Chapter 174: Chapter 174 Little Boss

“Alright, elder,” the person in charge of cooking the spicy hot pot in the kitchen quickly prepared it, took the big bowl brought by the elder, and added more soup to it.

“Take care on your way home, elder.”

The elder, his eyes crinkling into a smile at the sight of the brimming soup.

By lunchtime, the restaurant saw a steady stream of customers, all workers from nearby factories, exhausted from the morning’s work.

Su’s Restaurant’s food was inexpensive and tasty, so many people preferred coming here with their children instead of cooking at home, opting for rice bowl dishes.

The restaurant offered a variety of noodles, marinated dishes, stir-fries, spicy hot pot, and rice bowl combos like those of future generations, with side dishes customers could choose themselves.

Many loved the rice bowls for their hearty portions that ensured fullness and tastiness, especially because they were cheaper than ordering stir-fries directly.

“Brother Xiao Ming, I want a big drumstick.”

“Brother Xiao Ming, I want a big drumstick too.”

“Me too, me too, Brother Xiao Ming, I also want a big drumstick.”

The triplet siblings jostled each other as they raced to the cashier.

“Okay, okay, find somewhere to sit first. Who brought you kids here?”

Xiao Ming, seeing the three tots shorter than the cashier counter, smiled and guided them to sit down at a nearby table, to keep them safe from the bustling crowd of customers.

“Daddy’s too slow.”

“My dad is right behind.”

Having just parked his bicycle, Lu Xiaoting heard his daughters and son’s voices and his usually stern face broke into a smile.

“Lu Gong’an and Tianyu have arrived. What would you like to eat?”

Lu Xiaoting nodded, “Get me a serving of sliced noodles. What about you, Tianyu?”

“Yeah, I’ll have the same, a serving of sliced noodles.”

“Alright, Lu Gong’an, hang on for a bit.”

Soon, Xiao Ming came over first with four large drumsticks.

The three little ones had just reached out to grab one when their dad smacked away their chubby hands.

“Did you guys wash your hands before trying to eat?”

“Hee hee… forgot.”

The three siblings exchanged a grinning look, scampered off their stools, and Tianyu shook his head with a laugh, leading his brother and sister to the restroom to wash their hands.

Once seated again, the triplets immediately grabbed their drumsticks and began munching away, the smell fragrant and appetizing.

Their little faces were smeared with the juice of the drumsticks.

“Dad, I can’t finish it on my own, let’s share,” Tianyu said, breaking off half the drumstick and pushing it onto a plate towards his dad.

Children of this age are growing fast; it’s unlikely he couldn’t finish it. It was just the kid thinking of his dad. Lu Xiaoting knew it but said nothing as he finished off the chicken drumstick in a few bites.

…

A few local delinquents loitered nearby, envious of Su’s Restaurant’s brisk business, circling around day by day, thinking if they could stealthily snatch some money it would be great.

After all, the restaurant was so busy, a little bit taken surely wouldn’t be noticed.

In the cold of winter, a group of these delinquents huddled with arms crossed, shivering as they crouched in a corner staring at Su’s Restaurant.

“Achoo, achoo~”

“Ah choo, ah choo~”

“Oh my god, this weather is almost freezing us to death. Bro, are we just gonna stay here, not moving?”

“Otherwise, what do you think? We’ve been TM blowing hot air for so long, what’s up? You motherfuckers still want to drink the Northwest Wind or something?”

The young man became angrier as he spoke, slapping each of the two heads with a heavy palm.

Goddamn, a pair of cowards!!!

“Brother, I didn’t even say a word, why did I get hit too?”

The man, who hadn’t said a word from beginning to end, cradled the back of his head, his face full of aggrieved complaints.

“You motherfucker, back-talking me? Watch it, or I’ll beat you so hard you won’t forget it,” the leader spat out irritably, the previous spit having blown sand into his own mouth.

Before the three hoodlums even had a chance to sneakily steal a little money to spend, they saw a man in a police uniform, riding a tricycle with four kids in tow, leaving the scene.

“Holy mother, that scared me. Nearly got caught.”

The trio hurriedly hid, already feeling guilty. Panicked, they lay motionless on the ground, not daring to move until the people were gone, then finally let out a long sigh of relief.

However, before the eager group could make their move, they heard the news from nowhere—that the man who was the boss is a cop.

That scared the hell out of them. Although they were used to petty theft, the words “police” still scared them witless.

Not to mention, when they saw the cop in the broad-brimmed hat leading his wife and kids into the restaurant, the guys bolted in a flash, fearing they’d be targeted by the police in another second.

Lu Xiaoting happened to look back and saw three men running away at full speed, frowning slightly.

“Oh my God~ The police are watching us, run!”

“Damn, run!!!”

…

The three young men dashed back to their own homes, gasping for air as they pressed against their front doors.

Then they got an earful from their fathers and mothers at home.

Su’s Restaurant

The triplets were led by their brother and elder sister, politely greeting the staff in the restaurant.

Quite a few regular customers recognized the siblings, especially the talkative and gluttonous triplets, who were particularly adored by everyone.

For instance, many regulars, seeing them, started to tease the children with a smile.

“Hey, aren’t these our little bosses from Su’s? Is the little leader here to inspect the work?”

Who knew that Pingping, with all seriousness, would put on a straight face, hand behind his back, and nod, “Mmhmm, I hope grandma, uncles, and aunties all eat and drink well.”

The little guy’s earnest demeanor cracked everyone up. They would’ve pinched his chubby little cheeks if they knew the boy didn’t like his face touched.

“Aiyo, isn’t our little boss hungry? Tell Xiao Ming brother what you want to eat quickly.”

Susu, amused by her son’s imitation, quickly interrupted the serious little fellow,” she said.

The just recently solemn Pingping immediately pounced into his mother’s arms, burying his shy face in her embrace.

Susu barely held back her laughter, greeted the regulars, and then the family went upstairs to the second floor.

Tianyu, as the eldest brother, immediately took his siblings to wash their hands before ascending to the floor.

Since the new store had just opened, Susu wasn’t comfortable leaving it entirely to others and would often bring the triplets or all six children to check on things.

This made the staff and regulars familiar with the triplets and their outgoing nature, except for the aloof Pingping.

And because the triplets always carried their own backpacks filled with various toys on each visit, they became the envy of every child who came to the store.

Nowadays, households no longer had lots of children like in the past, with just one or two here and there, plus several workers’ families in the area, naturally willing to spend money on their children.

This also boosted business for clothing stores. Children’s clothes and toys attracted many adults, who would invariably pick out a thing or two amidst the array of dazzling clothes and accessories.

Time flew by, and soon it was 1988.