TNIBFT -Chapter 27 Another Fool Shows Up

Ye Shuangxue stared with her big, round eyes, swallowing nervously while curiously watching Ye Tian’s mouth.

“Not tasty.”

Ye Tian pouted, picking up a big chopstickful of meat and shoving it into his mouth while shaking his head.

Impossible—something that smells this good can’t be bad. Ye Shuangxue furrowed her tiny brows in confusion, looking at the bright-red, translucent slices of beef. “This should be tasty, right?”

“This?”

Ye Tian looked at his daughter in mock surprise. Pretending to think, he grabbed a piece of beef and deliberately waved it in front of Ye Shuangxue’s nose.

The aroma was rich, full of savory sauce fragrance—just one whiff and it made your head light. Ye Shuangxue’s pink lips leaked a suspicious droplet as she watched Ye Tian open his mouth wide and chew the beef.

“Glug!”

“Glug.”

Ye Shuangxue couldn’t help herself. She moved her little mouth and swallowed several big gulps of saliva.

Watching Ye Tian eat chopstickful after chopstickful, she longed for it so much she gritted her teeth.

The two kids stared at him pitifully. Ye Tian didn’t tease his daughter further—he first gave Xiao Jiang a few pieces, then a few to Ye Shuangxue, and pushed the rest aside. “These are for bringing back to feed the eldest.”

“You just had a big bowl of noodles. The beef is good, but too much is harder to digest. Next time, Dad will bring you here again.”

Ye Tian rambled on.

By now, Ye Shuangxue couldn’t wait. She quickly grabbed a piece of beef. The moment it entered her mouth, it seemed like layers of flavor bloomed across her palate, opening up a whole new world. Could there really be something in this world so delicious?

The beef had transparent tendons, tender yet slightly chewy, paired with the rich sauce. Every bite was savory and fresh, making her wish she could swallow her tongue.

Xiao Jiang was even more enchanted, eating with a face full of bliss. Both children licked their fingers as they ate, completely ignoring anyone speaking to them.

Alright then!

Ye Tian sighed inwardly. Though ancient food was simple, it wasn’t bad. It preserved the original flavors of the ingredients, without the tech or tricks of modern cooking, so the kids could eat without worry.

The meal lasted over half an hour.

After packing the leftover crispy duck and beef, Ye Tian went to the counter to pay: two jin of beef cost 240 wen, crispy duck 70 wen, and three bowls of noodles 22 wen.

The shopkeeper, wearing a fur-lined hat, clicked his abacus, then looked up at Ye Tian pleasantly. “Dear customer, your total comes to 332 wen. I’ll take 330 wen.”

Ye Tian nodded and tossed the shopkeeper a small piece of broken silver.

The shopkeeper then pulled out a delicate small scale from somewhere and started clicking the abacus again. Ye Tian wasn’t too familiar with the ancient silver calculations, so he just grabbed a few dozen copper coins and left the restaurant with the two kids.

The midday sun was just right.

The streets were crowded. Ye Tian squinted, scanning the surroundings.

“Burp…”

Ye Shuangxue held her little stomach, hiccupping numbly. She had eaten too much; her belly hurt a little.

Xiao Jiang walked beside his sister, hands supporting his tiny stomach as if afraid it might fall off. The two kids watched the bustling street, feeling as if they were dreaming.

“Let’s go buy some cotton-padded clothes.”

Target set, Ye Tian lifted the packed beef and headed toward the ready-made clothing shop diagonally across the street.

“Wait for me…”

Ye Shuangxue held her stomach, weakly trailing behind Ye Tian, while Xiao Jiang waddled like a little duck, staggering as he walked.

“No rush, take it slow. If you walk too fast, your stomach will hurt even more,” Ye Tian said, looking back at the two kids. “Go pick out two sets of clothes. Don’t forget about the eldest—later, you’ll help choose for him too.”

Ye Shuangxue squinted her big eyes and looked up at Ye Tian.

Xiao Jiang waved his hand. “I can still wear my clothes. Buy some for brother and sister. Xiao Jiang doesn’t want any.”

“Let’s go!”

Ye Tian grabbed the collars of the two kids and gently guided them forward. The street was crowded, so he didn’t want the children to get lost. Plus, the alley was narrow, and he worried about them getting kicked by animals. After all, not everyone walking on this street at this hour was human.

“Boy, want to buy books?”

“Ten wen per book! For just ten wen, you can get a peerless martial arts manual. You won’t lose out!”

The untimely sales pitch instantly caught Ye Tian’s attention.

He quickly turned and scanned the area. The crowd was dressed in all sorts of styles, but Ye Tian couldn’t spot the person selling martial arts manuals. In the original story, this person was crucial—a crazed old beggar, also the most formidable martial artist in this world. In the source material, this mad old man chased people on the street, trying to sell his manuals. Shen Jie, out of false kindness and under the watchful eyes of others, bought him two buns.

The old man saw that Shen Jie had exceptional martial aptitude and was kind-hearted, and later became Shen Jie’s teacher.

This mad old man was essentially the protagonist’s first lucky break in the story, the author personally giving the son a “boost.” It marked Shen Jie’s first step toward becoming strong.

“What are you looking for?”

Ye Shuangxue curiously looked at Ye Tian. Something about him seemed strange.

“Did you hear anyone selling martial arts manuals?” Ye Tian asked seriously, tilting his head slightly, as if trying to catch some important sound.

Xiao Jiang shook his head blankly.

Martial arts manuals?

Ye Shuangxue stared at him in disbelief. Ye Tian had changed for the better, but she felt he’d also gone a bit silly. Kids wouldn’t believe in something like martial arts manuals!

“Isn’t that right?”

Ye Shuangxue rolled her eyes and pointed. Ye Tian followed her finger and spotted, in the crowd, a ragged old man with graying hair chasing passersby, trying to sell a tattered book. Ye Tian’s little heart raced with excitement. This time, he was determined to get to it before the protagonist and seize all of Shen Jie’s luck.

Damn it!

Ye Tian gritted his teeth and marched toward the old beggar, full of determination. Ye Shuangxue trailed behind, asking, “You’re not actually going to buy some martial arts manual, are you?”

“Of course! Don’t you want to learn?”

Ye Tian looked at his daughter in astonishment, excitedly saying, “If we buy it, the whole family can learn! Then who would dare bully us?”

Ye Shuangxue: …

Ye Tian: Let’s go—don’t let anyone else buy it first.

Glancing at the beef and crispy duck he was carrying, Ye Tian felt a pang of reluctance—they were for the eldest child—but he made a quick decision. “Xiao Jiang, run as fast as you can to buy two meat buns. If we wait too long, it’ll be too late.”

He handed a few copper coins to his son.

Xiao Jiang didn’t ask questions. His face serious, he grabbed the coins and sprinted off.

Ye Tian, holding his daughter, chased after the old man’s retreating figure, shouting, “Old man! Don’t go! I’ll buy your books! I want to buy them!”

People on both sides of the street stared at the excited Ye Tian with strange expressions.

The scruffy old man, hearing someone call him from behind, flickered his gaze, stopped, and sized up Ye Tian from head to toe. His expression returned to the previous nonchalant, teasing manner, and he said, “Oh ho, another fool has come along.”

Ye Tian was speechless.

Does anyone talk about their customer like that?

“What book do you want? I have the Dragon-Subduing Palm,” the old man continued.

“And the Tiger-Subduing Fist, Mountain-Cleaving Palm, and Autumn Water Sword Technique. Ten wen per book, no bargaining.”