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

Three years later……

The spring chill lingered, and the peach branches along the roadside sprouted new buds. In the early morning and evening, a lingering chill remained in the air, as if winter was unwilling to leave and wanted to make a final struggle.

It was dusk, the sun was gradually setting, and the sky was slowly darkening. The streetlights along the street turned on at the right time, and the dim yellow light shining through the lampshades was like a thin veil falling on the ground, adding a touch of warmth to the deepening night.

After a busy and fulfilling day of studying, Shi Huai'an, as usual, hopped on his slightly worn bicycle and rode slowly along the street towards home.

She bought this bicycle when she was in her first year of high school. Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The once brand-new and shiny car now bears many traces of time, and Huai'an couldn't help but recall the days when Gu Jingxing drove her to and from school every day.

Two months before the Spring Festival, she finally received Gu Jingxing's first letter, a long three-page letter. Many things could not be mentioned due to the unit's confidentiality requirements, but Huai'an knew that he must have suffered a lot during his years in the army.

She replied to the letter at the address he wrote, and also sent a lot of delicious snacks. The snacks in the online store will be repackaged and sent out later...

During her winter break, she and her mother made a lot of beef jerky, pork jerky, and local snacks, such as dried eggplant, dried pumpkin, and chili cakes. After all, in addition to traditional techniques, she also had many modern food recipes, and the computer in her room had a very comprehensive collection of these materials.

This infuriated Zhong Hanzhe. He was a classmate and a neighbor, and besides, he was deliberately keeping an eye on them. Some things couldn't be hidden from him, but Huai'an didn't care...

However, after that letter, there was no news from Gu Jingxing for nearly half a year.

That day, as Shi Huai'an rode her bicycle past the grocery store where her father worked, her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the shops on the side of the road.

Although it was just a fleeting glance, the familiar storefront, signboard, and goods displayed at the entrance were all clearly visible.

She saw a slender woman leaning against the counter, chatting and laughing with her father, Shi Renmei. A shipping box sat at her feet. For some reason, a strange feeling instantly welled up inside her, making her involuntarily alert.

She slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a smooth stop in front of the shop, and then called out loudly, "Dad—"

Hearing the voice, Shi Renmei immediately turned around, his face beaming with a loving smile. He quickly came out from behind the counter, walked to the shop entrance to greet his daughter, and asked with concern, "School's out! Why aren't you home yet?"

At this moment, the woman who had her back to her slowly turned around.

Shi Huai'an looked closely and saw that the woman was carrying a large box full of goods on her back, and was tightly clutching a stack of one-cent and two-cent coins in her hand.

She was around fifty years old, not very tall, of medium build, with a thin, long face and a smile that seemed forced beneath her single eyelids. She had high cheekbones, thin lips, and wore dark gray trousers with black trousers and black cloth shoes. She carried a cargo box on her back and exuded the air of a capable and shrewd businesswoman.

Who else could this be but Sun Lüping, the stepmother from her past life? Could it be that Shi Renmei in this life is still destined to be entangled with this rotten romance?

Sun Lüping looked at Shi Huai'an, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Then, with a beaming smile, she said to Shi Renmei in an exceptionally attentive tone, "Oh, this is your daughter! She's so beautiful and lovely!"

As she lifted the cover from the crate to take something out, she said, "Here, Auntie will give you some malt candy. It's really delicious."

Upon hearing this, Shi Renmei's smile grew even brighter. Just as she was about to respond, Shi Huai'an interrupted her, saying coldly, "Thank you, Auntie, but I don't like maltose. You don't need to spend the money. Dad, Mom said she wants some peach shortbread. Could you quickly go and weigh out two pounds for us so I can take it back?"

After saying that, she gave the woman a cold glare, as if warning her not to have any bad ideas.

Sun Lüping was taken aback. Seeing that Huai'an seemed to be hostile towards her, she quickly and tactfully said to Shi Renmei, "Thank you for helping me get change, Brother Shi. You go ahead and do your work. I'll be going now."

After saying goodbye to Shi Renmei, she looked at Huai'an with a smile on her lips as she left, and walked away quickly.

Huai'an was lost in thought as he watched her departing figure when Shi Renmei brought over two jin of packaged peach shortbread and asked in surprise, "Didn't your mother think these were too sweet and not want to eat them? Why did she ask you to buy them?"

Shi Huai'an said quite frankly, "It wasn't my mother who told me to buy it; it's just that I don't like this woman talking to you."

Shi Renmei was taken aback, then patted her head with amusement and said, "You little rascal, people just come to the store to get some change and help out. Why are you making such a fuss? People have it tough too."

Sometimes I feel like you're not like a child, but now I think you're too childish. Fine, fine, whatever you don't like, I won't like either. Are you happy now?

Huai'an blinked her bright eyes gently, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said softly, "Then I'll head back now. You'll be off work soon too, remember to go home early, Mom's waiting for us."

After she finished speaking, she smiled and pursed her lips, feeling a little guilty. She wondered if she was being overly nervous or paranoid.

Shi Renmei smiled, raised her wrist, glanced at the time on her watch, and then replied gently, "Okay, I know. But I still have some work to finish here. I need to go over the accounts with my colleagues before I can leave. If you're hungry, you can eat first. You don't need to wait for me."

Shi Huai'an nodded obediently and turned to leave when she suddenly heard a familiar and clear voice behind her: "Huai'an—" She subconsciously turned around and saw Li Huaiyuan, wearing a blue jersey and carrying a backpack, running happily towards her.

Huai'an's face immediately lit up with an even brighter smile. She quickly stopped, reached into the bicycle basket, took out a bag of peach shortbread, and handed it to Li Huaiyuan, saying, "Here, Huaiyuan, take this peach shortbread. Get in the car, I'll take you back."

Seeing this, Li Huaiyuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the peach shortbread with a beaming smile, repeatedly saying thank you. Then, looking at the bicycle, he said with a bit of itch to try it out, "Huai'an, let me ride it. I learned a long time ago and can carry people."

Huai'an knew that he had long admired bicycles, so he said, "Okay, when I go to university in September, this bicycle will be yours to ride."

She handed the car to Li Huaiyuan, who nimbly mounted the bicycle and exclaimed with delight, "That's great, Huai'an! Although I think you're a bit extravagant, haha... I won't be polite! Goodbye, Uncle Shi!"

Huai'an laughed and jumped up, landing steadily on the back of the bicycle. He gripped the frame tightly with both hands and shouted happily, "Let's go!"

So Li Huaiyuan shouted, "Alright! Hold on tight, watch me!" He pedaled hard, and Huai'an gradually disappeared at the end of the street...

Shi Renmei smiled and waved to them, humming a little tune as she entered the store.

After parting ways with Li Huai'an, Shi Huai'an returned home and called Duo Duo over, asking it to arrange for a team of wild cats to keep an eye on Shi Renmei and see if any suspicious women were trying to cause trouble for him. She was determined to cut off this unwanted romantic advance.

Although divorces are rare these days, and Shi Renmei and his wife had a wonderful relationship, Shi Renmei married Sun Lüping after Xiuzhi passed away from illness in their previous life. Shi Huai'an felt a little awkward and uncomfortable when he thought about this.

Sun Lüping also had a bad marriage when she was young. Her in-laws made her suffer a lot because she couldn't have children, and her husband died young. Going back to the countryside was not practical either. Not only could she no longer endure the hardships of rural life, but the house in the countryside was dilapidated and had collapsed. Rebuilding the house would cost a lot of money, and since she had no children, she would be bullied if she went back.

She didn't have a formal job, and the policy didn't allow her to set up a stall or open a shop to do business, so she could only carry a small box and work as a mobile vendor, going from street to street to do some small business.

She has a distant cousin in the city who always advises her to find someone to marry. She has been on many blind dates, but she has never found one she likes. The men are either poor, drunkards, or have a lot of children. After all, she is already this age, and it is not easy to find a good one.

Sun Lüping carries a small box and sells things. In the summer, she sells popsicles, and in the winter, she sells "candy." She goes out in the wind and rain and often stops at a passing grocery store to exchange some change, take shelter from the rain, and chat. The reason is that there is a saleswoman named Xiao Sun in this store who is from her village. Everyone is very kind to her and will let her pour hot water and rest in the store.

Although Shi Renmei was more than ten years older than her, she was in excellent health, honest, and intelligent, which made Sun Lüping very interested in her.

It's a pity he has a wife and children. She had heard from people in the village that his wife wasn't in good health and his daughter was adopted. She paid attention to that, but that was that.

After all, these days, if you're caught having questionable conduct, you're in big trouble; you'll definitely be paraded through the streets as a warning.

However, after all these years, Shi Renmei's wife is getting healthier and healthier, and his daughter is about to take the college entrance exam and is becoming more and more successful.

Sun Lüping understood that this path was blocked, so she could only look for other options.

That day, she placed the boxes next to the grocery store again, went in and greeted the shop assistants warmly, took a cup and asked for a cup of hot water. Just then, there was a commotion outside the door, and someone in the store exclaimed, "Lvping, watch your boxes!"

Hearing a commotion outside, Sun Lüping's heart skipped a beat. She quickly put down what she was doing and rushed outside to find out what was going on.

This sight made her eyes widen instantly; a group of wild cats came rushing towards her like a whirlwind.

Their lithe and agile figures shimmered in the sunlight, like a group of playful little elves.

The stray cats stomped over the boxes placed by the door without any politeness. Some were as fast as lightning, rushing east one moment and suddenly turning west the next. A few were even more mischievous, jumping and leaping directly on the boxes, showing off their agility.

One of the calico cats, with its mottled fur, was the most relaxed. It even sat casually on the box, closed its eyes, and took a nap, as if the whole world had nothing to do with it.

However, the worst thing happened. Due to the wild cats' unbridled antics, the maltose samples that had been neatly arranged on the box were knocked over and scattered all over the ground.

The sweet and delicious maltose immediately attracted the attention of the wild cats, who swarmed around it, eagerly sticking out their tongues to lick the fallen sugar pieces, eating them with great relish.

Seeing this, Sun Lüping was furious, her anger burning fiercely. These were all food items she was preparing to sell! Now, filthy from being ravaged by these stray cats, who would want to buy her food?

Thinking of this, she charged towards the group of stray cats in a fit of rage, cursing incessantly: "You damned stray cats, where did you come from? I'll beat you all to death!"

Unfortunately, despite Sun Lüping's aggressive demeanor, how could she possibly match the speed of the nimble wild cats?

She finally managed to chase one away, but another would come running at lightning speed from the other side. She chased them back and forth in the yard, panting and sweating profusely.

A couple of people came to help her drive away the cats. After a lot of hard work and a long time, the wild cats seemed to have finally had their fun with her and disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a mess and an exhausted Sun Lüping.

She slumped helplessly onto a small stool, panting heavily, sweat streaming down her face.

Looking at the chaotic scene, she shook her head helplessly as she tidied up her stall, thinking to herself, "Ugh, what a terrible day! How did I end up being targeted by these wretched stray cats? This is a huge loss, what am I going to do..."

Just then, a slightly hunched old woman slowly walked over from not far away, holding the hand of a small child who looked about five or six years old with a chubby face. The child skipped along, looking around curiously.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to Sun Lüping's stall. He tugged at his grandmother's clothes and said sweetly, "Grandma, Uncle bought me her malt candy yesterday too, I want some more..."

Hearing her grandson's request, the old lady smiled indulgently and obediently led the child slowly toward Sun Lüping's stall.

Upon approaching, the old woman first looked Sun Lüping up and down and at the items laid out in front of her, then asked, "Young lady, what's going on here? Do you still have malt candy to sell?"

Seeing this, Sun Lüping quickly put away her anxious expression and replaced it with a warm smile, hurriedly replying, "Yes, yes, how many do you want?"

The old woman thought for a moment, then replied, "Then give me a dime first." Upon receiving the reply, Sun Lüping immediately nodded and quickly reached for the white cloth covering the maltose.

However, something unexpected happened—the moment the white cover was lifted, everyone present gasped in shock, only to find a dead rat lying inside, its fur black and gray and its body stiff!