The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
To be honest, the relationship between Zhao Linan and the original owner, Xu Tao, wasn't very harmonious. When the little one was at Zhao's family village, he would pester Grandma Song Xiaoyan with a bunch of questions, but since they got on the train until now, Zhao Linan hasn't said a word. This clearly shows he dislikes her.
"..." Zhao Linan, facing Xu Tao's major question about sleeping arrangements, looked awkwardly at Zhao Weiguo, then at Xu Tao, his eyes filled with tears, and he lowered his head in grievance.
He wanted to sleep with Grandma...
Although Zhao Weiguo was a grown man, he could feel his son's conflicted emotions and saw Zhao Linan's dislike. As a father, it was hard not to feel bad about being rejected by his own son, but seeing the tears in his eyes, any reprimands he intended to say were swallowed back.
After all, this was his biological son, and he was still young!
"Then, sleep with me?" Xu Tao asked, seeing the little one struggle and feeling a bit of sympathy.
Zhao Linan, being the male lead in a novel, was incredibly cute. He was fair-skinned and clean, and even at this young age, you could already tell he had the potential to be a heartbreaker in the future, though his personality was a bit awkward.
Zhao Linan bit his little lip, looked at Xu Tao with wet eyes, then at Zhao Weiguo, and finally nodded reluctantly.
Compared to his fierce-looking father, Zhao Linan instinctively chose Xu Tao. Though Xu Tao hadn't treated him well, at least he was familiar. Young children don’t know good from bad, they just instinctively judge relationships based on familiarity and strangeness.
"Alright, but you better not wet the bed tonight!" Xu Tao joked casually.
She knew that Zhao Linan was only a bit over two years old. At this age, his speech wasn't very clear, and it was completely normal for him to wet the bed if he drank too much water before sleep.
"No, no wet the bed" Zhao Linan, who had been crying, now with red eyes, felt a sense of embarrassment when he heard Xu Tao mention wetting the bed. His chubby little face turned red, and he nervously pulled at his clothes, finally managing to say a sentence.
Xu Tao was pleasantly surprised and raised her eyebrows. She was happy to hear him speak, as it meant he finally warmed up a little after a whole day of silence.
Zhao Linan’s voice was soft and cute, though he rarely spoke, you could tell from his eyes that he understood their conversation clearly. Compared to other children his age, he was quite smart and obedient.
Xu Tao, who had seen so many troublesome kids in the future, who needed to be fed, coaxed to sleep, and carried around, couldn’t help but feel a bit of affection for him. After all, Zhao Linan had been so well-behaved throughout the day despite having a fever and enduring the rough journey.
"Let’s go! Let’s go to the room and sleep" Xu Tao said, waving at Zhao Linan.
Zhao Linan was obedient. He immediately jumped off the chair carefully and walked over to Xu Tao. However, instead of holding her hand, he walked toward the room on his own, moving his little short legs.
Xu Tao had already observed the layout of the house while boiling water. Next to the kitchen was a small living room, followed by three neat, identical-sized rooms. The first room was likely where Zhao Weiguo stayed, with a military-style atmosphere, and the bed was neatly made. Xu Tao ignored this room and looked at the other two empty rooms. One had a bed frame, and the other was filled with some simple items.
"I’ll sleep here with Xiao Nan! Is there a thin blanket at home?" Xu Tao asked. The weather was hot, and they wouldn't need a quilt, but a thin blanket would be enough to keep from getting too cold.
The rooms were very clean and tidy, but there were very few things—no mirrors or wardrobes, just an empty bed frame, which was a wooden custom-made one. They would have to gradually add things after moving in.
"Yes" Zhao Weiguo replied, walking to his room and soon coming out with a pillow and a thin blanket.
Xu Tao began to make the bed. The blanket and pillow were new. There was nowhere to place them in the room, so Zhao Weiguo reluctantly became a human storage rack. Zhao Linan quietly watched Xu Tao as she worked, both of them looking quite alike, though Zhao Linan had sharper and more delicate features, like a miniature version with smooth, fair skin.
When Xu Tao finished making the bed and stood up, both father and son stared at her in unison.
"Alright, I’m tired. It’s time to rest" Xu Tao said with a smile, but without any mercy. She used Zhao Weiguo as a human storage rack and then kicked him out of the room.
Zhao Weiguo’s face momentarily twitched, as if he hadn’t expected Xu Tao to be so unkind, but his expression changed quickly. He nodded and left the room, even closing the door politely.
Xu Tao lowered her eyes to look at the little bean, Zhao Linan. "Take off your clothes and sleep"
Zhao Linan, serious, nodded at Xu Tao. The little guy wasn’t shy at all. Normally, Grandma Song Xiaoyan helped him change clothes, but now he raised his chubby little hands and started taking off his clothes by himself.
Xu Tao found Zhao Weiguo and his son amusing. She didn’t stop Zhao Linan from undressing but, when his movements became stiff, she couldn’t stand it and reached out to help. Soon, Zhao Linan was wearing loose, light-colored shorts, his little face flushed as he prepared to get into bed.
The bed in the room had a high edge, and Zhao Linan’s height was only slightly taller than the bed. The little guy, in just his light-colored shorts, tried to climb into the bed using both his hands and feet. Unfortunately, his height didn’t cooperate, and despite using various methods, his face turned bright red, but he still couldn’t get onto the bed.
Luckily, the little guy wasn’t too stubborn. After trying three times on his own and failing, he wisely turned to Xu Tao, his eyes full of silent accusations, as if asking, "Why don't you come and help me?"
Xu Tao couldn’t help but laugh at the look in his eyes.
"..." Zhao Linan felt even more wronged.
"Little guy, how are you so cute!" This child really hit all her soft spots. He was clean and neat, and his personality was so interesting. Xu Tao couldn’t help but smile.
Zhao Linan looked at Xu Tao with some resentment as she laughed, but as she laughed, she bent down and reached out, lifting him up under his arms. Once his little feet touched the blanket on the bed, he let out a proud little hum and obediently lay down, quickly curling up under the blanket, even covering his face. Clearly, he had become shy after being laughed at by Xu Tao.
Xu Tao reached out to pull the blanket, reminding Zhao Linan not to cover his face, as despite being nearly three years old, he was still just a child, and this could cause breathing problems or suffocation.
"Sit up and take your medicine before you sleep" The little guy’s fever had gone down quickly, and now he seemed fine. However, Xu Tao was worried he might develop a high fever again during the night, so she told him to take some medicine.
Zhao Linan seemed unwilling to take the medicine, but he didn’t make it difficult for Xu Tao. However, the little guy's face while taking the medicine was really comical, his bitter expression making Xu Tao almost taste the bitterness herself.
"Be good and sleep!" After feeding Zhao Linan the medicine, Xu Tao let the little guy lie down obediently. Then she remembered the lost luggage and took the two pieces of clothing he had taken off and walked out of the room.
Xu Tao was very tired, and she hadn’t fully embraced the idea of becoming a proud stepmother. She casually carried the clothes to Zhao Weiguo's door and knocked. "Here, these are your son's clothes. They dry quickly in the summer, so take them and wash them. If you don’t, they’ll smell"
Actually, Xu Tao’s own clothes were also sweaty, but she didn’t want to trouble Zhao Weiguo with washing them. Besides, she didn’t have the habit of asking others to help with such things, not even for the child.
"..." Zhao Weiguo responded with a complex expression.
"Do you have any spare clothes that I could borrow as pajamas for a couple of days?" Xu Tao wanted to hold back, but it was the middle of summer, and after spending two days on the train, she really smelled bad. So, she shamelessly asked.
"…I do!" Zhao Weiguo's dark face immediately showed some awkwardness, and he turned around to his room to grab a set of casual clothes for Xu Tao.
Xu Tao didn't mind and thanked him. She took the clothes to the vacant room nearby to change, then quickly came out with her dirty clothes and went to wash them, hanging them out to dry overnight.
By the time Xu Tao came out, Zhao Weiguo was already at the laundry sink in the yard, washing Zhao Linan's clothes. The child's clothes were simple, just a quick soap wash and a rinse.
The two of them easily passed the baton. Once Zhao Weiguo finished washing, he made room for Xu Tao. He had wanted to wash Xu Tao's clothes as well, but seeing that Xu Tao obviously didn’t intend to let him do it, he didn’t say anything. He simply looked at her wearing the military-issued rest clothes. Her figure, with its curves, made the simple rest clothes look unusually seductive, and he couldn’t help but feel a slight warmth in his nose.
He never realized before that even the army's ordinary rest clothes could look so alluring when worn like that.
Xu Tao didn’t notice Zhao Weiguo's gaze. After quickly washing the clothes and hanging them out to dry in the yard, she went back to her room to rest. By the time she came back after changing and washing the clothes, Zhao Linan had already obediently fallen asleep, needing no one to comfort him.
That night, both Xu Tao and Zhao Linan slept well. After two days on the train, they were both exhausted and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
Zhao Weiguo, however, felt unexpectedly disappointed. He wasn’t mentally prepared for Xu Tao and Zhao Linan’s arrival, and when he saw Xu Tao this time, he wasn’t sure if it was his illusion, but something about her didn’t match the memory he had of her.
Zhao Weiguo tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Around midnight, he quietly got up and went to the next room. His original intention was to check on his son, Zhao Linan, to see if he had a recurring high fever.
The doctor had advised them earlier that children at this age were particularly prone to recurrent high fevers, especially during the night. If not careful, a high fever could harm their brain, so they needed to be extra cautious. That’s why Zhao Weiguo quietly got up to check.
Xu Tao and Zhao Linan were both sleeping soundly. Zhao Weiguo didn’t turn on the lights but instead used the moonlight outside to walk to the bedside. He calmly reached out and touched his son's head, feeling the warmth of his little head. Once the temperature felt normal, he stood up straight. His gaze unintentionally shifted to Xu Tao.
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