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

A kerosene lamp was lit in the main room.

Xiao Yong sat on the bench, his trousers rolled up to his thighs, revealing his bloodied and mangled leg.

Gu Qiangying washed her hands and took out tweezers and alcohol.

"Bear with it." Gu Qiangying pushed up his glasses.

Xiao Yong gritted his teeth, "Come on, if I call out, I'll take Lao Wu's surname."

Jiang He chimed in sarcastically, "What's wrong with having my surname? Jiang Yong, it sounds much better."

Xiao Yong glared at him, "Get lost."

When Gu Qiangying pressed the cotton ball against Xiao Yong's skin, Xiao Yong shuddered and broke out in a cold sweat.

Qin Lie went to the yard to chop firewood. Li Dongye unloaded some goods from the truck and came back to check on things. Seeing Lin Qingqing busy running around, he said to Gu Qiangying, "Third brother, is your medicine any good? Don't cripple Second brother."

Gu Qiangying didn't look up. "It's good that he's disabled; it'll be one less person to feed at home."

Xiao Yong groaned in pain, "Third brother, you have a really sharp tongue."

Lin Qingqing brought in hot water and saw Gu Qiangying carefully stitching up Xiao Yong's wound.

Gu Qiangying usually looks refined, but when she gets to work, her hands are very steady. Her slender fingers dance under the light, and she does have an indescribable charm.

"Qingqing, help me hold the lamp," Gu Qiangying instructed.

Lin Qingqing quickly went over and held up the kerosene lamp.

Gu Qiangying was very close to her. Suddenly, she looked up at Lin Qingqing without stopping what she was doing. "What did Fourth Brother say to you in the car just now?"

Lin Qingqing was taken aback for a moment, "He didn't say anything, just that the road was difficult to walk on."

Gu Qiangying chuckled, "If he could speak seriously, the sun would rise in the west."

Xiao Yong chimed in from the side, "The fourth brother said he misses his wife."

Li Dongye chimed in from the doorway, "Is it illegal for me to want my wife?"

Lin Qingqing looked at the gaping wound, her palms sweating. "Third Brother, be gentle."

Gu Qiangying looked up at her, his hands still busy. He held the suture needle and deftly threaded it through the flesh. "His skin is thick, it won't hurt."

Xiao Yong's eyes widened. "Gu Laosan, are you sewing a person's stitches or patching a burlap sack?"

Gu Qiangying tore off the stitches, threw the blood-stained cotton ball into the basin, and said, "Alright, don't get it wet for the next few days, and don't jump around like that."

Lin Qingqing quickly grabbed a clean gauze, intending to help bandage the wound. Gu Qiangying didn't let go, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against the back of Lin Qingqing's hand. "Go check on the noodles in the kitchen. I'll do it here."

Lin Qingqing responded and turned to walk towards the backyard.

Qin Lie was chopping firewood in the yard, his axe landing on a wooden stake. Li Dongye, having finished unloading the goods, squatted by the cowshed, smoking and resting, the embers flickering.

"Fourth brother, go and bring that bag of flour in from the car." Qin Lie didn't even look up.

Li Dongye exhaled a smoke ring. "Big brother, my back is about to break. Let Xiao Wu go."

Jiang He called from inside the house, "I'm busy."

Qin Lie stopped what he was doing, chopped the axe into the wooden stake, and said, "Damn it."

Li Dongye quickly stood up. "No, brother, don't move. Let me go."

He brushed the dust off his pants and walked towards the gate.

Lin Qingqing started a fire in the kitchen, and the water in the large pot was just beginning to bubble. As she kneaded the dough, she was still thinking about Xiao Yong's injury.

A hand suddenly landed on the cutting board.

Gu Qiangying came in at some point. He stood behind Lin Qingqing, his chest almost touching her back.

Gu Qiangying took the dough from her hand. "Let me do it. Your hand is injured."

Lin Qingqing withdrew her hand slightly. "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

Without saying a word, Gu Qiangying grabbed her wrist and pulled her under the light to look at her.

He sighed, took out a small box of ointment from his pocket, and applied it to her little by little.

"Does it hurt?" Gu Qiangying asked.

"It doesn't hurt." Lin Qingqing looked at his serious expression and her heart softened. "Third Brother, you're so kind."

Gu Qiangying stopped what she was doing, looked into her eyes, and asked, "What's so good about me?"

Lin Qingqing was stumped by the question, her face turning bright red. "You...you're so composed."

"Being steady isn't a good word." Gu Qiangying put the medicine box away. "Qingqing, saving lives is important, but you can't risk your life in the future. If you're the only doctor there, and something happens to you, there will be no one to treat your injuries."

Lin Qingqing looked up and said, "That's my second brother. I can't just stand by and watch him die."

Gu Qiangying reached out and pinched her cheek. "I wasn't talking about him, I was talking about someone else."

Lin Qingqing said "Oh," and added, "I understand, Third Brother."

Gu Qiangying smiled, "Go wash your face, I'll call you when the noodles are ready."

Lin Qingqing watched his practiced movements and asked, "Third Brother, you can do this too?"

Gu Qiangying flattened the dough. "When I was studying away from home, I had to do everything myself."

Jiang He came in from outside, looking disheveled. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw Gu Qiangying rolling out dough.

"Third brother, can you make noodles? If they're not good, save them for me to feed the pigs."

Gu Qiangying wielded the rolling pin rapidly, her mind filled with nothing but pigs.

Jiang He finished drinking the water, put down the ladle, wiped his mouth, and said, "What's wrong with pigs? Pigs can be sold for money and used to buy face cream for my sister. All you do is give people needles, making my second brother scream in pain."

Gu Qiangying snorted coldly, "I can make sure you don't get to eat dinner tonight."

Jiang He's expression immediately changed, and he grinned as he leaned closer, "No, Third Brother, I was wrong, okay? Give me an extra egg over there."

Gu Qiangying glanced at him sideways. "Is the pigsty finished?"

Jiang He sat down by the stove. "It's all set up. Those three ancestors are sleeping soundly."

He turned to look at Lin Qingqing, reached out and tugged at her sleeve, "Sister, come with me to cut grass tomorrow."

Lin Qingqing patted his head. "Okay, we'll go tomorrow."

Jiang He rubbed his face against her waist. "Sister is the best. Unlike them, they only know how to order me around all day."

Gu Qiangying slammed the rolling pin on the cutting board. "Jiang Xiaowu, let go."

When the noodles were ready, Li Dongye carried the flour into the yard. He threw the bag at the entrance of the main room, which made him break out in a cold sweat. "It's really heavy." He went inside, grabbed a water ladle, and took a big gulp of cold water.

Xiao Yong lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the east room, his legs wrapped in thick gauze. "Fourth brother, get me a bowl of noodles, I'm starving."

Li Dongye wiped his mouth. "Wait a minute, Qingqing is in full bloom."

Lin Qingqing brought in a large porcelain bowl, and handed the first bowl to Xiao Yong, saying, "Second Brother, eat it while it's hot."

Two golden-brown poached eggs rest on top of the noodles, and a handful of bright green scallions are sprinkled on top.

Xiao Yong took it, took a big slurp, and exclaimed, "Delicious!"

Li Dongye leaned closer, "Qingqing, what about mine?"

"It's in the pot, go get some yourself." Qin Lie walked into the house, carrying a cool, herbal scent.

He sat at the table and took the noodles Lin Qingqing handed him.

"Tomorrow, the second son will stay home and rest, and the third son will watch over him. The fourth son will come with me to town to settle the remaining supplies."

Li Dongye slurped his noodles. "Okay, let's go see if they have any new stock."

Jiang He squatted by the door with a bowl in his hand, eating without looking up. "I'm not going. I'm going to feed the pigs."

Qin Lie ignored him. "Qingqing, don't go up the mountain tomorrow. The village has been unsettled lately."

Lin Qingqing nodded. "I know."

After dinner, Lin Qingqing was washing the pots and pans in the kitchen. Gu Qiangying walked in, holding an empty bowl. "Let me do it."

"Third Brother, you should rest." Lin Qingqing snatched the bowl away.

Gu Qiangying didn't argue, but leaned against the door frame and watched her.