The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Wu Hui's panic and Ye Xiaoqin's calling made the family seem even more fragile.
"Sister-in-law, don’t worry, I’ll go ask" Zhao Weiguo immediately spoke to comfort Wu Hui, his tall figure standing up and walking briskly toward the door "Big brother, did you say Ye Zhenhua was struck by goods in the market?"
"Yes!" The man who came to deliver the message seemed a bit relieved when he saw Zhao Weiguo, and then nodded firmly "There were a lot of goods in the market today, and they may not have been stacked properly. Ye Zhenhua and another worker were accidentally struck by a large load of goods"
"Did you send him to the hospital?"
"Yes, we got him to the First City Hospital as soon as we rescued him"
"Alright, we understand. Thank you for letting us know" Zhao Weiguo said, intending to invite the man in for a brief chat. However, after delivering the message, the man left without staying any longer.
People were busy in these times trying to make a living, and there wasn’t much time for idle conversation, especially since he had come to deliver bad news, not good.
Once Wu Hui confirmed that Ye Zhenhua had been struck by goods, she couldn’t stay upright and was supported by Xu Tao to sit down, her face already covered in tears "How could he be struck? I don’t know if it's serious. What are we going to do?"
"Sister-in-law, don’t panic. I’ll go with you to the hospital to check on the situation" Zhao Weiguo said as he returned, speaking with authority.
"Yes, to the hospital, to the hospital" Wu Hui was reminded by Zhao Weiguo’s words and quickly stood up, heading towards her room in a hurry.
Zhao Weiguo didn’t stop her but turned to Xu Tao, saying, "I’ll go to the hospital with sister-in-law. You stay here with Xiao Nan and look after the children. We’ll come back together after I return"
"Alright" Xu Tao agreed without objection.
Wu Hui was quick, wiping away her tears as she came out of her room "Xiao Qin, Mommy is going to the hospital to see your father. You need to take care of your sisters, okay?"
"Mom, I understand!" Ye Xiaoqin nodded, wiping her tears. Though the little girl was worried and anxious, she still responded obediently to her mother’s request.
"Sister-in-law, please hurry to the hospital. You don’t need to worry about the house. Your daughters are well-behaved, and I’ll take care of them" Xu Tao reassured her, signaling that she didn’t need to worry.
"Thank you so much!" Wu Hui thanked Xu Tao once more, reminding the children before hurriedly leaving with Zhao Weiguo.
Xu Tao stood in place, watching them leave. She sighed helplessly, never expecting that it was such a coincidence that the person who had been struck by goods in the wholesale market this morning was Ye Zhenhua.
"Sister, where did Mommy go?" Ye Xiaoshu was still somewhat unaware of what had happened. She saw her mother crying and was worried. When she saw her leave the house, she curiously asked her older sister, Ye Xiaoqin, indicating that the little one was most reliant on her older sister.
"Dad had an accident. Mommy went to the hospital to see Dad" Ye Xiaoqin was also anxious. Though she had calmed down a little from her earlier confusion and panic, as the oldest daughter in the family, she had to be strong. Before Wu Hui left, she had instructed her to take care of her younger sisters. Hearing her sister’s question, she quietly answered.
The little girl, although her eyes were filled with tears, still sat in the small living room, quickly continuing to string beads, seemingly trying to distract herself.
"Oh!" Ye Xiaoshu didn’t fully understand, but she nodded along in response.
Zhao Linan, who had been watching Ye Xiaoqin and her sisters, sensed the strange atmosphere and quickly returned to Xu Tao’s side, standing by her leg with his small eyes full of confusion.
"Xiao Qin, don't just string beads and put on little flowers. Bring the younger sisters over to try the snacks I made" Xu Tao called to Ye Xiaoqin.
"Okay" Ye Xiaoqin nodded in response, then called Ye Xiaoqi and Ye Xiaoshu to have some snacks. She herself went to bring Ye Xiaohua, who was sitting in a wooden baby walker, over "Auntie, can my sister eat this snack? She's probably hungry"
Ye Xiaohua was even younger than Zhao Linan, looking around a year old, and just learning to walk. The little girl was quite delicate and not unfamiliar with her sister "Chichi..." She giggled and stared intently at the snack.
"This snack is made with sweet potatoes and flour. It's okay for her to eat, but not too much" Xu Tao explained. She didn't have much experience with young children, but since she had made the snack herself, she was clear about what went into it and whether the child could eat it "What does Xiaohua usually eat?"
"She drinks milk or eats rice porridge and rice soup" Ye Xiaoqin, who often took care of her younger sister, knew exactly what Xiaohua ate for each meal. She also remembered what her mother, Wu Hui, had prepared: "By the way, Mom left rice soup warming in the kitchen. Xiaoqi, can you go check if it's still hot and bring it out for your sister?"
"Okay" Ye Xiaoqi obediently stood up after eating a snack and quickly went to the kitchen.
"Sister, snack..." Ye Xiaoshu stood on tiptoe by the table. After finishing one piece of snack, she wanted more.
Seeing this, Xu Tao handed Ye Xiaoshu another piece of snack. Watching Ye Xiaoqin take such good care of her younger sisters, she felt a sense of relief. She knew that, in these tough times, older sisters often took on a motherly role, but seeing Ye Xiaoqin, who was only twelve, looking after her younger sisters so carefully still surprised her. For the first time, she truly understood the phrase "a big sister is like a second mother"
"You two are really amazing!" Xu Tao praised Ye Xiaoqin and Ye Xiaoqi sincerely "Xiaoshu and Xiaohua are really lucky to have you two as their sisters"
Though their lives were poor, the sisterly bond they shared was more precious than anything else.
"We are sisters, so taking care of the younger ones is our responsibility" Ye Xiaoqin said frankly.
She had been taking care of her younger sisters since she was around three or four years old. Back in their hometown in F Province, she would have to take her younger sisters to help herd cattle for the village's collective farm and also feed the pigs.
If the amount of pig grass wasn't enough, her grandmother would scold her, and often, they went hungry. Now that they were in Yangcheng, things were much easier; she only had to help take care of her younger sisters and string beads with little flowers.
Xu Tao affectionately reached out and patted Ye Xiaoqin's head, feeling deeply for this thoughtful little girl.
A twelve-year-old girl at this age, in Xu Tao's world, would typically be a beloved little princess, spoiled by her parents. But this little girl had already grown up so quickly that she was taking care of younger siblings. It wasn't easy at all.
Ye Xiaoqin shyly smiled, lowered her head, and continued feeding her younger sister rice soup. Ye Xiaohua, who was a little over a year old, stood obediently in the walker. Every time her sister fed her a spoonful, she swallowed it right away. The feeding process was simple.
"Auntie, my mom has made arrangements with the factory, and these bead strings need to be delivered tomorrow. I'll go back to putting on little flowers. You and the little brother can rest here. If you need anything, just call me" After feeding her younger sister, Ye Xiaoqin quickly ate a small snack and got up to continue her work.
Ye Xiaoqin began her work, and Ye Xiaoqi was also busy. The two sisters quickly moved to glue the flowers onto the beads, while Ye Xiaoshu, being younger, couldn’t help much but slowly sat down and helped string some beads.
The bead stringing itself was simple to make but required time and focus. Ye Xiaohua, having eaten and drunk enough, continued to sit obediently in the walker, not needing much care.
The four children in the Ye family made Xu Tao feel a bit heartbroken due to their frugality.
The flower gluing process was quite simple. It was just an embellishment for other jewelry, and after adding the flowers, the items looked less plain and sparkled beautifully.
Xu Tao quickly understood how to make these things as she watched Ye Xiaoqin and the others work. The process was not difficult, and unlike many accessories in the future that were sold by piece, the beads and flowers Ye Xiaoqi and the others got from the factory were charged by weight. A big bag of beads and flowers cost about fifty cents, but it took a whole afternoon to glue them all.
"Auntie, you should rest! There's no need to help. The glue is hard to wash off your hands!" Ye Xiaoqin immediately stopped Xu Tao when she saw her about to help glue the flowers.
"It's fine, it's not tiring" Xu Tao smiled and replied, thinking of it as a simple craft project.
As she spoke, Xu Tao picked up the glue and began applying it. Just as she was about to glue a shiny little butterfly on, Ye Xiaoshu handed her another butterfly.
"Thank you, Xiaoshu" Xu Tao smiled as she received the butterfly and praised her.
Ye Xiaoshu blushed shyly and smiled at the praise.
Zhao Linan, who was standing next to Xu Tao, watched her praise the little girl. The little guy felt a bit jealous. When Xu Tao made the second one, the little one immediately excitedly handed over several accessories "Here" he said, holding them out for Xu Tao to choose from.
"Thank you, Xiaonan" Xu Tao laughed and happily received the pieces from his little hands. After gluing them, she showed them to Zhao Linan "Xiaonan, does the flower mommy glued look pretty?"
"Pretty!" Zhao Linan nodded enthusiastically, excitedly agreeing with Xu Tao.
With the little one helping out, Ye Xiaoqin and her sister worked even faster, and the bead stringing was going smoothly. Xu Tao helped while also chatting with the girls and learning more about their lives. She gained a deeper understanding of them until the sky began to darken, and Xu Tao finally stopped working.
"Your mom might not be back so soon. What do you want for dinner? I can make something for you" Xu Tao asked Ye Xiaoqin and Ye Xiaoqi.
"Anything is fine" Ye Xiaoqin replied casually without stopping her hands, responding in her innocent way.
"..." Xu Tao was surprised again by Ye Xiaoqin's response. She looked at the little girl for a while, then nodded "There are some vegetables in your yard. I can stir-fry some, maybe some shredded potatoes too, and cook some porridge for dinner. How does that sound?"
"That’s fine, but sorry for the trouble, Auntie" Ye Xiaoqin raised her face and said gratefully to Xu Tao "Otherwise, I can cook instead!"
She quickly became nervous after expressing her gratitude, suggesting it might be better for her to cook instead.
But how could a guest be asked to cook?
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