Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 221 - 216: If Sister-in-Law Likes It, Then I Like It
Song Tingfan still refused to take it. He knew he had saved quite a bit of money for buying things for his sister-in-law.
Even if he didn’t have it, he wouldn’t take his grandma’s money.
He could earn it himself.
However, Song Qin still insisted on giving it to him. There wasn’t much she and her husband could give them, and this money was what Lin Qiao usually used to buy them food.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but feel guilty towards Lin Qiao.
If Niu Niu could marry her, that would be perfect. Then there would be someone to take care of her in the future.
On the same donkey cart were Zhou Tiedan, along with his big brother and sister-in-law. Zhou Tiedan’s older brother also had a shop in town, although it was usually managed by hired help.
Probably because Zhou Tiedan needed to study in the private school and needed taking care of, he had been in town for quite a few days.
Zhou Tiedan was cherished by the whole family; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so childish as he was now.
In the past, whenever he saw Song Tingfan, he would always call out Zhou Tiedan, but this time he let out a big "humph" instead and turned his head away, not bothering to acknowledge him.
He was quite resentful.
Zhou Zhiqiu, hearing from his own wife that Song’s second family had given quite a lot of food, reached out and smacked him on the head, "Humph, no manners. Hurry up and greet them."
"Hello, Sister-in-law."
After greeting Lin Qiao, Zhou Tiedan glared dissatisfiedly at the "nuisance" even more annoying than Song Tingfan, "Why did you hit me again, big sister-in-law? Aren’t you going to keep him in check? I really don’t know how you put up with him."
Zhou Zhiqiu: "..."
With everyone present, he felt a bit embarrassed.
Seeing he was about to hit his younger brother again, Mrs. Xue quickly pulled him back, "Why are you hitting him again?" she said as she pinched him.
Zhou Zhiqiu: "..."
He felt humiliated but didn’t dare raise his voice at his wife, so he said nothing.
Just yesterday, the two of them were out collecting birds’ eggs together; today, why were they upset? Lin Qiao quietly asked Song Tingfan beside her, "What happened between you and Tiedan?"
His sister-in-law was concerned about Zhou Tiedan again. Song Tingfan pursed his lips and shook his head, taking out a book from his bag to study, "Sister-in-law, I’m going to read."
Lin Qiao nodded and didn’t bother him further.
Zhou Tiedan pouted slightly unhappily.
He was upset, and Song Tingfan didn’t coax him.
"Do you see what Tingfan is doing! Quickly take out your book. If you don’t study well, I’ll skin you alive."
Zhou Zhiqiu didn’t initially want to say anything to Zhou Tiedan, but seeing him staring at Song Tingfan’s reading and not doing anything, he couldn’t help but nudge him.
Zhou Tiedan, pouting with annoyance, took out his book to read.
When Lin Qiao and Song Tingfan arrived in town, it was almost dark, and the food stalls had closed, so they couldn’t eat outside.
Lin Qiao had to buy some groceries and return to the shop to make her own noodles, "Little Uncle, did you finish your homework yesterday? If not, do it now."
"I finished it. I’ll help knead the dough." Song Tingfan rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands clean, and started kneading the dough.
The young man’s strength was noticeably greater than before, and soon the dough was ready, and he began to pull the noodles.
It was midsummer then, and mosquitoes were rampant. A bloodsucking mosquito landed on Song Tingfan’s cheek, and he shook his head a couple of times, but it wouldn’t fly away.
Lin Qiao naturally noticed and gestured to him to squat down. Once he did, she gently slapped his face, leaving a bloodstain after killing the engorged mosquito, "No wonder it wouldn’t fly away; it was too full."
She chuckled, showing him the mosquito she had squished before tossing it to the ground and grabbing a cloth to wipe his face. His side profile was quite handsome, with a hint of refinement.
People are visual creatures. After looking at something for too long, the initial amazement fades, but the villain’s looks were an exception, getting more enchanting each time.
Unexpectedly catching her gaze, Song Tingfan felt an inexplicable panic but also an indescribable joy. His hand’s strength increased, and the noodles suddenly broke.
"Little Uncle, your noodle-pulling skills are impressive," Lin Qiao teased with a smile.
Song Tingfan awkwardly blushed and started to re-knead the dough, but Lin Qiao waved her hand, "Just cook it like this. After all, it’s just for us."
Once the thick noodles were cooked, Lin Qiao added some chili to the bowl. She didn’t ask if Song Tingfan wanted any. He could handle spicy food but didn’t like it much. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Just as she was about to put it back, Song Tingfan spoke up, "Sister-in-law, I’d like a bit."
"There’s already chili in the bowl."
"I still want more; it’s not flavorful enough."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiao added more chili to his bowl.
The seasoned chili was quite spicy. After eating it, Song Tingfan began to blush slightly.
Seeing this, Lin Qiao asked with concern, "If it’s too much, don’t force yourself to eat it."
"I can handle it." Song Tingfan stuffed a large mouthful and blushed even more.
If his sister-in-law could eat it, so could he.
The young man, simple and stubborn, mimicked his sister-in-law’s habits as if doing so would keep them together for a long time.
Lin Qiao didn’t understand his stubbornness and helplessly took his bowl away, "Go and get some more noodles."
Song Tingfan tried to take it back, "I can eat it; I’ll finish it in a few bites."
"Be good, go ahead."
"We can’t waste it."
"I’ll eat it."
Hearing this, Song Tingfan was stunned. After a while, he stammered slightly and said shyly, "Dirty."
"What’s dirty about it? Go get some more noodles." Lin Qiao picked his noodles and put them into her own bowl and then picked up a pair of chopsticks to eat.
She didn’t realize her OCD seemed to disappear in front of Song Tingfan.
Even if she realized, she wouldn’t care.
Song Tingfan never expected she would actually eat it. Previously, his sister-in-law always said he was dirty and told him to stay away, so whenever his clothes got dirty, he’d wash and change them immediately.
But no matter how much he washed, his sister-in-law used to call him dirty.
Now his sister-in-law was different. She didn’t find him dirty and even helped him with laundry.
Sometimes he feared this goodness would end.
Seeing he still stood there motionless, Lin Qiao got up to get him more noodles, saying, "Like what you like, and don’t force yourself to like what you don’t. It’s nothing in front of me. I’m not going to make you eat chili." With that, she laughed a couple of times.
Afraid she might misunderstand, Song Tingfan quickly waved his hand to explain, "You’re not forcing me; I just saw you like it."
His innocent words made Lin Qiao laugh softly. She subconsciously asked in return, "You like it because I like it?"
"Mm, if sister-in-law likes it, then I like it."
The young man’s reply was straightforward and without hesitation.
Seeing his earnest expression, Lin Qiao froze momentarily. Huh, it was almost like the plot of a romance story between the male and female leads.
Realizing what she was thinking, she silently cursed herself multiple times in her mind.
...
It took about half a month for the courtyard to be renovated. Lin Qiao took one look and, as expected, the renewed courtyard seemed much more comfortable than the old one, so she set about furnishing Mrs. Fan’s house.
Last year at this time, Song’s second family could barely put food on the table. This year, they opened a shop, renovated the courtyard, and many became envious, gossiping about how Lin Qiao was supposedly having an affair with someone from a family in town.
Each tale seemed more real than the last, almost as if they’d witnessed it themselves.
Lin Qiao "had the luck" to overhear it once. If she wasn’t herself, she would have believed it. One of the young wives present was the Zhu family’s daughter-in-law, caught having an affair on the hill that day. Lin Qiao laughed and said, "Sister-in-law Zhu, isn’t the wild grass growing well in the mountains?"
