Susu furrowed her brows, unsure of what the old lady wanted to do, and asked in a deep voice, "Madam, do you need something?"
"Hurry and give me half a pound of meat and vegetables, my little treasure is making a fuss," the old lady said anxiously, urging.
Thinking the old lady was looking for trouble, Mrs. Lu breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head. "There is none left, everything is sold out. Come back tomorrow to buy some."
"Oh dear, my little treasure wants to eat, and if it's all sold out, what will I do? She might cry the house down!"
Upon hearing that everything was sold out, the old lady started wailing and grabbed Susu. "Oh, young lady, do you have any at home? I need some. If I don't bring it back today, my little treasure won't calm down."
Susu felt uncomfortable being grabbed and pulled the old lady's hand away. "Madam, it's not that I don't want to help you; there's really nothing left. Even if I go back and make some, it won't be ready until the afternoon. We'll be setting up our stall near the steel mill around 5 p.m. If you want to buy some, please go there then."
With that, the family ignored the old lady and pushed their bicycles home.
Xiao Yu looked down and saw the red mark on his aunty's wrist. As soon as they got home, he rushed into the house.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were busy unloading things and didn't notice what the little guy was up to.
"Auntie, wipe it."
Looking at the damp towel that appeared in front of her, Susu saw the stern little guy. Curious, Susu asked, "Xiao Yu, what do you want Auntie to do with this damp towel?"
"Auntie, wipe it, it's red."
Following Xiao Yu's pointing, Mrs. Lu noticed her daughter-in-law's wrist was red, angrily putting her hands on her hips and scolding, "What's with that old lady? How did she end up pinching someone like that? Old Mom—"
Appreciating the caring gesture, Susu comforted her angry mother-in-law. "It's just that my skin is too delicate. The old lady didn't use much force, really. Mom, don't be mad. If it hurt, I would have said something."
Mrs. Lu glared at her daughter-in-law. "You're just too kind-hearted, my dear."
Susu thought to herself, you really don't understand your daughter-in-law.
"Mom, it's this late. Why hasn't Dad come back yet?"
"I forgot to tell you, we've been busy working to earn money all day. We had leftovers from breakfast for lunch. I told your dad to eat at the factory cafeteria, so we wouldn't have to cook for lunch."
Seeing her daughter-in-law hesitate to speak, Mrs. Lu quickly added, "Your dad usually eats at the factory cafeteria. Besides, the food at their textile factory cafeteria is pretty good."
Susu silently bowed to her father-in-law.
Provincial City
"Old Lu, how's it going? I heard you sent Xiao Yu back?"
Lu Xiaoting nodded. "Yeah, I'll go back to get them once I'm less busy."
One of his colleagues winked at Lu Xiaoting. "Did you make it up with your wife? She's not arguing with you?"
Lu Xiaoting nodded and agreed.
"I heard your wife smashed the house apart. She's really something."
"That's right. Your wife is quite famously formidable in our Residential Complex, even..."
...
In the kitchen, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were both sweating buckets; staying in the kitchen during the summer was indeed exhausting.
Susu wiped her sweat with the towel hung around her neck, especially missing air conditioning from the future.
After enduring the hottest part of the afternoon, the three of them pushed their bicycles towards the mechanical factory a little after 4 p.m., needing to set up before the employees finished work.
As soon as they got near the entrance of the mechanical factory, the old lady, who had been waiting, rushed over.
Susu felt a gust of wind and immediately saw the old lady from the morning.
"Oh, you're finally here. I was afraid I'd miss out again, so I came early to wait. Quick, quick, give me a pound of vegetables and half a pound of meat."
Mrs. Lu, seemingly influenced by the old lady's urgency, swiftly weighed the food.
With her lunch box in her arms, the old lady hurried away, showing no signs of her previous frailty.
Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other, and Susu couldn't help but exclaim, wow, this old lady's legs are in great shape!
As the mechanical factory's gate started to release the workers, Susu quickly began calling out.
"Freshly boiled delicacies, don't miss out as you pass by. Come take a look, free tasting, no obligation to buy if you're not satisfied—"
"Come one, come all, aromatic braised flavors here."
"It's really delicious! Really fragrant! Uncles and Aunties, come quickly～～"
The crowd was drawn to the loud cries of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, curiously gathering around, each with something to say.
"Boss, how much is it?"
"Boss, can we really try it for free?"
"What if we try it and don't buy?"
...
Susu immediately put on a standard smile, revealing eight teeth, "Vegetables are 6 cents, meat is a dollar twenty a pound. We have free samples right here, feel free to try. We won't force you to buy, if you're not satisfied that's okay."
"But I'm confident in our flavors, you'll definitely want more after tasting."
The crowd burst into laughter, saying how the boss really had a way with words.
"Boss, is this your little guy? This little one is really good, helping you with business."
Hearing the adults, Xiao Yu's head almost drooped to his chest, his eyes occasionally glancing at the busy Susu.
Currently caught up in the rush, Susu heard, smiled without looking up, and nodded, "Yes, my son, isn't he well-behaved?!"
"He sure is, so well-behaved, look at how sensible he is."
"Yes, yes, my kids are rowdy, they'd practically tear the house apart."
Listening to others praise her little tyke, Susu's smile grew even wider, graciously giving each person a little more vegetables.
"Oh, thank you, boss..."
Hearing Aunty call him her son, Xiao Yu's lowered head gradually lifted, sneaking glances at Aunty, his black eyes shining with undisguised delight.
"What are you looking at?" Already noticing the little one's sneaky glances, Susu pinched his smooth cheek.
"Aunty, you're beautiful."
Susu was astonished, never imagining such sweet words from the little guy's mouth, and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, Xiao Yu, you're speaking pure truth."
The boy's face was flushed red, yet his expression was earnest. "Aunty, it's true! Xiao Yu doesn't lie."
"Hahaha, right, right, Xiao Yu sure has good taste."
Watching the big and small duo playfully bicker, Mrs. Lu grew happier.
...
Once home, Susu sprawled in the rocking chair in the courtyard, swaying, not wanting to move, lazily, "Mom, you should rest too, I'll clean up later."
"No need, Mom will clean up; there aren't many things."
"Alright, then you do it, and I'll make dinner later." Susu wasn't too formal with her mother-in-law, taking over dinner preparation.
"Aunty, have some water."
The little guy, all sweaty, brought a cup of water, making Susu delightfully happy. "Thank you, Xiao Yu, you should rest too."
"Okay."
As night fell, Mrs. Lu excitedly tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Father Lu listened to his wife's movements and spoke helplessly, "What's wrong? Can't sleep?"
Hearing him, Mrs. Lu sat up, excitedly watching his direction, "Old man, do you think this is what the Old Blind Man said about the second daughter-in-law becoming enlightened?"