The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Zhao Weiguo couldn't help but find it amusing when he saw Xu Tao looking at him with fear in her eyes.
He had indeed indulged himself a bit too much last night after drinking, and although he was full of energy, he had to admit that his waist was aching today.
It was understandable that Xu Tao would be scared. Besides, the weather was getting colder, and the blankets at home were too thin. If Zhao Linan slept alone, he might catch a cold.
Anyway, it was just for two days once the winter quilts were ready, the child could sleep on his own again.
"By the way, we're running low on firewood. We should buy some to keep in stock!" Xu Tao suddenly remembered this small but important detail.
They bought their firewood from outside, as there were people in Yangcheng who made a living by chopping and selling wood. A large bundle cost only twenty cents, and one yuan's worth could last a month. Now that the weather was colder, the demand for firewood was clearly increasing, so Xu Tao thought it was necessary to stock up.
"Alright, I'll ask Uncle Li to send some more over tomorrow," Zhao Weiguo responded.
"Okay." Xu Tao nodded and couldn't help but miss the convenience of modern life. "I wonder how much a gas stove costs. Maybe I should check it out someday?"
Lighting a fire every day for cooking was tiring. She knew that gas stoves were starting to become more common, but they were still expensive, and gas cylinders needed to be replaced regularly.
No one in the Lao Ba Alley used gas stoves since most families couldn't afford them.
"Not many people around here use gas cylinders," Zhao Weiguo remarked, aware of the convenience gas stoves could bring.
"Then there's no helping it," Xu Tao sighed. She understood the implication behind Zhao Weiguo’s words since few people used gas cylinders, replacing them would be inconvenient.
"Let's save money and buy a house first. Once we have our own place, we can consider installing a gas stove" Xu Tao said casually.
"A house?" Zhao Weiguo was surprised by how easily she brought up the idea.
"Yes! A house" Xu Tao nodded firmly.
As a time traveler, even though she had transmigrated into a novel, the world around her was almost identical to reality. The housing prices in Yangcheng were still very cheap now, but in the future, they would skyrocket.
Since Zhao Weiguo had served as a soldier in Yangcheng for over ten years, he was already accustomed to life here.
Xu Tao was also quite satisfied with their current situation, so naturally, she wanted to settle down. If she didn't seize the opportunity to buy property before the prices surged, was she supposed to wait until she was old and could no longer afford it?
She had even planned it all out, once mortgage policies were introduced, she would stockpile dozens of properties.
In twenty or thirty years, she would experience the immense pressure of paying two or three hundred yuan in monthly mortgage fees, and then she could sit back and wait for redevelopment. Becoming a landlord sounded like an absolute dream!
"Are you serious?" Zhao Weiguo asked, still astonished.
"Of course, I am," Xu Tao replied confidently, giving Zhao Weiguo a look that seemed to say, The burden is on your shoulders now.
"Right now, housing prices are around four hundred yuan per square meter. Our combined monthly income is nearly a thousand yuan, and by the end of the month, my book will be published, bringing in additional earnings. If we work hard, buying a house is definitely possible."
Xu Tao did the math, determined to buy a house within the next two years. However, she knew that achieving this goal wouldn't be easy.
"Our savings aren't enough to buy a house" Zhao Weiguo pointed out after calculating their finances. He wasn't trying to discourage her; he was simply stating the reality.
"That's why, Old Zhao, you need to work harder!" Xu Tao walked over and patted his shoulder with an expression full of trust.
"Hmm?" Zhao Weiguo suddenly felt immense pressure. Work harder? In what way? If it was in bed, he would certainly live up to expectations!
"You need to work harder to earn money! Look, there are so many industries with great potential like taxis, transportation companies, and security firms..." Xu Tao had considered Zhao Weiguo's situation and provided him with some feasible business options.
Zhao Weiguo was a retired soldier, and recently, the military had undergone a major downsizing. Many soldiers had been discharged, making job placement a significant issue.
This meant Zhao Weiguo wouldn't have to worry too much about recruiting employees, his former comrades could easily fill those roles.
Starting a security company might not be the best option at the moment, as it required long-term development. The industry could be highly profitable once it gained recognition, but the initial stages would be tough.
However, the taxi and transportation industries had tremendous potential and long-lasting profitability.
For at least the next thirty years, these two industries would remain dominant. In Yangcheng, the taxi business would soon rise to prominence, becoming a near-monopoly. Similarly, the transportation industry would experience unstoppable growth. No matter which industry Zhao Weiguo chose to expand, it would be a highly lucrative venture.
Of course, Xu Tao didn’t mind pursuing multiple opportunities at once. But success didn’t happen overnight. For now, she would leave it to Zhao Weiguo to make the decision.
If he wanted to try running a security firm, she wouldn't oppose it. After all, while it required a reputation to thrive, the initial investment was significantly lower compared to the taxi or transportation businesses.
Zhao Weiguo looked at Xu Tao with a complicated expression. He hadn't expected her to consider all these factors. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Zhao Weiguo, with the recent economic reforms, Yangcheng is changing rapidly every day. Our income is decent, and if we only aim for a stable and comfortable life, we can definitely manage well."
Xu Tao admitted that their combined earnings were already remarkable by current standards. Compared to many people struggling with poverty, they were practically wealthy.
"But if we want to make big money, then you should seriously consider my suggestions. Many of your comrades are struggling to find work after leaving the army, right?" Xu Tao urged, using the reality of the situation as leverage.
"That's true" Zhao Weiguo nodded with a bitter smile.
Many of his fellow soldiers were having a hard time finding jobs after being discharged. Leaving the military meant stepping into an oversaturated job market, where positions were scarce due to the recent wave of urban migration.
"So, Zhao Weiguo, why don’t we take a gamble and go big?" Xu Tao’s eyes sparkled as she encouraged him.
After all, fortune favored the bold!
"How much?" Zhao Weiguo asked with a smile.
The surprise that Xu Tao had proposed earlier had mostly sunk in, and after thinking about the feasibility of her suggestion, he had a general understanding in his mind. Now, he could smile back at Xu Tao.
"Let's do contracting, monopolize the market directly!" Xu Tao said boldly, exuding the kind of dominance as if she were making a grand decision.
If they're going to do it, it can't be something small; might as well go all in and monopolize the market outright. Otherwise, taking it step by step would definitely take too long.
A while ago, she had occasionally gone out to learn about profitable industries, and the one she understood most thoroughly was, without a doubt, the taxi industry.
She had specifically taken Zhao Linan in a taxi once. For a journey that costs two yuan on a rickshaw, the taxi only added two more yuan, which was essentially double. Xu Tao roughly calculated the daily earnings and combined it with industry reports from the future.
The taxi industry undoubtedly ranked first. It was said that in the 1980s, the monthly income of a taxi driver could reach as high as 5,000 yuan.
Considering the average monthly income was around 40 or 50 yuan, 5,000 yuan was truly astounding.
In this era of reform and opening up, knowing the promising future prospects, how could one not make money? The opportunities were laid out in front of them, not taking action would be a mistake.
"The contracting fees might not be small," Zhao Weiguo said, calculating the cost in his head. He ran a transportation business, and the price of a big truck was at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. Their company had ten big trucks, so just the cost of the trucks alone would be tens of thousands. This amount was enough to be shocking.
Both he and Xu Tao had high incomes, but their savings in the past few months amounted to just about 10,000 yuan, so contracting seemed unlikely.
"I know, that's why we can try to get a loan from the bank!" Xu Tao said, her eyes filled with a sense of experimentation.
"Bank loans generally require a review of repayment capabilities and collateral, like property or vehicles," Zhao Weiguo, who understood a bit about loans, explained.
At this time, loans weren't as common. It might be easy to borrow a few thousand, but borrowing tens of thousands or more was probably very difficult.
"I know," Xu Tao was clearly not unaware of this.
"So, what do you plan to do?" Zhao Weiguo asked.
"I think you can try talking to the military leaders. We can help resolve some employment issues for retired soldiers. You can have the military help us get a guarantee from the bank. We can then apply for a loan in our personal names, and the loan should get approved," Xu Tao said. As for the loan amount, they could repay it themselves.
"..." Zhao Weiguo fell silent. He could tell that Xu Tao had thought about these things carefully.
It was quite a surprise; he had originally thought that Xu Tao was just a country girl who graduated from junior high.
But now, she could write books, was sensible, had good cooking skills, and, most importantly, was extremely smart and bold!
"Do you think the military leaders will agree?" Zhao Weiguo asked, returning the question.
"Why wouldn't they agree?" Xu Tao responded calmly, ready to explain.
"Look, they don't need to put up any money, but they can solve a lot of employment problems for soldiers. The loan money will be repaid by us. Why wouldn't they agree?" Xu Tao spread her hands.
"It sounds fine, but aren't you afraid?" Zhao Weiguo was amazed at Xu Tao's courage.
"I'm not afraid"
Zhao Weiguo nodded, "So, how much do you plan to borrow?"
"It depends on what you choose to do. If you're contracting taxis or running transportation, it has to be this amount," Xu Tao said, making a gesture with her hand.
Zhao Weiguo seemed a bit confused "Three?"
"Yes" Xu Tao nodded.
"Three what?" Zhao Weiguo, although confident in his own courage, didn't dare to think too much about how many zeros followed the three.
Three thousand? Thirty thousand? Or three hundred thousand?
Whether it was thirty thousand or three hundred thousand, Zhao Weiguo thought the amount was staggering. After all, he had only received a few hundred yuan in military allowances over the past dozen years.
How could Xu Tao casually mention a loan, and not a small one at that? He couldn't help but be shocked.
"Three hundred thousand! At least!" Xu Tao had thought it over. If they were going to contract taxis, they'd need at least 300,000 yuan to start.
The current price of a taxi is about 20,000, and with 15 cars, it would cost around 300,000. This is just the initial investment; later, they can slowly expand the business. Once there’s income, they can gradually increase the number of taxis.
Yangcheng is developing rapidly and has a large area, so taxis are in high demand. The military is willing to provide loans, and of course, the larger the amount, the better.
40,000 or 50,000, Xu Tao wouldn’t mind; with installment payments, it shouldn’t be a big pressure as long as the taxi business expands.
But without 40,000 or 50,000, at least 30,000 is needed as a starting point. Otherwise, it would be impossible to get the contract.
"Tsk!" Zhao Weiguo clicked his tongue lightly, looking at Xu Tao with admiration and a hint of pride in his eyes.
This is his wife, his woman!
Although it’s just Xu Tao’s idea for now, Zhao Weiguo thought it was impressive that she even came up with such a plan. If Xu Tao didn’t bring it up, Zhao Weiguo wouldn’t have considered changing the current situation.
Suddenly, Zhao Weiguo experienced the feeling of having a wise wife.
"30,000 loan, the monthly repayment pressure is high. You really dare to think big!" Zhao Weiguo said, not paying attention to the fire anymore.
The couple continued discussing their entrepreneurial ideas. Zhao Weiguo stood up, grabbed Xu Tao, and pushed her toward the kitchen door, then leaned in and kissed her on the lips, his expression incredulous.
"What are you doing? I’m talking business here!" Xu Tao said helplessly, raising her hand to pat Zhao Weiguo’s chest.
She was discussing something serious, yet he suddenly attacked her. It really made her both angry and amused.
"Xu Tao, since you dare to think about it, I’ll dare to do it!" Zhao Weiguo said, holding Xu Tao tightly by the waist. He looked at her for a long time, his expression very serious.
Since she dared to think about it, no matter whether it succeeds or not, he would be willing to try. He couldn’t be less brave than his woman.
Whether they succeed or fail, she would be by his side. Zhao Weiguo felt there was nothing to be afraid of!
Moreover, having been in Yangcheng for more than 10 years, he knew very well how much the city had changed.
There were so many rich people, and many became wealthy overnight. Didn’t he envy them? Of course, he did! It’s just that he hadn’t thought too far ahead.
But since Xu Tao wanted to buy a house and mentioned a big bathtub and full-length mirrors during her bath yesterday, it seemed that everything she wanted required financial support.
Zhao Weiguo thought to himself that he needed to work hard! A man should never be unable to provide the life his woman wants.
"Really?" Xu Tao looked at him in surprise, her eyes sparkling.
Her smile was particularly beautiful.
"Mm" Zhao Weiguo nodded. "So, can we make dinner now? It’s already dark."
Zhao Weiguo turned around, temporarily ending the conversation.
"Let’s cook!" Xu Tao looked out the window and smiled, nodding. It was indeed dark now!
Zhao Weiguo released Xu Tao and went back to the stove to start the fire. Xu Tao originally planned to let him cook, but after the interruption, she didn’t want him to cook alone. So, while Zhao Weiguo was starting the fire, Xu Tao cooked the meal herself.
Dinner was ready quickly: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, fish head tofu soup, and stir-fried vegetables. It was a hearty meal.
Zhao Linan loved fish head tofu soup. The little one hugged Xu Tao and drank the bowl of fish soup she gave him. On this suddenly colder night, he drank it with great satisfaction.
"Drink slowly." Xu Tao patted the child's head.
"Mm, I know, Mom." Zhao Linan nodded.
Zhao Weiguo also liked the fish head soup and was eating heartily. Then he remembered something and mentioned to Xu Tao, "I asked Zhan Yue to investigate Xiao Zhi’s situation, and today there’s news."
"Really? How’s Xiao Zhi?" Xu Tao had some guesses in her heart. Xiao Zhi should have gone to Jiang Province with Deputy Factory Director Li, but she wasn’t completely sure since she had only made an inquiry over the phone.
"Mm, Zhan Yue went to Guangming Electronics Factory to ask about it, and he got the phone number of Deputy Factory Director Li in Jiang Province," Zhao Weiguo said without deliberately withholding the details.
"That day, Xiao Zhi called Deputy Factory Director Li Li Yunsheng and went to see him. Li Yunsheng sympathized with him and gave Xiao Zhi 200 yuan, telling him to go home because he was going to be transferred to work in another province and couldn’t take care of Zhou Haizhi."
"Who knew that Xiao Zhi, with the 200 yuan, didn’t return to Old Ba Alley? The child kept following Deputy Factory Director Li. After learning that Li Yunsheng had bought a train ticket to Jiang Province, Xiao Zhi secretly bought a ticket for himself and boarded the train. Xiao Zhi stayed on the train for a whole day, and it was only in the evening that Li Yunsheng, the Deputy Factory Director, found him."
"Li Yunsheng was rushing to report to the new factory in Jiang Province. He wanted to buy a ticket for Xiao Zhi to return to Yangcheng but was worried that Xiao Zhi was too young and might get into an accident on the way. He also knew something about Xiao Zhi’s family situation and that the child’s life was difficult. So, with no other choice, he decided to take Xiao Zhi with him to Jiang Province."
"Now Xiao Zhi is living with Li Yunsheng in Jiang Province." Zhao Weiguo said, somewhat sighing at Zhou Haizhi’s courage.
A five-year-old child could make such a decision. It had to be said, he was really smart. Escaping from Old Ba Alley was undoubtedly escaping from the fire pit.
Zhao Weiguo admired Zhou Haizhi’s decisiveness. He would surely have a bright future!
"What did the police say? Will they handle this?" Xu Tao asked, somewhat confused and concerned.
"Zhan Yue said that as long as no one reports it, they can pretend they don’t know. But if someone reports it, they have to handle it. As for now, Zhou Yu and the Hu family probably won’t report it." The Hu family would be glad to have one less mouth to feed.
"Is that so?" Xu Tao nodded helplessly. "I hope that woman, Zhou Yu, stays heartless and doesn’t report it. That way, Xiao Zhi might have a better life."
In Old Ba Alley, it was either starving or freezing, especially with the sudden drop in temperature today. If the child hadn’t gone to Jiang Province, Xu Tao could already imagine how bad the situation would be.
Xu Tao did her best to help him and would take care of Xiao Zhi, but as a neighbor, her ability to help the child was limited. After all, her assistance was based on not causing trouble for herself.
And Zhou Yu was clearly an especially annoying and troublesome woman.
Xu Tao and Zhou Yu had only interacted a few times, and there was not a single one that didn’t disgust her. She still couldn’t understand her mindset, and it was pretty baffling.
"Mom, what happened to Xiao Zhi? Where did he go?" Zhao Linan also cared about Zhou Haizhi. The child didn’t understand the conversation between Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo, but hearing Xiao Zhi’s name, he naturally asked out of curiosity.
He was very curious about where Xiao Zhi went. He hadn’t seen him for a long time and missed him a lot!
"Don’t ask so many questions, eat your food." Xu Tao didn’t plan to say much. Children’s mouths couldn’t be trusted, and if Zhao Linan accidentally let something slip, it could put Xiao Zhi in danger.
Although Xiao Zhi’s current safety was temporary, it was still better than suffering every day in Old Ba Alley.
Xu Tao personally thought that as long as they could get through today peacefully, they should take it one step at a time. When Zhou Yu eventually finds Xiao Zhi, things might be different.
"Okay!" Zhao Linan nodded and continued drinking the fish head soup.
After dinner, Zhao Weiguo was responsible for washing the dishes. Afterward, he helped Zhao Linan take a bath. Since it had gotten cold, Zhao Linan didn’t make a fuss like before and quickly finished bathing. He was then wrapped in a blanket.
Zhao Linan felt that the blanket didn’t seem warm enough. The child didn’t say anything, but until Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo brought over their bedroom blanket and stacked it with the wool blanket, it was just enough to ward off the sudden cold of Yangcheng.
"Hehe, it’s not cold anymore." Zhao Linan smiled foolishly, feeling very happy as he lay between his parents.
However, Zhao Linan didn’t stay excited for long. The child had good sleep quality and fell asleep promptly.
Neither Xu Tao nor Zhao Weiguo slept. Zhao Weiguo was still thinking about Xu Tao’s previous suggestion. To be honest, the impact on him was still huge.
"You’re more focused on the taxi industry, right?" After a while, Zhao Weiguo suddenly spoke. He wasn’t too afraid of the cold, and after turning off the light, he lay on the bed, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, with his arms resting behind his head as he spoke.
"At the moment, yes." Xu Tao knew very well how profitable the taxi business was now.
"Then let’s contract the taxis." Zhao Weiguo was also bold and easily made a decision.
Even though the taxi business was an industry he had never been involved in, even though this decision would mean taking on hundreds of thousands in debt, possibly more, he still made the decision. The courage and decisiveness of a man were evident at that moment.
"I’ll take a leave from the transportation company tomorrow to understand the taxi business, and then I’ll find a time to talk to the old leaders at the army. If the army is willing to guarantee us, we’ll take the risk." Zhao Weiguo said, outlining his plan.
"Okay." Xu Tao reached her hand out in the dark to hold Zhao Weiguo’s hand.
To be honest, she was very grateful to have met someone like Zhao Weiguo. This man made her feel at ease. Even though her suggestion might scare off 90% of men, Zhao Weiguo was the one who wouldn’t be scared off.
The couple didn’t even have 10,000 yuan in savings, yet they were willing to take on hundreds of thousands in debt. It had to be said that, in this regard, Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo were truly well-matched and compatible.
"Let’s sleep." Zhao Weiguo reached out and gently touched Xu Tao’s cheek in the dark.
If it hadn’t been for the drop in temperature and the fear of Zhao Linan kicking the blanket off, Zhao Weiguo might have taken the middle spot, as he usually did.
Having gotten used to falling asleep holding Xu Tao, he wasn’t quite used to the distance between them tonight.
"Mm." Xu Tao softly responded. She hadn’t slept much the previous night because of Zhao Weiguo, and she was exhausted now, so she naturally closed her eyes and fell asleep.
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