Seeing his expression, even Lin Qiao, a stranger to him, felt a bit softened.
This antagonist is really too pitiful.
She softened her tone a bit, "Mmm, here's something for you to eat, eat it quickly."
Hearing this, the boy's eyes lit up, seemingly a bit delighted, but he didn't eat. He looked at her again, quickly moved his gaze away, and timidly said, "Sister-in-law, you eat, I'm not hungry."
"I've eaten."
"Then save it for sister-in-law to eat at night."
Lin Qiao sighed inwardly; it was just half a bowl of rice. She then raised her hand to pat his head, coaxing, "Little Uncle, be good, eat up, we have rice at home, there will be food for dinner."
Song Tingfan froze for a moment, then his face turned red, and his drooping phoenix eyes blinked unnaturally.
Seeing him eat, Lin Qiao finally went into the kitchen to drink water, then came out and said, "Little Uncle, I'm going to the Lin's to harvest the rice, you rest at home."
Upon hearing this, Song Tingfan quickly swallowed his rice and urgently said, "Sister-in-law, I'll go with you."
The weather was too hot, Lin Qiao looked at his sunburned face from hunting and shook her head, "You're not going."
Song Tingfan's first reaction was that she disliked him because sister-in-law often said he was useless and just ate dry rice.
Holding his bowl, he was a bit flustered, timidly saying, "Sister-in-law, I work fast."
He is useful, he's not just eating dry rice.
The boy's face was full of cautiousness, unsure how to conceal it. Lin Qiao understood his thoughts, she smiled, "I know Little Uncle is capable, it's just hot. I want you to rest at home."
Song Tingfan was stunned, sister-in-law wanted him to rest at home?
For the first time, he bravely looked her straight in the eye, her pretty face full of tenderness.
Like the fresh breeze blowing face to face up the mountain this morning.
He earnestly said, "Sister-in-law, I'm not afraid of the heat."
Seeing his insistence, Lin Qiao didn't refuse him. She looked at his bowl, "Finish eating, and I'll wait for you."
"Okay." Song Tingfan hurriedly ate the rice, but probably ate too fast and got choked, "Cough cough cough..."
Lin Qiao was about to tell him to eat slowly, but saw him look up and smile at her, the sunlight shining brightly.
His youthful handsome face left her in awe.
This antagonist's looks are really unfair.
A quarter of an hour later, after locking the main door, the two walked one after the other towards the fields. Song Tingfan was at the back, occasionally lifting his head to look at the graceful figure in front.
Sister-in-law seemed like a different person.
Seeing Song Tingfan arrive, the Lin Family all greeted him warmly. Lin Xushi and Mrs. Lin Wu liked him quite a bit; this boy was hard-working, didn't talk much, and was handsome.
It's just a pity that family circumstances changed; otherwise, in a few years, people asking for his hand might break the door threshold.
Song Tingfan stood next to Lin Qiao, obediently greeting the elders.
Lin Qiao glanced over with a satisfied look like a mother seeing her son, suddenly feeling having an obedient "son" wasn't bad.
Song Tingfan indeed worked swiftly. While Lin Qiao had only harvested one row, he had already done two.
Li Guifen felt sorry for him, "Tingfan, don't work anymore, go take a rest."
Song Tingfan stood up and shook his head, "Auntie, I'm not tired." Then he looked at Lin Qiao, who was bowing her head to harvest the rice, "Sister-in-law, why don't you go rest."
Hearing this, Lin Qiao looked up, the boy was sweating heavily, the hair dangling by his ears sticking to the side of his face.
He didn't have a straw hat.
She took off her own hat and walked over, putting it on him, "Little Uncle, when tired, take a break."
She stared at his face, thinking a straw hat might earn him a few extra points.
Song Tingfan looked at her in a daze, then quickly took it off and handed it back to her, "Sister-in-law, I'm not hot, a man isn't hot."
This sentence made Lin Qiao laugh, a little rascal antagonist and a man?
She put it on him again, smiling, "Little Uncle, wait a couple more years to be a man."
Song Tingfan blushed; he already considered himself a man.
"Little sister, here, take my straw hat." Lin Sheng passed the straw hat to her.
"Big brother, I won't wear it; my skin is rough and tough, it can handle the sun." Lin Qiao had never been one to fear hardship; on the contrary, she endured it, never using a stand-in no matter how tough the shoot.
Ms. Jia always said she was wasting a beautiful face.
Everyone was stunned by what she said, and Lin Shan laughed heartily, "Little sister, you wear it. Big brother is the one with rough skin."
Lin Sheng shoved the straw hat at Lin Qiao, laughing, "I'm the one with rough skin; your sister-in-law always says my skin is thick and doesn't fear pinches."
Mrs. Lin Xiu couldn't help but glare at him jokingly, "Your skin thick? Mother always said you're not afraid of being hit since you were a child."
Immediately, everyone in the Lin Family laughed, and Li Guifen loudly recalled their childhood, "When Sheng was little, he would take Shanzi and Qiaoqiao to the river ditch every time they came back with wet clothes, angering me so much I often hit them."
"Sheng would protect his younger siblings, running in front of me saying, 'Mom, my skin is tough, hit me, I don't feel pain...'"
Listening to them chat about home life, Lin Qiao glanced at them; the Lin Family seemed harmonious enough and quite honest.
As for Mrs. Lin Xiu and Mrs. Lin Wu giving her attitude, it was just their dislike for her original self and no real malice.
...
They worked until dusk, and Lin Qiao, exhausted upon reaching the fields, plopped right onto the ground, taking off her shoes to shake out the debris inside.
Seeing that she was about to take off her socks, Song Tingfan hurriedly reached out but quickly realized his mistake and retracted his hand, "Sister-in-law, you can't."
Lin Qiao looked at him puzzled, "Can't what?"
Li Guifen understood and raised her hand to stop her, "Quickly put them back on."
A woman's feet shouldn't be exposed outside, who knows what people might say if they see.
Lin Qiao belatedly understood and put her shoes back on.
At this time, Lin Han, carrying a hoe, spoke up, "I'll go buy a few pounds of meat; you all go home first." As he spoke, he looked at Lin Qiao.
It meant they'd be staying for dinner.
"We'll just head back first." Lin Qiao wasn't particularly fond of gathering a large group to eat, especially since Mrs. Lin Xiu and Mrs. Lin Wu's displeasure with her was evident.
Li Guifen immediately tugged at Song Tingfan, calling out, "Then you go back yourself, Tingfan will eat with us." Though she said this, she looked at Lin Qiao.
"Aunt, I want to go back with sister-in-law." Song Tingfan looked at Lin Qiao, clearly a bit anxious, afraid she'd leave him behind.
He called out timidly again, "Sister-in-law."
"Tingfan, never mind her, let's go." Li Guifen pulled Song Tingfan along, her eyes still glancing back at Lin Qiao.
Lin Shan and Lin Sheng understood their mother's intentions, standing on either side of Lin Qiao to bring her back home together.
Mrs. Lin Xiu and Mrs. Lin Wu lagged behind at the end, exchanging a glance, both feeling a bit displeased.
Mrs. Lin Xiu muttered softly, "Just watch; soon enough, little sister will bring a lot of things along."
"That's for sure, little sister is the type to grab a handful of ash and walk away." Mrs. Lin Wu said discontentedly.
The Li family was slightly smaller than the Song Family, but it had more rooms. As soon as they entered, two boys ran over joyfully, hugging Lin Sheng and Lin Shan, "Dad."
Meanwhile, Song Tingfan, who arrived before them, walked over to Lin Qiao and quietly said, "Sister-in-law, do you want some water?"