Xie Zhuo was away for almost half a month. When he came back, there wasn't much change. If I had to pick one thing to say, it would be that he had grown a little taller.
Of course, it's also possible that Da Bao and Xiao Bao haven't been held this high by him in a long time, which is why they had this thought.
The two boys laughed and hugged Xie Zhuo's neck. As they entered the house, they shouted loudly towards the kitchen, "Third Aunt, Third Uncle is back!"
Xu Yan was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen when she heard Da Bao and Xiao Bao calling out. She even forgot to put down the vegetables she was about to chop and went straight out of the kitchen.
The moment Xie Zhuo saw Xu Yan, he smiled with the corners of his eyes crinkling, and then quickly walked towards her while carrying Da Bao and Xiao Bao.
Normally, if he were to kiss Xu Yan, he would avoid the two children's gaze. This time, however, he didn't care about putting them on the ground. He went over and hugged Xu Yan as well, kissing her hair.
“I’m back,” Xie Zhuo said.
Even though it had only been a few days, Xu Yan felt as if she hadn't seen him for a long time. She didn't even realize that the tomato in her hand had fallen to the ground.
"What's wrong?"
Xie Zhuo saw that Xu Yan was just looking at him without saying anything, and wanted to put Da Bao and Xiao Bao on the ground, but Xu Yan suddenly reached out and avoided the two children's legs, and hugged him around the waist.
“Welcome home,” Xu Yan said.
Although Xie Zhuo suddenly returned, Xu Yan still cooked today's meal. While she was cooking with Da Bao and Xiao Bao in the kitchen, Xie Zhuo took a shower.
It was already winter and the weather was cold, otherwise he felt he would smell bad after staying on the train for four days without showering.
When Xie Zhuo finished tidying up and changed his clothes before returning to the kitchen, Xu Yan had already prepared the meal.
Seeing that his hair wasn't dry, Xu Yan frowned and said, "It's not summer yet, don't catch a cold."
"It's okay," Xie Zhuo replied, and Da Bao had already run back to their room to get a towel for Xie Zhuo.
"Thank you, Da Bao," Xie Zhuo said, holding a towel in his hand and patting Da Bao's head.
The family ate quickly because the weather had been cold recently and the stove hadn't been lit. Once the fire in the stove went out completely, the temperature in the kitchen would drop.
Xie Zhuo took out the toys he had bought for Da Bao and Xiao Bao in Nan Province from his suitcase. He only went to heat up the kang (a heated brick bed) in their room while Xu Yan played with the toys with them.
Xu Yan meant that it was getting dark, and Xie Zhuo had been traveling by train for several days, so there was no need to make a fuss. The four of them should sleep in Da Bao and Xiao Bao's room for the night and pack up in the morning.
But Xie Zhuo didn't agree. He said he would be there soon, put on a thick coat, grabbed a flashlight, and went out.
Xu Yan was on the kang (a heated brick bed) when she watched Xiao Bao squeeze a rubber duck. The vent on the duck's bottom made a "squeak" sound.
The two kids were startled at first, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, they started laughing.
Then Da Bao picked it up and squeezed it again.
"squeak--"
The two kids continued laughing.
When they were laughing for the third time, Xu Yan couldn't hold back any longer. She put on her shoes and clothes, lifted the curtain, and went out.
Xie Zhuo is always very efficient at his work. What Xu Yan needs to do in twenty minutes, he finishes in less than a quarter of the time.
When Xu Yan went to the backyard, he had already blocked the sacks and bent down to pick up the flashlight that was on the ground. When he saw her, he smiled and asked, "Why did you come out?"
“Look at you,” Xu Yan said.
“It’s not too complicated, it’ll be quick,” Xie Zhuo said.
“Oh,” Xu Yan nodded.
I silently added in my mind, "It's only for you, I suppose!"
Because the weather got hot early this year, the stoves were no longer needed after only a short time in spring. Xie Zhuo thought they took up too much space, so he put all the stoves in his house and in Da Bao's house into the storeroom in the backyard.
It's not convenient to move out now; we can only wait until tomorrow.
Fortunately, the weather isn't that cold yet, and the kang (heated brick bed) is warm, so once you get into bed, it's not cold.
Moreover, only half of the households in Qingshan Brigade have started heating their kang (heated brick beds) now; most households will wait until the first snowfall before they are willing to heat their kang.
They didn't light a stove; the whole family would gather around a brazier and burn firewood for warmth.
When Xie Zhuo finished his work and went inside to wash his hands, Xu Yan followed him, leaning against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and watching him.
"Was the trip smooth?" Xu Yan asked, watching Xie Zhuo carefully wash his hands with soap.
"It's alright," Xie Zhuo paused for a moment before replying.
Xu Yan frowned.
Before she could ask any more questions, Xie Zhuo had already dried his hands with a towel, taken off his work jacket, put on a new cotton coat, and then recounted what had happened in the past few days.
He spoke in a calm tone, and his facial expression was also alright.
But Xu Yan somehow sensed the anger he was suppressing.
perhaps……
She was also suppressing her anger.
When Xie Zhuo left home on his first day, Xu Yan had already guessed countless reasons in his mind.
They must be facing some difficulties, which is why they can't come to see the two children.
Perhaps they're too busy.
It could also be due to some other unforeseen reason that they couldn't come.
Xu Yan selfishly made up countless excuses for them.
Even when Xiaobao and Dabao cried and asked her and Xie Zhuo to be their parents, she thought to herself, "Maybe they should never come again, and if they do, they shouldn't take the children away."
On the one hand, they were looking forward to their arrival.
If they come, it proves that they love children, and that Da Bao and Xiao Bao are not "abandoned" or unwanted wild children.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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