Chapter 4: Walking the Heroine's Path Until She Has Nowhere Left to Go

Wenyao decisively gave up on the meat bun and exchanged it for five steamed buns and two packets of pickled vegetables.

Oh no, even pickled vegetables cost two and a half now—what a rip-off.

When she came out, Wenjun and Wen Xiuyi had almost finished tidying up. The kitchen was unusable, and even the stove had a large hole smashed in it by a beam from the ceiling. Luckily, the pot on top was still intact, and the bowls and chopsticks could be salvaged with a bit of cleaning.

She called the father and son into the room, where five steaming buns and two packets of pickled vegetables sat on the table.

Wen Xiuyi picked one up and immediately began to eat.

“There are even buns in that space?” He ate without a trace of concern, unafraid of poisoning or anything else.

Wenyao explained the situation with the space to the two of them, not forgetting to complain, “Isn’t this just cheating us? The heroine calculated the prices by ancient standards, but by the time they reach us it’s like our own time’s prices.”

Wenjun broke a bun in half, stuffed it with some pickled vegetables, and handed it to Wenyao, saying, “With this space, life should be a little easier for us.”

To this, Wenyao agreed—the supplies inside were surprisingly comprehensive.

But Wen Xiuyi said, “Even though the space is a huge help, we can't rely on it too much. Who knows what might happen in the future? What if, when the heroine is born, the space returns to her? We have to be prepared for anything and make sure we can stand on our own here.”

“Dad is right,” Wenjun nodded.

Wenyao chewed her bun—indeed, when you’re hungry, anything tastes good. Swallowing, she nodded and said, “Brother, I know. By the way, from now on, we need to change how we address Dad. Here, we can’t call him ‘Dad’; we have to say ‘Father.’”

“Understood.”

The three of them finished four buns, leaving the last one for Da Tou at Wen Xiuyi’s suggestion.

As for this younger brother, who would one day become the antagonist, all three agreed he could not walk the same path as before.

“Since the space is in our hands now, we’ll walk the heroine’s road, leaving her no way forward,” Wenyao said, sparing her brother from being ruined by the heroine when she grows up.

Both Old Wen and Little Wen supported this wholeheartedly.

After eating and putting the empty pickle packages into the recycling box in the space, the three prepared to go to the old family house to fetch Da Tou.

“How about you two go? I’ll stay here,” Wen Xiuyi said with an embarrassed smile.

But Wenyao gave him no chance to avoid it, replying directly, “Father, you caused all the trouble, so now that you want to change, you have to let the old house see your attitude. Hiding at home isn’t the way of a true man.”

Wen Xiuyi cried out, “It wasn’t me! Daughter, don’t blame this on me—I’m not taking the fall for this!”

Brother and sister said nothing, just looked at him in amusement.

You’ve taken over someone’s body—who else is going to take responsibility if not you?

“Alright, alright, I’ll go. Let’s go,” Wen Xiuyi said, then led the way out the door.

Brother and sister exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter before hurrying to catch up.

When the three arrived at the old house, the family was in the midst of preparing dinner. They nudged each other forward until Wenyao stepped up to knock on the door.

“Who is it?” came a robust female voice—Wenyao recognized it as her second aunt, Mrs. Li.

“Second Aunt, it’s me. We’ve come to pick up Da Tou,” Wenyao called out.

There was a moment of silence in the yard, then a clatter of activity, and finally Mrs. Li opened the gate.

“Oh, it’s Yaoyao. And Big Brother is here too.” Mrs. Li’s expression soured noticeably when she saw Wen Xiuyi.

What else could Wen Xiuyi do? He could only bear the sins of his predecessor.

“Yes, Sister-in-law, we’ve come to take Da Tou home,” Wen Xiuyi said awkwardly.

While Mrs. Li hesitated about letting them in, another voice sounded from within—Mrs. Luo.

“Give Da Tou a cake and send him out. There’s no need for outsiders to come in.”

The three outside the door were left in an awkward silence, and Wen Xiuyi’s face burned with shame. Just how much trouble had his predecessor caused to be barred even from his parents’ house?

Well, there was no avoiding it now—since they were here, he had to speak his piece.

Steeling himself, Wen Xiuyi called into the yard, “Father, Mother, your son is here to admit his mistakes.”

Wenyao raised her eyebrows, giving Wen Xiuyi a subtle thumbs-up.

Inside, Mrs. Luo seemed stunned by his words, but quickly responded in a cold tone, “Don’t try that with me. We barely have enough to eat ourselves—we can’t take care of you.”

She clearly thought they were there to beg for food. Mrs. Li eyed Wen Xiuyi warily, blocking the doorway.

Then, Da Tou was pushed out from inside, holding a half-eaten cake in his hand.

The three adults and Da Tou stared at one another.

“Second son’s wife, close the door,” Mrs. Luo’s merciless voice rang out.

Without a word, Mrs. Li slammed the door shut.

The three outside: “...” The road to repairing this relationship would be long and hard.

Da Tou gazed at them with his big eyes.

“I told you I shouldn’t come,” Wen Xiuyi muttered. But when he met his younger son’s clear gaze, a softness welled up in his heart.

Just thinking of this lovable child becoming cannon fodder in the future made Wen Xiuyi uncomfortable. How could his son, Wen Changping’s son, be trampled and used as a stepping stone for others?

“Da Tou, let’s go. Come home with Father,” Wen Xiuyi said, reaching out to take Da Tou’s hand.

Wenyao saw the same bewildered, curious, and slightly unfamiliar look in Da Tou’s eyes as she had that morning—this time directed at Wen Xiuyi.

Oh no, the book said he was clever. Had he figured something out?

But unexpectedly, Da Tou extended his little hand and took Wen Xiuyi’s.

That small hand in his palm was just like holding Wenjun and Wenyao’s hands when they were young. It melted Professor Wen’s heart completely. If this sweet boy wanted the stars, Professor Wen would surely find a way to fetch them down.

He didn’t care what his predecessor had done—starting now, he, Wen Changping, was the father of these three children, and he would never let them follow the old path the novel had written for them.

Along the way, Da Tou kept stealing glances at Wen Xiuyi and at their joined hands, and thus they walked all the way home.

Seeing the missing room at home, Da Tou paused, a flash of sadness in his eyes.

Wenyao caught the look and cheered him up with a smile, “It’s alright that it collapsed. When we earn more money, we’ll build an even bigger house, okay?”

Da Tou stared at her for a moment, and just when Wenyao thought he might see through her, he nodded sweetly.

Wenyao breathed a sigh of relief.

Knowing what this boy would become, Wenyao couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous facing him.

But for now, Wen Zhao was just a child, not yet four years old, a blank slate. As long as they treated him well and guided him, Wenyao believed he would never turn out as he had in the book.