Blended Family in the 1980S

New book: [The Laid-Back Stepmom on a Seventies Island] Now available Blurb: Shao Hua, a Michelin-starred chef, transmigrates into the body of Shao Hua, a chef at a state-run restaurant who was abandoned by her husband. She also gets two daughters as a bonus: the older one is a little monkey who'll climb onto the roof if she isn't disciplined for three days, while the younger one is as quiet as a quail, barely making a peep no matter what. Qin Li is an officer stationed on Huang'er Island. He's well-educated, comes from a good family, and has a bright future ahead of him. The only problem is that his wife does nothing around the house. She won't do the chores or cook, and only cares about growing flowers and reciting poetry. Their two sons are like weeds growing by the roadside, left to fend for themselves. The older boy is timid and slightly antisocial, unable to get a full sentence out when he meets a stranger. The younger boy is frail and sickly, panting after just a few steps. Shao Hua, divorced with two daughters, and Qin Li, divorced with two sons, sit down for a blind date. Shao Hua: I'm a chef at a state-run restaurant. Qin Li: I'm an officer stationed on an island. Shao Hua: My ex-husband traded me in for someone younger. Qin Li: My ex-wife couldn't be bothered with anything. Shao Hua: I'm divorced and have two daughters. Qin Li: I'm divorced and have two sons. Qin Li: How about we make do with each other? Shao Hua: Let's make do with each other. Shao Hua and Qin Li register their marriage. She quits her job and follows him to Huang'er Island. People have plenty to say. "A woman with a past and a widower. Let's see how long before they split." "Huang'er Island? What kind of lousy place is that? Shao Hua will be back crying for her parents in less than a month." Shao Hua raises an eyebrow. A lousy island? It has the sea, mountains, and forests. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, she can forage for crabs and sea urchins. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, she can gather mushrooms and dig for bamboo shoots in the mountains. They eat a hundred times better than city workers who rely on state grain rations. Day by day, they not only stay married, but make their life together more and more lively. The timid, slightly antisocial older boy transforms into a scientist studying a certain type of missile. The older girl, once a mischievous little monkey who'd climb onto the roof if not disciplined for three days, becomes a huge TV star with countless advertising deals. The sickly younger boy, who used to pant after two steps, is recruited by the national track team before he even finishes middle school. The lazy younger girl, who used to leave her name off her tests and get zeroes, becomes a star interpreter for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with newspapers full of stories about her. Everyone who'd been waiting to see them make fools of themselves is dumbfounded. Coming soon: [The Laid-Back Stepmom on a Seventies Island] Blurb: Raising kids on an island / subverting the usual tropes / kids win over their stepmom Ning Tang, an overworked office drone, transmigrates into the foil character in a stepmom story set on an island. The heroine is her cousin, Ning Xue. Ning Xue goes on a blind date and marries Regiment Commander Su, who is stationed on an island, divorced, and has two children. She's a great cook, knows how to sew clothes, and treats the commander's two children as if they were her own, raising them no differently from her biological children. By contrast, Ning Tang marries Regiment Commander Shen, who is stationed on the same island, is widowed, and has three children. She beats and scolds his children, never has a kind word to say to them, and leaves them so hungry they're skin and bones, like little beggars fleeing a disaster. Ning Tang: ...? Since she's already here, she might as well follow the plot. She's decided to be as laid-back as possible! The sun is already high in the sky when Regiment Commander Shen's three children come to Ning Tang's bedside, complaining that they're hungry. The eldest puts his hands on his hips. "Look at the stepmom next door, Ning Xue. She's so good to her two kids. She cooks for them and makes them clothes." Ning Tang scratches her ear. "What years were the three of you born?" The children look at one another. The eldest says, "I was born in 1969, Er Niu in 1971, and San Wa in 1973." "Oh." Ning Tang turns over without a care, thinking, I was born in 2000. I'm younger than all of you by who knows how many years. Why should I have to look after you? Determined not to make herself suffer just to spare someone else, Ning Tang uses the seafood she's gathered on the shore to make a huge platter of seafood in spicy sauce. The three children are practically drooling. Er Niu says, "Stepmom, give us some." Ning Tang: "You can't expect something for nothing. If you want to eat, trade me money or ration coupons." The children had planned to hide away the money and ration coupons Regiment Commander Shen gave them before he went out to sea. Instead, they spend every last bit of it trading with Ning Tang for food. San Wa: "Stepmom, the stepmom next door has a job and earns money. She buys the kids next door treats every day." Ning Tang: "It's not good for kids to compare themselves with others." Ning Xue has to go to work before dawn every morning, while Ning Tang is still asleep at this hour. Ning Tang can't help thinking that being unemployed is pretty great! The two sons of Regiment Commander Su tell Ning Xue they want to play by the beach and in the hills behind the village. Ning Xue gently pats them on the head. "Those places are dangerous. Don't go." The three children of the Shen family tell Ning Tang they want to go to the hills and the beach. Ning Tang rolls up her sleeves. "Are we catching rabbits or gathering seafood? When are we going?" Ning Xue's stepsons get into a fight at school. She doesn't beat or scold them, instead winning them over with reason. The three Shen children get into a fight at school. The teacher says, "Your children got into a fight at school." Ning Tang: "Did they win?" Teacher (?): "They won... but..." Ning Tang: "If they won, why'd you call me in?" Day by day, the two stepsons Ning Xue had devoted herself to turn into ungrateful brats. The three children Ning Tang raised without hovering over them all grow up to be successful. The eldest becomes one of the country's top tycoons, the second becomes a TV star, and the youngest becomes a champion swimmer representing the country. Ning Xue: Who can I even complain to about this? When Shen Lie returns from a trip out to sea, he finds that his own children have become best friends with his new wife, whom he married after his first marriage ended. The eldest clings to Ning Tang's leg, while Er Niu and San Wa tug at her hem. "Stepmom is my real mom!" Everyone in the military compound: Regiment Commander Shen, please do something about your wife!! She's practically become the kids' ringleader!! She's been everywhere, from the mountains to the sea, and there's no place she hasn't turned upside down!! Theme: Husband and wife join hands to build a better future