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

Upon witnessing this horrifying scene, Sun Lüping and the old woman simultaneously let out a terrified scream, and both of them staggered back several steps as if they had been electrocuted.

After realizing what had happened, the old woman turned pale, picked up her grandson, and kept muttering, "Oh my god, let's go, let's go! That was terrifying! Never buy anything from this store again!" Then she hurriedly left the scene without looking back.

Watching the old woman's departing figure, Sun Lüping felt her mind explode, and tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes.

Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, covering her face with her hands and wailing, "Oh God, who could be so heartless... How am I going to continue my business! Waaah..."

Shi Renmei was the manager of the grocery store. He felt very sorry for Sun Lüping when he saw her crying. However, this was really affecting the store's business, especially the S rat. This was a fatal blow to the food industry. Who knew what rumors would spread outside?

The assistant store manager also came over. The two looked at each other and then called over Xiao Sun, a fellow villager of Sun Lüping.

The assistant manager said, "Xiao Wang, you see, we're only letting her set up a stall next to our shop because of you. We usually turn a blind eye to it when no one cares, after all, we're all just trying to make a living, and it's not easy for her as a woman. But now she's crying here and has produced a rat. People passing by might think it's related to our shop. We sell food, and if we get complaints about hygiene, how will we do business? We won't be able to meet our targets, and it will affect our chances of being recognized as an advanced store. What do you suggest we do?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Sun immediately said, "Then I'll take her back."

Shi Renmei said softly, "Be mindful of your manners. We also sympathize with her. You take her home, and we'll clean up the rest."

Xiao Sun quickly pulled Sun Lüping aside to persuade her, while Wang Renmei took a large pair of iron pliers, removed the mousetrap, and threw it into a trash can a little further away from the shop.

Although Sun Lüping was unwilling, she had no choice. She couldn't find the person who had instigated this, and the wildcats had long since dispersed. She had no choice but to carry her suitcase back home. The people in the shop were busy disinfecting and cleaning up before the onlookers finally left.

Sun Lüping was frightened, but after resting for a day, she went out to sell things again. Although life had some minor surprises, life had to go on.

She was not a delicate woman; she had seen her share of life's storms.

After that backstabbing incident by the stray cat, she noticed that whenever she stopped at the grocery store to rest, the stray cat would inevitably come looking for trouble. However, as long as she had no connection with the grocery store, everything would be peaceful, and no cat would bother her.

Although she was puzzled, the stray cat came and went without a trace, and she had no way to deal with the cats. Besides, what use would it be if you caught the cat? You couldn't get any information out of it, and you would only be asking for trouble.

As for the people in the grocery store, whenever she came to the store, stray cats would inevitably come and harass them, causing them great distress. However, out of consideration for their relationship with her, they couldn't say anything openly and could only hope that Sun Lüping would not come to the store. Everyone was somewhat resentful of Sun.

After Sun Lüping stopped coming to the shop, everyone was overjoyed. Although they felt something was amiss, the problem was solved, and soon people forgot about it.

On a sunny day, Sun Lüping walked along the familiar street with her suitcase on her back, just like any other day.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past her, and she instinctively turned her head to look, only to see a bicycle speeding past like lightning.

The person on the bike was Shi Huai'an. She was slender and wore a white dress. Her two long braids swung behind her head and fluttered like the hem of her dress, like youth in full bloom. She was riding her bike at an astonishing speed. What was even more eye-catching was that a chubby, round orange cat was sitting steadily on the back of the bike!

This orange cat is very cute, with bright and shiny fur all over its body, like a burning orange flame.

Its big, round eyes looked around curiously, and when it saw Sun Lüping, it revealed a sly smile.

The cat laughed, but probably no one would believe it if you told them...

That smile seemed to possess a mysterious magic, leaving Sun Lüping momentarily stunned.

"Meow meow~" The orange cat let out two clear meows, the sound seemingly containing some profound meaning.

Sun Lüping's eyes widened in disbelief. A cat could actually laugh? And with such an sinister laugh?

She rubbed her eyes hard, wondering if she was hallucinating.

However, no matter how hard she tried, that image remained clearly etched in her mind.

Just then, a flash of inspiration seemed to pass through Sun Lüping's mind, but it vanished in an instant. She tried desperately to grasp that fleeting information, but the harder she tried, the more confused she became.

What could it be? Why does it feel so familiar? Could this orange cat have some unknown connection to me?

Or perhaps, in some mysterious way, she and the cat's owner, Shi Huai'an, had some kind of connection? Countless questions flooded her mind, plunging Sun Lüping into deep thought and confusion...

The 1965 college entrance examination was the last one before the “turbulent decade”; in 1966, the college entrance examination was abolished and replaced by a recommendation system for university admission. The recommended university students were called worker-peasant-soldier university students.

The college entrance examination system was not reinstated until 1977, but in 1965, for many people, getting into university meant a chance to completely change their destiny.

Due to the scarcity of higher education resources at the time, universities across the country enrolled only a little over 100,000 students. Only a very small number of students were able to enter university for further studies. Therefore, getting into university was not only an affirmation of one's personal intelligence, but also an honor for the entire family.

Shih Huai-an, Lin Shao-yi, and Chung Han-che were classmates in junior high school and had a close relationship. They often exchanged ideas and studied together. Perhaps because of time constraints, Shih Huai-an didn't really reject Chung Han-che, at least they could exchange ideas and discuss their studies. Chung Han-che was also secretly happy that their relationship had improved.

Both of them had experienced the Cultural Revolution in their previous lives, so they were quite cautious in their words and actions, not wanting to cause any unexpected trouble.

Although the two of them hadn't received much education in their previous lives, and hadn't even taken the college entrance exam, they had heard quite a few absurd stories that happened during those ten years.

For example, a student in a high school wrote a short poem titled "My Confession," a free verse poem he thought was very revolutionary, and submitted it as a weekly journal assignment. The language arts teacher, who was usually stingy with grades, still gave it a bright red 100.

However, when a classmate in the Youth League branch saw lines like "I was born free, rebelling against all restrictive thoughts, and I can't stand the hypocrisy of the world..." in the poem, he thought it constituted an extreme case of ideological liberalism. He reported it to the class teacher, who, as if discovering a new continent, took the journal and immediately reported it to the school's Party branch. As a result, a series of punishments came down from the sky: he was dismissed from his soon-to-be-appointed position in the school's propaganda department, removed from his position as editor-in-chief of the school's "Xu Daily," criticized without naming him at a school-wide assembly for writing reactionary poetry, barred from participating in the city's National Day parade due to his reactionary ideology, and classified as "unsuitable for admission" in the college entrance examination registration.

At that time, candidates' files were basically divided into four categories based on their political performance, family background, and political review conclusions: 1. Eligible for admission to confidential majors; 2. Eligible for admission to general majors; 3. Admitted with lower qualifications; 4. Not suitable for admission.

The unfortunate candidate, though he took the exam as scheduled, received a thin, rough-looking A16-sized notice of failure nearly a month later. It simply stated: "Due to failing to meet the admission standards, you have not been admitted. You have prepared for both possibilities; therefore, you will certainly obey the needs of the motherland and go to the countryside, to the most arduous places to struggle..."

But no one expected that such an outrageous thing would happen to Shi Huai'an as well.

On a sunny day in May, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the lush green leaves on campus.

With a serious expression, homeroom teacher Ms. Yang called Shi Huai'an aside and whispered, "Huai'an, I want to ask you, has your family accidentally offended anyone?"

Shi Huai'an's heart tightened, and a look of doubt appeared on his face. He shook his head to deny it.

Mr. Yang, a male teacher in his forties, sighed softly and continued, "Someone is secretly investigating your file. This is no small matter! In my opinion, you'd better find some reliable people to help you pull some strings. Otherwise, if something goes wrong and it affects your college entrance examination, it would be a huge loss!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Huai'an felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. He panicked instantly. He had worked so hard for so long, and there was only one step left. He couldn't afford to make a mistake at this crucial moment.

She hurriedly asked, "Teacher Yang, please tell me quickly, what kind of problems might there be with my file?"

Ms. Yang pushed up her thick glasses and looked at the young and outstanding student before her, a feeling of pity welling up in her heart. Because Shi Huai'an was only 15 years old and had excellent academic performance, Ms. Yang had always taken good care of her.

Ms. Yang frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly said, "About this matter... you have to find out for yourself quietly. Remember not to spread it around. I'm taking a risk to come and tell you this. I heard it's related to your family background and your class status."

Shi Huai'an found it increasingly strange and couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, my family used to be just small-scale merchants, and we never hired anyone to help us. We should be considered semi-proletarian, right? Is there something wrong with this?"

Teacher Yang shook her head helplessly, indicating that she was not quite clear about the specific situation, but she still repeatedly urged Shi Huai'an to find a way to resolve this potential crisis as soon as possible.

He said with difficulty, "Normally, children of small business owners with excellent grades shouldn't be affected in their college entrance exams, but I don't know the specifics. Anyway, someone transferred your file, supposedly related to your... your parents... I can't be sure. This kind of background can be a big or small issue, and there's a lot of room for manipulation. To be on the safe side, you'd better go back and confirm it, so as not to delay your college entrance exam registration approval."

Teacher Yang wasn't sure if Huai'an knew about his background, but he didn't want to explain too clearly. He looked at Shi Huai'an with concern, and Shi Huai'an calmed himself down and said, "Thank you for reminding me, teacher. I will go back and find out."

In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the composition of rural residents, from highest to lowest, was mainly as follows: landlords, rich peasants, middle peasants, lower-middle peasants, poor peasants, and hired laborers; while the composition of urban residents, from highest to lowest, was mainly as follows: national bourgeoisie, petty bourgeoisie (manufacturer, lower-middle intellectual class—students, primary and secondary school teachers, junior clerks, junior administrative staff, junior lawyers, small business owners, etc.), semi-proletariat (shop assistants, peddlers, etc.), and proletariat (workers, clerks, etc.).

After school, Shi Huai'an carried a large bag of fruit and pastries directly to his master Liu Yifei's house. Master Liu was practicing Tai Chi in the yard. When he saw Shi Huai'an, he said happily, "Why are you here today? I thought you wouldn't be able to come until after the college entrance examination."

The calico cat 'Goji Berry' had already rushed out of the room and ran to Huai'an's side, rubbing against him left and right while meowing. The little kitten had grown into a strong big cat.

Huai'an called out to her master and mistress, "Hello, Master and Mistress! Hehe~ Little Goji Berry, hello to you too!" As she spoke, she happily took out some dried fish from her pocket to feed it and patted its head.

Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Liu came out while knitting a sweater, smiling and saying, "Huai'an, you're here all the time, why are you always bringing things? Take them back for your parents to eat."

Huai'an smiled and placed the fruit on the stone table in the courtyard, saying, "There's more at home. My mother said the tonic prescription that Master gave her was very effective. We should thank you."

“You’re too kind. A few days ago, when your senior brother came back, we were discussing which university you should apply to. We all thought you were good at your studies and could choose Beijing Medical University,” Mrs. Liu said with a smile.

Shi Huai'an released the cat, took off his schoolbag, sat on the bamboo chair, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it before saying, "Master, there's a problem with my file. I heard from my teacher that someone moved my file and said it needs to be reviewed again."

Master Liu was startled and sat down in front of Huai'an, asking, "Did he say what the reason was?"

Shi Huai'an shook his head and said, "He didn't know the specifics either. He said it might be because there's a problem with my family background, and someone is making a fuss about my parents' background."

Mrs. Liu also asked in confusion, "Your parents shouldn't belong to the 'Five Black Categories,' right?"

People with high social class backgrounds were generally landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, bad elements, and rightists. Their children were classified as children of the "five black categories" and were not allowed to attend higher-level schools. They faced discrimination in areas such as further education, military service, employment, salary increases, and promotion.

Shi Huai'an's third brother, Li Huaizhang, was one year ahead of Shi Huai'an. After graduating from high school, he was unable to take the college entrance examination due to his family background, so he worked as a temporary worker in a compressor factory.

Shi Huai'an thought for a moment and said, "My current parents are my adoptive parents, and my biological father was labeled a rightist. Although I have not acknowledged them as my parents, it is possible that someone with ulterior motives might use this against me..."