The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Xu Tao and her family lived in a neighborhood with many neighbors. She first went to the house on the left and knocked on the door.
"Hello, sister-in-law. I'm your new neighbor next door. My name is Xu Tao, and my husband is Zhao Weiguo. I made some pastries and wanted to share them with you" Xu Tao said while handing over the pastries to the woman who opened the door.
"Oh my! You're so thoughtful, dear. Please come in and sit down." The family on the left were locals. The man was named Sun Tonghai, and his wife was Fan Qiumei. Their son, Shitou, was the boy playing in the alley, and he had just turned seven this year.
"Oh, I won’t sit down. I still need to deliver pastries to other neighbors!" Xu Tao noticed the woman was heavily pregnant and didn’t want to disturb her. She handed over the pastries and left to continue visiting the next neighbor.
The Sun family lived on Xu Tao’s left, while the family on the right had eight members. Their surname was Lin.
The head of the family, Lin Shusheng, was about the same age as Zhao Weiguo’s father. He and his wife, Mrs. Lin, had three children: two sons and a daughter.
Both sons were married but still lived at home without splitting up the household. Their youngest daughter was in her twenties and still unmarried. It was said that she worked at the local post office, a stable government job, so she was quite picky about marriage.
"Auntie, hello! I’m your neighbor next door. These are sweet potato pastries I made. Please try some." Xu Tao handed the pastries to Mrs. Lin.
"Oh, you're so kind, dear." Mrs. Lin smiled warmly, glancing at the five pieces of shiny, oily pastries. She could tell they were fried in oil and smiled even more brightly.
Since their houses were close, Mrs. Lin had smelled the sweet aroma of pastries Xu Tao made yesterday. Many in the alley had wondered what smelled so delicious. Today, after lunch, the fragrance filled the air again. Mrs. Lin secretly thought the new couple next door must be quite generous with food.
An experienced elder like her could tell by the smell how much sugar and oil had been used. To make food delicious, one must not be stingy with ingredients.
"Dear, do you have more pastries? We have a big family, and five pieces aren't enough to share" Mrs. Lin smiled as she spoke, hinting she wanted more.
Xu Tao’s smile slightly faded. When she gave pastries to Shitou’s family, Fan Qiumei was very polite and even gave her a bowl of homemade pickles. But Mrs. Lin blatantly asked for more, which felt a bit shameless. Xu Tao felt somewhat annoyed.
Mrs. Lin didn’t seem very generous.
"Auntie, I didn’t make much. I’ve already shared some with other neighbors, so I don’t have any extra left." Xu Tao actually still had more pastries at home. She usually made plenty, but she disliked Mrs. Lin's blunt attitude, so even if she had more, she wasn’t willing to give them.
It was her kindness to share, but being asked for more felt inappropriate.
"Oh, I see" Mrs. Lin replied with a hint of displeasure.
"I want to eat!" Suddenly, a five- or six-year-old boy ran out from the yard. He glanced at Xu Tao and grabbed a piece of pastry from her bowl, stuffing it into his mouth.
Xu Tao looked at the boy but said nothing.
"This is my grandson, Lin Xiaoqiang" Mrs. Lin introduced him, not seeing anything wrong with his behavior.
"Well, I won’t bother you further, Auntie. Could you bring a bowl to hold these pastries?" Xu Tao smiled politely, eager to end the awkward interaction.
Mrs. Lin wasn’t generous, and her grandson was quite rude. Xu Tao had seen naughty children before, but none as impolite as this.
"Just give me the bowl with the pastries. I’ll have someone return the bowl later" Mrs. Lin said dismissively.
"...Alright then." Xu Tao awkwardly handed over the bowl.
"I want more!" As soon as Mrs. Lin took the bowl, Xiaoqiang grabbed two more pieces, acting very entitled.
Xu Tao pursed her lips in silence and turned to go back home.
Xu Tao spent some time going around the neighborhood, getting to know the people in the alley. She quickly realized that there weren't many locals in the area, and most of the residents were from out of town. After the experience with the old lady from the Lin family, Xu Tao's initial intention of sending snacks to the neighbors was somewhat discouraged.
However, since she had already made the snacks, and to avoid gossiping from other neighbors, Xu Tao reluctantly went to deliver some to a few nearby houses. Fortunately, people like the old lady from the Lin family were rare, and Xu Tao couldn't help but feel relieved.
"You went to give the Lin family some snacks?" Xu Tao had also delivered snacks to Mrs. He, who was a nice woman and the mother of the little girl from the alley. Mrs. He invited Xu Tao into her house and asked if she had delivered snacks to Mrs. Lin.
"Yes" Xu Tao replied, her expression a little awkward.
After all, she had seen rude people before, but it was rare to encounter someone who revealed such rudeness on the first meeting.
Mrs. He looked at Xu Tao sympathetically and reminded her "The Lin family is well known around here. Mrs. Lin is quite stingy and loves to take advantage of the neighbors. No one in the alley hasn't been taken advantage of by her. She would even steal a cup if she visited your house for a drink."
Xu Tao sighed and pouted "…Looks like my bowl is gone for good." She briefly explained what happened during her visit and then shrugged helplessly.
"Of course, once it's in their hands, it's gone for good " Mrs. He replied. "You can't expect them to return it."
Mrs. He sympathized with Xu Tao even more, but there was nothing to be done. People who had just moved in didn't know about such things. Xu Tao would just have to accept the small loss and avoid the Lin family in the future. There was no need to make a big deal out of it; they were neighbors, after all.
It was just a bowl. Xu Tao didn't dwell on it too much. She chatted briefly with Mrs. He and then went back home. She still had to go to the Ye family later to deliver the two hundred yuan that Zhao Weiguo had prepared.
"Xiao Nan" Xu Tao called out to Zhao Linan, who was playing nearby.
"Mm, Mommy?" Zhao Linan was having a great time playing with the other kids. Although he was the youngest and barely participated in the games, he was still sweaty and happy.
"I'm going to Uncle Ye's house. Do you want to come with me?" Xu Tao asked with a smile.
She wasn't too comfortable leaving her little one alone, even though he would probably be fine playing with the other children. She wasn't yet at ease letting him roam around freely after just a few days in the new place.
"..." Zhao Linan hesitated, not wanting to leave his playmates.
Xu Tao noticed his reluctance and spoke softly "Mommy will be tired going alone, Xiao Nan. Don't you want to come with me?"
"Okay! Xiao Nan will go with Mommy!" Zhao Linan immediately agreed.
Xu Tao felt no guilt in convincing him to go. She locked the door and took the little one with her toward the Ye family.
"Xiao Nan, hurry back. We'll wait for you to play hide and seek!" Shitou called out to Zhao Linan.
As Zhao Linan was walking away with Xu Tao, he turned around and responded "Shitou gege, I'll be back to play with you!"
"Okay."
After the children made their promises and shouted to each other, Xu Tao felt happy to see how quickly Zhao Linan had integrated into the group of playmates. She quietly asked the little one who his favorite playmate was.
"Shitou gege." It seemed that the boy naturally had a fondness for older children and tended to look up to them.
In this alley, the kids all saw Shitou as the leader. Since Zhao Linan was new and the youngest, everyone listened to Shitou, and naturally, Zhao Linan did as well.
Xu Tao smiled and asked "Why do you like Shitou gege?"
"He's smart."
"I see!" Xu Tao nodded, not pressing further about his friendships. After all, children have their own world, and now that Zhao Linan had joined the group, whether he would fit in well or be bullied was something for later.
Since it was hot, Xu Tao walked quickly with Zhao Linan, and in just ten minutes, they reached the Ye family's house. Upon entering, Xu Tao noticed the beads and small flowers still piled up in the main room. The family was busy at work.
Ye Zhenhua, with his left hand in a cast, had not gone to the market to carry heavy bags. He was sitting inside, watching his wife and daughter do handicrafts, while also thinking about how to get through the coming days.
In the past, the family of six relied on him to make a living. Even though they made some money from processing beads and flowers, it was not much. Every month, he also had to send money back home. Now that his hand was broken and he couldn’t work, he was worried about how they would manage the next day.
"Brother Ye, Sister Ye, this is the two hundred yuan that Weiguo asked me to bring over. He knows that Brother Ye is injured and can't work, and that there's no income for now. It's not much, but it can help in the meantime." Xu Tao said as she placed the two hundred yuan on the dining table.
"These..." Ye Zhenhua was somewhat grateful, and though he wanted to refuse the kindness, seeing his wife and daughter busy in the house, he couldn't bring himself to say no. His eyes turned red, and he lowered his head in silence, overwhelmed by his emotions.
The man's pride and sense of responsibility made him feel helpless, unable to express many of the words he wanted to say.
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