Lin Ying then realized that the house might be a bit cold.

She was somewhat frustrated; she had tried her best to take care of the two children, but she still hadn't done a good job.

Lin Ying put on her coat and went out. She had already tidied up the stove outside, but it wasn't usually cold at home, so she hadn't lit it.

I didn't expect the temperature to drop so suddenly tonight.

She lit the stove for the underfloor heating, and the automatic wood feeder started up again, replenishing the firewood. She then added more fuel to the stove before returning.

As she passed the hand pump, Lin Ying thought for a moment and unplugged the pump to prevent it from freezing.

After finishing all that, Lin Ying went back to wash her hands and returned to the kang (a heated brick bed).

Looking at Shuanzi curled up in the corner, Lin Ying tidied up Shuanzi's blanket, filled two bottles with warm water, sealed them with corks, and placed them inside Shuanzi's blanket. Only then did she hug him and tuck him inside.

It will only be used for a short while; once the kang (heated brick bed) is heated up, it won't be cold anymore.

Just as Lin Ying was about to go back to sleep, she felt Er Ya start to wake up. Lin Ying picked Er Ya up and went to the bathroom. Then she tucked the child back into bed. After holding her for a while, they both fell asleep.

The next day, Lin Ying thought she would change to a thinner blanket to sleep that night, but the house warmed up in the middle of the night, and the blanket became a bit too thick.

She hadn't been up long when Er Ya woke up too. Lin Ying dressed Er Ya in her usual pajamas. It was a bit too hot at home, and the clothes she had been wearing were a little too thick.

After Lin Ying finished washing up for herself and Er Ya and prepared breakfast, she still hadn't seen Shuanzi get up. She was a little worried that he might have caught a cold last night. But to Lin Ying's surprise, Shuanzi had already woken up.

"Why aren't you up if you're awake? Did you forget how to get dressed?"

Unexpectedly, Shuanzi mysteriously said, "Auntie, I have a treasure in my bed!"

Before Lin Ying could react, Shuanzi continued, "Two smooth little babies! They must be egg babies I laid while I was sleeping last night~ Auntie, am I going to be a dad? If I become a dad, will I be able to earn money to support the family like Uncle?"

Lin Ying couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Shuanzi also told Lin Ying to keep her voice down: "Auntie, you're speaking too loudly, you'll scare my baby! What if you scare them so much they won't come out?"

Lin Ying couldn't hold back any longer and laughed so hard she collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

This was the first time she had ever known that people could actually laugh until they cried, and it was also the first time she had ever known that laughing too hard could actually cause a stomachache.

Seeing that Shuanzi was getting anxious, Lin Ying said, "I might recognize the egg baby you mentioned. If I'm not mistaken, it should be the wine bottle I put in your bed to warm you up yesterday."

Shuanzi paused for a moment, then crawled into the quilt.

Lin Ying couldn't help but laugh out loud again. But after laughing for a while, she realized that Shuanzi hadn't come out.

Lin Ying looked at the little bulge in the blanket and couldn't help but pat it: "Why isn't it coming out?"

The little dummy shook itself, then after a long while, it finally poked its head out: "Auntie, can you keep today's events a secret?"

Good heavens, how could Lin Ying possibly resist?

But seeing the little one's expression that looked like she would cry if she laughed again, Lin Ying pinched her thigh and then nodded vigorously. This was a real effort, but not a forceful nod; it was a forceful attempt to suppress her laughter.

And it's really hard to hold back laughter.

"If that's how it is, then get up. Auntie will go see what Er Ya is doing."

She practically ran out of the room. Lin Ying laughed for a while outside before finally calming down.

She was really curious about what Xiao Shuai had been playing with Shuanzi. Shuanzi used to be a bit shy, even somewhat withdrawn. She hadn't expected that coming here and playing with Xiao Shuai would make the little guy so adorable.

Perhaps because Lin Ying laughed so hard, when she ran into Li Yue'e, she was asked what happened that morning and why she was laughing so happily.

Lin Ying glanced at Shuanzi's nervous expression and almost laughed again. But having promised Shuanzi, she certainly wouldn't let him down.

"It's nothing, I just think the child is very cute."

When the topic of children came up, Li Yue'e finally couldn't hold back: "Girl, are you really going to raise these two children? That's not like raising cats or dogs."

Lin Ying said helplessly, "Sister-in-law, the child is right here. Asking too many questions like this will make the child feel uncomfortable. Didn't we say before that it will cost money no matter what? Rather than raising the two children astray in the future, it's better to raise them by our side and educate them properly. In the future, they can become useful talents for the country, just like their uncle."

Li Yue'e couldn't help but sigh: "I know you're very perceptive, sister. Okay, I won't ask anymore. Otherwise, you'll have to work so hard to raise two children only to have them turn out to be ungrateful wretches."

"I'm not an ungrateful wretch! When I grow up, I'll definitely be filial to my aunt and uncle!"

Li Yue'e laughed: "Oh, do you know what 'ungrateful wretch' means?"

Shuanzi snorted: "My handsome little brother once said that an ingrate is a wolf that steals food and then rolls its eyes at people. It's no good."

Lin Ying and Li Yue'e exchanged a glance and then both laughed.

After she finished laughing, Li Yue'e said, "Now I know why you laughed. Kids this young are really funny."

Seeing the two laughing so hard, Shuanzi said he was injured: "Hmph, I'm going to go play with the handsome guy, I'm ignoring you guys."

Still not entirely at ease, she said to Lin Ying, "Auntie, you promised me you wouldn't tell anyone."

Lin Ying nodded: "Of course, Auntie keeps her word."

Only then did Shuanzi leave, relieved.

Li Yue'e became even more curious: "What's going on? And I can't tell you?"

Lin Ying smiled and said, "I can't tell you that. I promised Shuanzi."

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