The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
"How could I possibly steal from a child? Isn’t it just that my Xiaoqiang is still young and was whining for some snacks? Your child willingly gave them to him" the old lady from the Lin family retorted when questioned.
Naturally, she wouldn’t admit to it. She was already shameless by habit; being old and thick-skinned, many people in the alley found it hard to deal with her. After all, they couldn’t resort to violence, nor could they be as shameless as her.
"My little Nan said you stole his snack and even pinched him. His arm is all red" Xu Tao said coldly. She didn’t care about a few pieces of snacks, but the shamelessness of this old woman was beyond reason. If she had just come to the door asking for something to eat—even like a beggar—Xu Tao wouldn’t have minded giving her a few pieces.
What Xu Tao couldn’t understand was how this old woman could bring herself to lay hands on Zhao Linan, a child only two or three years old. Stealing was bad enough, but now she wouldn’t even admit it.
"Don’t talk nonsense! How could I do such a thing?" The old lady immediately raised her voice, glaring sharply at Xu Tao, as if Xu Tao had tarnished her reputation.
It was as if being louder and more forceful could prove her innocence.
"..." Xu Tao considered herself a reasonable person, but facing this shameless old woman, she was truly speechless. "Aunt Lin, raising your voice doesn’t make everything disappear."
"Who said I’m denying it! Your child isn’t any good either. So young and already making up stories. How did you raise him? Such a little brat daring to falsely accuse an old woman like me!" the old lady snapped back, now glaring at Zhao Linan and scolding him.
"I know exactly how I raised my child. And I also know very well what kind of person you are, Aunt Lin. How I raise my child is none of your business" Xu Tao replied indifferently. She didn’t want to waste her time arguing with someone like this. Quarreling in the alley was pointless and beneath her.
"Shi Tou, take the kids and go play at Auntie’s house. I’ll make you something delicious" Xu Tao called out to Shi Tou, smiling gently at the other children to comfort them.
"Auntie..." Shi Tou and the other kids hesitated at Xu Tao's offer.
"Be good."
"Brother Shi Tou, let’s go!" Zhao Linan wasn’t crying anymore. He didn’t understand what the old lady was yelling about, but standing next to his mother made him feel safe. Hearing his mother invite the others to their house to play, he stepped forward and grabbed Shi Tou’s hand.
The children looked at each other, and under Shi Tou’s lead, they followed Xu Tao home.
The old lady from the Lin family had been ready to unleash all her argumentative skills on Xu Tao. She was the type who refused to suffer any losses. Having lived in the alley for many years, she was no stranger to quarrels, and no one could out-argue her.
She had planned to pick a fight with Xu Tao today, thinking that if Xu Tao turned out to be sharp-tongued, she could just pretend to feel unwell, lie on the ground, and extort some money.
But Xu Tao didn’t react as she expected. She just calmly responded, then dropped the matter entirely and even invited the neighborhood children to her house for snacks.
Tch! Like she didn’t know what kind of person Xu Tao was? Acting all generous, what a phony!
"Grandma, I want to go too! I want to eat something delicious!" Lin Xiaoqiang still hadn't finished the snack in his mouth. Seeing Shitou and the others going to someone's house and hearing there would be tasty food, he immediately became upset and started yelling at his grandmother.
Children love excitement, and he actually wanted to play with the kids in the alley. However, his grandmother wouldn't allow it, and the other kids didn't want to play with him either.
Lin Granny's expression cracked for a moment when she saw Lin Xiaoqiang making a fuss. She sensed that Xu Tao was deliberately tempting her grandson, which infuriated her. But with her grandson tugging and shaking her hand, she was at a loss.
"Be good, Xiaoqiang. We're not going. There's still some snacks at home! Let's go home and eat those!"
But Xiaoqiang wouldn't listen. He sat on the ground, throwing a tantrum. "No! I want to eat the delicious food at their house!"
Helpless, Lin Granny bent down to pick up her grandson. Shameless as ever, she was ready to speak to Xu Tao, but Xu Tao shot her a cold glance. Before Lin Granny could open her mouth, Xu Tao slammed the courtyard door shut.
"..." Lin Granny was so angry that her chest tightened. Frustrated, she carried her grandson back home. "Why are you being so disobedient?"
Having been spoiled since birth and raised without discipline, Xiaoqiang had picked up all of his grandmother's bad habits. As Lin Granny carried him away, he kicked, screamed, and cried without holding back.
The noise outside was loud, but Xu Tao ignored it. After shutting the door, she turned and smiled at the five little kids in her house.
"Go play inside. Auntie will make some steamed soup dumplings for you, okay?" Since Xu Tao had promised to make food for the kids, she wasn't just saying it to brush them off.
There wasn't much food at home, but there was flour, yeast, vegetables, and some pork. Seeing the kids staring at her eagerly, she decided to make them some soup dumplings.
"Soup dumplings? Are those big meat buns?" The one who spoke was He Hua, the daughter of Yu Li, and the only girl among the five kids.
"Soup dumplings are like small meat buns" Xu Tao explained, squatting down to pinch the little girl's cheek.
He Hua was quite well-behaved. Though not particularly pretty, her two small ponytails made her look adorable. Since she started walking, she had been playing with the boys in the alley, which made her a bit of a tomboy.
"Then can I have two?" The little girl, who hadn't had a big meat bun in ages, shyly held up two fingers.
"Of course." Xu Tao naturally wouldn't refuse such an innocent request.
"Thank you, Auntie!" He Hua beamed with joy knowing she could have two.
"No need to thank me" Xu Tao chuckled. "You all play inside, and Auntie will make the soup dumplings. Shitou, you're the big brother. Can you take the younger ones to wash their hands?"
Xu Tao had noticed that the kids were all sweaty and their hands were dirty from playing with stones. Thankfully, little Zhao Linan, though playful, liked to stay clean. He even knew to wash his hands before grabbing snacks.
"Okay, Auntie!" Shitou eagerly agreed to the task.
Satisfied, Xu Tao went to the kitchen. Knowing that the kids were delicate, she didn’t let them wash their hands with cold water despite the hot weather. She poured hot water from the thermos into a basin, mixed in some cold water until it was warm, and brought it out.
"Come wash your hands!"
"Okay!" The five kids gathered around the basin like petals around a flower, squatting down to wash their hands.
Little Zhao Linan joined in the fun too. His skin was noticeably fairer and softer than the others, making the red pinch mark on his arm stand out even more.
That wicked old woman! Xu Tao wanted to give Lin Granny a good beating to vent her anger.
She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She knew Zhao Linan's arm was so red because his skin was tender. Otherwise, she might have grabbed a knife to settle the score with Lin Granny.
After the kids finished washing their hands, their cheerful laughter returned, and their innocence helped soothe Xu Tao's anger. She stopped watching them and went back to the kitchen to prepare the soup dumplings.
While the dough was resting, Xu Tao prepared a simple filling. There was a piece of pork, but she didn't want to use all meat. She added some chopped vegetables, mixed them with the pork, and seasoned the filling.
"Auntie, we've finished washing our hands. Do you need help?" Shitou, despite being playful, was a responsible seven-year-old. Kids back then were more mature and often helped with small tasks.
"You all go play! No need to help!"
"Okay then! But if you need help, just call me!" Shitou replied and then went to the small hall in the main room, leading his younger siblings to start playing games.
Kids these days had plenty of games to play, and even simple ones could bring them so much joy. Shitou's father enjoyed playing cards, so their house always had several decks.
When the cards got old, they would be replaced with new ones, and the old cards would be given to Shitou to play with. Now, the group of children gathered around the table, playing a game of card airplane solitaire.
Though these kids weren't very good at math, they gradually learned to recognize the value of the cards by counting on their fingers. And even if some of the younger ones didn’t understand, Shitou did. He controlled the game fairly, deciding how many cards each player got, whose turn it was, and who could take a card. He made sure everything was fair.
While the children played happily in the main room, Xu Tao felt at ease. She worked quickly, and once the dough had risen enough, she started wrapping the soup dumplings one by one.
Xu Tao moved swiftly, and after making about ten soup dumplings, the children, who had been playing in the hall, followed the delicious smell into the kitchen. Four or five little ones squeezed in, their bright eyes fixed on the dumplings, drooling but not daring to touch them.
"Auntie, you're amazing!" Shitou praised Xu Tao.
So gentle, beautiful, and skilled at making snacks and soup dumplings—Zhao Linan's mom was truly incredible!
Xu Tao's soup dumplings looked great, each one pleated like a blooming flower, neatly arranged on the cutting board, looking absolutely delicious.
"Mommy is amazing" Zhao Linan happily echoed the praise, always confident in Xu Tao's cooking.
"These buns look so good" He Hua stared at the soup dumplings, drooling uncontrollably.
"Auntie can also make animal-shaped buns. Do you want some?" Xu Tao smiled at the children while skillfully shaping a little pig-shaped bun.
"Wow....." All five kids exclaimed in unison, full of wonder.
Xu Tao felt satisfied by their synchronized amazement. Looking at these wide-eyed little ones, she casually shaped a tiny lamb bun. Though small, it was very lifelike.
"Wow......" The kids cheered again, their little heads crowding around the pig and lamb buns in awe.
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