The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Xu Tao forced herself to shift her wolf-like gaze away from the man, pursing her lips and nodding "Mm!"
"Do you want me to boil water for you?" Zhao Weiguo raised his hand to rub his nose, his deep voice carrying a hint of awkwardness.
Xu Tao quickly shook her head in refusal "No need, you should go to sleep!"
"Really no need?" The man seemed a bit persistent; in fact, he quite wanted to help.
Xu Tao couldn't help but feel amused. It was just boiling some hot water for a bath, nothing significant. Why would she need help? "Really, no need!" Her tone was serious and firm.
"Alright then!" The man replied as he turned to leave the kitchen, his voice carrying a trace of disappointment.
Disappointed? Disappointed about what? It must be an illusion! She was definitely overthinking it!
On Xu Tao's side, she boiled a big pot of water and enjoyed a comfortable bath. Meanwhile, Zhao Weiguo lay down in his room. In the darkness, he lay on his back with his hands folded behind his head, his sharp ears constantly alert to the sounds outside. He could hear Xu Tao busily moving about.
Now she must be carrying the hot water to wash up...
She's probably done bathing and heading back...
About half an hour later, Xu Tao finished her bath and returned to her room. She heard the sound of lights being turned off, followed by the gentle closing of the door next to her.
"Phew!" Zhao Weiguo took a deep breath in the dark. His ears still strained to listen until only the sound of insects remained outside. Then, he silently realized how ridiculous his eavesdropping was and let out a soft, helpless chuckle.
Tsk! So women really do take that long to shower!
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Zhao Weiguo's biological clock was still precise. At the first light of dawn, he woke up early. With nothing else to do, he took out the seeds he hadn’t sown the previous night and carefully planted them, even watering them afterward.
By the time Xu Tao got up, Zhao Weiguo had thoughtfully cooked porridge. Since there were no pickled vegetables at home, he stir-fried some greens and made egg pancakes.
"You can cook too?" Xu Tao looked at the man with surprised delight.
Zhao Weiguo truly defied Xu Tao's expectations. In this era, many men had a bit of male chauvinism. It was rare for men to cook, especially in their hometown of Wen Province, where men entering the kitchen would even be mocked by the neighbors.
"I don't know much, just basic cooking"
"That's fine." Xu Tao felt that being able to eat breakfast without lifting a finger was a luxury. As long as it wasn't poisoned and couldn't kill her, she'd at least give it a try.
Zhao Weiguo handed Xu Tao a bowl of porridge. "Xiao Nan isn't up yet?"
"Kids need more sleep. He played all day yesterday without napping, so let him sleep longer today. Just keep the porridge warm on the stove for him later." Xu Tao explained.
"Okay" Zhao Weiguo had no objections. "I need to report to the transport company later, so I won’t be back for lunch"
"Oh, alright!" Xu Tao nodded while sipping her porridge.
Zhao Weiguo stared at Xu Tao for a moment, his tone turning serious. "I need to discuss something with you."
"What is it?" Seeing his serious expression, Xu Tao couldn’t help but feel curious.
The man pressed his lips together, pulled out a bankbook from his pocket, along with some cash, and pushed it toward Xu Tao with a solemn expression. "This is my savings from over the years. Aside from the allowances I sent home, there’s 1,200 yuan saved from my missions. This 500 yuan is a demobilization subsidy from the army. I’m giving all this money to you to manage."
"So much!" Xu Tao was surprised by Zhao Weiguo’s silent accumulation of wealth and even more surprised that he handed all his possessions over to her.
"You're giving it all to me? You trust me that much?" She teased while asking, flashing Zhao Weiguo a smile.
Zhao Weiguo was momentarily dazzled by her smile, then nodded firmly. "I trust you." After all, what reason did he have not to trust his own wife?
"Then I'll gladly accept it" Xu Tao said, reaching out to take the passbook and the stack of bills. "But, do you want to keep some money for cigarettes or personal expenses?"
"I don't smoke" Zhao Weiguo shook his head, not understanding the need for so-called private funds.
"I'll leave you a hundred. A man shouldn't be without money. I'll keep two hundred for emergencies, and the other two hundred I'll deposit at the post office later" Xu Tao said, holding the bills, thinking it was more reliable to save the money.
In these times, a hundred yuan had significant purchasing power. Two hundred yuan could even buy large items. Keeping money at home felt unsafe, and although saving it involved some hassle, it was relatively secure.
"Don't bother saving that two hundred. When you have time, take it to Brother Ye's house. His hand is injured, and things might be tough for his family right now" Zhao Weiguo suggested after a moment of thought.
Xu Tao lowered her eyes, holding the money, and then gently nodded. "Alright."
After all, it was Zhao Weiguo's money. How he wanted to use it was entirely up to him.
"Thank you." Zhao Weiguo visibly relaxed upon hearing her agreement.
Xu Tao could easily tell that Zhao Weiguo was worried she might be unwilling to lend money to Ye Zhenhua. Two hundred yuan was a huge amount for an average family at this time.
But since Zhao Weiguo had entrusted her with his savings, it didn’t mean she could claim the money as her own or control how it was spent. Xu Tao was well aware of that responsibility.
"Mommy!" As Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo were still talking, Zhao Linan's voice called out. Turning around, Xu Tao saw the little boy standing at the bedroom door in his underwear, looking adorably chubby with his fair, soft skin.
"You're awake." Xu Tao smiled, putting down the passbook and walking over to Zhao Linan. "The floor is cold. Why aren't you wearing shoes?"
Zhao Linan stood on his left foot while rubbing his right foot against it. Xu Tao chuckled and scooped him up.
"Are you hungry?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Then let's brush your teeth, wash your face, and have breakfast."
Though Xu Tao had only been taking care of the child for two days, she had already gained some experience. She dressed Zhao Linan, put on his little sandals, and prepared warm water for him to brush his teeth and wash his face.
"Xiao Nan, make sure to wash your neck too!" Xu Tao reminded him gently. Children were naturally adorable, and watching him wash up was especially cute. Wanting to teach him to be independent, she patiently explained how to clean himself properly.
"Okay" Zhao Linan obediently followed her instructions, possibly because Xu Tao spoke kindly with a smiling face. He was at an age where he was learning to be independent, so he listened well.
After Xu Tao helped the child wash up, Zhao Weiguo had already finished breakfast. "I need to head to work now."
"Alright, take care" Xu Tao said while waving, holding Zhao Linan in her arms. "Xiao Nan, say goodbye to Daddy."
"Goodbye" Zhao Linan waved his little hand sweetly.
After Zhao Weiguo left the house, Xu Tao had breakfast with Zhao Linan. Once breakfast was over, Xu Tao found herself feeling a bit bored. With nothing much to do, she began contemplating what she should focus on.
The original owner of this body wasn’t highly educated, but Xu Tao wasn’t the original owner. She couldn’t possibly spend every day staying home and taking care of the child. Xu Tao was always clear about one thing: women need to have a central focus in their lives. If she spent all her time around the kitchen, she would eventually go crazy.
However, in this era, it was quite difficult for married women to find a suitable job.
Still, Guangdong Province, especially Yangcheng, was developing rapidly. If she wanted to establish a career, it wouldn’t be impossible. The fashion industry seemed promising since clothing ranked first among the basic necessities of life—clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
As for opening a small restaurant, Xu Tao dismissed the idea immediately. She didn’t enjoy cooking; even preparing three meals a day at home felt overwhelming. Running a restaurant would only drive her insane.
Starting a lodging business wasn’t realistic either. There weren’t many hotels back then, and Xu Tao didn’t have the means to open one. As for the transportation industry, it required significant investment, which was out of the question. After much thought, Xu Tao felt that returning to her previous profession was the most reliable option.
In her past life, she had graduated from university with a bachelor’s degree and had always been interested in writing.
She occasionally published articles and even ran a fairly popular public account where she shared thoughts on life and emotions, which was quite popular among female readers.
People’s living standards were gradually improving, but material resources were still scarce. Families were slowly starting to own televisions and other large entertainment items.
Xu Tao thought maybe she could become a writer in the early 1980s, writing romantic novels. It could turn out to be a decent profession, one that didn’t even require her to leave the house.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt this was a great idea. It even aligned well with her academic background.
“Xiao Nan, let’s go out and play!” Xu Tao, having made up her mind, tidied up and took Zhao Linan out.
She wanted to check out the bookstores to confirm what genres and themes were popular. If possible, she also hoped to find contact information for some newspapers or publishers.
“Where are we going?” Zhao Linan asked cheerfully, running up to Xu Tao and tilting his little head up.
“We’re going to the bookstore” Xu Tao replied honestly. “Mommy wants to visit the bookstore, and I’ll buy you some books to read, okay?” Using the excuse of buying books for the little one, she could also explore the market.
Xu Tao wanted to know what types of books were bestsellers at the moment and figure out the exact direction she should take in writing. She wasn’t overly confident in her writing skills, especially since many writers were emerging during this era.
However, with her experience from the future, Xu Tao wanted to take a unique approach—writing stories that suited the public's current tastes or even imagining the future. Perhaps she could make a name for herself in the literary world of this era.
“Okay!” Zhao Linan agreed without hesitation. Even if Xu Tao had plans to sell him off, the little guy would still trust her completely.
The cold, distant little boy from the first day was gone. In his place was Zhao Linan, who had become familiar with and increasingly reliant on Xu Tao.
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