Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 71 - 66: Sister-in-law, How Did You Run Into Mr. Cheng?
Over here, Li Guifen caught Song Liu with several red marks. The matter was big enough that the village chief came, but since Song San’s family wasn’t from Xingyu Village, the chief just separated them without saying anything else.
Song Liu suffered a loss but had no choice, and she left sobbing.
Li Guifen, looking victorious, spat and declared that if she came to trouble her daughter again, she’d beat her to death.
Lin Han and his group hadn’t gone far. When they saw Song Liu leaving, they came over. Concerned, Lin Han asked Li Guifen, "Wife, are you alright?"
"I’m fine. That woman couldn’t beat me. I yanked her hair several times." Li Guifen, feeling a bit smug, replied.
Lin Han chuckled warmly, "You’re indeed formidable, dear."
"Of course! Who do you think I, Li Guifen, am?" Glancing at her two daughters-in-law, Li Guifen added, "Let’s go check on our daughter."
At the Song Family’s house, upon hearing that Lin Qiao was sick, Li Guifen, who had been full of fight earlier, now had red-rimmed eyes and anxiously asked, "What did the doctor say?"
Seeing the worried look in the Lin Family’s eyes, Lin Qiaoxin thought that it was best not to feign illness next time; she felt guilty about it. "It’s nothing. A couple of days of rest and I’ll be fine."
She didn’t ponder why she felt guilty.
Feeling unwell, Li Guifen didn’t say much more, advising her to rest well before she took the family out, leaving only Song Tingfan and Lin Qiao in the room.
Song Tingfan pressed his lips together, speaking softly and aggrievedly, "Sister-in-law, could you not feign illness to deceive me in the future?"
Lin Qiao, confident in her acting skills, was taken aback: "..."
How did the villain see through her act?
She awkwardly touched her nose and asked, "How did you know, little uncle?"
"I saw you roll your eyes at the doctor." Song Tingfan’s gaze had been fixed on Lin Qiao from the start, and naturally, he saw the elder brother give silver coins, and the sister-in-law roll her eyes at the doctor.
Lin Qiao: "..."
She quickly thought it over and promptly confessed, speaking fearfully, "Sorry, little uncle, I was just afraid Third Aunt would hit me." By the end, her voice was barely audible.
Blame-throwing with all her might.
Song Tingfan believed her without suspicion, "No one will hurt you, sister-in-law, I won’t let anyone touch you."
"I know." Moved, Lin Qiao’s eyes turned red, and she lowered her head, feeling both comforted and a bit upset.
Suddenly, she found herself in a warm embrace and was momentarily stunned, looking up to meet Song Tingfan’s bright red face, "..."
Song Tingfan remembered how she once comforted him this way. Although his heart raced back then, he felt elated, as if nothing bad existed at that moment.
Embracing a woman for the first time, he was so nervous he stammered, "S-sister, feeling better?"
Though he spoke nonsensically, Lin Qiao understood and nestled her head into his chest, softly sobbing as if venting her negative emotions.
Feeling something soft against his chest, Song Tingfan stiffened and dared not move.
He knew what it was.
Completely unaware, Lin Qiao focused on her performance, wishing to evoke the villain’s sympathy.
...
After continuously taking herbal medicine for two days, Lin Qiao truly couldn’t stomach it anymore; it was too bitter, more so than a bitter melon.
She couldn’t stand bitterness.
That morning, as they were about to head to town, Song Tingfan had already prepared medicine for Song Rong and Lin Qiao before dawn had even broken.
First, he took the medicine to Song Rong and then brought Lin Qiao’s to her.
Seeing him busy with other things, Lin Qiao picked up the bowl and poured it into a mouse hole in the corner of the wall, not expecting Song Tingfan to turn back and return.
She heard the approaching footsteps and turned her head, locking eyes with him.
Her hand, mid-pour, froze in mid-air: "..."
Her acting luck had been bad lately—first, he saw through her deception, and now he caught her pouring out the medicine.
Quick to react, she feigned innocence, "Little Uncle, can the dregs left at the bottom of my bowl poison a mouse? I had quite a bit left after drinking."
Song Tingfan walked over, glanced at the mouse hole, and seriously thought for a moment, "No."
"Then it was a waste, I thought it might help with the mice running around at night," Lin Qiao lied without blushing.
"I’ll pour some rodenticide in later." Song Tingfan hesitated not at all, then added, "Sister-in-law, I can’t take the morning off because Mr. Cheng said there’s an exam."
"Can I accompany you to town in the afternoon?"
Lin Qiao shook her head, "There’s no need, Little Uncle, I’ll go to town on my own. Do well on the exam, and sister-in-law will reward you with a pair of shoes."
"I will do my best on the exam." Song Tingfan nodded.
Two hours later, at the fabric shop.
Finally she arrived. The boss, ignoring other customers, greeted her directly, "Is it feasible?"
"I sketched a few, take a look." Lin Qiao handed over the designs.
After a moment, the boss smiled brightly, "These are beautiful. They should work. I’ll have the embroideress make a sample to show that family."
She now regarded this Widow Song quite highly.
"Here’s half a tael of silver for you, and another half once it’s done. Don’t worry, even if it doesn’t work out, the half a tael is still yours."
Accepting the silver, she glanced at Lin Qiao’s shoes, estimating her size, and handed her a nice pair of shoes generously, "These are for you."
Somewhat surprised, Lin Qiao quickly responded, "Thank you, boss. Could I possibly have a pair of men’s shoes instead?"
Understanding that they were for her little uncle, the boss nodded, asked for the size, and handed her a pair of men’s shoes, "You’re the first I’ve seen who’s good to her little uncle."
"My little uncle is very kind to me."
Storing the shoes, and after chatting a bit more, Lin Qiao left the fabric shop, not buying anything else and heading straight back to the village.
With time on her side, she decided to save two cents and walked home.
Midway, a carriage abruptly stopped a bit in front of her, followed by a gentle voice, "Madam Tingfan, heading back the same way?"
It was Cheng Sheng.
Inside the carriage were two village elders.
"No need, Mr. Cheng, you go on ahead." Lin Qiao declined.
"It’s about Tingfan’s studies I’d like to discuss with you," Cheng Sheng explained.
Hearing this, Lin Qiao hesitated for a moment and then boarded the carriage, where Cheng Sheng made room for her.
"Thank you, Mr. Cheng." Lin Qiao, seated, asked, "Wasn’t there an exam today, Mr. Cheng?"
"Yes," Cheng Sheng nodded, explaining further, "Something came up suddenly, so I asked the village chief to supervise the exam."
"Tingfan’s studies are going well. With some cultivation, it shouldn’t be hard for him to become a Scholar. But I’ve spoken with Tingfan, and he doesn’t seem keen on studying long-term."
If following the dream’s plot, Song Tingfan was inclined toward martial pursuits. Lin Qiao thought for a moment before responding, "My little uncle has his own ideas, and we can’t interfere."
Cheng Sheng nodded in agreement, "True, but you should still guide him more."
...
Cheng Sheng’s house was located just a bit behind the Song Family, so he told the carriage driver to drop her at the door.
As soon as Lin Qiao got off the carriage, Song Tingfan ran over, happily saying, "Sister-in-law..."
Lin Qiao smiled and responded, then addressed Cheng Sheng inside the carriage, "Thank you, Mr. Cheng."
"No need to thank me." Cheng Sheng replied politely.
Seeing Mr. Cheng had brought his sister-in-law back, Song Tingfan pressed his lips together, inexplicably unhappy and a bit jealous...
Noticing him standing there, Lin Qiao patted his arm, smiling, "Little Uncle, let’s go inside."
"Sister-in-law."
After walking a few steps, Song Tingfan suddenly called her.
Lin Qiao turned to look at him, puzzled, "What’s the matter?"
"Sister-in-law, how did you run into Mr. Cheng?" Song Tingfan clutched his sleeve tightly, showing his current unease and anxiety.
