Chapter 70: Has the Course Changed?

The family of three left the Xie residence together, politely refusing the carriage the steward had arranged for them; they planned to walk back to the clinic. Along the way, Wen Xiuyi instinctively guarded his pocket with his hand—after all, inside it lay a fortune of two hundred taels. For their family, this was indeed a staggering sum.

"Yaoyao, you'd better keep it for now." Wen Xiuyi looked around, saw no one nearby, and led his two children into a small alley by the roadside. He handed over the silver ingots to Wen Yao in one go.

Wen Yao caught them swiftly and, before she could reply, instinctively stowed the silver away in her space. "Dad, what are you doing? What if someone saw us?" Two hundred taels—by the prices her space gave, it was as if they were carrying two hundred thousand. She suddenly felt as though she’d become rich overnight.

With the silver safely tucked away, Wen Xiuyi finally felt at ease. The three returned to the main road, and Wen Xiuyi cautioned his son, "Jun, from now on, steer clear of the Xie family. If there's a house call, let your master go on his own. Don’t get involved."

Wen Jun nodded. "Got it."

The three were all sharp-minded; they understood what the Xie family’s gesture meant—merely an attempt to buy their silence. They didn’t mind; in fact, if they were to mind anything, it would be a hope that such hush money would come their way more often.

Wen Yao was already thinking how to spend it. "Dad, Jun, we’ve struck it rich! What do you think is the best way to use this money?" She rubbed her hands together in front of her, her eyes sparkling.

But Wen Xiuyi shook his head. "We’ll decide how to spend it later. Yaoyao, let me ask you: When you heard that child’s name in the Xie household, why were you so shocked? Does the boy have some great fortune awaiting him?"

Wen Jun also turned his gaze to her.

Wen Yao glanced around; this wasn’t a main road and few people were about—at least, no one within several meters. She lowered her voice, "Well, you know, he’s that person—a close friend, a partner, a somewhat ambiguous companion, and a money tree. It’s that name. His mother’s family is in business, and his father’s side was originally just a minor branch of a big clan. But as his business grew and he earned more with that person, his status rose, and he became highly valued by his father's family, eventually becoming a sought-after bachelor of his era.

"But, he’s got a shrewd mind for business, and in his dealings with that person, he fell in love. Under the guise of partnership, they became entangled—sometimes ambiguous, sometimes unclear. Anything that person wanted, if he had it, he’d give it. The book hinted, somewhat coyly, that they’d even slept together, though it left the reader guessing. Among all the cannon fodder characters, he was one of the best survivors."

Wen Xiuyi was half furious—so only his son was unlucky? Far away at home, Da Tou suddenly sneezed, prompting Madam Luo to think he’d caught a chill from playing in the water. She quickly had Wen Di and Wen Ying take him inside to warm up.

Father and son simultaneously raised their hands to touch their chins, even in the same order. Wen Yao watched them for a moment, then mimicked their gesture, which caused a passerby to cast them a scornful look, assuming something was wrong with the three and keeping a wide berth.

"Are you sure it’s him?" Wen Jun asked.

Wen Yao thought for a moment. "It should be."

Wen Xiuyi pondered, clicking his tongue. "But wait—wasn’t this child rescued by you two? Before that, you weren’t there, right? Shouldn’t he have died?"

Wen Jun and Wen Yao exchanged a glance—right. If this really was Xie Anyi from the original book, and they didn’t exist in the original, then after this accident, shouldn’t he have died? How could he grow up to do business and become a wealthy tycoon?

"There’s only one possibility," Wen Xiuyi said, pursing his lips, frowning, and nodding.

The siblings looked at him expectantly, and he continued, "Since we arrived, many things here have changed; so the fate of this person changed too. Maybe he didn’t encounter this accident before? Because we altered the course, he had an accident this time—and met you two."

Wen Xiuyi looked at his children; Wen Jun and Wen Yao exchanged a silent glance.

So, originally everything was smooth sailing, and because of them, the child almost ended up dead? Yes, if they hadn’t intervened, the boy might really have suffocated himself.

What a sin...

Suddenly, the two hundred taels felt a bit like ill-gotten gains.

To soothe her conscience, Wen Yao thought they’d better spend it quickly.

"Dad, Jun, so how should we use this money?" Wen Yao asked.

Wen Xiuyi considered and said, "How about we build a house? Our old place is falling apart and living there is a misery. My idea is to rebuild it—at least give each of the kids their own room."

Wen Yao nodded; it was a good idea. After all, in any era, having a home of one's own was the most important thing.

Wen Jun remained silent, so Wen Yao nudged him, "Jun, what about you? Any thoughts?"

Wen Jun glanced at Wen Yao, then at Wen Xiuyi, and suddenly said, "Anything’s fine, but aren’t you forgetting we still owe Grandpa and Grandma money?"

Although Old Wen and Madam Luo never asked them to repay it, they’d sold the family’s land to help Wen Xiuyi pay off debts. This kindness must be remembered.

Wen Xiuyi and Wen Yao paused, then quickly understood. Wen Xiuyi looked at Wen Yao and suggested, "How about we buy back the land? Get Grandpa and Grandma’s land back first."

Wen Yao nodded, "That works too."

Wen Xiuyi looked at them and reassured, "Don’t worry. Dad’s earning well these days. He’ll soon save up enough to build the house."

The siblings exchanged smiles.

After sending Wen Jun back to the clinic, Wen Xiuyi was still thinking about the dockside stall. Even with money in hand, he couldn’t forget about earning more.

Before leaving, Wen Xiuyi reminded the siblings, "Don’t tell Grandpa and Grandma about buying back the land yet; wait until it’s done—give them a surprise."

"Mm, we won’t," the siblings said, simultaneously making a zipper motion across their lips.

After he left, only the siblings remained. Wen Jun suddenly asked, "Yaoyao, do you remember what Dad wanted most in the past?"

Wen Yao was silent for a moment, then replied, "I remember. Dad said after retirement, we’d go back home and contract a few hundred acres to grow rice."

Professor Wen had spent his life with land and grain—it was both his profession and his passion. Even after retirement, his greatest wish was to farm a few hundred acres.

But now, to support them, the esteemed professor was selling boxed lunches at the dock, spatula in hand.

Wen Yao touched her purse, "I wonder how much land two hundred taels could buy."