The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
Xu Tao cut the snack into pieces and was about to start frying them when she heard Zhao Weiguo's question. She glanced at him and honestly shook her head: "I don't like it"
She truly wasn't someone who enjoyed spending time in the kitchen, but she was well aware of her current situation. Unless she found a suitable job, she would likely spend most of her time around the kitchen in the future.
Zhao Weiguo, clearly not expecting such an answer, pursed his lips and looked at Xu Tao without saying a word.
Xu Tao quickly finished making the snack, while Zhao Weiguo managed the heat perfectly. Soon, a small pot of sweet potato snacks was ready, and Xu Tao placed them on a plate to cool.
"Here! Help me taste it" Xu Tao placed the snacks aside and motioned for Zhao Weiguo to try. She also took a piece herself.
"If there were red bean filling, it would taste even better" Xu Tao commented, then took off her apron and went to check on Zhao Linan, who was taking an afternoon nap.
Once the little one woke up, they could go out together. "I'll go check on Xiao Nan, you can pack up the snacks"
"Okay" Zhao Weiguo responded while eating a piece of the snack. It tasted sweet and tender, with a slightly crispy outside since it was freshly made.
After Xu Tao finished her snack, feeling somewhat pleased with her cooking, she washed her hands in the yard and then walked to the room.
Inside, Zhao Linan was already awake. The little one was lying quietly on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, curled up into a small ball.
Xu Tao looked at the small figure and vaguely heard the sound of soft sobs. Her heart ached, and she quickly walked over, gently lifting the blanket. What she saw was the obedient little one with red eyes, his face covered in tears.
Zhao Linan, feeling the blanket being lifted, slowly raised his head. His eyes met Xu Tao’s, and he continued to sob, as if he had been crying quietly for a while.
"What's wrong? Xiao Nan, why are you crying? Are you feeling unwell?" Xu Tao asked gently, her voice soft and tender, a tone she had never used before.
Seeing the little one crying so pitifully made her heart ache. The little one had always been obedient, and even his small mischief at lunch had been innocent and cute. Seeing him cry like this made her truly feel sorry for him.
"Whimper..." Upon hearing Xu Tao's question, Zhao Linan's quiet sobs became slightly louder.
Xu Tao immediately sat on the edge of the bed, lifted the little one into her lap, and gently wiped his tears. She kissed his head to comfort him. "Tell Mommy what happened, okay?"
The little one, still sniffing, reached his little hands to Xu Tao's neck and nestled into her arms. "I miss Grandma" In this unfamiliar environment, and after waking up alone in the room, the little one naturally felt scared.
Upon hearing this, Xu Tao’s heart softened. She wished she could satisfy his longing for Grandma, but instead, she could only hold him and rub his head gently, trying to comfort him. "Grandma is in the old home, it's far from here. We’ll go visit her during the New Year, okay?"
"New Year? How long is that?" His voice, still tinged with sobs, sounded confused and soft.
Xu Tao thought carefully for a moment. "Well, it’s still a few months away"
"A few months? How long is that?" Zhao Linan asked, still wanting a more specific answer.
Xu Tao felt a little troubled. The little one hadn’t learned how to count yet, and while she could explain "a few months" she wasn’t sure if he would understand.
"It’s a long time, like when we need to wear thick clothes, and it snows" Xu Tao said as she lifted him out of the room. "Mom made some tasty snacks, would you like to try some?" Since she couldn't really explain it clearly, she decided to change the topic. Food was always a great way to distract a child, and luckily, she had just made some snacks.
"Snacks?" As Xu Tao held him, Zhao Linan, who had calmed down a bit after their brief conversation, no longer cried, though his eyes were still red.
"Yes, they're fragrant and soft" Xu Tao took him to the kitchen and offered him a piece of snack. "Open your mouth"
Zhao Linan obediently opened his little mouth and bit into the sweet potato snack. He liked the soft, sweet taste.
"Is it good?"
"Mm" His tear-streaked eyes finally showed a hint of a smile.
"How about we wash our faces first before eating? You were crying like a little kitten earlier" Xu Tao put the snack down and patiently asked him.
For some reason, she found herself being unusually patient with him. In the past, she had tried helping friends take care of their children, and she had been scared of it. The loud, restless kids used to make her afraid of marriage.
But now, facing Zhao Linan, Xu Tao found a patience in herself that she had never known before. She even wondered about it herself. Of course, she thought it was partly because Zhao Linan was so cute and well-behaved.
How many mothers could remain cold-hearted when dealing with such an adorable, soft, and well-behaved little boy?
"Okay" Zhao Linan still wanted to eat more snacks but agreed without fuss.
"Did you cry after waking up?" Zhao Weiguo, after eating a couple of pieces of snack, divided them into two portions one to keep for themselves and the other to take to a friend’s child. He put one portion in a small basket and covered it, just as Xu Tao returned with Zhao Linan. The little one, with eyes as red as a rabbit’s, clearly had been crying.
"Even crying while sleeping, it's really so spoiled it gives him a headache"
"I miss his grandma" Xu Tao responded, then had Zhao Weiguo prepare hot water for the little one to wash his face. After tidying him up, Xu Tao set him down and handed him two pieces of pastry. "Eat up! After you finish, mom will take you out to play"
"Mm" Zhao Linan, who had just woken up, had already thrown the loneliness and longing behind, obediently munching on the pastries, one in each hand, eating in a delicate and adorable manner. Once he finished the two pieces, Xu Tao fed him a couple of sips of water. The little one soon regained his energy.
Xu Tao smiled at Zhao Linan, then reminded Zhao Weiguo "Let's go!"
"I split the pastry into two parts, leaving half at home" Zhao Weiguo said, holding the basket as they headed out, speaking to Xu Tao.
The two sweet potatoes were quite large, and with some flour, there were plenty of little pastries. Taking just half wasn't too shabby. "I see Xiao Nan really likes them, so it's good to leave some for him"
"Don't spoil him too much!" Zhao Weiguo silently chose not to say anything else, watching Xu Tao follow behind Zhao Linan out the door. He had renewed his perception of Xu Tao's affection for Zhao Linan, feeling how genuine or superficial her care was.
"I'm not spoiling him!" Xu Tao turned back to glance at Zhao Weiguo and replied defensively.
Zhao Weiguo silently chose to stay quiet.
The Ye Zhenhua family also lived on Shuiyin Road, but they resided at the far end of an old alley. It was a bit more isolated, and the rent was cheaper, but it only took about ten minutes to walk there. In no time, the family of three reached the end of the alley.
"This is it!" Zhao Weiguo took the food and knocked on the door.
Upon hearing the knock, a voice responded from inside the yard. A moment later, an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl came out holding a younger girl by the hand. The younger girl seemed slightly older than Zhao Linan, around four or five years old, with two cute pigtails, looking at them with a puzzled expression.
"Uncle Zhao" the older girl smiled and called out as she recognized Zhao Weiguo.
Hearing her sister, the younger girl followed suit and called out in a soft voice, but her eyes were filled with curiosity and confusion: "Uncle Zhao"
"Xiao Qin, Xiao Shu, are your parents home?" Zhao Weiguo asked.
"Today's market delivery, my dad was called to help carry goods, he'll be back later. My mom is home!" Xiao Qin, the older girl, answered politely and immediately invited them inside.
Xu Tao stood aside, holding Zhao Linan's hand, watching the older girl biting her finger while curiously staring at Zhao Linan. "Sister, brother..." she said, tugging on her sister Xiao Qin's clothes.
"Uncle Zhao, is this auntie and the little brother?" Xiao Qin smiled at Xu Tao and Zhao Linan and asked.
"Yes" Zhao Weiguo answered as he walked inside.
In the living room, a middle-aged woman immediately stood up. Wearing an apron, she smiled and greeted Zhao Weiguo "Weiguo, you're here! Come, sit inside"
"Sister-in-law, my wife brought the child to Yangcheng, and since we had nothing to do today, I brought her to meet the neighbors" Zhao Weiguo said, introducing Xu Tao beside him.
"Is this your sister-in-law? She's really beautiful! Come in, come in, I'll get you some water" The woman smiled at Xu Tao and praised her, then awkwardly invited them to sit at the table, explaining "I’ve been taking care of a few kids at home, and there’s nothing much to do, so I’ve been helping at the nearby factory stringing beads and gluing small flowers to earn some pocket money. The house is a bit messy because of all the stuff"
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, you don't need to make a special effort for us" Xu Tao politely responded.
As she entered, she saw the living room filled with things, and in the corner sat a girl, a few years younger than Xiao Qin, who was skillfully stringing beads and gluing small flowers.
In the distance, there was a rough wooden baby walker with a child just starting to take her first steps, seemingly a girl.
They have four daughters? Xu Tao was a bit surprised by the number of children. On the way here, she hadn't asked Zhao Weiguo, only knowing that the Ye family had children, but she hadn't expected there to be four girls.
"Uncle Zhao, Aunt Zhao, hello!" The girl sitting on a small stool, skillfully stringing beads, also raised her face in a smile and greeted them politely.
"Hello!" Xu Tao smiled back at the little girl.
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