The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
In her memory, the profession of a soldier always gave a sense of security and dignity. She had once thought Zhao Weiguo carried that righteous aura, but now, there was no righteousness in him at all, only an unmistakable rough demeanor.
"Xu Tao" Zhao Weiguo said with a light chuckle, calling her name.
"..." Xu Tao instinctively looked at him, feeling her name being called in such a winding way, which somehow stirred her emotions.
"Who told you that men who've been soldiers must be serious?"
No one had actually said that, it was more of a subconscious assumption that soldiers should be strict. It certainly didn’t match Zhao Weiguo at all.
Xu Tao didn’t respond, but Zhao Weiguo, ever patient, continued "What are you afraid of?"
"Who’s afraid!" Xu Tao quickly retorted, puffing up her chest in response, her posture exactly like Zhao Linnan's when he was proud.
Zhao Weiguo chuckled again, noticing Xu Tao’s clear nervousness, but not pressing too hard. He lingered a bit longer, brushing his thumb over her wrist, before finally letting go. "Go to sleep"
"..." Huh!?
Xu Tao looked at Zhao Weiguo with a confused gaze, unable to grasp what the man actually intended. She thought he was going to assert his authority over her tonight, ready to storm into her room and deal with her.
But after the storm, the clouds cleared? He just let her go to bed?
Xu Tao was dazed for a moment, unable to fully understand how the situation had unfolded, but instinctively, she returned to her room and locked the door behind her.
Once inside and locking the door, Xu Tao pressed her hand over her racing heart, taking a deep breath for a while before finally feeling somewhat irritated and getting into bed.
"Can you even stand this? Is he even a man?" Xu Tao muttered to herself.
She was a little flustered, but Zhao Weiguo had really let her off the hook, and a small part of her felt a bit disappointed. She wasn’t sure why she felt disappointed, so she shook her head to clear her thoughts, rubbing Zhao Linnan, who had fallen asleep, to sleep as well.
Zhao Weiguo stood there for a while, watching Xu Tao rush back to her room and lock the door. His smile at the corner of his mouth couldn’t be suppressed. He almost wanted to tell Xu Tao that the lock on the door, which made her feel secure and think she could keep him out, was just child’s play to him. He could easily open it with a small wire.
However, he didn’t say anything. He had already scared her enough tonight and had given her a little warning, so she would be mentally prepared. He also understood that sometimes there could be too much of a good thing.
That night, Xu Tao, who usually slept soundly, turned over and over, unable to sleep. Her mind was filled with thoughts about what Zhao Weiguo had in mind.
Actually, she could understand Zhao Weiguo’s thinking. After all, they were married, and he had the right to exercise his role as a husband. But she had gotten used to seeing him as a gentleman in recent times, so suddenly seeing his rough side made her a bit flustered.
Her heart had always been bold, and she had always treated Zhao Weiguo as a normal roommate, but today, this roommate suddenly reminded her that they were actually a married couple.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Tao felt a bit frustrated and blamed herself for being weak and not standing up for herself.
As a woman from a later time, how could she have been easily played by a man from the old-fashioned 80s? How could she not feel embarrassed? How could she not be frustrated?
Tossing and turning for most of the night, Xu Tao kicked her legs out in frustration, then slowly fell asleep.
"Mom..."
Xu Tao had just fallen asleep when she was woken up by Zhao Linnan, the little one, pushing her. He looked anxious, calling for his mother.
"What’s wrong?" Xu Tao groggily shook her head and asked the little one.
"I need to pee" Zhao Linnan shyly covered his lower body with his hands and hopped up on the bed, looking frantic "Hurry, I’m about to pee!" The little one was almost desperate.
Xu Tao saw his anxious expression and instinctively got up. She picked him up and quickly went outside to the bathroom.
"Mom, it’s too late" Zhao Linnan cried out in a pitiful voice.
Xu Tao paused, looked around the yard, and quickly put him down. As soon as Zhao Linnan’s feet hit the ground, he immediately began peeing, just three meters away from the bathroom.
"…" Xu Tao, still half-asleep, saw the little one finish and then look up at her, embarrassed. Her drowsiness started to fade.
"Little troublemaker, couldn’t you hold it for another ten seconds?" Xu Tao asked with a smile, though she was also relieved that he had at least reminded her in time, or else he might have peed on her.
"Hehe!" Zhao Linnan just grinned awkwardly.
Xu Tao helplessly picked him up. In her hurry, she hadn’t put shoes on him, and the child had peed barefoot.
Zhao Weiguo, always alert due to his long military career, instinctively woke up when he heard the noise. He knew that the middle-of-the-night disturbance was because the little one had been woken up by the urgent need to pee.
"If you cause trouble like this while bathing next time, I’ll spank you" he said sternly "They say, if kids play with fire and water during the day, they’ll often wet the bed at night"
Zhao Linnan had been well-behaved for the past few nights, but it was probably because of playing in the water while bathing that caused the accident tonight.
Xu Tao, holding Zhao Linnan, walked toward the washbasin in the yard while seeing Zhao Weiguo shirtless. Why was he not wearing clothes in the middle of the night?
She gave him a frustrated glance. "Did I wake you?"
"Yeah, I heard the noise and woke up" Zhao Weiguo replied.
Yangcheng was developing quickly, but it was also chaotic. Shuiyin Road, in the old alley, was a residential area with relatively good security, but there were often chaotic incidents at night, fights, brawls, and turf wars.
That’s why Zhao Weiguo had warned Xu Tao to close the windows and doors at night.
"Oh" Xu Tao nodded perfunctorily, still unable to meet his gaze.
In the dim light from the living room, she couldn’t help but notice Zhao Weiguo’s eight-pack abs and the sharp V-line of his physique. His body wasn’t the exaggerated muscular type often seen in gyms, but it didn’t have the pressure of an overly lean build either.
"Take the hot water bottle from the kitchen and wash Xiaonan’s feet with warm water" Xu Tao said. Every night before bed, she would boil water and fill a thermos.
"Alright" Zhao Weiguo nodded and headed to the kitchen.
He had noticed Xu Tao’s avoiding gaze and secretly found it amusing. He hadn’t meant to walk around without a shirt. Yangcheng was hot, and there were no fans in the house in summer. Since he was sleeping alone, he had naturally gone shirtless.
When he heard the noise, he didn’t think much of it and came out. He had intended to go back and put on a shirt but noticed Xu Tao avoiding his gaze and subconsciously decided not to bother putting on clothes.
He also had good intentions, thinking that this would help her get used to it earlier. As a married couple, it would only make things easier as they grew closer in the future.
Zhao Weiguo followed Xu Tao's instructions, bringing the kettle and a footbath. He poured hot water into it, adding some cold water to make it comfortable for Zhao Linnan to wash his feet.
Xu Tao was holding Zhao Linnan, and after the little one woke up to urinate, he almost fell asleep again while getting his feet washed. By the time she finished, he had already drifted into a deep sleep in her arms.
As Xu Tao was washing Zhao Linnan's feet, she kept her gaze lowered, and after reminding Zhao Weiguo to clean up Zhao Linnan’s 'work' from the yard, she took Zhao Linnan back to the room. When they reached the small living room, she unexpectedly couldn't help but say “Can you wear some clothes at home in the future?”
“Okay!” Zhao Weiguo couldn’t help but laugh and answered her.
Hearing the man’s chuckle behind her, Xu Tao’s steps quickened, and she bit her lip in frustration.
“Military brat!” She muttered, quickly returning to the room to lock the door and turn off the lights.
Zhao Weiguo, leisurely finishing his task of cleaning up Zhao Linnan's mess from the yard, returned to the room in a good mood, humming a little tune.
Xu Tao, lying in bed, could still hear Zhao Weiguo's hum from outside. She was both angry and helpless, turning over to sleep.
A couple of hours later, as daylight began to break, Zhao Weiguo, as usual, woke up full of energy to do his morning exercises.
Xu Tao, still groggy from Zhao Linnan’s late-night disturbance, heard the noise and knew Zhao Weiguo was up for his morning workout. She didn’t stay in bed any longer.
Lying around too long made her more tired, so Xu Tao stretched and got up to make breakfast.
She quickly rinsed rice, cooked porridge, and took two salted duck eggs from the jar. She also sent Zhao Weiguo out to buy some fried dough sticks. By the time everything was ready, breakfast was set.
Zhao Linnan didn’t wake up early. The little one was still sound asleep in the room. The breakfast table had only Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo.
Because of Zhao Weiguo’s actions last night, Xu Tao still felt a bit uncomfortable upon waking. She silently ate her porridge, trying to think of a topic to break the awkwardness between them.
“By the way, have you sent a telegram to your family recently?” She and Zhao Linnan had left their luggage on the train and didn’t bring their family contact information. She hadn’t contacted them since arriving.
“I sent a telegram to the post office the day I received the news about you and Linnan” Zhao Weiguo answered. Both Zhaojiacun, in Fenghuang County of Wen Province, and Xujia Village, where Xu Tao came from, were poor rural areas.
Some wealthier villages might have a telephone, but neither Zhaojiacun nor Xujia Village did. People living away from home usually communicated via telegrams or letters.
Of course, back then, not many people left their hometowns or traveled across provinces.
“Did you tell them about our situation here?”
“No, it’s hard to explain clearly in a telegram” Because telegrams were expensive, priced by the word, people usually kept their messages short. It was difficult to explain everything, and his elderly parents would likely get anxious: “I’ll write a letter in a couple of days”
“If you send a letter, let me know. I need to send a letter to my family too. Can you help me send it?” Xu Tao said as she ate half of a salted duck egg “By the way, how long does it take to send a letter from Yangcheng to my hometown?”
“Sending a letter from Yangcheng to your hometown, across provinces, should take about ten days, maybe longer if there are fewer letters” Zhao Weiguo replied.
He had experience in this. Having served in the military in Yangcheng for more than ten years, he often communicated with his family by writing letters. Sometimes, letters arrived in seven or eight days, but sometimes it could take a month or more.
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