The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Zhao Weiguo chuckled lightly, "You can choose not to indulge him!" The man lazily draped a blanket over the child's belly, stood up and walked over to Xu Tao, bending down to pick her up.
After more than a month of living together, Zhao Weiguo had made it a habit to carry Xu Tao back to the room, and Xu Tao had long since gotten used to the man.
If he didn't come to carry her, she would just lie down and go to sleep. If the man wanted to carry her, she would cooperate with him and change rooms. This could be considered a small amusement between the two of them.
"No way" Xu Tao shook her head.
She also enjoyed the sweet burden of doting on a child.
Seeing her proud expression, Zhao Weiguo didn't pour cold water on her. As long as she doted on the child and didn't deprive him of his personal benefits, it was fine.
"Zhao Weiguo, it's been such a happy day, hasn't it?" Xu Tao smiled at Zhao Weiguo as he carried her to bed.
"Mm" Zhao Weiguo casually turned off the lights, got into bed, and pulled Xu Tao down.
"Hey!" Xu Tao was a little unhappy with the man's perfunctory attitude. She had always thought Zhao Weiguo was very serious and proper.
It was true that the man was indeed serious and proper during the day, but as soon as night fell, he changed, like a werewolf at a full moon, and was tirelessly enthusiastic about intimate matters.
"Can't you stop doing this every night?" Aside from his eagerness to do things, he didn't care about anything else.
"How?" Zhao Weiguo leaned over and captured Xu Tao's lips in a kiss.
"Just, don't get so... aroused every night!" Xu Tao closed her eyes and said angrily.
Except for her menstrual period, she was harassed by the man every night. His body was really strong, and he could do this and that every night while still being energetic during the day.
But Xu Tao couldn't take it. She had been feeling sore all over lately, and she suspected that she might have been overindulging.
"What? You don't want to?" Zhao Weiguo stopped and looked puzzled.
It was quite enjoyable too! But would Xu Tao admit it? She wouldn't!
"Let's rest. My old waist is about to give out" Xu Tao said helplessly, applying to the man for a truce tonight.
Zhao Weiguo was silent for a moment, thinking in the darkness, then he chose to let Xu Tao go: "Fine, I'll let you off today."
"Thank you!" Xu Tao smiled in relief, placed the man's big palm on her waist, and immediately became arrogant: "My waist is sore, and my hands are sore too. I was so tired from whipping cream this afternoon, you have to massage me."
"Okay." Zhao Weiguo gently pressed Xu Tao's waist and gently massaged her arms.
Zhao Weiguo wasn't an expert at massaging, but Xu Tao enjoyed it very much. She felt that Zhao Weiguo's casual massage could relax the muscles in her arms and waist, and she closed her eyes and hummed comfortably.
In the darkness, Zhao Weiguo gently served the woman, listening to her involuntary humming, and the force of his gentle pressing gradually changed. It even began to shift.
She was the one who had applied for a truce, but now she was deliberately humming and seducing him!
"Xu Tao, you're doing this on purpose" Zhao Weiguo called Xu Tao's name softly, accusing her behavior.
She said she wanted to rest with her own mouth, and he gave her a massage, but she hummed and hawed with a seductive attitude. How could he bear it, he just couldn't bear it.
"What! You're wrongfully accusing me" Xu Tao replied with a smile, pushing the man away with her small hand.
But Zhao Weiguo didn't want to listen to her explanation. The man grabbed Xu Tao's hands with a foul, and started the night mode. As for the truce, Zhao Weiguo said that it was definitely Xu Tao who started the fire first today, he was just a helpless victim.
o0o
After Zhao Linan's birthday, the little guy became noticeably more popular in the alley. Additionally, since he shared his toys every day, the children loved calling him "Little Nan Brother."
As Zhao Linan's popularity grew, Xu Tao's status in the children's eyes also rose significantly. With just one birthday cake, she quickly became the most beautiful and best mom in the kids' mouths.
When Xu Tao heard Zhao Linan say this, she simply found the group of children cute and fun. She went about her usual routine of writing drafts while still leading an uninhibited life with Zhao Weiguo.
With the serialization of "Fate So Close" in magazines, the novel became quite popular, with a broad reader audience. This indirectly led to Xu Tao, who had been enjoying a leisurely life, being urged by the publisher to submit more work.
Previously, Xu Tao wrote her novels with a laid-back attitude. However, as her income increased, the busyness also picked up.
Xu Tao was diligent, setting a goal for herself every day to write at least a few thousand words of updates to ensure that the magazine's serialization wouldn't fall behind.
Another month passed quickly, and it had been two or three months since Xu Tao was reborn.
That afternoon, Xu Tao received another mail from the publisher. She happily took the remittance slip and, once again, took Zhao Linan to the post office to collect the money.
With the rise in readership and the serialization's popularity, the publisher had adjusted her payment. After a month of hard work, Xu Tao felt genuinely excited when she received 500 yuan.
After withdrawing the money, Xu Tao casually deposited it into her bankbook. She then took Zhao Linan out of the post office, holding his hand, intending to enjoy a bit of shopping and fun.
However, after walking a short distance, they saw Lin Fang grabbing Zhou Haizhi and shoving him while cursing and slapping the child on the head several times.
"Little bastard, give it to me" Lin Fang's voice was sharp and arrogant.
"No" Zhou Haizhi shook his head, glaring at Lin Fang with defiance and anger. Then, struggling to break free, the child bared his teeth as though trying to bite Lin Fang.
Plak!
"You little beast dare to bite me? You don't want your life anymore!" Lin Fang slapped him again without mercy, making a move to snatch the tightly held object from Zhou Haizhi's arms. "Give it to me!"
"No!" Zhou Haizhi, despite being hit, remained stubborn, desperately trying to protect what he was holding.
"Dirty bones!" Lin Fang's temper flared, and her voice was filled with impatience. She raised her hand, ready to strike again.
"Ah! Bad guy, big rooster!" Before Zhao Linan could fully assess the situation, he saw that the person being hit was his friend, Zhou Haizhi. The little guy bravely rushed forward, kicking Lin Fang's leg with his short little leg.
Lin Fang looked down at Zhao Linan, furrowing her brows. "Get out of my way." She yelled fiercely, then glanced at Xu Tao.
If Xu Tao hadn't been there, Lin Fang might have resorted to violence against Zhao Linan.
Zhao Linan, unafraid of being scolded, stared at Lin Fang with determination. "Don't bully Brother Haizhi!!!"
"Mind your own business" Lin Fang raised her hand, intending to strike Zhao Linan.
Xu Tao's face changed instantly. Without thinking, she rushed over and quickly grabbed Lin Fang's hand. "If you dare hit my son, I swear I'll end you. Do you believe me?"
Xu Tao was normally gentle, but once someone dared to touch her child, her usually soft nature became frightening. She would never allow this madwoman to touch Zhao Linan. When Lin Fang's mother had slapped Zhao Linan's arm previously, Xu Tao had been furious for several days. Now, Lin Fang dared to act in front of her.
Xu Tao's words immediately intimidated Lin Fang. With a darkened face, Lin Fang responded, "Tell your son to get away."
"Then you let go of Haizhi first" Xu Tao raised an eyebrow, challenging Lin Fang.
"You wish. This little bastard stole my money" Lin Fang retorted sharply at Xu Tao.
Xu Tao froze for a moment and turned her gaze to Zhou Haizhi. The boy appeared somewhat embarrassed but still shook his head at Xu Tao. "Auntie, I didn’t steal."
"You stole it! The thing you're holding tightly is mine" Lin Fang was enraged again, glaring at Zhou Haizhi with malice in her eyes.
This little brat had some nerve. Watch her not beat him to death!
“This is what I picked up, it’s not yours.” Zhou Haizhi defended himself, a thin and small boy who was so upset he was about to cry, but his face was firm with determination.
“Let go, let go of Xiao Zhi gege.” Zhao Linan also raised his head to push Lin Fang.
“This is mine.” Lin Fang reached out to snatch the item from Zhou Haizhi’s arms, acting forcefully, not caring about Zhao Linan, and focused solely on getting the item, clearly afraid she wouldn’t be able to take it.
“No, no, I won’t give it to you.” Zhou Haizhi cried, struggling, but he didn’t have much strength. Lin Fang grabbed his thin arm and forcefully took the yellow envelope from his hands.
Xu Tao stood to the side and clearly saw the color of the envelope. It was a yellowish-brown envelope, and it was clear that it contained money. These days, the post office would provide such envelopes for withdrawing money.
Xu Tao thought for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the envelope from Lin Fang’s hands, who was now smug with victory.
“You!” Lin Fang’s expression changed immediately as she turned around.
Zhou Haizhi immediately ran to Xu Tao’s side: “Auntie, I picked this up just now. I saw an uncle drop it when I was picking up garbage.”
Zhou Haizhi was very smart. A child who wasn’t loved by his family, very weak and malnourished, with a similar size to Zhao Linan, but his speech was very clear. A five-year-old could express himself quite well.
“Mmm, Auntie believes you.” Xu Tao squeezed the envelope, feeling its thickness, knowing there was a lot of money inside. She looked coldly at Lin Fang.
“Give it back to me.” Lin Fang stretched her hand out to Xu Tao, demanding the yellow envelope.
“This isn’t yours. Why should I give it back to you?” Xu Tao sneered.
Although the yellow envelope was the one used for postal money withdrawals, Xu Tao somehow trusted Zhou Haizhi. Despite being mistreated by his family, the child was still kind. Although he was hungry, whenever Zhao Linan shared food, he never took more than his fair share, always eating the least portion.
Xu Tao trusted that this child wouldn’t lie!
“That’s mine!” Lin Fang raised her hand to grab it from Xu Tao, but Xu Tao took a step back and held the envelope, “You say it’s yours, but do you know what’s inside?”
“I know, it’s money, five thousand yuan!” Lin Fang confidently blurted out without hesitation.
Xu Tao paused, not surprised by the amount, but rather puzzled at how Lin Fang knew about the money. Then it occurred to her that Lin Fang worked at the post office, and the person who just withdrew money might have been handled by her.
“Heh, even if you know the exact amount, I’m still not giving it to you.” Xu Tao sneered.
From the few times Xu Tao had met Lin Fang, she found it hard to trust her, so she believed the best solution was to take the money to the police station.
“If you’re really the owner, you should have a withdrawal slip. I see the time written on the envelope. As long as you provide the slip, I’ll return it to you” Xu Tao said, not foolish enough to trust Lin Fang entirely, but still asked with a smile.
If Lin Fang could provide the withdrawal slip, Xu Tao would give it back.
But how could Lin Fang provide a withdrawal slip? She had just helped handle the money, but it didn’t mean the money belonged to her.
“Xu Tao, are you crazy? Why should I show you the withdrawal slip if I have one? Give it back to me!” Lin Fang snapped at Xu Tao.
“If you don’t show me, then I won’t bother to look.” Xu Tao replied, her eyes turning to the two children of similar height beside her, “Xiao Nan, Xiao Zhi, let’s go, we’ll take the envelope to the police station.”
“Xu Tao!” Lin Fang yelled in fury, losing control.
“If you have a withdrawal slip, then go to the police station to claim it” Xu Tao said calmly, almost as if seeing through Lin Fang’s intentions. She waved the envelope at Lin Fang.
Upon hearing 'police station' Lin Fang’s face darkened, her glare at Xu Tao filled with hatred. Then, in a burst of rage, she lunged at Xu Tao, scratching and hitting her with all her might.
Xu Tao tried to avoid it, but she never expected Lin Fang to go wild and directly scratch her cheek and neck, even pulling some of her hair out.
“Damn! Mad dog!” Xu Tao cursed as she lost her cool and retaliated.
Xu Tao wasn’t someone who liked to suffer in silence. Her temper wasn’t bad, in fact, she was quite nice, but after being irritated by Lin Fang so many times and now being hit first, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Xiao Nan, move aside a bit” Xu Tao said, warning the two children. She reached for Lin Fang’s hair.
Xu Tao had braided her hair into a plait behind her, and Lin Fang hadn’t been able to grab it. But Xu Tao didn’t care about this mad woman; she grabbed Lin Fang’s hair and forced her head back, slapping her hard across the face. Slap! Another slap.
“I’ve been tolerating you for a long time. Today, you’re the one who came looking for it” Xu Tao said, slapping Lin Fang a few more times while holding her hair tightly, as if trying to rip it out.
Xu Tao's combat abilities were impressive; once she unleashed her strength, Lin Fang had no choice but to endure the beating in disgrace.
At that moment, several passersby stopped to watch the scene unfold. Lin Fang, who was not the rightful owner of the envelope, dared not act too arrogantly.
Just then, a middle-aged man hurriedly ran over. Upon seeing him, Lin Fang immediately glared at Xu Tao and gritted her teeth, shouting urgently, "Let go, let go now!"
Xu Tao, having vented her frustration and anger, reluctantly let go upon hearing Lin Fang's plea.
The moment Lin Fang was freed, she immediately turned and ran off without hesitation, not even pausing to explain. Xu Tao was puzzled at first, but was soon reminded by Zhou Haizhi.
"Aunt, this is the envelope of that uncle" Zhou Haizhi said, looking at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man, dressed in factory work clothes and wearing glasses, appeared to be in a hurry, clearly searching for the person who had lost the money.
"Uncle" Zhou Haizhi ran toward the man, "Did you lose an envelope?"
"Yes, yes, little friend, did you see it?" The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up as he looked at Zhou Haizhi, a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Yes" Zhou Haizhi nodded.
Xu Tao walked over, holding the envelope while leading Zhao Linan, and explained, "Sir, could you please provide a withdrawal receipt so I can check the time and confirm it with the envelope?"
"Of course." The middle-aged man immediately took out a withdrawal receipt from his pocket and handed it to Xu Tao. "I am Li Yunsheng, the deputy factory director at Guangming Electronics Factory. I came to the post office to withdraw money to buy materials, a total of five thousand yuan."
Xu Tao took the receipt, compared it with the envelope, and then looked at Zhou Haizhi with a questioning glance. In her heart, she had already confirmed that the middle-aged man, Li Yunsheng, was the rightful owner of the money, but she still sought confirmation from Zhou Haizhi.
"Aunt, it's really the uncle's lost money" Zhou Haizhi confirmed.
"Okay, please count it." Xu Tao handed the receipt and envelope to Li Yunsheng.
Li Yunsheng gratefully accepted them, relieved to recover his five thousand yuan, and let out a big sigh. He opened the envelope and glanced inside, not bothering to count the money.
He took out two gray banknotes and handed them to Xu Tao. "A little token of appreciation, miss. Please use this to buy something to eat. Thank you so much, you've really saved me today."
"It wasn't me who found your money, it was him. He's the little hero." Xu Tao smiled and refused while telling Li Yunsheng the truth, praising Zhou Haizhi for his honesty and also mentioning that the child had been beaten by Lin Fang to protect the money.
Zhou Haizhi, who was being praised by Xu Tao, blushed awkwardly. It was the first time in his life someone praised him, and the child felt a little shy.
"Thank you, little friend" Li Yunsheng said, crouching down to look at Zhou Haizhi. Noticing how thin the child was and the red marks on his head, and hearing what Xu Tao had said, Li Yunsheng was deeply moved. He then stuffed two hundred yuan bills into the child’s hand.
"Although this money is a lot, it's not really mine to give. But this two hundred yuan is my personal gift to you, a reward for your honesty" Li Yunsheng said kindly, patting Zhou Haizhi’s head.
He didn’t treat the child as just a child but spoke seriously.
"Uncle..." Zhou Haizhi blinked and looked at Li Yunsheng, then quickly looked up at Xu Tao, his eyes full of confusion and helplessness.
"Take it! This is a little token from Uncle Li." Xu Tao nodded at the child and urged, "Say thank you to Uncle Li."
Compared to the five thousand yuan, two hundred yuan wasn't much, but for Zhou Haizhi, it was something he could accept with dignity. It was a well-deserved reward for the child.
Zhou Haizhi's life was not easy, as evidenced by the large, old sack beside him, which clearly contained trash. The child roamed around collecting garbage to sell, and he was only five years old.
Xu Tao couldn't help but feel heartbroken for Zhou Haizhi. At just five years old, the child had already experienced the coldness and harsh realities of life.
o0o