TNIBFT -Chapter 118 Are You Thinking of Getting a Wife?

After speaking, Tao Ling’er turned and walked into the school. Seeing Ye Shuangxue still standing there, staring blankly at her, Tao Ling’er stopped at the doorway and waved with a smile.

Looking at the slightly yellowed bamboo basket in her hands, covered with a coarse white cloth, Ye Shuangxue felt a headache coming on.

The dumplings were delicious, but Father was important too.

She could clearly distinguish which was more important!

“Ling’er sister really wants to be our stepmother?”

Xiao Jiang ran over, craning his neck to look at the basket, his little face slightly wrinkled. “But a lot of people say that if there’s a stepmother, there’ll also be a stepfather. In our village, after Gou Sheng’s father found a stepmother, he never had a full meal again. What about us, Second Sister?”

“If there really is a stepmother, would Ye Tian abandon us?”

Hearing this, Ye Shuangxue felt uneasy and said, “I don’t know either.”

“Let’s go home first!”

With that, Ye Shuangxue lifted the basket and began walking toward home.

“Wait for me…” Seeing her sister walking ahead, Xiao Jiang slung on his backpack and ran after her with his short little legs.

The sun was setting, casting golden light across the snowy plains, so bright it made one squint.

By the time Ye Shuangxue and her little brother returned home, Sun Wuju was already waiting at the village entrance.

“My good disciple!”

“Master is here.”

Seeing Ye Shuangxue return, Sun Wuju was overjoyed. He quickly jumped down from the tree, abandoning the roasted chicken in his hands and ran wildly toward Ye Shuangxue.

“Did the teacher bully you?”

“Did your classmates bully you?”

“Who dares to bully you, tell Master! I’ll make sure he never sees the light of tomorrow!” Sun Wuju chattered excitedly around Ye Shuangxue. “Hey, what’s this?”

Seeing the small bamboo basket in Ye Shuangxue’s hands, Sun Wuju’s curiosity got the better of him. He lifted the white cloth and exclaimed, “Dumplings?”

He frowned at Ye Shuangxue.

Ye Shuangxue kept a straight face.

Tentatively, Sun Wuju asked, “Today’s Winter Solstice. You didn’t bring these for Master to eat, did you?” His eyes were full of anticipation, even a faint glimmer of tears.

Ye Shuangxue remained silent.

Xiao Jiang followed behind, his lips twitching.

“Wuuu…” Seeing Ye Shuangxue remain silent, Sun Wuju’s excitement turned into tears of emotion. He clutched Ye Shuangxue and sobbed, “I knew you were thinking of Master, wuuu…”

Without waiting, he reached out with his greasy, blackened hand, grabbed a dumpling, and shoved it into his mouth. Between bites, he mumbled indistinctly, “Delicious! Really delicious! These are the best dumplings I’ve ever eaten.”

Ye Shuangxue twitched at the corner of her mouth. Luckily, Ye Tian hadn’t eaten any—she hadn’t expected Sister Ling’er to be so skilled at making dumplings.

“You eat too. Good disciple eats too.” Sun Wuju held a dumpling toward Ye Shuangxue’s mouth. Ye Shuangxue rolled her eyes and said, “I’m not eating. They’re frozen solid like stones and taste awful.”

“Hehe, as long as good disciples bring it, Master loves to eat it.”

Ye Shuangxue handed the basket to Sun Wuju. “Be careful, you might get diarrhea.”

Saying this, she turned and walked home.

Xiao Jiang looked miserable, glanced at Sun Wuju, and whispered, “Grandpa Sun, do you know what a stepmother is?”

A stepmother?

Sun Wuju frowned, blinking, looking utterly confused.

Seeing his reaction, Xiao Jiang slumped in disappointment and ran after Ye Shuangxue’s retreating figure. “Second Sister, wait for me…”

“Who has a stepmother?”

Sun Wuju stood in the snow, confused, pondering the question.

By the time Ye Tian got home, his daughter and younger son had already started a fire in the house.

Xiao Jiang was practicing calligraphy, while Ye Shuangxue had gone out with Sun Wujie to practice swordsmanship.

“The weather’s nice today. Were you cold at school?”

Ye Tian crouched down, cleaning the beef as he spoke to Xiao Jiang.

Xiao Jiang sat properly, holding his brush and writing. Upon hearing Ye Tian’s question, he turned his head and said, “Not cold. Today, Sister Ling’er even brought us dumplings.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao Jiang immediately shut up, glancing guiltily at the empty little bamboo basket before returning to his writing.

Following his son’s gaze, Ye Tian turned toward the small basket hanging on the wall. “Whose is this?”

Xiao Jiang froze.

He didn’t know how to answer.

Ye Tian suddenly added, “Why hasn’t your older brother come back yet today?”

Usually, Ye Yunting would return home right after school, and by the time Ye Tian got home, Ye Yunting would have prepared the ingredients for dinner. Seeing Ye Tian trying to change the subject, Xiao Jiang quickly said, “Master asked big brother to come over and talk.”

“There were many unusual visitors at the school today. At noon, Master also called big brother over.”

Listening to his young son’s innocent voice, Ye Tian frowned and fell into thought.

In the original story, Tao Lichun was the foremost scholar in the land. After Tao Ling’er gave birth, she cut ties with her father, and Tao Lichun died within a year. After his death, scholars everywhere discovered that Tao Shenggong had been hiding in Sifang City, leading to a frenzy of homage from intellectuals.

After Tao Lichun’s death, Shen Jie even used the title of Tao Lichun’s closed-door disciple to have Tao Lichun’s students pave the way for him.

Now, Tao Ling’er is away from Shen Jie and not pregnant, and her relationship with her father is normal. Could the story be moving ahead of schedule?

“Dad?”

“Dad…”

Xiao Jiang gently shook Ye Tian’s sleeve, bringing him back to reality.

Xiao Jiang squatted on the floor, his small body curled up, his big eyes sparkling as he asked, “Do you want to get a wife?”

“Cough… cough…”

Ye Tian almost choked on his own saliva at the question. His face flushed, his neck red, and he began coughing violently.

Xiao Jiang patted Ye Tian’s back with his little hand.

Ye Tian muttered, “Who told you that?”

Xiao Jiang’s face turned red. “I heard a lot of people say it.”

“They said Dad has money now, so you’ll find a stepmother to give me a little brother.” Xiao Jiang’s face fell, confused. He turned to Ye Tian and continued, “What about my mom?”

“Can’t you have another baby with her?”

Uh…

Ye Tian’s eyes went wide. Looking at the adorable, innocent child right in front of him, he didn’t know how to respond.

Fang Shenghu said the mother of the child died after giving birth!

In Ye Tian’s memory, there was no mother. He hadn’t even finished reading the original book—how was he supposed to answer?

Xiao Jiang’s large, dark eyes stared at him.

At that moment, the door curtain was lifted, and the cold wind whistled sharply through the room. Ye Tian quickly changed the subject. Seeing Ye Yunting enter, he hurriedly set down the beef and called out loudly, “Eldest’s home?”

“Cold outside?”

“Come over and warm yourself by the fire!”

Ye Yunting, probably having overheard their conversation, now looked at Ye Tian with a deep, silent gaze.

The atmosphere in the room became awkward.

Feeling the intense eyes on his back, Ye Tian panicked. He wasn’t the original Ye Tian and feared the children would see through him. He was even more afraid of telling them the truth—that their mother had already died—and causing them grief.

Crackle!

Pop!

Sparks flew from the fire in the hearth. Ye Tian looked at the two children—small, only as tall as the square table, their eyes full of admiration for him. He walked over, slowly crouched in front of Xiao Jiang and his older brother, and reached out to pat their little heads.

“Dad won’t get a stepmother!”