Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 213 - 208: Song Tingfan Held the Umbrella for His Sister-in-law
The young man’s handsome face showed a hint of helpless unease under the dim candlelight, and Lin Qiao inexplicably thought of the time in her dream when he was sold, looking just as helpless and uneasy.
She nodded, "Okay, I’ll go extinguish the candle."
After getting into bed, she vaguely saw his open eyes and reached out to pat his arm, "Sleep."
Smelling the faint fragrance beside him, the panic and unease in Song Tingfan’s heart disappeared at once.
As long as his sister-in-law was there, he was not afraid of anything, not of fatigue, nor hardship, and even less of being alone.
He greedily moved a little closer to the middle and then closed his eyes.
Lin Qiao only relaxed and fell asleep once she noticed he was asleep.
At night, rain began to fall outside, and a cool wind blew in. The woman under the thin blanket felt a bit cold and instinctively burrowed toward the heat source, eventually embracing the warmth and sleeping heavily.
The young man, however, opened his eyes wide, his body stiff, unable to sleep for a long time.
The next day,
Shortly after Song Tingfan went to the private school, the rain, which had stopped, began to drizzle again, dampening the ground as passersby wandered in small groups.
The weather had cooled, affecting the noodle business, so Lin Qiao switched to cooking hot noodles, though not many people came to eat.
Finally getting some free time, Lin Qiao took out a needle and thread to make clothes for Song Tingfan.
Mrs. Wang Tan, with nothing to do, watched her needlework, engaging in small talk, "Ms. Lin probably won’t come today."
Hearing this, Lin Qiao looked at the rain outside, confirming there was no way to make it to town, "Probably not."
Just then, she saw two people wearing cloaks rushing toward her, only recognizing them as they approached.
Lin Han and Li Guifen.
At that moment, something seemed to strike her heart, making it hard to describe her feelings.
Mrs. Wang Tan hurriedly helped them remove their straw hats, "We just said you might not come back, yet here you are. Why come in such heavy rain?"
"Nothing to do at home."
Li Guifen’s sleeves were already soaked; she wrung them out with her hands and looked at Lin Qiao, "Daughter, have you eaten?"
Lin Han also looked at her, ready to buy food immediately if she hadn’t eaten.
Her sleeves and pant legs were soaked, yet they worried if she’d eaten, and Lin Qiao was touched, "I have. I’ll get you dry clothes." She went to the attic, bringing down clothes for them from hers and Song Tingfan’s collections.
They didn’t resist because falling ill from getting wet would be troublesome.
While they changed clothes, Lin Qiao cooked two bowls of hot noodles for them, "If it’s not enough, I’ll cook more. There’s plenty."
Noodles cost money, and Lin Han wouldn’t eat more, "It’s enough." He said while slurping a large mouthful.
He was just happy his daughter cooked for him, not expecting the noodles to be so hot from the pot, so he blew on them before swallowing.
"Eat slower; no one’s going to steal it from you." Li Guifen reminded him not to embarrass their daughter in front of others; she was running a shop!
Lin Han awkwardly looked at his daughter, finally saying two words, "Delicious."
"If it’s delicious, eat more." Lin Qiao served two bowls of congee for them.
Lin Han ate until he was full, rubbing his stomach, while Li Guifen gave him a discreet glare.
"Lady Song!! Does your roof leak? Ours is leaking, and the attic is full of water." The neighbor, Mrs. Qin Li, hurried over.
Hearing this, Lin Qiao shook her head, "No, I was just in the attic."
"That’s good. Oh, I don’t know where to find someone to fix it in this rain; the shop will be soaked today." Mrs. Qin Li then asked, "Can I store things in your shop for a while? I’ll move them back after the rain stops."
"Okay." Lin Qiao nodded.
Lin Han went to check their roof, finding the tiles loose, which would cause rain to soak his daughter’s space too. He told the Qin couple, "I can fix it. How do I get up there?"
Mrs. Qin Li looked at him as if seeing a savior, "A ladder can get you up, Uncle Lin, thank you."
Lin Han shook his head humbly, "No big deal; it’s simple."
He put on a straw hat and climbed the ladder.
Lin Qiao actually didn’t want Lin Han to deal with it, as roofs could be slippery in the rain.
Worried about him falling, she held the ladder with an umbrella. Seeing this, Lin Han quickly shouted from the roof, "Daughter, get back inside, Gui Fen, pull her in."
Li Guifen promptly pulled Lin Qiao inside, "Don’t worry, it’s nothing. He did all our roofs."
She paused, then said, "If you stand out here, it’s easier for him to get distracted."
Hearing this, Lin Qiao understood everything.
In one or two moments, the roof was fixed, and the Qin couple was very grateful, wanting to offer silver coins, but Lin Han refused, inviting them for lunch instead.
Lin Qiao declined several times but couldn’t refuse, so she agreed and helped them clean the shop.
Nearing noon, Lin Qiao remembered Song Tingfan hadn’t taken an umbrella, so she picked up two to fetch him, "Dad, Mom, I’m going to fetch my little uncle."
"I’ll go..."
Before Lin Han could finish, Li Guifen tugged at him and then smiled, "Go ahead, your dad and I will mind the shop."
Once their daughter was out of earshot, Li Guifen pinched Lin Han, whispering, "What would you do? Let them spend more time together."
Lin Han realized and nodded, softly asking, "Didn’t you say she doesn’t want to?"
"She doesn’t, but she can change her mind! After a few more years, Tingfan won’t be young anymore..."
Li Guifen didn’t share what her daughter said entirely, quickly changing her words, "More time together brings feelings, and Tingfan is still young."
"True, I like Tingfan; he’s tall, capable, and handsome." Lin Han agreed with the praise.
...
Meanwhile, at the private school’s entrance, class hadn’t been dismissed yet, with many waiting to pick up their children or husbands.
Among them was Zhou Tiedan’s sister-in-law, Mrs. Xue, who greeted her, to which Lin Qiao responded.
After a while, class dismissed, and after several kids, Lin Qiao saw the young man protectively running out with his book bag. She rushed over, "Little Uncle!"
Song Tingfan immediately looked her way, then happily came toward her, "Sister-in-law, what brings you here? It’s raining."
"That’s why I came to get you." Lin Qiao handed him an umbrella, signaling him to open it.
"One umbrella is enough."
But Song Tingfan shook his head, then took her umbrella and held it over both their heads, sneaking a glance for his sister-in-law’s reaction.
She didn’t react much, and his rapidly beating heart calmed down.
Umbrellas here aren’t like modern, delicate sunshades; they’re large enough for two, so Lin Qiao didn’t think much of it, hearing Zhou Tiedan ask his sister-in-law for a cake. She glanced at Song Tingfan, "Little uncle, I’ll buy you a meat pie."
"I don’t want one." Song Tingfan obediently shook his head, then angled the umbrella more toward Lin Qiao.
Zhou Tiedan now wanted to compete; if Song Tingfan held the umbrella for his sister-in-law, he must too, taking the umbrella from Mrs. Xue’s hand, "Sister-in-law, I’ll hold it."
His own little uncle was acting up again; Mrs. Xue looked at her rain-wet shoulder, "..."
"Give me the umbrella, and I’ll buy you a meat pie."
