The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
"Running transportation is good!" Xu Tao spoke frankly.
In the 1980s, finding a job wasn't easy, and suitable opportunities were even scarcer. It was especially difficult for someone like Zhao Weiguo, who came out of the army, to find a fitting job. However, veterans sometimes had an advantage over ordinary people due to their high discipline and strength, which often surpassed that of regular workers.
Running transportation was undoubtedly one of the more popular jobs during this period, but it also carried a high risk. The provincial roads weren't as developed as in the future; many places were bumpy and uneven. To make things worse, some remote areas had people who would specifically target passing trucks for robberies, which was a common issue at the time.
"Yeah, but it might mean I'll often be away from home" Zhao Weiguo added.
If Xu Tao was accompanying their child and living on the military base, even if he wasn't home often, there were familiar comrades and neighbors, and the wives of his comrades would always lend a hand in critical moments.
But they weren't living on the military base anymore, and Zhao Weiguo was no longer a soldier. If he wasn't home often, Xu Tao would have to take care of Zhao Linan on her own. Although the city of Yangcheng was developing rapidly, it also had its share of chaos and issues, and he was especially concerned about safety.
"Will your salary be paid on time every month?" Xu Tao cautiously asked, looking at Zhao Weiguo with her chopsticks in hand.
Zhao Weiguo was surprised by Xu Tao's question, but nodded in response. "Yes, don't worry. I can support you and Xiao Nan." He assumed that Xu Tao was worried about his job and whether he'd be able to support her and their child.
"In that case, it's fine" As long as the salary was paid on time, Xu Tao wasn't too concerned about whether Zhao Weiguo would be home often. After all, she didn't feel the same attachment to him as the original person did.
Although Zhao Weiguo's appearance did meet Xu Tao's preferences in a partner, she didn't see him as her husband at the moment. He was more like a roommate, still in that awkward stage of coexisting with someone she barely knew.
"In the afternoon, if you’re free, I’ll take you to meet my comrade's family. When I'm not home, if you ever need help, you can ask him or his wife" Zhao Weiguo said, clearly pleased with Xu Tao's cooking, especially the red-braised pork. He couldn't help but eat more and then, seeing Xu Tao mostly eating vegetables, turned his chopsticks toward the pork.
"Mm, okay" Xu Tao replied, though her gaze lingered on the piece of pork in her bowl. She sighed and then looked up at Zhao Weiguo. People tended to love fatty food, and fatty meat was definitely a favorite, but Xu Tao was an exception.
Zhao Weiguo spoke seriously: "You're too skinny. Eat more meat."
"I don't like eating meat" Xu Tao admitted. She was grateful for his concern, but she genuinely didn't eat it. She'd never been fond of fatty meat, and the only reason she had finished a large meat bun at the hospital was because she was incredibly hungry.
"..." Zhao Weiguo frowned, seemingly unable to understand Xu Tao’s picky eating habits.
There were actually people who didn’t like eating meat?!
"I really don’t like eating meat." Xu Tao put the red-braised pork back into Zhao Weiguo's bowl and quickly changed the subject. "Does your comrade live far from here?"
"Not far. He lives in the alley behind" Zhao Weiguo explained. "His name is Ye Zhenhua, he retired two years ago, and now he works carrying heavy goods at the market. His wife stays home to take care of the kids"
Xu Tao liked that Zhao Weiguo was clear and straightforward: "It wouldn’t be polite to visit empty-handed. Do you want to go out later and buy some rock candy or dried noodles?"
From her memory, she knew that when visiting relatives in Wensheng, it was common to bring either a pound of rock candy or dried noodles as a gift. Both were considered thoughtful gifts during that time.
"Alright" Zhao Weiguo agreed.
After lunch, Xu Tao cleared the dishes, and Zhao Weiguo, without her asking, took the initiative to wash the dishes. Xu Tao was surprised by his actions but was glad to have the break. She took Zhao Linan outside to water the garden.
Through his interactions with Xu Tao, although Zhao Linan still wasn't very talkative, his natural curiosity had started to awaken. While Xu Tao wasn't paying attention, he stuck his chubby little hands into the water bucket to wash his hands and then helped by pouring water on the plants.
"Xiao Nan!!!" Xu Tao finished watering and turned around to find Zhao Linan's clothes wet. His little hands couldn’t hold the water properly, but he was trying hard to help.
"...?" Zhao Linan, hearing Xu Tao's not-so-happy tone, stopped his action. His short legs took two steps forward, and he scattered the few drops of water he had in his hands onto the ground, saying "Watering" He then looked up at Xu Tao with an innocent expression, as if waiting for praise for his effort.
"You really know how to cause trouble!" Xu Tao tossed the water scoop back into the bucket, pinched his nose, and then picked him up by the armpits.
Zhao Linan smiled bashfully, clearly not understanding that he had made a mess. He didn’t mind that his nose had been pinched and showed off his little white teeth.
"Acting cute is shameful" Xu Tao said, pretending to be angry, but her eyes were filled with affection and amusement.
Children are the most sensitive beings, and they can tell when adults are genuinely angry or just pretending. Zhao Linan, who was being carried, wasn’t scared by Xu Tao’s fake glare, and continued to smile happily in her arms, making it hard for Xu Tao to even pretend to be mad.
"Stay still and don’t move. I’ll check if the clothes I bought this morning are dry. If they’re not, you’ll have to wait bare-bottomed!" Xu Tao stripped Zhao Linan of his wet clothes and let him stand in the living room in his little underwear.
The weather was hot, so Xu Tao wasn’t worried about him catching a cold, but wearing wet clothes could lead to sickness, so she swiftly undressed him.
Zhao Linan didn’t resist. At his age, he didn’t feel embarrassed about not wearing clothes and just stood there, watching Xu Tao’s actions intently.
Xu Tao threw Zhao Linan’s wet clothes into the wash basin, then walked to the yard to check the drying clothes. She felt them, and luckily, they were dry already since it was hot and the clothes were thin.
"Did you purposely get your clothes wet? Hmm?" Xu Tao dressed him in a short-sleeved shirt with a small collar and gray pants, and then, pretending to be angry, asked him.
"No, helping with watering" Zhao Linan firmly shook his head in response.
"Deceiving people will turn you into a little dog" Xu Tao said as she changed his clothes, then pinched his cheek.
The little guy's face was so soft and tender that Xu Tao couldn't resist. She had this habit since she was young, she simply couldn't resist soft, adorable little kids, especially their faces. She always felt an impulse to pat and pinch them because their skin felt so good.
"I'm not lying" Zhao Linan said, puffing up his little chest, his tone firm. Grandma always said that children should be honest and brave.
"Alright then! I believe you" Xu Tao said with a smile, nodding.
Just then, Zhao Weiguo, who had been cleaning the dishes in the kitchen, came out, and she immediately gave him instructions: "Your son is being naughty, making me miss half of the ground I was supposed to water outside. You go water the part I missed, and if it's not too hot later, we can plant the vegetable seeds."
"Okay" Zhao Weiguo responded briefly, but he was truly hardworking. Even when Xu Tao kept giving him various tasks to do, he never complained.
Xu Tao watched Zhao Weiguo watering the garden, then turned to Zhao Linan. "Are you tired? Want to take a nap for a while?" Xu Tao didn't have much experience with children, but she knew that kids of Zhao Linan's age could often fall asleep out of nowhere, one moment they were full of energy, the next they might just fall asleep.
"I'm tired" Zhao Linan said, rubbing his eyes with his little hand after hearing Xu Tao's question. After eating and playing with water, he was feeling sleepy.
"Then go take a nap" Xu Tao said, taking Zhao Linan's hand and leading him to the room. She helped him lie down on the bed for his nap.
Zhao Linan was very obedient. Xu Tao gently covered him with a thin blanket, preparing to tell him a bedtime story. But before she could begin, Zhao Linan had already fallen asleep, and his sleep quality was excellent, he just closed his eyes and fell asleep instantly.
Xu Tao, who often stayed up late and pulled all-nighters in her past life, couldn't help but feel envious. She reached out and pinched the little guy's soft face again before leaving the room.
Since she planned to visit Zhao Weiguo's comrade in the afternoon, Xu Tao asked Zhao Weiguo about the other person's family situation. When she learned that the other family had several children, she decided to prepare some simple snacks as a gift to take with her.
In the kitchen, Xu Tao washed two large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced them, and put them in the steamer. She also took out some flour in preparation.
She planned to make some sweet potato snacks. If she had red beans, she would have made sweet potato red bean paste cakes, which were quite common and easy to make.
Xu Tao would often make them to pass the time when she was bored. But since the ingredients were limited, she had to settle for the simplest recipe.
Zhao Weiguo finished watering the land under the blazing sun, not resting at all. When he saw Xu Tao preparing snacks, he asked "Do you need help with the fire?"
"Yes, but don't make it too big" Xu Tao replied with no objection. She and Zhao Weiguo were still getting to know each other, and Xu Tao wanted to understand more about this man's temper.
However, judging purely from the time they've spent together, Zhao Weiguo was truly much better than most men from later generations. His only flaw might be that he was a man of few words, but Xu Tao actually quite liked men who didn’t talk much.
Talkative men usually had smooth tongues, some of them could be quite chatty, but those who spoke less often got straight to the point. Xu Tao really disliked those smooth-talking men who couldn’t get to the point, especially when it came to arguments or bringing up past issues during a relationship. Those kinds of men could argue better than you, and that would be absolutely frustrating.
Sweet potato snacks were relatively easy to make. Steam the sweet potatoes until soft, mash them, add some sugar, a little yeast, and mix everything together. Then add flour to knead into a dough and let it rise. Once ready, cut it into small pieces and fry them on low heat with some oil.
Xu Tao’s cooking skills were decent. Zhao Weiguo added firewood while watching her, feeling very content with the homely atmosphere.
He had started his military life in his teens, and his days had been filled with training and dealing with a group of comrades. Aside from the canteen aunties and military wives, he had little interaction with women.
His life could be described as monotonous and dull. Watching his wife busy at the stove was something he had never experienced before in his life.
"You seem to really enjoy cooking?" Zhao Weiguo broke the silence in the kitchen and asked.
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