Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 214 - 209: The Villain’s Scheming Thoughts
Upon hearing this, Zhou Tiedan quickly shoved an umbrella into her hands, "I want to eat two!"
When they left, Mrs. Xue Zhou had already counted the Silver Coin, and if he ate two pies, it definitely wouldn’t be enough, "No, your brother only gave me twenty cents when he left, and we still need to eat noodles later. If you eat two, there won’t be any left for me."
"How can you be such a sister-in-law? Even Tingfan’s sister-in-law bought him two pies."
"I’ll go home and ask your brother for money and buy you two. Today you can only have one, I need to eat too."
Listening to the conversation between the uncle and sister-in-law, Lin Qiao couldn’t help but chuckle.
...
Qin Family Bun Shop
Mrs. Qin Li, upon seeing them return, hurriedly invited them to eat, and Lin Qiao, along with Song Tingfan, washed their hands and joined them. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Both families had businesses, so there was not much chit-chat as they finished eating in about a quarter of an hour.
The rain outside continued to fall, growing heavier. The shop, usually filled with people, was empty, and with nothing else to do, Lin Qiao went upstairs to oversee Song Tingfan’s studies. His handwriting had improved a lot compared to before, though it slightly resembled her penmanship.
But there was no major issue, as he was copying her writing after all.
Song Tingfan glanced at Lin Qiao beside him, his writing, which had been proficient just moments ago, now seemed awkward and unsteady.
The young boy’s feelings were already quite evident.
However, the young woman beside him remained completely unaware, presuming he couldn’t write, and holding his hand, she taught him, "This ’xi’ character is written like this, starting with a slender ’ri,’ then..."
If one looked closely, they could see Song Tingfan’s ears turning red.
Soon after, Li Guifen’s voice could be heard from downstairs, "Girl, someone is here to see you, says he is the manager from the Ruyi Shop."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiaoxin knew what it was about, "Alright, coming down now."
She then told Song Tingfan, "Follow what I just taught you, I’ll check it later." With that, she headed downstairs.
Not only was there Manager Li, but also the boss of the Ruyi Shop, Wei Yun. Lin Qiao gave a polite nod and waited for them to state their purpose.
Seeing Lin Qiao not speak, Wei Yun also remained silent, leaving Manager Li to fill the gap with a few courteous words, "Young lady, why haven’t you visited us recently?"
Since he greeted with a smile, Lin Qiao naturally wouldn’t leave him in the cold, especially considering Manager Li was a nice person. She replied with a warm smile, "The shop has been busy, I haven’t found the time."
"Oh, I see. I noticed your shop is quite unique. What are you selling? I haven’t seen you buying anything, but it looks quite delicious."
Manager Li glanced around the shop. Although it was small, it was quite distinctively decorated, particularly the cake illustrations hanging on the wall.
Hearing this, Lin Qiao looked at Mrs. Wang Tan, "Aunt Wang, please bring some cake over."
Mrs. Wang Tan soon arrived with some cakes and placed them on the table before stepping back a bit.
Li Guifen and Lin Han stood nearby, worried that their daughter might be bullied.
Manager Li pushed the cake towards the boss, and after he took one, he followed suit. After taking a bite, he was surprised at how good it tasted.
Though Wei Yun didn’t speak, he finished an entire piece of cake and didn’t hide the fact that he was assessing the young lady across from him. Her delicate features were simply adorned yet still captivating; such beauty was not something he often encountered.
After some small talk, Manager Li addressed the reason for their visit: they wished to collaborate with her, increasing the earlier offer from two or three taels per pattern to fifty taels each, with the stipulation that they only be sold to the Ruyi Shop.
This showed the Ruyi Shop’s sincerity, but Lin Qiao did not immediately agree, nor did she respond.
Beside her, Li Guifen widened her eyes at Lin Han, exchanging glances in disbelief, "My goodness! Fifty taels of Silver."
After a moment, Lin Qiao finally said, "I have one condition."
Wei Yun looked at her, "Go ahead."
"I am not part of the Ruyi Shop; anything to do with Ruyi Shop is unrelated to me." Lin Qiao meant that she would only work with them if she wanted to; otherwise, she wouldn’t.
The Ruyi Shop might be a big tree that offers good shade, but it also attracts attention.
As an ordinary person, she couldn’t withstand such scrutiny.
Wei Yun pondered briefly before nodding, "Alright, as long as you meet our conditions."
"Naturally, even though I am just a woman, I understand the importance of sincerity."
Lin Qiao paused and stared directly at Wei Yun, adding, "Similarly, the boss must uphold integrity."
Wei Yun lightly tapped his fingers on the table but hadn’t said anything yet when he noticed the young man descending from the attic. He studied him, observing his tall stature and handsome, though slightly immature, features.
Just before, Lin Qiao, who had been serious, stood up to pack cakes, "Take some cakes with you and eat them if you get hungry."
Song Tingfan gave Manager Li and Wei Yun a glance, a slight hostility evident, before accepting the cakes and placing them in his book bag, "Sister-in-law, I’m leaving. Don’t leave the shop."
Knowing he was worried about her, Lin Qiao nodded, "Alright, go quickly. If I’m not busy later, I’ll come to pick you up."
After Song Tingfan left, Lin Qiao continued talking with Manager Li and the others for quite a while before they left, handing her a ’sincerity’ partnership fee of one hundred taels.
Lin Qiao thought she might be able to buy a courtyard in town now, while Li Guifen felt her daughter must have done something foolish, questioning why anyone would give so much Silver, "Girl, don’t do anything foolish. It’s alright to be poor, but one must have ambition."
Lin Qiao: "..."
She patiently explained, "Mom, it’s a legitimate business."
"Then why is there so much money?" Li Guifen remained skeptical.
"I’ll take you both to see, their shop is big, earning thousands of taels a day."
"Thousands of taels? Doing what? Selling people?"
Seeing Li Guifen so shocked she couldn’t close her mouth, Lin Qiao was both amused and helpless, "No, they sell cloth."
"Selling cloth makes that much?"
"Yes, a single outfit costs more than one tael of Silver."
Lin Qiao took ten taels from her money bag and handed them to her, "This is my filial money for you and Dad, buy whatever you like."
She had never been stingy with money, as long as she deemed it worthwhile, even giving it all away wouldn’t matter.
But there was no way Li Guifen would accept it, not ten taels nor even one hundred taels. They both just wanted their daughter to save more money for the future, in case something happened.
"Your dad and I can still work; you should save it for yourself. But remember, girl, never take money you shouldn’t; if you run out, we have plenty here, we won’t let you go hungry." Li Guifen returned the money, stubbornly holding onto her daughter’s hand to stop her from giving it back.
Lin Han nodded, "We won’t ignore you."
...
At dusk, the private school
After assigning the day’s work, the teacher dismissed the class, and just as Zhou Tiedan wanted to leave with Song Tingfan, he saw him run out, disappearing instantly.
He: "..."
His sister-in-law must have come to pick him up.
Indeed, he saw Song Tingfan’s sister-in-law at the entrance, while his own sister-in-law hadn’t arrived yet, making the contrast quite stark. He shuffled over to chat with Lin Qiao, "Sister-in-law."
Lin Qiao nodded with a smile, then looked around, "Your sister-in-law hasn’t arrived yet?"
Seeing him nod pitifully, she added, "We’ll wait with you for a bit."
"Thank you, sister-in-law," Zhou Tiedan said joyously.
In contrast to his joy, Song Tingfan was not pleased. He pursed his lips and, fibbing slightly, said, "Sister-in-law, I have a stomachache."
He didn’t like his sister-in-law keeping Zhou Tiedan company.
His sister-in-law was here to pick him up.
