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

A heavy thud came from the west room next door, followed by Xiao Yong's low growl.

"Damn it, Li Dongye, are you fucking dead?"

As dawn broke, the window paper shone with a pale, bleak light.

Startled by the shout, Lin Qingqing instinctively reached out and touched the mat beside her; it was cold.

Qin Lie gets up early; he's probably already at work.

There was another clanging and banging in the west room.

"Second Brother, don't be so hot-tempered so early in the morning." Li Dongye's voice was lazy and hoarse from not having woken up yet. "I was just dreaming about getting married, and before I could even lift the veil, you yelled it away."

"Stop talking nonsense and bring that thing over here!" Xiao Yong's voice sounded somewhat urgent, and also a little embarrassed and ashamed.

"What? A chamber pot?" Li Dongye laughed on the other end, turning over as he heard the noise. "It's right by the wall, can't you reach it yourself? Second brother, your leg is injured, but your hand isn't useless, is it?"

"Screw you! It hurts like hell to move my leg! Hurry up!"

Lin Qingqing rubbed her eyes and slipped on her cloth shoes before getting out of bed.

Qin Lie really wore me out last night; my back ached and my legs were weak. I almost lost my balance as soon as my feet touched the ground.

She leaned against the wall for a while to catch her breath, and hearing the commotion in the west room getting louder and louder, she was afraid that the guys would start fighting, so she quickly pushed open the door and went out.

A faint smell of coal smoke filled the main room. Jiang He was squatting by the door brushing his teeth, his mouth full of white foam. Hearing the noise, he turned around, glanced at the door, and mumbled "Sister."

Lin Qingqing responded and walked to the door of the west room, lifting the curtain.

Xiao Yong, with his towering frame, lay sprawled on the kang (a heated brick bed), his dark face contorted into a liverish color, his forehead covered in large beads of sweat, his hands gripping the straw mat beneath him tightly, veins bulging.

Li Dongye was still wrapped in a quilt at the other end of the bed, lying there like a corpse, one leg dangling and swaying on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"What's wrong?" Lin Qingqing asked.

Upon hearing her voice, Xiao Yong froze, his already flushed face turning purple in an instant. He tilted his head to the side, pretending to be dead, as if he wanted to bury himself in the kang (heated brick bed).

Li Dongye, however, perked up and poked his head out from under the covers. His face, still bearing the marks of sleep, grinned in a way that was sure to get him punched: "Oh, Qingqing's awake? It's nothing, your second brother's just trying to draw a map, he's really putting in the effort."

"Li Laosi!" Xiao Yong gritted his teeth, "If you don't speak, no one will sell you off as a mute!"

Lin Qingqing understood immediately upon seeing Xiao Yong's expression.

When nature calls, there are three urgent needs. His leg injury was severe, and even the slightest movement would tear the flesh. It was definitely impossible for him to get out of bed to go to the outhouse, and the chamber pot in the house was far away.

She didn't say anything, but turned around and went to the corner to get the enamel chamber pot.

"No!" Xiao Yong turned around abruptly, wincing in pain from the sudden movement. "Qingqing, get out! Let Lao Si come! Or Xiao Wu can come in too!"

He always acted like a tough guy in front of Lin Qingqing, even when he was injured, he was the kind of person who would bleed but not cry.

Making her serve him with this kind of bodily waste is worse than killing him.

Lin Qingqing ignored him and walked over with the chamber pot. The chamber pot was quite old, with a lot of porcelain chipped off, revealing the black iron underneath.

"Fourth Brother was tired from driving last night, let him rest for a while. Fifth Brother is still brushing his teeth." Lin Qingqing walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), put the chamber pot on the edge of the kang, and said, "We're all family, Second Brother, why are you being so fussy?"

"This isn't being dramatic..."

Xiao Yong was so anxious that his neck swelled up, his eyes darting around, but he didn't dare to look at Lin Qingqing. "I'm a grown man, this... this is outrageous."

Li Dongye whistled over there, sat up, and leaned against the wall to watch the show: "Second Brother, just give in. Qingqing doesn't mind you, and you're still acting all high and mighty. Or should I help you out? We're brothers, aren't we?"

"Second brother, if you call me 'brother,' I'll definitely take good care of you during this time!"

"Get out!" Xiao Yong refused to comply and grabbed a cloth shoe from beside the pillow, throwing it at him.

Li Dongye tilted his head, caught the shoe, threw it back on the ground, and got off the kang (heated brick bed) with a grin.

"Then I won't bother with you, hehe."

With that, he pulled on his pants and swaggered out. Before leaving, he winked at Lin Qingqing, secretly hoping she would follow him out.

Xiao Yong was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, a mixture of suffocation and embarrassment.

Lin Qingqing didn't look at that area; she simply handed him the chamber pot: "Second Brother, can you manage by yourself? If not, I can help you."

"No, no, no! I can do it myself!"

Xiao Yong was so frightened he almost rolled off the bed. He snatched the chamber pot and frantically stuffed it into the quilt, his movements so rough it looked like he was about to start a fight.

Lin Qingqing turned her back to her. "Call me when you're done."

I heard rustling sounds behind me, the rustling of fabric, followed by intermittent splashing sounds.

The mud-brick house was not soundproof, and the sound was especially clear in the quiet morning.

Lin Qingqing stared at the window paper, her cheeks burning slightly.

After a while, the noise behind me stopped.

"Okay...okay." Xiao Yong's voice was so soft it was like a mosquito humming.

Lin Qingqing turned around.

Xiao Yong had already placed the chamber pot on the stool beside the kang (a heated brick bed), and he was curled up in the quilt, with only his eyes showing. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked pitiful.

She picked up the chamber pot and walked outside.

"Qingqing..." Xiao Yong suddenly called out to her.

Lin Qingqing stopped in her tracks. "What's wrong?"

Xiao Yong swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Um... once my leg is healed, I'll make you a new dressing table, the kind with a mirror."

Lin Qingqing's heart softened, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. "Okay, I'll wait."

After leaving the house, I cleaned up the things.

In the courtyard, Qin Lie was taking a shower by the well, shirtless.

On a late autumn morning, the well water was icy cold, and steam rose as it was poured over him. His muscles were as firm as stone, and water droplets flowed down the grooves of his back and into his waistband.

Seeing Lin Qingqing come out, Qin Lie wiped his face with a towel and said in a deep voice, "The second brother's leg will need to rest for a while. We need to take good care of him during this time and make sure he doesn't move around too much."

"I know." Lin Qingqing put the basin down and went over to help him wipe his back.

Qin Lie took a step back, avoiding her hand. "It's cold, don't touch it."

He grabbed the shirt hanging on the rack and put it on, leaving the buttons undone, revealing a large expanse of his muscular chest. "Breakfast is in the pot, sweet potato porridge. I'm going to the village office to finish handing over the supplies."

"So early?"

Go early and come back early.

Breakfast was sweet potato porridge with pickled vegetable dumplings.

Jiang He was so focused on his pig that he ate very quickly, finishing a bowl in just two gulps.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Lin Qingqing put a piece of pickled vegetables on his plate.

"I'm going to cut grass for the pigs." Jiang He's mouth was stuffed full, his cheeks bulging. "I checked yesterday, the grass on the back hill is growing really well, so tender, the pigs will definitely love it."

"All you know is pigs." Li Dongye peeled a boiled egg, which he had specially saved last night. "Even Qingqing didn't eat it this quickly."

"Mind your own business." Jiang He rolled her eyes at him, pushed the bowl away, and said, "Sister, I want fried pork cracklings for lunch."

"Okay, I'll make it for you."

Gu Qiangying was the last to come out.

His sleeves were neatly rolled up, and he carried his precious medicine box in his hand. He didn't rush to eat, but went to the west room first.

Lin Qingqing quickly followed.