even though you were accepted into the family, you had a very rough life. My dad was displeased with you. After you had given birth, he had not once cared for you. Other people didn't know of your existence even though you were part of the rich family.]

[You had no status. Your days were tough.]

[As for me, I was an illegitimate baby. From now on, we shall stay away from the rich and live happily after.]

My heart ached.

I turned to my side and exposed my belly to the sunlight.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, my son."

Now I had enough money, I planned to leave after my son was born.

I would start a business instead of picking up trash.

If I kept doing this, I would get caught one day and lose all my money.

My son reassured me. [I've learnt everything I need in my past life, so let me handle the business. You just sit back and relax.]

I was moved to tears upon hearing that.

"You are a blessing to me."

Even though his words touched me, I would never let my kid handle everything on his own.

I hired a gynecologist to advise me on what to do to ensure a smooth delivery.

Following her instructions, I exercised daily and watched out for my weight.

Within just half an hour, my son was born. The entire process was fast and smooth.

After my son cried, I carried him back to my private room.

He babbled for a while.

Seeing that I didn't respond, he stopped.

I blinked my eyes and said, "My son, I can't seem to hear you anymore."

He continued to babble while moving his hands.

I finally understood. He was hungry. I quickly made and fed him milk.

I couldn't believe I had given birth to a diligent son.

He practiced hard day and night.

Other babies took a long time to learn to roll, crawl, and sit. It took him only nine months to be able to walk and run. He also started learning super early.

By the time he started kindergarten, he already mastered sixth-grade study.

At three years old, he skipped straight to fifth grade.

He was a child prodigy.

When I returned home from shopping, I found a strange man in my house.

This man and my son looked alike!

My heart was pounding like crazy!