The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
"Thank you, Doctor" Xu Tao held Zhao Li Nan in her arms. The child wasn't running a high fever, but he looked drained, leaning weakly against her with his tiny hand clutching the edge of her coat.
The doctor had seen plenty of cases like this. Every season change kids would fall ill, so he remained calm.
Zhao Li Nan was already the eighth child brought in today.
Hearing this, Xu Tao felt a little less guilty about letting him eat an ice pop. Only a little, though.
After carefully taking the child's temperature, the doctor noted it was close to 38 degrees.
Not severe and prescribed some fever medicine.
"Ow! It hurts! It hurts so much!" In the small clinic, another boy about the same age as Shi Tou was crying out. His fever was much worse than Zhao Li Nan’s, so the doctor had recommended an injection.
At first, the boy put on a brave face, trying to tough it out. But the moment the needle pierced his skin, he couldn’t take it.
He burst into loud, wailing sobs, struggling as his father held him down just long enough for the shot to be administered. His cries filled the entire clinic.
Zhao Li Nan huddled closer to Xu Tao, his small body tensing at the sound. "Mama, will I have to get a shot too?"
"No need to worry. The doctor said you don’t have to" Xu Tao reassured him, blocking his view of the other boy.
Fever shots were usually given in the thigh or hip, and they hurt a sharp, lingering pain that some kids never forgot.
Xu Tao had experienced it herself in her past life. She remembered that pain well and didn’t want Zhao Li Nan to go through it unless absolutely necessary.
Besides, unless a fever was dangerously high, she didn’t believe in giving fever shots. They worked fast, but relying on them too often could make the body resistant.
Once a child had been given a fever shot, regular medicine might not work as effectively in the future, and the cycle would continue.
"Okay" Zhao Li Nan relaxed, burying his face in Xu Tao’s chest.
With the prescription in hand, Xu Tao paid the bill, took the medicine, and carried Zhao Li Nan home. The child clung to her the entire way, staying silent until they were far from the clinic.
"Mommy, I’ll be good from now on. No more ice pops" he mumbled.
Getting sick and nearly needing a shot had scared him. That older boy had cried so hard.
"Your fever wasn’t because of the ice pop. Didn’t the doctor say it was because of the weather getting colder?" Xu Tao didn’t want him to feel guilty.
It had been the first time he’d ever begged her for something so insistently. If he associated it with getting sick, he might never dare to ask for anything again.
"But when it’s cold, no more ice pops, okay? You have to remember that" Her voice was gentle but firm.
"Okay" Zhao Li Nan nodded seriously, wrapping his little arms around her neck.
Xu Tao could tell he was still shaken by the memory of the crying boy. She sighed, rubbing his head as she carried him home.
By the time they arrived, the sun had already set. The air in Old Eight Alley turned chilly fast in the evenings. Xu Tao changed Zhao Li Nan into fresh clothes and tucked him into bed.
"Here, take your medicine" She gave him a couple of biscuits first, knowing medicine on an empty stomach could be rough. Only after he had eaten did she feed him the fever medicine.
Once he had taken his dose, Xu Tao got to work. She lit the small coal stove and started making porridge.
She had just finished washing the rice and setting it in the pot when Zhao Li Nan called out from the bedroom.
"Mommy!"
She wiped her hands and walked over. "What’s wrong?"
"My toy is missing" His face was full of frustration and disappointment.
He had plenty of toys, but his favorite was a little car. Lying in bed had gotten boring, so he had gone to his toy box to find it, but only to come up empty-handed. His lips pressed together, and he looked ready to cry.
"How could it be missing? Isn't it usually kept in this box?"
Zhao Li'nan had a lot of toys, so Xu Tao had Zhao Weiguo make a wooden box to store them.
Zhao Li'nan was a bit obsessive about keeping things organized. His toys little cars, toy frogs, marbles, and slingshots were always neatly arranged in the box after he played with them.
When Xu Tao walked over to check, the little car was indeed gone, and it seemed like a couple of the toy frogs were missing too.
"This is..." Xu Tao frowned, puzzled.
Zhao Li'nan always put his toys away properly and never left them lying around. If they suddenly disappeared, then they had most likely been stolen.
She picked up Zhao Li'nan, who was standing on the floor in his slippers, and carried him to the next room. Moving quickly, she opened a small box inside the desk drawer.
It was where she kept some emergency cash. But when she looked inside, the two or three hundred yuan that had been there was gone. The money had clearly been stolen. If that was the case, then Zhao Li'nan's missing toys were probably stolen too.
"Mommy?" Zhao Li'nan looked at Xu Tao, confused.
A mix of emotions ran through her. She always locked the door when leaving, but that afternoon, Zhao Li'nan had suddenly developed a fever. In her rush to take him to the clinic, she had only pulled the door shut without locking it.
She hadn't thought that one moment of carelessness would invite a thief into their home.
There were no security cameras, no evidence. It would be nearly impossible to track down the thief.
Still, her instincts immediately turned to Lin Xiaoqiang from across the alley. She wasn't accusing a five- or six-year-old out of malice. It was just that she had seen him earlier that day, and now Zhao Li'nan's toys were missing.
If an adult had stolen from them, they wouldn’t have bothered taking a few children’s toys. That meant the culprit was most likely a child.
Xu Tao wasn't particularly upset about the money, but she hated this kind of sneaky behavior. A child could have a bad temper or lack manners, but stealing was different. That was a matter of character, and it couldn't be ignored.
Still, she was only guessing.
Meanwhile, Zhao Li'nan, already feeling unwell, was heartbroken over his missing toys. He clung to Xu Tao’s shoulder, sniffing and whimpering. "My toys..."
It was rare for him to cry, and he looked pitiful doing it.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Weiguo had just returned from work. As soon as he stepped inside, he heard the sound of Zhao Li'nan sobbing. He didn't even take a moment to wash his hands before heading straight to the room.
Xu Tao glanced at him but kept holding Zhao Li'nan close, her hand gently stroking his head. "Li'nan had a slight fever this afternoon. I was in a hurry to take him to the clinic, so I didn't have time to lock the door. When we got back, his toys were gone, and the money I kept in the box was missing too."
She gestured toward the empty box in the drawer. The thief had taken everything, down to the last five-cent coin.
Fortunately, she kept the family's savings book hidden between the pages of a book and locked away in a separate drawer.
"Someone stole from us?" Zhao Weiguo's brows furrowed.
"Yes" She explained the situation and also mentioned how she had bought Zhao Li'nan an ice pop earlier.
His fever was partly due to the sudden change in weather, but the ice pop had likely played a role too. She wasn’t going to deny it, she had given in when Zhao Li'nan begged.
"Still want ice pops from now on?" Zhao Weiguo wasn’t about to coddle him. He knew Xu Tao hadn’t meant any harm, and he could hear the guilt in her voice. So instead of blaming her, he reached out to tousle her hair, then turned to Zhao Li'nan.
The boy quickly shook his head, looking up at him with teary eyes. "Dad, my toys are gone."
"Yes, they're gone. We’ll buy new ones later" Zhao Weiguo reassured him before shifting his gaze to Xu Tao. "I’d bet it was someone from the alley. Someone familiar."
Xu Tao had only been gone for an hour at most. Whoever did it had likely acted on impulse after seeing the door left ajar.
Given those circumstances, there was no doubt it was someone nearby.
"I suspect Lin Xiaoqiang." Xu Tao spoke quietly in the kitchen, keeping her voice low. "I'm not jumping to conclusions. It just makes sense."
Most of the children in Laoba Alley were decent, except for Lin Xiaoqiang. He was the one bad apple in the bunch.
She made sure to keep Zhao Li'nan distracted before bringing it up, comforting him first and stepping outside before speaking to Zhao Weiguo about her suspicions.
She also told him about running into Lin Xiaoqiang on her way back home.
"Can we report it to the police for just two hundred yuan?"
If filing a report was an option, she wouldn’t hesitate. If Lin Xiaoqiang really was the one who stole from them, she wasn’t going to let it slide just because he was a kid.
"We can give it a try." Zhao Weiguo nodded.
If Lin Xiaoqiang had taken the money and the toys, a visit from the police would probably scare the truth out of him.
"I'll head over to the station before it gets dark." He washed his hands and got ready to leave.
"Alright." Xu Tao nodded, then turned back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Zhao Li'nan wasn’t feeling well, and now his toys were gone too. He was miserable, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. Finally, he climbed out, slipped on his shoes, and wandered into the kitchen.
"Mama, I can't sleep"
"Then how about keeping Mama company while she makes dinner?"
Xu Tao didn’t force the child to sleep. Instead, she dressed him warmly, making sure he was well-covered, then let Zhao Li’nan sit by the stove, where it was noticeably warmer than the rest of the house.
"Mm" Zhao Li’nan nodded, rubbing his small hands together.
Seeing this, Xu Tao grabbed an empty bottle, the same one Zhao Weiguo had used for liquor last time.
She heated some water, filled the bottle to the top, sealed it tightly, and handed it to the child to warm his hands.
"Mama, it's warm!" Zhao Li’nan’s little face lit up as he clutched the bottle. His earlier gloominess finally faded, replaced by a bright smile.
Xu Tao chuckled and patted his cheek before turning back to make dinner. She sliced a few potatoes, planning to stir-fry them, then prepared some leafy greens and a dish of pork liver that Zhao Weiguo had brought home from work. Lastly, she put on a pot of egg-drop soup.
Zhao Weiguo returned from the police station fairly quickly. While Xu Tao was still chatting with Zhao Li’nan inside, a familiar voice rang out from outside.
She glanced at the egg-drop soup, now ready to be served, ladled it into a bowl, and turned off the stove before picking up Zhao Li’nan and stepping outside.
Out in the alley, Zhao Weiguo stood tall and rigid.
Beside him were Zhan Yue and a uniformed police officer. Both men wore serious expressions.
Another officer had a firm grip on Lin Xiaoqiang, a tearful child clutching several bags of trendy snacks in one hand and gripping a small toy car in the other.
Xu Tao’s eyes landed on the toy car, and in an instant, she knew. There was no doubt about it, Lin Xiaoqiang had snuck into their house, stolen Zhao Li’nan’s toy, and taken their money. Her suspicions had been right all along.
"You’re making this up! My Xiaoqiang is such a good boy, he would never steal!" Lin Laotaitai shrieked, her voice sharp with indignation. She lunged forward, trying to pull Lin Xiaoqiang behind her protectively.
Zhan Yue’s colleague didn’t let go. "The evidence is clear. Lin Xiaoqiang already admitted he stole from the Zhao family. Denying it won’t change the truth."
Zhan Yue’s voice was firm and authoritative, his police uniform adding to his commanding presence.
Earlier, when Zhao Weiguo reported the theft at the police station, Zhan Yue and his colleague took on the case.
Their investigation led them straight to the small convenience store in the alley, where they caught Lin Xiaoqiang red-handed.
The boy wasted no time spending the stolen money. He had gone on a shopping spree, loading up on his favorite snacks.
He even bought a slingshot and a toy gun, convinced that since no one had caught him in the act, there would be no consequences.
Given the Lin family’s lax parenting, it wasn’t surprising. With the way they raised their children, it was inevitable that Lin Xiaoqiang would pick up bad habits.
At first, he denied everything. But one stern look from Zhan Yue, paired with a few well-placed words of warning, had the six-year-old breaking down in tears and confessing everything.
Zhao Weiguo hadn’t intended to pursue the matter too harshly. After all, the culprit was just a young child, barely old enough to understand right from wrong.
The adults weren’t sure what the best course of action was at most, they figured he needed a serious talking-to.
But then Zhao Weiguo thought of his son, still feverish and sluggish from being sick. That changed everything. If no one taught Lin Xiaoqiang a lesson now, what was stopping him from stealing again?
If the adults let this slide just because he was young, he might believe there were no real consequences.
That was why Zhan Yue and the officer had knocked on the Lin family’s door, leading to the confrontation now unfolding.
The moment Lin Laotaitai heard the accusation, her face darkened. She refused to admit the truth, twisting the situation however she could.
Zhan Yue pointed at the toys and snacks in Lin Xiaoqiang’s hands. "Do you know where he got the money to buy these?"
"I gave it to him! So what? He’s my grandson, I give him money all the time!" Lin Laotaitai snapped, her arms tightening around the boy protectively.
"And exactly how much did you give him?" Zhan Yue pressed.
"I…" Lin Laotaitai hesitated, her expression wavering. Her eyes flicked to the slingshot, toy gun, and the pile of snacks, doing a quick mental calculation.
Deciding they couldn’t have cost too much, she clenched her jaw and blurted out a number. "I gave him ten yuan!"
Ten yuan was a considerable sum, more than enough for a child to buy some treats and a small toy.
"Then explain why Lin Xiaoqiang has 271 yuan on him" Zhan Yue’s tone was sharp. "One yuan bought the slingshot. Two yuan for the toy gun. The rest went toward these snacks."
Having dealt with all sorts of people at the police station, Zhan Yue had long grown used to situations like this. Honest folk feared stepping into a police station.
But shameless, thick-skinned troublemakers? They treated it like their personal playground, making ridiculous demands and throwing tantrums without a shred of embarrassment.
"H-how much?" Lin Laotaitai’s voice faltered. The number stunned her. She had never expected it to be so much.
Lin Laotaitai had lived her entire life without ever having two hundred yuan to her name. The idea that Xu Tao would leave that much money lying around the house was simply unimaginable to her.
"That much?" she muttered in disbelief.
Zhan Yue let out a cold laugh. "Yes, that much. We found exactly two hundred seventy-one yuan on Lin Xiaoqiang." He pulled out the money and held it up for her to see.
Lin Laotaitai froze, at a complete loss for words. It took her a long moment to react.
She stepped forward and gave Lin Xiaoqiang a light slap on the rear. "You brat, what were you thinking?"
Then, turning to the others, she forced a laugh. "He's just a kid. He didn't know any better. How about we just forget this whole thing?"
With solid proof in front of her and the police involved, Lin Laotaitai couldn't argue her way out of this one.
She had planned to deny everything, to kick up a fuss if necessary, but now, she had no choice but to fall back on Lin Xiaoqiang's age as an excuse.
"A child that young needs even more guidance" Zhan Yue said sternly. "Since the amount stolen exceeds two hundred yuan, we would normally open a case. However, given his age, we will issue a verbal warning instead. That said, you are required to compensate the victim for their loss."
Lin Laotaitai hesitated, her confidence faltering. "How much do we have to pay?"
She had always been sharp-tongued and quick to argue, but after Lin Fang was taken away for questioning last time, she had lost much of her bravado. Lin Fang had given her a thorough scolding afterward, warning her to be more careful.
At times like this, it was better for her to lower her voice, at least to keep the neighbors in the alley from finding out that her little cockroach was stealing things.
Still, she didn't think Lin Xiaoqiang had done anything wrong. Instead, she resented the Zhao family for making a fuss over a little missing money. Reporting it to the police? That was just excessive.
"How much was stolen in total?" Zhan Yue asked Zhao Weiguo.
Standing on the doorstep, Xu Tao immediately spoke up. "I had two hundred eighty-five yuan and five fen, plus my son Xiaonan’s toy car and toy frog, along with a few other toys. Altogether, they’re worth about eight yuan."
Her tone remained calm as she listed the amount and the items taken.
Lin Xiaoqiang might be able to return the toys, but Xu Tao had already decided that she didn't want them back.
If the Lin family refused to pay for them, she'd simply throw them away and buy new ones.
It wasn’t just about the money, she found the idea of giving them back to Zhao Linan downright disgusting.
"Two hundred eighty-five yuan and five fen" Zhan Yue repeated. "Subtracting the two hundred seventy-one yuan recovered, that leaves fourteen yuan and five fen. Add the toys' value, and the total compensation is twenty-two yuan and five fen."
He didn't bother rounding down.
Lin Laotaitai's face darkened. "Twenty-two yuan? Why should we pay for the toys when we’re returning them?"
"Because they were stolen, touched, and now I find them filthy" Xu Tao said flatly.
"Filthy? What are you talking about? They're perfectly fine!" Lin Laotaitai’s voice sharpened, her glare fixed on Xu Tao.
She looked ready to unleash a tirade but ultimately held back, settling for a loud complaint instead.
Xu Tao scoffed, unimpressed. Clearly, Lin Laotaitai didn’t understand what she meant. Call it petty if she wanted, but Xu Tao refused to let Zhao Linan play with something that had been in Lin Xiaoqiang’s hands.
"Forget the toys" Zhao Weiguo interjected. "Just pay the fifteen yuan and five fen."
He understood Xu Tao’s standards and had no patience for arguing with Lin Laotaitai over something so trivial. Getting their money back was all that really mattered.
Lin Laotaitai turned to Lin Xiaoqiang, her frustration boiling over. "What did you even spend all that money on? Fifteen yuan? That’s enough to feed you for days!"
Lin Xiaoqiang wiped his nose with a grimy sleeve, sniffling as he answered through his tears. "I bought a slingshot, rat droppings, and guopi dan"
"That doesn't add up to that much!" she snapped.
"I...I don’t know!" he wailed, breaking into loud sobs. He had no idea how much money he’d taken, he just knew it was a lot and stuffed it all into his pockets.
Lin Laotaitai was livid. "You're going to be the death of me!" She turned back to Xu Tao, her voice adopting a coaxing tone.
"Are you sure you counted right? He only bought a few little things, and those don’t cost anywhere near fifteen yuan. Come on, we’re neighbors. We see each other every day. Xiaoqiang’s just a kid. Let’s not be so petty about this. I’ll give you two yuan, and we’ll call it even."
She spoke as if the matter had already been settled, fishing two yuan out of her pocket with an expression of great reluctance.
Xu Tao raised an eyebrow, disgusted.
Two yuan? Lin Laotaitai was unbelievable.
"Fifteen yuan and five fen" Xu Tao said firmly. "Not a single cent less."
Lin Laotaitai scowled. "I won’t pay! Xiaoqiang barely bought anything. Why should I hand over fifteen yuan? I don’t have that kind of money!"
Grabbing Lin Xiaoqiang by the hand, she turned and made a run for it, dragging him toward their house.
o0o