Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 267 - 262: The Villain’s Intentions Are Clear

Chapter 267: Chapter 262: The Villain’s Intentions Are Clear

"Not good?" Lin Qiao retorted.

"Good, you decide what to buy." Song Tingfan paused and added, "Buy a few more."

He really likes that girl, Lin Qiao thought with a smile as she glanced at him, then said to the shopkeeper, "Just these two, and those two hairpins as well."

"Alright, I’ll wrap these up for you. I’ll also give you a pair of earrings as a gift. The total is fifteen taels." The boss swiftly wrapped them up and handed them over to them.

Lin Qiao was about to pay with silver when she noticed from the corner of her eye that Song Tingfan was also preparing to pay. She quickly grabbed his hand, "You can’t pay for this. It’s a little token of appreciation from me to her."

Song Tingfan looked down at her hand, quickly turned it over, and gently pressed it. In a low voice, he said, "It’s the thought that counts."

Then he handed the silver to the boss.

The calluses on the man’s hand were still very evident. Lin Qiao hesitated for a moment, awkwardly retracting her hand, while glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

Some thoughts, once they start, become uncontrollable. Because of their relationship as uncle and sister-in-law, she often tried to convince herself she was overthinking.

But Song Tingfan’s actions seemed to go beyond the boundaries of uncle and sister-in-law.

It seemed a bit too intimate.

Her heart felt colder the more she thought about it, a chill rising from her feet.

If the supporting female role suddenly became the main female character in the past, she would have laughed herself awake in her sleep, but not now.

She couldn’t bear it.

This was her carefully nurtured "child"...

The boss, unaware of the tension between the two, quickly took the silver from Song Tingfan’s hand for fear it would slip away, "It’s all the same, we’re all family."

The earlier joy of Song Tingfan’s engagement was now heavily overshadowed, and after much consideration, Lin Qiao decided to get to the bottom of things.

It’s better to cut losses in time than to remedy the situation later.

But she didn’t know it was already a case of trying to remedy the situation...

On the way back to the shop, neither of them spoke much. As they approached, they heard Li Guifen yelling at someone, "Niu Er, stop blocking the business of the shop here! Do you want me to go home and tell your father?"

Immediately after came the voice of a rogue, "Anyway, if you don’t let Widow Song marry me, I’m not leaving."

As they got closer, they saw Niu Er sitting with his legs crossed, and Li Guifen standing next to him, looking frustrated and helpless.

For Niu Er, Lin Qiao felt a headache, and angrily walked over to kick him hard, "If you want to eat, pay up. If not, scram."

Niu Er wasn’t angry at all and laughed, "Where did you go? I’ve been waiting for you all day. Hey, here’s the bride price of fifteen taels of silver, and five taels are left for the banquet. Whatever’s left after that is yours."

He was just about to hand it to her when a strong force blocked him. He turned and saw it was the annoying brother-in-law, "Song Tingfan, aren’t you a nag? Do you want your sister-in-law to be a widow forever?"

"If it weren’t for your sister-in-law, I would have beaten you up by now. Who do you think you are? We haven’t settled yesterday’s score with you, and you..."

Before he could finish, he was yanked out with such force that he staggered. Fortunately, he steadied himself quickly; otherwise, he would have fallen flat on his face.

His temper flared up, and he rolled up his sleeves, tucked away the silver, and cursed, "You’re antagonizing me, not the other way around!"

Whatever fighting skills he had were nothing compared to Song Tingfan, who had fought on the battlefield. In no time, he was pinned to the ground firmly.

Glaring at his grimacing face, Song Tingfan warned, "If you come again, I’ll break your hand."

He paused, "She won’t marry you." With that, he let go and stood up.

Niu Er got up, looked around at the people, feeling a bit embarrassed. But being the rascal he was, he blurted out, "I’ve already been with her. If she doesn’t marry me, who will she marry!"

"Or are you still thinking about her!"

Suddenly, everyone’s unfavorable gaze fell on Lin Qiao. She had been lenient towards Niu Er, thinking he had at least helped with some odd jobs over the years.

Upon hearing this, she got angry and coldly questioned, "Then tell me, where exactly is the birthmark on my body, on the left hand or the right?"

In fact, as soon as he said it, Niu Er regretted it. Seeing her angry now, he regretted it even more, wishing he could slap himself.

But with so many people watching, he had to save face and randomly guessed a side, "Left side!"

He thought Lin Qiao wouldn’t dare roll up her sleeve, but she unexpectedly did, "I don’t have one on either side!"

Song Tingfan’s expression changed, and he quickly pulled down her sleeve, scolding in a deep voice, "Why are you rolling up your sleeve!"

A reprimanded Lin Qiao looked up, facing the man’s angry expression, and was stunned. No one had reprimanded her in this tone for a long time.

Before she could react, the man’s threatening voice sounded in her ear, "Do you want me to tear your mouth off?"

He was tall and strong, and with a sullen face, he was somewhat intimidating. Niu Er was inexplicably a bit afraid but quickly straightened his back, "It was dark, how could I see? If Widow Song doesn’t marry me, she’s destined for the pond!"

He knew if he didn’t marry Widow Song today, there would be no hope for the future.

This is why ordinary people avoid trouble with rascals; they care about face, but rascals don’t.

Song Tingfan’s expression became increasingly grim, his hands hanging by his sides clenched tighter and tighter, seemingly reaching the limit of his patience.

Seeing the situation turning bad, Lin Qiao quickly grabbed him, "Brother-in-law, don’t be impulsive."

Although she didn’t know the rules of the military camp, she could guess some. If they expelled him from the camp because of Niu Er, it would not be good.

While she managed to hold back Song Tingfan, she couldn’t stop Li Guifen.

Li Guifen nearly fainted from anger, "Niu Er, I’m going to fight you, you liar!"

She then grabbed a kitchen knife and dashed out, scaring the onlookers into dispersing.

As much of a scoundrel as Niu Er was, he was still afraid of death, and hurriedly ran away, quickly disappearing.

Li Guifen couldn’t catch him. Holding the knife, her eyes turned red with anger, and she cursed loudly, "You’re nothing but dung beetle crap!"

"Even if my daughter remains a nun for life, she’d never marry someone like you, with such a rotten heart!"

Lin Qiao caught up and snatched the knife from her, "Mom, don’t be angry. He’s not worth it."

"Not angry, why wouldn’t I be angry? He’s ruining your reputation!" Li Guifen’s voice was hoarse. She knew her daughter wasn’t as Niu Er described, but others would surely gossip, rumors spreading like wildfire. Even the best person would become notorious.

After all, it was because her daughter was a widow.

Initially, she didn’t plan to "force" her daughter, but now she made up her mind.

She wanted her daughter to get married.

After Niu Er’s commotion, the shop was deserted. Some people took advantage of the chaos and didn’t even pay. Lin Qiao couldn’t care less about the money and led Li Guifen upstairs. Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, she felt uneasy.

She gently patted her back, "It’s okay, I’ve heard those words many times. It’s nothing."

Li Guifen sniffled and looked at Song Tingfan, "Tingfan, I’m asking you here, do you genuinely want to be good to your sister-in-law? If you say yes, I’ll arrange for her to marry you."