Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Technology and Tough Work

Susu’s first task upon arriving home was to sleep, slumbering until she woke up naturally, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the triplets right away.

Enveloping her round and plump children in her arms, Susu felt incredibly happy.

“Mommy, gift.”

An’an, with a smile beaming on his face, stretched out his hand asking for a gift.

Pingping and Lele at his side blinked their large eyes, their faces full of anticipation.

Susu tapped each of the three little ones’ noses, “Wait a minute.”

This time, the gifts for the triplets were new toy sniper rifles, Barbie dolls, and some interesting little trinkets.

“Heehee, thank you, Mommy, Pingping loves Mommy the most,” Pingping said with a smile, planting a kiss on his mother’s face.

An’an and Lele immediately followed suit, giving a hearty “smack” as they kissed her and said in their sweet, milky voices.

“Thank you, Mommy, An’an loves Mommy the most.”

“Thank you, Mommy, Lele really loves the pretty doll, Mommy is the best. Lele loves Mommy the most.”

The two little rascals immediately started shooting with their long guns, “biu biu biu…” firing away.

“Little thief, where do you think you’re running? Take this!”

“Biu, take my shot.”

…

Lele cradled her new doll and then lined up her old cloth dolls, starting to play house.

“Big sister, second sister… Little sister, I’m your mommy, be good.”

“Kids gotta eat up nicely if they want to grow tall!”

“Listen to Mommy, you can’t…”

Susu couldn’t help but laugh and cry, watching her young daughter act so mature, spouting her little lines so fluently.

In the evening, Lu Xiaomei and Su Nian came back together, having come on purpose upon knowing their sister-in-law/sister had returned.

The whole family gathered around the pot, cheerfully enjoying the steaming hotpot with beef and mutton.

Not long ago, together with Xiao Sun and Su Chenghe’s families, they had purchased some beef and mutton, taking half a sheep and half a cow for themselves.

The grass-fed beef and mutton tasted fresh and had no gamey smell.

As soon as the beef was brought home, Susu, with her mother-in-law, had made half of it into beef jerky.

After everyone was full of food and drink, Susu began to distribute gifts to everyone, as New Year’s presents.

The men received warm cotton-padded jackets, while the women got beautiful dresses and boots.

Several women tried on their new clothes and boots in the eastern room, while the men were sent off to the western room.

Mrs. Lu beamed with joy as she touched the leather boots, unable to put them down, “These boots are so comfortable, even my shins feel warm.”

“I have no idea how they make these leather boots look so good.”

In those times, products were genuine and the market didn’t have synthetic leather; these were all genuine leather boots.

At night, having eagerly awaited his wife’s return, Lu Xiaoting also wanted to cuddle with her and whisper sweet nothings.

But the triplets, who would normally have been fast asleep by this time, were lively and chatty, sticking to their mom and talking nonstop.

Lu Xiaoting thought the kids were old enough to sleep with their grandparents now.

He cleared his throat, “Ahem, isn’t it bedtime yet? If you don’t get up early in the morning, little butts will get spanked.”

The triplets just giggled, thinking Daddy was playing with them, and they kept laughing non-stop.

Susu watched silently as her husband coaxed and deceived the triplets to sleep, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

After Lu Xiaoting finally managed to get the three little ones to sleep, he turned to his wife who was enjoying the show and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

His dark eyes twinkled, his voice hoarse and deep, “Wife, enjoying the view?”

Susu raised her eyebrows, her slim hands causing playful mischief, her laughter trembling like blooming flowers.

“Hahaha… it’s so much fun.”

“Wife, are you trying to light a fire?”

…

The next day, having stayed up late the previous night, the triplets failed to wake up early, sleeping soundly through the morning with the sun shining on their butts.

Each of the triplets’ little butts received a smack, their little mouths puckered as though they could hang an oil pot from them.

——

Su Chenghe’s new restaurant opened officially with the crackle and bang of firecrackers resounding to the skies in the suburban two-story eatery.

The first floor of the restaurant, including a waiting area and the kitchen, was off-limits to customers; nearby were various vegetables and meats on display for those who wanted to pick their own ingredients for the hot pot.

The bathroom was situated on the lower side of the staircase to the right, while the rest of the ground floor comprised scattered seating in the main hall.

The second floor featured private rooms along the walls, with large round tables in the center to accommodate families with many members.

The head chef living nearby was Li Tianquan, an old master chef from a state-owned restaurant, boasting exceptional culinary skills.

There were also two assistant cooks, primarily responsible for hot pot and various noodle dishes, all living close by.

In addition to the cooking staff, there were four waiters, with one dishwasher and one cleaner hired temporarily.

Having heard the news well in advance, Lu Xiaogu and Uncle Lu arrived with their daughter and son, even bringing a basket filled with grains grown on their farm.

“Little Aunt, Uncle, Xiao Gang, Little Yi, please go upstairs, mom and dad are all there.”

“Second brother, second sister-in-law.”

“Hey, hey, Susu, you go about your business; don’t mind us.”

Uncle Su, Aunt, and eldest brother’s wife He Hong along with Aunt Su and Uncle Su had also arrived.

“Susu, my goodness, this is truly impressive, and there are so many people of all ages.”

“Uncle, Aunt, He Hong, Little Aunt, Uncle, please go upstairs; mom and dad are upstairs.”

…

Lu Xiaoting finished fixing his daughter’s pants before carrying her out of the bathroom.

“Mommy.”

“Hey, did Xiao Lele wash her hands after using the toilet?”

“I did.”

The little girl extended her small hands for her mother to inspect.

“Well done, Lele,” Susu said, giving her a thumbs up.

“Heehee…” The little girl smiled sweetly, snuggling into her father’s embrace.

“Ah Ting, Little Aunt, Aunt, and the uncles from the family are all here; you should take Lele upstairs.”

Lu Xiaoting shook his head, “No worries, wife; mom and dad and Xiaomei are upstairs, I’ll stay here with you.”

Not long after, a group of men in dark green police uniforms walked in, laughing and talking—it was a group of Lu Xiaoting’s colleagues.

“Old Lu, congratulations to your sister-in-law.”

“Brother Lu, congrats to your wife.”

“Thank you, thank you, everyone, please go upstairs, and see how our chef’s cooking turns out.”

The group of men went upstairs, joking and laughing, while Su Nian nudged Lu Xiaoting to go upstairs and greet the guests.

…

Perhaps it was because of Master Li’s cooking skills that the restaurant was always busy around meal times.

Or maybe it was because the area was populated with workers who, having decent living conditions, would come to eat when they didn’t feel like cooking at home.

In any case, the restaurant’s business was genuinely booming, especially the hot pot, which was very popular.

In the cold winter days, many people loved to order a steaming hot pot with buns—delicious, filling, and not expensive.

The broth was made fresh daily from creamy, rich bone soup, simple and natural, and it was popular with everyone.

“Young man, can you scoop me some extra soup to take home?”