The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
"Zhao Weiguo?" Xu Tao was also somewhat unsure if the man in plain gray clothes standing before her was Zhao Weiguo.
The original Xu Tao hadn't spoken much with Zhao Weiguo. He was naturally quiet and reserved, and they had only met two or three times.
Moreover, it had been nearly half a year since their last meeting. Xu Tao wasn't the original person, and she hadn't had time to sort through the memories in her mind, so her uncertainty was understandable.
"Luggage?" Zhao Weiguo, after confirming the person in front of him was Xu Tao, asked directly.
The man's voice was pleasant, but his tone wasn't gentle at all. There was no warmth between them, let alone any sense of rekindled affection after a separation. Instead, there was only distance and an awkward tension.
"My luggage was left on the train" Xu Tao admitted awkwardly.
Zhao Weiguo frowned slightly upon hearing this, surprised yet somehow unsurprised.
Xu Tao had never left the province before, and this was her first time traveling far by train. She had to take care of Zhao Linan along the way, and it was already fortunate that the two of them were safe. After all, trains could be quite chaotic in those days!
"If it’s lost, it’s lost. We’ll just buy new things" Zhao Weiguo replied, indicating that as long as they were safe, it didn’t matter.
Xu Tao pursed her lips and looked at the tall, cold man in front of her for a moment. "Um, Xiaonan has a high fever. Let’s take him to the hospital first!" she said.
Xu Tao felt that luggage was the least of their worries. It was already fortunate that Zhao Linan wasn’t lost. The original Xu Tao had actually lost Zhao Linan before.
Zhao Weiguo lowered his eyes to look at the small boy in Xu Tao's arms. The child was very young, his face flushed red. It was clear he had a serious fever. "Let’s go to the hospital!"
Without hesitation, Xu Tao followed Zhao Weiguo quickly out of the station. She watched as Zhao Weiguo stopped a small three-wheeled vehicle at the station entrance.
He told the driver their destination was the nearest hospital and that it was two adults and a child. The driver charged them one yuan for the ride.
The three-wheeler moved steadily, not slow but stable. Xu Tao held Zhao Linan close, touching his face and feeling his burning temperature, growing more anxious.
Zhao Linan was very young, barely two years old. Children this age could easily have complications from a high fever. Worse, Xu Tao had no idea when the fever had started.
"Mm… mm…" Zhao Linan, in a feverish daze, softly hummed. Despite the hot weather, Xu Tao's cool hand on his cheek made him feel a bit more comfortable.
"Be good, it won’t hurt," Xu Tao comforted him softly, gently patting him.
Zhao Weiguo sat beside Xu Tao. His tall figure looked a bit awkward in the small three-wheeler, but his eyes quietly observed Xu Tao.
He initially thought Zhao Linan's fever was due to Xu Tao's negligence since the child wasn’t her biological son. But seeing her furrowed brows and genuine concern, he felt perhaps he was being too harsh.
The train station wasn’t far from the hospital, and soon the three-wheeler stopped at the city hospital. Zhao Weiguo got off first and opened the door, reaching out to take Zhao Linan. "Let me carry him"
Naturally, Xu Tao handed Zhao Linan over. Carrying him all the way in the heat had been exhausting.
However, despite being drowsy, the little boy clung to Xu Tao's clothes, frowning and struggling when Zhao Weiguo tried to take him.
"I can still hold him" Xu Tao said, adjusting her hold.
Zhao Weiguo didn’t insist. "Alright"
The hospital wasn’t crowded like modern hospitals where waiting could take forever. Zhao Weiguo quickly got a consultation number.
"How could you bring a child in with such a high fever only now? If you waited any longer, it could’ve been dangerous!" the middle-aged female doctor scolded them while giving Zhao Linan an antipyretic injection.
Xu Tao lowered her eyes, feeling guilty and unable to respond.
In her past life, Xu Tao had always been single. It was the first time she was being scolded by a doctor because of a child. Worse, the fever was indeed due to her carelessness. She could only accept the criticism without any defense.
Zhao Weiguo also stood silently beside her.
"Take the child to the observation room next door for two hours. If the fever goes down, get the medicine from the pharmacy and take him home to rest. If it doesn’t, he’ll need to be hospitalized," the doctor explained more kindly, assuming they were inexperienced young parents.
"Okay" they both responded obediently.
In the hospital’s observation room, Xu Tao sat holding Zhao Linan, resting. Zhao Weiguo stood straight beside her. They glanced at each other but said nothing.
"Are you hungry?" Zhao Weiguo cleared his throat and asked, glancing at the sleeping Zhao Linan.
It was around 3 p.m., and Xu Tao hadn’t had a moment to rest since she arrived. Hearing Zhao Weiguo's question, her stomach growled, and she nodded.
"I’ll go buy some food"
"Okay"
The antipyretic worked well. Zhao Linan’s fever gradually subsided. When Zhao Weiguo returned with five large meat buns, the little boy slowly opened his eyes.
"You're awake?" Xu Tao gently asked, seeing his clear but dazed eyes.
Zhao Linan looked at Xu Tao but didn’t speak, still feeling unwell. His little face looked pale and weak.
Zhao Weiguo placed the meat buns on the small table and bent down to feel Zhao Linan's forehead. "The fever’s down. He should be fine."
"Yeah" Xu Tao nodded in agreement.
"It's not mealtime right now, so there's not much to eat outside. Have a steamed bun to fill up first" Zhao Weiguo explained to Xu Tao.
"Okay, thank you" Xu Tao didn't mind.
Zhao Weiguo handed Xu Tao a large meat bun. Then he glanced at Zhao Linan, who was nestled in Xu Tao's arms with dark, watchful eyes.
The little boy seemed unfamiliar with him. After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Weiguo also extended a large meat bun toward Zhao Linan. "Do you want to eat this yourself?"
Zhao Linan quietly snuggled in Xu Tao's arms, staring at the large meat bun in Zhao Weiguo's hand. Hunger eventually overcame his shyness.
The little one slowly reached out his chubby hand to take the bun, which was bigger than his face, and gently took a small bite. His dark eyes immediately squinted in joy.
Xu Tao found the little one adorable. Knowing that Zhao Linan probably hadn’t eaten much during the past couple of days on the train, she figured he must be starving.
So, even though she knew he should eat lighter food, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.
"Eat a little first. Once we get home, I’ll cook some porridge for you" Xu Tao took a few bites of her bun, gently comforting Zhao Linan.
In the 1980s, large meat buns were quite filling. A single bite revealed flavorful meat filling. Although Xu Tao wasn’t fond of meat buns, she had to admit that the one Zhao Weiguo bought was delicious.
Zhao Linan remained curled up in Xu Tao's arms, holding the big bun and nibbling on it. His little mouth moved as he quietly observed Xu Tao with his clear eyes. At such a young age, he couldn't understand why the once-strict mother had suddenly become so gentle.
Compared to his tall, serious, and unfamiliar father Zhao Weiguo, Xu Tao was someone he had spent half a year with back in Zhao Family Village.
Children forget things easily, and after months apart, Zhao Linan naturally felt more attached to the familiar Xu Tao than to his father.
Xu Tao silently ate her bun while Zhao Linan gnawed on his. The observation room grew quiet. While the child might not have sensed it, both Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo felt somewhat awkward.
However, Xu Tao was genuinely hungry and chose to ignore the awkwardness, finishing her entire meat bun. She then looked down at Zhao Linan and noticed that he was starting to struggle with his food.
"Can't finish it?" Xu Tao gently asked. The little boy was only two, almost three. Even though kids in this era weren’t pampered like those in later generations, Xu Tao understood it wasn’t good for him to overeat.
"..."
Zhao Linan simply stared at Xu Tao, his mouth still tightly shut.
He could speak. Back in Zhao Family Village, he would occasionally follow Song Xiaoyan around, sweetly calling for his grandmother.
But perhaps due to the unfamiliar surroundings, Xu Tao's previous harsh behavior on the train, or feeling distant from his father Zhao Weiguo, he now refused to speak.
"Then you don't want it anymore?" Xu Tao asked tentatively.
Zhao Linan blinked before slowly holding out the half-eaten bun toward Xu Tao. Xu Tao hesitated for a moment, then passed it to Zhao Weiguo.
She had a slight cleanliness obsession and had never been a mother. Having been single all her previous life, she couldn't understand why people would eat leftover food from a child.
Besides, the half-eaten bun looked rather unappetizing. She definitely didn’t have the stomach for it. Since Zhao Weiguo was his biological father, Xu Tao figured it wouldn’t be wasteful if he finished it.
"..."
Zhao Weiguo looked at the half-eaten bun, mostly just the bun skin with the filling already gone, and frowned.
Even though he was Zhao Linan’s father, they had spent so little time together that they were practically strangers. Eating his child’s leftovers wasn’t something Zhao Weiguo had ever experienced.
Xu Tao held the bun mid-air, and Zhao Linan turned to look at him too. Both of them had expectant expressions. Under their gaze, Zhao Weiguo hesitated only briefly before taking it and finishing it in two bites.
"Are you full now? If so, let's head back" Zhao Weiguo said after swallowing.
"Yes, I’m full." Xu Tao nodded and stood up, still holding Zhao Linan.
"Let him walk by himself" Zhao Weiguo suggested when he noticed how tired Xu Tao looked carrying Zhao Linan.
"He just recovered from a high fever" Xu Tao disagreed, keeping him in her arms.
After all, even adults feel miserable with a high fever. Let alone a two-year-old child who had just recovered. No matter how tired she was, Xu Tao didn’t have the heart to make him walk.
"..."
Zhao Weiguo frowned again, surprised that Xu Tao was being so soft on the child.
In his view, boys should be tough and resilient. Getting a high fever just from taking a train ride meant Zhao Linan wasn’t strong enough. If he were a girl, it would be more acceptable to be delicate, but a boy being this frail wasn’t good.
“You carry him then” Zhao Weiguo was contemplating how to remind Xu Tao not to spoil the child when, in the next moment, Xu Tao unceremoniously shoved Zhao Linan into his arms.
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