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

Sun Lüping was furious about Shi Huai'an's studies. She would often burn all of Shi Huai'an's books, homework, and even letters in the stove when she wasn't home. She disliked everything related to Shi Huai'an and loathed it. When classmates came to visit Huai'an, the stepmother would give them a cold shoulder. If Huai'an wasn't home, she wouldn't even let her know. She couldn't stand seeing Huai'an happy and seemed to only feel satisfied when she cut off all information related to Huai'an.

In June of 1967, Shi Huai'an graduated from elementary school at the age of sixteen. She was admitted to the local No. 3 Middle School with excellent grades, but her joy did not last long. Her stepmother strongly opposed her continuing her studies and stated that she would not provide her with any tuition support.

Sun Lüping slammed her hand on the table, her anger flaring.

“Tell me, when you married me, didn’t you promise to make me two new cotton-padded jackets? You still haven’t done it! Where are you going to get the money to support her education? You have money to spend on her, so what am I? She’s seventeen already, shouldn’t she be looking for a job or getting married to support herself? What’s the point of her studying? It’s a waste of money, she should be looking for a job instead.” The stepmother said firmly.

Shi Renmei kept his head down, smoking his pipe in silence. Perhaps in his view, a girl finishing primary school was enough; she didn't need to continue. Sun Lüping's words weren't without merit, but Huai'an wasn't entirely wrong either. Who doesn't fight for their own interests? He didn't want to immediately express his opinion; he was simply waiting for a result—that was his way of dealing with people.

Shi Huai'an felt extremely disappointed and angry. From what she knew, her father's silence actually revealed his attitude, but she could not give in. She continued to sob and cry, "I don't care, I want to study. You made me do the laundry, cook, and empty the chamber pot, and I did all of that. You can't stop me from studying."

"We've raised you all these years without any money, don't you know how to be grateful? Don't you know how hard our family is doing? Don't be so selfish. If you're so capable, why don't you pay your tuition yourself?" Sun Lüping shouted, hands on her hips, "You heartless little wolf cub, all these years of food have been wasted on the dogs."

"How could you treat me like this? You locked the door at noon and didn't give me any food, and you still talk about supporting me? I'm using my dad's money, what's it to you? It's not like I'm spending your money," Shi Huai'an retorted, his face flushed.

"Your father's money is my money. You're becoming more and more lawless, and you even dare to talk back. Are you asking for a beating?" Enraged, Sun Lüping grabbed a fly swatter from the table and swung it at Huai'an. Seeing that Shi Renmei didn't react and that silence meant tacit approval, her arrogance grew.

Huai'an was beaten so badly that she had to dodge and hide, screaming repeatedly, until she was finally cornered against the wall. She could no longer bear it, so she snatched the fly swatter and threw it on the ground, then kicked Sun Lüping hard in the knee. Sun Lüping did not expect Huai'an to fight back and was caught off guard, falling to the ground.

This enraged her even more. She quickly got up from the ground and lunged at Huai'an, grabbing his hair with her hands.

Huai'an was no longer a weak little child, and the two were about the same height. She was also going all out, reaching out and grabbing Sun Lüping's hair, and the two started wrestling.

Upon seeing this, Shi Renmei didn't try to mediate. Instead, she angrily slammed the door and stormed out, shouting, "I can't control you! Do whatever you want..."

"You still want to study? Stop dreaming!" the stepmother said angrily, panting as she hit her.

Huai'an shoved Sun Lüping hard, ran out the door, and burst into tears in a secluded corner.

This argument not only created tension within the family but also left Shi Huai'an in a predicament. She didn't know how to resolve the issue and felt lost about the future.

Shi Huai'an wandered aimlessly through the streets all day, not knowing where to go. She had dropped out of school and was unemployed; her stepmother wouldn't allow her father to retire and take over his job; there were no job openings from the local government; she could only take job exams, which required being at least 18 and a high school graduate, both of which she didn't meet; she couldn't support herself by running a small business, as she had no capital, and street vending was considered speculation; she hadn't found a way to become an apprentice either…

Huai'an felt that her life was stuck in a dead end. No one was planning her future. She was walking step by step in a white fog, not knowing when she would see the light.

She came home to find no food, and couldn't even cook for herself; her stepmother had locked up all the food in the kitchen. But she was educated and couldn't bring herself to steal; if she broke the lock, she would only be met with beatings and vicious insults. Her stepmother saw her as a thorn in her side, while her adoptive father remained indifferent...

She wandered around like this every day until dark before going home, begging for leftovers under her stepmother's sour face. She was neither full nor starving, and her life was too stifling and unbearable.

She was eager to escape this dark and hopeless abyss, but for a moment she didn't know where the exit was. After all, she was a child born of a mother but without her love.

That day, she was wandering around outside again. It was a very special time, and the outside world was in chaos. Factories were shut down, schools were closed, and groups of middle school students were everywhere, wearing armbands with slogans on their arms and belts around their waists. The crowd was huge, with fists raised and slogans being shouted.

Huai'an didn't know any of them, except for one Red Guard named Ma Jianqiang, who had been a senior student at the same school. It was said that he had repeated two grades in elementary school and then again in middle school. He often skipped school, liked to fight and steal, and had been disciplined twice by the school. He was a notorious troublemaker in the school.

They blocked the gate of a factory, where a large crowd had already gathered. Hundreds of people stood with their backs to the compound, blocking the fanatical students who were trying to rush in.

Shi Huai'an did not join either side; he simply watched the spectacle from the sidelines.

Many people guarding the factory linked arms to block the students who were trying to rush in. In the chaos, several students were punched by the crowd, and several workers were hit on the head by stones thrown at them. A fight broke out in the crowd.

As the scene grew increasingly chaotic, dozens of workers and students poured into the crowd to join the defense of the factory. As more and more citizens spontaneously joined the defense, the crowd behind the compound grew larger and larger, making the situation even more chaotic.

As Shi Huai'an was looking around, someone suddenly pulled him aside forcefully and whispered a reproachful rebuke: "What are you doing here? Go home instead."

Shi Huai'an turned around and saw that it was Li Huaiyuan who had come to cheer on the students.

Seeing the chaotic crowd, the two quickly turned into the alley and started talking about their families.

Li Huaiyuan had a better relationship with the sixth brother, but he and the fourth brother, Li Huaizhen, became mortal enemies due to their different factional stances. They fought like madmen every day, often arguing fiercely at home. It was common for their arguments to escalate into physical fights. Once, Li Huaiyuan was so angry that he smashed a bowl on Li Huaizhen's forehead, causing blood to gush out from Huaizhen's forehead on the spot. From then on, the two became enemies.

Shi Huai'an had already graduated from elementary school and had not yet enrolled in middle school, so she was not qualified to join any group. She seemed to understand, but couldn't say who was right and who was wrong. However, she felt that indiscriminately smashing and destroying everything and revolutionizing everything was too crazy.

She couldn't explain it clearly, and told Huai'an that nothing was more important than having enough to eat, so she wouldn't join any team.

Li Huaiyuan asked her curiously, "You haven't been home for a long time. Why? Are you angry with your mother?"

Shi Huai'an shook his head and did not answer.

Li Huaiyuan hesitated and said, "Many things have happened at home that you probably don't know about."

“I know my older sister got married…” Huai’an said after a moment of silence, “She also has a baby…”

At the beginning of last year, my eldest sister, Li Huaijin, married another actor in the troupe (who sang male roles). She even secretly brought her brother-in-law to see Shi Huai'an, giving her a handful of wedding candy and two red preserved eggs. Shi Huai'an was very envious of her eldest sister for finding a good home, being able to build her own family, have her own job and income, and not have to depend on others for food. How happy she was!

“But you don’t know that my older brother is in jail, and Dad is locked up in a cowshed, right?” Li Huaiyuan said in a heavy tone, filled with deep sorrow. Upon hearing this, Shi Huai’an’s face instantly showed extreme surprise, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Shi Huai'an's eyes widened, and he asked anxiously, "How could this happen? What exactly happened?" Li Huaiyuan took a deep breath and slowly recounted to Shi Huai'an the various changes that the Li family had experienced over the past year.

It turned out that the Li family had been going through a tumultuous year. The first to suffer misfortune was the eldest brother, Li Huaiyu, a locally renowned talent! In the Gan Opera troupe, Li Huaiyu was not only skilled at painting scenery and playing the beautiful erhu, but also possessed excellent calligraphy skills. He had a bright future ahead of him, but who could have imagined that fate would play such a cruel joke on him?

At that time, Li Huaiyu gradually developed feelings for a girl in the theater troupe. The two got along well and were deeply in love. However, they were unaware that this seemingly gentle and kind girl was already engaged to a soldier. When this hidden truth was ruthlessly revealed, everything began to spiral out of control.

When the girl's fiancé learned that his fiancée had been having an affair, he was furious. Unable to tolerate such betrayal, he first made a scene at her workplace, resulting in Li Huaiyu's dismissal. Still not satisfied, he angrily sued Li Huaiyu in a military court, accusing him of breaking off a military marriage and seducing a respectable woman.

In that particular era, this was considered an extremely serious matter of conduct and a crime.

Ultimately, poor Li Huaiyu was sentenced to a full three years in prison and had to go to jail to begin a long and painful prison life.

Afterwards, her biological father, Li Hanchen, was taken to a rural detention center and imprisoned in a cowshed. The environment there was harsh and the conditions were difficult, which was undoubtedly torture for Li Hanchen. However, faced with such a predicament, he could only silently endure it and could not resist.

He Shuyi also aged considerably in an instant. The hardships of life seemed endless. Upon hearing about their plight, Shi Huai'an's hatred seemed to vanish by more than half. The helplessness of the world made her feel powerless. Perhaps everyone is unhappy...

Li Huaiyuan continued, "I will also be going to the countryside next year, responding to the call for educated youth to go to the countryside to receive re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants. As the great man said, the countryside is a vast world where one can make a great contribution."

Shi Huai'an suddenly felt a sense of longing. She said eagerly, "Can I go with you? I don't want to stay here anymore. I also want to find a job..." Huai'an was more concerned about whether this would allow her to have enough to eat and support herself from then on. She didn't understand or care about politics. She only hoped that she could become independent as soon as possible.

“The countryside is tough. You’re an only child, so you don’t have to go. I wanted to go to the village where Dad is being held in the cowshed and take care of him secretly. He’s not in good health. You’re a girl, and who knows where you’ll be assigned? There’ll be no one to take care of you in the countryside. Who knows what might happen to you…” Li Huaiyuan earnestly advised.

Shi Huai'an could only remain silent. It seemed she would never be able to control her own life; how tragic...

That day, Shi Huai'an sat there listlessly, holding Grandma Liu's grandson, Lele, in a daze.

Lele wriggled off the ground and happily played with the wooden blocks. How simple is a child's happiness! But Huai'an had long since passed the age of carefree joy...

Grandma Liu sighed and advised her, "Huai'an, you're not young anymore, you're 17 by the Chinese age reckoning. You can't go on like this. Have you thought about getting married? Marrying a man is about having food and clothing. Many people get married just to find a long-term meal ticket. If you're willing, how about I introduce you to someone?"

At that time, Shi Huai'an was like a drifting duckweed in the wind, completely lost in her life and her own opinions. What Grandma Liu said truly reflected the realities of society at that time. Several of her childhood friends were already engaged. Shi Huai'an, after all, was just a girl, and facing such matters involving personal feelings, she inevitably felt somewhat shy, so she chose to silently lower her head and remain silent.

Seeing this, Grandma Liu asked with concern, "Child, do you have someone you like?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Huai'an's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple. She gently shook her head in denial. At that moment, her heart was pounding like a deer's, filled with panic, yet she didn't know how to respond to Grandma Liu's question.

Grandma Liu said, "My son works at the Housing Management Bureau. There's a young man there who's a skilled trader. He's an apprentice at the Housing Management Bureau. He's very clever, five years older than you. His family has a good class background—they're poor farmers. Although he has many siblings, he has a skill to rely on. If you follow him, you won't starve. If you don't object, you can meet him and see how things go. If you can get along, great; if not, it's fine too."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Huai'an nodded and agreed to meet the boy and try dating him.

Who knew it would be a tragic fate? Sometimes, the brief time spent together before marriage doesn't reveal a person's true nature... Shi Huai'an no longer wants to recall how she married someone without hesitation, just for a meal. Some people's true colors aren't apparent during courtship, only to be revealed after marriage, but then it's too late for regrets...

The marriage was rushed; they got married on New Year's Day. At that time, customs were changing, so firecrackers could not be set off and dowries could not be accepted. She also had no dowry. The two of them came together because of the twists and turns of the times. In November 1968, she followed her husband to a village in the countryside. Later, she had four children. In 1976, she returned to the city and started her own business from scratch.

Shi Renmei retired in 1976, which is hard to believe. He was 76 years old when he retired and his monthly salary was 33.2 yuan. He passed away in 1987 without illness. Shi Yaozu's family once wanted to come to Jingshi to take over his uncle's house, but they did not succeed.

Shi Huai'an took over his father's job, earning only 18.5 yuan a month when he first started working.

She remains sincerely grateful to her adoptive father for giving her a job, providing her with a source of income and the confidence to weather life's storms at any time.

Sun Lüping's stepmother passed away in 1982 without any children or property. Sun Lüping was very open-minded and never mistreated herself.

……

Shi Huai'an closed her eyes in anguish, selectively forgetting her past life...

All that has gone before is dead, and all that is to come is born today.

Yes, from this moment on, the former Shi Huai'an is long gone; she has been reborn like a phoenix rising from the ashes...