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

Li Liu was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost knelt on the ground again. She swallowed hard, grabbed the money, and ran away as fast as she could, not daring to look back.

The villagers were also stunned by the axe blow. They all shrank back, looking at each other, and finally slunk away under Qin Lie's murderous gaze.

Wang Dazui ran the fastest, even forgetting to take his little stool.

The courtyard is finally quiet.

Gu Qiangying stood under the eaves, adjusted his glasses, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes behind the lenses. He looked at Qin Lie's tall, straight back, a playful smile curving his lips.

"Big brother's combination of kindness and severity was quite clever. Six hundred yuan bought him peace and quiet, and also won over his cousin's heart. It was a good deal."

Li Dongye leaned against the car door, a straw dangling from his mouth, and snorted, "Only my brother has money. If it were me, I'd just run her over and see if that old hag would dare to come and extort money from me again."

Jiang He was squatting on the ground, picking up the piece of iron that Xiao Yong had smashed flat. Hearing this, he looked up, revealing a sharp little tiger tooth:

"Crushing her to death is no fun. Third Brother's medicine is much better. It makes her have nightmares every night, wishing she could live but not die."

These brothers are all ruthless and crazy, each one more so than the last.

Lin Qingqing stood at the door, listening to their terrifying words, but she didn't feel scared at all. Instead, she felt a strange sense of security.

The commotion subsided, and everyone went about their own business.

Qin Lie went to the backyard to chop firewood to vent his excess energy, Gu Qiangying went back to the house to organize his medicine box, and Li Dongye and Jiang He went to unload the goods from the truck.

Xiao Yong, however, did not move.

He stood there, his chest heaving, the alcohol making him dizzy. Lin Qingqing's shout of "Second Brother" had made his bones feel weak.

He turned around and saw Lin Qingqing walking towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was right next to the west room; it was a makeshift shed with very cramped space. Lin Qingqing had originally intended to boil some hot water to soothe her stomach. Although the pain had subsided after Gu Qiangying's massage, the soreness and bloating were still there.

Just as she was about to scoop the water into the pot, the light at the doorway dimmed.

A mountain blocked the entrance.

"Second...Second Brother?" Lin Qingqing was startled and almost dropped the water ladle in her hand into the vat.

Xiao Yong didn't say anything, but instead pulled down the tattered curtain in the kitchen. As soon as the curtain was drawn, the already narrow kitchen instantly became dark and cramped.

The air was filled with the smells of firewood, raw water, and Xiao Yong's strong masculine aura.

He approached step by step.

Lin Qingqing could only retreat until her lower back hit the cold stove, leaving her with nowhere to go.

"Second Brother, what... what are you going to do?" Lin Qingqing's heart was pounding, like a rabbit was jumping around in her chest. The Xiao Yong in front of her was different from usual; his eyes were frighteningly bright, as if two balls of fire were burning inside.

Xiao Yong stopped in front of her, with less than a fist's distance between them.

He was so tall and strong that Lin Qingqing had to crane her neck to see his face. This absolute physical dominance made her instinctively feel weak in the knees.

"Cousin..." Xiao Yong spoke, his voice hoarse as if he had swallowed a handful of sand, "Don't take what that old hag said to heart. With your second brother here, no one will dare to bully you."

"I...I know..." Lin Qingqing's palms were sweating with nervousness, her hands clasped tightly behind her back, gripping the edge of the stove. "Thank you, Second Brother. I'll find a way to pay Big Brother back that money..."

"Give me back my ass!" Xiao Yong suddenly snapped, placing his large hands on the stove beside Lin Qingqing and pulling her into his arms. "We're family, why are you talking like that! My brother's money is my money, it's only natural for you to spend it!"

His shout sent a whiff of alcohol emanating from his mouth onto Lin Qingqing's face, making her feel a little dizzy.

"Second brother, you've had too much to drink..." Lin Qingqing turned her head away, not daring to look into his burning eyes.

"I'm not drunk! I'm perfectly sober!" Xiao Yong panted, his chest pressed against Lin Qingqing's. Through the thin fabric, Lin Qingqing could clearly feel his heart pounding like a drum, and his burning body temperature.

Xiao Yong looked at the small face so close to his.

It's so beautiful.

Her skin was as white as tofu, and so tender it seemed you could squeeze water out of it. Her eyelashes fluttered like tiny fans, making his heart itch with desire. Just now in the courtyard, he had protected her like a hero, and now that his heroism was over, he wanted a reward.

"Cousin..." Xiao Yong's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice so low it seemed to vibrate from his chest, "I was so powerful just now, aren't you going to give me something in return?"

Lin Qingqing looked up in a panic: "Wh...what sweet treat? There are still leftover steamed buns in the pot..."

"I don't eat steamed buns!" Xiao Yong interrupted her, his eyes fixed on her two pink lips. "I want to eat that."

Lin Qingqing's mind went blank for a moment, and her face instantly turned red to the roots of her neck. How could this rough man be so direct!

"Second brother, don't do anything rash, this is the kitchen..." She reached out to push him away, but her palm pressed against his chest muscles, which were as hard as iron, and he didn't budge.

"What happened in the kitchen?" Emboldened by alcohol, Xiao Yong became incredibly bold. "Third brother is still touching your belly in the room, don't think I didn't hear him!"

The more Xiao Yong talked, the more aggrieved he felt, and the more he felt that he was being taken advantage of.

He lowered his head, his stubble-covered face slowly approaching, his rough hands also getting restless, stroking upwards along Lin Qingqing's waistline.

"Cousin, give me a smile, okay? Just one smile..."

He was coaxing her, his tone clumsy yet passionate.

Forced into a corner by him, Lin Qingqing could only helplessly tilt her head back, watching the face draw ever closer. The stubble prickled her neck, tickling and tingling.

"Second brother...no..."

"Just one kiss, just one kiss..." Xiao Yong gasped, his lips almost touching hers.

Just as Xiao Yong's lips were about to touch...

"Whoosh—"

The kitchen curtain was suddenly yanked open.

The blinding sunlight streamed in, dispelling the ambiguity in the corner.

Xiao Yong froze, still in the position of pressing Lin Qingqing against the stove to kiss her, and looked back.

Doorway.

Qin Lie stood in the center, holding the axe in his hand, his face expressionless.

Gu Qiangying leaned against the door frame, toying with a scalpel in her hand, the lenses of her glasses reflecting a cold light.

Li Dongye spat out the straw from his mouth, his eyes filled with a sinister glint.

Jiang He squatted on the ground, holding a handful of freshly picked scallions in his hand, smiling innocently, but his eyes were completely dark.

Four people, four pairs of eyes, all staring at Xiao Yong.

That look in his eyes was like looking at a dog that wanted to steal fish.

"Second brother," Qin Lie's voice was soft, yet carried a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine, "What are you doing?"

Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses and slowly added, "Second Brother, are you sober now and feeling itchy in your leg? Want me to set your bones too?"

Li Dongye sneered and cracked his knuckles: "I was wondering why I couldn't find him earlier. Turns out he was hiding here eating alone. Second brother, you're so unscrupulous."

Looking at this scene, Xiao Yong's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and the little bit of alcohol he had was instantly turned into cold sweat.

We're doomed.

This has angered the public.