Chapter 171: Chapter 171 Supervisor

The children burst into cheers, all clamoring for a photo.

Susu cleared his throat, “Cough, then let’s do it.”

On the first day with the camera, Susu’s photography skills were still unpolished, so he practiced using his family members as subjects.

However, once he got the photos in hand, Susu embarrassingly found that he had wasted several rolls of film—all turned out black.

His businesses, whether they were marinated food shops, small restaurants, or clothing stores were already capable of operating independently. Susu only needed to occasionally visit them to check the accounts.

Bored out of his mind, Susu decided to open another small restaurant where he could also sell marinated goods.

With the idea in mind, Susu began to spend his days biking around town to scout for a suitable location for the shop,

Since it was a combination of a small restaurant and a marinated goods shop, the space couldn’t be too small. He mainly looked at residential areas near schools and factories.

For several days, Susu didn’t come across any satisfactory locations, but he wasn’t in a rush. Whenever he had time, he would scout around for a suitable spot.

That day, Susu stumbled upon the suburbs, where many of the village residents were families of factory workers.

Surveying his surroundings, a light bulb went off in his head when he suddenly remembered that the area he was currently in would become a bustling commercial district full of people in the future.

Perhaps it was sheer luck, but Susu accidentally saw an old and dilapidated defense for sale. Pushing down the excitement in his heart, he went up to ask someone.

“Madam, I see that house over there is for sale. Do you know who it belongs to?”

The old lady feeding her grandson narrowed her eyes, “Girl, what are you up to? Thinking of buying a house?”

“Yes, Madam, do you know anything about it?”

“How could I not? That family was exiled to a farm in the earlier years. When they finally returned, all their children and grandchildren were gone, with only a young daughter who had married and survived.

Mr. Zhang hadn’t been back long before he passed away, too. The house has been uninhabited, and after so much time, it became unfit for living. It was Mr. Zhang’s daughter who posted the notice this year.

If you want to have a look, go to the entrance of the third alley in front and ask the second-to-last house. Their family is a distant relative of the husband’s family of Mr. Zhang’s daughter.”

“Ah, thank you, Madam.”

Susu sighed, although he had not witnessed that catastrophe—which caused many families to be broken and suffer immense pain—but he understood some of it from television.

Sigh… Although he could never truly empathize with those who had experienced that turmoil.

As he was overwhelmed by the uncomfortable emotions, his gaze met with the naive and tender eyes of a young child.

“Pretty Auntie, who are you looking for?”

“Little friend, I’m looking for your elders.”

“Who is it?”

An elderly voice called out, and a little girl with tiny pigtails ran inside, “Grandpa, there’s a pretty lady looking for an adult.”

The old man looked her over, “Young lady, what do you do?”

Susu briefly explained her intention for coming.

The old man was straightforward as well; he grabbed the keys and took Susu to see the courtyard.

The yard was overrun with weeds as tall as a person, and the house had become dilapidated from lack of maintenance over the years.

The old man sighed and went over the reasons for the house’s condition, which was pretty much what the old woman had told Susu earlier.

Susu quickly made a decision and purchased the property alongside the adjacent land.

“What? You bought land? And it’s in the suburbs?”

Father Lu and Mrs. Lu were in utter shock; their daughter-in-law had bought land without saying a word?

Lu Xiaoting smiled and pinched his wife’s tender white hand, “Wife, please continue.”

Susu repeated his plan to build a house and set up the shop, continuing under the astonished gazes of his in-laws.

“Dad, I was hoping you could help supervise the construction work when the time comes. Keep an eye on the workers for me, I’m afraid that if no one is watching, they might slack off. And if they cut corners with the materials, that would be serious trouble.

So, I’d appreciate it if you could watch over them, and I’ll pay you 40 yuan a month for it.”

Father Lu frowned, “No need, I’ll supervise the work for you. I don’t want your money.”

“Yeah, we’re all family, how could we take a salary?” Mrs. Lu disagreed completely.

That very night, the old couple chatted idly in the dark.

“Hey, Dad, you need to keep a close watch, don’t let it turn out like Susu said. A little laziness is tolerable, but it would be serious if they skimped on the work or materials and the house doesn’t get built properly.

Susu mentioned building a two-story building, and we have to make sure it’s a good one.”

Father Lu nodded, “Mm-hm, you don’t need to tell me, I’ll definitely keep a close eye.”

“Isn’t it amazing how impressive our daughter-in-law is? She’s opened so many stores, and now she wants to build a new building.

Our second son’s annual salary can’t even match what Susu earns in a month. In the past, people would probably say your second son is living off his wife.”

In the darkness, Mrs. Lu’s mouth curled into a smile so wide her eyes disappeared.

Father Lu glanced at his wife’s silhouette and helplessly shook his head, “Sigh, each spouse has different roles, the most important thing is to live our own lives well, who cares what others say.”

The next morning, Susu, still disheveled from sleep, went to the restroom. When she came out, she ran straight into her father-in-law, looking sharp and full of energy.

Caught between laughing and crying, “Dad, it’s still early, besides, I haven’t even contacted the construction team properly yet, I guess it’ll be later today.”

Father Lu gestured with his hand, “No rush, give me a call once you’ve arranged everything.”

Susu visited the nearby street and found a man who seemed reliable and honest.

After a detailed conversation, since he was an experienced craftsman, they came to an agreement. Susu gave them the address and then went home.

She took Father Lu to the suburban village.

On the first day, Susu accompanied Father Lu to supervise the demolition of the old house.

In the following days, aside from visiting on days off, Susu and Lu Xiaoting left the supervision to Father Lu.

Besides taking care of his grandchildren, Father Lu, having something important to do, went to work early and returned late every day, even joining in the work to speed up the progress.

After this period, Father Lu became tanned and a bit thinner, but he seemed even more spirited than before.

Since this was in the suburbs and there were no restaurants nearby, Susu specially hired two local women to cook.

They made sure to provide two dishes and a soup, plenty of staple food every day, and a large pot of sweet mung bean soup.

The workers appreciated the kindness of their employers; they had meat dishes at every meal, almost like a village feast during the New Year. With full bellies, each of them worked hard with all their might.

“Grandpa’s back.”

“Dad’s home.”

The triplets scampered after their dusty grandfather, calling out “Grandpa” with delight, and Father Lu beamed with joy.

“Dear ones, grandpa is covered in dirt, stay aside for a bit.”

The first thing Father Lu did upon returning home each day was to strip off his work clothes in the shed built in the yard, take a shower, and change into his home clothes.

Mrs. Lu, after cooking, would naturally pick up his sweat-stained dirty clothes to wash.

“You’ve worked hard, Dad, I bought watermelon.”

Susu said, swiftly cutting the ruby-red watermelon into slices.

A large, chilly, sweet, and juicy slice of watermelon for each person instantly provided a refreshing relief.