Fortunate Eighties: The Bewitching Female Rival Who Tamed Her Husband with Skill

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Abandonment of Care Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Abandonment of Care Susu’s face was red with embarrassment, and she gave the man a fierce glare before burying her head in her meal.

Watching his wife’s adorable antics, Lu Xiaoting also remained silent, his eyes and eyebrows brimming with laughter.

At the dinner table, there was a moment of utter silence, broken only by the sound of dishes and utensils clinking.

Since there was no need to set up the stall today, Susu decided to go with Sister Hong and Xiao Sun to purchase everything they needed, including pots, pans, ladles, and the like.

Worried about gossip, Susu took Sister Hong to stay at the Family Court for one night, while Lu Xiaoting went to the new house to make do with Xiao Sun.

“Susu, what’s up with staring at us?”

Feeling uncomfortable under their scrutiny, Wang Hong tensed up.

Susu certainly couldn’t say it was because the original owner had turned the Family Court upside down in just three short months, creating a situation where people and dogs were unwelcome. She simply guessed it was probably just out of curiosity.

Watching the two people’s retreating backs, the old ladies and young wives downstairs curled their lips.

“Tsk tsk tsk, Lu Gong’an must have endured quite a bit.”

“You tell me, how can their skin be so thick? Look at what they’ve done to the Family Court. If it weren’t for me, I would be too embarrassed to come back.”

“Hahaha, Su Er Ya has such thick skin, how could she possibly be embarrassed?”

A group of women acted as if they had heard the world’s funniest joke, laughing so hard they were slapping their thighs and doubling over.

Susu just shrugged her shoulders, knowing without thinking that the people from the Family Court must have said nothing good.

The next day, the two got up early and left the Family Court without even eating breakfast.

At the entrance, a man and a woman waited with large and small bags.

“Good morning, boss.”

The woman was Huang Ying, who had come to apply for the job yesterday, and her husband looked reserved.

“Why are you here so early?”

“We thought we’d move our things over early, and my husband has to go back to work later. It’s also a good chance to get to know the way.”

During the conversation, the gate of the courtyard also opened, and Susu led the couple inside.

“Men in the east room, women in the west room, you guys go in and tidy up first, and we’ll start working when the vegetables arrive.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Yang Erniu also arrived.

Susu and Sister Hong had made a big pot of sweet potato porridge and had also prepared a bowl of dough for making two-in-one buns at noon.

The courtyard gradually began to bustle with activity, and Susu reminded the two to clean the ingredients thoroughly, especially the pig intestines, which must be scrubbed clean.

“Oh my goodness, so pig intestines need to be washed like this? No wonder they have a certain smell when I cook them at home.”

Sister Yang spoke while working efficiently with her hands.

“It’s truly an eye-opener, I never knew you had to use flour to wash them. Such a precious ingredient, us ordinary folks can’t bear to use it like that. We can hardly eat it a few times throughout the whole year.”

Susu, amused, said that when the first batch of braised foods were ready, she would let both of them taste it, especially the pig intestines.

Happy to hear this, the two worked even more swiftly.

Before long, with their help and without setting up the stall, Sister Hong and Xiao Sun got busy too.

It wasn’t long before the aroma filled the courtyard, the savory scent of the braised food wafted into their nostrils, making people’s mouths water.

Inhaling the fragrance, Huang Ying grew curious, “Sister Su, it smells so good. Could this be a family secret recipe?”

Susu nodded, smiling without a word.

“Mom, what’s that smell? It’s so delicious.”

“Delicious my foot, get moving to school now, dilly-dallying around, or your mom here will loosen your skin.”

“Wow—mom, you’re so fierce, I…”

“Fierce my foot, watch it or I’ll knock your head off.”

…

Listening to the chaos next door, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

As the first pot of aromatic stewed goods was ready, Susu served a bowl for everyone to taste.

Xiao Sun and Sister Hong, eager to show off their skills, couldn’t wait to pack the cooled stewed goods and headed out the door after they had completely cooled off.

Meanwhile, Susu continued to teach them how to stew, of course, the secret stew recipe had been prepared by her in advance.

The most important thing about these stewed goods was her secret seasoning mix, which she handled personally to prevent any leaks of the recipe.

“Sister Yang, Yingzi, keep an eye on the fire for me, I’m going to get some fresh air.”

“Sure thing, Xiao Su.”

“Alright, Sister Su.”

In the midst of the summer heat, staying in the kitchen meant sweating profusely, so Susu, fanning herself with a hand fan, flopped down onto a small stool.

…

Before the second pot of stewed goods had time to cool, Wang Hong and Xiao Sun came back one after the other.

“That fast?”

Shocked, Susu quickly handed the two sweaty people water to drink, which had been cooled since the morning.

Wang Hong’s face was filled with a smiling expression, casually wiping sweat with the towel around her neck, “There were still so many people who didn’t manage to buy it, complaining that I made too few. I only managed to appease them by saying we were still making more at home, and they could come and pick it up soon.”

“It’s the same for me, but some customers at the bus station had to catch their rides, probably couldn’t wait that long.”

Xiao Sun was grinning from ear to ear, his face growing markedly darker.

“They’ll cool off soon enough, just in time for you two to take a breather.”

Susu said, then jokingly added with a laugh, “Xiao Sun, you’re getting darker and darker. What if you scare the girls away when you go match-making?”

Xiao Sun’s face, ambiguous if it was red or not, scratched his head but decided not to say anything else.

For several days, the sales performance of Sister Hong and Xiao Sun was very impressive.

Lu Xiaoting looked at his wife’s smiling face and even his usually stern face broke into a smile.

“You little money lover.”

Susu tilted her head proudly, thinking to herself that this was just the beginning; she planned to make even more money.

“Humph! Just watch, I’m going to make even more money.”

“Yes, my wife is the best.”

Susu’s ears turned red, and when she met her husband’s deep and smiling eyes, she awkwardly averted her gaze.

Humph, truly an enchanting man.

In recent days, the people in the Family Court watched the couple come and go together, their eyes almost popping out in the beginning.

Everyone said that Xiao Lu from the Public Security Bureau was tall, handsome, but his taste in women wasn’t that great. They found it unbelievable how much he cherished such a cunning woman.

As gossip spread, it escalated—seeing only the couple coming and going for several days, Yang Tianyu seemed nowhere to be found.

“Do you think it’s possible they got so fed up with that woman’s troublemaking that they just abandoned the kid?”

“I think so too. With that woman’s temper, could she live a peaceful life? She’s more likely to make trouble.”

The rumors spread with certainty, and soon the Family Court was abuzz with whispers that the couple had abandoned the Public Security officer’s orphan, gaining more traction as time passed.

The leadership of the Police Station and their spouses each approached the couple with grave expressions, earnestly advising them.

Police Station
“Abandoned?”

Lu Xiaoting looked at Director Wang, his brows tightly furrowed.

Family Court
“Abandoned?”

Susu looked at the middle-aged woman who claimed to be the leader’s wife, her eyebrows twisted into knots.