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

When Li Liushi let out that howl, all the dogs in half of Qingshan Village started barking.

The sun was blazing down, and the courtyard gate was surrounded by layers upon layers of people.

Wang Dazui had already squeezed to the front with a small stool, even holding a handful of melon seeds in his hand. His beady green eyes darted back and forth between the Qin brothers and Li Liushi, as if trying to see something out of them.

"Qin Lie! Don't play dumb with me!"

Seeing that Qin Lie didn't speak, Li Liu thought he was scared, so she cried even harder, her face covered in snot and tears, "My Er Gou is a scholar, a refined man!"

"You're trying to wipe out the Li family's lineage! The village chief is here today, everyone's here, if your Qin family doesn't give us an explanation, I'll hang myself right here at your doorstep!"

Su Daqiang stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

He glanced at Qin Lie, whose face was full of menace, and then at Li Liu, who was throwing a tantrum on the ground, cursing inwardly. These Qin brothers were like wolves in the mountains; they didn't usually cause trouble, but when they did, they were like wolves tearing the sky apart.

"Ahem." Su Daqiang cleared his throat, adopting the air of a village chief. "Qin Lie, isn't there some misunderstanding about this? Did you really hit Er Gou's leg?"

"Misunderstanding my foot!"

A loud shout exploded from the ground.

Xiao Yong slammed the piece of scrap metal he had been holding onto the ground with a loud thud, making the ground tremble three times. He took a step forward, his body reeking of alcohol mixed with the smell of sweat, which rushed towards Li Liushi like a heat wave.

"I'm the one who beat him up." Xiao Yong retorted, his dark red face filled with impatience. "What? He's lucky he wasn't dead!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Su Daqiang hadn't expected Xiao Yong to recognize him so readily. His lips twitched. "Second brother, you...you're breaking the law! Er Gou, that's your...that's your cousin's ex-brother-in-law, how could you do that?"

"Pah!" Xiao Yong spat, his eyes wide. "What kind of bullshit brother-in-law is that! That bastard drank two ounces of cat pee at the tavern in town, and his mouth is full of filth. What did he say? He said he wanted to get his cousin, that his cousin is..."

Xiao Yong paused.

He simply couldn't bring himself to utter those foul words in front of so many people.

Recalling Li Ergou's sleazy appearance back then, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Anyway, I heard it, so I can't just ignore it."

Xiao Yong pointed at Li Liu's nose.

"Go back and ask your precious son what dirty thoughts he has in his mind!"

"How dare he lay a finger on my cousin! I'll break both his legs, and that'll be the least I can do! If I hear him utter another word, I'll cut his tongue out and use it as a snack!"

These words were spoken in a rude and domineering manner.

The door to the east room creaked open a crack.

Lin Qingqing leaned against the door frame, her face still a little pale. Her polyester shirt was soaked with sweat and stuck to her back.

She had been in excruciating pain just moments before, but now she was forcing herself to stand. She could hear the conversation outside perfectly clearly.

She looked at the man in the yard who was as strong as a black bear. Xiao Yong usually seemed loud and boisterous, always yelling at people, but now, he stood in front of everyone, taking all the dirt and trouble upon himself.

The feeling of being protected under someone's wings brought tears to Lin Qingqing's eyes.

In this village, she was a widow whom everyone could bully, a rootless duckweed, but now, some people are even willing to eat prison food for her.

"Second Brother..." she whispered, her voice drowned out by the noisy crowd.

But Xiao Yong heard it.

The burly man suddenly turned around and saw Lin Qingqing standing at the door. His fierce and menacing demeanor vanished instantly.

He scratched his head, and his dark face suddenly glowed with an eerie red. He grinned somewhat helplessly.

"Cousin, why are you out here? It's windy outside, come inside quickly." Xiao Yong lowered his voice by eight octaves. Although he still had a loud voice, everyone could hear the ingratiating tone in his voice. "Don't be afraid, your second brother can handle this little thing. I'm thick-skinned and tough. Even if I get caught and locked up for a few days, it won't matter. It'll save me from doing any work."

He makes it sound so easy, but who doesn't know that breaking someone's leg can land you in jail these days?

Seeing that Xiao Yong had confessed, Li Liu immediately scrambled to her feet, pointed at him, and screamed, "Village chief! Listen to this! He confessed! Arrest him! Arrest him and shoot him!"

Su Daqiang was also in a dilemma. If this matter escalated, it would damage the village's reputation. Moreover, if the Qin family really arrested Xiao Yong, wouldn't the remaining four tear down the village office?

"Alright."

Qin Lie, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

He took two steps forward, standing in front of Xiao Yong, and looked at Su Daqiang: "Village chief, now that this has happened, it needs to be resolved. Er Gou's leg was broken because he was foul-mouthed, and he deserved to be beaten. But the Qin family will cover the medical expenses."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of ten-yuan notes.

That thickness must be at least five or six hundred.

In the mid-80s, what did five or six hundred yuan mean? It was the income of an ordinary farmer for two or three years! It was a huge sum of money that could build two large brick houses!

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Wang Dazui dropped the sunflower seeds in his hand, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. This Qin family, they're damn rich!

Qin Lie took the money in his hand and clapped it in his palm, making a crisp sound.

"Here's six hundred yuan." Qin Lie's voice was cold and hard. "That's enough to treat his leg. The rest is for his nutritional expenses."

Li Liu's eyes widened instantly. She had never seen so much money in her life! Just a moment ago she was crying her heart out, but now her tears stopped immediately, and the greedy gleam in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Qin Lie raised his hand.

The wad of money was slapped lightly across Li Liu's face with a "smack," then scattered on the ground.

"Take the money and get out."

Li Liushi no longer cared about saving face or that her son had been beaten. She pounced on the ground like a mad dog, frantically picking up the money while stuffing it into her bosom, afraid that the wind would blow away a single bill.

"Oh...this...this is more like it..." Li Liushi counted the money, her face beaming with joy. The look of utter despair from before was completely gone. "Since Qin Laoda is so sensible, then this matter...this matter is settled. I'll take Er Gou to the big hospital in the county right away!"

She pocketed the money, got up, dusted herself off, and was about to leave, not daring to utter a single harsh word.

"stop."

Qin Lie spoke again.

Li Liu's body stiffened, her grip on the money bag tightened, and she looked at Qin Lie warily: "I've already given you the money, what else do you want?"

Qin Lie pulled out the still-dry axe from his waist and lightly scratched the blade with his thumb.

"I've given you the money, that's the end of it." Qin Lie raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping across Li Liu's face like a knife, then over the surrounding villagers who were watching the commotion. "But let me make this clear from the start. Lin Qingqing is now living in my house, so she's a member of the Qin family. If anyone dares to make a move on her again, or speaks ill of her..."

"Snap!"

With a casual flick of his wrist, the axe flew out and struck the thick locust tree by the courtyard gate with pinpoint accuracy. The axe blade pierced deep into the wood, the trunk shook violently, and several leaves fluttered down.

"Next time, it won't be a leg that breaks."