TNIBFT -Chapter 31 Who’s Like a Duck

“Sis…”

Xiao Jiang looked helplessly at his sister. Ye Shuangxue continued, “Do you still want the old days back? He’s better now, but who knows for how many days. If he changes back, what will we do with the old Ye Tian?”

“Will he sell me, or sell you?”

“Big brother won’t let anyone be left behind, Xiao Jiang. Big brother will never forgive him. Do you want to give up your brother and sister?”

Ye Tian stood at the door, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Still no good?

Is the ending in the book really fixed?

Will the three kids leave him anyway?

Thinking back on the past few days with the children, Ye Tian’s heart felt tight and stinging. Ye Shuangxue, Ye Hanjiang, Ye Yunting—they weren’t just flat characters from a book, cold, lifeless NPCs. They were real people, his own children.

If they wanted to leave, Ye Tian would respect their choice.

He turned and gently placed the parcel in his hand onto the ground.

“Who’s there?”

Hearing a voice outside, Ye Shuangxue’s face tensed as she looked toward the door. Holding Xiao Jiang, she walked toward it, coincidentally meeting the attendant bringing hot water. Only then did she relax. Seeing the familiar parcel on the floor, she quickly bent down to pick it up and asked Xiao Jiang, “Could he have heard?”

Xiao Jiang shook his head.

If Ye Tian really had heard, how disappointed he would be…

If they left tomorrow, would they never see Ye Tian again? No one would ruffle his hair and say, “My son is amazing.”

No one would find him, such a useless boy, both adorable and impressive.

Xiao Jiang pouted, his big eyes misty with tears.

“It’s probably not. If Ye Tian had heard, he’d have rushed in to beat us. That dog Ye Tian wouldn’t let himself lose,” Ye Shuangxue held the parcel and tried to comfort herself. Thinking that she might never see Ye Tian again, she felt a pang of loss. She had thought she’d be happy, but now she couldn’t feel happy at all.

Back at the bathhouse, Ye Tian’s mind was full of his daughter’s words.

Since the children were leaving, as their father and pretending not to know, all he could do was prepare things for them.

Ye Tian dressed and left the bathhouse.

…

After bathing, Ye Tian took the two children out of the bathhouse. The sun was low, its light dimming.

The children, clean and refreshed after washing, and changing into dry clothes, looked like entirely different people. Their natural beauty, combined with their new appearance, immediately drew the attention of many people on the street.

Xiao Jiang felt a little uneasy, shyly looking down.

Ye Shuangxue, however, was the same as always, completely unbothered by others’ gazes.

“Didn’t you want meat buns?”

Ye Tian suddenly spoke.

Xiao Jiang said, “We didn’t finish the beef at lunch, and there’s still the roast duck. If we buy meat buns now, we won’t be able to finish them. Why not just buy two steamed buns? It’ll even save two wen.”

Ye Shuangxue looked at Ye Tian and said, “Oh, I get it. You want to eat the beef and roast duck yourself, and let us have the meat buns, right?”

The little girl looked mischievous.

Ye Tian didn’t mind and reached out to ruffle his daughter’s small head. After washing, her hair was softer and silkier, and it felt even nicer.

Ye Shuangxue didn’t pull away. Seeing that Ye Tian didn’t contradict her, she looked down guiltily. Ye Tian’s forlorn expression made her feel as if she were doing something wrong. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I don’t even like eating duck. They look ugly, their quack sounds awful. I’ll eat it for you.”

“You really are like a duck.”

Ye Tian suddenly said something and then walked toward the bun shop. Ye Shuangxue followed, chattering, “Who looks like a duck?”

“I—look like what?”

“I don’t look like one either.”

She bounded up and down with the large bundle on her back, like a mischievous little monkey.

Through the steam, the bun shop owner looked at the approaching man. He was tall and well-built, with a dignified bearing. Even wearing simple coarse cotton clothing, his unique aura couldn’t be concealed. Two fair-skinned, chubby little children followed him, like little figures from a New Year painting. The young owner’s face lit up with joy—here was a big customer.

He quickly waved his white sweat cloth and greeted, “Welcome, sir. What would you like?”

“Ten meat buns, ten plain buns.”

The familiar voice made the owner raise his head in surprise. He rubbed his eyes hard and, seeing it was Ye Tian, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “You… you’re not—?”

“And you are…?”

The owner pointed at Ye Tian’s clothes and the new clothes of the two children, stammering, unable to say anything for a long time.

Earlier at noon, he thought they were poor and shabby. By evening, he had been slapped in the face by reality.

“Changed clothes,” Ye Tian said casually, then continued, “How long can these buns last?”

“They… they… they’ll be fine. It’s cold now; even after eight or nine days of traveling, they won’t go bad.”

Ye Tian nodded.

After paying, he carried the large paper bag and walked back to Mingfeng Village with the children.

The atmosphere was slightly off. Ye Tian, burdened with his thoughts, walked steadily forward, carrying the things without the joy he had when he arrived. Xiao Jiang followed behind, recalling bits and pieces from the past few days. Ye Shuangxue looked at the buns and plain bread in Ye Tian’s hands. Truth be told, Ye Tian had been very good to her these past few days. He was an excellent father—but…

The three of them, father and children, walked one after another on the deserted road, each lost in their own thoughts.

By the time they returned home, darkness had completely fallen.

At that moment, dogs in the village barked continuously.

Ye Yunting, returning home to find the house empty, quickly lit the fire with some kindling before heading to search the village. He heard that in the morning, Shen Jie had wrongly accused Ye Shuangxue of stealing a bracelet. Shocked and angry, he wanted to rush over and kill Shen Jie immediately. Only after learning that Shen Jie had been driven out of the village did he calm down.

It was then that he learned it was Ye Tian who had arrived in time to save Shuangxue.

Several women in the village gathered, gossiping, “Who knows what happened to Ye Tian, that good-for-nothing, today?”

“He even dared to hit someone! You should’ve seen Ye Tian go mad—hair disheveled, grabbing Shen Jie by the neck, ready to kill him.”

“Really?”

They all gasped in surprise.

Ye Yunting could imagine the scene at that moment, but he could not imagine Ye Tian losing his mind for Shuangxue.

Had Ye Tian really changed?

After searching around and not finding his younger siblings, Ye Yunting prepared to go to Fang Shenghu’s house. Uncle Fang would definitely be anxious about the situation. Just as he reached the Fang Shenghu household, he heard Jiang Caiyun’s sharp voice from inside the yard:

“How can Ye Shuangxue be blamed for stealing, and not anyone else? If the upper beam isn’t straight, how can the lower beam be straight?”

“Why is it that only Ye Shuangxue’s things went missing at the village chief’s house?”

“It’s all too coincidental. Who knows who really stole them? And besides, they said Ye Tian brought people to pull out Shen Jie’s hidden undergarment—how could Ye Tian possibly know Shen Jie had hidden it in the cabinet?”

“Stop using the three children as an excuse all the time. They’re pitiful, yes, but what does it have to do with you?”

“Shut up!”

Fang Shenghu roared.

After a while, a sharp, piercing cry came from inside the house: “Ah… this life has never been fair, never!”

Ye Yunting sighed helplessly. Just as he was about to leave, the Fang family’s curtain lifted. Fang Shenghu looked awkwardly at Ye Yunting and said, “Why are you here?”