Chapter 357: Wanting a Child

**Chapter 357: Starting a Family**

This barbecue took from noon until 3 p.m. to prepare, and they finally got to eat.

Zhang Kaining had marinated the meat, so all it needed was a sprinkle of cumin and chili powder before grilling.

Ye Xiaoxiao took a bite and said, "Tastes great. You could go pro with these skewer skills."

Zhang Kaining replied, "If my family hadn’t insisted I study medicine, I might’ve actually opened a restaurant."

But Zhang Kaining’s big dream was never happening—unless his life totally changed, who would give up being a boss to grill skewers?

"A few days ago, I bought a villa nearby, but now that I think about it, it doesn’t feel as homey as your place."

His first big purchase after making money was a house. Initially, he’d considered an apartment, but after saving up, he went for a villa, planning to bring his parents and grandfather over.

However, his father was still busy in the village and had no intention of moving to the city yet.

"How so? Your villa has a yard, right?"

Nowadays, people liked calling villas "Western-style houses," thinking they were built with Western architectural influences.

"It does, but it’s just an HOA-maintained lawn—can’t grow anything on it."

Mentioning growing things, Ye Xiaoxiao’s backyard sunroom was already built, allowing her to grow herbs even in winter.

But she hadn’t started planting anything yet.

"You’ll know how good it is once you move in. Definitely quieter than my place."

The hutong was full of life, but mornings got noisy early—a nightmare for late risers.

"But it’s convenient too. Unlike my place, where I have to drive to get groceries."

The conversation between Zhang Kaining and Ye Xiaoxiao was something the others couldn’t jump into.

Duan Hong had a place of her own—small but plenty for her.

Qu Miao and Tang Xiuxiu weren’t ready to buy yet.

Zhang Kaining turned to Qu Miao. "Hey, Miaozi, you thinking of buying a place? I can lend you some money—pay me back whenever, no interest."

Qu Miao replied, "Not buying."

Zhang Kaining teased, "No girl’s gonna date you like this."

Qu Miao said, "I’m not looking for one."

Ye Xiaoxiao, who was all about buying property, chimed in, "But you should still get your own place. Even if you can stay in the dorm forever, it’s not *yours*."

She wasn’t sure if Qu Miao needed that sense of belonging, but she strongly encouraged those around her to buy property.

After all, this was Beijing real estate—if you didn’t buy now, you’d never afford it later.

Qu Miao actually thought about it. "I’ll buy once I’ve saved enough."

Zhang Kaining said, "Seriously, start looking *now*. I already said I’d lend you the money. I’m no real estate expert, but prices are skyrocketing."

A few years back, employers still provided housing, but now they'll only cover a small portion of the cost, and you have to come up with the rest yourself."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "If you buy a house, Rende Pharmacy will reimburse 20% of the cost for you."

Tang Xiuxiu was listening nearby and she started wanting to buy a place herself.

"Alright, alright, if you keep talking like this, I'm gonna lose my appetite for these skewers."

That finally got them to change the subject.

They kept eating and drinking, and in the middle of it all, Zhang Kaining went and made a pot of noodles.

Ye Xiaoxiao was already full, so the small pot of noodles all got eaten by Zhang Kaining and Duan Hong.

When they wrapped up the barbecue, it was already past seven.

This time of year, the sky is already dark by seven.

Ye Xiaoxiao drove Tang Xiuxiu home, and when she returned, she and Duan Hong both saw the lights in the courtyard were on.

"Didn't we turn off the lights when we left?"

Ye Xiaoxiao started questioning whether they had.

Duan Hong: "Someone's probably back."

Currently, only Ye Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan had keys to the courtyard.

Since Ye Xiaoxiao was standing at the gate, there was only one person it could be.

"Lu Hanchuan is back."

Ye Xiaoxiao parked the car in the garage and hurried inside.

Sure enough, it was Lu Hanchuan, who'd been gone nearly a month and was only now returning home.

Lu Hanchuan had just finished showering and changed into comfy clothes. When Ye Xiaoxiao ran in, he instinctively caught her.

"When did you get back!"

Lu Hanchuan ruffled her hair: "You're home? I thought you were still in Shenshi."

"I came back right after the baby's full moon party—no way I'd stay that long. Have you eaten? Do you want me to make you something?"

Ye Xiaoxiao asked very earnestly.

But Lu Hanchuan just laughed, "Since when do you cook?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "If you'd come back earlier, you could've joined our workplace barbecue. But we still have some leftover grilled meat—I can make you a meat-and-rice bowl."

The meat was already cooked; all she had to do was heat it and mix it with rice. She was planning to do the same herself.

Lu Hanchuan: "Nah, I'm good—already ate."

Lu Hanchuan then asked Ye Xiaoxiao how things went in Shenshi.

"It was great. You should've seen how cute my second brother’s little daughter is—this little bundle, just the cutest."

Ye Xiaoxiao gestured with her hands, clearly liking the idea.

Lu Hanchuan wrapped his arms around her. "Should we have one too?"

Ye Xiaoxiao's face turned slightly red. The two of them could actually think about having a baby.

But… not now.

She pushed Lu Hanchuan away and, before he could react, rose on her toes to peck his cheek.

"I think we should think about it some more."

With that, she scurried off to the bathroom to wash up.

Lu Hanchuan chuckled at her antics. Truthfully, he wasn’t in a hurry either.

In his eyes, Xiao Xiao hadn’t grown up yet.

Having a child was still too early—they could wait another couple of years.

---

The next morning, Lu Hanchuan got up to make breakfast.

Ye Xiaoxiao struggled to get out of bed, holding her waist.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and since they were both newlyweds and had been apart, she was really feeling the effects.

In the afternoon, once Ye Xiaoxiao had recovered, she finally took a shovel and hoe to turn over the soil in the sunroom.

At first, she had planned to do it herself, but after Lu Hanchuan arrived, she delegated to supervising.

"Can you send Sister Hong away? Won’t she feel cooped up staying by my side all the time?" Ye Xiaoxiao asked.

Lu Hanchuan, skillfully tilling the soil, looked up confused. "She’s earning more than she would on dangerous assignments. Why would she feel stifled?"

Curious, Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "What kind of dangerous assignments?"

"Like protecting high-profile targets who might be at risk of assassination."

"Then Sister Hong should definitely stay here."

Ye Xiaoxiao clicked with her, and Sister Hong was very hardworking—she did her morning drills before seven every day and kept the yard leaf-free.

Of course, Ye Xiaoxiao was also hunting for a housekeeper—not full-time live-in help, just someone who could work hourly.

They’d come just to cook and leave, or on non-cooking days, stick to cleaning. Plenty of local women took gigs like that in the neighborhood.