Chapter 183: Baby Cream

After sitting there for a while, they prepared to head back, worried they would miss Old Chen’s ox cart.

Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang were reluctant to see them off at the door.

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Grandpa Wang, Grandma Wang, we’re heading back now. I’ll bring Niu Pi Tang to visit you again next time.”

“Oh, alright, alright! Hurry back and take good care of the children. You don’t need to worry about us here, and tell Xu An he doesn’t have to come over all the time. We’re doing just fine,” Grandpa Wang replied.

After leaving Grandpa Wang’s place, the two of them slowly made their way to the photography studio with the children. The boys were fascinated by everything and insisted on getting down to walk by themselves.

Lu Xiaotang let the two kids down and held their hands.

The two little ones were wide-eyed, wanting to join in wherever they saw a crowd.

Xu Ning realized this wouldn’t do. Worried that it would get dark before they reached the studio, she asked Lu Xiaotang to carry them.

They took a family portrait, captured a group photo of Niu Pi Tang, and then took individual pictures of the three children. The couple also had a picture taken together.

Niu Niu hugged Xu Ning’s leg and said, “Mommy, eat, eat.” He was hungry.

When Lu Xiaotang heard the child say he was hungry, he immediately said, “There’s a state-run restaurant up ahead. Let’s go eat there.”

Xu Ning checked the time and realized they still had an hour before Old Chen’s ox cart would return, so they had enough time.

She had originally planned to make some milk powder for the kids and let them snack on some biscuits first, but since they had time, they decided to eat at the restaurant.

It wasn’t mealtime yet, so the state-run restaurant wasn’t crowded. Lu Xiaotang asked the staff to prepare a few bowls of noodles and fed the children first, while he and Xu Ning also had something to eat.

Once the children were full, they wanted to sleep. The two didn’t dare linger and quickly headed toward the ox cart with the kids in their arms.

When they got home, Xu Ning finally let out a sigh of relief. “Taking kids into the city is really too much trouble. Eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom are all issues. This time, at least they got to see the world. Next time, we should wait until they’re a bit older before taking them again!”

Lu Xiaotang couldn’t help but chuckle as he recalled the scene of the three of them needing to use the bathroom in the city.

He filled a basin with warm water, carefully wiping down the three children one by one, their sleepy eyes half-closed. After making sure they were settled, he turned to Xu Ning and gently urged her to wash up as well.

“I can tell you want to sleep too,” he said gently. “You should lie down and rest for a bit. I’m going to check on the mountain.”

Xu Ning was indeed tired. She yawned and asked, “What are you going to do on the mountain now?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just going to take a stroll. You sleep, and I’ll lock the door from the outside.”

With that, he gently closed the door and took his basket up the mountain.

When Xu Ning woke up, it was already past four in the afternoon, and the kids were not by her side. She was startled and quickly put on her shoes to go outside.

As she reached the door, she heard Lu Xiaotang’s voice and Niu Pi Tang’s cheerful giggles coming from Xu An’s room. She let out a sigh of relief, finally remembering that he had come back.

She first went to the kitchen to wash her face. In the basin, there were a few cleaned wild chickens and rabbits.

Another basin held pieces of meat that had been chopped up, likely prepared for dinner.

After washing her face, she took out some potatoes, planning to stew them together with the meat. When Xiao Mo returned later, she would have him bring a basin of it to the cow shed for them to eat.

When Lu Xiaotang heard the door creak open, he knew she was awake. He carefully carried the children into their room, where a fence kept them safe from climbing down.

He walked into the kitchen and found Xu Ning washing potatoes. “Let me handle dinner. You should go check on Niu Pi Tang,” he suggested.

“I can manage just fine. You hardly get to spend time with them, so you should be with them more,” she replied, her hands busy with the potatoes.

“There’s not much to do in here. You’ve already chopped the meat, so I’ll just stew it. Plus, I’ll make some flatbreads later,” Xu Ning added, smiling as she continued her task.

Lu Xiaotang took the basin from her hands and said, “I’ll cook. You go keep them company. Once I’m done, I’ll join you to play.”

Seeing that he was determined to cook, Xu Ning went back to check on the little ones. She felt a bit uneasy leaving the three kids alone on the kang.

As soon as Xiao Mo finished work, he came over. Upon entering the door, he caught a whiff of the meat and rushed to the kitchen to see his brother-in-law dishing out food, with rabbit stew and potatoes.

When Lu Xiaotang saw him arrive, he smiled and said, “Go wash your hands quickly. I’ll serve you a bowl so you can eat first. After that, you can take a basin back to the cow shed. I’ve already filled the water; it’s on the outdoor table. Go wash up and don’t forget to wash your face, too.”

When Xu Ning heard Xiao Mo had returned, she came out of the room. She noticed his face looked like a little calico cat, with a red scratch across it—likely from a corn leaf.

Feeling sorry for him, she asked, “What happened? Didn’t I give you a towel to cover your face? Look at that scratch! Does it hurt?”

Xiao Mo shrugged it off, saying, “Sister, it’s nothing. It doesn’t hurt at all.” With that, he took the towel and went to wash his face.

After he finished washing, Xu Ning went back into the room and brought out a bottle of baby cream, applying some to his face.