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

In the morning, as dawn breaks, the sun rises silently in the east, looking down upon its people bathed in its light.

Rows of houses lined the riverbank, their paths crisscrossing and intersecting. A sanitation truck carrying manure and garbage passed through the alleyways, its slow bell ringing a gentle reminder that a new day had begun.

In those days, public toilets were the norm, and families would bring their own spittoons, chamber pots, and chamber pots for use at night. In the mornings, sanitation workers would send out manure collection carts that would ring bells in the alleyways. Upon hearing the bell, each household would instinctively take out their chamber pots and other items and pour the waste into the manure cart.

Some men, disheveled and shod in their shoes, would run out only to find the latrine truck already far away. Unable to catch it, they would empty their night soil into the public toilet. The garbage truck, too, would slowly traverse the streets and alleys, maintaining the city's daily life.

The commotion in the alleyway finally subsided. Neighbors exchanged quick greetings and smiles before heading back into their homes to continue their tasks. The mundane chores always fragmented their time; the monotonous routine of life could be tedious, yet it also allowed them to experience the vibrant energy of everyday existence.

After emptying the toilet and taking out the trash, Wang Xiuzhi rinsed the toilet several times with clean water at the door. Then, carrying a bucket of dirty clothes and a clothes mallet, she went to the river to wash clothes with her neighbors. The older women who didn't work would eat breakfast before going to do laundry and buy groceries, but Wang Xiuzhi, who had to go to work, would go to wash clothes very early in the morning.

Tap water had not yet reached the homes of ordinary people, and they had to fetch water from the street water supply station, paying one cent per bucket. When there was no water at home, Shi Renmei would carry two tin buckets to fill them with water and then pour them into the large water tank at home, sometimes having to make several trips, which was extremely inconvenient.

People living near the river would usually bring a washing stick and a washboard to the river to wash their clothes; those living further away from the riverbanks would usually dig a well in the open space in the center of the alley for their daily use. In the past, wealthy families would dig wells in their own yards, but now that the houses have been confiscated, the wells have also been confiscated for public use.

When Shi Huai'an woke up again, looking at everything in the old yet familiar room, he couldn't help but tear up. Although the living conditions were difficult, they were indelible memories of his childhood.

There are two beds in the bedroom, one large and one small. Huai'an is eight years old. He only got a small bed a couple of years ago; before that, he always slept in the large bed with his adoptive parents. Now, a heavy mosquito net hangs on the small bed, held up by two silver hooks. A kerosene lamp is extinguished on the low table by the bed, and a glass-framed photo wall holds black and white pictures of Huai'an's family.

Everything remained the same, except that a young Huai'an now possessed the mind of an adult, with the thoughts and insights of someone from the future. Although Huai'an was still an ordinary person reborn, he at least had the ability to foresee the next few decades. Huai'an thought: Since such an absurd rebirth has already happened, when will I get a spatial system or some kind of cheat code? Besides, Huai'an is only 8 years old now, what can he do for this family?

Moreover, born in such a closed era, unable to engage in trade or possess any special abilities to help support his family and escape poverty, what could he possibly do to change the trajectory of his past life and avoid the relentless crushing of fate? Was the meaning of his rebirth merely to see his adoptive mother again, experience the initial joy, then spend a few years with her, only to watch her suffer and die? And then be forced to marry that man, sent down to the countryside, burdened with children…

No! I must never repeat the same mistakes in my life... Huai'an silently calculated in his heart...

At this moment, Shi Renmei was making breakfast and filling the thermos with hot water. In that era, when men were still relatively patriarchal, men who could help with housework were extremely rare. Most men, no matter how hard they worked outside, were treated like kings at home. They wouldn't even pick up a fallen broom, leaving most of the housework to women, not to mention the men who would often beat and scold women and children.

Wang Xiuzhi hung the washed clothes to dry on the bamboo poles outside the house. After going inside, she whispered to Shi Renmei, "Is An'an still not awake? The child insisted yesterday that she was fine..."

Shi Renmei sat down, lit her pipe, and sighed, "An'an is too sensible. She's worried about you and afraid you'll get anxious and upset."

Huai'an didn't want her parents to worry anymore, but the childish voice she hummed made her feel a little uncomfortable.

She couldn't help but mentally prepare herself, actively adapting to the extreme difference between her biological and psychological age. Well, the time to put her acting skills to the test has arrived…

Huai'an deliberately coughed twice: "Cough, cough, Dad, Mom, I want to drink water."

Shi Renmei and Xiuzhi were overjoyed. Xiuzhi happily replied, "An'an is awake! Good, good, the water is coming."

Shi Renmei had already strode into the room, grabbed Huai'an's arm as she was about to get out of bed, and stopped her from getting down, saying, "You're not fully recovered yet, lie down a little longer, or you'll get dizzy. What do you need? We'll bring it to you."

Xiuzhi poured a cup of warm water for An'an before coming to her bedside and bringing it to her lips, saying, "Listen to your father, just call me if you need anything. I took the day off to stay with you."

An'an could only sit up straight on the bed, take a sip of water, and say, "No need, I'm fine now!"

"How could you be alright? You scared me to death yesterday! Are you hungry? I'll go make you some sweet egg soup." Wang Xiuzhi lovingly touched Huai'an's forehead, tears streaming down her face. "Thank goodness you're alright, thank God!"

Shi Renmei lit the kerosene lamp, then walked out of the room with a smile, saying smugly, "I'm going to fry some soft-boiled eggs, then boil them in sugar water. The heat is very important..."

Huai'an's eyes were a little moist. She was a little unaccustomed to being pampered by her parents like this. After all, she had the soul of an adult living inside her. Heaven knows that she had devoted her whole life to her children and family after she grew up. She had been taking care of her husband and children. Even in her old age, she tried her best to help her children cook and do housework. She also blamed herself for not being able to stay idle. She had become so used to it that she was not destined to enjoy a life of luxury... She sighed inwardly, but her heart was also filled with a sense of happiness. It was so good to have parents. She would always be a child who never grew up.

Wang Renxiu took the water glass and placed it on the bedside table. She then took Huai'an's hand and said, "Mom knows you've been wronged. I never imagined that Xiaoyan could be so vicious at such a young age. Your uncle and aunt also taught her a lesson, and the whole family went back to the countryside."

Huai'an nodded, gazing at his adoptive mother's beautiful face with a silly smile. It was so good to see his adoptive mother again! His adoptive mother had raised Huai'an with great difficulty, but she passed away suddenly without enjoying a single day of happiness. Perhaps the meaning of rebirth was to make up for the regrets of the previous life. Being able to live with his adoptive mother again was more worthwhile than anything else.

This must be the power of persistent devotion; God has given her another chance, and she is determined to protect her dear mother.

She suddenly threw herself into her mother's arms, wanting to hug her tightly; otherwise, it all felt too unreal. She wasn't sure if this was just a beautiful dream…

In the past, her love was too reserved; she kept everything to herself. In this life, she must bravely express her feelings and never hide them again. They say that as long as you have thick skin, anything is possible! Let's start by pleasing Mom. If Mom is comfortable, her health will naturally improve.

"Mom is so beautiful..." Huai'an leaned against his mother, closed his eyes and smelled the jasmine fragrance emanating from Xiuzhi: "Jasmine smells so good too." For some reason, while smelling the jasmine fragrance, the poem about lilacs came to mind: Where can one find the fragrance in dreams? In the misty rain and deep purple clouds of a small town.

Huai'an thought to herself: If only she really were Xiuzhi's biological daughter, her adoptive parents would be handsome and beautiful. She had once thought: If her adoptive parents had a biological child, the child would definitely be as outstanding as a celebrity! She herself was only of average appearance, her skin wasn't fair enough, she wasn't very tall, and her intelligence was just average, cough cough cough... she used to be a little insecure.

Was it because she inherited her biological parents' flaws that they abandoned her? This question deeply saddened her, as she was the one who was abandoned. If only she were prettier and smarter…

Huai'an couldn't help but feel sorry for her former self who was insecure and cowardly. Perhaps her fate was destined to be bumpy from the moment she was abandoned.

However, this small trouble vanished in Xiuzhi's arms. Her adoptive parents had never disliked her and treated her like a treasure. Now that she had been given a second chance at life, she was determined to repay their great kindness.

Xiuzhi had no idea what was going on in Huai'an's mind. She just hugged her daughter and smiled indulgently, "And another thing, I bought several strings of skewers when I went to wash clothes by the river this morning. Here, I'll get them for you to wear."

Xiuzhi helped her sit down, then got up and went to the outer room to bring in two strings of pure white jasmine flower bracelets, which she tied to Huai'an's wrist.

Every year when gardenias and jasmine bloom, skillful women and children can be seen weaving flower garlands or stringing bracelets together, placing them in small baskets, and selling them from street to street early in the morning, three garlands for a penny. Some clever ones even make large jasmine flower necklaces to wear around their necks to attract customers. Women and children who buy the garlands either pin them to their shirt buttons or wear them on their wrists—they are white, fragrant, and beautiful.

At that time, although there was a public-private partnership, it didn't completely prohibit small businesses. The mergers mainly involved shops or vendors of a certain size, such as itinerant vendors selling popsicles with boxes on their backs, making sugar paintings, or selling needles and thread in baskets. These weren't strictly controlled, but fixed stalls or privately owned land were not allowed.

Huai'an raised his hand, smelling the rich fragrance of jasmine, and said, "Mom, I want to go to school."

“Great! It’s almost time to register for first grade in the fall semester. I’ll sew your schoolbag for you,” Wang Xiuzhi said happily.

Huai'an blushed. "Oh my god, I'm only eight years old, in first grade!" The thought of spending six years in school with a bunch of unruly kids was utterly devastating...

No! I want to skip a grade! I absolutely must skip a grade!

She jumped out of bed, put on her cloth shoes, and said, "Mom, my whole body aches from sleeping so much, I need to get up and move around."

Xiuzhi urged, "Slow down, don't fall."

Huai'an, familiar with the place, went to the kitchen where the washbasin stand was, dipped a little coarse salt on her small toothbrush, and began to brush her teeth.

The washbasin stand was over a meter tall, made entirely of solid wood, its color having changed from its original brownish-yellow to a dark brown, with a slightly oily sheen. At the top was a carved wooden panel depicting figures and trees, the gilding along the edges long since faded and peeled away. A washcloth hung from a horizontal bar, and below were four pillars connected together, forming two tiers, just enough to hold two washbasins.

Xiuzhi scooped water into the basin, then soaked the washcloth, wrung it out, and handed it to Huai'an to wash his face.

Mr. Shi placed two bowls of sweet egg soup on the table and said with a simple smile, "An'an looks great, she's back to being a lively little glutton. Xiuzhi, you should have some too."

Xiuzhi smiled and playfully scolded, "Give them all to Huai'an, she's growing taller!"

Huai'an looked down and saw two soft-boiled eggs in his bowl, one egg in his mother's bowl, and a few red dates floating in the brown sugar water, emitting an enticing aroma. In those days of scarcity, this was a rare delicacy!

Huai'an rolled his eyes and without saying a word, turned around and took another bowl from the cupboard. He took out half of the egg and sugar water from the bowl and said, "Dad, Mom, let's eat together as a family. We should share our blessings."

Mr. and Mrs. Shi were stunned, and their eyes welled up with tears again. Parents are too easily moved. As long as their children show even the slightest bit of gratitude, their hearts are moved to tears.

Mr. Shi said with emotion, "Good child, your parents have not spoiled you for nothing. However, you are only just getting better and need to replenish your nutrition to recover quickly. You eat quickly, Dad doesn't eat. I also cooked porridge and steamed sweet potatoes."

Xiuzhi wiped her eyes while coaxing, "Huai'an, be good and eat the egg quickly, be a good boy, and tomorrow Daddy will take you to eat shrimp soup, okay?"

Huai'an found it amusing to see her parents coaxing her like a child, but she put on a serious face and said, "Everyone eats together, and I also want to drink porridge and eat sweet potatoes. If you don't eat eggs, I won't eat eggs either, and I'll be very angry."

The two exchanged a surprised glance. Shi's father, with a sense of satisfaction, pulled Xiuzhi down to sit and said, "An'an is right. We must share happiness and good fortune together from now on. We can't let our daughter's filial piety go to waste..."

Xiuzhi nodded proudly and said, "Of course, my well-behaved daughter is extremely filial."

The three of them laughed heartily, and Huai'an asked again, "Who was the brother who saved me?"

Shi Renmei replied, "It's Gu Jingxing. His grandfather participated in the War of Resistance Against Japan. He was seriously wounded in the leg by an explosion and retired after recovering. It is said that his great-uncle is a regimental commander in a military region. Unfortunately, his father died in the Korean War... I heard last time that his great-uncle was going to take Gu Jingxing to join the army."

“This child is so sensible and good at studying. Even if he doesn’t join the army, he’ll be something special. I heard he’s always ranked first in his grade and has been practicing martial arts since he was a child. He’s the kind of kid that other parents always talk about. So many kids have gotten a beating from their parents because of him,” Xiuzhi said with a smile. “It’s really hard to see him go. If it weren’t for him yesterday, I don’t know what would have happened to Huai’an. He’s Huai’an’s savior.”

Shi Renmei asked Huai'an, somewhat puzzled, "What happened to you yesterday? You usually swim, right?"

Xiuzhi rolled her eyes at him and said, "Sigh, the water is dangerous. As the old saying goes, those who drown are usually good swimmers. Besides, Huai'an is so young, he can only do half a swim, and the water there is deep."

Huai'an was grateful for his mother's unconditional protection. Besides, it wasn't an act; who would risk their life? So he explained, "I was sitting down when Xiaoyan pushed me hard, and my left leg cramped up, so I couldn't swim..."