The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Wu Hui made tea for Xu Tao and, seeing the money on the table, her eyes immediately turned red "Sister-in-law, thank you so much"
In these times, two hundred yuan was a huge sum. Ye Zhenhua earned only fifty to sixty yuan a month carrying heavy loads at the market, and at most seventy to eighty yuan if he worked nonstop for an entire month
But even with that income, after covering the family's daily expenses and sending money back home to support his parents, there was barely anything left.
Now that his arm was fractured, even the medical expenses at the hospital had been covered by Zhao Weiguo. They already felt embarrassed, yet they truly needed money to get by
"We will definitely pay back this two hundred yuan along with the hospital fees by the end of the year" Wu Hui promised, wiping away her tears
She had many grievances and hardships, and seeing Xu Tao bring money to help touched her deeply. But she didn’t know what else to say beyond expressing gratitude.
This was truly a great kindness in their time of need, and Wu Hui, being someone not good with words, could only keep thanking her
"There's no rush to pay it back"
"Let’s have Old Ye write an IOU" Wu Hui insisted while crying
"I’ll write it right away" Ye Zhenhua immediately stood up to get paper and a pen
"No need for an IOU, just use the money as you need" Xu Tao replied
"That won’t do, we must write it down" On this matter, Ye Zhenhua and his wife were in full agreement. Without giving Xu Tao a chance to refuse, they wrote the IOU and even stamped it with a fingerprint
Holding the IOU in her hand, Xu Tao felt a little disheartened. Seeing Wu Hui being overly polite, she decided not to stay any longer. She didn’t want to add more psychological burden to the Ye family, so after delivering the money, she took Zhao Linan home
By the time they left the Ye house, it was already evening. Xu Tao leisurely walked home, holding the cheerful Zhao Linan's hand. Watching the children playing in the alley, with the sunset in the distance, the surreal feeling of having been transported into a book slowly faded
Zhao Weiguo didn't come home for lunch on his first day at the transport company. Xu Tao thought he would at least come back for dinner, but even after waiting for a long time after preparing the meal, he still didn’t return. Left with no choice, she ate with Zhao Linan, then cleaned up and went to bed
Zhao Linan had been out playing all day without a nap, so after dinner, he was too sleepy to stay awake. Xu Tao bathed him, and before she finished pouring the bathwater, he was already fast asleep in bed
Xu Tao wasn’t sleepy at all. With no phone or TV at home to pass the time, she sat on the bed watching Zhao Linan sleep. Bored, she picked up a fountain pen and began drafting a novel outline and character settings
In her past life, Xu Tao could be considered somewhat cultured. Her short emotional essays often resonated with women, gaining her tens of thousands of followers on her public account. However, she had never tried writing a full-length novel. Holding the pen now, she wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted to write
Still, she couldn’t deny that the legendary female author and screenwriter rising in this era had books that, though later criticized as times changed, were undeniably classics that captivated audiences during a dull and uneventful period when the mainland film industry hadn't yet flourished
Originally, Xu Tao wanted her first novel to be something more unconventional, like fantasy or apocalyptic genres. But considering the current audience might not be ready for such themes, she worried it wouldn't be well-received. After much thought, she decided to test the waters with a more mainstream romance novel
That famous author’s works were constantly adapted into dramas and films, even influencing romantic trends for decades. There must be a reason her stories resonated with the audience of this era.
Xu Tao wasn’t aiming for anything too classic but thought that borrowing common tropes from certain Korean dramas like car accidents, sibling relationships, terminal illnesses, and blindness would probably attract readers.
People today weren’t as well-versed in these plotlines. Dropping a sudden terminal illness or sibling twist would definitely shock them
Thinking about this made Xu Tao chuckle. Her pen finally touched the paper
"Fate So Close" was the title Xu Tao came up with
She thought the name was interesting. When she began writing the introduction, it flowed naturally. The novel would be set in modern times, telling the story of childhood sweethearts making promises, parting ways, reuniting years later, and going through countless misunderstandings—eventually still loving each other.
Then she’d throw in a terminal illness to make their love exhausting yet deeply moving, forcing them to continue loving each other despite everything
Scratch scratch scratch—
Xu Tao’s opening was lively and engaging. After all, she grew up in a later era full of cliché storylines, so jokes and humor came easily to her. She wasn’t afraid of being too cheesy or mainstream
Zhao Weiguo came home very late. Xu Tao hadn’t gone to sleep yet. Still eager to write after finishing the opening, she paused when she heard sounds from the yard. She put down her pen and saw Zhao Weiguo closing the gate
"Why are you back so late"
"Why aren’t you asleep yet"
They both asked curiously when they saw each other. Xu Tao answered first, "I had nothing to do, so I started writing a bit"
"I went on a delivery run to Foshan today, got delayed on the road, so I got home late" Zhao Weiguo explained, "No need to wait for me in the future. Just lock the gate when it gets dark"
"I locked the door. How did you get in?" Xu Tao asked instinctively. She had intended to leave the door open for Zhao Weiguo, which was why she stayed up this late.
Zhao Weiguo replied calmly, "I can climb over the wall!"
Xu Tao glanced at the courtyard wall. These days, people built their courtyard walls quite high. She couldn’t help but doubt the truth of Zhao Weiguo’s words. "Climbing over the wall to get into your own home? Aren’t you afraid of being mistaken for a thief and getting caught in the middle of the night?"
"If you leave the door open, wouldn’t it be even more dangerous if someone with bad intentions sneaks in?" Zhao Weiguo responded seriously.
Climbing the wall wasn’t difficult for Zhao Weiguo, but it would take tools for petty thieves to get over it. For Xu Tao, a woman living with a child like Zhao Linan, locking the door at night was definitely safer.
"…" Xu Tao was momentarily speechless. After a pause, she said with a hint of defiance, "Then starting tomorrow, I’ll lock the door as soon as it gets dark."
Didn’t this man say he could climb the wall? Fine, let him climb.
"Okay." Zhao Weiguo didn’t mind.
Seeing that he truly intended to climb over the wall, Xu Tao sighed and casually asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
Under the bright moonlight outside, she guessed it was probably around ten at night. The lack of a watch made her irritable since she had to guess the time all day, which was quite uncomfortable.
"No"
"…" Xu Tao had only asked casually, expecting him to say he had eaten. His answer left her speechless. After a moment, she sighed, "Want me to cook you some noodles?"
"Sure!" he agreed cheerfully.
Without overthinking it, Xu Tao nodded and walked to the kitchen to start a fire and cook noodles.
Meanwhile, Zhao Weiguo fetched some water in the courtyard, casually rinsed off in the outdoor wash area, and by the time he returned to the kitchen, he felt much more refreshed. The noodles Xu Tao was cooking were just about done.
"Don’t always wash with cold water," Xu Tao said. She had initially planned to heat some water for him to bathe, but he had already used the outdoor tap water.
Zhao Weiguo, feeling more awake after his wash, walked into the kitchen. Noticing Xu Tao glance at him with a hint of concern in her tone, he replied, "I’m used to it. I’ll change."
There was no need to say 'change' as if she disliked him or something. Xu Tao pursed her lips and quickly chopped some greens while Zhao Weiguo sat by the stove, tending the fire.
The noodles were soon cooked. Feeling a bit sleepy, Xu Tao served the noodles into a bowl and got ready to head to bed. "The noodles are done. Eat up! I’m going to sleep."
"Wait." Zhao Weiguo stopped her.
Xu Tao turned back in confusion, only to see him pull out a wristwatch from his pocket and hand it to her.
"I went to Foshan City today and brought back some goods. This watch was at the wholesale price, not expensive. I bought it for you. Having a watch will make things more convenient for you."
Xu Tao raised an eyebrow at the Titoni-brand watch, a bit surprised and caught off guard. Just moments ago, she was frustrated about not having a watch, and now, after he simply took a bath, he handed one to her.
It almost felt like he had some kind of surveillance on her. The thought made her shudder a little.
"Thank you." Xu Tao reached out and took the watch, feeling satisfied with the small yet delicate and exquisite piece in her hand.
Titoni watches were considered a prestigious brand during this time. Despite its small size, the watch was extremely durable and could easily last ten or twenty years without any issue.
"Mm." Zhao Weiguo accepted Xu Tao's gratitude, picked up the bowl of noodles, and turned to leave the kitchen. He sat at the small dining table in the main hall and began eating.
Xu Tao had originally planned to go back to her room to sleep, but after suddenly receiving a watch from him, it felt a bit awkward to just turn around and go to bed.
She couldn’t explain why, but it felt somewhat inconsiderate. Watching Zhao Weiguo sit in the hall eating his noodles, Xu Tao rubbed her nose and decided to sit down beside him.
"I want to tell you something."
"What is it?" Zhao Weiguo asked in return while eating his noodles.
"I’m not planning to go out to find a job. I’m thinking of staying at home to write. Do you think that’s okay?" Xu Tao didn’t really intend to ask for Zhao Weiguo’s opinion, but she also didn’t plan to hide it from him.
"Write?" Zhao Weiguo hadn’t expected Xu Tao to look for a job in the first place.
If he were still in the military, Xu Tao could have followed him with their son, and with her level of education, she could have easily found a job on base. Positions in the welfare store or canteen always needed extra help.
But now that he was retired, and Xu Tao only had a middle school education, finding a suitable job wasn’t easy. Even though there were many factories in Yangcheng, most job openings were filled internally.
Factory workers were still highly valued during this time, and Xu Tao still had to take care of their child, which would make things even harder for her.
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