Chapter 192: Chapter 192: The Elderly Woman

An adult with three kids, and they could only get one sleeper berth ticket, luckily it was a lower berth.

Otherwise, Susu would have had a tough time climbing to the upper berth with the three kids. She also worried about the kids being too small and falling from the middle berth.

The train chugged slowly along, various people and buildings outside the window seemingly coming to life.

Susu sat on the outside watching the siblings take turns sitting next to the window, clinging to the view outside.

Susu had filled several cups with water, careful not to scald the children, holding two cups filled with hot water herself.

“Mom, let me hold one for you.”

“No need, just look after your brother and sisters. There’s a lot of water in these, be careful not to get burned.”

“You guys, keep it down a bit. We’re in a public place; you can’t be noisy.”

Seeing An’an and Lele chattering away and starting to argue, Susu quickly told them to quiet down.

The grandpa reading a book across from them looked up and asked with a smile, “Comrade, are all these kids yours? They’re really adorable.”

“Yes,” Susu smiled and nodded, then turned her head to the third and fourth child, “Behave yourselves, don’t argue. Can’t you see grandpa is reading a book?”

“Oh.” An’an pouted, sitting down with her bottom sticking out.

Lele quietly complained to their mom, “Mommy, Brother is mean, he took my food.”

An’an immediately protested, “I saw her playing all the time, I thought she didn’t want to eat, so I just helped myself.”

Before Susu could speak, Pingping, the second child, scolded his younger brother with a straight face, “An’an, don’t bully your sister, or I’ll punch you.”

An’an pouted and turned his head away, not wanting to deal with his second brother.

Xiao Yu patted his younger brother’s head and patiently lectured him, “An’an, it’s not right to snatch food from your sister. Next time, you can ask first, and if she doesn’t want to eat, then you can have it, okay?”

Susu looked at her youngest son’s pouting lips and watched, amused, as the brothers resolved the issue on their own.

An’an, “Sorry, Lele. Next time, I’ll ask before eating.”

Lele turned her head away, “Hmph! Brother is bad!”

An’an’s eyes widened with surprise, exclaiming, “Lele?”

Susu suppressed her laugh, turning her head as if she hadn’t seen anything.

Pingping shook his head helplessly, his brother really… sigh~

Xiao Yu hugged his sister, unable to decide whether to cry or laugh, and pinched the innocent-looking face of his youngest brother.

All the way there, Susu was extremely grateful to have her eldest son with her; managing on her own with triplets would’ve been tough.

Susu hardly dared to sleep during the journey to the Capital for the transfer back home, but luckily they managed to get two seating tickets, and the mother with her four kids endured it, either holding or squeezing each other.

In the early morning, as the sky began to lighten, Susu, carrying two sleepy sons on her back, firmly held onto her eldest son, who was embracing his sister.

“Wife, over here.”

In the dim morning light, the first thing Susu saw was her man’s wide grin.

“Daddy?” Susu was slightly startled but quickly regained her composure, “Thanks, dad.”

“No worries, you must all be tired from the trip. Go home and rest.”

And so Susu and her eldest son rode on their man’s bicycle, while the triplets were carried in a tricycle as they all headed home.

“Asleep?”

“Hurry, carry them to the bed. Second child, take your wife to the room next door and get some rest.”

The three adults carried the triplets, who were sleeping like little piglets, onto the bed in the eastern room.

Mrs. Lu had also woken up and hurriedly helped her granddaughter take off her coat and covered her with a blanket.

“Xiao Yu, quickly take off your shoes and get into bed to sleep. Susu, you should rest too; you must not have slept well on the road looking after so many kids.”

Susu didn’t hold back either, she took off her coat, and it wasn’t long before she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Who knew, the three little ones had just been undressed when they woke up again, and suddenly became too energetic to want to sleep.

“Grandpa, grandma, where’s mom?”

“Mom’s asleep, you all behave, don’t go and disturb mom’s rest.”

“Then what about dad? Has dad gone to work?”

Just out of the restroom, Lu Xiaoting heard the soft voices of his son and daughter. With long strides, he made his way to the east room.

“Daddy.”

“Daddy.”

“Daddy.”

The triplets scrambled to climb onto their father’s body, repeating “Daddy” over and over like a chorus of recorders.

Lu Xiaoting scooped up the triplets in his arms, “What’s the matter? Why are you looking for Daddy?”

“Daddy, come up here.”

“Daddy, lie next to me.”

“Daddy, snuggle with me.”

Xiao Yu pursed his lips, stifling his laughter, and shifted aside for his tall father, making some space.

Pingping and An’an clung to their father’s arms on either side, while Lele sprawled on top of him, the siblings’ little mouths babbling non-stop.

An’an said, “Daddy, let me tell you, it’s so, so hot over there. It was so hot I couldn’t even stay.”

Pingping quickly debunked his brother’s complaint, “Not at all. I see you’re having the most fun every day.”

An’an pouted, “Elder brother, you’re annoying~”

Lele, with a smile beaming from ear to ear, glanced at his second brother and then at his crestfallen third brother, showing off a row of small pearly teeth.

“Daddy, Lele missed you so much.”

Lu Xiaoting responded, “My daughter’s the best, even thinks of Daddy while out having fun.”

Father Lu and Mrs. Lu, grinning at their grandchildren, deliberately teased the little ones.

“Oh my, did our Pingping, An’an, and Lele miss grandma?”

The three little ones exchanged glances, “Yes!”

“And did you miss grandpa?”

“Yes~”

Xiao Yu shook with stifled laughter, not exposing his siblings’ fib—that the three, absorbed in their fun in Yangcheng, had forgotten everything else.

Father Lu and Mrs. Lu’s faces beamed like chrysanthemums with joy.

Susu slept straight through to noon, and after lunch, she took her round-bellied triplets out for a walk, only to fall asleep again.

That afternoon, it was known that Su Nian had returned, accompanied by the man, Li Mingcheng.

Ever since graduating, Lu Xiaomei had been living at home, giving Mrs. Lu 10 yuan a month for living expenses. She had initially intended to give 20 yuan but Susu had insisted she take it back.

Su Nian and her husband had arrived with fruits and vegetables and didn’t leave empty-handed. They took the gifts prepared by Susu for them and their in-laws and didn’t head back until after eight.

The next day at noon in a suburban restaurant,

Lu Xiaomei and Su Nian and her husband arrived one after the other, guided upstairs by the triplets who were playing at the entrance.

Su Chenghe, having sold the last of his braised food, arrived with his wife and son and daughter.

And Xiao Sun’s couple, along with old Brother Xiao Tian, as well as the couple from the third family, loaded with gifts, also arrived.

Father Lu and Mrs. Lu, watching their grandchildren play at the entrance, motioned for the whole family to head upstairs.

While waiting for the dishes, the adults chatted and laughed, and a few siblings sneaked off to a corner to play with the recently acquired toys, the crowd as big as during a New Year’s celebration.

“Little brother, if you do this with the car… it can go far.”

“Wow~ Brother, you’re so amazing~”

Little An’an, adored by his younger brother, puffed out his chest with pride.

The older children were amused by the toddler’s action.

“Sister Su, someone downstairs is asking if we’re hiring.”

Susu followed the restaurant server downstairs to see a ragged, weathered old woman standing at the door.

Locking eyes with the woman, a flood of memories surged forth.

“Erya?”