Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 167 - 162: Caught My Sister-in-law Talking with a Man
Zhu’er was stunned, probably not expecting her to say such words, but she wasn’t completely thoughtless either. Her words woke her up; if she did ruin the clothes, she wouldn’t be able to earn money at Ruyi Shop anymore.
It’s not just about the money, most of the women who come to Ruyi Tube are hoping to marry into a wealthy family. If they get noticed, it would be like becoming a phoenix on a high branch.
Even though this young woman looks as glamorous as a seductress, she’s married; wealthy families wouldn’t be interested in her.
With that thought, she walked away with the dishes and returned to the table at the back.
A group of women who wanted to watch the drama didn’t get to see anything, feeling slightly discontented. A woman in green clothes pouted and said, "Zhu’er sister, why didn’t you teach her a lesson? Didn’t you say you would teach her a lesson?"
"I have no grievances with her." Zhu’er had been on good terms with her normally, but now after hearing Lin Qiao’s words, she could detect the incitement in them.
Last time, it was because she ate her cake that she had a stomachache, but when she questioned her, she denied it.
...
In the city, people were scheming against each other. Meanwhile, in Xingyu Village, a young boy was watering the peach tree in the yard, staring intensely at the half-open peach blossoms.
An old woman with a broom glanced at him, "Niu Niu, what are you looking at? You’re always staring."
"Sister-in-law said when the peach blossoms bloom, she’ll come back." Song Tingfan was thirteen, understanding many things, and aware of what was comforting.
Sister-in-law just didn’t want him to feel sad, so she comforted him by saying she’d return when the peach blossoms bloom.
But he just wanted to believe his sister-in-law.
When the peach blossoms bloom, sister-in-law will come back.
"Missing sister-in-law, huh? How about you go see her tomorrow when you’re off?"
As soon as Song Qin spoke, Song Tingfan eagerly asked, "Grandma, can I go? Will sister-in-law be mad if I do?"
"When has your sister-in-law ever been mad at you? She can’t even bear to say a harsh word to you."
Seeing him still a bit afraid, she couldn’t help but smile, "Used to be quite mischievous as a child, but now you’ve grown up and you ’fear’ your sister-in-law?"
"Go ahead, just say Grandma asked you to bring her food. Sigh, don’t know if your sister-in-law is doing alright by herself."
She’s a woman out there alone, it’s only natural to worry.
"Okay, I’ll go see sister-in-law."
Remembering something, Song Tingfan went into the house and brought out several eggs, "Grandma, teach me how to make egg pancakes; sister-in-law likes the ones you make."
Hearing this, Song Qin didn’t think much of it, "I’ll make them."
"I’ll make them." Song Tingfan wanted to make food for his sister-in-law.
"Alright, alright, my Niu Niu has grown up and knows how to care for people."
Song Qin smiled and then taught him how to make egg pancakes, "First, break the eggs into a bowl, then add some flour..."
For the first time, Song Tingfan fried egg pancakes, burning one or two, which he ate himself.
He made a total of about ten pancakes, giving Song Qin and Song Rong two each, and storing the rest in the jar to keep them cold, fearing mice might steal them, and covered the water jar with a lid.
These days the house felt a little quieter with one person missing, as Song Qin continued her embroidery work under the evening sky, while Song Rong crafted a wooden stool.
They occasionally watched their grandson carefully wiping his shoes with a cloth in the yard, seeming to be going to see his sister-in-law, his spirits high, smiling all the time, without the eagerness of staring at the peach blossoms earlier.
The next morning, before dawn, Song Tingfan got up, first watering the fields, then carrying back two buckets to pour into the jar, and finally watering the peach tree. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
The half-open peach blossoms from yesterday fully bloomed today.
His eyes gleamed with joy, thinking for a moment, he picked a small branch to put in the basket.
At this time, there were no donkey carts at the village entrance. He didn’t wait, carrying the basket and hurried towards the town, hitching a ride on a donkey cart from another village midway. He arrived in town before the hour.
Then he took a horse carriage, which was more crowded than last time. He couldn’t move at all, sitting stiffly for one or two hours, but even so, he couldn’t contain his joy of soon seeing his sister-in-law.
By the time he reached Ruyi Shop, it was already noon, and Ruyi had few customers left, with only one or two waiters having their meals.
Song Tingfan politely said, "Little brother, I’m looking for my sister-in-law Lin Qiao."
"You’re looking for Qiao, right?"
Seeing him nod, the waiter slurped noodles and then placed the bowl on the table, warmly said, "I’ll take you."
Chun Niang and Shopkeeper liked Qiao very much, privately instructing them to be courteous.
Lin Qiao had just finished bathing, sitting in the yard behind Ruyi, drying her hair. After practicing in the morning, she was sweaty, but fortunately, Ruyi Shop provided a place specifically for bathing.
Suddenly, a man’s voice rang out, "Sister."
She turned her head to see Xu Hu, not surprised as he had been visiting once or twice every few days, each time bringing her some food.
But he never talked much, leaving quickly after giving her the food, making it hard for her to find an opportunity to clarify things with him.
Facing her gaze, Xu Hu felt a bit embarrassed, "I bought extra candied fruits, so I brought you some."
Putting them on the table, he continued, "I have things to do, so I’ll be going now."
Lin Qiao quickly got up to stop him, "Brother Xu, wait a moment."
"I need to make something clear to you. We can’t be together, not because you’re not good, you’re great, but because my husband passed away, I haven’t considered remarrying."
"Sorry for not explaining clearly to your aunt."
Xu Hu felt a bit disappointed, but his aunt had told him that the girl wasn’t interested in him.
"It’s alright."
Aunt said that as long as he sincerely cared for her, she would eventually feel it, and not knowing what she liked, he could only buy her food.
Seeing him like this, she knew he hadn’t given up, making Lin Qiao feel exasperated but determined to make things clear, "Brother Xu, you’re really great, capable and kind, I admire you, but..."
Before finishing her sentence, she noticed a boy behind Xu Hu with a basket, staring at her with an expression of sadness and grievance.
He very clearly heard something.
Sister-in-law’s words, "Brother Xu, you’re really great, capable and kind, I admire you," Song Tingfan heard every word, tightening his grip on the strap of the basket before finally putting it down, awkwardly saying, "Sister-in-law, Grandma asked me to bring you these things. I’m going back now." He turned and ran off.
Lin Qiao couldn’t focus on explaining things to Xu Hu then, quickly chasing after him, but her legs, she couldn’t catch up, and by the time she left the shop, he was out of sight.
Looking at the bustling crowd, she felt a bit anxious, worried the boy might think she was meeting Xu Hu in private.
She was frustrated, wishing he could let her explain a bit before running off.
Normally, in the script, shouldn’t the protagonist chase down the male lead and they express their feelings?
Well, she’s not the protagonist, more like a female extra, so catching up would be a miracle.
After finishing things here, she’d go back to comfort him, originally planning to return early the next morning.
On the other side, Song Tingfan ran all the way to the county gate. Not many people were around, and he couldn’t hold back his tears.
Sister-in-law doesn’t want him.
She’s never coming home again.
He doesn’t have a sister-in-law anymore.
