After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

Before leaving, Jiang He herded the grunting piglets into Granny Li's pigsty.

Granny Li was an elderly woman living alone who made a living by sewing shoe soles. At this moment, she was holding half a cornbread in her hand and looking at the three "distinguished guests" who were obviously a size bigger than her own piglets. Her hands were trembling a little.

"Fifth Master, this... I don't have any extra food to feed him." Granny Li's face was wrinkled with worry.

Jiang He pulled a wad of bills from his pocket, didn't even count them, and slapped them directly into Granny Li's calloused hand.

He squatted down, reached out through the fence, and gave the little white pig's head a hard rub, making the pig squeal.

"The grain coupons and money coupons are all here; enough to feed the pigs for several years."

Jiang He stood up, dusted off his hands, and narrowed his eyes. "But what if when I come back I find they've lost an ounce of flesh, or are missing a single feather..."

He didn't continue, but his gaze swept over Granny Li's dilapidated chicken coop.

Granny Li was startled and quickly stuffed the money into her bosom. "Don't worry, Fifth Master, I'll treat them like royalty. Even if I don't eat them myself, I'll make sure they're well-fed!"

Jiang He took one last look at the little white pig that was still eating mindlessly, muttered "heartless thing" under his breath, turned around and left, taking very long strides, as if afraid he would regret it if he walked too slowly.

When I got home, two cars were parked at the door.

One was Li Dongye's truck, which made noise everywhere except for the horn; the other was Old Zhao's tractor, which was responsible for taking Qin Lie and the others to the county town to catch a long-distance bus.

Lin Qingqing stood at the gate of the courtyard, carrying a bundle in her hand.

Qin Lie walked over, his tall figure blocking out most of the sun.

Today he wore an old military uniform, the buttons fastened tightly. His former soldierly air had long since disappeared in the years since his discharge, leaving only a mountain-like composure.

He opened his palm, revealing a bright yellow bullet casing lying in his calloused hand.

The cartridge case was polished to a shine, with a small hole drilled in it and a red string threaded through it.

If you look closely, you can see that the character "Qin" was carved on the surface of the cartridge case with the tip of a knife, albeit in a crooked but powerful manner.

"This is what I brought back from my last mission." Qin Lie hung the red string around Lin Qingqing's neck, the bullet casing sliding down her collar and resting against her chest. "Have fun out there, don't think about anything. Once we're done here, I'll come find you in J City."

Lin Qingqing felt a lump in her throat and was about to speak when a large hand reached out from the side and stuffed a bulging cloth bag into her arms.

Xiao Yong's eyes were as red as a rabbit's, it was hard to tell whether he hadn't slept well last night or had just cried in secret.

He said in a muffled voice, "I ate when I got hungry on the way. It was all fried in oil with eggs, so it wasn't hard."

"Alright, stop making it sound like a life-or-death situation." Li Dongye leaned against the car door, his hands trembling slightly. "Brother, we'll head back now. J City is far away; it'll take three or four days to get there."

Qin Lie nodded, walked over, and punched him hard on the shoulder. "Call the village committee when you get there, and call them in a few days to ask for news."

"understood."

Li Dongye opened the car door and was about to call Lin Qingqing to get in when a figure rushed over like a cannonball.

Jiang He held Lin Qingqing tightly around the waist, his hands squeezing her so tightly she could barely breathe.

"Xiao He..." Lin Qingqing patted his back helplessly, "Let go, we're leaving."

"I won't let go." Jiang He's voice was muffled. "Sister, what if you leave and never come back?"

"Stop fooling around." Gu Qiangying walked over, reached out and grabbed Jiang He by the back of the neck, pinching the tendon right there.

Jiang He winced in pain and loosened his grip, allowing Gu Qiangying to pull him behind her.

"That's a disaster area. Since you've decided to go, don't act recklessly. Stop being so indecisive; where's your manly behavior?"

Gu Qiangying pushed up his glasses, looked at Lin Qingqing, and a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes behind the lenses. "Take care of yourself. If Lao Si dares to bully you, remember this, and I'll deal with him when we get back."

Lin Qingqing nodded, not daring to look at Jiang He's wet eyes any longer, and turned to get into the passenger seat.

The engine roared, and black smoke billowed out.

The truck sluggishly turned around and headed toward the winding dirt road at the village entrance.

In the rearview mirror, those tall figures stood amidst the swirling dust, growing smaller and smaller until they became a few blurry black dots.

Lin Qingqing kept turning her head to look until she turned past a mountain ridge and could no longer see it at all, then she slowly turned around.

Li Dongye held the steering wheel with one hand and rolled down the car window with the other to let in some fresh air.

He caught a glimpse of Lin Qingqing with her head down, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the bullet casing under her collar, and he felt a pang of unease.

"What? You're already missing your big brother before you've even left the village?" Li Dongye chuckled, reached under the dial and fumbled around for a while before snapping the radio switch on.

After a crackling sound of electricity, Teresa Teng's voice exploded in the narrow carriage.

"Sweet...your smile is so sweet..."

"It's like flowers blooming in the spring breeze..."

"Blooming in the spring breeze—"

Li Dongye hummed along, the tune drifting to his grandmother's house.

Lin Qingqing, who was originally immersed in the sorrow of parting, was startled by his loud shout and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Fourth Brother, if Teresa Teng heard you singing like that, she would crawl out of the radio and beat you up."

"She dares." Li Dongye felt relieved when he saw her smile.

He spat the unlit cigarette butt out the window, his expression triumphant. "I call this artistic embellishment, full of rugged masculine beauty, understand?"

After about two hours of driving, the sun was high overhead, and the carriage became hot and stuffy.

Li Dongye freed one hand and rummaged under the seat for a while before pulling out an oil paper package. He used his teeth to bite open the string, revealing several dark red preserved plums inside.

Open your mouth.

Lin Qingqing subconsciously opened her mouth.

Li Dongye pinched a preserved plum and put it into her mouth, his fingertips inevitably brushing against her soft lips.

Li Dongye's fingers stiffened for a moment, then he casually withdrew them. "Is it sweet? I grabbed this from the county town's supply and marketing cooperative early this morning. I heard that city girls love to eat this. I was planning to give it to you while watching TV tonight."

The sweet and sour taste melted on the tip of the tongue, easing the discomfort of motion sickness.

"Sweet." Lin Qingqing had a preserved plum in her mouth, and her cheeks puffed out a little.

Li Dongye's Adam's apple bobbed twice. His gaze lingered for two seconds on her face, which was flushed pink from the heat, before he abruptly turned his head, staring at the road ahead, and pressed the accelerator even harder.

When it was completely dark, the car stopped in front of a guesthouse in the middle of nowhere.

This is a two-story building with most of the paint peeling off the walls. The light bulb hanging at the entrance is flickering. The paint on the signboard for "reception" has peeled off, leaving only the word "waiting place" barely legible.

Li Dongye jumped out of the car, helped Lin Qingqing down, and the two of them went inside with their bags.

A middle-aged woman sitting behind the counter, dozing off, didn't even lift her eyelids when she heard the noise. "How many people? Where's the letter of introduction?"

Li Dongye slapped the prepared letter of introduction on the counter, handed over a Daqianmen cigarette, and raised an eyebrow at the older woman: "Sister, we need two rooms."

The woman glanced at the letter of introduction, then at the two men, and after a two-second eye contact with Li Dongye, she took the cigarette: "Two rooms? There's only one left. Take it or leave it. If you don't want to stay, there's no shop even fifty miles ahead."

Lin Qingqing remained calm. In this day and age, it's good enough to have a place to stay when you're traveling. "One room is fine."

The woman tossed out a rusty key. "Turn left, get the hot water yourself."