Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 321 - 316: The Plot Can’t Be Reversed

Fan’an Shop

It was quite busy at the moment, Lin Qiao was helping to make cakes, when suddenly, a helper rushed in, "Young master, the boss is back."

Lin Qiao quickly washed her hands and dried them. Before she had time to untie her waist apron, the tall figure of a man walked in. Their eyes met, and she quickly diverted her attention, "Today, we need to go back home to eat. Grandpa said they’ve stewed duck at home."

Ever since she got pregnant, Song Tingfan didn’t let her do anything, seizing every opportunity to nag her.

She never knew he could talk so much.

Sure enough, he caught her in the act again. He stared at her sternly, "You’re working again. You promised me you wouldn’t. If it happens again, you won’t be allowed to come to the shop..."

Lin Qiao was afraid of him, so she quickly raised her hand to admit her mistake, "Alright, I won’t do it again next time."

The cook next to them glanced at them a few times, then moved out of the kitchen.

The young master got scolded again.

Song Tingfan pressed his lips together, but couldn’t do anything about Lin Qiao. He couldn’t bear to scold her, let alone hit her, "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." Lin Qiao picked up a piece of cake and gave it to him.

Song Tingfan opened his mouth and ate it, then walked behind her to untie her waist apron.

As he got close, Lin Qiao noticed his face was sunburned again. It had been like this the past few days. She pursed her lips, "Has the General been giving you trouble?"

"No, the assessment is coming up. I just practiced a bit more."

Song Tingfan didn’t want her to worry. He would handle these things himself, and she just needed to take care of herself.

Lin Qiao had a hunch and felt a bit distressed. Just as she was about to say something, a thought struck her, "Assessment? What assessment?"

In her dreams, it was mentioned once that the antagonist was promoted through an assessment.

Someone was jealous of him and wanted his life, shooting him with an arrow during the assessment. It hit his chest, but he luckily survived.

Later, his chest would ache every rainy day.

And this was somehow related to a conspiracy.

"There is an assessment in the military camp every six months. If you perform well, you can get promoted."

Song Tingfan was unaware of her worries and continued, "When I’m promoted, we’ll buy a house and install a swing then." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

She had inadvertently mentioned the swing before.

He remembered.

Lin Qiao’s heart sank. No, she couldn’t let him go, so she quickly thought, "When is it?"

"Three days later." Song Tingfan saw her looking uneasy and asked softly, "What’s wrong?"

"I don’t know why, but I want to go back to the village recently. I feel uneasy, and today I can’t stand my chest pain."

"Why didn’t you say earlier? I’ll take you to see a doctor."

"It’s fine, I’ve seen a doctor. The doctor said I should relax."

Facing his direct gaze, Lin Qiao felt a bit guilty. Song Tingfan did not notice her small actions, sighed in relief, but felt a bit troubled.

He was not greedy for promotion, but being promoted would mean a much higher salary, allowing him to buy good things for the family.

He also wanted to save Silver Coin for his daughter.

Additionally, the General was pressing him. If he didn’t climb up, it would be harder for him to stand out in the future.

If anyone bullied his family then, he would be even more helpless.

He thought for a moment and said seriously, "I’ll take you back today, and then rush back."

Riding a horse, a round trip would be doable in one day.

"I want you to stay with me."

Saying this made Lin Qiao blush. It had been centuries since she said such things.

At her words, Song Tingfan’s eyes gleamed with joy, "I’ll be back soon, then I’ll have my parents accompany you."

"But I just want you with me." Lin Qiao pretended to be slightly downcast, clearly somewhat unhappy.

Song Tingfan couldn’t bear to see her upset. He bent down to coax her, "I’ll be back in just a day or two, okay?"

"No, if you don’t stay with me, then don’t bother at all." Lin Qiao playfully sulked past him, looking unhappy.

Cough, if not for acting, she really couldn’t pull off being unreasonable.

This was her first time throwing a tantrum, and Song Tingfan was momentarily stunned, remembering the doctor said pregnant women could have strange tempers.

It’s best to go along with her wishes, lest it affects her mood.

He quickly caught up to her, "Qiao’er, I’ll go back with you, I’ll speak to the General soon."

Lin Qiao’s eyes gleamed with joy, she pursed her lips and turned to look at him, "Really? Promise me."

"Really, I promise you I will do this." Song Tingfan guaranteed.

However, Lin Qiao’s wishes couldn’t be fulfilled. After lunch, it started to rain heavily, and the ground quickly flooded.

No one could go out.

Watching the torrential rain outside, seemingly not stopping anytime soon, Lin Qiao stood at the door, feeling slightly frustrated. The plot seemed unmovable.

"We’ll go back once the rain stops." Song Tingfan comforted her from the side.

Just then, a figure ran in, the wooden umbrella in his hand was deformed from the pressure, "Vice General Song, the drain in the east of the city seems blocked, and the General is calling you to lead people to fix it."

The person was none other than Zhou Fu’an.

Song Tingfan nodded and responded, "Alright."

He then went to change his shoes, looked apologetically at Lin Qiao, "I’m leaving."

"Be careful."

At times like this, Lin Qiao couldn’t possibly stop him. If the drain was blocked and not cleared, the entire city could suffer.

She thought of something, turned around, and went inside to get a bamboo hat, "Wear it, don’t catch a cold."

Song Tingfan felt warmth in his heart, took it and put it on, "Stay warm in bed while sleeping at home."

Beside them, Zhou Fu’an glanced at the dripping wooden umbrella, then at his wet shoes, feeling a bit envious.

Why doesn’t anyone care about him?

...

East of the city, by the riverside

The water on the street was up to their calves. Gao Qiang had rolled up his pants several times and finally gave up, as they were wet anyway. He complained slightly, "Getting the Archery Camp to unclog a drain is such a waste of talent."

In battles, they were the ones usually leading the charge, and now they’ve been reduced to this.

It’s truly ironic.

Song Tingfan glanced at him but then addressed the soldiers behind him, "Stay under the eaves, I’ll go down and take a look."

Gao Qiang complained but was still proactive in doing his job, "Vice General Song, let me go down and see. You don’t go, or you’ll catch a cold and worry your wife. I don’t have a wife, so I’m not afraid."

Actually, the hundreds of men who followed him here weren’t forced by higher-ups, but willingly obeyed him. Despite his young age, he was smart and capable, and most importantly, he always led from the front.

Unlike other camps, where soldiers were always scouts at the forefront.

Everyone says they’re not afraid to die, but who truly isn’t? They want to live when they can.

A soldier with a rough voice chimed in, "Let me, I’m good in water, and my wife ran off with another man, so I’m not afraid."

Laughter ensued immediately.

Zhou Fu’an patted his shoulder, laughing and teasing, "Mingshan, have you let it go?"

"Go, go, go, I let it go ages ago." Jiang Mingshan gave him a playful kick.

"I’ll go down first and check; you guys keep watch from above."

Song Tingfan took off his bamboo hat, stripped off his clothes, and jumped into the river. The riverside drain was clogged with grass, probably because many families were harvesting rice these days.

"Gao Qiang, bring a hoe."

"Right away."

Gao Qiang borrowed a hoe from nearby and handed it to him.