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

In the second month, Zhong Hanzhe directly paid the children delivering coal ash, but the price dropped to 0.34 yuan per jin (0.5 kg). Even more people came the following month, increasing their combined income. However, to avoid attracting attention and causing trouble due to envy, Zhong Hanzhe decided to halt expansion and proceed quietly. Liu Hui's monthly income remained stable at around 70 yuan, approximately 38% of their combined profit; Zhong Hanzhe received 62%, roughly 114 yuan. [Liu Hui received 0.033 yuan per jin of profit; Zhong Hanzhe actually received 0.053 yuan per jin of profit.]

Of course, if things get tense, they will stop and assess the situation before making a decision. But no matter what they do, Chung Han-cheol insists on working only one day a week, preferring to do less rather than more, even during winter and summer vacations, devoting all his other energy to his studies.

He discreetly observed market changes and the black market, cutting his losses at the slightest sign of trouble, as the current policy climate didn't allow them to engage in economic activities. Thanks to his past life, he seemed to possess keen insight, knowing the character of the neighborhood children inside and out. He knew how to use people wisely and avoid being greedy for quick gains. He knew that even the slightest mistake could lead to execution or imprisonment; in those days, private economic activities were absolutely forbidden. He was currently exploiting a loophole involving minors, but even so, he remained cautious and dared not let his guard down.

Zhong Hanzhe was eager to earn money to escape his family of origin. There's a saying: "A family cannot tolerate three surnames." His mother ran away while pregnant, and naturally, all sorts of gossip circulated among the neighbors. He was a proud and strong-willed person, unable to tolerate any idle talk, and would fight back at the slightest disrespect. He earned a reputation as a little tyrant in the area from a young age. Under such a reputation, it was inevitable that he would be provoked by his younger siblings to fight. He didn't think much of it before; protecting his siblings became an honor. Over time, his protective instincts became a physiological reaction. Now, he doesn't think that way anymore…

Because of his past life experiences, Zhong Hanzhe had long understood his family's temperaments, so he didn't tell them about anything he had done. He never publicly promoted Liu Hui, and only confided a little to his brother-in-law. He now distrusts everyone and keeps his secrets hidden. Given his previous boastful nature, he would have bragged about this extensively, but now he seems like a completely different person. As the ancients said, "Success is achieved through secrecy, and failure through leaks." He only gave his mother five yuan a month for living expenses, saving the rest in the bank.

Seeing that Zhong Hanzhe could send five yuan home every month, although it wasn't much, his mother stopped saying anything about his schooling. This eldest son had always been headstrong and difficult to manage, and he had a quick temper. Although his mother was dissatisfied, she didn't dare to argue with him, after all, he was the first child to voluntarily send money home.

In the 1950s and 60s, minors needed to be accompanied by an adult to sign and agree to deposit money. At that time, Zhong Hanzhe was only 13 years old. He first stole the family's household registration book and, accompanied by his brother-in-law, went to two banks to open current accounts. He deposited two yuan in each account.

His face flushed slightly, and he said shyly, "Brother-in-law, I'm so sorry, there's not much money in here. Please don't laugh at me."

Brother-in-law Duan Xiukun replied with a suspicious look, "What's so funny? Brother, every penny you earn through your hard work is precious and something to be proud of! But I don't quite understand why you're depositing your money in two different banks. Are you planning to keep some savings for yourself so you can use them when you get married?"

Upon hearing this, Chung Han-che couldn't help but laugh out loud, and quickly waved his hand to explain, "Oh, brother-in-law, getting married is still a long way off! It's too early to talk about that now! The reason for opening two accounts is mainly because opening accounts is too troublesome. Anyway, just open them and leave them there. Maybe they'll come in handy someday."

The brother-in-law nodded thoughtfully, indicating his understanding. Then, glancing at his watch, he said anxiously, "No, I have to hurry home. Your sister is taking care of the child all by herself and can't manage on her own. She's urging me to go back and help as soon as I finish shopping, so I can't delay any longer. I'll be going now!"

Zhong Hanzhe quickly replied, "Okay, brother-in-law, take care! I should be heading back now. Thank you so much for helping me today! Please keep this a secret."

Brother-in-law laughed heartily, "Hey, we're family, why are you being so formal with me!" Before he finished speaking, Duan Xiukun skillfully mounted his bicycle, pushed off, and the wheels spun rapidly, disappearing into the end of the bustling street in the blink of an eye.

He watched his brother-in-law walk further and further away until he disappeared from sight. Then, he turned around and said urgently to the bank counter, "Oh dear! What bad luck! I was just thinking of opening another account. But it's okay, look, the household registration book is still here! The family has already agreed."

The management system wasn't as strict back then. The staff member glanced at the household registration booklet, then at the departing brother-in-law, pondering to himself. The bank lobby was empty except for the two of them. After a moment's hesitation, the staff member decided that since they had the household registration booklet and the adults were only temporarily away, nothing should go wrong. Besides, the bank had deposit targets, and it was always good to have customers deposit more money. Furthermore, this was merely a deposit, not a withdrawal, so there was essentially no risk.

Thinking this, the staff member smiled and nodded at him, indicating that he could open an account. So, Zhong Hanzhe happily began filling out various forms and carefully deposited his hard-earned money from the past few months into the brand-new passbook. After all the formalities were completed, he clutched the passbook tightly as if it were a precious treasure and stepped out of the bank, completely satisfied. Once he had opened a current account, opening a fixed-term account would be much simpler; all he needed was his household registration booklet.

Lost in thought, he pushed open the door. Before he could even catch his breath, he heard his sister's clear, melodious voice: "Big brother, you're back! There's still some leftover rice in the pot. Do you want me to soak it in hot water? It'll make it warmer that way." His sister looked at him expectantly, her eyes full of concern.

Just then, Ermei from next door came over after hearing the noise. She smiled and said softly, "Brother Zhe, we happen to have some pickled mustard greens. They'd be delicious with rice. I'll go get them for you." Ermei was a year younger than him and had always been a well-behaved and sensible girl. However, at this moment, Zhong Hanzhe recalled his past life's experiences, and a feeling of disgust welled up inside him.

He frowned, his gaze cold and indifferent as he looked at Ermei, and said icily, "Don't call me Brother Zhe, it sounds awful! That's not a title you can just use." As soon as he finished speaking, Ermei seemed to be struck by lightning, instantly frozen in place. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the boy who had once captivated her, tears welling in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.

Zhong Huizhen, the younger sister, stared wide-eyed at her eldest brother in disbelief. She remembered him as always witty, humorous, and playful, but now he seemed like a completely different person, always with a stern face and a cold, aloof demeanor.

Seeing this, Zhong Huizhen felt a little flustered and quickly stepped forward with a smile, trying to please her: "Brother, Sister Ermei wants to ask you for help with her homework! She said that the fourth-grade homework has suddenly become very difficult. Can you explain it to her?" Actually, the reason she was so eager was because she had previously accepted an old eraser from Ermei and promised to help.

However, Chung Han-cheol seemed not to hear Chung Hye-jung's request, and walked straight into the house without turning his head, leaving behind a cold and ruthless remark: "If you're stupid, read more books. I don't have time."

At that moment, Ermei's tears instantly welled up and poured down like a flood. She cried heartbrokenly, wiping away her tears as she turned and ran towards her room.

Zhong Huizhen, left standing there dumbfounded, stared blankly at Ermei's departing figure and the tightly closed door. For a moment, she was at a loss, not knowing what to do. She muttered to herself, "Why is she acting like she's on fire? She must have been upset outside and is taking it out on us. Humph!"

Zhong Hanzhe put the household registration book and his parents' ID cards back into the drawer in his parents' room, and then went back to his room to hide the three bankbooks in his own room.

"Iron Ox" and "Stone" pushed open the courtyard gate with a bang and ran home. "Iron Ox" asked while making rice porridge with hot water from the thermos, "What's wrong? Is Big Brother back? I'm starving."

Zhong Huizhen gestured towards the room, indicating that she was inside. 'Stone' then pushed open the door and went in, calling out, "Big brother, what are you busy with? I haven't seen you all day long?"

Zhong Hanzhe was pasting an old newspaper on the wall when he turned to look at Shi Tou and snapped, "What are you doing, so clumsy? Didn't you even knock? Get out, get out, don't disturb my reading." He got up and pushed Shi Tou out the door, thoroughly annoyed. This place was unbearable; there were no secrets, no privacy.

He shared a room with his two younger brothers, which was too cramped and inconvenient, making it difficult to hide things. Fortunately, he still held some authority in his brothers' eyes, so they didn't dare to rummage through his belongings. However, he was still very careful, placing his several bankbooks in the paper-covered walls and then covering them with newspapers.

He wanted to find a way to get an independent household registration, but he was still five years away from adulthood and did not have an independent residence. In those days, to apply for public rental housing or housing allocated by a work unit, one had to have a job and a stable income, which was impossible at the time.

However, Zhong Hanzhe thought differently. He believed in the power of human effort and wanted to inquire about subletting public housing. Private housing transactions still existed in the 1950s and 60s. For example, reports mention that in the 1960s, someone purchased a private house of about 20 square meters and still had tax receipts for land use tax paid. Furthermore, housing transactions at that time were diverse, including renting it out directly, hiring "managers" or accountants, using real estate agencies, and entrusting the government's housing department to manage the rentals.

After much deliberation, Zhong Hanzhe realized that his brother-in-law, Duan Xiukun, worked at the Housing Management Bureau, and he needed his help with this matter. That evening, he went to his brother-in-law's house. His sister was putting the child to sleep, so the two of them went outside to discuss the matter.

My brother-in-law laughed and said, "Here you are again? You've been acting a little different lately."

Zhong Hanzhe said, "Brother-in-law, you're the only capable one in our family. I can only turn to you when I encounter difficulties. You know that Mom doesn't really approve of me studying. But I've made up my mind. I absolutely have to study, and I want to go to university. Now there are so many younger siblings in the family. I don't even have a desk to write at home. The house is too small and there's no room for me. Tell me, it's no wonder my studies are going to fall behind if things continue like this."

The brother-in-law chuckled and said, "What can we do? You have to accept the fate of the family you're born into. You don't want to live here, do you? Let me tell you, there's no place for you here. Your sister is busy to death by Da Mao every day and doesn't have time to take care of you."

Zhong Hanzhe said, "You can't choose where you're born, but you have to take control of your life. I want to move out, and of course, I won't live here. It's too noisy here. How can I concentrate on studying when Da Mao is crying? I wanted to ask my brother-in-law for help. You work at the housing management bureau, so you have a lot of information in this area. Could you help me find out if there are any public rental apartments I can sublet? If there are any private houses I can sell, that would be even better. Small ones are fine too. I just want some peace and quiet. Brother-in-law, you also hope that someone in your family will become an educated person in the future, right? Otherwise, if I stay a peasant for the rest of my life, I won't be of any help to you, and I'll just be a burden to you from time to time, right?"

My brother-in-law sighed: "It's good that you have ambition, but think about your family. How could they agree to help you rent or buy a house? Even if they wanted to help you, they don't have the money, right?"

“I don’t need their money. You just need to keep it a secret. Once I find a place, I’ll pay for it myself. They don’t need to worry about it. I’ll be grateful if they don’t interfere. In short, don’t worry about the money. It would be best if you could help me change my household registration to show that I’m 18 years old.” Zhong Hanzhe said calmly, as if it were a very ordinary thing.

Duan Xiukun stared in astonishment at his handsome yet audacious brother-in-law, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting? You're only 13 years old, where would you get the money? Are you going to rely on collecting coal ash? And you want to change your age? You're too bold."

"Shh~" Zhong Hanzhe gestured for him to lower his voice, saying, "Brother-in-law, I know this sounds unbelievable, but it's common for people to write the wrong age on their household registration these days, so it shouldn't be difficult. I have a few brothers who are willing to pool their money and lend me some. Anyway, don't worry, I won't break the law or do anything to harm your future. It's all harmless stuff, and even if they find out, no one will seriously investigate. You just need to help me find a house and transfer the property, and I'll take care of the money. Brother-in-law, believe me, if I don't study, I'll only be a petty thug, and you don't want me to become like that, right? I can't live like this forever. I will make something of myself, I will definitely make something of myself. You know I'm a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, and if that day ever comes, I won't forget your help, brother-in-law. Right now, I just want to change my environment so I can concentrate on my studies. I know it's a little difficult, but you will definitely help me, right? I don't know who else to ask but you."