On the day they finally set out for town, the family of five woke up earlier than usual.
The sun had barely risen when sounds of movement could already be heard inside the farmhouse.
Arthur was the first downstairs.
He went over everything they’d prepared the night before one more time.
The water jug was beside the table.
Their simple food had been wrapped separately, while the coins they planned to take to town were bundled in cloth and kept safely on Helena.
Clara’s list from yesterday had also been folded up and put away.
It contained everything they needed to check today— flour, salt, oats, eggs, meat, seeds, and tools.
They didn’t necessarily have to buy any of them, but they wanted to find out the prices.
Besides that, they had an even more important task.
They needed to figure out how their coins actually worked.
Once Arthur had checked everything, he glanced toward the stairs.
“Are the kids awake?”
“Clara is.”
Helena was preparing breakfast and answered without looking up.
“Theo should be awake too.”
“What about Lucas?”
There was no sound from upstairs.
The couple went quiet at the same time.
Who was it that had confidently declared yesterday that he definitely wouldn’t be the last one awake?
Arthur hadn’t even had the chance to say anything when footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Clara came down first.
Her hair was still slightly messy, making it obvious she’d only just gotten out of bed.
Theo followed behind her with one hand on the railing, his little face still carrying the unmistakable sleepiness of someone who hadn’t fully woken up yet.
When the two reached the bottom, Arthur looked behind them.
There was no third child.
Clara noticed what he was doing.
“He’s still sleeping.”
Arthur wasn’t surprised at all.
Theo added,
“We tried waking him.”
“He didn’t wake up?”
“He rolled over.”
Arthur couldn’t help laughing.
Last night, Lucas had looked completely serious when he promised that he absolutely wouldn’t be the last one up today.
Apparently, promises didn’t have much authority over a three-year-old body.
Arthur was about to head upstairs when another sound finally came from the staircase.
Lucas slowly made his way down, one hand holding the railing.
His hair was even messier than Clara’s, and his eyes weren’t fully open.
Arthur stood below and watched him.
Halfway down, Lucas noticed.
He stopped.
“What?”
Arthur held back a smile.
“Nothing.”
Lucas clearly didn’t believe him.
Once he reached the bottom, Clara helpfully reminded him,
“You said yesterday you definitely wouldn’t be the last one awake.”
Lucas paused.
“I’m awake.”
“Last.”
“But I’m awake.”
Clara looked at him.
Lucas kept a perfectly straight face and went to wash up, clearly deciding that the last word simply didn’t exist.
They ate a little more than usual for breakfast.
They had a long walk ahead of them, and Arthur had no intention of letting the three children start complaining that they were hungry before they’d even reached the village.
After breakfast, Helena had everyone drink some water.
Theo carefully washed his own hands and then made sure Lucas and Clara washed theirs too.
Lucas looked at him while drying his hands.
“We’re going to touch things outside anyway.”
“We’ll clean them again before eating.”
Theo had already thought this through.
Lucas hadn’t expected him to have an entire plan ready.
For once, he didn’t know what to say.
Arthur picked up the food and water.
Helena made sure the money was secure.
Clara touched the folded list inside her clothes to make sure she hadn’t forgotten it.
As for the old cloth Theo had insisted on bringing yesterday, he’d folded it carefully himself and tucked it somewhere easy to reach.
Lucas noticed.
This time, he didn’t say anything.
He had given up.
Once everything was ready, Arthur opened the door.
The morning had brightened considerably.
The weather was good.
There was no rain, and the wind wasn’t strong.
Several consecutive days of sunshine had dried the road considerably since their first trip outside.
At least they didn’t have to worry about stepping into mud the moment they left the house.
Arthur stood at the doorway and checked one last time.
“Everyone ready?”
“Ready.”
All three children answered together.
“Then let’s go.”
For the first time, the family of five truly set off in the direction of town.
They had already walked the first stretch of road several times, so nothing felt unfamiliar.
Lucas was full of energy when they first left.
He even deliberately walked a little faster than Clara and Theo, clearly still remembering everyone’s doubts about whether he could make it all the way to town by himself.
Arthur noticed.
He said nothing.
They had only just started.
Let’s see if he was still walking that fast an hour from now.
They followed the familiar path to the fork, then turned onto the wider road marked by wagon tracks.
When Theo reached the section that usually collected water, he instinctively slowed down.
Fortunately, the ground had dried considerably.
After inspecting it, he carefully stepped around a small patch of darker, damp soil.
Lucas looked back and couldn’t resist saying,
“You really don’t need that shoe cloth today.”
Theo ignored him.
Until they had finished the entire journey, no one could guarantee that.
The family continued on.
By the time they reached the village, the sun had fully risen.
Yesterday, they’d only stood near the outskirts for a short while before turning back.
Today, they had to pass straight through.
That made Arthur slightly more cautious.
They already knew that people in the village knew the original Bennett family.
The first man they’d encountered had not only recognized Arthur, but had also known that they’d recently separated from the larger household. This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.
Now that they were actually entering the village, the chances of meeting someone familiar would only increase.
Helena had clearly thought of the same thing.
She moved slightly closer to Arthur and lowered her voice.
“If anyone talks to us, don’t rush to answer.”
Lucas nodded.
“Let Dad answer first.”
Arthur looked down at him.
“Why does it have to be me?”
“Because you did really well last time.”
Arthur immediately remembered how many times he’d said yeah during that conversation.
“Was that a compliment?”
Lucas seriously considered it.
“Sort of.”
Arthur didn’t feel comforted in the slightest.
Fortunately, none of their worries came true.
There were already plenty of people working at this hour.
Some were sorting things in their yards, while others carried tools toward the fields.
A few people passed them on the road and glanced in their direction, but no one came over to start a conversation.
Arthur certainly wasn’t going to draw attention to them voluntarily.
So the family simply continued along the road and slowly made their way through the village.
The children looked around as they walked.
It was much livelier here than around their farmhouse.
The houses were still separated by some distance, but they didn’t feel nearly as isolated as the old farmhouse did.
Some families kept chickens.
Others had piles of firewood outside their homes.
One yard had several pieces of clothing hanging out to dry.
Lucas spotted a goat tied beside the road and stared at it for a little longer than necessary.
The goat lifted its head and stared back.
Boy and goat looked at each other for several seconds.
Clara walked past him.
“Come on.”
Only then did Lucas look away.
“It kept staring at me.”
Clara glanced back at the goat.
“Maybe because you kept staring at it.”
Lucas thought about that.
He couldn’t really argue.
After they passed through the village, the road ahead was indeed much wider than the ones near their farmhouse.
Arthur quickly confirmed that this had to be the southern road the cart driver had mentioned yesterday.
It was still a dirt road, but the surface was much flatter, and clear wagon tracks ran along it.
Carts obviously used it often.
Theo looked down at the road for a while.
Lucas immediately noticed.
“Well?”
Theo looked up.
“What?”
“The road.”
Lucas deliberately asked,
“Does it pass inspection?”
Theo actually considered the question seriously.
“It’s okay.”
Lucas: “…”
Walking ahead of them, Arthur’s shoulders moved slightly.
Helena knew perfectly well that he was trying not to laugh, but she didn’t expose him.
Once they left the village behind, the surroundings gradually became quieter.
Most of the land on either side of the road was farmland, with the occasional house visible in the distance.
There weren’t many forks in the road, so they didn’t have to keep stopping to check their direction like they had during their first few trips outside.
All they had to do was follow the main road.
At first, all three children were still full of energy.
Lucas even walked slightly ahead of the others.
Clara and Theo followed behind.
But after they’d been walking for a while, all three gradually began to slow down.
Arthur didn’t say anything immediately.
After some more time passed, he glanced back.
Lucas had already fallen back from the front and was now walking beside Clara.
A little later, all three children were walking in a row.
No one said they were tired.
But no one was talking anymore either.
Arthur stopped.
The three children stopped too.
Lucas looked up.
“What?”
“Break.”
Arthur’s answer was simple.
Lucas immediately said,
“I’m not tired.”
Arthur glanced at the boy whose pace had very obviously slowed.
“I’m tired.”
Lucas froze.
Arthur had already moved to a clean spot beside the road and set their things down.
“So I’m taking a break.”
Lucas stared at his father for several seconds.
He clearly knew Arthur was giving them an excuse.
But he didn’t expose him.
Instead, he walked over and sat down as naturally as possible.
“Then I’ll keep you company.”
Arthur: “…”
This kid really was stubborn.
Clara had already sat down beside him.
Unlike Lucas, she had no intention of pretending.
Once seated, she rubbed her calves.
“We’ve definitely walked farther than yesterday.”
Theo slowly sat down too.
Arthur passed water to the three children.
Lucas, who had just insisted he wasn’t tired, drank quite a bit.
Helena watched him without saying anything.
“Slow down.”
Only then did Lucas drink more carefully.
After resting for a while, all three children visibly recovered some energy.
Arthur didn’t rush them.
He waited until Clara stood up on her own before picking up their things again.
“Can you keep going?”
“Yes.”
This time, the three answers weren’t nearly as loud as they’d been when they left home. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The family continued on.
By the second half of the journey, the three children had gone completely quiet.
Lucas no longer paid attention to everything along the roadside.
Clara had stopped trying to memorize their surroundings.
Even Theo barely bothered inspecting the road anymore.
The three of them simply followed Arthur and Helena without complaint.
Arthur occasionally looked back to make sure no one was falling behind.
Every time he did, Lucas immediately straightened his back a little.
Arthur pretended not to notice.
After what felt like a very long time, the scenery ahead finally began to change.
Clara was the first to notice.
She had been walking with her head lowered when she looked up and suddenly paused.
“Are those houses ahead?”
Arthur followed her gaze.
They were.
And there were more than one or two.
Farther ahead, rows of rooftops were visible, and there were noticeably more people on the road.
A cart was also approaching the same area from another direction.
Helena saw it too.
“We should be there.”
Those words seemed to give the three children a sudden burst of energy.
Lucas immediately lifted his head.
“The town?”
“Looks like it.”
Arthur wasn’t completely certain yet.
But as they continued forward, the answer became increasingly obvious.
There were more people on the road now.
Some carried baskets.
Some drove carts.
Others carried goods toward the same place.
Farther ahead, the scattered buildings gradually began to form a proper settlement.
Lucas had felt his legs getting heavier and heavier just moments ago.
Now he somehow found a little more energy.
“It really isn’t that far.”
Clara glanced at him.
“You stopped talking earlier.”
“I was saving energy.”
“Oh.”
“I was.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.”
The calmer Clara sounded, the more Lucas felt that she absolutely did not believe him.
Theo didn’t join them.
He was looking at the road ahead.
As they approached the town, the ground actually became easier to walk on.
It certainly wasn’t perfectly smooth, but it had clearly been maintained over time.
At the very least, it wasn’t full of holes and uneven patches.
More importantly— there was no mud.
Theo visibly brightened.
Lucas followed his gaze.
“You brought that cloth for nothing.”
Theo immediately replied,
“We still have to walk back.”
Lucas shut his mouth.
Fine.
The trip wasn’t over yet.
Arthur ignored the argument between his sons.
His attention was already completely focused on the town ahead.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that they’d truly left the small area surrounding the old farmhouse.
For the past few days, all they’d seen were their run-down house, overgrown land, fields, and the occasional villager.
Only now were they finally looking at a place where people actually gathered and did business.
The closer they got, the more noise surrounded them.
Wooden wheels rolled over the road.
People talked to one another.
Somewhere ahead, vendors were calling out to passersby.
After the quiet road they’d just walked along, the sudden liveliness felt almost overwhelming.
The three children seemed to forget their tiredness.
All of them looked ahead.
When they finally reached the edge of town, Arthur was the one who stopped first.
Helena stopped beside him.
“What is it?”
Arthur didn’t answer immediately.
He looked at the people moving around ahead of them, then lowered his eyes toward the money they had brought.
They had finally made it.
But now that he was actually standing here, he realized there was probably even more for them to learn than he’d expected.
What people wore.
What they bought.
How they paid.
How much everything cost.
They had to figure all of it out from the beginning.
More importantly, they couldn’t look like five people who had never seen this town before in their lives.
Arthur let out a quiet breath.
“Once we’re inside, don’t rush to buy anything.”
Clara nodded.
“Watch first.”
“Right.”
“Watch how other people pay?”
“That too.”
Lucas immediately added,
“And the meat.”
Arthur turned toward him.
After walking all this way, he still hadn’t forgotten.
“I know.”
Only then did Lucas look satisfied.
Theo reached for the place where he’d tucked his old cloth, making sure it was still there.
Arthur looked at the three children and suddenly found the whole thing a little funny.
One was thinking about taking notes.
One was thinking about meat.
And the other had spent the entire journey worrying about his shoes.
Meanwhile, he and Helena had to somehow take three three-year-olds into a town where none of them understood the local prices and figure out how their family of five was supposed to survive from now on.
Arthur looked ahead again.
“Let’s go.”
This time, the family didn’t stop.
Following the flow of people on the road, the five of them stepped into town for the very first time.