The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
The noise from the small outdoor living room was quite loud, and the person who came was extremely arrogant.
Xu Tao nervously gripped a wooden stick, leaned against the wall, and took a deep breath. Her eyes glanced at Zhao Linan, who was still sound asleep on the bed, as she pondered how to deal with the situation. The hand holding the stick couldn't stop trembling.
Xu Tao asked herself if she was a coward, but she truly didn’t know how to calm herself down.
The intruder outside was a man. If she opened the door, her chances of winning against him were very slim. So, she absolutely, absolutely could not open the door.
Bang, bang, bang!
Xu Tao, her nerves stretched tight, strained her ears. Already in a state of panic, she suddenly heard the glass window connecting the room to the kitchen corridor being struck. When she looked up, she saw a man's twisted face pressed against the window.
Pervert!!!
Xu Tao was so terrified by that distorted face that she stopped breathing.
Thud, thud, thud!
Her heart pounded like a drum, so loud it felt as if it would jump out of her chest at any moment.
When Xu Tao went to sleep, she hadn’t fully closed the curtains, intentionally leaving a gap. The man had his face pressed against the glass, both hands cupped over his eyes, using the moonlight outside to scrutinize the room. When he spotted Xu Tao standing by the door holding the wooden stick, he revealed a sinister smile.
“Hehehe…”
The man on the window let out a chilling laugh. In the middle of the night, it made Xu Tao’s legs instantly go weak. Hugging the wooden stick tightly, she couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeless.
Damn it
The man outside was a complete pervert, acting out a horror movie for her. The sight of his face pressed against the glass was enough to leave her with psychological trauma—just like that scene in the movie Silenced from South Korea, where the principal looked down from the bathroom.
That scene had left a deep scar in her heart, impossible to erase.
Bang, bang, bang…
The window was struck again. The man leaned against the window and said "Little widow, open the door for big brother!"
“…?” Xu Tao bit her lip in confusion. Holding the big wooden stick, she turned around and switched on the room’s light. Since the man already knew she was home, she had no intention of hiding anymore. Glaring at the man outside, she questioned "Who are you? Why are you breaking into my house in the middle of the night?"
"Who am I? I’m your future lover" the man replied with a perverted grin, his expression utterly disgusting.
Xu Tao didn’t dare get too close to the window. With the light on, she could clearly see the man outside. He was rather ugly, with yellow teeth, looking extremely sleazy, and his grin was disturbingly creepy.
"I don’t know you!" Xu Tao firmly declared.
She had a good memory and could remember most people she had met. She was certain she didn’t know this man.
"You'll know me soon enough! Now open the door, big brother's about to suffocate!" The man’s face turned red as he backed away slightly, letting out a drunken burp.
It seemed he had drunk quite a lot!
Xu Tao felt disgusted just looking at the man and threatened him while gripping the wooden stick "You're trespassing in a private home. I can call the police and have you arrested."
"Bitch, I pitied you and kindly came to give you some money, and you still want to call the police?" The man swayed unsteadily, shaking his head. His reaction was intense upon hearing Xu Tao mention the police, it was clear he was very averse to the idea.
"I'm telling you, if you obediently open the door and let me in, and if I feel good today, I'll give you some money. Otherwise, how can a widow like you support your son?" The man leaned one hand on the window and spat to the side, speaking in a tone he thought was impressive.
"I'm not a widow. I have a husband!"
"Not a widow? Pah! I've been watching you for days. You come and go every day with that little brat, and there's never been a man in sight." The man widened his eyes, looking as if he didn't believe a word she said.
He had been watching for several days, and it was always just this beautiful woman and a two- or three-year-old child going in and out. He had even asked the neighbor, Lin Fang, who said the new neighbor lived alone with her child and had never mentioned any man!
It was only after confirming there was no man in the house that he boldly came to the door. After all, it was just a woman and a kid—he wasn't afraid at all. Once he had his way with her, she'd naturally become obedient.
"Who told you I was a widow?" Xu Tao thought that this man couldn't possibly be this bold and arrogant without some reason.
"Mommy!" Amid Xu Tao's conversation with the man, Zhao Linan, who had been sleeping deeply on the bed, woke up. The little boy sat up in a daze and called out to Xu Tao.
"Xiao Nan." Xu Tao, still holding the wooden stick, walked over to the bed and gently patted Zhao Linan's little head to comfort him. "Don't be afraid! Mommy's here!"
Bang, bang! "The little brat's awake, huh?" The man outside saw Zhao Linan wake up and grinned, revealing his disgusting yellow teeth, then banged on the window to scare them.
"Mommy…" Zhao Linan was a bit scared seeing the man. As a child, he didn’t understand what was happening; he just leaned on Xu Tao for comfort.
Xu Tao patted Zhao Linan's back and stared warily at the man outside.
"You'd better get lost, or I'll call people over, and you'll end up in prison." Xu Tao warned the man.
She was thinking about the safety of herself and Zhao Linan. If she could scare the man away, that would be best since she knew she couldn't physically fight him.
Xu Tao truly didn't expect that people these days could be so bold. In a world without the later widespread data surveillance, without lights and cameras everywhere, people seemed utterly lawless.
"Like hell I’d be scared!" The man completely dismissed Xu Tao's threat.
Bang!
At that moment, a sound came from the corner of the yard, and a figure swiftly jumped down, carrying large bags in both hands.
Xu Tao, holding Zhao Linan, looked out the window and instantly felt a lump in her throat when she saw Zhao Weiguo. She had been able to act tough before because if she panicked, it would only make it easier for that perverted man outside to act. So she kept reminding herself not to be afraid.
But seeing Zhao Weiguo climb over the wall made her tense heart finally relax. She was panting and couldn't help but tear up.
She really wanted to throw herself into the man's arms! Xu Tao had never thought Zhao Weiguo looked so handsome as he did at this moment.
“Daddy!” Xiao Nan immediately smiled and spoke to Xu Tao.
The man outside the window also turned around when he heard the noise. He hadn’t heard Zhao Linan softly call out "Daddy" so when he saw Zhao Weiguo, he squinted his eyes. "No wonder you rejected me. So you already have a man."
Actually, seeing someone else appear should have made him nervous, but after thinking it through, he became even more arrogant.
This guy also climbed over the wall, obviously having some shady relationship with the widow. Since they were both the same kind of people, what was there to be afraid of?
The widow wouldn’t want him spreading rumors, so she might have to obediently let him have his way. Thinking of this, the drunken man felt a rush of heat all over his body.
"Who are you?" Zhao Weiguo carried his large bags and calmly walked over, asking coldly.
"I'm Xiao Baogui from the Green Gang. This entire Old Eight Alley is my turf." The man raised his hand to pick at his teeth, looking arrogant. "Are you this little widow's lover too?"
"Green Gang?" Zhao Weiguo repeated the name, then casually set down the bags in his hand. He turned toward the man and kicked him hard, forcing him to kneel.
Zhao Weiguo moved swiftly. Xu Tao, holding Zhao Linan, watched through the window and saw Zhao Weiguo's decisive moves.
So satisfying!
Xu Tao knew Zhao Weiguo had been a soldier, but it was at this moment that she truly felt the raw dominance he exuded. A man who had been in the army was unbelievably handsome!
"Coming to my house late at night to scare my wife and kid?" Zhao Weiguo pinned the man down, grabbed his collar with one hand, and swung his fist down.
The man’s mouth spewed filthy words, and Zhao Weiguo couldn't stop thinking—what if he hadn’t come back in time? What would have happened to Xu Tao and Zhao Linan? This thought made him punch even harder.
Bam, bam!
The sound of fists meeting flesh was followed by miserable screams.
Xu Tao snapped back to reality. Hugging Zhao Linan, she unlocked the door and hurried outside, just in time to see Zhao Weiguo ruthlessly beating the perverted man to a pulp.
"Zhao Weiguo" Xu Tao softly called out.
Zhao Weiguo stopped and turned around, pushing the man away like garbage. He walked over with steady, reassuring steps. His eyes briefly glanced at his son still full of energy, but Xu Tao's beautiful face couldn't hide her fear, and her eyes were red. "Were you scared?"
"Yeah." Xu Tao nodded.
How could she not be scared? A perverted man suddenly broke in late at night. Thankfully, Zhao Weiguo returned in time. She didn’t even dare imagine what would have happened to her and Zhao Linan if he hadn’t.
Terrible crimes like this weren’t uncommon these days, and many cases ended without resolution.
Due to lacking investigative technology, once criminals fled, the chances of being caught were low.
"Daddy" Zhao Linan rubbed his eyes.
"Mm" Zhao Weiguo raised his hand to gently pat his son's head. "Go inside. I'll handle this.
Zhao Weiguo didn't ask Xu Tao anything more. He simply comforted her and told her to take Zhao Linan back into the house.
"Okay." Xu Tao glanced at the man on the ground and obediently led Zhao Linan back to the room.
Zhao Weiguo's methods were brutal, and it was easy for him to extract information from the man. After being beaten half to death, the man answered every question truthfully.
"You said it was Lin Fang next door who encouraged you to come here?" Zhao Weiguo frowned.
"Yeah! I thought she was a widow, and she’s good-looking, so I figured I could take advantage of her. Lin Fang told me she often saw men acting shady with this little widow late at night and told me not to miss this golden opportunity. She's so beautiful, wearing a light yellow dress that seems seductive..." The man, beaten to a pulp, sat on the ground trying to justify himself.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but drift off into a daze.
Crack!
Hearing those disgusting words, Zhao Weiguo's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking. With a swift punch, he shattered a few of the man's teeth.
"Ugh..." The man groaned, raising his hand to cover his mouth as red blood mixed with two yellow teeth spilled out.
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