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

The torrential rain pounded on the newly laid tarpaulin, making a sound as loud as someone scattering a handful of soybeans over your head.

The group had barely stepped across the threshold when the rain blocked the mountain.

The light in the main room dimmed instantly, leaving only a patch of grayish-white daylight at the doorway, barely illuminating the group of drenched people inside.

Qin Lie wiped the water off his face. His short hair was wet and stuck to his scalp. Water droplets trickled down his high nose bridge, gathered at the tip of his chin, and dripped into the hollow of his collarbone.

His shirt was soaked through, clinging tightly to his body and outlining the muscles in his chest and abdomen, rising and falling with his breath.

"This darn weather, it changes its face in an instant." Li Dongye shook his head, splashing water everywhere.

He simply threw the vest he was carrying onto the bench, shirtless, hands on his hips, his chest heaving violently, clearly having exerted a lot of effort in the emergency repairs on the roof.

Jiang He huddled in the corner, hugging his shoulders and shivering. "Cold."

Lin Qingqing brought out ginger soup from the kitchen, steaming hot, which made the damp and cold room feel especially warm and welcoming.

"Quickly, one bowl for each person, drink it while it's hot to sweat it out." She placed the tray on the octagonal table, the porcelain bowls making a crisp sound as they touched the surface.

The ginger soup was simmered until thick and rich, with plenty of brown sugar added; the spicy and sweet aroma instantly filled the nose.

Without any hesitation, Li Dongye strode over, picked up a bowl, and, unafraid of the heat, tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful.

"Hiss—ha! That feels good!" He wiped his mouth, his peach blossom eyes staring straight at Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing was also a little wet, and the wisps of hair on her forehead clung to her cheeks, making her skin look even whiter.

Although the shirt wasn't completely soaked, the shoulder area had become semi-transparent, vaguely revealing the outline of the pink bra straps underneath.

Li Dongye's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he leaned forward.

"Qingqing, my hair is all wet, and it's stinging my eyes." He leaned closer. "Could you wipe it for me?"

Lin Qingqing held a dry towel in her hand, raised it and covered Li Dongye's face, rubbing it hard twice.

"Wipe it yourself."

Li Dongye, his face covered by a towel, chuckled softly. He reached out and grabbed Lin Qingqing's wrist, rubbing it against her palm through the towel. "You're so heartless. I risked my life for our roof just now."

Qin Lie was drinking soup from his bowl when he heard this. He didn't even lift his eyelids, but his fingers tightened around the rim of the bowl, his knuckles bulging. "Let go."

Li Dongye pulled off the towel, a wicked smile on his handsome but roguish face, but he still obediently let go of her hand.

"Big brother, don't be so serious. It's raining so hard, we're just killing time anyway, what's wrong with teasing Qingqing?"

Qin Lie put down his bowl and took the tray from Lin Qingqing's hand. "Go and take a bowl to the second son. He's probably cursing in his room right now."

Lin Qingqing glanced at Qin Lie. The man was soaking wet, yet his oppressive aura was even stronger than usual. She nodded, picked up the remaining bowl of ginger soup, and walked towards the west room.

As soon as the curtain to the west room was lifted, Xiao Yong could be heard humming inside.

"This damn leg! This damn sky!"

Xiao Yong was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). When he saw Lin Qingqing come in, his face turned red instantly, and he quickly wiped his hands haphazardly on his pants.

"Qingqing, it's raining quite hard outside?"

"Yeah, we almost blew the roof off just now." Lin Qingqing handed him the ginger soup. "Second brother, drink it while it's hot."

Xiao Yong took the bowl. His hands were large and rough, and his fingertips accidentally touched Lin Qingqing's fingers, almost causing the bowl to fall.

"Ouch, slow down." Lin Qingqing helped her up.

Xiao Yong lowered his head, not daring to look at her.

The room was dimly lit. Lin Qingqing stood in front of him, and the faint scent of soapberry mixed with the sweetness of ginger soup wafted into his nose.

He noticed that Lin Qingqing's trouser legs had some mud spots on them, and her ankles were exposed, looking very white.

"Qingqing, your...your clothes are wet." Xiao Yong managed to utter this after a long pause.

"It's okay, I'll go change in a bit."

"Um..." Xiao Yong took a big gulp of ginger soup, hissing from the spiciness, "Once my leg is better, I'll go to the city and buy you... those rain boots. The ones with flowers on them, I see all the girls in the city wear them."

Lin Qingqing smiled, "Alright, Second Brother keeps his word."

A sudden clap of thunder sounded outside.

With a loud "boom," the earth shook violently.

The paper windows of the west room trembled, and dust fell in clumps.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang He let out a scream from the main room.

"elder sister!"

Lin Qingqing's heart tightened, and she turned and ran outside.

Inside the main room, Jiang He sat on a stool, curled up in a ball, his face buried in his knees.

Gu Qiangying sat to the side, not even glancing at the lump of food.

"What's there to be afraid of? Good people are unshakeable." Gu Qiang said coolly.

"Shut up! Gu Laosan, you're not human!" Jiang He shouted with a sob in his voice. Hearing Lin Qingqing's footsteps, he immediately raised his head.

Her delicate little face was red-rimmed, and she looked incredibly pitiful.

"Sister...I'm scared."

Lin Qingqing's heart softened terribly, and she quickly went over, "It's nothing, it's just thunder, it'll stop in a bit."

Jiang He snuggled up to Lin Qingqing, burying his head in the crook of her neck, his wet hair tickling her neck.

"Sister, hug me."

Qin Lie was leaning against the doorway, smoking, the red glow of his cigarette flickering in the dim light. He watched this scene, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Jiang Xiaowu, get down." Qin Lie exhaled a smoke ring. "How old are you?"

"I don't care! I just want my sister!" Jiang He hugged her even tighter and rubbed against Lin Qingqing.

Li Dongye, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, whistled and said, "Oh my, whose puppy is this? He still wants his older sister to hold him. Qingqing, don't spoil him, this little rascal is quite naughty."

"Fourth Brother, you're the bad one! Your whole family is bad!" Jiang He said like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Li Dongye scoffed, "My whole family? My whole family is just this bunch of us, isn't it? Who are you calling a jerk?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Qiangying stood up and walked to the door, standing side by side with Qin Lie. He pushed up his glasses, his gaze piercing through the rain as he looked at the dirt road outside the courtyard.

"There's a car."

Qin Lie threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.

"I heard it too."

The noise inside the house stopped instantly.

Li Dongye stopped laughing, straightened up, and walked to the window to look outside.

The rain has lessened a bit, but the heavy rains of the past few days have made the roads difficult to navigate. In this downpour, you can't see a single person, let alone a car.

The dirt road leading to Qingshan Village was full of mud pits. Even a tractor would get stuck. What kind of vehicle could drive in at this time?

"You must have misheard?" Li Dongye frowned. "This noise doesn't sound like a tractor."

The sound was getting closer and closer.

The dull, powerful sound, accompanied by the rumble of machinery, forcefully tore through the cacophony of the rain.

Two beams of intense light suddenly pierced the darkness, striking the wooden door of the Qin family compound.

Inside the beam of light, the raindrops were dense and numerous, like countless silver needles.

"Damn, there really is a car." Li Dongye squinted.

The car stopped at the entrance.

The engine was still running, its low roar continuing.

Qin Lie reached for his hunting knife and turned around to call out.

"Second brother, don't come out."

In the west room, Xiao Yong was about to get out of bed when he heard this and sat back down.

"Qingqing, take Xiao Wu to the inner room," Qin Lie said again.

Lin Qingqing sensed that something was wrong. The men's usual relaxed demeanor had completely vanished, and their muscles were tense.

"I'm not going." Jiang He released Lin Qingqing, stood up straight, and the timidity in his eyes disappeared instantly, replaced by a gloomy and fierce aura. "I want to see who it is that is trying to dazzle us in this rainy weather."

A dark green Jeep slowly drove in.

After the car door opened, a black military boot stepped into the mud.

Immediately afterwards, a black umbrella was opened.

The people coming down were very tall.

He was wearing a long black overcoat over a crisp military uniform, and he wasn't wearing a hat, revealing his full forehead and sharp brow bones.

The man stood in the rain, his umbrella tilted, obscuring most of his face, leaving only a stubby, hard chin visible.

He just stood there, neither speaking nor moving forward, as if he were surveying the dilapidated farmhouse.

Qin Lie stepped out of the threshold and stood under the eaves.

Rainwater splashed in and soaked his trouser legs.

The person holding the umbrella slowly raised the edge of the umbrella.

Eyes facing each other.

The sound of rain in the air seemed to suddenly disappear.

It was a face that bore a slight resemblance to Li Dongye's, but it was colder and harder. His eyes were calm, and when he was expressionless, he gave people a suffocating sense of oppression.

Standing behind Qin Lie, Li Dongye dropped the towel in his hand the moment he saw the face clearly.

"You... this?" Li Dongye's voice trembled slightly. How the hell is this ghost that won't leave us?!

The man ignored Li Dongye, his gaze sweeping over Qin Lie's shoulder, across the people in the room, before finally settling back on Qin Lie's face.

Until the two voices rang out simultaneously—

"Qin Lie?"

"Mu Wenbin?"

The two names collided, sparks flying. Lin Qingqing stood in the main room, looking at the man standing in the rain. Was it Li Dongye's... J City big brother?

Mu Wenbin closed his umbrella, letting the rain pelt his trench coat. He stepped up the stairs and stood before Qin Lie. The two were of similar height, their auras clashing, neither willing to yield.

"Long time no see." Mu Wenbin extended a hand, which was covered by a black leather glove.

Qin Lie looked coldly at the hand and shook it back: "I was just looking for you too."

"Is that so?" Mu Wenbin withdrew his hand, not embarrassed at all. He slowly took off his gloves, revealing a pair of long and strong hands. "I heard that my brother has caused you a lot of trouble here."

As he spoke, his gaze passed over Qin Lie and precisely locked onto Li Dongye behind him.

"Yunqi, it's been a long time."