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

On September 1, 1960, Shih Huai-an and Chung Han-che entered the second year of junior high school, while Gu Jing-xing entered the third year, each moving on to a different grade.

Shortly after the start of the school year, Shi Huai'an and Zhong Hanzhe were both selected by the school to represent the second year of junior high school in the provincial youth mathematics competition, thanks to their outstanding mathematical talent and unremitting efforts! Faced with such a rare opportunity, the two were both excited and felt a lot of pressure, but they did not hesitate to devote themselves to the intense preparation.

To prepare for the competition, Zhong Hanzhe delegated some off-campus tasks to Liu Hui and Taozi, while he focused on his studies.

On the field, Shi Huai'an and Zhong Hanzhe were fully focused and calmly tackled each difficult question. As time ticked by, they fully demonstrated their solid knowledge and flexible thinking abilities.

After the exam, since they wouldn't be able to return to the provincial capital with the team until the next day, everyone went to browse the department stores and markets in the provincial capital. Huai'an had a lot of cloth coupons and various industrial coupons in her space. In order to make it easier to buy things and store them in her space, she made an excuse that she had to go to her master's son's house. The team leader agreed to let her go alone and told her to be careful.

Huai'an went to the mall and bought her parents all sorts of fabrics, leather shoes, winter coats, cotton-padded jackets, hats... basically anything they could use at home. Since the things in her space were too modern to use indoors, she went on a shopping spree. After carrying loads of bags she couldn't carry anymore, she moved them to a quiet corner and put them in her space. Then she went on to buy all sorts of pastries, food, stationery, and small gifts...

The department store was almost closing time when she finally came out carrying a huge pile of things to take the bus to Liu Qingshu's house.

Liu Qingshu lived in the staff quarters of the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The couple were surprised to see Huai'an when they opened the door. They were full of praise when they learned that she had gone to the provincial capital to participate in a math competition. They had a meal together and chatted about everyday things. After asking Huai'an to help Liu take some things, they took her to the bus station.

The night was hazy, and it was well past the time to get off work. There were hardly any people on the bus. Huai'an put all his things into his spatial storage when no one was looking before getting off the bus.

After getting off the bus, Huai'an strolled slowly along the street, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of late autumn. It was still a ten-minute walk to the hotel the school had booked.

Tall camphor trees line both sides of the road, their branches intertwining to form a dense canopy of green, like giant parasols, bringing rare coolness and comfort to pedestrians. Walking under these camphor trees in Huai'an, one can feel the cool breeze penetrating the skin and seeping into the heart.

Night had fallen, and faint lights twinkled in the distance, like stars in the night sky. Just then, a figure suddenly emerged from behind a large tree by the roadside, blocking Huai'an's path.

Huai'an looked closely and saw that it was Zhong Hanzhe standing in front of her. His gaze was as deep as the sea, staring straight at her, as if trying to see the secrets hidden deep in her heart through her eyes.

Huai'an's heart sank suddenly, as if a huge boulder had been placed heavily on her chest. However, she did not rush to speak, but simply stood quietly in place, her brows slightly furrowed, staring intently at the person in front of her with a serious yet questioning gaze.

Zhong Hanzhe stared intently at Huai'an. After a moment, he finally broke the silence and said softly, "Can we talk?" His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Upon hearing this, Huai'an's expression remained unchanged, and he coldly replied, "If you don't understand the question, you can ask the teacher."

Zhong Hanzhe was clearly not expecting Huai'an to answer him so coldly. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Can you tell me why you always avoid me? You seem to dislike me. What is it about me that you find annoying?" As he spoke, his eyes never left Huai'an's, as if trying to find the answer.

Huai'an glanced at him indifferently, a faint smile playing on her lips, and then said, "You're overthinking it. I treat everyone the same." With that, she prepared to walk past Zhong Hanzhe and continue on her way.

Zhong Hanzhe was extremely agitated, his face flushed red, and his voice trembled as he said, "No! Impossible! You've never treated other people like this? You've never treated Gu Jingxing like this either..." His tone was full of sourness.

Huai'an frowned, her face showing obvious impatience, and said in a stiff tone, "You're overthinking it." After saying that, she turned around without hesitation, trying to bypass the boy in front of her who was bothering her, and quickened her pace to leave the place as soon as possible.

However, Zhong Hanzhe was not about to let her go so easily. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Huai'an's arm tightly, with such force that it seemed he wanted to crush it. His eyes widened, and he roared hoarsely, "Have you already forgotten Yongyong, Linlin, and the other two?"

Huai'an was startled, but she quickly struggled to break free from his grasp, her eyes filled with disgust and anger. She cursed, "You're sick..." Before she finished speaking, she fled the scene like a startled rabbit.

Zhong Hanzhe stood there blankly, watching Huai An's departing figure, his body trembling slightly. After a long while, he slowly turned around, leaned weakly against the big tree beside him, slowly closed his eyes, and forced back the tears that were about to fall.

Those were their four adorable children from their past life! How could she be so heartless? She wouldn't even mention them. Had she truly forgotten their past life? Was all of this just wishful thinking on my part? In our past life, she was so devoted to me, and now I'm studying so hard just to get closer to her, so why can't she accept me...? Countless questions flooded his mind, plunging him into deep confusion and pain, from which he couldn't find peace for a long time.

After they returned to school, Huai'an distributed some candy to each of her classmates, and gave Lin Shaoyi, Li Huaiyuan, and Gu Jingxing a fountain pen as a gift. She also delivered the things that Liu Qingshu had asked her to bring to Master Liu's house, and gave them extra gifts. Life returned to normal.

A month later, Teacher Cai announced the good news from the provincial capital to the class: Shi Huai'an and Zhong Hanzhe had lived up to expectations and both won first prize! This honor not only belonged to them personally but also brought glory to the school. The classmates were overjoyed and praised their outstanding performance.

Only Shih Huai-an and Chung Han-che, the two parties involved, remained calm and were not particularly excited.

One weekend afternoon after the Autumn Games, Li Huaiyuan brought over a large butterfly kite and said, "Huai'an, this is a kite my second brother made. Isn't it pretty? Let's go fly kites together!"

"Okay~" Huai'an hadn't gone out to play in a long time, and Xiuzhi was afraid that she would get bored, so she packed two braised chicken legs in a lunchbox, put them in her bag, and quickly pushed her out the door.

The kite was made of bamboo strips and paper, and the butterflies were painted so lifelike. The craftsmanship was also quite exquisite. Huai'an couldn't help but admire her second brother's artistic talent. She said, "Your brother is so skillful. Is he going to take the college entrance exam soon?"

“He probably wants to start working as soon as possible after graduating from high school,” Li Huaiyuan said. “My mother said that it’s a bit tight for the family to support three people in school. My eldest sister said that once my second brother finishes his painting, he will also be able to play the erhu and do calligraphy. After graduation, she can introduce him to work in the Gan Opera Troupe as a backstage worker, managing props or something. I don’t know the specifics.”

Oh... Huai'an remembered her second brother Li Huaiyu's past life and thought that if he hadn't joined the Gan Opera Troupe, he could have avoided that girl and perhaps avoided imprisonment. She hesitated, wondering how to bring it up.

“You should persuade your second brother to go to university. The government subsidizes university education, so tuition and accommodation are covered. If he has difficulty making ends meet, he can apply for a scholarship. He can also be assigned a job after graduation. He can start working now…” Huai’an advised.

Li Huaiyuan said dejectedly, "My second brother said that our family's class background is bad; we're classified as one of the 'Five Black Categories,' so the approval process won't go through..."

Uh... I almost forgot... Huai'an usually immerses himself in books and doesn't pay much attention to what's happening outside. His life is so comfortable that he almost forgot about this special product of our time... She suddenly realized what was going on and didn't know how to persuade him, so she fell silent.

Li Huaiyuan pretended to be cheerful and said, "Actually, this is good too. Second brother will have a salary when he goes to work, and the family will be more comfortable. And it would be great if he could get into the Gan Opera Troupe. Not many people can get in. However, Mom said that although we can't go to university, you can..." He stopped unconsciously, looking at Huai'an as if he had said something wrong.

Huaiyuan pretended not to understand, but she took out a braised chicken leg from her lunchbox and gave it to Li Huaiyuan, one for each of them. Li Huaiyuan took the chicken leg, his eyes widening. He hadn't eaten a chicken leg in a long time. He took a big bite without any hesitation, his mouth full of oil, and said, "Your food is really good. No wonder my mother said you're doing better than me. Mmm~ It's so delicious."

Huai'an smiled as she ate her chicken leg, secretly thinking that she should try to persuade her second brother to stay away from that girl so as not to repeat the tragedy of their past life...

Along the riverbank, several children were flying simple homemade kites. The kites were made by pasting thin yellow paper onto a frame of thin bamboo strips, forming a diamond shape with a long tail hanging from the center. As the kites soared through the sky, the long, tail-like ribbon swayed gracefully in the wind, creating a very lively effect.

Li Huaiyuan skillfully stretched the kite string and ran forward, with Huai'an following closely behind, holding the kite. Under Huaiyuan's command, they suddenly threw the kite into the air, and the kite, like a light little bird, quickly rose into the sky.

Huai'an tilted his head slightly, his gaze following the kite soaring high in the sky. It tumbled and swirled, like a giant, colorful butterfly dancing in the air.

Just then, Zhong Hanzhe and Taozi hurriedly crossed the street from the other side. Taozi, with a big smile, greeted Huai'an warmly and loudly as soon as she saw him: "I saw you from afar! Did this little guy make this beautiful kite?"

Huai'an smiled and proudly gestured with his chin toward Li Huaiyuan beside him, replying, "How could that be? His second brother made it."

Zhong Hanzhe smiled kindly and nodded slightly to Huai'an, saying, "Hey~"

Huai'an responded with a polite smile, and that was it; they had exchanged greetings.

Li Huaiyuan, who was in the distance, spotted them immediately and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Zhong, Brother Tao, want to fly a kite together?"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhong Hanzhe had already run forward quickly, taking three steps at a time, and replied as he ran, "Alright, let me have a go for a bit!" Seeing this, Taozi naturally wasn't going to be left behind, and followed closely behind, shouting, "Wait for me, I want to try it too!"

For a moment, laughter and cheerful voices echoed across the grassy riverbank.

When Li Huaiyuan saw them coming, he gently tugged on the kite string and handed it to Zhong Hanzhe.

Zhong Hanzhe gripped the string tightly, carefully adjusting the kite's height and direction to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.

A flock of birds flew past the kite, and everyone stopped in their tracks, looking up at the butterfly kite dancing with the birds.

Zhong Hanzhe stood on the soft grass, sunlight streaming down his body, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead and neck, but he seemed oblivious, his eyes fixed intently on the kite in the sky. At that moment, the wind picked up, and the kite, which had been soaring leisurely, seemed encouraged, striving even harder to reach higher and farther, as if trying to break free from all constraints, soar through the clouds, and rush towards that boundless realm of freedom.

Zhong Hanzhe gripped the spool tightly with both hands, not daring to loosen his grip even slightly. This kite used only ordinary cotton thread, yet this seemingly fragile thread was now bearing immense tension and wind force. Finally, as another gust of wind suddenly struck, a crisp "snap" was heard, and the kite string, unable to withstand the strain, snapped in an instant!

Like a wild horse freed from its tether, the kite soared and danced wildly in the air. It first did a graceful somersault, then sped away at an incredible speed, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

The kite seemed to possess its own will, single-mindedly seeking its own free destiny. However, the people on the ground were unwilling to simply watch it fly away. A collective gasp echoed across the riverbank. Many stopped and turned to look.

Without hesitation, Zhong Hanzhe took off running, his eyes fixed on the direction where the kite had disappeared, with only one thought in his mind: he must catch the kite! At that moment, he was as fast as the wind, and the whistling wind in his ears could not stop his pursuit.

As the kite flew further and further away, Zhong Hanzhe's heart sank deeper and deeper. The broken kite string was like a tiny spark of hope that had just ignited in his heart, instantly extinguished, leaving only darkness and despair. But even so, he refused to give up, continuing to desperately chase after it, letting the lonely kite drift aimlessly in the wind…

Taozi shouted as he chased after them, "Come back! If you can't catch up, that's fine. We still have to get to work..."

Seeing that the kite was gone, Li Huaiyuan didn't know what to say and could only go back with Huai'an.

Since Zhong Hanzhe couldn't find or buy a kite, he bought a notebook and gave it to Li Huaiyuan.

Zhong Hanzhe's studies began to fluctuate, and his performance became extremely unstable. His teachers talked to him several times, encouraging him to get into a good high school, before he gradually got back into a study routine.