The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Xu Tao heard the children's cries from the kitchen and reluctantly washed her hands before turning around to head to the room.
In the room, Zhao Linan and Zhou Haizhi were sitting on the bed. The two children had woken up from a nap, their high fevers gone, and they seemed full of energy.
As soon as Zhao Linan saw Xu Tao enter, he grinned and said, "Mom."
"Auntie" Zhou Haizhi shyly called out.
Xu Tao walked over and gently touched the children's foreheads, feeling their normal body temperature, then spoke, "Get up, wash your faces, and have breakfast!"
"Okay" Zhou Haizhi, who had his head patted, nodded and quickly got off the bed to put on his shoes, his ears turning red with embarrassment.
Zhao Linan, on the other hand, got off the bed slowly and asked Xu Tao, "Mom, what are we having for breakfast?"
"Congee"
"Mm!" Zhao Linan nodded, but the 'mm' was ambiguous, leaving it unclear whether he was satisfied with the breakfast or not.
Xu Tao didn’t pay much attention to him. It was hard to guess what children were thinking. She helped Zhao Linan change out of his pajamas and then took both children to wash up and have breakfast.
The children were careful not to burn themselves, so they ate their congee slowly. Zhao Weiguo, however, quickly finished his meal and prepared to go to work.
"You didn’t get much sleep last night. Do you want to take a day off today?" Xu Tao expressed some concern about Zhao Weiguo's condition.
With the two children having had high fevers, both she and Zhao Weiguo had been up all night. Zhao Weiguo had also experienced leg pain in the middle of the night, so he hadn’t had any real rest.
Zhao Weiguo worked in transportation. Although the traffic was lighter on the roads now, many roads were bumpy, which required a lot of concentration.
"No need" Zhao Weiguo shook his head.
After more than a decade in the military, he was no stranger to sleepless nights, and one night without rest wouldn’t break him.
"Just drive carefully and don’t be careless" Xu Tao reminded him.
"Got it" Zhao Weiguo nodded and left the house with large strides.
After Zhao Weiguo left, Xu Tao returned to the small dining table to accompany the children for breakfast. After they ate, she made sure they took their medicine.
"Auntie, I’ve finished eating" Zhou Haizhi said, looking a bit embarrassed after taking his medicine, ready to leave. But then he noticed the clothes he had worn yesterday were washed and drying in the yard.
He was still wearing Xiao Nan’s clothes!
"Auntie, can I take Xiao Nan’s clothes with me? I’ll return them after changing back at home" Zhou Haizhi asked, his face turning bright red.
"Xiao Zhi, it’s fine. Don’t worry, you don’t need to return the clothes" Xu Tao said gently. Zhao Linan had many clothes, and Xu Tao was happy to spend money on the child. "Let me tell you, from now on, you must come home before it gets dark. You can’t run around outside. If the door is locked and you have nowhere to go, you can come to Auntie’s house!"
Xu Tao had thought about this last night. She even considered asking Zhou Yu about adopting Zhou Haizhi, but later she decided against it.
Adoption wasn’t easy, and no one knew what Zhou Yu truly thought. She wasn’t willing to make unnecessary trouble for herself, and she didn’t want to deal with Zhou Yu either.
She felt it was enough to help Zhou Haizhi as much as she could within her ability. Moreover, she couldn’t know how Zhou Haizhi felt. He might not even want to be adopted.
"A child doesn’t mind a poor home, and a son doesn’t mind a mother’s appearance"
Although Zhou Yu wasn’t kind to Zhou Haizhi, she was still his biological mother. Even though his life was difficult, the child seemed to still rely on his mother a lot.
Blood relations were quite a mysterious thing. Xu Tao didn’t even feel confident in taking care of Zhao Linan, so taking care of another child seemed difficult.
"Okay, thank you, Auntie" Zhou Haizhi said, obediently nodding.
After Zhou Haizhi left, Xu Tao still felt a little uncomfortable, but she knew she was limited in what she could do.
After waving goodbye to Zhou Haizhi, Zhao Linan snuggled up to Xu Tao’s legs and looked up at her.
"Mom, is Xiao Zhi’s mom a stepmother?" the child asked curiously. Why was Xiao Zhi’s mom so bad? His own mom was so good, so weren’t all moms supposed to be good? He thought for a long time but couldn’t understand, so he asked Xu Tao.
"Huh?" Xu Tao, holding a notebook and novel manuscript, was preparing to write, and when she heard Zhao Linan’s question, she looked down to see the child’s curious face.
Xu Tao was Zhao Linan’s stepmother, so she was a bit sensitive to the term "stepmother." Of course, she didn’t mind it, but she was puzzled as to how Zhao Linan knew about it.
"No, she’s not a stepmother" Xu Tao replied with a smile.
"Then why is she so bad, like a stepmother?" Zhao Linan pouted.
Xu Tao laughed and picked up the child, pinching his little nose. "How do you know about stepmothers?"
"You told me the story of Cinderella, and the stepmother in that story was very bad!" Zhao Linan clung to Xu Tao’s neck, muttering indignantly.
Xu Tao listened to the child's explanation, and the small sense of unease in her heart disappeared. She knew that the fact that she was the stepmother couldn't be kept from the child forever, but she was somewhat selfish and wanted the child to find out later, perhaps when they were older. Right now, the child was still too young!
"Xiao Nan has a really good memory" Xu Tao praised as she put the child down. "Go play by yourself! Mommy has to work."
Xiao Nan shook his head. "No one to play with! Brother Shitou doesn’t play, Brother Xiao Zhi doesn’t play, and Sister He Hua is at home..." The child counted on his fingers, his voice tinged with disappointment.
Xu Tao knew about the situation in the alley lately, feeling helpless, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"Then, Xiao Nan, why don’t you look at a storybook? If you get bored, come find Mommy to play, okay?" Xu Tao handed the child a picture book.
Fortunately, she had bought the child some things, so at times like this, the child could entertain himself.
"Okay" Zhao Linan didn’t fuss, holding the educational book and occasionally playing with a little frog or glass beads. Anyway, he could happily pass the time alone.
After Xu Tao finished writing the daily word count she had set for herself in the small living room, she tidied up her pen and manuscript, glanced at her watch, and saw it was almost noon.
"Xiao Nan, stop playing now. Mommy’s going to take you out" Xu Tao called Zhao Linan.
She planned to take him to the photo studio to pick up the photos and also visit the market.
Xiao Nan’s face lit up when he heard Xu Tao call him to go out, and he quickly ran to change into a pair of shoes he liked.
"Vanity" Xu Tao joked helplessly.
Zhao Linan, still happy, took Xu Tao’s hand and cheerfully walked out. The weather was hot, and Xu Tao didn’t want to be exposed to the sun, so she took an umbrella with her. Although umbrellas nowadays didn’t have UV protection, they could at least shield from the direct sunlight.
Xu Tao felt it was normal to use an umbrella when it wasn’t raining, as in her time, people both men and women would use umbrellas to avoid sun exposure. But in this era, people didn’t have that concept, and many stared at her as she used an umbrella in the hot sun.
"Mom, so many people are looking at us" Zhao Linan said, confused, noticing the people around them making remarks.
Xu Tao sighed inwardly but didn’t let others’ comments affect her attitude. After all, the sun was really harsh.
"Mom, why are we using an umbrella? It’s not raining" Zhao Linan asked after hearing the whispers around them.
"To block the sun" Xu Tao replied.
"Oh!" Zhao Linan was immediately convinced. He wasn’t smart enough to fully understand why an umbrella was needed when it wasn’t raining to block the sun, but since Xu Tao gave him an answer, he didn’t ask more.
Xu Tao calmly held the umbrella, went to the photo studio to pick up the pictures, and then took Zhao Linan to the market.
"Mom" Zhao Linan said happily, his new sandals making him even more excited.
However, when they arrived at the market, Zhao Linan’s smile faded.
The market in this era wasn’t clean; there were vegetable leaves and water stains everywhere, and the environment was somewhat chaotic. Halfway through, the child stared at his small feet for a while, unwilling to move.
"What's wrong?" Xu Tao asked, noticing the child stopping.
"Mom, pick me up. My shoes will get dirty" Zhao Linan said, raising his little foot and reaching out his chubby hands.
"It’ll get dirty, it’s fine. We can wash it when we get home" Xu Tao said helplessly.
The little boy was still so vain, which wasn’t good. Xu Tao had already noticed his vanity before they left, and now it seemed the child was so obsessed with his shoes that he wouldn’t let them get dirty.
"No" Zhao Linan pouted and shook his head.
His little piggy shoes couldn’t get dirty!
"But Mommy can’t carry you. You’re too heavy" Xu Tao teased.
Zhao Linan wasn’t fat, but if she carried him for too long, it would tire her out, especially in this heat. But when she sniffed the various smells from the market and looked at the messy surroundings, she was also afraid that the child might bump into something, so she sighed and bent down to pick him up.
"Mom, I’m not heavy" Zhao Linan said happily as he was lifted up, leaning close to Xu Tao’s ear to speak.
"Yes, yes, our Xiao Nan is not heavy at all" Xu Tao replied, carrying Zhao Linan to the fish and shrimp stall.
"Mom, a dragon!" Zhao Linan pointed energetically at a yellow eel when they reached the fish stall.
Xu Tao couldn’t help but nearly burst out laughing. What a genius little treasure she was holding!
The fish vendor nearby also laughed. "This kid is really funny, that’s not a dragon, that’s a yellow eel, a pure wild yellow eel."
"Silly child" Xu Tao ruffled the child’s head, then looked at the yellow eels, a little startled by their appearance.
The basket of yellow eels at the vendor’s stall was full of them fat and thick. Nowadays, pesticide and fertilizer hadn’t been fully widespread yet, so in the fields, small rivers, and streams, these wild eels were still common. Small fish and shrimp could be easily caught in large quantities, so these wild yellow eels were quite big.
Xu Tao liked eating yellow eels but was also a bit afraid of them, as they looked terrifying and were slippery. But thinking of the taste of fried yellow eel with soy sauce, she decided she had to buy some to try.
Wild yellow eels like these, in the future, might be hard to find with such authentic wild flavor because farmed products had become so common.
"Boss, how much are you selling these yellow eels for?"
"Three mao per jin, want it? I'll pick two big ones for you" The yellow eel had a muddy smell, and it wasn't very popular these days. People generally preferred to spend their money on meat.
"Then give me three" Each of these yellow eels weighed about one jin, so three would be plenty.
"Alright!"
The fish seller replied as he grabbed two pieces of straw, pinched the yellow eel, and stuffed the straw into its mouth, tying several pieces together and leaving a handle for easy carrying.
Everything was done roughly but efficiently.
"Thank you, boss" Xu Tao took a deep breath. When she saw the three wriggling yellow eels handed over after they were weighed, she regretted buying them.
But since she had already bought them, Xu Tao comforted herself and carefully took the yellow eels.
The three yellow eels weighed over three jin in total. Xu Tao paid and then went to the nearby supply store to buy some seasonings before heading home with the eels.
"Mom, is the yellow eel tasty?" After leaving the market, Zhao Linan was happy to walk by himself.
Xu Tao held the three large yellow eels with her hands far apart, afraid they might touch her body. She really didn't want to feel the sensation of touching the yellow eels.
"It's tasty" When the child asked if it was good, Xu Tao naturally told him it was, adding a bit of explanation.
The fried yellow eel strands were a legendary dish, and when done well, it could make your mouth water.
"Wow!" Zhao Linan immediately showed his excitement, dragging the umbrella happily and running ahead.
With one hand carrying the yellow eels and the other a small bag of rice, which was heavy, Xu Tao couldn't hold the umbrella, so she handed it to Zhao Linan to help. The child was happy to help, but his height was still shorter than the umbrella, so he couldn't hold it properly and dragged it along the ground.
Xu Tao followed behind, reminding the child to slow down, but Zhao Linan, excited, couldn't stop himself and continued to run. The umbrella's tip scraped along the ground, making a noise, which made the child even happier.
"Xiao Nan, slow down, be careful not to fall!" Xu Tao called after him, feeling anxious as she watched, but Zhao Linan was too excited to listen and ran ahead.
"Hahaha, Mom, you can't catch me!"
Who wants to chase after you, little rascal? Xu Tao couldn't help laughing, keeping her eyes on Zhao Linan, and then she saw a woman in a polyester shirt coming out of the alley at the end of the street. Zhao Linan turned around to look at Xu Tao but didn't pay attention and bumped into the woman.
"Stupid child, don’t watch where you’re going!" Zhou Yu shouted, holding her stomach protectively.
"..." Zhao Linan froze, stunned by Zhou Yu's loud yell.
"Sorry, he wasn’t paying attention. Did he bump into you?" Xu Tao frowned and quickly walked over to apologize.
She knew Zhou Yu from occasional nods but had never really talked to her. Plus, because of Zhou Haizhi, Xu Tao subconsciously didn’t have a good impression of her.
"Mom" Zhao Linan, seeing Xu Tao come close, quickly hid behind her, looking at Zhou Yu fearfully.
"Take care of your child. Don't you know to watch out when you're out?" Zhou Yu looked at Xu Tao with some dissatisfaction but softened a little.
She knew Xu Tao. Since Xu Tao's family moved to Water Yin Road, she had noticed her. After all, she was a young, pretty, and confident woman. It's hard for such women not to attract attention, especially since her husband, Hu Jian, had mentioned recently that the new woman in the alley was really beautiful.
Men noticed Xu Tao, so how could she, a woman who loved beauty, not notice her? Women are naturally competitive with beautiful women.
"Sorry, did he hurt you anywhere?" Xu Tao asked again, still apologizing.
"Just be more careful next time." Zhou Yu scoffed and looked at Xu Tao and her yellow eels.
These days, not many people ate yellow eels, and even fewer knew how to cook them well. Yellow eels were oily, and if not cooked properly, they had a strong muddy taste.
"Okay" Xu Tao nodded, embarrassed, "Xiao Nan, say sorry to Auntie."
"Auntie, I'm sorry" Zhao Linan peeked his head out from behind Xu Tao, apologizing timidly.
Zhou Yu snorted, glanced at Xu Tao and Zhao Linan, then walked past them with a sway in her hips.
Xu Tao watched Zhou Yu’s back for a moment before turning to Zhao Linan. "Xiao Nan, do you know what you did wrong just now?" she asked sternly.
"I know" Zhao Linan pouted, lowering his head.
"Are you going to run again next time?" Xu Tao asked sharply.
She was originally worried about the child. With the umbrella in one hand, the child, only three years old, was still shorter than the umbrella. If he fell or bumped into something, it could be dangerous.
Luckily, he only bumped into someone, and the child was stable on his feet, not easily falling like other kids his age.
"Xiao Nan will listen. Don’t be mad at me, Mommy" Zhao Linan's face turned red, and his eyes started to well up with tears.
Xu Tao looked at the child and couldn’t bear it, but she still didn’t let him off easily. "We'll deal with this at home. Walk properly next time. Understand?"
"Okay" Zhao Linan slumped his head and dragged the umbrella all the way home.
Once home, Xu Tao put the rice and yellow eels away. The wild yellow eels were strong and still alive, despite having their mouths tied with straw. Xu Tao put them into a basin of water, covered it with a lid to prevent them from escaping.
Zhao Linan arrived home and dropped the umbrella at the door. He quickly ran to his room, as if he was afraid of being scolded, and threw himself onto the bed, wrapping himself in a blanket.
After settling everything, Xu Tao went to look for him and soon found him hiding under the blanket.
"Zhao Linan." Xu Tao called sternly.
The child trembled under the blanket, clutching it, too scared to come out. Xu Tao sighed silently and went up to pull the blanket off. The child tried to hang onto it but was easily uncovered.
Without the blanket, Zhao Linan’s small face appeared, and his tearful eyes looked at her, his little mouth pouting.
"I haven’t even punished you, and you're already crying" Xu Tao's heart softened as soon as she saw his tears.
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