Early May, 1968.
In the evening, the area where the overlapping mountains meet the sky is covered with pink and orange clouds.
The wind in late spring and early summer already has a hint of warmth. The petals on the century-old peach tree by the river are blown by the wind, and the pale pink petals flutter down.
Lin Tao wrung out a piece of freshly washed clothing in her hands, rolled up the slightly lowered sleeves to her elbows, then reached out to take down the peach blossoms that had fallen on her head and put them into the slowly flowing river.
The river water was so clear that you could see the bottom. Soon, the peach blossoms floated away along the river.
Lin Tao looked away and continued washing clothes.
Summer clothes are thin, and she likes cleanliness, so naturally the clothes won't get dirty, so she washed them very quickly. Only one pair of pants was left to be washed.
Just then, I heard two women talking behind me.
When the two saw Lin Tao washing clothes, they looked at each other and one of them said, "Lin Tao is here to wash clothes."
When Lin Tao heard the voice, her brows furrowed.
She chose this time on purpose so as not to come to wash clothes when there were not many people around, but she still ran into them. And the woman she was talking to, Aunt Zhu, was a well-known gossiper in Taohua Village.
"Yes, auntie, but I've finished washing and am about to go back. You guys take your time washing." Lin Tao quickened her movements, quickly washed the pants, and prepared to leave with the wooden basin in her arms.
Aunt Zhu smiled and looked Lin Tao up and down.
It’s no secret that this girl Lin Tao really lives up to her name. She is as pretty as peach blossoms, with fair and tender skin. Her eyes are not particularly big, but they are sparkling, as if they can speak, making people unable to help but look at them a few more times.
"I heard from your grandma that she found a good marriage for you. The other party is a military officer. I heard that he is a battalion commander. He manages hundreds of people. He is very impressive. The betrothal gift alone is more than 200. Tao, you are so lucky. Your father dotes on you, and your grandma also cares about you and found such a good marriage for you. You should not be ungrateful."
Lin Tao had her back to them and frowned when she heard what Aunt Zhu said.
What a good marriage! The other party is a battalion commander, which is good, but he has been married once and I heard he has three children.
As for her grandmother loving her, that was nonsense. She didn't even look at the two hundred yuan betrothal gift.
Her grandmother would be very happy if she didn't treat her as a thorn in her eye.
But these people knew how her grandmother treated her, they were just making fun of her.
Lin Tao was too lazy to explain, so she smiled and said, "Auntie Zhu, where did you get this information? How come I didn't know about this? Could it be that you heard it wrong? By the way, Auntie, Brother Huzi is twenty-three or twenty-four this year, right? And Brother Gouzi is also twenty-one or twenty-two. Isn't it time for them to get married? Auntie, which girl do you have your eyes on? I'm waiting to eat the wedding candy."
After a few words, the smile on Aunt Zhu's face disappeared. She pouted her lips in dismay, muttered "It's too early", and went to wash clothes quickly.
Everyone knows that her husband is getting married for the second time. The first one gave birth to two sons, and now they are grown up and ready to get married. But she is reluctant to pay the money for the beggars because there is a big mess at home.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Lin Tao smiled and said nothing more before turning around and going home.
Even though Lin Tao pretended to know nothing in front of Aunt Zhu, she was actually quite upset.
A few days ago, her grandmother threw a photo at her without saying a word and said that she had arranged a marriage for her.
First, she said that the other party was so capable that he was a military officer. Second, she said that the other party was so generous that he gave a betrothal gift of 200 yuan. She was so confused that she thought her grandmother had changed her personality.
Didn't you hate her the most in the past? Why are you willing to introduce such a good engagement partner to her now?
After asking Aunt Fang, I found out that this man was remarried. He was almost 30 years old. His wife had just died less than a year ago and he had three children.
Aunt Fang married into Taohua Village, and her family happened to be in that village, so she knew more than others.
The battalion commander's previous cousin had just died less than a year ago. His parents were too old to take care of too many children, so they hurriedly asked the battalion commander to take a family visit leave and come back to find a new one.
There are three children. The oldest one is five or six years old, and the youngest one is not even one year old. After she gets married, her main purpose is to take care of the children.
Lin Tao was certain that her grandmother had never considered whether her life would be easy after she got married.
When her grandmother told her about this, she refused outright, saying that she was still young and was afraid that she would not be able to take care of so many children. She also hoped that the marriage would turn into an enmity, which would be very ugly.
She planned to wait until her father came back and then talk to him about this.
Her father is a demobilized soldier and now works in a transportation factory. He went out to work as a driver half a month ago and is expected to be back in the next two days.
Lin Tao was thinking about something and just walked with her head down, not even paying attention to the person in front of her.
It was only when her father called her that Lin Tao noticed that her father was already waiting for her at the entrance of the village.
The gloom on Lin Tao's face disappeared, replaced by a full smile, and she called out sweetly, "Dad."
"What are you thinking about? You don't even look at the road." Lin Changhai reached out to take the wooden basin from Lin Tao's hand, but Lin Tao dodged him.
She pouted, "I can carry it. Dad must have worked hard on his trip. You should have a good rest when you get home. I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow, but you're here today."
Looking at my father’s red eyes, I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.
This is how it works when driving a car. Even though two people take turns driving, each trip takes so long that it's very tiring.
Fortunately, after Dad gets out of the car this time, he can have a good rest at home for a few days.
"This time everything went smoothly, so I came back a day earlier," said Lin Changhai.
The main reason is that it hasn't rained, so it's easier to drive. If it rains, we might have to come back later.
Lin Changhai showed Lin Tao what he had in his hand: "Dad went to Hangzhou this time and saw a lot of beautiful skirts. I wanted to buy them for you, but I didn't know if they would be suitable for you, so I just tore off a piece of cloth and brought it back. You can make it whatever you want."
Lin Tao said angrily, "Dad, you're wasting money again. I have enough clothes to wear. Buy yourself some next time. Don't always think about me."
"You are my father's daughter. If I don't care about you, who else should I care about?"
The father and daughter walked towards home while talking.
Lin Tao hesitated for a moment, but was ready to tell her father about the engagement: "Dad, I want to tell you something."
Lin Changhai: "Your grandma arranged a marriage for you, right?"
"Dad ran into your Aunt Fang as soon as he entered the village gate, and she told me everything." Seeing the surprise in Lin Tao's eyes, he explained.
"Don't worry, Tao. Dad will never let you marry and become a stepmother. When you get home later, don't say anything. Dad will talk to your grandma. Whoever wants to be the stepmother can do it. Anyway, our Tao won't be the stepmother."
Lin Changhai spoke in a firm tone.
His daughter A Tao is only nineteen years old, pretty, and has graduated from high school, so her conditions are not bad.
Even if he picked a young man at random for Tao in the factory, it would be better than for her to marry him and become the mother of three children.
After listening to this, Lin Tao looked at her father with a smile in her eyes.
Since she was a child, her father has been her guardian angel, using his strong body to protect her from wind and rain.
Even though she has grown up now, her father, who used to look as majestic as a mountain, is now only a head taller than her.
But in Lin Tao's heart, her father will always be her safest support.
Two flowers bloom, each showing its own beauty.
At this moment, in the main hall of the Lin family, sat Old Mrs. Lin and the three people from the main branch of the Lin family.
Old Mrs. Lin's face was filled with disbelief, and she subconsciously asked, "Ah Hui, what did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly, please say it again."
Lin Hui, who was called "Ah Hui", looked at her family members who looked like they had seen a ghost, took a deep breath, and repeated what she had just said: "Grandma, I said I want to marry Shen Guobin."
Old Mrs. Lin was so angry that she almost fainted. She looked at her granddaughter who was nauseous after waking up from a nap and said in a hoarse voice, "Ah Hui, you didn't sleep too well, did you?"
"Although Shen Guobin is a battalion commander, he has been married once and has three children. Do you want to marry him and become his stepmother?"
Yes, Old Lady Lin was indeed attracted by Shen Guobin's status as a battalion commander and the 200-plus yuan betrothal gift offered by his family. But she planned to let the unlovable Lin Tao marry him instead of Lin Hui.
Although Old Mrs. Lin favors boys over girls, she still likes her granddaughter Lin Hui.
Because Lin Hui looks most like her when she was young, even her temper is similar, she loves Lin Hui as much as she loves her grandson.
Given how much she loved Lin Hui, how could she bear to let her marry a man with three children and become a stepmother? Even if he was the battalion commander, she couldn't do that!
Not only Mrs. Lin, but Lin Hui's parents also looked at Lin Hui as if she were a fool.
Who would rush to be a stepmother?
Isn't this stupid?
But Lin Hui looked clear-headed and nodded firmly: "Yes, I just want to be the stepmother."
She hadn't just fallen asleep - she had been reborn.
In her previous life, Lin Tao married Shen Guobin. Although she became a stepmother, she was exceptionally happy.
The three children were all very promising. The eldest was a well-known wealthy businessman in Xiangcheng. It was said that he had so much money that he could not spend it all. He bought several villas for Lin Tao. The youngest daughter seemed to have become a star and even Lin Tao had appeared on TV several times.
But as for herself, she married Zhao Yuejin, the son of the current deputy director of a machinery factory, as she wished, and thought she would live a good life. However, who knew that within a few years, something bad happened to the Zhang family. Zhao Yuejin was not only unmotivated, but also gambled and drank, and even committed domestic violence when he was drunk.
She originally thought she had married well, but now her life is miserable...
Finally, she looked at the radiant Lin Tao on TV, who was the same age as her but looked ten or twenty years younger than her, and wondered why she wasn't the one who married Shen Guobin?
How great it would have been if she had been the one to marry Shen Guobin...
Then she found herself reborn.
Reborn to the present, when Lin Tao has not yet married Shen Guobin.
She knew her chance had come!
As long as she replaces Lin Tao's position as stepmother, won't all the benefits in the future be hers?