Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 105 - 100: They Are Filthy, but Sister-in-law Is Pure
Dry spicy fish and dry spicy pork taste delicious; their fragrant and numbing flavor makes mouths water.
A woman who can’t handle spice stuck out her tongue, "So spicy, was it made with chili peppers?"
"Yes." Lin Qiao nodded.
"This is so spicy it’s making me hot all over, how much is it per pound?" Another man couldn’t resist eating a second piece.
"Dry spicy fish is twenty cents, dry spicy pork is thirty-five cents per pound."
As soon as Lin Qiao finished speaking, someone clicked their tongue, "My goodness, this is too expensive, eating human flesh isn’t even this pricey."
"Exactly, so expensive!"
"Too expensive, can’t afford it, can’t afford it."
Lin Qiao made a show of being anxious and explained eagerly, spilling out the "truth", "It’s not expensive, I buy pork for fourteen or fifteen cents, after smoking and drying, it’s only six or seven taels per pound, fish is even less, less than half a pound, plus the spices. I only earn two cents per pound, there’s nothing extra."
After her explanation, everyone thought it made sense, a woman spun her eyes, calculating cleverly, "Can you give me two cents off? With two cents off, I’ll buy a pound each."
"Auntie, I really can’t, my little uncle and I got up before dawn, haven’t had a bite to eat, carried these heavy items all the way, our shoulders are all red from the straps." Lin Qiao showed a sincere expression that she really couldn’t sell it cheaper.
"A bit cheaper, a bit cheaper and everyone will buy a little." The woman still wanted to haggle.
Lin Qiao hesitated for a moment, "First sale of the day, I’ll knock off two cents."
"Now that’s settled, since you’re reasonable, I’ll buy a pound of fish, two pounds of fish, two pounds of pork." The woman happily grinned ear to ear for getting a two-cent discount.
It’s only because it’s the New Year, if it weren’t, she wouldn’t buy even at half the price.
Song Tingfan quickly weighed it for her, and finally threw in two pieces of dry spicy pork, "These two are for Auntie to eat."
The woman paid the silver coin, smiling widely, "You’re really clever, I’ll come to buy from you again next time."
"Sure, next time I’ll knock off two cents for Auntie again, Auntie, take care on your way." Song Tingfan said sweetly.
Lin Qiao glanced at him, he really knows how to do business.
These people bought roughly eight pounds, six pounds of dry spicy fish, two pounds of dry spicy pork.
Afterward, sales slowed down, Lin Qiao stood up, her feet stiff, couldn’t help but stomp a little, while Song Tingfan seemed unaffected by the cold, sturdily standing there shouting.
Ah, youth, such great stamina!
Out of the corner of his eye, Song Tingfan accidentally caught his sister-in-law looking at him, his cheeks turned a bit red, his shouting got out of order, "Dry spicy fish, passing by don’t want dry spicy fish..."
Realizing the slip, he quickly corrected himself, "Passing by, don’t miss out."
"Little uncle, take a break if you’re tired, people probably went to the front by now."
Lin Qiao glanced over at the uncle selling buns across the way, she called out, "Uncle, two meat buns, two vegetable buns."
"Got it, here are the two meat buns, these two are vegetable buns."
The uncle quickly brought over the buns, after collecting the silver, glanced at the stall and said honestly, "Can I taste a piece?"
"Uncle, go ahead." Lin Qiao gave the meat buns to Song Tingfan, and bit into the vegetable bun herself.
It’s not to be frugal, it’s that this uncle’s vegetable buns are really tasty, and she hadn’t had much water since she got up early, meat buns would be greasy.
Song Tingfan didn’t understand why she was eating vegetable buns, holding his bun with a moved expression, the sister-in-law eating vegetable buns and giving him meat buns.
"Sister-in-law, you have one."
"No, I..." Lin Qiao was cut off by the uncle selling buns who laughed and said, "Girl, weigh me a pound the same as for those people earlier."
At the end, he added quietly, "Same price as those people."
"Sure, won’t sell it for higher to uncle." Lin Qiao handed the bun to Song Tingfan, nimbly weighing the purchase afterward.
The uncle selling buns counted the silver and handed it to her, "Thanks a lot, girl."
"No need to be formal, uncle." Lin Qiao took it and put it in the money bag.
After the uncle buying buns left, Song Tingfan handed the bun back to her, Lin Qiao took it and continued eating. With the first bite of the second one, she noticed something was off.
It was a meat bun.
She looked at Song Tingfan, chuckling, "Little uncle, you switched them?"
This child was so considerate and understanding it made one ache inside.
Song Tingfan quickly glanced at her, then lowered his head, biting into his bun, his old habit of stammering, "Didn’t.. did not switch, grabbed the wrong one."
Stammering this much, yet didn’t switch? Of course, Lin Qiao didn’t believe him but didn’t expose him either, "Little uncle, meat buns are delicious."
"Sister-in-law, you eat it, I can’t eat anymore." Song Tingfan handed the meat bun in his hand to her without thinking.
Gazing at the bun, Lin Qiao suddenly recalled something she read online: if someone has only one bun and gives it all to another person, they surely care deeply for that person.
Ahem, what was she thinking?
"Be good, eat."
Song Tingfan obediently took back his hand and continued eating.
She originally thought scenes of "protection fee" collection only happened on TV, but Lin Qiao actually witnessed it herself, four or five men swaggering asking each stall for two cents copper coins, most handed it over.
Even though Lin Qiao didn’t want to give, she wasn’t foolish enough to make herself a target, taking two cents and handing it to the pockmarked-faced man leading them.
The pockmarked-faced man’s eyes lit up when he saw her, this little woman was pretty, seemed like Widow Song from Xingyu Village, he leered, brazenly eyeing her as he said, "Widow Song is out here setting up a stall too, are you selling meat or selling sex?"
"Give me a price to sell sex, I’ll buy you for a day, you can snuggle with big brother under the covers, hahaha..."
Lin Qiao: "..."
Do they think just because she’s a widow she’s easily bullied?
She didn’t want to give the two cents anymore and took it back, "Selling meat or selling sex, either way won’t be to you."
"You don’t choose, but I do."
Implying someone like him isn’t up to her standards.
"Oh, feisty one, must be strong in bed, come with me, make big brother happy and I’ll protect you later." The pockmarked face swept up and down her, finally lasciviously pausing at her full bust.
Quite busty.
Suddenly his face hurt, his whole body was knocked to the ground with great force, then someone grabbed his collar, making him momentarily suffocate, quickly followed by several solid punches, heavy enough to make him see stars.
The boy’s eyes reddened with anger, desperately landing blows without a pattern, "Shut up! You shut up!"
He couldn’t stand hearing them talk about his sister-in-law, couldn’t stand their gaze on her.
They were filthy.
Sister-in-law was clean.
Why do they always bully his sister-in-law...
Lin Qiao was startled for a moment, then quickly shouted, "Help, someone’s bullying the kid! Someone!"
Turning the tables was something only she could do so smoothly, effortlessly opening her mouth.
Lots of people gathered around, Niu Er was buying New Year’s goods for his family today, and upon hearing Widow Song’s voice, he immediately rushed over, seeing four or five people beating Song Tingfan, he rolled up his sleeves and kicked one, "Son of a bitch, hitting my little uncle!"
As he joined the fray, some other men around stepped in to beat down the pockmarked-face man’s group too, fighting back against those protection fee thieves!
Eventually, the gang involved in the fight was taken to the Pavilion Chief’s courtyard.
Lin Qiao’s tears came effortlessly, streaming silently, anyone could see she had been wronged.
