Chapter 450: Wanting a Baby

Chapter 450 Having a Baby

Ye Xiaoxiao placed the vegetable seedlings into a bag first, then loaded them onto her bicycle and pushed it back home.

By the time she reached the yard, Lu Hanchuan had already put all the chickens away in the coop.

"Wanna kill one for dinner tonight?"

Lu Hanchuan first took the bicycle from her, then made the suggestion.

"We shouldn't eat sick chickens."

"They're not sick, I just got a craving for stew."

Lu Hanchuan checked again—though the chickens weren’t as peppy as before, they weren’t ill either.

Xiao Xiao's been feeding them well, they had grown quite plump.

The hens were kept for laying eggs, while one of the roosters could be slaughtered.

"Alright."

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded. "Then you're on chicken duty."

Lu Hanchuan: "Obviously. Still gotta plant these seedlings too."

Ye Xiaoxiao told him not to worry. "I got this. Besides, the dirt's nice and soft after the rain."

Holding her own small shovel, she stuck the seedlings in kinda crookedly into the ground.

Seeing she had it under control, Lu Hanchuan went to slaughter the chicken.

Putting in those stone slabs was also on Lu Hanchuan’s mind, but without materials, he’d have to wait.

Though the result wasn’t particularly neat, Ye Xiaoxiao worked quickly.

Next door, Gao Yanfei was impressed with Xiao Xiao's work.

"You guys have got a nice little life going. When are you planning to have a baby?"

Ye Xiaoxiao had been admiring her own work when she suddenly looked up at the question.

"Ah… Sister Yanfei, that came out of nowhere. I haven’t really thought about it yet."

Gao Yanfei: "I think you should get on that. Though you’re still young, having a child at home would keep you company."

For military spouses like them, who spent more time apart than together, a child could indeed bring more happiness to the family.

Ye Xiaoxiao propped herself on the wall to chat with her.

"I do think kids are adorable, but actually having the baby... that scares me."

Gao Yanfei: "It's no big deal. Xiao Xiao, you’re a doctor—how can you be afraid of this?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I’m not afraid, I just don't feel ready."

Gao Yanfei: "Once you’re pregnant, get your family to come help out for a few months. Once the child is a bit older, it gets easier. If you wait a few more years, it's tougher when you're older."

Ye Xiaoxiao thought about it—Hanchuan's hitting thirty soon. Nowadays, not many guys his age don't have kids yet.

Grandpa and Grandma must be anxious too, but they’ve never pushed us about it.

We’re stuck on this island for at least five more years, so we really should start thinking about kids.

After talking with Gao Yanfei, Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t stop thinking about it.

While they were eating dinner, after Lu Hanchuan had cooked, Ye Xiaoxiao was zoning out.

Lu Hanchuan dropped a chicken leg into Xiao Xiao’s bowl, "What are you thinking about?"

Ye Xiaoxiao snapped out of it, "Not telling you yet."

Lu Hanchuan just shook his head, "Eat first. I'll go to the base later to grab some stuff."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "What things?"

"Letters and packages from home." He had just received a call saying they had received his letter.

They probably sent this ages ago, but they only arrived now.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Okay."

Ye Xiaoxiao wondered what was in the package.

After dinner, Lu Hanchuan cleared the table first, then went to get the stuff.

There was a whole bunch of stuff from home, including clothes and daily necessities.

"Why is there money too? Do they think we’re broke or something?"

The family had sent cash directly, must’ve figured there’s no bank here.

In fact, there really aren’t any banks on this island. You’d have to take a boat to a farther place to get cash.

But there aren’t many high expenses on the island either, so this money’ll go a long way.

There were several letters—one from their master, one from Grandpa and Grandma, and one from Ye Changning.

In his letter, Ye Changning asked how to get to the island and if he could come stay for a few days.

Previously, it was possible with prior notice, but Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t believe Ye Changning even had time to stay on the island for a few days.

If he went missing for a few days, wouldn’t his company lose their minds?

There were also letters saying hi from Grandpa, Grandma, and their master. After reading them, Ye Xiaoxiao took her time writing back.

"If you have anything you want to say, go ahead and add something."

Ye Xiaoxiao handed the pen to Lu Hanchuan.

Lu Hanchuan didn’t have much to add. If there was anything important at home, his father would probably call directly through the internal line.

Even without electricity, they’d figure out how to reach us.

The fact that there was no news meant everything at home was fine.

But Lu Hanchuan still took the pen and scribbled a quick note at the bottom of each letter.

You could tell from the handwriting that two people had written it.

After finishing the letters, Ye Xiaoxiao handed them to Lu Hanchuan for him to mail out.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao lay on the bed counting the money.

She saw that all the bills were crisp new hundred-yuan notes. The fourth edition of RMB had come out last year, and hundred-yuan bills were becoming more common.

This also had to do with rising living standards and higher prices.

But in small towns like Changjing Island, few people had even seen these new bills.

"Five thousand yuan—isn't that too much cash to keep at home?"

Ye Xiaoxiao was shocked after counting.

Lu Hanchuan replied, "Just lock it away. The courtyard's safe enough."

"But what if it gets damp? Shouldn't we put it in the bank?"

Xiao Xiao honestly couldn't think what to spend it on.

Lu Hanchuan said, "Sure. When you've got time, we'll take the ferry into town and open an account."

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded, "Okay, I'll put the money away for now."

After putting the money away, she went through the bundle of clothes and shoes.

There were things for both of them, but mostly for her.

"That's a lot of clothes!"

"This has your third brother written all over it," Lu Hanchuan remarked as he packed the clothes into a suitcase, checking if anything inside had gotten moldy.

They'd used newspapers for padding, but everything felt a bit damp.

"We'll sun them tomorrow."

Xiao Xiao lay on the sun-warmed bedding, feeling incredibly comfortable.

After putting those things away, they went to wash up.

When they got back to bed, Ye Xiaoxiao, in her little flower-print pajamas, slung an arm around Hanchuan's waist and burrowed into him.

"Hmm?"

Usually when Xiao Xiao got all cuddly like this, it meant she had something to say.

Getting comfortable, she leaned close to his ear and whispered softly, "Lu Hanchuan… do you want to have a baby?"

They'd always been careful before, and Xiao Xiao was still young—they had just gotten their marriage certificate not long ago.

Hanchuan had figured they'd wait a few more years.

Since Xiao Xiao had never mentioned kids before.

Now that she was the one initiating it, Hanchuan was too stunned to speak.

He pulled her into his arms with one hand and gently lifted her face with the other.

"Baby, you mean that?"

Xiao Xiao pulled back, "You actually think I'm joking? I'm mad at you—"

But before she could finish, Hanchuan was already kissing her.