Xu Yan also felt that the puppy had little chance of surviving. After all, when she and Xie Zhuo took it to the commune veterinarian, it had not only been starving for a long time, but one of its hind legs had also been broken.

The vet said this puppy is only a little over two months old and doesn't have a high chance of surviving, so there's no need to worry too much.

He also said that if Xu Yan and the others wanted to keep dogs, he had a few half-grown ones that he was planning to give away.

Xu Yan didn't want it. After taking the dog home, she reminded her two children several times, "The puppy is sick now, so you two can't keep bothering it. Wait until it gets better before you play with it."

Da Bao and Xiao Bao looked worriedly at the small wooden board tied to the puppy's hind leg, and nodded, "We won't disturb it, we'll just take a sneaky look."

Xu Yan patted the two boys on the head.

Compared to Fatty and the others, the two kids are simply angels!

The Spring Festival was still incredibly lively. Although there was a minor incident, overall it was a very happy time.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Yan and Xie Zhuo got up very early, changed into new clothes, and washed up. Before they even left the house, they heard Da Bao and Xiao Bao running towards their room with laughter.

"Third Uncle, Third Aunt, are you up yet?" Da Bao called out in his soft, sweet voice before even entering the room.

"Get up!" Xu Yan called out with a smile.

Xie Zhuo didn't shout back, but just smiled and glanced at her.

"We've come to wish Uncle and Aunt a Happy New Year!" Xiao Bao shouted, but his voice trailed off as he stepped into the house.

"Happy New Year, Uncle and Aunt," Da Bao continued, "Wishing Uncle and Aunt eternal happiness."

"Thank you, Da Bao," Xu Yan bent down and pinched Da Bao's cheek.

"I wish Uncle and Auntie will always be beautiful," Xiao Bao said.

"Thank you, Xiao Bao," Xu Yan said, pinching Xiao Bao's cheek.

Xie Zhuo smiled and took two red envelopes wrapped in red paper from the table, placing two in each of their hands. "Thank you, Da Bao and Xiao Bao. I also wish you happiness every day and that you grow into handsome young men soon. Two red envelopes for each of you."

Da Bao and Xiao Bao didn't even look at how much money was inside; they just took their New Year's money and started grinning like idiots.

Xu Yan had no relatives in Qingshan Brigade, and Xie Zhuo had also had virtually no relatives to visit since his parents passed away. The two of them went to Liu Mancang's house to wish Yang Shulan and the others a Happy New Year, and then went home after having lunch.

I initially thought it wasn't a good idea to keep them for dinner, but I couldn't resist Yang Shulan's enthusiasm.

It was as if they were disrespecting her by not eating this meal.

Finally, Xu Yan helped Yang Shulan with her chores, Xie Zhuo played chess with Liu Mancang's father, and Da Bao, Xiao Bao, and Liu Mancang seemed to be of the same generation, squatting in the yard setting off firecrackers.

The food for the New Year had been mostly prepared before the holiday, so there wasn't much to cook. Yang Shulan didn't let Xu Yan do much cooking and just chatted with her casually.

Hearing Da Bao and Xiao Bao laughing in the yard, she glanced at Xu Yan's belly.

Xu Yan didn't react immediately, "What's wrong, Auntie?"

Yang Shulan glanced at Xie Zhuo, then lowered her voice slightly, "You two have been married for more than half a year, why is there still no sign of a baby?"

Xu Yan: "..."

She truly never imagined that Yang Shulan and her mother would one day be able to understand each other so well.

A few days ago, she wrote a letter to Chen Lihua, saying that she would not go back to B City for the New Year. It was too cold, and she was afraid that the two children would get sick. Besides, this year was also the first year of her marriage with Xie Zhuo. She heard from the villagers that it was not good for no one to be home during the New Year. She would go back after the New Year when she had the opportunity.

Then Chen Lihua replied to her letter.

There was also a bulging package.

I bought a nice cotton coat for both my eldest and youngest children, along with some snacks that kids love, some money, and some tickets.

Xu Yan was moved to tears, but when she saw her mother asking her about her child, she couldn't laugh anymore.

When Chen Lihua left, she told Xu Yan that he must take good care of his health before trying to have a child, but more than half a year has passed and he has not heard any news, so he is getting a little anxious.

She subtly inquired about her relationship with Xie Zhuo, and then subtly asked about Xie Zhuo's health.

Anyway, the letter conveyed one message: they still don't have children, either because they don't have enough sex, or because Xie Zhuo is impotent.

They wouldn't even suspect that Xu Yan had some kind of problem.

No wonder she's a mother!

My heart is definitely with my daughter!

When Xie Zhuo saw the letter, he didn't express any opinion, but simply raised his eyebrows slightly.

Then, that night, he proved himself right through his actions.

Xu Yan was so exhausted from the night that she wanted to kick him, but she had no strength left in her body.

She finally managed to kick Xie Zhuo in the face, but unexpectedly, not only did he kiss her ankle, but it also made it easier for him to do certain things.

Hearing Yang Shulan ask the same question, she cleared her throat and gave a reason.

“Our two children are still young and don’t feel very secure, so Xie Zhuo and I discussed having another child a few years later. Besides, we don’t have any elders in the family, so we won’t be able to take care of them then,” Xu Yan said.

Yang Shulan wanted to say something more, but after hearing the second half of Xu Yan's sentence, she also sighed.

Yes, the Xie family only has the four of them now, and they don't even have an elder who can help them out. If Xu Yan really had one, he definitely wouldn't be able to handle it all.

Actually, Xu Yan was just saying that. Even if there were elders in the Xie family, she didn't plan to get pregnant and have children so early.

On one hand, it's true that Da Bao and Xiao Bao are the two kids who don't have parents and rely on her and Xie Zhuo the most. They put all their attention and energy into them. If another child younger than them were to appear, their attention would definitely be diverted.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!