Rebooting 60, let's go on a rampage with the orange cat!

Xiuzhi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "I don't trust anyone else. You are her biological parents. I believe you will not let her suffer any injustice and will take good care of her. Otherwise, I will not die in peace..."

He Shuyi also said with a touch of sadness, "Don't say that. Relax, you'll get better slowly."

Xiuzhi shook her head and said, "The doctors all say this illness only lasts a year or two, and I don't think I'll last much longer. I came here today so that you and Huai'an can become relatives, and so that Huai'an can visit more often in the future. She's a good girl and won't cause you too much trouble. After I die, Huai'an will still live with her father, who loves her very much. But you know how men are. First, he can't be that attentive and considerate; second, as girls grow up, it's not convenient for men to take care of them, and you, her own mother, will have to teach her more; third, after I'm gone, who knows if there will be a stepmother? At that time, Huai'an might suffer. You are her own mother, so naturally you will step in to plan for her. I will only feel at ease if you personally agree."

Hearing Xiuzhi's words, He Shuyi felt a surge of emotion, but also felt ashamed.

She said remorsefully, "Xiuzhi, hearing you say that makes me feel ashamed. As Huai'an's biological mother, I need you to remind me how to take care of her. I feel so ashamed! Although you raised Huai'an from a young age, she is still my own flesh and blood, and that will never change. If one day you are unable to continue taking care of her due to health reasons, I, as her mother, will absolutely not abandon you. Don't worry, I will definitely fulfill my responsibilities. After all, she is a piece of my flesh, and I sincerely hope she gets better. I hope you can focus on getting better and not think too much. Maybe everything will be alright."

The two chatted for a long time before Xiuzhi came out of the house. She urged Huai'an to call He Shuyi and Li Hanchen "Dad and Mom" ​​before taking Huai'an home.

The fifth brother, Li Huaiyuan, warmly saw her off at the door, waving his hand and saying loudly, "Little sister, I'll come to visit you in the future, and you should come to my house to play often too."

Shi Huai'an looked back at Huaiyuan gratefully, gave a soft "hmm" and left.

Li Huaizhen rolled her eyes, pursed her lips, and muttered to herself, "Tch~ What are you pretending for..." She continued to bury herself in her homework, as if all of this had nothing to do with her.

He Shuyi poked Li Huaizhen's head with her finger and gave her a reproachful look. Li Huaizhen tossed her head defiantly, pouting, and said, "I want to eat peach shortbread too, why should I only give it to her?"

He Shuyi ignored her and just looked at Li Huaiyuan, this unfilial son, with a strange expression. When he was little, he didn't speak and people thought he was mute. But when he opened his mouth at the age of five, he became a chatterbox. He and his second sister, Li Huaizhen, got along like enemies, but when he first met Shi Huai'an, he was very affectionate... It's really strange. Maybe this is the power of blood ties?

Li Hanchen sighed and said, "Sixth Brother was born at the wrong time and had a very unfortunate fate."

He Shuyi thought silently: This is the life of a young lady, the fate of a maid. Who can defy fate? As for what happens next, I'll just have to take it one step at a time!

In the days that followed, every weekend Shi Huai'an would be urged by his adoptive mother to visit his birth mother.

The second elder brother, Li Huaiyu, was a talented young man with some reputation. He worked as a stage painter in the city's Gan Opera Troupe. Moreover, when a huqin (a two-stringed bowed instrument) player was unable to attend, he could even step in and showcase his excellent huqin playing skills, successfully saving the day. Because of the seven-year age gap between him and Huai'an, coupled with his busy work schedule which meant he was rarely seen, he didn't pay much attention to Huai'an's reunion with his family.

After being adopted, the third brother, Li Huaizhang, did not have much contact with Huai'an.

As for the fourth sister, Li Huaizhen, she was a proud and arrogant person. She was unwilling to pay attention to Shi Huai'an, as if she felt that Huai'an's arrival would take away her parents' love, thus developing a strange rejection and cold attitude towards Huai'an.

Shi Huai'an's eldest sister, Li Huaijin, is eleven years older than him and currently performs as an old woman in a Gan opera troupe. Due to her work, she often has to perform in rural areas, so the two rarely have the opportunity to meet. However, Li Huaijin is a kind and gentle girl. Every time she returns to Jing City, she brings her fifth brother, Li Huaiyuan, along with some biscuits and snacks, and they go to visit Huai'an at her home.

Li Huaiyuan was one of the most enthusiastic towards Shi Huai'an. He would always share anything delicious or fun with his "sixth brother" without hesitation. For Shi Huai'an, familial bonds were already weak, so the warmth and kindness from his eldest sister and fifth brother were especially precious.

This kind of care, stemming from blood ties, filled Shi Huai'an with gratitude.

One weekend, Shi Huai'an was once again urged by her adoptive mother to go to her birth mother's house, her face filled with helplessness. In fact, she was unwilling to go.

She has developed self-respect and her own worries, and she is even unwilling to confide in her adoptive mother that she is not well received in her birth mother's home.

Now she is unusually sensitive. Before she knew about her birth mother, Shi Huai'an lived a happy life. Her adoptive parents loved her dearly and never let her suffer any grievances. She never had any doubts about her background.

However, after being reunited with her biological mother, her adoptive mother thought she would have another family to love her. But things didn't go as planned. Instead, she felt awkward in her birth mother's home, as if she were an outsider who had forcibly intruded.

The last vestiges of guilt and pity her biological parents felt for her had been completely worn away in that era of scarcity.

Shi Huai'an's arrival was like tearing off their mask of civility and propriety. It would take away the other children's already meager food, putting them in a dilemma.

Therefore, at mealtimes, no one in the family would warmly invite her to eat with them.

At first, the group hesitated and cautiously hinted to her that it was getting late and she should go home. Later, they got used to it and even said to her in a nice way, "Hurry home for dinner, don't keep your parents waiting..." They became more and more impolite, as if Huai'an was too young to care, as if the Li family was not Huai'an's biological parents and the Shi family was Huai'an's rightful home.

This time, Shi Huai'an lingered outside for a long time, and hesitated when he got near his birth mother's house.

She strolled leisurely through the long alley, occasionally kicking a pebble by the roadside or squatting down to watch the busy ants in the corner, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind her, startling her so much she almost screamed. Looking closer, she saw it was Li Huaiyuan, who had just come out of the restroom. Li Huaiyuan spotted Shi Huai'an immediately, jumped up from behind, patted her on the shoulder, and shouted, "Hi!"

This sudden action startled Shi Huai'an. She turned around and asked, "What?"

Li Huaiyuan pulled her in with a grin, his face full of eagerness, and said, "Come inside quickly, something good is happening today."

Shi Huai'an looked puzzled, but still followed him into the house. As soon as she entered, she saw her biological parents' faces beaming with long-lost smiles, while Li Huaizhen held a 50-cent note, looking at it from left to right, his face full of ecstatic joy, as if he were about to float away.

When Li Hanchen saw Huai'an, he smiled and waved to her warmly, saying, "An'an is here!" At that moment, He Shuyi was busy stuffing a stack of banknotes into her pocket.

As she packed her things, she greeted Huai'an, "An'an, why don't you play with your older brothers and sisters for a while? Remember to come home early. I need to hurry up and cook now." With that, she stood up and went into the kitchen.

However, at this moment, something unexpected happened.

Li Huaiyuan suddenly rushed towards Li Hanchen with unusual excitement and said loudly, "Dad, didn't you say that you would give each of us pocket money when we got paid today?"

Li Hanchen looked a little embarrassed, really having no way to deal with this hothead. Just as he was about to speak, He Shuyi turned around and glared at Li Huaiyuan, then shouted sternly, "Didn't I give you five cents? Go do your homework now."

At this moment, Li Huaiyuan pouted and shouted loudly without any sense of propriety, "But you haven't given her to Lao Liu yet! She's your child too! Dad, don't you agree?"

He Shuyi was furious and was about to scold the fifth son when Li Hanchen stopped her, turned her around and pushed her into the kitchen, coaxing, "Don't mess with the child."

Then, with a smile, he pulled out five cents from his pocket, waved to An'an, and said, "Here, how could we leave An'an out? Take this and go buy some snacks."

Upon hearing this, He Shuyi stopped what she was doing, peeked out from the kitchen, glared at him, but didn't say anything. She turned back to continue her work, but the sounds coming from the kitchen were louder than before, with pots and pans clattering together, making it seem as if the kitchen was about to be torn down.

The price levels back then were vastly different from today. Fifty cents could buy a lot: you could use it to order a delicious meal at a state-run restaurant; or buy a pound of fresh pork and a pound of fragrant rice. At the time, fifty cents was a considerable sum of money!

An'an nervously accepted the fifty cents, clutching it tightly in her hand. Her eyes were a little moist, as if the fifty cents were proof that she had been integrated into this family, that she was also their child, and that it was so precious to receive their fair treatment.

Li Huaiyuan, like a hero upholding justice, raised his head towards Li Huaizhen, exuding extreme majesty.

Li Huaizhen snorted softly and muttered, "An'an is still so young, she doesn't need so much. Don't let her get tricked."

Li Huaiyuan said sarcastically, "Is it because you don't have enough money? An'an, you should be careful of this swindler trying to trick you into buying stationery."

Li Hanchen chuckled and patted his head, saying, "Why are you two always targeting each other? Brothers and sisters should be united and loving."

Li Huaiyuan playfully stuck out his tongue and chimed in, "I know, I know, one chopstick is easy to break, but ten chopsticks are as strong as iron."

Everyone laughed. When it was time for dinner, He Shuyi brought out a steaming plate of steaming egg custard from the kitchen and said to An'an, "It's getting dark and the roads are difficult to walk on. Don't let your parents worry, go back quickly." [Egg custard is a Jiang Province dialect term; here, eggs are called "ga ga zai".]

Li Hanchen felt a little reluctant. The moment he gave the 50 cents, his enthusiasm vanished without a trace, like a deflated balloon. Under He Shuyi's disapproving warning gaze, he gave up. Although he felt a little frustrated, he had no choice.

An An glanced at everyone, then waved to Li Huaiyuan and said, "Then I'm leaving," before quickly walking out, holding back her tears.

She wasn't craving the fragrant rice cake; her adoptive mother often made it for her. She was simply craving the affection that rightfully belonged to her.

Although her adoptive parents passed away one after another after the reform and opening up, and her birth mother resumed contact with her and made rice cakes for the children of Huai'an countless times, nothing could compare to this bowl that she craved so intensely...

Li Huaiyuan slumped down dejectedly, his face showing dissatisfaction, and muttered, "Poor Lao Liu."

He Shuyi smacked Huaiyuan on the head with her chopsticks and scolded, "Even food can't shut you up." Then she ran after him out the door.

"Huai'an, wait a moment," He Shuyi called out. Huai'an stopped and looked at his birth mother with clear eyes.

He Shuyi sighed softly, took a lollipop out of her pocket, stuffed it into Huai'an's hand, and coaxed, "You're so big now, you should be more sensible! If you lose five cents, that would be terrible! You've always been a very good and sensible person, so let Mom keep this five cents for you, okay? This money can buy groceries for two days... We'll pay you back when things are better at home, okay?"

Huai'an remained silent and quietly took out a five-cent coin from her pocket. It was a crumpled banknote with sweat stains from her palm on it.

She gently placed the money in He Shuyi's palm, then turned and ran, as if some monster was chasing her. She ran very fast, so fast that it seemed as if she was about to fly.

Huai'an ran to a secluded corner where it was extremely quiet, with only the sound of the wind whistling in her ears and the rustling of leaves. She leaned against the wall, slowly squatted down, hugged her knees, and buried her head deeply in her arms. Then, she suddenly burst into tears, her sobs like those of a wounded little animal, sounding heartbreaking.

Tears streamed down her face, as if she were crying out all her grievances. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she kept muttering to herself, "I don't want to be the most sensible child... I don't want to..."

Meanwhile, an orange cat was sunbathing on a nearby rooftop. Hearing Huai'an's cries, it jumped in fright, stood up abruptly, tail held high, and watched Huai'an warily. Then, it nimbly leaped away and darted off, leaving only its orange silhouette.

Huai'an felt deeply wronged. She didn't understand why she was always expected to be the most well-behaved child. She longed to be like other children, to be able to act spoiled, to be mischievous, and to receive more attention and affection. But she dared not tell anyone these thoughts, fearing she would cause trouble or disappoint them. So, she could only keep all her emotions hidden in her heart, silently enduring it all.

When they got home, Xiuzhi asked with a smile, "An'an, what good food did your mom give you?"

Huai'an lowered his head, slammed the lollipop he was clutching onto the table with a 'thud,' and walked into the room dejectedly, replying, "Um, this~"

Wang Xiuzhi looked at her strangely and said, "What's wrong with the child? She doesn't look well. Is she alright?" She then sighed to herself, "See, her own parents are still the best."

Shi Huai'an was preoccupied and didn't want to say too much, afraid her adoptive parents would find out. So she said, "Mom, I'm going to do my homework." She kept her head down, trying to compose herself, because she didn't want her adoptive parents to see her red eyes...

She feared that her adoptive mother's warm and caring words would once again cause her tears to flow uncontrollably like a burst dam.

She didn't want her sick adoptive mother to be sad and upset, and she couldn't understand why she was the only one who didn't please her biological parents.

Why was she the poor child who was abandoned? Was it because she wasn't good enough? Was it because she was ugly, or stupid...?

From then on, whenever her adoptive mother urged her to visit her birth mother, Shi Huai'an would just go around outside to appease her adoptive mother and rarely went to her birth mother's house anymore.

Huai'an experienced heartbreak for the first time, but she never imagined that the person who hurt her was actually her closest relative...