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

As the saying goes, every family has its own troubles. The Li family has too many worries about their children, while the Shi family, having no children of their own, inevitably has the idea of ​​adoption.

In this world, what you disdain may be what others dream of; and what you easily obtain may be what others struggle to achieve.

Shi Renmei had a cousin who had four sons. Because his family was poor, he gave his six-month-old son, who was still breastfeeding, to Shi Renmei for adoption.

Shi Renmei was envious of her cousin's family for being so good at having children, so the couple naturally accepted the child happily. Wang Xiuzhi also took good care of the child, but the child was weak and had no breast milk, so she could only feed him thick rice water and complementary food, but he always cried at night.

Once, He Shuyi happened to pass by and chatted with Wang Xiuzhi. She teased the child a few times and praised how handsome the child was. Wang Xiuzhi couldn't help but complain: "Mrs. Li, this child cries endlessly at night. The hospital said there's nothing serious. You have more experience, do you know what's wrong?"

He Shuyi looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, said, "This is a new society now. It's not appropriate to call someone 'Madam' anymore. Please don't call me that anymore. Just call me Sister He from now on!"

Wang Xiuzhi nodded quickly and apologized, "It's just that I can't seem to change my way of addressing people. I'll definitely be more careful in the future."

Having raised five children herself, He Shuyi naturally excelled at discussing children. She enthusiastically offered advice to Wang Xiuzhi, whispering mysteriously, "The old folks say that children under three years old have the ability to see ghosts. When your baby first arrives in a new place, the things they see might be different from what we adults see. Whether you believe it or not, I think since the doctors can't help, why not ask someone to take a look? It won't take any time, and it might even be useful. But this shouldn't be discussed publicly; the government wants to eradicate feudal superstitions."

She spoke somewhat vaguely, but Wang Xiuzhi understood immediately. She exclaimed "Oh dear!" and slapped her thigh, looking enlightened. She said, "I was so flustered that I forgot about this. This method is very effective, and many people in the countryside know it. I just didn't dare to think about it for a moment, thinking that there are more people in the city and more yang energy, so it shouldn't be a problem. Oh my God! The child must have seen something evil at night and was frightened into crying."

Shi Renmei quickly lowered her voice and reminded, "Keep your voice down, don't startle the child. Ask Aunt Zheng from the alley to come and take a look tonight, she knows how to do this."

The three nodded knowingly, and He Shuyi left.

Aunt Zheng is seventy years old and knows a little about psychic abilities. She is quite famous in the area. People often come to her for help when they have something they can't explain. She can easily solve minor problems without asking for a fee. The neighbors trust her and will buy her something to thank her after the matter is resolved.

That evening, Aunt Zheng came to Shi Renmei's house and walked around before saying she wanted to ask for a "rice divination".

Wang Xiuzhi stood in the middle of the room holding her child, who was already asleep.

Shi Renmei prepared a cup of "whole" rice, about nine-tenths full, as instructed beforehand, and placed another cup of clean water on the altar. Most families don't have a dedicated altar; a clean table with some food offerings on it is sufficient.

With a solemn expression, Aunt Zheng muttered incantations, asking Wang Xiuzhi to recall and silently recite the questions she wanted to ask. Then, she burned incense and recited a prayer to the gods to show her respect and request, and circled the child in Wang Xiuzhi's arms three times.

Aunt Zheng gently waved her hand over the rice cup, and the rice that was originally lying flat in the cup now had a clump of rice standing up in the middle.

Aunt Zheng took another glass of water, walked around the room, flicked some water around with her middle finger and thumb, kept muttering to herself, and touched the child's eyes with her hand. This is called "Don't scare".

Aunt Zheng smiled and said, "There was a passing spirit playing with the baby, which scared him to tears. Now we've asked the spirit to leave, and it won't come to scare him anymore. I've also wiped away the baby's yin-yang eyes, so he won't be able to see 'dirty' things anymore." Then she took out a few thin pieces of yellow paper from the cloth bag she had brought and instructed Shi Renmei to put them up on the street that night.

To express her gratitude, Wang Xiuzhi specially prepared a pound of noodles and put it in the old lady's cloth bag. The old lady politely declined before accepting it and leaving.

Under the cover of darkness, Shi Renmei pasted yellow papers on trees, telephone poles, and exterior walls, on which were written:

Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, there's a boy in my family who cries at night; if a passing gentleman recites this three times, he'll sleep soundly until dawn.

Surprisingly, this trick actually worked. The child stopped crying at night and stayed quiet for several days.

However, infants are delicate and often get sick and feverish, requiring trips to the hospital every few days. This kept Wang Xiuzhi up so much that she didn't get much sleep and looked much more haggard.

However, the child's biological mother was not appreciative and was always worried that Wang Xiuzhi did not care about the baby.

My cousin's wife felt sorry for her youngest son, but she couldn't bear to part with him and her family simply didn't have the means to raise him. So she would often hide behind the sycamore tree or the telephone pole opposite Shi Renmei's tobacco stall to secretly watch the child.

She would only feel at ease going home if she saw that her youngest son was not crying or making a fuss and that nothing was wrong; if her youngest son cried incessantly, she would be extremely anxious, not only shedding tears of heartache, but also going home to complain to her husband and family, believing that Wang Xiuzhi and her husband were not taking good enough care of the child and did not know how to take care of him, and she would constantly scold Wang Xiuzhi and gossip about Xiuzhi outside.

After she kept lurking around for a while, Shi Renmei and her husband naturally noticed, and their friends would also pass on some rumors to them. Although they didn't mind and just laughed it off, they were still uncomfortable inside.

Not long after, the child fell ill again for no apparent reason, suffering from persistent diarrhea. Wang Renmei and her husband took the child to the hospital for injections and medication, taking meticulous care of the child, but for some reason, the child did not get better. They tried everything, both Western and traditional remedies, spending a lot of money, but there was still no improvement.

My cousin-in-law watched the baby anxiously for several days. Seeing that the baby was still having diarrhea and crying incessantly, she felt very sorry for the child. She couldn't stand anything about Wang Xiuzhi and thought that everything she did was terrible. She wished she could personally take over and teach her how to take care of the baby.

That day, the child cried his heart out again, and nothing could soothe him. Just as Wang Xiuzhi had calmed the child down, he suddenly soiled himself. The couple, while tending to their business, frantically cleaned up after the baby.

My cousin's wife, heartbroken and impatient, burst out from behind the sycamore tree, rushed to Wang Xiuzhi, snatched the child from her, pointed her finger at Xiuzhi, and began to berate her: "Look at you, so clumsy and incompetent! You can't even take care of a child properly! I think you're a jinx, a jinx to children. You can't give birth or raise a child, no wonder you have no children. Look at the state of my chubby baby you brought here! If anything happens to the child, I'll never forgive you!"

Passersby and people nearby immediately gathered around, whispering and pointing.

Wang Xiuzhi was stunned and furious by the scolding. She said aggrievedly, "Sister-in-law, don't be so rude. We've done our best to help you raise your child, and now it's become our fault? Put your hand on your heart and tell me, don't you know how healthy your child is?"

My cousin's wife cursed, "My child was perfectly fine when he was brought here. It's just that you were born with a fate that brings misfortune to your children, causing my son's health to deteriorate."

"We've seen several doctors, and they all say your son is congenitally weak. We've spent money and effort on him, and we're just taking our bad luck for granted. We can't afford to offend you. Once the child recovers, you can take him home and raise him yourself!" Shi Renmei said in a deep voice, her face grim and veins bulging on her forehead.

Grandma Liu couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she came over, pulled Wang Xiuzhi away, and advised her sister-in-law:

"If you really love your child, then don't give him away. Since you've already given him away, stop nagging and interfering. It's perfectly normal for such a young child to have minor illnesses occasionally. You've had several children; surely you know what's going on? You're just overreacting because you care too much. How can a child grow up without getting sick? Especially during seasonal changes, children are most prone to fevers. What you're saying is so heartless and malicious; it really hurts! They've put in money and effort; what are they hoping for? Once he's given away, he belongs to someone else; what does it have to do with you? If you're worried about him bringing bad luck to your son, then don't give him away in the first place! Everyone knows each other's backgrounds; everyone has their own troubles. If you really can't bear to part with him, just take him home; no one will force you to stay. But once you take him home, don't give him away again. What family wants their adopted son to be connected to his birth mother? That would be a waste of effort, a pointless upbringing! Everything should be done reasonably, don't you agree?"

Feeling embarrassed by what she was being said, the cousin-in-law angrily put the child in Shi Renmei's arms and stormed off.

Wang Xiuzhi was so angry that she ran home and cried uncontrollably. After the child recovered, she asked Shi Renmei to return the child to her cousin's family. No matter how much her cousin apologized, it was no use. Xiuzhi couldn't help but feel resentful. No matter how good your child is, I don't want him. I really can't afford to offend him.

The couple was deeply hurt by this incident and stopped mentioning adopting a child.

After the Spring Festival, on the ninth day of the second lunar month in 1951, the sixth child of the Li family was born. She was a chubby little girl, weighing a full six pounds. He Shuyi called her Sixth Girl and gave her the formal name Li Huaiyu.

He Shuyi's breast milk was insufficient, so she weaned her early. In the past, she would hire a wet nurse, but that was no longer possible. She could only ask around to buy milk powder or cook rice porridge to feed her.

Every time Wang Xiuzhi saw her chubby sixth daughter, whose arms and legs were as slender as lotus roots, like a lucky boy in a painting, she couldn't help but feel a surge of maternal love. Whenever she saw He Shuyi holding the child out to sunbathe, she would rush to hold the baby, saying, "This child's skin smells so good, so fair and rosy that it makes you want to kiss her."

He Shuyi laughed and said, "The baby had a milky scent before he was one year old. Now that he has been weaned, the scent has gradually faded."

Wang Xiuzhi pressed her face against the baby's and said, "So fragrant and soft, so cute! I love you so much. You go ahead and do your work, I'll look after the baby for a while." Anyway, she was quite bored tending to the cigarette stall, and having a child to amuse her added a lot of fun.

He Shuyi was also eager for someone to help soothe the child so she could have time to do other things. Often, as soon as Wang Xiuzhi left her tobacco stall in the morning, He Shuyi would rush over with Liu Yatou in her arms.

Liu Yatou and Wang Xiuzhi got along very well. One moment she was crying and fussing, but the next she was well-behaved in Wang Xiuzhi's arms. Wang Xiuzhi clicked her tongue and said, "She's so clever at such a young age. She knows how to care for her mother and make me happy."

He Shuyi laughed and said, "You two are really destined for each other! Everyone else is crying, but you are!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuzhi burst into laughter, unable to stop. She felt that all her previous efforts and hardships had been so worthwhile, and the thought of adopting the child resurfaced in her mind. However, she was worried about being rejected, so she didn't dare to bring it up rashly.

Sometimes, when no one was looking, He Shuyi would secretly slip two yuan into Xiuzhi's hand, a bitter smile on her face, and say, "Xiuzhi, please don't think it's a small amount of money. I really have no other choice now. You've helped our family so much, I don't know how to thank you enough."

Seeing this, Xiuzhi quickly pushed the money back into He Shuyi's hand, pretending to be angry and saying, "If you continue to be so polite to me, I won't help you anymore! I genuinely like your sixth daughter. If you have too many children and can't take care of them all, why not leave her with me? I promise you, I will treat her well and will never let her suffer any grievances."

Hearing Xiuzhi's words, He Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't give an immediate reply. Instead, her eyes welled up with tears, and she said softly, "That's good too. It's a blessing for her to have more people who love her." Afterward, the two chatted for a while longer. Finally, filled with worry and concern, He Shuyi hurriedly went home to continue her work.

The numerous movements that occur every year have little impact on ordinary people, but they have a huge impact on Li Hanchen, who is in dire straits. The remaining remnants of the Republic of China are like frightened birds, wishing they could disappear when they go to work.

After a long discussion, Li Hanchen and He Shuyi believed that the current situation was urgent. After careful consideration, he thought that rather than having their gold bars and antiques in their collection unable to circulate on the market, and not daring to use their former wealth at will, and risking their property being confiscated under unclear circumstances in the future, it would be better to donate them to secure the future and peace of the whole family. In any case, the country had a fixed supply of provisions, so they could still make ends meet.

To demonstrate their resolve, prove their innocence, and for the sake of their own and their children's future, Li Hanchen and his wife voluntarily donated to the country, handing over all their antiques, paintings, calligraphy, and real estate to the state. They even donated their own mansion, leaving the family with nothing.

Li Hanchen moved his entire family, young and old, into an old dormitory allocated by the government. The whole family squeezed into a single room with other people, but they felt much more relaxed.

He went to great lengths to prove that he was a true proletarian, that he would share weal and woe with the working people, and that he would selflessly dedicate himself to socialism.

This incident caused a sensation at the time, and the unit even held a commendation meeting. Many former employees who remained followed suit and donated their property to the country. However, it was rare to see someone like him donate all his wealth.