CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: I COMFORT MY SISTER-IN-LAW, NOT MY FUTURE WIFE

"Madam Tingfan, I’ll help pick them up, everyone watch me pick them up, I’m not stealing anything."

It was still the woman in the blue cloth dress, she squatted down to help pick up.

The village was quite simple and honest, apart from some idle gossip, everything else was fine.

"Auntie, thank you." Lin Qiao whispered gratefully.

Seeing her slightly red eyes, the woman in the blue dress felt even more pity, and while picking up she said, "What’s there to thank for, sigh, it’s not easy for a woman like you."

Cheng Sheng put down his pen, bent over to help as well, and soon they were done picking up.

Lin Qiao repeatedly bowed to give thanks, her voice slightly choked, yet it felt like she was holding back from crying, "Thank you, sir, thank you, auntie."

"No need to thank."

Cheng Sheng glanced at her, then he noted down Song Tingfan’s name, "Bring your own pen and ink, the day after tomorrow at the time of the mao, be in class."

The money at home was almost used up, and they couldn’t afford to buy pen and ink, but Lin Qiao still nodded.

"Mr. Cheng, I’ll be going now, won’t trouble you anymore, really thank you for today."

"No need to thank." Mr. Cheng politely nodded in response.

Outside the schoolhouse, a boy in a patched gray coat stood properly, his back straight.

Other children were chasing and playing.

In contrast, the boy was too well-behaved.

Song Tingfan’s eyes were fixed on the entrance of the schoolhouse, and when he saw the familiar figure, he instinctively exclaimed with joy, "Sister-in-law." He then ran over with big strides.

Lin Qiao’s gaze fell on his sweat-drenched forehead, raised her hand, and wiped it with her sleeve, feeling sorry, "Why don’t you find a cool spot to stand, little uncle?"

This subconscious action gave her a bit of pride in her acting skills.

Not a trace of performance could be seen.

Song Tingfan looked at her face, so close to him, and unnaturally lowered his head, speaking softly, "I was afraid sister-in-law might not find me."

It felt like he had eaten maltose, but sweeter than maltose.

"How could sister-in-law not find little uncle? Little uncle is so handsome, I can spot you at a glance."

Lin Qiao smiled gently with a touch of teasing, then said, "Little uncle, let’s go home."

With a simple sentence, Song Tingfan’s eyes curved with a smile, "Okay."

...

Before the sun set, the two of them carried water and watered the vegetables in the field, then borrowed two buckets of manure from the Wang Family next door for more watering.

Lin Qiao bent over, pulling out the wild grass that had grown again, looked at the vegetable seedlings, and noticed they had grown a bit more, "Little uncle, in another month we can eat the cabbage."

"By then, I’ll stir-fry cabbage with meat for little uncle."

"Whatever sister-in-law cooks, I will eat."

Song Tingfan deftly pulled at the grass, glanced at his sister-in-law beside him, some stray hairs falling, her face looking gentle.

Lin Qiao smiled and playfully glared at him, "Little uncle, in the future, you’ll definitely make your wife happy."

Facing her gaze, Song Tingfan inexplicably panicked, averted his gaze, and shyly stuttered, "I’ll make sister-in-law happy, not a wife."

In his current understanding, sister-in-law was the most important.

Luckily he was a twelve-year-old boy, otherwise Lin Qiao might suspect he had impure thoughts, but now she was amused, "Alright, I’ll tell that to your wife when the time comes."

Just as the words left her mouth, she heard someone calling, "Madam Tingfan, are you home?"

It was the Old Mrs. Wang from next door.

"Granny Wang, yes I’m here."

Lin Qiao shook off the grass in her hand, hurriedly ran to the front door.

Old Mrs. Wang stood at the door, holding a bowl of something with a loving expression, "We made some dumplings at home, brought some over for you, it’s not much, don’t mind it."

"Granny Wang, you should have it." Lin Qiao quickly declined.

Old Mrs. Wang heard from her daughter-in-law about the school matter, she felt that Widow Song was also having a hard time, she was bad before, but now she had changed, how could anyone hold on to the past continuously?

She handed it over, smiled, and said, "Alright then, just eat it, call Tingfan back to eat together, it wouldn’t taste good if it gets mushy."

Lin Qiao didn’t refuse any further and graciously thanked her, "Thank you so much, Granny Wang."

"No need to thank, just eat it quickly, I’ll head back now." Old Mrs. Wang waved and went back to the Wang Family.

Afraid the dumplings would become mushy, Lin Qiao stood at the door and called a few times, "Little uncle, come home quickly."

In no time, Song Tingfan ran back, "I’m here."

"Get some water and wash your hands."

Lin Qiao carried the bowl into the main room, quickly went to the kitchen to fetch chopsticks, and seeing Song Tingfan come in, "Little uncle, come, let’s eat dumplings."

"Granny Wang gave them to us."

Song Tingfan took the chopsticks she handed over, gave her a look, and found only one pair, he pursed his lips, "Sister-in-law, aren’t you eating?"

There weren’t many dumplings, just about ten, and it wouldn’t be enough for both, so Lin Qiao, upholding the spirit of a selfless sister-in-law, let the boy have them all.

Ahem, seize a "wave" of goodwill, "I won’t eat them, sister-in-law doesn’t like dumplings."

In those days, it was rare to eat dumplings, how could one not like them, Song Tingfan understood in his heart that sister-in-law is letting him eat, he pursed his lips, then picked up a dumpling and held it towards her mouth, "Sister-in-law, you eat."

Not expecting him to feed her dumplings, Lin Qiao was startled for a moment, then quickly responded, "Sister-in-law doesn’t eat, little uncle you eat, eat up."

Song Tingfan stubbornly didn’t retract his hand, "Sister-in-law, you eat."

Lin Qiao had no choice but to eat one, the dumplings weren’t particularly delicious, but with meat flavor, it was good enough, "Sister-in-law ate, the rest is for little uncle."

Song Tingfan quickly picked up another one for her, seriously saying, "Sister-in-law, have another."

The boy’s eyes were so pure, the emotions in them were clear, Lin Qiao felt a little guilty, she thought, she wasn’t "tricking" feelings, right?

Little uncle’s familial affections towards his sister-in-law.

She slightly lowered her head and ate another, "Sister-in-law really won’t eat any more, little uncle be good, listen, eat by yourself."

"If you like them, sister-in-law will make them for you another time."

"Sister-in-law is going to the kitchen to cook now, you eat slowly." With that, she went to the kitchen.

Song Tingfan glanced at the chopsticks, hesitated a moment, then started eating, but he didn’t eat them all, only ate two, then placed them back on the table.

Afterward, he went to gather clothes from the yard, then swept the yard.

He didn’t notice that the mice in the main room had grown bold enough to climb up and eat the dumplings.

Lin Qiao was going into the main room to get a basin to wash vegetables when she saw the mouse eating dumplings, but before she could scare it away, it was gone in a flash.

She: "..."

So poor, yet it still steals food?

Where’s the professional ethics?

She turned her head and shouted towards the yard, "Little uncle, the mouse ate the dumplings."

Hearing this, Song Tingfan ran inside, saw the dumpling crumbs on the table and the bitten marks in the bowl, his eyes turned red with anger.

Afraid that sister-in-law would be angry with him, he explained quietly, feeling upset, "Sister-in-law, I wanted to save them for you, I... "

"It’s alright, don’t feel bad, they ate, so they ate."

Lin Qiao saw his red-eyed, little white rabbit look and hurriedly comforted him with a pat on the shoulder.

She continued, "Really, it’s no big deal, just think sister-in-law ate them, don’t be upset, it’s nothing."

There were still dishes cooking on the stove, she quickly went back to the kitchen.

Song Tingfan looked at the bowl, bit his lower lip, then went out of the main room, returned with a packet of medicine powder, and added the rest of the dumplings into a broken bowl. He stirred them with chopsticks, and finally dumped them in the corner of the yard.