The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
The sudden collapse of the goods caused quite a commotion up ahead. Xu Tao carefully avoided the chaos while holding Zhao Linan and quickly left the area.
In Xu Tao's arms, little Zhao Linan remained quiet, wrapping his tiny arms around Xu Tao's neck. It seemed he was also frightened by the scene they had just witnessed.
"Gone" Zhao Linan softly whispered into Xu Tao's ear, his chubby little hand pointing toward the chaotic area.
"Yes" Xu Tao replied helplessly, realizing the little one had seen the collapsing goods and worried it might leave a psychological scar on him.
Though Xu Tao’s simple answer addressed Zhao Linan's confusion, he still seemed puzzled. Cradled in Xu Tao’s arms, he turned his head and looked into the distance. "Mommy, it's gone..." he stubbornly continued, stretching his hand out.
Xu Tao stopped in her tracks, meeting the gaze of the little one in her arms. Zhao Linan's pure and kind eyes looked at her innocently, unaware that he had just called Xu Tao "Mommy."
Xu Tao knew exactly what he meant by "gone" but she didn’t rush over to join the crowd or offer help. She was well aware of her limitations—a woman carrying a child wouldn’t be much help, and besides, many people were already assisting.
Feeling a slight sting in her nose, Xu Tao softly looked at Zhao Linan. "Mm, but now we need to go home, darling!" she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.
Zhao Linan blinked blankly at Xu Tao's kiss and didn’t insist on the topic anymore.
Xu Tao then quickly carried the little one toward their tricycle and left the wholesale market.
When Xu Tao and Zhao Linan arrived home, Zhao Weiguo hadn’t returned yet. Xu Tao let Zhao Linan play on his own while she began washing and hanging the clothes they had bought that day.
Zhao Linan was very well-behaved. When Xu Tao told him to play by himself, he did just that, fiddling with his fingers while his eyes followed Xu Tao around. Eventually, out of boredom, he squatted in the yard and used a small stick to poke at the ants on the ground.
After Xu Tao efficiently finished washing the clothes, Zhao Weiguo came home carrying large bags. Zhao Linan, who had been bored playing with grass and ants in the yard, immediately toddled over on his short legs, curiously staring at the big bags in Zhao Weiguo’s hands.
"I bought everything we need" Zhao Weiguo said confidently. He had prepared thoroughly, buying everything Xu Tao had listed and even picked up a few vegetable seeds Xu Tao hadn’t thought of.
Xu Tao checked the items briefly. Seeing that nearly everything she asked for was there, she began organizing the mostly kitchen supplies.
"Should I cook all this pork?" Xu Tao asked, holding up a piece of pork tied with straw.
Xu Tao wasn’t much of a meat-eater. She was the type who could go half a year without craving meat. Her mother used to say she was hard to feed—while other kids begged for meat, Xu Tao wanted vegetables even in the dead of winter.
Thinking of her mother, Xu Tao felt a wave of sadness. She still felt lost about suddenly being transported into this book and had no idea what had become of her original self. Fortunately, she wasn’t an only child. She had a somewhat estranged older brother who could look after their parents. Even if something had happened to her, her parents would grieve for a while but eventually move on. People from their generation might seem emotionally fragile, but they were far more resilient than today’s youth.
"It’s too hot to store it. Go ahead and cook it" Zhao Weiguo replied.
"Alright" Xu Tao agreed, picking up the meat and vegetables as she walked into the kitchen. "How about I make braised pork? I’ll stir-fry some eggplant and cook an egg drop soup."
"Whatever you decide is fine" Zhao Weiguo, not being a picky eater, had no objections.
Since Zhao Weiguo was in charge of buying the groceries and Xu Tao was in charge of cooking, it didn’t matter whether the food turned out delicious or not—he would eat it anyway.
“Okay.” Hearing this, Xu Tao took full responsibility. However, the wood-burning stove in the kitchen gave her quite a challenge. Fortunately, with the original owner’s memories, Xu Tao was somewhat familiar with it. Although Wensheng and G Province were far apart, both belonged to the southern region, and the large stove here was similar to those in Wensheng.
Soon, Xu Tao busied herself preparing lunch in the kitchen, smoke curling into the air. Meanwhile, in the yard, Zhao Weiguo wasn’t idle either. He borrowed a hoe from the neighbor and began turning over the soil in the yard, planning to sow vegetable seeds he would buy in the afternoon. In these times, every household grew some vegetables to eat.
With both adults occupied, little Zhao Linan had nothing to do. After wandering around the house, he began watching Zhao Weiguo till the soil. Zhao Linan was full of curiosity and unfamiliarity towards Zhao Weiguo. Watching him dig the ground powerfully, the little boy slowly and cautiously moved closer.
Zhao Weiguo did notice the little one but only to ensure he wouldn’t get hurt. Seeing the child squatting on the ground playing by himself, Zhao Weiguo didn’t stop him.
Zhao Linan squatted down, staring intently at the earthworms being unearthed. Naturally fearless, as many boys are, he wasn’t scared of the worms. He poked them with a small stick, and when one was about to burrow back into the soil, he reached out his chubby hand and caught it.
Tap tap tap—
Delighted after successfully catching the earthworm, Zhao Linan happily ran toward the kitchen where Xu Tao was cutting meat. Without calling out to her, the little boy tugged on Xu Tao's clothes with his free hand.
Xu Tao, hearing Zhao Linan enter the kitchen, felt the tug on her clothes and looked down. She was immediately met with Zhao Linan proudly holding out a squirming earthworm toward her.
“...” Xu Tao’s eyes widened in shock, staring at the wriggling purple-red worm in his hand. Her entire body froze.
Only heaven knew that Xu Tao’s greatest fear was wriggling creatures—snakes, earthworms, caterpillars—absolute nightmares for her.
Seeing Xu Tao silent, Zhao Linan furrowed his handsome little brows. He leaned forward a bit more as if afraid she hadn’t seen it clearly and even stood on tiptoe. “Look!”
“Zhao Weiguo...” Xu Tao panicked and took several steps back, her voice trembling.
Hearing Xu Tao calling him in distress, Zhao Weiguo paused his digging. “What’s wrong?”
“Come here, quick!!!” Xu Tao’s voice was already tinged with tears. She was genuinely terrified. Mice and cockroaches didn’t bother her, but soft, boneless creatures were a different story.
Zhao Weiguo detected the panic in her voice, put down the hoe, and walked toward the kitchen in confusion.
Zhao Linan pursed his little lips, sensing that the creature he liked wasn’t welcomed by Xu Tao. He drooped his head, staring at the earthworm in his hand, gently poking it with his other hand, and softly said, “It’s fun, look.”
When Zhao Weiguo entered the kitchen, he saw Zhao Linan looking guilty, while Xu Tao, holding a kitchen knife, had backed away in fear. The scene was both funny and somewhat cute.
“Xiao Nan, what are you doing?” Zhao Weiguo asked as he squatted in front of his son.
Zhao Linan extended his hand, showing Zhao Weiguo the small earthworm he had caught. Growing up in the countryside, Zhao Weiguo was very familiar with earthworms. Adults and children alike hardly feared them, which was why he hadn’t stopped Zhao Linan from playing with it earlier.
But it was obvious his wife was terrified!
“You’re afraid of this?” Zhao Weiguo turned to Xu Tao, chuckling.
Xu Tao frantically nodded, wide-eyed. “Hurry up and throw that thing away! And make sure he washes his hands.”
Seeing her body covered in goosebumps, Zhao Weiguo sighed helplessly. He patted his son’s head. “Your mom is scared. Don’t scare her.”
“Not scary. It’s fun.” Zhao Linan’s innocent expression remained.
Zhao Weiguo laughed, not bothering to explain why Xu Tao was afraid. He didn’t understand how anyone could fear such a little thing. He simply picked up his son and walked out of the kitchen.
Only after seeing the father and son leave did Xu Tao finally relax. Her tense body softened, but she anxiously scanned the kitchen, afraid there might be more worms. After confirming it was safe, she let out a sigh of relief and shouted, “Zhao Weiguo, make sure he washes his hands twice!”
“Alright” Zhao Weiguo replied, laughter in his voice.
"From now on, don't let him play with earthworms anymore!" Xu Tao continued to sternly remind him, still feeling uneasy.
She didn't want to go through such a terrifying experience again. Although it wasn't enough to cause a heart attack, it certainly made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Zhao Weiguo continued to respond patiently, carrying his son to the washbasin outside in the yard to wash his hands. Seeing the little one’s innocent face, he couldn’t help but pinch his nose, making the child giggle and dodge.
Xu Tao was genuinely afraid of earthworms. When it came time for lunch, as the dishes were served, her eyes couldn’t help but linger on Zhao Linan’s little hands for quite a while.
Zhao Weiguo noticed Xu Tao's eyes constantly drifting toward their son’s hands, and a faint smile seemed to form in his throat: "I washed them three times with soap."
"Mm." Xu Tao nodded slightly, feeling somewhat relieved. She served Zhao Linan a small bowl of egg drop soup: "It's a bit hot, blow on it before drinking. One bite of rice, one bite of vegetables, one bite of soup, understand?"
Xu Tao knew that Zhao Linan had often been fed in his hometown of Wen Province, where Zhao’s mother, Song Xiaoyan, had been very fond of this child, who had been born without a mother. She had raised him with her own hands, and Zhao Weiguo, the eldest son of the Zhao family, had younger siblings: his younger brother Zhao Weiqiang had just gotten engaged and was preparing for a wedding at the end of the year; his second sister Zhao Weiju was married with children; and the youngest, Zhao Weilan, was in high school.
Although Zhao Weiju was married and had children, they were her daughter's children, and she didn’t visit her family often. Zhao Linan, however, had been raised personally by the grandmother since birth and was the only child of the third generation of the Zhao family, so naturally, he was doted on by his grandmother.
Xu Tao liked Zhao Linan, but she had no intention of serving him like a little emperor. It was normal for a child of two or three years old to eat by himself, and learning to eat independently wasn’t a bad thing.
"Mm." Zhao Linan wasn’t spoiled; the little guy took the soup spoon, pouted, blew on it, and then drank the soup. The egg drop soup was very fragrant, and the little one seemed very satisfied with his meal.
"My comrade introduced me to a job in transportation, mainly for delivering and unloading goods. The salary is good, but once I'm familiar with it, I might need to travel often" Zhao Weiguo said, looking at his son. He picked up some braised pork with chopsticks and began talking about his work to Xu Tao.
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