Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 102 - 97: Selling the Villain Plot Has Changed
This remark hit Ya Po’s sore spot, as she had indeed sold daughters before. She trembled with anger, "You..."
She couldn’t string together a complete sentence for a while.
Although Ya Po wasn’t an official, wherever she went, she was flattered. When pleased enough, she might add half a tael or one tael of silver.
"Auntie, don’t get angry. I’m just not good with words, very honest," Lin Qiao raised her eyebrows slightly, revealing her true nature.
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Auntie, do you have any daughters or sons? How about selling them to me?"
This Ya Po always did heartless things and wasn’t afraid of retribution.
"You just wait, in the future even if you beg me to buy, I won’t buy!"
Ya Po trembled with anger, then stomped a few times and walked away.
Lin Qiao felt comfortable. With the plot of selling the antagonist altered, those things definitely wouldn’t happen again.
She looked at Song Tingfan and the others, and called out, "Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, eat while it’s hot, the dishes are getting cold."
After speaking, she patted the hand on her arm and added, "Uncle, it’s okay now."
After a while, Song Tingfan finally let go of her, calming the panic in his heart.
His sister-in-law didn’t sell him.
The nightmare was false.
Just after the four finished their meal, the village became noisy, mixed with the cries of children.
Song Qin looked towards the courtyard gate. It must be a family selling a girl. She sighed, "Such a sin!"
Lin Qiao stood gossiping at the door, and it turned out to be the Li Family across the river. But only their family could do such a thing as selling a child.
The Li Family was selling the eldest daughter of the second wife, about twelve years old. Her looks were fine, just a bit dark-skinned.
Ya Po offered three taels of silver, but Mrs. Li wouldn’t agree, insisting on five taels of silver. They haggled over the price while ignoring the child’s wailing cries.
So inhumane.
Eventually, Ya Po bought the girl for four taels of silver.
Lin Qiao couldn’t help but sigh in her heart, another victimized child. Who will pay for this cause and effect?
When Ya Po passed by with the girl, she cried out for her parents, but no one in the Li Family pitied her.
When they were far away, Lin Qiao retracted her gaze and turned to see Song Tingfan standing next to her at some point, his eyes red. Concerned, she asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Sister-in-law, I played with her when we were young. She even gave me fruits and never bullied me. She was very good," Song Tingfan said sullenly.
Is silver really more important than people?
He couldn’t quite understand why someone so sensible and kind had to be sold by her family. Lin Qiao sighed, "Uncle, some things we can’t change. We can only take care of our own affairs." After speaking, she patted his head comfortingly.
He understood, but he was still a bit sad. Song Tingfan lowered his brows, more determined in his heart to save up a lot of silver in the future, so he could protect his sister-in-law, grandma, and grandpa.
The matter of the Li Family selling their daughter caused a stir in the village for a day or two before being forgotten. No one cared where the child was sold to or what she suffered.
However, the story of the Song family’s nephews earning one hundred taels of silver was spreading enthusiastically in the village. Mrs. Song came to visit once, only to be stifled back by a few words from Lin Qiao.
After the storyline of selling people passed, Lin Qiao felt noticeably more at ease, and life became more comfortable.
As the days went by, the first snow came, with snowflakes drifting from the sky.
In the Song family’s main room, the stove burned with charcoal, and a young woman embroidered for a while. When her hands became stiff from the cold, she put down her needlework to warm them, rubbing them continuously and stomping her feet a few times, "So cold."
"Qiao’er, you don’t need to do the embroidery; I can handle it," Song Qin lifted a needle to her hair briefly before continuing her needlework.
"The new year is around the corner, and everyone should wear new clothes for a fresh start," Lin Qiao smiled, warmed her hands for a while, then continued working on her embroidery.
After quite a while, there was a commotion outside the courtyard. The two looked over and saw an old man and a young man returning.
The young man carried a bow and arrow, with a basket on his back. He cheerfully called, "Sister-in-law, Grandma."
Lin Qiao stood up to help him with the basket, "How’d it go?"
Recently, it had been so cold that they hardly caught anything.
"Caught two rabbits. Grandpa taught me to smoke them out," Song Tingfan pulled the grass aside to show them, looking like a child seeking praise.
The two live rabbits were a dirt gray, seemingly weighing several pounds. Lin Qiao reached out to stroke them, "One male, one female?"
Song Tingfan nodded, curiously asking, "Sister-in-law, how did you know?"
Lin Qiao: "..."
Couldn’t a pair from the same burrow be ’husband and wife’?
"I was just guessing."
Song Tingfan said, "Oh," and added, "I’ll go see if Grandpa Fan’s family wants them."
"Stay and warm yourself," Lin Qiao brought a stool for them, then turned to Song Rong, concerned, "Grandpa, are you feeling okay?"
Song Rong waved his hand, full of energy, "I’m fine."
This quick recovery was thanks to Lin Qiao’s willingness to spend on medicine. After stopping the medication, she bought many tonic herbs, simmering them with chicken or pig trotters.
The whole family ate, and their faces became much rosier.
"As long as you’re well."
Lin Qiao turned to the kitchen, placing a large pot on the ground, and hung spicy fish and spicy pork above the stove.
The rich aroma filled the kitchen.
All of these were prepared by Lin Qiao to sell in town. During the cold winter, every household needed to stock up for the new year, as it was the only time of year people were willing to spend.
She reached out to rearrange them, when a shadow suddenly came over. She didn’t need to look to know who it was and half-joked, "Uncle, what will you do without me in the future?"
The antagonist was very clingy, constantly following her when he was home, even when she was fetching water several times.
Song Tingfan helped with the tasks, seriously responding, "I will be with Sister-in-law in the future."
"You’ll get married. How can you live with your sister-in-law forever?" Lin Qiao smiled, glancing at him.
Then he wouldn’t get married in the future.
Song Tingfan didn’t say a word. Anyway, wherever his sister-in-law was, that’s where he would be.
After finishing up, he took out a tangerine, bright orange, from his pocket and presented it to her, "Sister-in-law, this is for you."
"Where did it come from?" Lin Qiao looked and asked.
There were no wild tangerine trees in the nearby mountains.
"Uncle Liu grows them; I bought two,"
Song Tingfan saw she hadn’t taken it, worried that she might not like it, tightened his grip, then cautiously asked, "Sister-in-law, don’t you like them?"
"I do. Uncle, please hold it for me," Lin Qiao opened her hand to show him, her palm stained with dirt.
Happy that his sister-in-law liked it, Song Tingfan beamed, "Sister-in-law, I’ll peel it for you."
Without waiting for her response, he went to wash his hands and peeled the tangerine quickly, placing the peel on the stove to smoke, ready for pickling the next summer.
Lin Qiao washed her hands, took it, and gave him half. She then ate a segment, its sourness zapping her nerves. She resisted wrinkling her nose and squinting her eyes. Facing his expectant gaze, she couldn’t say it was too sour.
She swallowed and said, "Delicious."
Song Tingfan’s eyes curved into a smile, and he handed her the half he had, "I’m going to ask Grandpa Fan."
Probably afraid she’d insist they share it, he quickly scampered out of sight.
Lin Qiao: "..."
The tangerine was incredibly sour; even with the slightest tartness, she would’ve endured and finished it, but this sourness was unbearable for a second segment.
She discreetly disposed of it in the stove.
