Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 371 - 366: Accidentally Caught Up in an Elopement Drama
After they left, Lin Qiao decided not to pack up and go, just to be safe. Sigh, if the antagonist gets a brain fever and turns back, it would be all over.
At least wait for a day after Song Tingfan and the others leave, so even if they find out, they won’t have time to catch her.
She was in the room packing when Li Guifen arrived, smiling, "Daughter, why not stay over at our place?"
Upon entering and seeing her packing, she asked puzzled, "Are you leaving today?"
"No, I’m just packing in advance."
Lin Qiao put the luggage aside, glanced at Li Guifen, wanting to say something but holding back.
Then she remembered something and handed her a money bag, "Mom, keep this for me. I’ll ask for it when I need it, it’s not safe to keep it on me."
Feeling its weight, Li Guifen was startled, "Why so much money, you’d better store it at the money shop."
"Didn’t have time to save it, keep it for now." As for Lin Han and his wife, Lin Qiao could only do so much.
Lin Han and his wife had been good to the antagonist, so he wouldn’t harm them.
"Keeping so much silver isn’t safe, let me count it first, just in case some goes missing later."
Li Guifen quickly counted it, exactly one hundred taels. Others might be tempted, but she wasn’t; she carefully tucked it into her bosom, "It’s one hundred taels, let me know if there’s no money."
"Okay, you use it too, Mom."
Lin Qiao nodded and smiled, then reached out to hold her arm, "Mom, you and Dad are really good."
Really good, making up for her regrets.
Li Guifen was amused but exasperated, "Who needs your money, your father and I aren’t destitute, he’s earned a tael of silver working these days."
"Let Dad do less work, his back can’t take it."
"You know your dad, he gets restless staying at home all day, working gives him energy. I massage his back at night, so nothing will happen."
Li Guifen thought her daughter was unusually chatty today, but didn’t think much of it, figuring she was just bored, and kept her company for quite a while.
...
The next day, before dawn, Lin Qiao got up, took a bundle from the cabinet, walked out of the courtyard, hesitated for a moment while closing the lock, and finally locked it.
Finally, she was about to leave this house, this script, yet she felt none of the long-anticipated joy.
Old Wang next door happened to open his door to fetch water. Seeing her, he asked surprised, "Where are you going, Tingfan’s wife? So early."
"Going to check on the shop in town."
Remembering something, Lin Qiao said, "Old man, could you hand this key to my mom when you have time? It’s too early now, I don’t want to wake them."
Old Wang didn’t give it much thought and agreed readily, "Okay."
Receiving the key, he added, "It’s hard to see the road at this time, walk carefully."
Lin Qiao felt warm inside, "Okay, thank you, old man."
"No need to thank me, I’ll be off then." Old Wang picked up the bucket and left.
At the village entrance, Grandpa Zhou saw her about to get on the donkey cart and hurried to get a straw mat for her, "Why not take the family carriage, Tingfan’s wife?"
"Thanks, Grandpa Zhou, the coachman went to his wife’s family." Lin Qiao sat on the mat.
After a while, a few more people got on and the cart, not fully loaded, set off.
By the time it was fully light, they had reached the town. Lin Qiao went to the shop, which had just opened. Jiang Ming, having not seen her for a while, greeted her joyfully, "Young master."
"Why are you dressed so lightly?" Lin Qiao took a couple of glances at him, then entered the shop, her hands stiff. She rubbed them together.
"I’m not cold; I just swept the floor and worked up a sweat." Jiang Ming quickly poured her some hot water.
Lin Qiao said nothing more, took a letter from her bundle and gave it to him, earnestly instructing, "If the boss comes, give this to him. About the wages, have the accountant settle it directly."
"Deposit the monthly silver into the money shop and send the account books to the boss regularly."
Even in her departure, she had to handle these matters, ensuring they wouldn’t lose their jobs because of her.
Jiang Ming listened attentively and finally nodded, "Young master, are you going somewhere?"
"I’m going to Mingzhou City for some business." Lin Qiao deliberately said this, hoping to distract the antagonist for a while.
She wasn’t too worried about him finding her now; his power wasn’t that great yet.
Sigh, if it was like her past life, she thought there would be no need to run, she could just wait peacefully for death.
Jiang Ming didn’t think much of it, merely nodding.
Lin Qiao pondered for a moment, stayed and waited for the accountant to arrive, and spent quite some time explaining. Only after ensuring everything was clear did she leave.
She didn’t take the carriage but spent a hefty sum to take a merchant ship from the county.
Merchant ships were much safer, stopped at many places, and had many passengers, so few would notice her.
...
Li Guifen received the key from Old Wang, wondering why her daughter didn’t take someone along, then told the family and headed to town.
Not seeing Lin Qiao at the shop, she asked Jiang Ming.
Finding it odd, Jiang Ming explained, "The young master went to handle affairs in Mingzhou City."
"What? Mingzhou?"
Imagining her daughter with a belly, Li Guifen anxiously asked, "Why go to Mingzhou?"
"I don’t know; the young master didn’t say." Jiang Ming shook his head.
Li Guifen had a bad premonition. Her daughter never left without saying, so she hurriedly took the donkey cart back and called Lin Han back from the fields, "Our daughter went to Mingzhou City."
"Why, and why alone?" Lin Han asked, panicked.
"I don’t know!"
"Oh no, didn’t that Zhang boy also go to Mingzhou today?"
Li Guifen’s face changed, "Who told you that?"
"Old Man Zhang mentioned it yesterday himself, said Zhang Dong’s boss sent him to work there, with a salary of several taels a month."
Lin Han, anxious, slapped his thigh, unsure where to find their daughter.
"Don’t talk nonsense, our daughter wouldn’t leave with him."
"Am I speaking nonsense? She wouldn’t, Zhang Dong’s not as good as Tingfan!"
...
Had Lin Qiao known it looked like ’elopement,’ she would have checked the date before leaving. However, she didn’t know.
...
Several days later, in Lunan City
Military Camp
The man sat upright, intently dealing with matters when someone burst in; Zhou Fu’an was panting heavily, "General... General Song, your wife’s missing."
Hearing this, Song Tingfan jumped up, sternly, "What do you mean?"
"I went to fetch your wife from the village, but your mother-in-law said she’s missing."
Zhou Fu’an, slightly out of breath from running, swallowed and added, "Your father-in-law and mother-in-law are outside the camp."
Given past events, outsiders had been barred from entering the camp without prior notice.
Before Zhou Fu’an finished, the man had already briskly exited the tent, mounted the nearby horse, and rode off in a cloud of dust.
In less than fifteen minutes, he reached the camp entrance.
He dismounted quickly, his voice thick with urgency, "Where did she go?" His hands at his sides had already clenched into fists as he spoke.
