The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
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Zhang Shufen came to show off to Guo Pingping. She was very proud and didn't think there was anything wrong with forcing the two families to swap jobs. She had mentioned to Xu Tao a long time ago that she wanted Qiu Tianyong to work in transportation, and everyone knew about it.
Guo Pingping didn't want to argue with Zhang Shufen. After all, if Zhang Shufen hadn't made a fuss, her husband Li Jianshu wouldn't have become a taxi driver, and she wouldn't have worked in the small cafeteria.
She had benefited from Zhang Shufen's unreasonable behavior, so she didn't want to expose her.
When Zhang Shufen suddenly came to her door today, she guessed that this woman wouldn't come without a reason.
She thought about letting it go and not arguing with Zhang Shufen. There was no need to publicize the taxi company's profits to Zhang Shufen, in case she caused trouble for Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo.
But Zhang Shufen didn't appreciate her kindness and insisted on making her angry. Guo Pingping couldn't bear it anymore. Zhang Shufen had asked for it, so she couldn't blame Guo Pingping for being ruthless.
"Congratulations, sister-in-law! We all knew that transportation was more profitable than taxi driving," Guo Pingping said with a playful tone.
"Sister, isn't taxi driving good?" Zhang Shufen was happy but quickly retorted, trying to make Xu Tao uncomfortable. "Didn't Zhao Weiguo and his wife say that taxi driving was profitable? Are they lying?"
"It is profitable, but not much. My husband, Li Jianshu, drove for half a month and only earned three hundred yuan," Guo Pingping said with a disappointed tone, making "three hundred" sound like "three yuan."
"How much? You said three hundred for half a month?" Zhang Shufen was stunned and asked uncertainly.
"That's right! Less than three hundred yuan."
"No, how can taxi driving be so profitable? They pay wages every half month, and almost three hundred?" Zhang Shufen raised her voice, suspecting she was hallucinating.
"Actually, it's less than three hundred. He only got 297 yuan for half a month!" Guo Pingping said proudly with a bright smile, but her tone was humble, "Only 297, almost three hundred!"
"..." Zhang Shufen's face turned ugly. She came to show off and mock Guo Pingping, wanting to prove that her choice was right.
After all, in this day and age, people laugh at poverty, not prostitution. She was doing it for her family. She didn't deny being selfish, but so what? It's all about having a good job and making money. All the other talk is useless.
But now, Guo Pingping's calm tone about her half-month salary, without any boasting, was more hurtful than bragging.
How could this be? Taxis are so expensive, who would want to take them? She wouldn't even take a cheap tricycle, saving that fifty cents or one yuan for groceries.
"By the way, didn't you know? Brother Guo's wife also got me a job at Taoyuan Taxi Company, helping out in the company's small cafeteria, with a basic salary of forty-five yuan a month. It's not much, but I calculated that if we work hard together, we should be able to earn five or six hundred yuan a month," Guo Pingping said, not bragging at all.
"We probably won't earn as much as your brother Yong's transportation job. You guys are doing great!"
Guo Pingping enjoying Zhang Shufen's pale face. Finally, she slapped her thigh and pretended to realize something.
"Oh right! Sister, how much did you say Qiu earns per month in transportation?"
"...Three to four hundred," Zhang Shufen replied, feeling that the three to four hundred suddenly sounded very heavy.
She had thought that three to four hundred a month was a lot.
"Ah! Only three to four hundred a month? I misheard, I thought it was three to four hundred every half month. Has Qiu been paid yet?" Guo Pingping asked casually, pretending to be surprised.
"Not yet," Zhang Shufen replied reluctantly, losing all interest, and felt the sarcasm in Guo Pingping's words.
She was filled with disbelief. How could this be? The taxi company is so profitable, did she really make the wrong choice by forcing Qiu Tianyong to change jobs?
"Pingping, are you lying to me? Taxis are so expensive, two or three yuan for a short ride, how can so many people take them?" Zhang Shufen asked, unwilling to give up.
She stared at Guo Pingping, trying to find any sign of deception. It must be a lie.
Guo Pingping looked at Zhang Shufen with a shocked and you-must-be-stupid expression. "Sister, taxis are a bit expensive, but Guangzhou is so big, there are a lot of rich people. We think a few yuan for a ride is expensive, but they don't think so! How can you use your poor people's mindset to judge rich people?"
"I'm telling you, as brother Guo's wife said, ten thousand yuan is an astronomical figure for many of us, a lifetime of savings. But in this ever-changing Guangzhou, ten thousand yuan is small change to those rich people, not even enough for a night of gambling,"
Guo Pingping quoted what Xu Tao had said to her.
Guo Pingping didn't have much education, and she knew she liked to join in the fun and take advantage of small things, but she wasn't stupid. She knew how to read the situation and listen to smart people.
Her husband Li Jianshu said that Zhao Weiguo was admired by so many comrades because he was truly capable. Men wouldn't easily admire someone unless they were convinced. Zhao Weiguo could even win over Zhan Yue, let alone others.
Li Jianshu had said that Zhan Yue's father was very powerful, a real hero who fought against the Japanese!
Even Zhan Yue admired Zhao Weiguo, let alone Li Jianshu. She didn't understand why Li Jianshu admired him, but she wouldn't give him bad advice. A woman should trust her man and listen to him.
She was outgoing and Li Jianshu was honest. He often embarrassed her in public, like the time she insisted on learning to drive and gave up after a while, and Li Jianshu laughed at her.
But she didn't argue with him. She just told him to give her some face next time, and that was it. She didn't really mind. That was just Li Jianshu's personality. After all these years, she understood him.
In public, a man's face is more important than a woman's.
Zhang Shufen's face turned even uglier. "I... I remembered I have something to do at home, I'll go back first, I'll come to see you another day."
Zhang Shufen couldn't sit still any longer. She came to show off to Guo Pingping because she thought their situations were similar, and the transportation job was taken from her husband. If she didn't show off, no one would know how happy she was.
But instead of showing off, she was humiliated and learned that transportation was actually very profitable.
"Oh! Okay, I won't keep you then. Come over to play when you have time"
Guo Pingping with a smile, standing up to see her off.
Qiu Zhenghao sat on the doorstep of Guo Pingping's house, saw his mother come out, and followed Zhang Shufen away in a hurry.
Since it was the beginning of a new month, Li Jianshu and Guo Pingping started working night shifts, so they were both at home during the day. Li Jianshu was sleeping in the room. As soon as Zhang Shufen left, Li Jianshu put on his clothes and came out.
"Why did you tell her all that?" It would cause trouble for brother Guo if sister-in-law Yong went to bother brother Guo's wife again.
Although he knew Zhang Shufen wasn't a good person, she was still Qiu Tianyong's wife. Now that Guo Pingping had told her, Zhang Shufen might go home and argue with Qiu Tianyong again.
"Why can't I tell her? She came to show off to me first, and I just told the truth. In this day and age, you can't even tell the truth?" Guo Pingping retorted with a snort.
Li Jianshu pursed his lips and shook his head. "Don't always think about these things. Is it really necessary? Now that we've been paid, taking Pandi to the hospital is more important than arguing with her."
"That will have to wait until after the New Year. We didn't save any money this year. Although we're not going back to our hometown for the New Year, we still have to send some money back so the elders can buy new clothes," Guo Pingping feeling uneasy.
Guo Pingping didn't like her mother-in-law, Mrs. Li, who was hard to please. But she wanted to send some money back to her parents. If she wanted to send money back to her parents, the Li family would definitely have to send some too, otherwise Li Jianshu would be unhappy.
"Okay! We'll go after the New Year. Once we get paid after the New Year, our lives will be better." Now all the drivers in the taxi company had high hopes.
Driving a taxi for a month, if they worked hard, they could earn five or six hundred yuan. In a year, they could earn six or seven thousand yuan. If they worked hard next year, they should be able to save some money. That's great!
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Xu Tao learned about Zhang Shufen's visit to Guo Pingping to show off the next evening.
"Sister-in-law, I didn't want to tell her, but she was too annoying. She insisted on swapping jobs between her husband and my husband, and we did. But she still came to show off, wanting to see us make fools of ourselves. She just doesn't want Taoyuan Company to make money. I was so annoyed by her face" Guo Pingping said. After her quick-witted retort yesterday afternoon, she vaguely regretted it.
Zhang Shufen was shameless enough to swap jobs in the first place, would she be shameless enough to swap back now?
Guo Pingping thought of this and felt anxious and regretful. What if her husband's job was swapped again? Her cooking skills were average, and what if Zhang Shufen had her eyes on that too?
After Guo Pingping finished her thoughts, she spent five yuan to buy two cookbooks before going to work, preparing to practice her cooking skills. She absolutely couldn't give Zhang Shufen a chance to steal her job. At the same time, she confessed to Xu Tao.
"It's okay, what's done is done" Xu Tao knew this day would come since Zhang Shufen came to her door to ask for a job swap.
But Xu Tao had said before that she wouldn't give Zhang Shufen a chance to regret it. If she was sensible and smart, she would let Qiu Tianyong cherish his current transportation job. But if she wanted to come back to drive a taxi, that was impossible.
Xu Tao knew Zhang Shufen was a troublemaker. In fact, she was secretly glad that Zhang Shufen insisted on swapping jobs, which indirectly saved her a lot of trouble.
Guo Pingping and Li Jianshu weren't particularly likable, but they weren't annoying either. Without comparison, there would be no harm, especially compared to Zhang Shufen. Guo Pingping's little flaws could be completely ignored.
"Sister-in-law, I will definitely learn to cook well. I've already bought cookbooks"
"Good, then you should keep up the good work"
"Definitely."
Guo Pingping and Wu Hui had both improved their cooking skills. Although they couldn't compare to Wang Juanjuan and Su Meili on the night shift, they were generally okay. They had been experimenting with the daily meals, and Xu Tao occasionally gave them some pointers. Presumably, their cooking skills would improve.
As the weather in Guangzhou got colder and colder, the time to go back to their hometown for the New Year was getting closer. Xu Tao started buying things here and there whenever she had time.
Since they were preparing to go back to their hometown for the New Year, Zhao Weiguo confirmed with the company's employees and drivers a long time ago.
He had to arrange the number of people going home for the New Year in advance. But unexpectedly, not many people were going back to their hometown for the New Year.
Those with families didn't go back because of the travel expenses, such as Ye Zhenhua and Wu Hui, and Guo Pingping and Li Jianshu.
Not to mention Feng Yongnian and his wife, their parents and children had all come to Guangzhou. Wherever they were, that was their home, and that was where they would celebrate the New Year.
Half a month before the New Year, Zhao Weiguo finished counting the people going back to their hometown for the New Year. He found that most of the people going back to their hometown were single drivers, such as Qin Yubin and Liao Tuhang. These two were going back to their hometown to accompany their parents. Other single people were also going back for the New Year.
"We're going home for the New Year. I'm going to ask Brother Hua to help with the compay" Zhao Weiguo discussed with Xu Tao, wanting to see if Xu Tao would object.
"Okay," Xu Tao agreed without hesitation.
In this era without electronic devices, many things could only rely on trust. There was no other way. Ye Zhenhua and his wife were honest people, so it was okay to temporarily entrust the recording work to Ye Zhenhua.
And Xu Tao knew that Zhao Weiguo couldn't keep everything to himself forever. Appropriately delegating authority would make him more relaxed.
Xu Tao's sights weren't just on the taxi company. She wanted to be a self-made rich woman. She wanted her precious son Zhao Linan to become a handsome and awesome second-generation rich kid.
Three days before they were going to leave Guangzhou, they discussed and decided to drive back early in the morning of the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.
After all, the journey was long. Leaving three days in advance would allow them to arrive in Wen Province just in time for Zhao Weiqiang's wedding.
After dinner in the evening, Xu Tao packed her luggage at home, while Zhao Weiguo took Zhao Linan to take a bath.
"It's cold, don't play with the water," Xu Tao said while packing, reminding Zhao Weiguo and Zhao Linan.
Zhao Linan usually called Zhao Weiguo a bad dad, but when they took a bath, the father and son had a lot of fun. It was okay when it was hot, but when it was cold, they would make a fuss. Xu Tao definitely wouldn't allow it.
"Don't worry" Zhao Weiguo replied readily.
Knock knock knock—
Xu Tao was standing in the living room, packing the clothes and shoes she had bought for the elderly in her hometown when she heard a knock on the courtyard door outside.
Xu Tao glanced at the time, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.
Not too early, nor too late. Who could be knocking at this hour? Xu Tao was puzzled, put down her things, and walked over. At the same time, she heard the knock again.
After knocking, Zhang Shufen's voice rang through the courtyard door.
"Sister-in-law, it's Zhang Shufen"
Xu Tao raised an eyebrow when she heard Zhang Shufen's voice. She didn't expect Zhang Shufen to come after all. It had been almost half a month since this woman learned from Guo Pingping that the taxi company was making money. She thought she had given up, but she didn't expect her to come knocking on the door again. Xu Tao couldn't help but sigh.
What did Zhang Shufen want? Amused and playful, Xu Tao reached out and opened the door.
"Sister, why are you here?" Xu Tao asked, looking at Zhang Shufen outside and Qiu Tianyong holding the child.
Qiu Tianyong's expression was very serious, and he didn't seem to want to come. It was interesting, the couple must have had some arguments.
"We haven't seen you for a long time! And we haven't been to your new home since you moved. Since the New Year is coming soon, we thought we'd come and see you," Zhang Shufen said politely, with a smile on her face, especially enthusiastic.
"It's cold outside, sister, please come in and sit down!" Xu Tao didn't care about Zhang Shufen's polite words and invited them in.
"Okay," Zhang Shufen nodded with a smile, holding two pounds of apples in her hand. When she walked to the living room, she put the apples on the table. "I heard that your Xiao Nan likes to eat fruit, so I bought two pounds of apples for him."
"Sister, you're too kind," Xu Tao said with a smile, inviting Qiu Tianyong to sit down as well. "I'll get you some water. You guys sit for a while. Weiguo is giving the child a bath. He'll be here soon."
"Okay, it's okay, we're all family, you don't have to bother with us," Zhang Shufen said, still smiling.
This woman, Zhang Shufen, always acted strongly and shamelessly when she had a purpose, and didn't seem to care much about being slapped in the face.
Xu Tao turned around and went to the kitchen to boil water. There was still hot water in the thermos, but it wasn't hot enough, so Xu Tao took out the coal stove and started boiling water in a kettle.
Zhao Weiguo was giving Zhao Linan a bath in the bathroom and heard the sound in the living room, so he sped up. The father and son quickly finished the bath and came out.
Zhao Weiguo wrapped the child in a towel and saw Qiu Tianyong and his wife in the living room, as well as Qiu Zhenghao sitting next to them.
"Brother Yong, sister, you're here. Please sit down, I'll take this kid back to his room," Zhao Weiguo greeted them and took Zhao Linan to his room to put on his pajamas.
"Dad, Brother Xiaohao," Zhao Linan said after getting dressed, seeing Qiu Zhenghao. The child, who was a little sleepy, was no longer sleepy and looked like he wanted to go out and chat with Qiu Zhenghao.
"Go to sleep, be good, or your mom will spank you," Zhao Weiguo threatened with a grin.
"Okay!" Zhao Linan pouted and nodded obediently.
Zhao Weiguo comforted Zhao Linan and left the room. Xu Tao had just boiled water and came back, pouring a cup of hot water for Qiu Tianyong, Zhang Shufen, and Qiu Zhenghao.
"Brother Yong, how's the transportation business going lately?" Zhao Weiguo asked, sitting down.
"It's okay, pretty good," Qiu Tianyong replied with a smile.
"What's so good about it" Zhang Shufen immediately interrupted, looking troubled, and turned to Xu Tao to complain.
"Sister-in-law, you don't know, it's the end of the year, everyone is preparing to go back to their hometown for the New Year! So, their transportation company's delivery orders have also decreased a lot. Their boss seems to have done something else, and the funds are not turning over. I heard that they are planning to sell a few trucks."
Zhang Shufen was also very depressed.
After learning from Guo Pingping that driving a taxi was actually very profitable, she regretted it, but she didn't show it immediately. Until two days ago, Qiu Tianyong got paid, more than three hundred yuan.
If it were in the past, Zhang Shufen would be very happy, but knowing that driving a taxi could earn more than three hundred yuan in half a month, Zhang Shufen couldn't be happy.
And the transportation company's boss seemed to be really planning to sell the trucks, and the situation didn't seem to be good next year.
That's why Zhang Shufen shamelessly bought two pounds of apples, even though it pained her, to come to the Zhao's house. Zhao Weiguo was the boss of the taxi company. They could run such a big company, they must be very capable, and they probably wouldn't care too much about her, a woman.
Zhao Weiguo and Qiu Tianyong were comrades, so their relationship was different from others. Qiu Tianyong's transportation business wasn't going well now, so she thought, why not put aside her pride and talk to Zhao Weiguo, and let Qiu Tianyong drive a taxi after the New Year.
"The transportation company is pretty good, how could this happen," Xu Tao said with regret.
"That's right!" Zhang Shufen nodded. "Sister-in-law, I heard that your taxi company is doing well, you should be short of people, right? Why don't you let my Lao Qiu drive a taxi after the New Year? It will save him from long-distance driving, I'm always worried." Zhang Shufen still shamelessly said it.
Xu Tao couldn't help but want to laugh, then simply shook her head.
"Sister, when you came to me and insisted on swapping Brother Yong's job, I said there was no room for regrets," Xu Tao frankly, not wanting to waste any more words with Zhang Shufen.
She didn't mind falling out with Zhang Shufen. If it weren't for Zhao Weiguo and Qiu Tianyong being comrades, and if it weren't for knowing that Qiu Tianyong himself was actually okay, Xu Tao could have directly fallen out with her from the beginning.
From the moment she agreed to Zhang Shufen's job swap, Xu Tao had been waiting for this day to slap her in the face. Xu Tao was a little disappointed that Zhang Shufen hadn't come all this time.
Zhang Shufen's way of doing things at the beginning also made Xu Tao very unhappy. How confidently Zhang Shufen said she wouldn't regret it.
Xu Tao knew Zhang Shufen would regret it, but she didn't bother to say too much to foolish people and didn't bother to argue with Zhang Shufen.
Zhang Shufen had been very quiet for the past half month, and Xu Tao thought she still had some face, so she didn't care. Not that she had to slap her in the face, but she didn't expect Zhang Shufen to shamelessly come knocking on the door. It made her laugh.
"Sister-in-law, she's just talking nonsense, you don't have to take it to heart," Qiu Tianyong said with an apologetic face.
Xu Tao looked at Qiu Tianyong and didn't reply. She sympathized with Qiu Tianyong. It was obvious that Qiu Tianyong didn't want this, but Zhang Shufen was indeed strong-willed.
So he was very helpless. His wife was the one he married, and they had children. People in this era wouldn't think of divorce unless they couldn't live together at all.
But Qiu Tianyong, as a man, letting Zhang Shufen be so presumptuous was indeed a bit weak.
It could be seen that Qiu Tianyong himself wasn't weak by nature. He probably just had more considerations. After all, Zhang Shufen was his wife. If he didn't think about himself, he had to think about his son.
"Sister-in-law, I know I was short-sighted at the beginning, it was my fault. Actually, my Lao Qiu never wanted to change jobs. I insisted on him changing, and he only agreed because he was afraid of me making a fuss. I know doing this made you unhappy, it's all my fault, but can you please let Lao Qiu drive a taxi after the New Year for the sake of Weiguo and Lao Qiu being comrades!" Zhang Shufen said, taking all the blame on herself.
She actually knew all her responsibilities in this matter. She knew what she was doing and was willing to take all the blame, just hoping Qiu Tianyong could get his job back. She didn't need face anyway, whether it was apologizing or smiling, she was willing.
"No," Xu Tao still rejected her with one sentence.
No matter how pitiful Zhang Shufen made herself sound, Xu Tao wouldn't pity her. She chose this path. When she changed jobs, she took it for granted, so now there was absolutely no room for discussion.
"Brother Yong, the transportation job is okay, it's just long-distance, and it's tiring to help unload goods occasionally. If you're willing to drive more long-distance, your monthly salary won't be worse than driving a taxi," Zhao Weiguo said to Qiu Tianyong.
"Weiguo, I know," Qiu Tianyong nodded, scratching his head honestly. "Don't listen to your sister-in-law's nonsense. I won't change this job. Transportation is very good."
"Okay," Zhao Weiguo nodded.
Seeing Qiu Tianyong's attitude, Zhao Weiguo was relieved. Zhao Weiguo didn't interfere with women's thoughts, but he knew Xu Tao's attitude. He didn't mind Qiu Tianyong driving a taxi, but since Zhang Shufen had come to Xu Tao, Xu Tao wouldn't agree.
Xu Tao wasn't a good-tempered person, and she wouldn't tolerate Zhang Shufen again and again. Zhao Weiguo knew very well that if it weren't for his sake, Xu Tao wouldn't have agreed to the job swap last time, and would have directly told Qiu Tianyong to quit.
Xu Tao didn't seem to like indulging adults. No, she should be almost zero-tolerant to adults, except for Zhao Linan and other children.
Because she felt that adults should be responsible for their actions.
"What's so good about it? If your boss sells the trucks after the New Year, what transportation will you drive?" Zhang Shufen cried with red eyes.
Qiu Tianyong was very unhappy when he heard Zhang Shufen revealing their situation. "Are you done? You said before we came that you would just ask sister-in-law, and if she didn't agree, that's it. What are you doing now? Are you deliberately making a fool of yourself?"
Qiu Tianyong didn't want to come to Zhao Weiguo to ask for a job change. He was embarrassed to mention it at the beginning. Zhang Shufen insisted on making a fuss. Today, he took his salary home, and when she saw more than three hundred yuan, she started crying again. He tried to persuade her, and Zhang Shufen agreed at home, but now she changed her mind at someone else's house.
"Sister-in-law, please, let my Lao Qiu come back to drive a taxi!" Zhang Shufen looked at Xu Tao earnestly.
Xu Tao looked at her coldly and still shook her head.
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