Being a Rough-Hewn Stepdad Isn't Easy [The 1980s]

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=·.·= Novel Blurb =·.·=

Ever since her husband died, Gao Xi has been a hot topic in the small town's scandal mill. Gossip about her always spreads through every street and alley, accompanied by tales of her alluring figure.

Now another sensational rumor is making the rounds: Gao Xi is planning to marry the richest construction contractor in town! Her husband has been dead barely a year, and she's already taking her three-year-old burden along to become a rich man's wife!!!

With her head held high, Gao Xi took her daughter's hand and strode resolutely toward the Zhao family gates.

She found the gate only half-closed, which struck her as a little odd.

She looked up, the corners of her lips curling slightly, and told her daughter to stand three meters away.

She shoved the gate open with all her might. The plastic basin above it came crashing down with a bang and shattered on the ground.

Gao Xi picked up her daughter and stepped over the water covering the ground. She fixed her eyes on the unruly Zhao family's son and smiled. "Haven't you heard this saying? A stepmother will spend your dad's money and beat his kids."

The male lead's version:

Ever since Zhao Zhikai's wife, who had come to the countryside as an educated youth, ran off with someone else, he had devoted himself to construction work. He was determined to become rich, so that the people who had looked down on him back then would never be able to reach his level.

When he was feeling disillusioned with life, he took in a boy and raised him. The longer he raised the kid, the more unruly he became. Getting into fights and skipping school were everyday occurrences.

Since Zhao Zhikai was busy, he decided to find the boy a stepmother to keep him in line. Through an introduction, he met a plain and gracious elementary school teacher, but instead of taking a shine to her, he fell for Gao Xi, who had accompanied the teacher to the matchmaking meeting.

This rough-and-tumble man didn't care about appearances, and he cared even less about rumors.

A certain crew cut kept going back to Gao Xi's shop for trims.

He simply refused to believe that getting just one millimeter cut off each time wouldn't be enough to send him to the barber more than ten times a month.

After they married, Gao Xi watched the man playing with the child and seemed to understand something: they were both victims of rumors.

[Reading notes, be sure to read!]

1. A gentle, strong heroine vs. a husky-like male lead; marriage first, love later.

2. The secondary couple are also called the Wealthy Couple, because they're both rich: a Cantonese opera dan actress vs. an architect who studied abroad.

3. Happy ending, with the heroine being a virgin and the hero not. The heroine will have another boy after marriage.

4. An everyday slice-of-life, covering ordinary family matters. Cantonese appears frequently in the story, with notes in the author's afterword. The inheritance of Cantonese opera.

5. The male lead's child is adopted and will return to his birth family.

6. The ex-wife is not vilified.

Theme: Cherish every little moment in life