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

Gu Jingxing and the others were completely bewildered and dumbfounded. They were starting junior high school, and there were students aged 14 to 16 in their class. Huai'an was only 8 years old and already in junior high school! This was defying the heavens! How come no one noticed that they had a genius right next to them? It was too shocking.

Huai'an didn't expect it to cause such a big fuss. Mainly, she wasn't sure if any school would be willing to accept a student who had skipped a grade, especially since she was only 8 years old, hadn't shown any extraordinary talent, hadn't attended primary school, didn't have a school registration, and didn't have any connections. She was afraid no school would pay attention to her.

Now that the police can help resolve this, I don't need to go through the trouble of running to the school anymore. I can just wait for news. I just didn't expect it to happen in this kind of situation. This is an era without secrets. If there's any commotion in someone's family, it will spread like wildfire throughout the neighborhood in no time.

Shi Huai'an skipping a grade is definitely causing a sensation!

Seeing that they had reached an agreement, Old Wang didn't say anything discouraging. He simply said he would reply as soon as possible and then went back.

The neighbors in the alley also sighed and dispersed, but Gu Jingxing ran back a little while later, stuffed a few first-year junior high textbooks into Shi Huai'an's hands, and left.

Huai'an was inexplicably moved. For this unwavering support, she thought Gu Jingxing was truly a warm-hearted man, and wondered which girl would be lucky enough to win him over. Huai'an's maternal instincts kicked in again…

Shi Renmei and Xiuzhi didn't say anything more. Anyway, they wouldn't lose anything if they didn't pass the exam, so they might as well give it a try.

Shi Renmei couldn't help but ask, "How did you achieve such a great feat? You didn't even tell your family."

Huai'an then told his parents about the orange cat discovering the cave. Xiuzhi was stunned when she heard it and exclaimed that it was too dangerous. Encountering a wild boar could be fatal!

Huai said that the reason he didn't tell them before was because the police wouldn't allow it. The bad guys hadn't been caught yet, and if the news leaked out, it might alert them and bring danger to the family.

However, the matter has been resolved perfectly. Although the outcome was good, Shi Renmei still reminded Huai'an not to take such risks alone in the future. He should discuss anything with his parents first. It's really worrying that he did something so important without saying a word, and then remained silent afterward.

This girl is too bold, so bold that she's not like their An'an at all...

After discussions and deliberations by the public security department and city leaders, it was decided to take back Shi Huai'an's existing brick-and-wood structure house and allocate her a two-bedroom brick-and-tile house instead.

This apartment used to be allocated to a cadre, but now that cadre has been transferred to another place, it's become vacant. The furniture is still there, but the rent is 1 yuan more expensive than before.

The rent used to be 1.5 yuan, now it's 2.5 yuan, but having an extra room is still worth it. People are lining up like crazy to get one!

Old Wang also told Huai'an that he had arranged for her to take a grade skipping test at Hongqi Middle School on August 25. There would be middle school and upper elementary school teachers present to proctor the test. After the test, the teachers would evaluate Shi Huai'an's performance together.

Since Shi Huai'an is determined to take the exam, her grades must be above average for her age. As for how many grades she can skip, that will depend on her results, and we'll decide on a personalized teaching approach. Even if she can't skip to the first year of junior high, skipping to the fourth or fifth grade of elementary school would be fine; the school leaders have been quite thoughtful. They also praised Shi Huai'an for being ambitious, studious, and selfless—a student with a strong sense of purpose and aspirations!

With three days left until the exam, Huai'an and his parents decided to move to a new house the next day so that Huai'an would have a quiet environment to study and review.

Gu Jingxing and Xiao Yi arrived early to help. Huai An returned some of the lower-grade textbooks he had borrowed, leaving only a few upper-grade textbooks as a formality.

Mr. and Mrs. Shi Wenbin, cousins ​​of the Shi family, also came to help move into the new house. There weren't many things to begin with, and neighbors also came to join in the fun and see the new house, helping to move some items along the way.

The new house wasn't far away, just two streets apart. The group of people, some carrying and some lifting, arrived in no time.

I never imagined that this house was the one my biological parents donated back then.

The house I was assigned faces south, so it has good lighting and ventilation, is sheltered from the wind, and is warm in winter and cool in summer. In feng shui, this orientation is considered an auspicious house.

What's even more surprising is that the house is fully furnished, and there's electricity now, so there's no need to use kerosene lamps anymore. Shi Renmei and Xiuzhi couldn't stop smiling. The neighbors urged them, "Boil a kettle of water first, it symbolizes abundant wealth and good luck."

Xiuzhi hurriedly boiled water to make tea for everyone, and also boiled some sugar water with beaten egg flowers, sweet wine, and red dates for everyone to drink.

Shi Renmei also busied herself buying peanuts and melon seeds to enjoy while warming the house...

Although they now live in the same courtyard with three other families, there's a well along the south wall, making daily washing much more convenient, and the overall environment is far better than before. Everyone was quite surprised and envious of this change, and couldn't help but sigh with admiration.

Everyone congratulated the Shi family and praised them for raising such an outstanding daughter who was able to help the family move to a new place at such a young age.

Faced with everyone's praise, the Shi family was naturally delighted. However, when the Shi family invited everyone to stay for a meal, they all declined, saying they didn't want to cause trouble and had things to do.

Finally, some people smoked a cigarette, while others took a piece of candy and left, as a way of celebrating their housewarming. After all, food was scarce at that time, and every household held such celebrations in a simple manner.

Shi Renmei then took Xiuzhi and Huai'an to the three neighboring households in the courtyard to greet them and gave each of them a small bag of candy. Everyone also brought a few eggs to Shi's house to return the favor. After exchanging pleasantries and visiting each other's homes, they dispersed.

Outside the spacious courtyard, sunlight streamed onto the bluestone path, casting dappled shadows. Then, a beautiful young woman, about eighteen or nineteen years old, walked gracefully with light steps.

Beside her followed a little boy of about ten years old, with a chubby face and a very cute appearance. These two were none other than Shi Huai'an's eldest sister, Li Huaijin, and fifth brother, Li Huaiyuan.

"Big sister, when are you going to take me to see that sixth sister who was sent away?" Li Huaiyuan asked idly, kicking a small stone by the roadside while carrying a soy sauce bottle.

“Mom said that since we’ve given him away, we shouldn’t disturb his peaceful life. Besides, adoptive parents usually don’t like their biological family members coming to claim kinship, because they’re afraid that if they know his background, they won’t be close to them anymore.” Li Huaijin pondered for a moment and said, “My parents also have their difficulties. Our family’s class status is not good now, so if they go there, it will be bad for the sixth child.”

"Can't we just sneak a peek?" Li Huaiyuan said listlessly.

"Let's go home quickly, Mom is waiting for the soy sauce we bought to cook..." Li Huaijin said helplessly.

Li Huaiyuan suddenly raised his chin and pointed to the courtyard not far away, saying, "Big sister, look! Someone else has moved into our old house again!"

Upon hearing this, Li Huaijin stopped and craned her neck to look in the direction her brother was pointing. When she saw the familiar courtyard gate, a look of disappointment instantly appeared on her beautiful face, and she sighed softly, "Alas, Xiaoyuan, that's no longer our house."

Li Huaiyuan looked up, blinked his clear eyes, and asked with a puzzled look, "Big sister, will this house be returned to our family in the future?"

Li Huaijin quickly made a shushing gesture and lowered his voice, saying, "Shh~ Xiaoyuan, don't say anything out of the ordinary. If someone hears us and puts a big fuss on our family, that would be a real problem! Since the house has already been donated, there's no reason to ask for it back. Besides, Dad is already in a very difficult situation, you can't cause him any more trouble."

After hearing this, Li Huaiyuan was somewhat unconvinced, but he still nodded obediently. He glanced back reluctantly at the courtyard that had once belonged to them, then obediently followed his sister and remained silent...

Meanwhile, the Shi family in the courtyard were happily tidying up their house, and Shi Huai'an finally had her own little haven. She lay on the newly assembled wooden bed, hugging her chubby orange cat, overjoyed. The chubby orange cat, Duo Duo, curiously explored everything, meowing excitedly.

The room has a window painted green with frosted glass, so you can't see inside from the outside when it's closed. There are light blue curtains on both sides that are open, and a solid wood desk is placed under the window. The light is particularly good, and it will be even prettier if I add a few small green plants in a couple of days.

The living room also has large windows, a separate kitchen, and most surprisingly, there's a small bathroom at the back of the room—it's fantastic!

The Shi family of three was overjoyed. Xiuzhi couldn't stop smiling and said, "This extra piece is such a good deal. Huai'an is truly a lucky star."

They carefully arranged all their belongings, clothes, and kitchenware. Suddenly, Xiuzhi said, "I feel like there's always half a jar of rice in this rice bin, it's like there's never enough."

Shi Renmei laughed and said, "Are you hallucinating? But now that you mention it, I suddenly realize that I haven't carried water in a long time. What's going on?"

Huai'an chuckled inwardly, but remained outwardly calm. Now he could lie without batting an eye: "Oh, I saw you were busy, so I asked Brother Jingxing and his classmates to help carry water during the day. But they're shy, so don't ask him. Just pretend you don't know anything about it."

Xiuzhi said, "Oh dear, it's not good to always trouble others. Don't ask others to do things in the future, or the neighbors will start gossiping."

Huai'an quickly replied, "Okay, I understand." She then took out a stack of grain coupons, meat coupons, and two hundred yuan, saying, "Dad, Mom, this is what Officer Wang gave me yesterday. He said it's a reward from above, but he told you not to tell anyone. The country is facing difficulties right now, so the reward can't be too much. But he's also afraid others will be envious, so he told you not to tell anyone. I'm only giving it to you now because I'm worried about too many people getting involved. Dad, Mom, don't be stingy, buy some good food to nourish yourselves. Remember, don't tell anyone and cause trouble, keep a low profile, okay?"

Huai'an has become quite adept at this kind of fabrication, without any psychological burden. Whenever he has the chance, he will add this or that to the house under someone else's name. However, since this rice seems strange to Mom, let Mom buy rice next time and then secretly add it in!

His parents took care of the rest of the time, while Shi Huai'an closed his bedroom door to study and prepare for the exam. Now that he had his own room, Huai'an locked the door from the inside, making it easier to use the things in the room.

Early in the morning of August 25th, Gu Jingxing rode his bicycle to pick up Shi Huai'an to take her to school for her exam.

Huai'an had two braids, wore a beige dress made of polyester fabric, white socks, and white sneakers; her mother had prepared a military green crossbody bag for her, which contained stationery, her household registration booklet, and the exam certificate and letter of introduction issued to her by Wang Gong'an.

Huai'an reassured her parents that she could go to work without worry, as Jingxing would take her. Then she waved to her parents, sat on the back of her bicycle, and rode off with a carefree spirit.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Hongqi Middle School, Gu Jingxing told her not to be nervous. After registering at the reception desk, the two entered the school.

The school has only three teaching buildings; the other dozen or so buildings are all single-story structures. Although the campus is not large, the layout is relatively orderly. The main road in front of the main gate is lined with large plane trees, providing lush greenery for three seasons of the year.

The two rows of bungalows next to the main gate are the gatehouse and teachers' dormitory, while the two rows on the left and right are the library, laboratory and classroom; further inside are the teaching affairs office, offices and other teaching and management rooms.

The teaching building is a four-story structure with exposed concrete walls and wooden doors and windows. In front of the building are round and square flower beds planted with cypress trees, holly, and seasonal flowers and plants. Behind the teaching building are single-story buildings housing the school's water and electricity facilities and carpentry workshops. Perpendicular to the left and right of the building are the school auditorium and the teachers' and students' canteen.

Most of the students here are locals, and students from other places usually stay with relatives, so they are all day students and there are no student dormitories provided.

The cafeteria mainly provides meals for teachers. Students usually go home for lunch after school. Students who live further away usually bring their own lunchboxes from home in the morning and hand them to the cafeteria staff. The lunchboxes are numbered, and the cafeteria will heat them up for the students to take at noon. After school, students go home for lunch and rest.

On the south side of the campus, there is a substandard sports field, with a sandpit for high jump and long jump, as well as fitness equipment such as horizontal bars and parallel bars, all located around the running track.

Gu Jingxing glanced at his mechanical watch and, seeing that it was still early, led Huai'an around to familiarize himself with the place.

Red slogans were painted on the school's pristine white walls: "Unity, Tension, Seriousness, and Liveliness" and "Become socialist successors who are well-rounded in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education."

School hadn't officially started yet, and the school was deserted, with only a few maintenance workers carrying ladders, buckets, and tools coming and going.

Gu Jingxing led Huai'an to the principal's office. After knocking and receiving permission, the two went inside. Upon seeing them enter, Principal Ouyang and Director of Academic Affairs Liu, who were sitting behind their desks, stood up to greet them and warmly shook hands with them.

After they sat down, Gu Jingxing showed them his letter of introduction and examination certificate. After they looked at them, Principal Ouyang said to them, "Please wait here for a moment, I'll go and make some arrangements." Then he left the office.

After a while, Teacher Liu, the head of the teaching department, came in and told them that everything was ready and they could begin the exam. Teacher Liu then led Huai'an to the adjacent conference room. There, Teacher Liu gave Huai'an three exam papers: Chinese, Math, and a comprehensive test, and assigned two teachers to proctor the exam. Afterward, Teacher Liu left, leaving Huai'an alone in the conference room to answer the questions. Gu Jingxing waited outside.

This was a special exam because Huai'an wanted to apply for the first year of junior high school, but she was only 8 years old and had never received formal schooling. Therefore, she needed to pass this exam to prove her ability to skip elementary school and directly enter the first year of junior high. Because the letter of introduction was specially approved by city leaders, the school also attached great importance to it, specially arranging for teachers from Hongqi Middle School and Hongqi Elementary School to proctor and grade the exam.

Shi Huai'an took the test with ease and finished in about two hours. The test mainly consisted of some junior high school level math questions and some simple English questions in the supplementary questions, which were designed to test her true level. Fortunately, Huai'an had some knowledge of both English and math, so she was able to finish smoothly.

Perhaps due to the system's enhancement of her intelligence, her memory and comprehension abilities have improved significantly. Some parts that she used to find difficult to learn can now be quickly understood and remembered. Huai'an feels that things are different now, and her enthusiasm for learning is getting stronger and stronger, to the point of neglecting to eat and sleep.

However, just to be on the safe side, after Huai'an finished the test paper and saw that the teacher did not urge her that there was still time, she carefully checked it from beginning to end before handing it in. The two teachers also looked at Huai'an in surprise. They expected it to take at least three hours, but she handed in the paper early. This time, the questions were not only difficult, but also covered a wide range of subjects and had a large number of questions.

The teachers nodded to her and gestured for her to go out and play for a while while they waited for further notice. They went to the teaching affairs office to find the head of teaching affairs, Teacher Liu. The three of them each graded one test paper. Most of them had standard answers, so they could quickly grade the papers by checking the answers.

Shi Huai'an stood outside the classroom and looked down. He saw Gu Jingxing playing ping-pong with a teacher on the table. They were locked in a fierce and evenly matched game.