The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Every time Zhao Linan acts coquettish, Xu Tao softens, but seeing Zhao Weiguo’s firm attitude, she grits her teeth and doesn't approach to hug Zhao Linan.
"Mommy" Zhao Linan continues calling, the little one, dressed in his small pants and shirt, climbs out of bed, his chubby little legs hopping cutely, and his expression is on the verge of tears.
"Zhao Weiguo, how about..." Xu Tao tries to persuade Zhao Weiguo.
"You go back to the room" Zhao Weiguo says as he puts his arm around Xu Tao’s shoulder, pushing her out of the room.
"Whue!" Zhao Linan, seeing Xu Tao leave, is unhappy and climbs out of bed, trying to chase after her.
Zhao Weiguo is quick; he sends Xu Tao back to the room, then turns around and picks up the little troublemaker, Zhao Linán, before closing the door.
"Bad daddy, humph!" Zhao Linan, unable to see Xu Tao, is once again held by Zhao Weiguo. The little one, with tear-filled eyes, tries to hold back the tears, pushing Zhao Weiguo with small hands, clearly upset with him.
Zhao Weiguo is unfazed by the little one's feeble attempts; he simply takes his son and places him on the bed.
"You sleep by yourself" Zhao Weiguo coldly forces.
"I want mommy" Zhao Linan pouts stubbornly.
Zhao Weiguo says nothing, his expression serious. Zhao Linan, equally sulking, glares at his father. They both stare at each other, neither giving in.
"Son, have some sympathy for your dad. It’s not easy getting a wife at my age" Zhao Weiguo finally breaks the silence.
"..." Zhao Linán blinks, completely not understanding his father's words.
"I’ve been sleeping alone for almost thirty years. You should learn to sleep by yourself too, okay?" Zhao Weiguo sits by the bed, reaching for Zhao Linan’s armpit, lifting him and tucking him into the blanket.
"Huh?" Zhao Linan still doesn’t understand, but once tucked into the blanket, he stops resisting.
"You’re a boy, boys can’t sleep with their mom" Zhao Weiguo continues, trying to explain in a way that Zhao Linán could understand.
"Nonsense, Brother Shitou sleeps with his mom" Zhao Linán shakes his head in disagreement.
"..." Zhao Weiguo is speechless. He knows the Shitou that Zhao Linan is referring to and knows how old Shitou is.
In fact, it's not uncommon these days for a seven- or eight-year-old to sleep with adults if there aren’t enough rooms at home. Some families even have teenagers sharing a room with parents.
"Boys who sleep with their moms won’t grow tall or mature" Zhao Weiguo continues to try and convince him.
"Xiao Nan doesn’t want to grow up" Zhao Linan responds seriously.
"......" He had never noticed how eloquent his son was before.
"Anyway, from today on, you have to sleep by yourself" Zhao Weiguo said harshly.
Zhao Linan pouted unhappily, but Zhao Weiguo had already turned off the light and left the room. Zhao Linan lay in bed, feeling aggrieved, and quietly began to sob.
Xu Tao had barely lied down when Zhao Weiguo returned, without Zhao Linan following him.
"Did you manage to get him to sleep so quickly? The little one didn’t make a fuss?" Xu Tao asked in surprise.
"I didn’t coax him" Zhao Weiguo also lay down on the bed. "You’ve spoiled him so much, he doesn’t even act like a boy. I thought it might be a good opportunity to change his temperament"
"......" Xu Tao pressed her lips together, her expression a little angry, clearly displeased. While she did pamper Zhao Linán, she never indulged him to the point of making him spoiled!
"Where’s he spoiled?" Xu Tao thought of Zhao Linan as an angel, perfect in every way, obedient beyond words!
Zhao Weiguo sighed helplessly. "He wants to sleep by himself but insists on having you read him stories every night" The man, feeling frustrated, moved closer to Xu Tao and pulled her into his arms.
The man's intentions were clear, but was this really spoiling? Xu Tao expressed her reluctance and pushed him away. "It’s hot; don’t stick to me"
"......" Zhao Weiguo was pushed away and felt speechless.
He knew that saying Xu Tao spoiled Zhao Linan had upset her, but he wasn’t wrong. In comparison, Zhao Linan did have some spoiled tendencies. He insisted on hearing stories before bed. What rural parents still had the luxury of time for that?
If not for Xu Tao pampering the child, and the scare from a few days ago, as well as her discomfort with her period, Zhao Weiguo would have long since insisted that Zhao Linán sleep independently.
The little kid would be three years old in a month. It was completely normal for a three-year-old boy to sleep alone.
"Let him adjust for a couple of days" Zhao Weiguo said as he turned off the light, reaching for Xu Tao, ready to proceed with his own intentions.
Xu Tao struggled, feeling uneasy about Zhao Linán, but Zhao Weiguo didn’t give her much time to think. His large hand boldly slid into softer places. As a man, he was determined to make his young son independent, and his intentions were clear.
In this aspect, Xu Tao was completely no match for Zhao Weiguo. She wanted to put up a bit of a struggle, but less than two minutes later, she surrendered, turning into a soft heap in Zhao Weiguo's arms.
Bugh.. bugh...bugh..
"Mommy" Zhao Linán's little voice, full of sobs, came from outside the door. The little one was crying and knocking on the door.
Zhao Weiguo, ready for action, heard the knocking and paused, feeling a bit frustrated with the interruption.
Xu Tao froze for a moment, the passion quickly fading. "It’s Xiao Nan"
"Don't mind him" Zhao Weiguo said helplessly, grabbing Xu Tao, trying to continue with his intentions.
Xu Tao, however, couldn’t ignore it. As soon as she heard the little one calling out, her heart flew to him, and all her enthusiasm was completely extinguished. She hurriedly pushed Zhao Weiguo away and scrambled to get up and put on her pajamas.
"Woo woo, Mommy!" Xu Tao opened the door and saw Zhao Linán, barefoot and with a face full of tears.
Xu Tao’s heart almost shattered hearing the child’s cries. She bent down, picked him up, and returned to the original room, not caring whether Zhao Weiguo in the room was uncomfortable.
At this moment, there was no doubt that Zhao Weiguo's status could not even compare to Zhao Linán’s.
"......" Zhao Weiguo lay in bed, a little regretful.
If he had known, he should have just coaxed the little rascal to sleep as usual and then moved Xu Tao to this room. Now, he was stuck in an awkward situation, and Xu Tao was likely going to throw a tantrum at him.
Such a miscalculation!!!
Xu Tao carried Zhao Linán back to the room. The little one was indeed crying uncontrollably, his small eyes swollen. He must have been quietly crying for a while before coming to knock on the door, which made Xu Tao feel deeply guilty.
"Baby, be good, Mommy is here. Don’t cry anymore!" Xu Tao coaxed the child, trying every possible way to comfort him, occasionally kissing his little face to help him calm down.
"Mommy, sleep together" The little one stubbornly nestled in Xu Tao's arms, his little hand stroking her cheek.
"Okay, we’ll sleep together" Xu Tao couldn’t refuse; she naturally went along with the little one’s wishes.
It took Xu Tao a good half hour of patience to finally soothe the child to sleep.
Zhao Weiguo stood at the door with a dark face, looking at Xu Tao with accusing eyes. "You going back to your room, or should I carry you?"
"You sleep by yourself tonight; I’ll stay with Xiao Nan." Xu Tao was not about to satisfy that annoying man!
Zhao Weiguo frowned. How could he accept that? A man who had just enjoyed the pleasures of intimacy couldn't be denied again. After serving her these past days, now she wouldn’t let him have a little, how could that be fair?
"Then I’ll carry you" Zhao Weiguo said, walking over and grabbing Xu Tao.
Xu Tao struggled, but Zhao Weiguo was quick, not giving her any chance. He grabbed her and walked toward the door. Xu Tao didn’t dare make a loud noise, fearing that Zhao Linán, who had just fallen asleep, might wake up from the commotion.
"Be quiet!" Xu Tao raised her hand and hit the man.
Zhao Weiguo smiled faintly, carrying Xu Tao back to the room, closing the door, and turning off the lights to continue his intentions.
Xu Tao was unwilling, but still, Zhao Weiguo successfully held her and enjoyed his time. The next morning, she woke up with a sore back and aching waist.
Since Zhao Weiguo’s plan to have Zhao Linan sleep independently failed on the first day, life had returned to the way it was before. Xu Tao almost slept with Zhao Linan every day.
Once the child fell asleep, Zhao Weiguo would come just in time to carry her, leading to more intimate moments, with him teaching her the ways of adult nightlife.
As the weather grew hotter, time passed quickly, and Xu Tao’s novel word count gradually increased.
Half a month later, when Zhao Weiguo went to work, Xu Tao received a letter from the newspaper office, notifying her that her manuscript had been picked up by a publisher. They inquired about her manuscript quantity and confirmed the timing to begin serializing her novel in a magazine once she responded.
Once Xu Tao's novel serialization became more popular and garnered a larger readership, they would proceed with signing a publishing contract.
Xu Tao was naturally very happy to receive the publisher's reply. She quickly wrote a response, eager to finalize the details of the novel. The next day, she organized her manuscript and mailed it out.
Another half month later, on the day of Zhao Linán’s third birthday, Xu Tao received another letter from the publisher. This time, the letter included nearly three hundred yuan in manuscript payment.
Since Xu Tao was a new writer with no previous readership, the publisher's offered price wasn’t high.
However, that three hundred yuan was already considered a significant amount of money at that time. Xu Tao, holding the remittance slip from the letter along with her identification, took Zhao Linán to the post office to collect the money.
"Son, today Mommy is happy, and it’s your birthday too. What gift would you like? Mommy will buy it for you" Xu Tao said generously. As the person who earned the three hundred yuan herself, she was genuinely happy.
Although it wasn’t as much as Zhao Weiguo earned, in this era, the money she made could still be considered a high income.
"Mommy, I want a little car" Zhao Linán said happily. "Brother Shitou likes little cars."
Xu Tao often bought small toys for the little one. She didn’t want to see him playing in the mud or with stones with the other kids in the alley, so whenever she saw small toys, she would buy them for Zhao Linán.
Xu Tao’s spending habits were shaped by a later time, and unlike the parents of the other children in the alley who would pinch pennies, she was generous with toys.
Zhao Linán had the most toys among the kids in the alley, with small toys like frogs and little cars in abundance. Xu Tao was generous in buying them, and Zhao Weiguo didn’t stop her in this regard, so naturally, the little one didn’t have much attachment to toys.
"You don’t like it?"
"Xiao Nan likes it too."
"Okay, then we’ll buy the little car. Mommy will make you a cake when we get home" Xu Tao said, leading the child to buy the toy.
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