The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
"You guys refusing to cooperate like this, we have the right to handle this according to the law" Zhan Yue could only try to intimidate Old Madam Lin while preventing her from going home.
"Are you planning to take Xiao Qiang to the police station too? My Xiao Qiang just bought a little food, here, take it back!" Old Madam Lin grabbed Lin Xiaoqiang’s hand, snatched the things from him, and threw them to the ground.
"Here you go, is this enough for you?" Old Madam Lin was shameless and defiant.
It was evening, the peak time for people getting off work. Many neighbors passing through the alley noticed the police officers surrounding the Lin family’s house and quickly gathered around to watch.
Although the Lin family was no stranger to causing trouble, people never got tired of the spectacle.
"Mom…"
Lin Fang had just gotten off work from the post office when she saw a crowd gathering in the alley. She could hear her mother’s voice and, recognizing her, the onlookers made way for her.
Confused, Lin Fang walked in and saw Lin Xiaoqiang crying, his face dirty. Her mother looked furious. "Mom, what happened?"
Old Madam Lin glanced at her daughter, then at the growing crowd, feeling a little guilty and unsure how to explain.
But the neighbors were more than happy to explain, some even gloating.
"Your Xiao Qiang stole something."
"Sigh! They say a thief starts small stealing needles as a kid, stealing gold when grown! That old woman is protecting him now, but he’ll turn into a scoundrel one day!"
"I lost a pair of shoes a few days ago. Could it be Lin Xiaoqiang?"
"Probably! Now that you mention it, half my rice disappeared recently. I wonder if…"
The neighbors whispered among themselves, making baseless accusations.
Zhao Weiguo initially felt a little sorry for Lin Xiaoqiang, thinking it was too harsh of a lesson for a child to be labeled a thief in the alley.
But Old Madam Lin's protective attitude made Zhao Weiguo realize that she didn’t care at all.
To her, being pointed at by the neighbors was no big deal.
"Lin Xiaoqiang, what did you do?!"
The rest of the Lin family might not care about their reputation, but Lin Fang did.
She had already been to the police station once because of Xiao Baogui, and it nearly cost her job at the post office.
If word got out that Lin Xiaoqiang was stealing, it would drag her down too.
Losing her job at the post office? Just thinking about it made Lin Fang panic.
She was so furious she wanted to vomit blood, but she had to keep calm in front of the police officers.
When she heard from Zhan Yue that they needed to compensate for the theft, she gritted her teeth and handed over her hard-earned salary.
"We can’t pay! Xiao Qiang only spent two yuan!" Old Madam Lin tried to stop her, her chest aching at the thought of paying fifteen yuan.
Fifteen yuan! That could buy so much meat, several pieces of clothing, or even a few chickens!
Lin Fang, listening to her mother’s protests, was seething.
She didn’t want to pay either, she had worked an entire month, barely received her wages, and now had to hand over more than half?
But no matter how unwilling she was, she couldn’t afford to be arrogant in front of the police.
She reluctantly handed the money to Zhan Yue, glaring at Xu Tao before dragging Old Madam Lin home.
BANG!
The door of the Lin house was slammed shut from inside, and soon after, the sound of Lin Xiaoqiang crying rang out.
No doubt, he was getting beaten.
"Why are you hitting the child?! He’s still young!"
As expected, Old Madam Lin’s voice soon followed, defending him again.
The alley finally quieted down. The neighbors, satisfied with the show, dispersed and returned to their homes.
Zhan Yue handed Zhao Weiguo the 200 yuan, including the compensation from Lin Fang.
"Here you go, Brother Guo"
Zhao Weiguo took the money and invited "It’s late, come have dinner at my house."
"Not today, we’ll just eat at the station." Zhan Yue declined politely. Since they were on duty, it wasn’t appropriate.
He smiled at Xu Tao, "Sister-in-law, I’ll drop by another time when I’m off."
"Sure" Xu Tao smiled back.
"Xiao Nan, say goodbye to Uncle Zhan."
"Goodbye, Uncle!" Zhao Linan waved obediently.
Zhao Weiguo knew it wasn’t suitable for Zhan Yue and his team to stay for dinner, so he didn’t insist.
As they walked a few steps, he whispered "Come to my place tomorrow, I have something to discuss."
"Alright, Brother Guo" Zhan Yue agreed easily and left with his colleagues.
Zhao Weiguo turned back "Let’s go home and eat."
"Mm."
Xu Tao nodded, carrying Zhao Linan inside. Zhao Weiguo followed, locking the courtyard door behind him.
Xu Tao put Zhao Linan down and brought out the prepared dishes from the kitchen. She had also made a soft, sweet porridge just for Zhao Linan.
Zhao Linan was sick and didn’t have much energy, so he was very obedient. Whatever Xu Tao fed him, he ate without fuss.
Because of the Lin family's drama, Zhao Weiguo and Xu Tao had lost their usual dinner-time chatter.
Xu Tao quickly finished eating, dumped the dishes on Zhao Weiguo, and went to the room to write a report letter.
Xu Tao was never someone who let things slide. She had tolerated the Lin family’s nonsense for long enough, treating them like annoying flies.
But after today, seeing Lin Fang’s stubborn, hateful eyes while paying compensation, Xu Tao knew she had been marked for revenge.
If that was the case, she might as well strike first.
Xu Tao had always suspected Lin Fang had moral issues, yet she was still working at the post office. Since Lin Fang refused to behave, Xu Tao decided to start with her job.
She wanted to see why someone with such poor character could hold an official position.
Just based on that last hateful glance, sending a complaint letter wasn’t excessive at all.
Even if the letter didn’t work, Xu Tao intended to make sure Lin Fang’s career took a hit.
She wasn’t going to keep suffering while Lin Fang got away with everything, fairness meant giving as good as you got.
With that thought, she grabbed her pen and wrote down a detailed report about Lin Fang’s misconduct.
Zhao Weiguo, washing dishes in the kitchen, finished up and also bathed Zhao Linan. When they entered the room, Xu Tao had already finished her letter.
"What are you writing?" Zhao Weiguo asked while tucking Zhao Linan into bed.
"A report letter to the postal office leadership. I’m dropping it in the complaint box tomorrow" Xu Tao said calmly. "If nothing happens in two weeks, I’ll take it to the provincial newspaper."
Using the power of the press to punish people? Xu Tao knew how to do that. Now, it was up to the postal office to decide whether they wanted to cooperate.
She wasn’t trying to cause a scandal, yet.
Zhao Linan doesn’t like taking medicine and kids usually resist it. Xu Tao patiently fed him, coaxing him to open his mouth.
She carefully gave him one pill at a time, and if that didn’t work, she would split the tablet in half to make it easier for him to swallow.
Once he finished the medicine, she even gave him a piece of candy, making the little boy happy.
Zhao Weiguo, on the other hand, had no such patience. He held the medicine in one hand and a cup of water in the other, tilting his chin at Zhao Linan.
“Take it yourself” Zhao Weiguo signaled for the boy to be self-sufficient.
Feeling wronged, Zhao Linan took the medicine and swallowed it with a pout. Then he stretched out his little hand toward Zhao Weiguo. “Candy!”
“You’re about to sleep. Why do you need candy?” Zhao Weiguo flicked his forehead.
“...Hmph, bad dad!” The little boy huffed and burrowed into the covers, marking yet another day of disliking his father.
When Xu Tao came back from her shower, she saw Zhao Linan sulking with Zhao Weiguo.
The boy was clearly sleepy, his eyelids were drooping, but he still waited for Xu Tao to come back so he could tattle.
“Mommy, bad dad didn’t give me candy.”
“Hmm, Daddy is doing it for your own good! Eating candy before bed can cause cavities” Xu Tao leaned down and kissed the boy’s forehead.
All of Zhao Linan’s grievances instantly vanished with that kiss. “Alright!” He nodded and yawned, falling asleep within seconds.
Xu Tao chuckled, tucked the blanket around him, and then got into bed.
“I’m going to the base tomorrow afternoon to talk to my superior about a guaranteed loan. I’ll also discuss work with Zhan Yue” Zhao Weiguo mentioned his plan for the next day. “The transport job I have now was arranged through his connections.”
Zhao Weiguo knew that landing a transport job wasn’t easy.
Zhan Yue had pulled some strings to get him into the company, so Zhao Weiguo planned to inform him of his next move.
If he was going to take on the taxi contract, he’d have to quit his transport job and find someone to replace him.
“Didn’t expect his connections to be this solid” Xu Tao raised an eyebrow but found it understandable.
Plenty of their fellow veterans had struggled to find decent jobs after leaving the military, even Ye Zhenhua, their old squad leader, hadn’t secured anything stable.
Yet Zhan Yue managed to land a position at the police station, which meant he definitely had some serious backing.
“Yeah, his father is a revolutionary veteran” Zhao Weiguo gestured subtly.
Xu Tao’s eyebrows shot up again. She really hadn’t expected Zhan Yue to have such a strong background.
But if his father was such a high-ranking figure, why did Zhan Yue still leave the military?
Tsk, tsk! Xu Tao wasn’t sure what to think. Maybe it was Zhan Yue’s own choice, or perhaps his father wanted him to set an example by voluntarily retiring?
“You guys are meeting at home?”
“Yeah, at home.”
“Alright” Xu Tao had no objections. She planned to spend the day writing her novel Love’s 36 Strategies.
When Zhao Weiguo and Zhan Yue were discussing business, she would step out to give them space.
Besides, she had a packed schedule for the day: writing, grocery shopping, mailing a complaint letter, picking up blankets from the fabric shop, and if time allowed, visiting the wholesale market for some warm clothes.
Just thinking about it made her feel busy already.
Xu Tao sighed and flipped through her book absentmindedly. She had no mood to read, so she closed it and handed it to Zhao Weiguo.
The small table beside their bed was something she had asked Zhao Weiguo to add last month. Their son's room was too empty, so they decided to put a table there for convenience.
“Sleepy?” Zhao Weiguo put the book down.
“No, just not in the mood to read” Xu Tao shook her head, feeling frustrated with their current situation.
She actually liked Old Eight Alley. The atmosphere of this era was strong and nostalgic.
But the Lin family next door was absolutely disgusting. Life should be simple, yet somehow they had to deal with a whole bunch of ridiculous drama thanks to Old Madam Lin.
“Why is it that we can’t do anything about people like her?” Xu Tao grumbled. “She has no morals, no shame, and yet she still makes everyone else miserable.”
“If you really can’t stand it, we can just move” Zhao Weiguo suggested.
The Lin family was indeed a headache, and Zhao Weiguo felt that the best way to deal with them was to ignore them entirely.
“I was planning to move next year when we buy a house.” Xu Tao felt a little defeated but also realized that even if they bought a house, they wouldn’t be able to move in right away.
“Are you that confident we’ll be able to buy a house next year?” Zhao Weiguo raised an eyebrow, feeling even more pressure now.
His wife clearly had high expectations. If they couldn’t afford a house next year, would she be disappointed?
“If we take over the taxi business, definitely!” Xu Tao was full of confidence. “But we should still move soon. Once everything is settled with the taxi contract, we’ll relocate near the company”
There was no need to suffer when spending money could solve the problem. Even though they had paid a year’s rent upfront, Xu Tao wasn’t bothered by the waste.
Her peace of mind was worth more than the rent. “This time, before we move, we need to check out the neighbors first”
She was not about to deal with another nightmare like the Lin family again. If she did, she might actually lose control and kill someone.
“Alright, sounds good” Zhao Weiguo agreed.
“Great. It’s settled then. Let’s happily find a new place to live” Feeling much better, Xu Tao signaled for him to turn off the lights and sleep.
Zhao Weiguo put his book down, got up to switch off the lights, and adjusted Zhao Linan’s sleeping position. When he returned, he moved to the other side of the bed, putting Xu Tao in the middle.
Xu Tao didn’t mind, but when Zhao Weiguo wrapped his arms around her and started touching her, she smacked his hand.
“It’s cold. Sleep. Don’t mess with me.” She warned him.
The weather was freezing, and even the smallest gap in the blanket let in cold air.
Plus, their little piglet of a son was sleeping right next to them, what if he overheard something?
They couldn’t even go to the other room since there were no blankets there, just an empty bed.
“I’m just touching.” Zhao Weiguo’s voice was deep.
Xu Tao scoffed. She wasn’t some naive girl and she knew his personality well. Just touching? Like hell he’d stop at that!
“I don’t believe you. Go to sleep” She responded coldly.
Zhao Weiguo still leaned in, nuzzling against her neck, his warm lips trailing down before capturing hers.
“Mm…” Xu Tao struggled slightly in protest, careful not to wake Zhao Linan.
Zhao Weiguo, completely unbothered, deepened the kiss while his hands shamelessly wandered…
"..."
"..."
The room instantly fell silent. Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo froze in disbelief, even holding their breaths as if afraid to disturb the moment.
Still, no matter how careful they were, tiny noises escaped, and those were enough to wake Zhao Linan.
The little boy stirred groggily, his voice laced with confusion as he called out.
Zhao Weiguo stiffened completely. It was the first time Xu Tao had ever found Zhao Linan’s soft, childlike voice so terrifying.
Whatever energy she had drained from her in an instant, leaving a cold chill crawling up her back.
There was no way to describe the tension between them. Zhao Weiguo certainly hadn’t expected his own son, who had clearly been sound asleep to wake up at such a crucial moment and suddenly call out, "Mommy."
That one word carried immense weight, its impact both overwhelming and unnerving.
“Go back to sleep” Xu Tao murmured, nudging Zhao Weiguo. When he didn’t move, she had no choice but to reach out and gently pat Zhao Linan’s head in reassurance.
The child was still drowsy, having only woken up because of the odd sounds around him. Once he received a response from Xu Tao, he instinctively snuggled closer to her, rubbing against her for comfort before drifting back into sleep.
While Zhao Linan remained calm, his actions left Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo drenched in cold sweat in the middle of the night, caught in a precarious situation.
“Get off” Xu Tao hissed after waiting a moment, making sure Zhao Linan had fully settled into sleep before flashing her teeth at Zhao Weiguo in warning.
Zhao Weiguo held back his frustration but refused to comply. Instead, he pressed forward, unwilling to back down.
As a normal man, he had one thought: how could he possibly stop now? He couldn’t.
Damn it—
Xu Tao nearly passed out from sheer rage. She wanted to push him away, but Zhao Weiguo’s low murmur coaxed her into submission.
Afraid of waking Zhao Linan again, she had no choice but to cooperate, albeit flustered and reluctant.
When everything was over, Zhao Weiguo, unfazed by the cold, got up shirtless. He went to the kitchen, soaked a towel in warm water, and brought it back to her.
Xu Tao burrowed under the covers, her face burning, too mortified to speak. All she could do was glare at Zhao Weiguo.
Feeling triumphant, Zhao Weiguo took his time tending to her needs.
When he was done, he switched off the light and slipped back into bed, pulling her into his arms despite her visible irritation. He leaned in close, his voice brushing against her ear.
“If you’d been scared stiff just now, your happiness for the rest of your life would have been ruined,” he sighed dramatically, missing the days when they had the room next door to themselves.
Thankfully, their new winter bedding would arrive tomorrow, meaning they could move back to their own room and return to their shameless ways.
Xu Tao was already furious, and Zhao Weiguo had the nerve to bring it up. In her frustration, she grabbed his hand and bit down hard.
Hearing him suck in a sharp breath of pain, she finally felt some of her pent-up annoyance dissipate.
They continued their playful squabble for a while. Eventually, after the lights went out and everything settled, Xu Tao dozed off quickly, exhaustion overtaking her. After all, she had just vented her anger with a solid bite.
"Like a little wild dog" Zhao Weiguo muttered under his breath.
Feeling her even breathing, he carefully pulled the covers up over Zhao Linan before leaning down to press a kiss to Xu Tao’s forehead. Only then did he finally close his eyes, holding his wife as he drifted into a peaceful sleep.
o0o
Morning came, and Zhao Weiguo woke up feeling well-rested.
Outside, the sun shone brightly. The wind had calmed, and the temperature, which had dropped drastically over the past two days, was finally rising again.
Zhan Yue respected Zhao Weiguo a great deal, so when Zhao Weiguo asked him to come over to discuss something, he arrived early, dressed in casual clothes.
Xu Tao and Zhao Linan were still asleep at the time, so Zhao Weiguo let them be.
He and Zhan Yue sat in the living room, speaking in hushed tones about plans to contract a taxi company.
Zhao Weiguo also hoped that Zhan Yue could lend a hand. Zhan Yue’s father held a high-ranking position in the military, and his involvement would greatly improve their chances of securing a bank loan with military backing.
"Taking over a taxi company is a solid idea, Brother Guo. This could really work" Zhan Yue said after listening to the plan, his excitement evident.
Working in the police station, he had taken taxis before and knew that, despite the high fares, they were extremely profitable. A quick mental calculation told him that each cab could easily bring in over a hundred yuan per day.
"It was Xu Tao’s idea" Zhao Weiguo said with a small smile. He didn’t take credit for it, nor did he see any reason to hide the fact that the plan came from his wife. He trusted Zhan Yue completely.
"Sister-in-law is amazing!" Zhan Yue gave him a thumbs-up, looking at him with open admiration.
He was six years younger than Zhao Weiguo, only twenty-two, and at the prime age for being pushed into marriage by his parents.
Until recently, he had been strongly opposed to the idea, thinking that most women were too demanding and troublesome.
But if he could marry someone like Xu Tao: smart, beautiful, and capable, then maybe marriage wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
"I don’t think the military will have any objections" Helping guarantee a loan was a minor request, especially considering that it would create jobs for dozens of veterans.
There was no reason for the leadership to refuse.
Thirty thousand yuan would likely be enough to purchase around fifteen taxis. Following Xu Tao’s suggestion, they could implement a shift system, splitting drivers into day and night shifts.
Night shifts might be tiring, but with the growing popularity of dance halls in Yangcheng, taxis stationed outside those venues would have no shortage of customers. The earnings could be substantial.
Zhan Yue had been to Yangcheng’s entertainment district on police duty before. Unlike the quiet Old Eight Alley, which fell into silence by eight in the evening, the dance hall street remained lively until dawn.
With both day and night shifts running, they could provide jobs for at least thirty veterans. If the company grew, they could purchase even more taxis, expanding job opportunities further.
"Yeah, we’ll know for sure once we run it by the military leadership," Zhao Weiguo agreed.
"Brother Guo, I’ll take some time off from the station today and go with you to meet them" Zhan Yue offered enthusiastically.
"Sounds good" Zhao Weiguo said without hesitation.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Xu Tao stirred awake, vaguely hearing the conversation outside. Zhao Linan, having slept through the night, had also woken up, looking much livelier now that his low fever had subsided.
"Mommy, I’m hungry," the little boy mumbled, burrowing into her arms.
Xu Tao held him close and smiled. "Then let’s get up and have breakfast."
Xu Tao got out of bed first, carefully dressing Zhao Linan before she dressed herself. Afterward, she carried Zhao Linan out of the room.
"Sister-in-law" Zhan Yue greeted Xu Tao with noticeably more politeness than before.
Xu Tao nodded and gave him a calm smile, then took Zhao Linan to wash up. After they were finished, Zhao Weiguo and Zhan Yue were about to head out.
"We're going out" Zhao Weiguo said, making sure to tell Xu Tao.
"Mm" Xu Tao nodded in response.
Once Zhao Weiguo and Zhan Yue had left, Xu Tao sat down with Zhao Linan for a bowl of porridge to handle breakfast.
Afterward, she wrote a few thousand words for her novel.
At lunch, Zhao Weiguo hadn't returned. Xu Tao quickly made some noodles for the two of them, and after eating, she cleaned up and grabbed the report letter, taking Zhao Linan with her out the door.
Back then, the report mailboxes were still quite reliable, unlike in later years, where they were mostly for show.
Xu Tao vaguely knew that the mailbox outside the postal office was opened every three days, and almost all the reports received would be handled.
After depositing the report letter in the box, Xu Tao hailed a taxi, with Zhao Linan in tow, and they headed straight for the wholesale market.
Though taxis were scarce, and they waited for quite a while before one finally showed up, Xu Tao still insisted on taking it.
There was a reason why three-wheelers were eventually replaced by taxis. People, once they had money, always liked to indulge.
Three-wheelers weren't too bad in the summer since the breeze made the ride feel cool, but the dust in the air was always a bother.
However, when the weather turned cold, the three-wheeler couldn't block the wind, and sitting in it became uncomfortable.
Taxis were much better in terms of comfort. Not only were they warmer, but they also offered a higher class of service and were faster.
With Zhao Linan in tow, Xu Tao took the taxi to the Yangcheng Wholesale Market. She bought a few thick winter clothes for the family, and then they went to the shop that customized quilts.
After picking up two custom-made quilts, she headed back home.
o0o