Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 171 - 166: Widow Song Jumped into the River
"I will definitely repay you, Madam Tingfan." Song Tingfan looked at Lin Qiao, who was serving the rice, with bright eyes.
Hearing this, Lin Qiao smiled but didn’t take it to heart, and handed him the bowl, "Have a piece of the peach blossom cake first, then eat it after the meal."
Song Tingfan obediently put down the peach blossom cake, "I’ll eat first." While speaking, he glanced at the peach blossom cake, fearing it would disappear.
His eager expression was exactly the same as Lai Cai and Jinbao waiting to be fed. Lin Qiao couldn’t help but laugh and handed him a piece, "Have one, see if it’s not delicious."
Song Tingfan nodded and immediately stuffed it into his mouth. His cheeks puffed up instantly, and the taste was sweet with a hint of peach blossoms.
His eyes lit up, "Delicious, even better than the flower cake."
The peach blossom cake wasn’t small. Lin Qiao was worried he’d choke, so she turned and went to the kitchen to get him a bowl of rice soup. Song Tingfan gratefully accepted it and took a big sip.
Luckily it was cold, otherwise, it would have burned his mouth.
Lin Qiao served a bowl each for Song Qin and Song Rong, reminding him, "No one is fighting with you for it. Eat slowly; once it’s finished, I’ll make more. After all, this peach tree doesn’t bear fruit."
If it could bear fruit, it wouldn’t have been their turn to bring it home.
Once upon a time, he never even dreamed of having a peach blossom cake, and now that he’d finished one, Madam Tingfan would make more for him. Song Tingfan stared at her in a daze.
Clearly, she was still Madam Tingfan, but he felt she was different from before. The current Madam Tingfan liked to smile, liked Grandpa and Grandma, and also liked him.
He nodded like a little chick pecking at rice.
...
After the meal, Lin Qiao finished washing the dishes and came out of the kitchen. She looked at Song Tingfan seriously doing his homework in the main room, "Grandpa and Grandma are asleep?"
"Grandpa’s back hurts a bit. I helped massage it, so I let them sleep for a while." Song Tingfan spoke with a hint of worry.
Due to his age and a previous serious illness, even though he recovered, his health wasn’t that great.
Lin Qiao was also worried about Song Qin and Song Rong. In her dreams, Song Rong had already died from illness by now, and Song Qin was severely ill, not far from death.
Although she had averted the previous disaster, it still happened. What would happen to Song Qin and Song Rong, she couldn’t figure out either.
This was the most baffling script she had seen, revealing just a part of the plot while keeping the rest unknown.
Like a blind man walking on the edge of a cliff.
She faced it squarely, "Tomorrow, I’ll take Grandpa to the town to see a doctor."
Song Rong couldn’t die, at least not from illness.
Upon hearing that she would take Grandpa to see a doctor, Song Tingfan got up and returned to his room, quickly coming back out, handing her all his silver coins, "Madam, this is all I have. If it’s not enough and you have to cover it, I’ll pay you back in a few days." His voice trailed off at the end.
He wasn’t being distant; he just felt that the family relied entirely on her, and she was already very tired.
Suddenly, his forehead hurt. He looked blankly at Madam’s feigned angry expression, not knowing where he went wrong.
"Since my little brother is treating me like an outsider, I might as well move out of this house now."
Upon hearing his words, Lin Qiao felt the villain wasn’t relying on her much.
This wouldn’t do. She needed him to rely on her completely, so much that even if he turned into a villain, he wouldn’t bear to hurt her.
Move out...
The boy’s face turned pale, "I forbid Madam to move out."
He was so anxious that he even said "forbid," immediately blocking the doorway.
Backlit, the boy’s features were somewhat sharp, giving him a heroic look.
Lin Qiao internally raised an eyebrow; even a little bunny has a wolfish side, and he forbids it? As expected, a sure male protagonist.
Male leads love to say things like "I forbid," or "I won’t allow it" to the female lead.
Does this mean this cannon fodder gets to enjoy the female lead’s storyline? Does that mean added plot?
Ahem, the female lead would probably be furious.
She picked up the dirty shoes at the doorstep, closed the door, and teased him purposely, "Eventually, I’ll move out. Didn’t little brother say he’d find someone to matchmake for me?"
Song Tingfan fell silent, lowering his eyes in thought. Just when Lin Qiao thought he wouldn’t speak, he muttered, "Let him visit."
This way, he could see if Madam was doing well. If that person dared to bully her, he would beat him up.
Lin Qiao was stunned for a moment, then she couldn’t hold it anymore and burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking.
"Madam, I’m serious. In a couple of years, I’ll grow up and earn silver coins. By then, I’ll pay him to visit." The boy’s words were unrealistic yet earnest.
If it weren’t for the villain’s pure demeanor, Lin Qiao would never have believed him to be so naive and harmless. She looked at him with a smile, "I’m not teasing you. I’ll go pick some fish grass to sell."
Recently, fish grass has been sprouting tender shoots, perfect for making cold dishes without having to spend any silver coins.
"I’ll go too."
"You stay home and do your homework."
"The homework is due tomorrow; I’ll do it tonight."
Song Tingfan carried a basket on his back and went out with her.
There was a large patch of fish grass by their field’s edge, its tender leaves looking inviting.
"Little brother, pick the ones on top, and pick the leaves too."
Lin Qiao showed him how to pick, and Song Tingfan followed suit.
Soon, they had half a basket.
In the neighboring field, someone busy working took a few glances at the two siblings. Old Xu smiled warmly, "Picking fish grass to eat?"
"Yes." Lin Qiao nodded.
The young woman in a blue dress in the next field eyed them, then whispered to the man beside her, "Are they going to sell it for silver coins? Why don’t we pick some too?"
"Are you trying to slack off? How much can you make selling fish grass? Stop scheming, you see the Song Family selling cold dishes, but haven’t you seen how they’re not making a name for themselves?" After speaking, the man carried his hoe to another area, leaving his wife "rambling" to herself.
The young woman pouted her lips and muttered, "I can’t be blamed. If I looked like Widow Song, selling hundreds of pounds wouldn’t be a problem."
"Chattering all day long! Get back to work." The old man glared at the chattering daughter-in-law.
He’d been watching for days as the two families worked in the fields. Madam Tingfan was quite capable; most of the water in their plot came from her fetching it from the river.
Yet the women in the village never stopped gossiping about others. If they had the capability to do it themselves, they’d be complaining in less than half a day.
After picking a basket full, Lin Qiao and Song Tingfan stopped and took the basket to the nearby riverbank to wash their hands.
Lin Qiao had just stepped onto the stone slab when it wobbled slightly. She lost her balance and toppled forward.
Song Tingfan was startled, reacting quickly to catch her, but was still a step too late, "Madam!"
The next moment, with a splash, Lin Qiao fell into the river. Even though it was a warm day, the river water was cold, and she shivered.
Fortunately, the water wasn’t deep, so after paddling a bit, she stood up, but she was already drenched.
At the same time, Song Tingfan jumped into the river without hesitation, helping her up, "Ma..."
His gaze suddenly caught sight of something noticeably protruding, and his face turned red with embarrassment. He quickly averted his eyes and clumsily took off his coat to cover her.
"Ma...dam..."
Before he could finish, a shout came from not far away, "Widow Song jumped into the river, Widow Song jumped into the river."
