The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
"Qin, go pour some water for Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao. Come on, Weiguo, little sister, please sit down and rest for a while" The eldest daughter was asked to go to the kitchen to pour tea, while Wu Hui smiled and greeted Xu Tao and the others.
"Sister-in-law, this is my wife, Xu Tao" Zhao Weiguo didn’t sit down but turned slightly to introduce Xu Tao to the woman.
"Xu Tao, this is my comrade Ye Zhenhua's wife, Wu Hui. The one going to pour water is their eldest daughter, Ye Xiaoqin. This is their second daughter, Ye Xiaoqi, the third daughter, Ye Xiaoshu, and that little girl over there is the youngest, Ye Xiaohua"
"Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua, you’ve got all the arts covered. Sister-in-law, you’re really lucky!" Xu Tao smiled and responded after hearing Zhao Weiguo’s introduction.
"What luck are you talking about? They're all girls. Their father and I are exhausted trying to support them" Wu Hui could tell Xu Tao’s praise was sincere, not sarcastic. However, looking at her four daughters, she still felt a bit heavy-hearted and disappointed.
She really wanted to have a son to carry on the family name, but unfortunately, her womb didn’t cooperate. All four were daughters. Now, with the country implementing family planning, she didn’t know what to do. On top of that, with four girls, feeding, clothing, and schooling them was a constant headache.
Xu Tao pursed her lips and said "In a few years, when these girls have grown up, things will be different"
Xu Tao's thoughts were from two or three decades later, a time when the gender ratio would be drastically different. What might have been considered a disadvantage for girls might change, and as these girls grew up, they would become highly sought after by families.
"Little sister, you really know how to talk!" Wu Hui had suffered a lot in her husband’s family and her own family for having only daughters. She had often been criticized and pointed at, and this was the first time she had been genuinely responded to with such kindness.
Indeed, it was difficult to support four daughters, but if she could have a son, the four older sisters would surely help take care of him, and he would have a better life.
"I’m speaking from the heart" Xu Tao smiled. "Sister-in-law, these are some snacks I made myself. They taste pretty good, try them"
"You made these snacks? You’re really amazing!" Wu Hui exclaimed, looking at Xu Tao with admiration, glancing at the basket of small snacks.
When Xu Tao and the others entered, Wu Hui had already smelled the sweet aroma and hadn’t expected them to be snacks. Wu Hui was good at cooking, but with the daily grind of managing meals, she lacked the patience to make delicate dishes. She truly admired Xu Tao, who had the patience to make such treats.
"Mom, it smells so good!" Ye Xiaoshu, who was about four or five years old, innocently moved closer to Wu Hui. She couldn’t resist the temptation of the snacks.
"You little glutton" Wu Hui said with some embarrassment, explaining to Xu Tao, then picked up a piece of snack and handed it to the little girl. "You should thank Aunt Zhao"
"Thank you, Aunt Zhao" Ye Xiaoshu immediately thanked Xu Tao after receiving a snack, then ran over to her second sister. "Sister, it’s so delicious. Have a bite"
"No, you eat it yourself!" Ye Xiaoqi, the second daughter, was very considerate. Though she too was tempted by the snack, she managed to resist.
"Uncle Zhao, Aunt Zhao, please have some tea!" At this moment, Ye Xiaoqin, the eldest daughter, quickly poured two cups of tea. The girl, about eleven or twelve, was slim and appeared very polite and well-behaved.
"Thank you" Xu Tao thanked the little girl as she took the cup of tea.
Ye Xiaoqin was a bit surprised that Xu Tao had thanked her so gently, and she became a little shy. "No need to thank me. By the way, Aunt Zhao, I put some tea leaves in the water. Please see if it suits your taste. If you don’t like it, I can switch it for plain water"
"This tea is from this year’s Qingming Festival. Little Qin specifically went to pick it. Our hometown is in F province, and there’s a saying there that tea picked before Qingming is good for the eyes" Wu Hui continued with a smile. "It’s not the best tea, and it’s a bit bitter, but it’s refreshing. Her dad drinks a big pot every day before going out!"
"Then I’ll have to try it. I’ve heard people say that the tea from F province is really good. I’m glad I finally have a chance to taste it" Xu Tao responded with a smile. F province and Wensheng Province were neighboring provinces, and F province’s tea was famous throughout the country.
"Yes! Our area is known for its tea" Wu Hui nodded in agreement.
"They say F province is beautiful with its clear mountains and waters, and it’s an ideal place for living" Xu Tao added.
"It is a good place to live. We grow crops and manage the tea mountains there. Though we’re not rich, life is peaceful. Even when we’re short on food, we’re not starving. Unlike here in Yangcheng, where you have to spend money everywhere" Wu Hui said wistfully, her eyes full of longing.
"Now that the country is implementing family planning, Old Ye and I had hoped to have a son to carry on the family name, but the government hasn’t had much success with the policy, and people in the village aren’t cooperating. They started forcibly sterilizing people, and I had no choice but to take the kids and run to Yangcheng. It’s far away, so even if they try to catch me, they can’t" Wu Hui added, referring to Ye Zhenhua, Zhao Weiguo’s comrade, her husband.
"..." Xu Tao, who lived in a time when two-child and three-child policies were in place, felt unsure how to respond to Wu Hui’s words. Back then, young couples didn’t want children, and many were childless by choice. Hearing Wu Hui’s desire for another child, she silently looked at the four girls in the house, not knowing how to reply.
She had heard the older generation talk about how, during the family planning period, aside from some families with stable jobs, others would do everything they could to have more children. As the saying goes, "The higher the policy, the greater the countermeasures" Family planning couldn’t stop rural families from wanting sons, and their determination seemed as strong as the tactics used in the past wars.
"Mom, I want some water" Zhao Linan had been quietly standing beside Xu Tao, probably tired after running around, and he gently tugged at Xu Tao’s sleeve.
When Xu Tao heard that the little one wanted some water, she immediately picked up the tea cup on the table. "It’s a bit hot. I’ll blow on it for you first" Tea leaves were brewed with boiling water, which was why Xu Tao set the cup aside to cool.
"Mm" Zhao Linan nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the tea cup in Xu Tao’s hand, clearly eager to taste it.
"Xiaoqin, you little girl, how come you didn’t pour a cup of tea for your little brother?" Wu Hui looked at the energetic Zhao Linan with envy, then immediately scolded Ye Xiaoqin for not being thoughtful.
"I..." Ye Xiaoqin bit her lip, looking a bit bitter.
"Sister-in-law, don't mention Xiao Qin, this guy is just curious about something new. I'm just letting him try a bit of the taste" Xu Tao replied while continuing to blow on the teacup, carefully waiting for the temperature to drop before gently bringing it to Zhao Li Nan's lips. "Drink slowly, it's a bit hot"
"Mmm" Zhao Li Nan nodded, carefully pursing his lips and bringing them to the teacup. He cautiously extended his tongue and took two sips, but the taste of the tea made him wrinkle his little face in distaste.
Xu Tao watched him, curious to see if he would spit it out.
Zhao Li Nan didn’t spit it out. Although he looked disgusted, he still forced himself to swallow the tea. Then, scrunching up his face, he pushed the cup away, saying, "Bitter, tastes like medicine!"
"That's how tea leaves are!" Xu Tao pinched Zhao Li Nan's little scrunched-up face gently, her tone soft. "Do you still want more?"
Zhao Li Nan immediately shook his head, then waddled over to where Ye Xiaoqin had already sat down, starting to string beads to make little flowers.
Xu Tao laughed and shrugged at Wu Hui. "I knew it, this little guy is just curious"
"Kids are always like this, and pouring a cup of tea isn’t a big deal! Since Xiao Nan doesn't like tea, I'll go get him some plain water" Wu Hui said as she looked at Zhao Li Nan with a look of envy. Having four daughters, she really longed for a son.
"No need!" Xu Tao quickly refused.
But Wu Hui didn’t listen and went straight to the kitchen to get water.
Xu Tao sat on the stool, glancing at Zhao Weiguo, who seemed a bit helpless. But when she looked at Zhao Li Nan, who was curiously peering at Ye Xiaoqin’s side, his little chubby hand reaching toward the shiny beads, she called out, "Xiao Nan, don't make trouble for your sister!"
"..." Hearing Xu Tao's voice, Zhao Li Nan quickly pulled his chubby hand back and obediently looked at her.
Knock knock knock—
The wooden door in the yard was knocked again, with a somewhat heavy sound.
Ye Xiaoqin had just sat down to string the beads when she heard the knocking sound. She stood up and went to open the door. A man in his thirties stood outside, dressed simply, his skin tanned dark from the sun.
"Uncle, who are you looking for?" Ye Xiaoqin didn’t recognize the man at the door and asked with confusion.
"Little girl, is this the home of Ye Zhenhua?" The man looked at Ye Xiaoqin for a moment before asking uncertainly.
"Yes"
"Is your family’s elder at home? Your dad was hit by some falling goods at the market today. We’ve taken him to the hospital. Someone from your family should go to the hospital to check on him" the man hesitated but still delivered the message.
The market collapsed and he was hit by goods!? What a coincidence! Could it be that today, at the wholesale market, the person who was crushed by goods was Ye Zhenhua, Zhao Weiguo’s comrade-in-arms? Sitting inside the house, Xu Tao also heard the man’s words and was shocked.
"Mom, mom..." Hearing the man’s words, Ye Xiaoqin immediately became panicked. The twelve-year-old girl, though seemingly calm, had never experienced such a crisis. She probably understood what the man meant. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes as she called out for Wu Hui.
Wu Hui had just brought out a cup of water and was about to place it on the table. She heard the knocking while in the kitchen and, curious, came out. She overheard the man’s words, almost dropping the water cup. Just in time, Xu Tao quickly reached out to steady the cup.
‘...’ Wu Hui also became at a loss for what to do. ''Did he just say... my old Ye was crushed by goods?" Her trembling lips and panicked voice were obvious signs of her distress.
In this era, men were often the backbone of the family. When a wife hears that her husband is in trouble, panic is a normal response"
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