CHAPTER 10: CHAPTER 10: WIDOW AND LONELY UNCLE SPEND THE NIGHT OUT

Within a ten-mile radius, who doesn’t know Widow Song? I’ve heard she often has dealings with men in private.

Lin Qiao originally didn’t want to pay attention to these two, but upon hearing this, she glared at them with some displeasure and mocked, "You two look so shabby, and you want me to talk to you?"

The two men probably didn’t expect such a comeback and were stunned for a moment. Then the rougher one who spoke before became angry and spat, crudely saying, "We still look down on you; your bed must be worn out by men."

"You’ve also been worn out."

Before Lin Qiao could say anything, a sharp voice from a young boy rang out, loudly refuting, "Nonsense, my sister-in-law isn’t like that."

Song Tingfan stiffened his neck, tightly clenched his fists, and glared at the two men, as if he was about to hit someone any moment.

At first glance, he seemed to have the shadow of a villain. Lin Qiao’s heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, she reached out to hold his hand, comforting, "Little uncle, it’s okay, it’s okay."

The originally furious Song Tingfan froze, then quickly blushed, his gaze awkwardly falling on their joined hands.

"Oh, even your little uncle can’t escape you? He’s so young; can he satisfy you? If you beg us, we might "help you"." The middle-aged man scratched his bare foot with a lecherous expression.

Lin Qiao glanced them up and down, unashamedly ridiculing a particular area, "These days, even sparrows dare to strut around?"

The two men didn’t understand the meaning but instinctively knew it wasn’t good. One of them spoke up, "Hey woman, who are you indirectly cursing at?"

"You guys." Lin Qiao wasn’t afraid at all. The ruined temple was close to town, and with a good number of passersby, they wouldn’t dare do anything that might land them in jail.

Just then, a family of three entered, and the two men fell silent.

Out of the corner of his eye, Song Tingfan glanced at Lin Qiao, wondering if sparrows refer to something small?

He realized something, awkwardly shifted his gaze, and finally looked down, blushing.

The night had grown dark, and the ruined temple was somewhat chilly. The family man took off his coat and wrapped it around his child, then pulled his wife into his arms.

The three of them huddled together for the night.

Lin Qiao rubbed her cold arms and glanced to the side. Through the dim moonlight, she could make out the youth’s handsome nose and upturned eyelashes.

Song Tingfan hadn’t slept yet.

"Little uncle, are you cold?"

"Not cold."

Song Tingfan softly asked, "Sister-in-law, are you cold?" He offered his jacket but quickly took it back.

His clothes were too dirty.

The next moment, a pair of hands took the jacket and spread it over his shoulders, gently adjusting it, "You wear it; don’t catch a cold. Once we’ve saved enough silver coins, we’ll get you a new coat for our little uncle."

Lin Qiao was cold, but wearing a villain’s clothes wasn’t an option. What if he turned evil over a coat? It wasn’t worth it.

Because of her closeness, Song Tingfan smelled the scent of soapberries again. While not pleasant, they felt kind of reassuring now.

He hurriedly bowed his head, his ears flushing red, "Sister-in-law, no need."

Lin Qiao wrapped her arm around his shoulders, speaking softly, "Little uncle, if you’re cold, just scoot a little closer."

Feeling his body stiffen noticeably, she treated him without regard as a man and continued, "Little uncle, no need to be embarrassed. I’m your sister-in-law."

She silently added in her heart: An elder sister-in-law stands as a mother; I’m your "mother."

The good sister-in-law persona should be in place now.

Song Tingfan’s body remained rigid, yet he strangely liked this warmth and closeness.

After that, neither spoke again. Lin Qiao, having walked all day, was truly tired and soon fell asleep.

Yet the youth in the dark remained vigilant, not knowing when he fell asleep with a weight suddenly pressing on his shoulder.

He tensed, cautiously turned his head, and saw only the corner of a woman’s mouth. As he felt the "weight" on his shoulder slide down, he quickly reached up to support her cheek.

The smooth texture made him even stiffer, and he stayed in this position until dawn.

When Lin Qiao woke, she was eye-to-eye with the youth’s handsome chin. Not fully awake, she snuggled against his shoulder, ready to fall back asleep.

Suddenly, a voice sounded, "Sister-in-law, are you awake?"

Lin Qiao, startled, immediately leaned back, and Song Tingfan, seeing her reaction, first thought she was disgusted, causing him to bite his lip.

Soon he lowered his head and apologized timidly, "Sister-in-law, I’m sorry."

Lin Qiao calmed down, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. It wasn’t her being overly dramatic; it was just the insidious aura the villain gave her.

"Little uncle, were you scared? I had a nightmare just now, sorry little uncle."

It wasn’t disgust; Song Tingfan’s deer-like eyes widened a bit, and he quickly shook his head, "Sister-in-law, it’s fine."

Then he remembered something, taking out yesterday’s uneaten cake from his chest, sniffing to check if it had spoiled, then offered it to her, eyes smiling, "Sister-in-law, you eat."

Lin Qiao was momentarily stunned. This kid had left the cake uneaten overnight; she thought he had eaten it.

Suddenly, she felt the villain was here to redeem her.

She became slightly stern, staring seriously at the youth, "Little uncle, when we buy you something in the future, just eat it, no holding back."

With that, she reached up to tousle his hair, softening her tone, "Little uncle, I’m an adult; you don’t need to worry about me."

"But still, thank you, little uncle."

"Good boy, go ahead and eat."

Initially, thinking his sister-in-law was stern and perhaps he’d done something wrong and was about to be hit, Song Tingfan instinctively shrank a little, yet no hit came.

His sister-in-law just gently patted his head.

He stared at her blankly.

This new version of his sister-in-law felt foreign, but he liked her this way.

After a long pause, he broke the cake in half, insisting they share it, "Sister-in-law, let’s eat together."

Lin Qiao didn’t refuse again.

...

On the way, they encountered many fellow townspeople carrying baskets to the market and seemed a bit puzzled to see Lin Qiao and Song Tingfan returning together.

After all, it was known that the Song Family’s uncle-sister-in-law relationship wasn’t good, and not long ago, Song Tingfan was almost beaten to death.

In the countryside, people spoke without filters, and one woman in a blue dress mischievously teased, "Oh, Lin Widow and the little uncle spent the night outside."

Immediately, the group of women and men with her laughed.

Although said half-jokingly, the intent to humiliate was clear.

Lin Qiao acted as if she hadn’t heard, casually saying, "Spent the night indeed, but aunts should hurry or else you’ll spend the night with the uncles as well."

With that, she walked away without waiting for their reactions.

A few of the older women behind her paused momentarily, then spat and began gossiping about them.

"Song Tingfan will be thirteen next year; heck, kids in the old Li family get married at twelve. I bet you the widow and the young uncle are up to something taboo."

"If his brother knew, he’d probably jump out of his coffin."

"Hahaha, this isn’t unheard of. Look at the Luo family; didn’t the sister-in-law and little uncle end up together?"

Their voices weren’t small. Lin Qiao: "..."

She forced a smile, glancing at the villain next to her, who looked both embarrassed and unable to retort.

She patted his shoulder, signaling him not to be angry, "Little uncle, don’t listen to them. The truth will speak for itself."

At this point, she paused, beginning to instill righteous values in Song Tingfan, "Little uncle, you must be upright; don’t do things that go against morality."

For example, refusing to join treasonous ministers.

Or respecting one’s sister-in-law.