The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
"I said, Zhou Yu, can’t you understand human language?" Xu Tao looked at Zhou Yu, who was blocking her way, utterly speechless.
Not letting her leave? This is just ridiculous!
"As the real mother of Xiao Zhi, you don't know what's going on with your child who's been missing for so many days? He's only five years old. Where has he been all these days? Has he been kidnapped? Has something happened to him? You don’t know anything! Now you come to question me, a stranger, about wanting the child back? Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with you?"
Xu Tao said as she raised her hand and poked Zhou Yu's head, urging her to reflect properly.
If you can't even be a mother, don't have kids. Giving birth but not raising them and even abusing them is a crime on top of a crime. You can only morally condemn such people, because the law can't punish them. It's absolutely disgusting!
"You’re the one with a problem! That little brat’s been crawling into your house every day! If I don’t ask you, who should I ask?" Zhou Yu’s voice was sharp, and she spoke with a tone of righteous indignation that was terrifying.
"You should ask yourself, ask your conscience, and ask whether you even deserve to be a mother." Xu Tao rolled her eyes at Zhou Yu and started to pull Zhao Linan away, ready to leave.
She was so disgusted with Zhou Yu that just saying one more word to her would make her feel unbearably uncomfortable.
Zhou Yu tried to stop Xu Tao, but Xu Tao, who had been suppressing her anger, exploded. With a quick motion, she slapped Zhou Yu across the face.
"Good dogs don’t block the way. If you dare stop me again, don’t blame me for not being polite." Xu Tao had been wanting to slap her for a long time, and now the opportunity came right to her door.
Zhou Yu covered her face, stunned by the slap. She stared at Xu Tao for a while before turning around and shouting towards the Hu family’s house, "Hu, are you even a man? This woman slapped me, and you’re just standing there, not even coming out to protect me!"
Zhou Yu’s voice was full of anger. Thinking about that day at the Zhao family, when Xu Tao’s husband had acted so protective of her, she felt humiliated. Zhou Yu was now furious and jealous, ready to explode.
Hu Jian was a man in his mid-170cm range, a local of Yangcheng. Hearing Zhou Yu scream, he reluctantly came out from behind the Hu family’s gate to watch the drama unfold.
He glanced at Xu Tao, his eyes filled with surprise. He thought Xu Tao was indeed beautiful, showing no signs of being a mother. She had a great figure and fair skin.
Compared to Zhou Yu, who was slightly chubby, the difference was like heaven and earth.
With a sigh, Hu Jian walked up and grabbed Zhou Yu’s hand, speaking in a calm tone, trying to avoid further trouble. "Forget it, stop making a scene. Anyway, that kid isn’t even mine, so if he’s gone, don’t worry about it. It’ll save us some food."
A child doesn’t eat much, but it’s still some food. If it had been a girl, it wouldn’t have been a problem. You could raise her and marry her off when she grows up, and she’d bring back a dowry. But Zhou Haizhi is a boy with a temper, more like a little wolf dog.
Hu Jian had already had enough of him. He’d been married for many years without having a child of his own, and now he had to help raise someone else’s son? Just thinking about it made him sick.
His mother was always nagging him to have grandchildren, and Zhou Yu had never been pregnant. It was a constant source of frustration for him. Whenever he went to work or chatted with neighbors, he could feel people laughing at him behind his back, mocking him for not being able to produce a son.
"Forget it? Forget it? Did you not see her slap me? You’re not going to help me hit her back?" Zhou Yu was actually angry, but her anger wasn’t really about Zhou Haizhi being missing. She was just looking for a reason to stir trouble, hoping that if Xu Tao had hidden the child, she might be able to extort some money.
She had noticed that the Zhao family was quite wealthy. This woman treated the little brat so well, so surely she’d be willing to pay something.
"I’m a man, hitting women is not my style" Hu Jian replied, his tone heavy with traditional masculinity.
Zhou Yu was furious when she heard this. "I think you’re just weak and useless, a good-for-nothing. You didn’t even dare to hit a woman. I was blind to marry you in the first place."
Zhou Yu angrily shook off Hu Jian’s hand, panting with fury.
You can be tough in the house, yelling at me, but when you’re out there facing other women, you act like a dog, not even fighting back. You coward, soft weakling!
"You still think I’m useless? Have you forgotten that you married a dirt-poor country boy and gave birth to a bastard? I was willing to marry you. You being able to marry me is already a blessing from your past life. You should be grateful!" Hu Jian was already tired of Zhou Yu, and hearing her say that made him lose his temper.
Who was blind, who knew? She was just a hen that couldn’t lay eggs. He had been tolerating enough.
"You’re the one who couldn’t lay eggs, Hu Jian! I clearly can give birth, it’s you who’s infertile!" Zhou Yu screamed, not caring about Hu Jian’s face, directly exposing him.
After all, she had Zhou Haizhi, everyone in the neighborhood knew that she could have kids.
It was Hu Jian, the useless one.
"Bah! You’re nothing but a lowly, foul-mouthed woman. I’ll beat you to death! See if you dare talk like that again!" Hu Jian’s mother, Old Lady Hu, suddenly came out from the Hu family’s house, glaring at Zhou Yu with a look as if she wanted to tear her apart.
"You little slut! If I had known you were barren, I would never have let my son marry you! My son must’ve committed some terrible sin in his past life to end up with you!" Old Lady Hu was a master of insults and immediately started cursing as she charged at Zhou Yu.
"You old hag! You’re the one who can’t lay eggs! I can give birth, it’s your son who can’t!" Zhou Yu retorted, cursing back without caring about anything, exposing the truth without hesitation.
As expected, they were both at each other’s throats, tearing each other apart, revealing each other's deep wounds and hurtful words.
"Zhou Yu, you barren hen, what are you talking about? Do you believe I’ll rip your mouth apart?" Old Lady Hu yelled as she rushed toward Zhou Yu, ready to hit her.
"..." Xu Tao was still holding Zhao Linan’s hand, not expecting things to escalate like this.
Seeing Zhou Yu and the Hu family tearing each other apart, Xu Tao couldn’t help but feel speechless, but she also felt that Zhou Yu totally deserved it.
"Why are you standing here?" Zhao Weiguo, having just returned from work, saw Xu Tao and Zhao Linan standing at the end of the alley while the Hu family argued fiercely nearby, even starting to fight.
"You’re back?" Xu Tao turned her head to look at Zhao Weiguo and smiled.
"Yeah." Zhao Weiguo glanced at the quarrel between the Hu family with a cold expression, completely ignoring them, and asked Xu Tao, "Let’s go home."
"Okay." Xu Tao responded and started walking away with Zhao Linan, pulling him along.
At first, Zhao Weiguo stood by Xu Tao, protecting her. But after they bypassed the noisy Hu family, he moved to the other side to hold Zhao Linan’s hand.
The family walked together with Zhao Linan in the middle, holding each parent’s hand. Under the warm sunset, they headed home, creating a peaceful and warm scene.
"Dad, do I look good today?" Zhao Linan asked Zhao Weiguo, completely unfazed by Zhou Yu now that he was with his father. The little boy looked up, eager to show off his new hairstyle!
"Yeah, you look alright." Zhao Weiguo glanced at him and saw that Zhao Linan’s little head was well-shaped after a good night’s sleep. Even with a simple, neat haircut, the child still looked adorably cute.
"Xiao Nan looks good" Zhao Linan wasn’t quite satisfied with the "alright" answer and pouted.
"Hmm" Zhao Weiguo casually nodded in response.
"Xiao Nan, take bigger steps, don’t step into the hole" Xu Tao reminded as they walked, seeing that Zhao Linan was too focused on talking to his dad.
Zhao Linan subconsciously turned back, taking a big step, and Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo both held his hand with one of theirs, lifting him up as he stepped over a small hole in the road.
"Oh, mom, that was fun, let’s do it again!" Zhao Linan laughed happily as Xu Tao held his hand, eager for another round.
"No, mommy’s tired" Xu Tao shook her head and refused.
She had only reminded Zhao Linan because she was afraid he might not notice the hole. The moment he moved, both she and Zhao Weiguo acted in perfect unison to lift him.
Zhao Linan cheerfully and noisily returned home, and the child’s emotions were completely unaffected, but Xu Tao wasn’t very happy.
"Have you seen Zhou Haizhi recently?" Xu Tao casually asked Zhao Weiguo while cooking, watching him tend the fire.
Zhao Weiguo went to work every day, so if Zhou Haizhi were in the alley, he should have noticed.
However, from the words Zhou Yu said, Xu Tao was certain that Zhou Haizhi hadn’t returned home these days, nor had he appeared in the alley. She had purposely walked through it several times but hadn’t seen him.
Moreover, the gratitude Zhou Haizhi expressed when he left that day, which was far too mature for a five-year-old, the abandonment he had experienced under the pressure of a terrifying life, and the despair and reluctance in his eyes—these had all deeply worried Xu Tao.
A child who should be growing up surrounded by the love of his parents could only feel his mother's punishment and scolding, utterly isolated and helpless.
Xu Tao guessed that Zhou Haizhi must have made up his mind to leave, but she didn’t expect that after running away that day, he never returned. It was clear he had left on his own, but where had he gone? Xu Tao was puzzled.
"I haven’t seen him" Zhao Weiguo replied.
"I think he must have left Old Eight Alley. Do you have a way to check on his situation? He’s only five, if he left here, where could he go? He doesn’t have any money, and the only two hundred yuan he had was taken by Zhou Yu!" Xu Tao said with deep concern in her voice.
She just wanted to know what happened to Zhou Haizhi. After all, he was only five years old, small and fragile. How would he survive after leaving here?
"I have a friend who works at the police station. I'll have him check tomorrow" Zhao Weiguo nodded.
After more than ten years in the military, Zhao Weiguo wasn’t someone without connections. He had many old comrades, although they were all busy with their own lives now, and they didn’t get together often. However, when help was needed, these comrades would never refuse.
"Thanks for doing that. We'll treat your comrade to a meal sometime" Xu Tao said, relieved when she heard Zhao Weiguo’s response.
She had been wondering how the matter with Xiao Bao Gui had been resolved so easily. Zhao Weiguo had nearly beaten him to death and sent him to the police station, but he was back home not long after. If there were no connections, how could that have been handled so quickly?
Now, hearing Zhao Weiguo mention having a comrade at the police station, Xu Tao understood.
That issue had likely been handled through his connections. If Zhao Weiguo hadn’t stepped in, Xiao Bao Gui probably wouldn’t have been sentenced to a year. It was likely that Zhao Weiguo had found other evidence to pile up more charges, leading to the harsher punishment.
"Sure, I’ll make sure to invite them to our house for a meal" Zhao Weiguo agreed.
He had been retired for several months now, and he didn’t get to see his comrades much. He was looking for a chance to bring them over to his house for a little gathering.
When he was stationed alone in Yangcheng, during holidays or when he didn’t have assignments, he would often go to his comrades’ houses and eat with their families, often troubling the military wives. Now that Xu Tao and their son had moved to Yangcheng, it was time for his comrades to know that Zhao Weiguo had a beautiful, capable wife at home.
Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo discussed the meal and Zhao Weiguo helping with finding out about Zhou Haizhi, but she still couldn’t shake off her worries.
The next day, around noon, after finishing her chores at home, Xu Tao took the opportunity to go through her notebook and found the slip of paper she had written on, which contained the phone number and address of Li Yunsheng, the deputy factory director of Guangming Electronics.
That day, Zhou Haizhi had tightly clutched the paper, and his final look had made Xu Tao think of Li Yunsheng.
So she made time to go to a public phone booth, intending to inquire about Li Yunsheng to confirm Zhou Haizhi’s safety.
"Hello, I’m looking for Deputy Factory Director Li Yunsheng" Xu Tao immediately spoke once the phone was picked up.
"Deputy Factory Director Li has been transferred to Jiang Province to head a new factory" a man’s voice on the other end of the line responded to Xu Tao’s inquiry.
Li Yunsheng had been transferred away from Yangcheng? Xu Tao was somewhat surprised.
"Can you tell me when Director Li was transferred?"
"The notice was approved last month, and the transfer happened a few days ago." The voice on the other end of the line didn't hesitate to share the information. Perhaps it was because Xu Tao's voice was soft and polite, or maybe because most people who had this factory contact number were either acquaintances or possibly leaders from various organizations, as this was a work phone.
"I see, thank you for the information" Xu Tao said, feeling somewhat deflated as she held the phone. Then, after a moment, she pressed on, "By the way, in the past week or so, has there been a call from a child to this number?"
"A child calling?" The person on the other end sounded puzzled for a moment.
Xu Tao clutched the phone nervously, but soon the person responded.
"It seems there was. That day, I was just about to leave work when the phone rang. From the voice, it did sound like a child. At the time, Deputy Director Li was in the middle of handing over his work, and he also picked up the call." The voice on the other end of the line continued.
Hearing that there had indeed been a call from a child, Xu Tao felt a significant part of her worry dissipate.
So, Zhou Haizhi really did seek help from Li Yunsheng. Xu Tao felt relieved and was happy for the child.
She believed Zhou Haizhi was smart, and Li Yunsheng seemed like a decent person. Although they had only met once, Li Yunsheng gave off the impression of being a cultured man. Given the circumstances of his work transfer, it was quite likely that Zhou Haizhi had called him and then left Yangcheng with him.
This thought brought Xu Tao both relief and some confusion. Li Yunsheng was indeed a cultured man, but why would he agree to take Zhou Haizhi away, and without even informing Zhou Yu?
Zhou Haizhi was still a child—so young. How could Li Yunsheng possibly take him away without consulting anyone?
Xu Tao couldn't figure out these points. Although she still had her doubts, she wasn't as worried as before. At least now she knew Zhou Haizhi wasn't wandering aimlessly on his own, which gave her considerable peace of mind.
Xu Tao speculated for a moment but decided not to share her guesses with Zhou Yu. After all, judging by Zhou Yu and Hu Jian's attitudes, it seemed neither of them was particularly eager to look for Zhou Haizhi. That day, the Hu family had been in complete chaos, and Zhou Haizhi's disappearance appeared to be something everyone in the family was secretly glad about.
After thanking the person on the phone, Xu Tao hung up. She pursed her lips as she walked back home, her emotions a complex mix of relief and unease.
o0o
Zhao Weiguo wanted to invite some of his comrades over for dinner, and Xu Tao agreed. Zhao Weiguo moved quickly; by the time he returned home from work in the evening, he informed Xu Tao that four or five of his comrades would be coming over the next day.
"Are any of your comrades bringing their families?" Xu Tao had no objections; it was just one meal for his comrades.
"Two of the wives will come. The rest are still single!" Zhao Weiguo said. At the time, many soldiers, even those already at a certain age, were still unmarried. For those who retired from the military, securing a job and getting married became even more challenging.
After all, without stable employment, even a distinguished military record couldn’t help much in finding a job.
"Will Brother Ye and Sister Wu Hui be coming as well?" Xu Tao asked.
Zhao Weiguo had once made it a point to take Xu Tao to visit Ye Zhenhua’s house, showing the respect he had for him. From what Zhao Weiguo had told her, Ye Zhenhua had been his squad leader when he first joined the army and had guided him as a new recruit.
This explained why Zhao Weiguo held Ye Zhenhua in such high regard. Although Ye Zhenhua had retired as well and didn’t have a high level of education, he had been Zhao Weiguo’s first mentor during his military career.
"They’ll be coming" Zhao Weiguo nodded. "Almost everyone coming tomorrow was part of the same group, all of us trained under Brother Ye."
"I see!" Xu Tao nodded. "Are you working tomorrow?"
If he had to work, she’d be left to handle everything on her own, which would be overwhelming.
"I’m off tomorrow; I’ll be at home to help you" Zhao Weiguo replied. He wasn’t someone who left things to chance. There was no way he’d invite guests over while going to work himself—he had already taken leave.
"Good. Tomorrow morning, you can go to the market and buy more groceries. Check with your comrades about their favorite dishes or what they feel like eating, and buy accordingly. The money is in the drawer in the bedroom" Xu Tao said, planning to focus solely on cooking the next day.
As for shopping, washing, and preparing the ingredients, she intended to leave all that to Zhao Weiguo.
o0o
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Thanks for the chapter!
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