The Daily Life of a Stepmother in the 1980s
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In the Zhao family's main room, a silence fell. As a strict father, Zhao's father was not good at expressing his care for his children. Zhao Weiguo understood his father's worries but didn't quite know how to respond.
The atmosphere in the main room became somewhat strange. Zhao Linan, this child, was very good at observing people's expressions and the situation. The three-year-old quietly hid beside Xu Tao's leg.
"Mommy, is Grandpa going to beat Daddy?"
"..."
Zhao's father looked at his grandson Zhao Linan, then at Zhao Weiguo, a puzzled look in his eyes.
Did you paint me as a ferocious monster in front of your son?
Zhao Weiguo felt the suspicion in his father's eyes and felt somewhat wronged. Xu Tao chuckled and patted the child's head.
"You little rascal, talking nonsense."
"Oh, I thought he was going to beat him." Zhao Linan nodded, the child still watching Zhao's father and Zhao Weiguo, a hint of anticipation in his tone.
Zhao Weiguo sighed inwardly, his good eldest son seemed to be looking forward to him being beaten. What was with that tone?
Zhao's mother was very happy. She had been cooking noodles in the nearby kitchen. At this moment, she chopped some greens and added the noodles. While waiting for the noodles to cook, she immediately came out of the kitchen. She happily looked Zhao Weiguo up and down, then looked at her daughter-in-law Xu Tao, and then at her grandson Zhao Linan.
Seeing Zhao Linan's fair and chubby appearance, she, who had been worried that Xu Tao wouldn't take good care of the child, felt much more at ease at this moment.
"Knowing you were coming back, the whole family has been looking forward to it these past few days! It just so happens to coincide with Wei Qiang's wedding tomorrow," Zhao's mother said, a smile always on her face.
Her eldest son's family of three had returned, and her daughter's family would also return tomorrow for the wedding banquet. She felt happy just thinking about it.
"We timed our return to come back for the wedding banquet. Wei Qiang is Wei Guo's younger brother. For his wedding, we had to find a way to come back no matter what," Xu Tao said softly, hugging Zhao Linan.
If Zhao Weiguo was still in the army and couldn't get leave to come back, it would be understandable. Soldiers sometimes didn't even have time to hold their own weddings. But now that Zhao Weiguo had retired, he naturally had to come back to attend.
"That's right. Wei Qiang didn't say it, but he's always hoped you could come back," Zhao's mother nodded repeatedly. After saying those two sentences, she hurriedly went back into the kitchen, not forgetting the noodles she had put on to cook.
"Sister-in-law, do I look good in this?" Zhao Weilan held up a light pink jacket, fearlessly taking off the drab gray clothes she was wearing. Now wearing the new clothes Xu Tao had bought for her, she spread out her hands and turned in a circle, asking.
"Yes, it fits perfectly," Xu Tao nodded, looking at Zhao Weilan.
"Pretty," Zhao Linan also nodded in agreement. "But my mommy is the prettiest." The child thought his aunt Zhao Weilan looked good in her new clothes, but while praising her, he also protected Xu Tao.
After all, in Zhao Linan's heart, his mommy was the prettiest no matter what.
"You little rascal," Zhao Weilan said with a smile, walking to Zhao Linan's side and reaching out as if to tickle the child. The child immediately laughed and hid, running around Xu Tao to escape.
Zhao Linan's laughter gradually melted the atmosphere in the main room.
Soon, Zhao's mother also cooked the noodles and brought them out in small porcelain bowls. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Are you hungry? Quickly eat some noodles to fill your stomachs."
"Thank you, Mom!" Xu Tao said her thanks and sat down at the table with Zhao Linan to eat noodles.
She was indeed hungry. Driving from Yangcheng to Wen Province these past two days, she hadn't eaten well on the road. A bowl of soup noodles with fresh vegetables like this was truly appetizing.
"Eat quickly, eat quickly," Zhao's mother served each of the three a bowl of noodles. She even brought out the soup spoon she used to specially feed Zhao Linan, filled a small bowl of noodles, and held it in her hand, ready to feed Zhao Linan.
"Xiao Nan, come on, Grandma will feed you noodles!" Zhao's mother Song Xiaoyan sat beside him with a smile, beckoning to Zhao Linan.
Zhao Linan looked at Zhao's mother, his small face serious, and shook his head. "Grandma, Xiao Nan eats by himself."
After more than half a year of cultivation in Yangcheng, Xu Tao doted on him but also valued the child's independence. So Zhao Linan no longer needed to be fed. Zhao's mother looked at Zhao Linan saying he would eat himself and was still a little surprised.
"Our Xiao Nan can eat noodles by himself!" After a moment, Zhao's mother looked at her warmly dressed, small-hat-wearing, round grandson sitting in his seat and eating noodles cutely with chopsticks, and was overjoyed.
"Yes, our Xiao Nan is especially well-behaved and great. He's a big boy now and has been eating by himself for a long time, right?" Xu Tao echoed her praise, smiling and saying to Zhao Linan after taking a bite of the soup noodles.
"Yes, Mommy is right," Zhao Linan nodded in agreement. The praised child was very happy, pursing his small lips to blow on the noodles before eating them so they wouldn't be too hot.
Zhao's mother looked at Zhao Linan's appearance and then at the intimate conversation and interaction between Xu Tao and Zhao Linan. Knowing that Xu Tao had taken good care of the child, she breathed a sigh of relief but also felt a little complicated.
She had always been worried about Zhao Linan, feeling that Xu Tao didn't seem like a meticulous person. Taking care of children was a very mentally taxing thing, and she was afraid that if Zhao Linan cried, Xu Tao would become impatient. When Zhao Linan first went to Yangcheng with Xu Tao, she was so worried that she couldn't sleep all night.
She thought about whether the child was crying, whether he had eaten enough, and thought about many, many things. Later, Xu Tao mailed back many photos. From the photos, it could be seen that Zhao Linan was living happily and was being taken care of well.
The photos did reassure her worries, but Zhao's mother was still a little uneasy. Only by seeing Zhao Linan with her own eyes like this could her heart completely relax.
"Dad, Mom, Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law, Weilan, quickly look. Does this Zhongshan suit fit me?" Zhao Weilan tried on her new clothes, and Zhao Weiqiang also returned to his room to change into a Zhongshan suit.
Zhao Weiqiang had good looks. The 23-year-old young man worked in a county factory, usually sheltered from wind and rain, fair-skinned and clean. Although he was different from Zhao Weiguo's manliness, he was also quite handsome.
"Good-looking, spirited," Zhao's mother stood up, looking at Zhao Weiqiang and nodding repeatedly. She walked forward, patted Zhao Weiqiang's clothes, and smiled so broadly that her mouth couldn't close.
"Good-looking, Third Brother. You should wear this Zhongshan suit for your wedding tomorrow!" Zhao Weilan also nodded.
Accustomed to seeing her second brother always wrapped in a thick cotton coat, seeing him suddenly change into a Zhongshan suit, he looked quite presentable.
"Yes, I'll wear it for the wedding tomorrow," Zhao Weiqiang himself also liked it very much.
"Uncle looks good," Zhao Linan said, eating his soup noodles and giving Zhao Weiqiang a thumbs-up, his small expression particularly adorable.
Zhao Weiqiang nodded, looking at his little nephew. "Our Xiao Nan has the best taste."
"By the way, Brother, did you buy that car outside yourself? Can I use that car to pick up the bride tomorrow? I couldn't borrow a bicycle," Zhao Weiqiang thinking about the bicycle problem that was still bothering him. Now that his elder brother and sister-in-law had driven home, could he use the car to pick up the bride tomorrow?
A car was much more impressive than a bicycle. Sun Fang should be happy!
"The car was bought with a loan!" Zhao Weiguo nodded. "You can borrow it to pick up the bride."
"Loan!" Zhao Weiqiang's eyes widened, and he subconsciously turned his head to look at his father.
Zhao's father also raised his head to look at Zhao Weiguo, the stern father's brow furrowed tightly. "After you retired from the army, what work did you do in Yangcheng? Didn't the army arrange a proper job for you?"
Given Zhao Weiguo's position before retirement, there should have been a job arrangement.
"Yes, they arranged for me to be the deputy director of our county's police station," Zhao Weiguo said truthfully while eating noodles, but his eyes glanced at Xu Tao as he spoke.
Xu Tao, eating noodles, raised an eyebrow at the man upon hearing this. Deputy director? This person had only told her at the beginning that he was a small community police officer. Unexpectedly, his position wasn't low. Was he afraid that if she knew he had given up a deputy director's position to become a transport driver, she would be unhappy?
Frankly speaking, if Xu Tao had known from the beginning that Zhao Weiguo had given up the deputy director's position and returned to work as a transport driver, would she have been calm? Probably not.
However, Xu Tao also understood. After all, at that time, both Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo were wary of each other and hadn't opened their hearts completely.
They had been married for more than half a year, and the couple who were completely unfamiliar with each other had just met when he retired from the army. Zhao Weiguo's selective and simple explanation of the key points couldn't be considered a complete concealment.
"Then why didn't you come back?" Zhao's father pressed, waiting for Zhao Weiguo to explain the rest.
Zhao Weiguo quickly finished a small bowl of noodles, took his rice bowl, and filled it from the small porcelain bowl while saying, "I gave the job arrangement to a comrade-in-arms."
Everyone in the main room looked at Zhao Weiguo. Zhao Weiguo put down the filled bowl. "At that time, Xu Tao took Xiao Nan to accompany the army. The army's appraisal report on my leg injury had just come out. After I retired, I asked a comrade-in-arms to help arrange a transport job in Yangcheng. The job was okay, quite stable. Later, I took out a loan and opened a small company."
"Yes, that's how it was," Xu Tao nodded in agreement.
Although she had just learned that the job Zhao Weiguo had given up was good, Xu Tao wasn't angry. After all, if Zhao Weiguo had accepted the arrangement and returned to his hometown to be the deputy director, the Taoyuan Company wouldn't exist, and their lives would be completely different.
Xu Tao liked her current lifestyle very much, so she didn't feel it was a pity that Zhao Weiguo had given up the job.
"Brother, doesn't taking out a loan mean you have to pay interest? I heard the interest rates are very high. How much did you borrow?" Zhao Weiqiang worked in a factory in the county and had heard of bank loans. He didn't know the specifics but knew that you had to pay interest, and the interest wasn't low.
"Yes, it's not low," Zhao Weiguo nodded.
"How much did you borrow?" Zhao's father asked, holding his pipe and looking at Zhao Weiguo with a very serious expression.
Zhao Weiguo stopped eating noodles, glanced at Xu Tao, and then looked at his father. "Dad, Mom, don't ask. Anyway, the loan amount is quite high."
Zhao Weiguo didn't plan to lie to his parents, but he was also afraid that if he told them the loan amount, the two old people would be frightened.
Considering that the New Year was approaching soon and Zhao Weiqiang was getting married tomorrow, Zhao Weiguo felt it was better not to reveal the specific amount.
But how could parents really not ask just because Zhao Weiguo said not to? Zhao's father looked at Zhao Weiguo with a solemn expression. "Say it."
Zhao Weiguo sighed, looked at his determined old father, and felt somewhat helpless. "Thirty thousand."
"..."
"..."
The Zhao family's main room fell silent for a long time because of the number thirty thousand. It seemed as if everyone's breathing had stopped, and they even suspected they had misheard.
"...How much?" Zhao's father was considered one of the calmer ones, but even he had a look of utter astonishment on his face, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit an egg.
Thirty thousand? Had his ears played tricks on him just now?
"Brother, did you say the wrong number? Like, three thousand? Thirty thousand!" Zhao Weiqiang felt that a loan of thirty thousand had already broken through his bottom line of understanding. He even felt like he was going way out of line just daring to say the number thirty thousand.
Thirty thousand. He worked in a county factory, earning 52 yuan a month. He would have to work himself to death for almost fifty years, and he might not even be able to save that much.
"No," Zhao Weiguo said calmly. "It's a loan of thirty thousand."
"..." Zhao's father was silent.
"..." Zhao Weiqiang's legs also went a little weak.
"..." Zhao Weilan was even more speechless, blinking her eyes like a quail.
Zhao's mother Song Xiaoyan's face instantly turned pale. She sat on the stool, her whole body swaying as if she was about to faint. "Wei... Wei Guo, you... you're not joking with us, are you! You... how can you be so bold? Thirty thousand! You're going to kill our whole family!"
Indeed, in this day and age, carrying a loan of thirty thousand was almost the same as wanting the death of the whole family.
Seeing the Zhao family's reaction, Xu Tao vaguely realized how frightening her suggestion to take out a loan of several hundred thousand had been back then. And at that time, Zhao Weiguo had seemed very calm. Zhao Weiguo's calmness and support had really given Xu Tao confidence to a certain extent.
Moreover, although opening the Taoyuan taxi company was Xu Tao's suggestion, she basically just talked about it. All the work involved and the terrible risks were borne by Zhao Weiguo alone.
Xu Tao had only briefly calculated various data to persuade Zhao Weiguo. She was carefree and felt that a loan of thirty thousand wasn't a big problem. But only now, seeing the shock of everyone in the Zhao family, could Xu Tao not help but feel lingering fear.
It was indeed terrifying. If the Taoyuan Company hadn't been established or if there had been a small mishap in the middle, it could have cost Zhao Weiguo his life. Thinking about this, Xu Tao's breathing became a little rapid.
"Xu Tao, you're his wife. He's been bewitched, he's confused!" Zhao's mother suddenly began to wipe away tears anxiously. When she turned her head to look at Xu Tao, she was also anxious and angry, her tone carrying a hint of resentment.
"..." Xu Tao gave a very embarrassed smile.
Could she admit that this thirty thousand loan was actually the result of her instigation and suggestion? If the Zhao family knew that opening the Taoyuan Company was her idea from the beginning, they would probably all go crazy.
"Mom, don't worry, let me finish talking," Zhao Weiguo explained while putting down his chopsticks.
"How can I not worry! You're all courting death!" Zhao's mother clutched her chest, completely unable to calm down. Thirty thousand! So much money, she couldn't even count it. She only knew it was a lot, a lot, enough to scare someone to death.
Why on earth would they borrow so much money?
"His father, say something!" Zhao's mother turned her head to look at Zhao's father, extremely anxious.
"..." Zhao's father remained silent.
"Dad, Mom, I used the loan to open a taxi company, bought more than a dozen cars. Every month, I only need to repay a few thousand in loan principal and interest. The company has now started making money. According to the current profitability of the company, within half a year, I can earn back the thirty thousand, principal and interest included," Zhao Weiguo said, trying to reassure his family.
Thirty thousand was a huge astronomical figure. Back then, he and Xu Tao also felt it was a lot. But having really used thirty thousand to start a small company, which now had a daily income of three thousand, Zhao Weiguo had calmed down after seeing the huge profits coming in.
Just like Xu Tao said, he could see the amazing prospects of the taxi company. After returning after the New Year, he would also appropriately increase the number of vehicles and expand the scale of the company. Making money had become not so difficult, and the number thirty thousand no longer seemed like an astronomical figure.
"..." The Zhao family still remained collectively silent, the bomb Zhao Weiguo had dropped was truly too shocking.
Thirty thousand, in this family where even a few hundred yuan was considered a huge sum, was really an outrageous number, simply too frightening.
After all, Zhao Weiqiang's bride price for his wedding was only 288 yuan, and it took Zhao Weiqiang a long time to scrape together even that amount. Not only that, but the family's expenses for the wedding banquet, buying new quilts, making a new bed, and various other things added up to four or five hundred yuan, which everyone felt was a huge expense.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry. The company is really making money now, and the loan pressure isn't that great," Xu Tao helped to say.
This man Zhao Weiguo had single-handedly shouldered the pressure from the Zhao family and hadn't revealed that she had proposed taking out the loan to start the company. Naturally, Xu Tao had to say good things to help him.
"Yes, Grandma, don't cry. Daddy and Mommy are very厉害, they bought many big cars,"
Zhao Linan listened to the adults talking with a vague understanding. Seeing Zhao's mother crying anxiously, the child was very puzzled. He stopped eating noodles, walked to Zhao's mother's side, looked up at her with his small head, and comforted her, his small hand patting the back of Zhao's mother's hand.
"Really?" Zhao's mother blinked, looking at Zhao Linan with red eyes from crying.
"Mmm-hmm," Zhao Linan nodded again.
Xu Tao looked at what the little fellow Zhao Linan said, and seeing that Zhao's mother's expression of disbelief was no longer one of being struck by a thunderbolt, she breathed a slight sigh of relief and gave the child an admiring look.
Zhao Linan also received Xu Tao's admiring look. The child smiled, his eyes narrowed, turned around, and ran over to act spoiled. "Mommy, I'm good, Grandma isn't angry anymore, so, can I not eat vegetables?"
This child still didn't like eating green vegetables. He had finished all the noodles in his small bowl, and now only a few small pieces of green vegetables remained.
Xu Tao smiled and used chopsticks to pick up the green vegetables from his bowl, holding them out to the child. "Ah!"
Zhao Linan obediently opened his mouth, and Xu Tao fed the small green vegetables into the child's mouth. The child bit the green vegetables and chewed gently. The child also knew that Xu Tao was answering him with actions: he couldn't be picky about food!
"Do you want to eat more noodles?" Xu Tao asked the child casually after feeding him the few pieces of green vegetables.
"Full, Mommy," Zhao Linan patted his small, protruding belly.
Xu Tao gently reached out to feel it. "Yes, you are indeed full."
"Mommy, you eat," Zhao Linan said after finishing his own food, standing beside Xu Tao and softly urging Xu Tao to continue eating.
Xu Tao smiled and nodded.
The tense atmosphere in the Zhao family softened because of Zhao Linan. Xu Tao and Zhao Linan's close and intimate interaction, Xu Tao casually feeding the child green vegetables, and the child, although unwilling, still eating them, his well-behaved little appearance was too endearing.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry. The loan is really just temporary," Zhao Weiguo said after finishing his meal and putting down his chopsticks.
"You're grown up now, at the age to start a family and a career. You have to think clearly about everything you do. We won't interfere too much with other things." Anyway, asking wouldn't help, Zhao's father sighed inwardly.
"Thank you, Dad," Zhao Weiguo said gratefully.
"Don't go spreading the news about your elder brother taking out a loan to open a company. Family matters are best kept within the family," Zhao's father turned his head and instructed Zhao Weiqiang and Zhao Weilan again.
"Dad, we know," Zhao Weiqiang and Zhao Weilan quickly and obediently replied.
Zhao's father hadn't read many books, but this man had always been the head of the Zhao family and had his own plans in mind. He had been very strict with his children since they were young, which also led to the Zhao children having great respect for him.
But in this era, almost all parents of the older generation were like this.
Xu Tao also finished the noodles in her bowl. Zhao Weiguo sat for a moment, and seeing her put down her chopsticks, he naturally took the empty bowls and chopsticks in front of her and also stacked Zhao Linan's bowls and chopsticks, preparing to take the small porcelain bowl to the kitchen to wash.
"Leave the dishes, I'll wash them," Zhao's mother reacted and stood up, wanting to snatch the bowls and chopsticks from Zhao Weiguo's hands.
Zhao Weiguo wanted to refuse. The man who was used to washing dishes in Yangcheng hadn't changed his habits just because he had returned home. Xu Tao, being carefree, hadn't paid much attention and gently hugged Zhao Linan, who was standing beside her, seeing the little fellow rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Are you sleepy?" Xu Tao touched the child's face.
"Mmm," Zhao Linan nodded a little drowsily.
"We've been looking forward to your return for a long time. We cleaned up your rooms a few days ago, and the quilts have been aired out," Zhao's mother was preparing to wash the dishes. Hearing Xu Tao ask Zhao Linan if he was sleepy, she stopped and looked at Xu Tao. "Let Xiao Nan sleep with us tonight!"
When they were in their hometown before, Zhao Linan had slept with Zhao's father and Zhao's mother. Zhao's mother felt this arrangement was fine.
"Want to sleep with Mommy," Zhao Linan still remembered Zhao's mother and Zhao's father, but the child subconsciously shook his head, turned around and clung to Xu Tao's leg, the little chubby boy trying to get Xu Tao to hold him.
Xu Tao also bent down and picked up Zhao Linan. "Okay, sleep with Mommy."
"You little ungrateful thing, you used to sleep with Grandpa and Grandma, and now you嫌弃 this old woman, huh! You little rascal," Zhao's mother said with a smile, walking forward and reaching out to poke the child's nose.
Seeing Zhao Linan and Xu Tao's relationship so harmonious and close made her happy, but the child she had raised from infancy, who used to rely on her and follow her around all day, her soft-spoken little grandson, now only clung to Xu Tao as his mommy, and Zhao's mother still felt a little jealous.
"Grandma," Zhao Linan said, burrowing shyly into Xu Tao's arms after being poked on the nose.
Xu Tao chuckled softly as she held him and turned her head to speak to Zhao Weilan. "Weilan, please help me open that bag over there. There's a can of milk powder inside. Take it out and make a cup of milk for Xiao Nan."
Zhao Linan was still a child, and Xu Tao usually had Zhao Linan drink milk powder to supplement calcium.
"Okay, Sister-in-law," Zhao Weilan nodded and quickly opened the bag to take out the milk powder.
"Pour in hot water first, then add the milk powder," Xu Tao said, holding Zhao Linan and teaching Zhao Weilan how to make milk.
Zhao Weilan followed the steps Xu Tao told her and successfully made a cup of milk, handing it to Xu Tao.
Zhao Linan was indeed very sleepy. Xu Tao fed the child a little over half a cup of milk, and then the child wouldn't drink anymore, falling asleep in her arms. Xu Tao followed her memory to the room, gently put the child on the bed, and thought about getting a basin of hot water to wipe the child.
"Sister-in-law, here," Zhao Weilan very thoughtfully carried a basin of hot water into the room.
"Thank you, Weilan," Xu Tao said with a smile, taking the basin of hot water and returning to the room to change the sleeping Zhao Linan into pajamas and wipe the child's face and neck.
Zhao Weilan brought the basin of hot water and didn't leave immediately. She stood beside Xu Tao, watching Xu Tao take care of Zhao Linan, somewhat surprised by Xu Tao's patience.
"Sister-in-law, you're so good to Xiao Nan!" Zhao Weilan looked at her little nephew sleeping soundly on the bed, her tone a bit surprised, but it could be heard that there was no malice.
Xu Tao was, after all, a stepmother. In this day and age, it was already good if a stepmother didn't starve the child. How could she take care of the child so meticulously, even more carefully than a biological mother?
"He's my son! If I'm not good to him, who should I be good to?" Xu Tao said, touching Zhao Linan's face.
She actually knew that everyone knew she was a stepmother when she returned to her hometown, but she didn't deny it. Anyway, in her eyes, Zhao Linan was her son.
"Brother," Zhao Weiguo had already washed the dishes and was now carrying the luggage from the main room into the bedroom.
His hometown in Wen Province was indeed very cold. At nine o'clock in the evening, it was already bone-chilling. Zhao's father wasn't young anymore. In his fifties, his daily routine was very regular. In the summer, he might stay up a bit later, but in the cold winter nights, he basically went to bed by eight o'clock.
"Everyone is tired today. Let's all rest early. Wei Qiang's wedding is tomorrow, and there are still many things to do to pick up the bride," Zhao's father said after watching Zhao Weiguo and his wife return to the main room.
The Zhao siblings all nodded, preparing to wash up and go back to their rooms to sleep.
Zhao's mother and Zhao's father tidied up and returned to their own room.
The Zhao family members all returned to their respective rooms one after another, while Zhao Weiguo went to the kitchen to boil hot water with a charcoal stove, wanting Xu Tao to soak her feet.
In Yangcheng, Xu Tao's feet could get as cold as icicles. Returning to her hometown in Wen Province, it would undoubtedly be even colder.
"Is the temperature okay?" In the room, Zhao Weiguo tested the water temperature for Xu Tao's feet.
"Mmm," Xu Tao nodded.
The weather was cold, and their hometown wasn't very convenient. There were no proper washing facilities. Xu Tao and Zhao Weiguo didn't take a special bath but could only boil water to wipe themselves, wash their faces, and soak their feet. After a good deal of fussing, the couple turned off the lights and returned to their room to rest.
In her own room, Zhao's mother listened intently for a long time. Before she returned to her room, she had also seen Zhao Weiguo carefully taking care of Xu Tao. Thinking about Zhao Weiguo tidying up the dishes and washing them, the mother's heart was somewhat unhappy.
"How come Weiguo is even carrying a foot-soaking basin to serve her washing her feet?" Zhao's mother said to Zhao's father, her words inevitably carrying a hint of sourness.
He brought back a wife and served her so meticulously. She had never seen him bring her, his old mother, a basin of water at any time!
"Isn't it right for a man to be good to his wife?" Zhao's father replied casually, not thinking it was a big deal.
Where is it right? Why haven't I seen you be good to me? Zhao's mother complained inwardly, then happily spoke of Zhao Linan.
"Xiao Nan is very close to her. People who don't know would think they are biological mother and son!" Zhao's mother thought of every little thing Xu Tao did to take care of Zhao Linan. Although they were all simple things, these were enough for her to see the good and bad.
Xu Tao wasn't doing it for show. Just based on how clingy Zhao Linan was to her, she could see that Xu Tao was really good to Xiao Nan.
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Chapter 67