Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 81 - 76: Innocence Is the Most "Fatal

The needle holes were originally small, and they were hardly noticeable on a woman’s hands accustomed to farm work, but the girl’s fair hands showed the needle holes at her fingertips clearly, along with blisters on her palms.

A nosy woman, wanting a closer look, leaned in to verify for everyone, "It’s true, there are a lot of needle holes."

Lin Qiao looked at Song Tingfan beside her. He stood straight as if protecting his sister-in-law in his own way.

Song Tingfan wasn’t much of a talker. When people in the village whispered bad things about him in private, he never spoke up to refute or explain.

She felt an inexplicable softness in her heart. Sigh, even acting had gotten her into this.

As long as the villain didn’t turn bad, her soft heart wouldn’t be an issue.

She held his hand in return, gently patted it, indicating it was okay.

Looking at their hands clasped together, Song Tingfan’s gaze lingered for a while until he tightened his grip slightly.

Sister-in-law’s hand is so soft.

And so warm.

He cautiously glanced at his sister-in-law. Seeing her gentle smile, he shyly lowered his head, feeling a bit awkward.

Lin Qiao thought he was comforting her and didn’t think much of it. She looked at Mrs. Lin Wu, intending to resolve the Lin family’s matters once and for all today. Otherwise, this constant bickering every few days was unbearable.

"Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, I was wrong before, I..."

She hesitated, as if unable to voice some things, and everyone subconsciously thought about the three deaths that had occurred in the Song family in succession.

Lin Qiao then bent over in apology, "Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, I caused you trouble in the past, I won’t ever again."

"The silver coins that Father and Mother helped me with over the years, I’ll return them as soon as possible. Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, I’m really sorry."

What the original owner had done, she didn’t know, so she could only use the misfortunes of the Song family as an "excuse".

Lin Han, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "Return what! The silver coins I saved, I’ll give to whoever I want..." His voice choked up at the end.

Seeing his daughter being so humble, which father wouldn’t feel a pang in his heart?

He then looked at the families of his eldest and second sons, "The silver coins you’ve contributed over the years, your mother and I haven’t touched a cent, everything’s kept safe."

"Eldest Daughter-in-law, Second Daughter-in-law, you say we’re biased. So who gave the silver coins spent on Ping’er and An’er? Your mother was good to your little sister-in-law, but she never shortchanged you!"

"Cough, cough... Do you not know why your little sister-in-law married into the Song family? Back then, if it wasn’t for the lack of silver coins for medical treatment, I would never have let her marry into the Song family against my conscience."

Agreeing to let his daughter marry into the Song family for good luck was always a sore point for him, with the village gossiping about him a lot.

"I’m not afraid you might misunderstand. These days, I’ve had your mother sneak some silver coins to your little sister-in-law, but she refused all of it and returned every cent."

"Even when she was struggling recently, she refused to take it, forcefully giving it back to your mother. Don’t you know why in your heart?"

"She doesn’t want any ties with this family, her heart’s cold!"

"If you’re leaving, the eldest and second ones leave with me, not a cent less than you’re owed!"

This meant dividing the family, and immediately, the surroundings fell silent.

"Lin family, don’t say such harsh words! You can’t divide the family, you can’t. Let’s talk things through." An elderly man in a brown short-sleeved cloth jacket spoke up to persuade.

Whether or not the Lin family divided wasn’t Lin Qiao’s place to intervene in, but since this issue arose because of her, she couldn’t allow the Lin family to split, or else the village would gossip about her again.

No need to guess what kind of words those would be.

For example: Widow Song caused her maiden family to split, so unlucky...

She advised, "Father, don’t say such harsh words, Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law didn’t mean it like that. They also want the best for this family, to save some coins so you and Mother can be well cared for in the future."

"Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, don’t be upset either. Father and Mother have sharp tongues but soft hearts. Before, I didn’t understand, didn’t appreciate Father, Mother, Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, Eldest Brother, and Second Brother’s good intentions."

"I’ve thought a lot over these past few days and understood a lot. Not accepting Father and Mother’s silver coins isn’t because my heart’s cold; it’s just that I can save money myself, and Little Uncle’s hunting and Grandma’s embroidery work can exchange for quite a bit of silver, enough for the family to eat."

Mrs. Lin Wu and Mrs. Xushi were not unreasonable people, and after hearing her explanation, they calmed down and dared not speak upon seeing their father-in-law’s expression.

Father-in-law and mother-in-law were still young and certainly couldn’t divide the family.

But after today’s quarrel, mother-in-law and father-in-law were likely to be dissatisfied with them.

Lin Han didn’t say a word, seemingly insisting on dividing the family, while Li Guifen was beside wiping her tears. Lin Shan and Lin Sheng, being honest men, were anxious but didn’t know how to comfort them.

"Father, I know you’re doing it for my good, I truly know that. You’ve done enough, you owe me nothing."

Lin Qiao knew this farce had to end with Lin Han’s agreement, so she continued, "Father, if we divide the family because of me, I would never have the face to return to my maiden home again."

Ever since she first called "Father," Lin Han’s anger had dissipated somewhat. He pursed his lips, "Come back whenever you want."

Lin Qiao nodded, seizing the opportunity to say, "Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, come to my place to make a meal together, let’s have dinner together tonight."

After speaking, she took Mrs. Lin Wu and Mrs. Xushi with her and then said to Li Guifen and the others, "Mother, come over for dinner later. I’ll have Little Uncle come to call you."

Mrs. Lin Wu and Mrs. Xushi knew Lin Qiao was giving them an out. Feeling a little complicated, they exchanged a glance and followed Lin Qiao.

Once they left, the farce ended, and a few women gathered to praise Widow Song.

"Luckily, Widow Song has a good temperament, otherwise the Lin family would have divided today."

"Right, just now the two daughters-in-law of the Lin family kept blaming Widow Song. If it were me, I’d have started a fight."

"Widow Song is a good person, sigh, just not blessed."

...

Song Family

Lin Qiao served each of Mrs. Lin Wu and Mrs. Xushi a bowl of water, and said gently, "Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, have some water."

They glanced at her, the young woman’s face was soft and gentle, showing no displeasure at all, whereas they had been petty. They felt somewhat embarrassed.

Mrs. Lin Wu moved her mouth, wanting to say something, but Lin Qiao interrupted and changed the topic, "Eldest sister-in-law, no need to explain, I understand. You and second sister-in-law sit for a while, I’ll go make dinner."

While speaking, she observed their expressions. They had calmed down and seemed a bit more embarrassed.

After she stepped out of the main room, Mrs. Lin Wu looked at Mrs. Xushi. Both of them felt a bit awkward inside.

The little sister-in-law didn’t seem that detestable after all.

Song Tingfan wasn’t happy; his sister-in-law had been wronged. He glanced at Mrs. Xushi and Mrs. Lin Wu, quickly averted his eyes, and went into the kitchen.

Watching his sister-in-law scoop water to wash the pot, he pursed his lips, "Sister-in-law..."

Hearing this, Lin Qiao turned to look at him. Seeing him hesitate to speak, she was about to say something when she heard him say, "I’m here, too."

The young boy nervously pinched the corner of his clothes, seeming a little uneasy.

Hearing these words from a twelve-year-old boy had a strong sense of sincerity. Lin Qiao was taken aback, then smiled gently, following his words, "I know, I still have Little Uncle."

The pure villain unexpectedly had a bit of flirtatious charm.

Innocence is indeed "lethal."

Good thing he’s young, otherwise she couldn’t handle it.

Receiving a response, Song Tingfan shyly grinned, his neat rows of white teeth showing, "Sister-in-law, I’ll tend the fire."