In the past six months, whether it was because life had been smooth and fulfilling or for some other reason, Xu Yan had rarely thought about some of the things described in the original text.

Memories gradually fade.

When Da Bao brought it up again, she suddenly remembered that the book did indeed mention that Xie Zhuo had sold his two nephews.

Although the original book did not focus on the specific circumstances of Da Bao and Xiao Bao after they were sold, it briefly mentioned Xie Zhuo and the miserable lives of his two nephews when it described how Han Xiaoyu became more and more successful and his family became more and more happy.

Just when I thought that it was impossible to return to the original plot development line, Da Bao suddenly had this dream again.

Could it be because of what happened to Lin Dong that triggered this?

Xu Yan was filled with a thousand thoughts, but her expression remained calm and gentle. She raised her hand and ruffled Da Bao's hair. "Are you too worried about Lin Dong? That's why you had such a dream."

“Possibly,” Da Bao nodded, then sighed like a little adult, “Lin Dong is a year older than Xiao Bao and me, but shorter than both of us. If he goes hungry again, he’ll definitely be shorter than us in the future.”

Xu Yan didn't expect that he was still concerned about the height issue.

She raised her hand and pinched Da Bao's cheek again.

When Xie Zhuo returned in the evening, Xu Yan told him about the matter again.

Xie Zhuo frowned when he heard about Da Bao's dream, because he had had the same dream for a while and was so startled that he couldn't come to his senses for a long time.

He even carefully recalled whether he had actually sold his two children to someone else in his past life.

But all his memories clearly told him that no, even though their lives in the past were vastly different from now, he had never had such thoughts.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao are the only children of his two older brothers.

Before his two older brothers left home, they doted on him the most, and would always save the best food for him without reservation. Even if he was immature, he would never sell his two children.

But the dream felt very real at the time.

"What are you thinking about?" Xu Yan noticed Xie Zhuo was lost in thought and reached out to pinch his chin.

Xie Zhuo snapped out of his daze.

“I’m wondering if Da Bao is thinking about Lin Dong all the time and dreaming about it at night, and is projecting himself into Lin Dong’s mind,” Xu Yan said. After a pause, he added, “Why don’t you go and find out more when you have time?”

The rest of the sentence was not finished, but Xie Zhuo still understood it.

Xu Yan meant for him to inquire about Lin Dong's situation.

“If he’s really not doing well,” Xu Yan said, her hand still occasionally pinching Xie Zhuo’s chin.

"...How about we bring him to our home?"

Xu Yan didn't say this on a whim; he had been thinking about it all afternoon.

Given their current living conditions, they could easily raise ten more children. Moreover, Lin Dong is very well-behaved, just like Da Bao and Xiao Bao—obedient, lovable, and charming.

On the other hand, his experiences are indeed too similar to those of Da Bao and Xiao Bao. Seeing him is like seeing two children from parallel universes, and it always makes people feel sorry for his ending.

Most importantly, his two kids also like him very much.

I used to think that kids don't stick with their playmates for long, they'd be friends with one today and another tomorrow, but Da Bao and Xiao Bao have been talking about it for a year now. Every day when they come home from school, they say, "If only Lin Dong were here."

Da Bao also saved half of his snacks, planning to give them to Lin Dong when they met again.

Xie Zhuo did not answer Xu Yan's question immediately.

The main reason was that he knew the notice to reinstate the college entrance examination would be issued in a few days, and he and Xu Yan would definitely take the exam. Based on their preparations over the past two years, getting into a university in City B wouldn't be difficult. Then…

It's already difficult to take care of two kids, wouldn't it be even more difficult to take care of another one?

He didn't know if Xu Yan had thought about this question.

Although they hadn't reached a conclusion the night before, Xie Zhuo still planned to go find Lin Dong first thing the next morning.

We need to check on his condition first.

If the other person is doing well even after being sold, then there's no need for the couple to worry unnecessarily.

"Why are you up so early?" Xu Yan noticed the man in bed sit up, opened his eyes and glanced at him.

The beautiful interior was still shrouded in mist, and it took a long time for the mist to focus.

“I’ll go to Lin Dong’s village and ask his second uncle again,” Xie Zhu leaned down and kissed Xu Yan’s eye. “We need to find Lin Dong first.”

Xu Yan nodded, but it was unclear whether she had taken it all in.

Anyway, she kept her hands around Xie Zhuo's waist and didn't let go.

Xie Zhuo was amused by her little gesture and his heart softened, so he kissed her forehead again.

Xu Yan became a little more awake. She turned her head and glanced at the skylight above the door. It was still dark outside, and dawn had broken.

"It's not even dawn yet," Xu Yan said, turning his gaze away.

"Hmm," Xie Zhuo picked up a lock of Xu Yan's hair and twirled it between his fingers, "I couldn't sleep and was afraid of waking you up, but I still woke you up."

Xu Yan was still a little sleepy. She blinked, snuggled closer to Xie Zhuo, turned off the flashlight next to her pillow, and mumbled, "Sleep with me a little longer."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a large hand pressed against his groin.

Xie Zhuo's voice rang out from above, "Since you're awake, why don't you play with me for a while?"

His words were a question, and his hand had already expertly moved to gently rub a certain spot.

Xu Yan immediately became fully awake.

Xie Zhuo's movements hadn't stopped until his wrist was tightly grasped by a slender, soft hand, at which point he looked at Xu Yan's face.

It was still dark, the lights were off inside, and you couldn't see anything.

But Xie Zhuo still felt that he saw Xu Yan blush.

He chuckled softly.

A deep, husky male voice echoed in the empty room, and Xu Yan squeezed her legs together even tighter.

She regretted not waking Xie Zhuo up earlier.

Xie Zhuo's hands were "imprisoned" and he couldn't move, but he wasn't in a hurry. He lowered his head and kissed Xu Yan's face repeatedly.

With his other hand, he released Xu Yan's hair and slowly moved it down her cheek, hooking it as he brushed against her collarbone.

Xu Yan was tormented by his slow and provocative movements.

She tilted her head and bit Xie Zhuo's index finger knuckle.

Her movements were light, hoping to discourage someone.

But someone did not do as she wished.

She easily broke free from the hand that had been holding her, and with the pads of three fingers, she parted the small obstruction and directly touched that delicate flower.

Xu Yan's mouth was still biting Xie Zhuo's knuckle. Because of this action, she shuddered and bit down hard.

Xie Zhuo had been doing farm work for several years, so his skin was already tough and calloused, with thin calluses on his fingertips and palms. Even when bitten, he didn't pull his hand away.

As if unaware of the pain, he increased his speed slightly.

The flower's stamen immediately felt damp.