Free Web NovelChapter 113: Chapter 113: The Allocation for a Family of Three
Bai Wu’s reasoning had not yet concluded when he turned his gaze to the rather constrained Mr. Wang, surmising that the family trip must have had many high-energy events.
"May we visit one another?"
"Yes, we often visit each other."
"Speaking of which, haven’t you ever felt truly happy living here? To be honest, although there are fewer people and social interactions are limited, it’s actually not too bad."
Who would think of escaping when they have a fridge that automatically restocks food?
"No, no, no... I beg of you, since you’ve seen through everything, I can’t deceive you anymore, but please let us leave, this place is not... no, it is very joyful here."
Mr. Wang finished these words with a distorted expression on his face.
Bai Wu sensed that in the family game of three, there seemed to be an arbiter. It was constraining certain behaviors. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Mr. Wang must have meant to say the place wasn’t joyful, but his statement seemed to have been changed by some force.
However, Bai Xiaoyu had not sensed who the arbiter was.
"Are you the family that has lived here the longest?" Bai Wu repeated the question he had already confirmed.
Mr. Wang nodded, feeling the unusual perceptiveness of the young man before him.
Bai Wu furrowed his brows, still unsure whether the Manor concealed someone with special talents, ageless and immortal, controlling everything, or if there was something wrong with the Manor itself.
Finally, Bai Wu said:
"There’s one more question. If you can’t answer, you may blink for yes or smile for no."
"Please ask."
"Father, mother, child, a family of three, three identities, isn’t it that the father has the most authority? I surmise that you must maintain at least the appearance of a family of three, and although you are the calmest, your acting is the poorest."
"On the contrary, your son, who may be eight years and over four hundred months old, is the most immersed in his role. Does assuming the corresponding role influence our thoughts?"
Mr. Wang was dumbstruck.
Although Bai Wu said he only needed a blink or a smile in response, he hadn’t expected Bai Wu to be able to delve so deeply.
This question was too taboo; he didn’t even dare to answer it.
"This involves a roster, and I guess you must engage in some family interactions, which might even take up a lot of your time. I’ll tentatively call this ’non-free time.’ During non-free time, perhaps you need to act like a wealthy family from seven hundred years ago. The least non-free time is for the father, followed by the mother, and the child has the most non-free time, right?"
"So, the person playing the child... might be completely unable to control their own body the whole time, and they must force themselves to play the role of a child?"
"Judging by your reaction, this question seems to touch on some essence. Well then, let me use a more one-size-fits-all approach."
Bai Wu paused and then said:
"Is it that the father has the most time to think about problems?"
Mr. Wang blinked this time.
"Alright, the mother is a bit busier, right?"
Mr. Wang blinked once again.
There was no need to ask the third question, which meant that indeed, the child’s mind was the most controlled.
Bai Wu could now basically conclude that the Manor possessed some mysterious force compelling three people to play the roles of a family of three.
This role-playing was not as simple as just assuming an identity.
Of course, the secret to leaving the Manor was also inevitably connected to the theme of the family of three.
However, Mr. Wang could divulge so little detail that Bai Wu could only find the answer himself through the game of family of three.
Father, mother, child, the three roles that had the most time to solve puzzles were in the order: father, then mother.
Thus, the correct distribution for the family of three should be that the father is the smartest, the mother has the second-highest intelligence, and the child has the lowest.
Bai Wu had a rough idea in his mind.
At this time, the questioning in the yard was almost over.
Bai Wu said:
"Time to go back to the yard; were your questions subtle enough?"
"Yes... they should be." Mr. Wang originally thought no one could guess directly.
He had confidence in the questionnaire they created to investigate who was more suitable for each role.
That is, until he met Bai Wu -- a person who seemed to have lived here before, and then returned.
Indeed, Bai Wu was scheming to do exactly that for the sake of food—
To find a way out, then use the Traction Disc to bring in two people in exchange when he craved something, and when he tired of the food, to use the method to escape again.
He aimed to repeatedly scavenge meals this way.
"Let them stop the questionnaire, I’ll draw up the family personnel list, that’s okay, right?"
"Of course... I completely agree with your opinion." In this regard, Mr. Wang spoke the truth.
...
...
The pleasant time of afternoon tea ended quickly, Yin Shuang and Wu Jiu both felt something was off due to some strange family issues.
Lin Wurou, Bai Xiaoyu, and Qin Lin pondered the problem seriously, oblivious to anything being amiss.
When Bai Wu returned, he found that the questionnaire was not yet finished.
Then Mr. Wang said:
"Alright everyone, let’s not ask strange questions every time we have guests over. They are great adventurers, different from us. And darling, please get ready for tonight’s dinner... it might be a bit much, wait a moment, I will write it down."
Remembering the immense dinner, Mr. Wang cast a pleading look at Bai Wu.
Bai Wu surmised that it was an unwritten rule that a family leaving this bizarre Manor meant another family’s arrival.
But before this, they must fulfill the new family’s requests as much as possible.
Bai Wu, feeling a bit of pity for Mr. Wang, decided to moderately reduce the number of dishes.
...
...
At Bai Wu’s request, the six of them strolled freely through the Manor without a guide.
"Is this really a shelter? Paradise Outside the Tower?" Qin Lin was the first to question.
They walked through the Manor’s rear garden, filled with tulips and violets, and Bai Wu felt as if not even a palace could compare.
This place was too luxurious, and he could imagine its original owner must have been a famous tycoon seven hundred years ago.
"There is no shelter, no paradise outside the tower, at least not for you."
For me, it’s different; as long as there’s good food, I can be happy, and I won’t feel fear. But tonight, you might well feel fear.
Bai Wu internally was quite looking forward to what would happen this evening.
"The questions they asked just now were so strange, like whether I like doing household chores or doing business," Bai Xiaoyu said.
Yin Shuang also frowned and added:
"Yes, they also asked if I preferred taking care of others or being taken care of."
Wu Jiu did not speak, because his question was quite offensive—Your height seems perfect for playing with children, don’t you think?
At that time, Wu Jiu’s thought was—Murder is against the law, so one cannot kill.
Bai Wu pretended it was all the same, saying:
"Indeed, indeed, Mr. Wang also asked me a very strange question, like if I had children in the future, would I tolerate my wife’s unreasonable behavior for the sake of the children or something."
Then he added:
"However, since we are guests and are treated this way, it’s ok for them to ask some questions."
Because the truth was too bizarre, Yin Shuang and the others simply did not dare to think in the direction Bai Wu deduced.
It was Bai Wu who, under the guidance of his father from a young age, possessed a wild imagination.
"But what are we supposed to investigate here? These people give me the feeling that they are plotting something," Yin Shuang was ultimately vigilant.
Wu Jiu also said:
"So far, this area seems to be too peaceful."
Bai Wu looked at Lin Wurou again.
"Why are you looking at me? Speaking of which, will the food they prepare for dinner be better than the lunch? The lunch was too delicious."
The golden sunlight fell on Lin’s exquisitely beautiful face, and Bai Wu thought to himself, having such a silly son wouldn’t be too bad. A child’s high attractiveness could greatly alleviate the fear of an ugly child, and even if he turned out to be stupid in the future, it would make his parents more cautious before starting a new account, wondering if they had wasted their efforts on the main account.
After all, if Lin Wurou had siblings, they might have turned out not so well.
"What about you two?" Bai Wu turned to Qin Lin and Bai Xiaoyu.
Bai Xiaoyu was never one to suspect others with malice.
After the Yang Zhen incident, Qin Lin was no longer as naïve as before, and he said:
"My lord! I... I can’t quite say, although I don’t sense anything inappropriate, I always feel that it shouldn’t be like this outside the Tower, even though I might be very lucky today... I still don’t think the Land of Bliss that people have been searching for hundreds of years could be found by us today."
Bai Wu smiled subtly, impressed with the teachable child who had made progress.
At the same time, he had also chosen the distribution of family members for both households. The only change from before was whether Bai Xiaoyu would be the mother, or Qin Lin would be the mother.
After all, there was only one woman, which meant there had to be a male mother...
Bai Wu couldn’t help but think of male mothers from his past life. "Wurou, fly with ease, mother will always follow?"
He shook his head, convinced that a male mother was not to be desired. Thus, Bai Wu felt some sympathy for Mr. Wang, who had become the team leader.
"Bai Wu, was your conversation with that Mr. Wang just a question and answer?" Yin Shuang suddenly asked.
Bai Wu nodded:
"I also asked a few minor questions, like whether we could visit each other’s homes, where the food came from, and so on."
Regarding the distribution of family members, Bai Wu did not plan to tell others. He would just blame it on the rules, because fools are bound not to accept becoming sons. Even Yin Shuang and Wang the leader would probably not accept anything.
So it’s best to let them accept it passively.
"You might not believe the source of the food here, but the refrigerator is possessed by a Spirit Possession and replenishes food automatically. And as you have already sensed, even though these foods may not be more nutritious than the nutrition meals, they are definitely the tastiest."
"As for danger, you’ve all seen how they react when they see guests arriving, and you’ve seen the eeriness of that grown son. They are indeed human beings, and we can’t just kill them with a knife, can we? The best approach, I suggest, is for everyone to keep their cool and observe the surroundings as much as possible."
Wu Jiu and Yin Shuang nodded at the same time, both realizing that for this mission, time might no longer be calculated by the hour, but rather by the day.
"The more peculiar the rules are in a place, the more secrets are hidden, and the closer they are to the source. I hope everyone will be vigilant tonight," Wu Jiu said.
Everyone nodded.
...
...
In the evening, at the dining room of the first household’s villa, a group of people sat around a genuine red elm dining table with church-style décor, enjoying a lavish spread of Chinese cuisine.
Bai Wu, for a time, appeared to be the least intelligent among them, embarking on various actions to clear his plate.
Although Bai Xiaoyu had seen some of the hospital’s food when he was very young, the dishes Bai Wu ordered were of the highest standard in Chinese cuisine, which he had never seen before.
The rest had not seen them either.
When it came to eating crabs, it was Lin Wurou’s first time seeing a crab. He was like the first person in history to eat a crab, puzzled about how to consume the creature.
The meal was still very delicious.
Mr. Wang, along with his wife, who was in her forties, and their son of similar age, watched this scene and were reminded of their own reactions when they first tasted these foods.
It seems that the happiness Bai Wu spoke of could only be had before the first nightfall.
Afterwards, there was only torment and terror. Thinking of this, Mrs. Wang served Yin Shuang a bowl of soup:
"It’s not easy being a woman, you need to nourish yourself more."
Mr. Wang didn’t quite like this remark; as if being the head of a household was easy? Despite having more of what Bai Wu referred to as "free time," the Family Head was also the most tormented.
This was something Mr. Wang had not told Bai Wu.
The expressions of Mr. Wang and Mrs. Wang did not escape Bai Wu’s notice. He didn’t say anything, and at the same time, he observed Baby Wang.
The eight-year-old plus four hundred months "giant baby" still had a child’s innocence and merriment on his face.
This scene was laughably absurd but, upon closer thought, also tragically frightening.
Bai Wu also noticed that the names of the dishes he left behind were those only a top chef from a former life could prepare. Yet, Mrs. Wang could also make them.
He speculated that character binding likely granted some additional abilities.
But what did all this imply?
For the moment, it was unclear.
...
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The dinner went on very late.
Despite having been full half an hour earlier, no one wanted to leave the dining table.
In a sense, fine cuisine was an alternative form of light for the Tower people. They had grown accustomed to the darkness, that is, to the dark delicacy that is nutritional meals.
But now having encountered the light, if they couldn’t stomach nutritional meals in the future...
Bai Wu believed the responsibility of his "cooking pot" was considerable and hoped it could be somewhat self-aware.
Around nine o’clock, the group began to arrange their sleeping accommodations.
Mr. Wang called Rong over.
"The thing is, we don’t have many vacant guest rooms in the villa. We can’t accommodate all of you, so three guests will have to stay at Rong’s place," he explained.
Rong had been uneasy, but upon hearing Mr. Wang’s words, a smile piled up on her face:
"Hahaha, it’s the same with all our homes."
Yin Shuang felt the uneasiness again; it seemed that Rong was deliberately emphasizing the concept of being "the same."
Lin Wurou, Bai Xiaoyu, and Qin Lin remained oblivious.
Mr. Wang cleared his throat. As expected, the rules would come into effect that evening. He endeavored to speak in his usual tone:
"So, Mr. Bai, Mr. Lin, and this beautiful lady, you will stay at my humble abode tonight. I have already arranged your rooms."
