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

The group got tired and found a dry place to start a fire.

The mountain air was very humid, and when the fire was lit, the white smoke mixed with the scent of pine resin made Song Weihe cough.

"Cough cough... What kind of broken wood is this?" Song Weihe waved her hand to fan the air while hiding behind Mu Wenbin.

Mu Wenbin was holding a tree branch, expressionlessly picking at the sweet potatoes in the fire.

His hand, which was wrapped like a pig's trotter, was not very convenient, and his movements were somewhat stiff, but even in this wilderness full of withered branches and rotten leaves, he still managed to find the flattest and cleanest stone before sitting down.

"Sit still." Mu Wenbin used his uninjured hand to pull Song Weihe out from behind him and pressed her down next to him. "The smoke is rising, why are you moving around?"

Song Weihe pursed her lips, looking at Mu Wenbin's serious expression, and couldn't help but want to laugh.

This person was wearing a bespoke shirt, with the cufflinks still on, yet he was roasting sweet potatoes here. It just looked so out of place.

"Is it cooked yet?" Song Weihe poked Mu Wenbin's arm with her index finger.

"No." Mu Wenbin didn't even look up, staring intently at the few dark sweet potatoes, as if they were some strategic high ground that had to be conquered.

On the other side, Jiang He couldn't wait any longer.

He didn't care about the heat at all. He used two twigs to pick out a charred sweet potato, fiddling with it in his hands and blowing on it.

"Sister, here!" Jiang He handed the broken half to Lin Qingqing.

The sweet potato flesh is golden yellow, steaming hot, and its sweet aroma instantly overpowers any smoky flavor.

Lin Qingqing took the sweet potato, her fingertips recoiled slightly from the heat, and she quickly pinched it again.

She blew on it, then carefully took a bite. It was soft, sweet, and fragrant, the sweetness reaching right to her heart.

"Eat slowly," Qin Lie instructed from across the table.

While munching on a sweet potato, Jiang He glanced furtively at the dagger in Qin Lie's hand, then at the bulge at Mu Wenbin's waist—although Mu Wenbin said he didn't bring a gun, Jiang He had a feeling that something powerful was hidden there.

"Big brother," Jiang He leaned closer, smearing his face with soot, "between you and Brother Mu, who was stronger before?"

Qin Lie didn't stop what he was doing. "Eat your sweet potato."

"Tell me about it," Jiang He persisted, turning to look at Mu Wenbin again. "Brother Mu, wasn't my brother really awesome in the army? Everyone in the village said he was a king of soldiers, is that true?"

Mu Wenbin finally flipped the sweet potato over.

He raised his eyelids and glanced at Qin Lie.

Qin Lie continued to look down as he flipped through the sweet potatoes, but his silence itself was a form of acquiescence.

"King of Soldiers?" Mu Wenbin scoffed, his tone indifferent. "That's all just empty fame."

Jiang He was somewhat disappointed. "Huh? That was just bragging?"

"But what he did was truly inhuman," Mu Wenbin added slowly and deliberately.

Jiang He's eyes lit up instantly, and he even forgot to eat his sweet potato. "Tell me! Tell me!"

Lin Qingqing also pricked up her ears with curiosity. She only knew that Qin Lie was powerful, but this man was tight-lipped and never mentioned his past. She had only seen the scars on his body, each one so gruesome that it was terrifying.

Mu Wenbin threw the branch in his hand into the fire, sending up a few sparks.

"What's there to say?" Mu Wenbin looked up and saw Qin Lie's indifferent expression. Feeling displeased, he changed his mind and said, "Then I'll just say a few words."

Qin Lie paused for a moment as he poked at the fire.

Mu Wenbin didn't know why, but Qin Lie didn't mention some things. There must be a reason, but he just wanted to see Qin Lie unhappy, preferably in a way that he couldn't do anything about.

"After your older brother was discharged from the army, he was recalled to participate in a border counter-offensive. At that time, he had just acquired a new gun, a TAC-50, an anti-materiel sniper rifle. It was a foreign import, very heavy, and had a lot of recoil."

Mu Wenbin glanced at Qin Lie, "Back then, time was short and the task was heavy, so we didn't have time to fully understand the new treasure."

Jiang He even slowed his breathing upon hearing this.

"The rain was even heavier that day than yesterday, and visibility was extremely poor. They lay in the mud for three days and three nights, and their bodies were covered in worms." Mu Wenbin said it casually, but Song Weihe frowned and subconsciously grabbed the hem of Mu Wenbin's clothes.

"The other side also has a sniper, a seasoned veteran, specifically targeting our commander. Three of our brothers have fallen, and our positions have been exposed."

Qin Lie took out a cigarette case from his pocket, intending to smoke one, but after glancing at Lin Qingqing beside him, he put it back.

"The last bullet, two kilometers away."

"Two thousand meters?" Jiang He exclaimed in surprise. "Will we still be able to see people then?"

"Who knows? It's not like I was on the battlefield." Mu Wenbin looked at the fire. "It was all rain and mist. But your older brother still fired."

"With a bang," Mu Wenbin gestured, "the enemy sniper's head was gone, just like a rotten watermelon."

Jiang He's mouth dropped open, and he didn't even notice the sweet potato in his hand fall to the ground.

Two kilometers away, in the rain, a single shot to the head. This was beyond his comprehension.

He turned to look at Qin Lie.

Qin Lie remained calm and composed, as if Mu Wenbin was talking about someone else, not him.

Jiang He stared at his older brother's cold, hard profile, his heart pounding. That was his older brother. The one who was always silent, always working, and always the subject of gossip in the village.

He never knew that beneath this silent exterior lay such a harrowing past.

"I want to join the army."

Jiang He suddenly blurted out a sentence.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

Qin Lie finally raised his head and glanced at him. His eyes were deep, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Serving in the army isn't like listening to stories," Qin Lie said coldly. "It's about risking your life."

"I'm not afraid!" Jiang He said stubbornly. "If you can do it, so can I! I want to be like you, able to protect my family, able to protect... my sister."

When he said the last two words, he secretly glanced at Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing was holding the wooden stick in a daze when she heard this. She looked up and smiled at Jiang He, "Xiao Wu is very capable, but he has to listen to his older brother."

That laugh made Jiang He's face turn red. He scratched his head, his previous boldness instantly turning into shyness.

But the spark in his heart had already been ignited.

Looking at Qin Lie and Mu Wenbin, at these two men who were as imposing as mountains, he felt for the first time that his petty cleverness in stealing chickens and dogs in the village was utterly insignificant.

The men on one side were talking about gunfire and life and death, while the women on the other side were whispering in each other's ears.

Song Weihe found the fire too hot, so she pulled Lin Qingqing to sit on a large blue stone a little further away.

"Don't listen to their bragging." Song Weihe took out a small mirror from her bag, then a lipstick. "Men just love to show off their past in front of women."

Lin Qingqing looked at the shimmering gold lipstick and asked, "Sister Weihe, is this the lipstick?"

"Hmm, it's a foreign brand." Song Weihe skillfully twirled the lipstick. "You're too pale; your lips are so bloodless, it's heartbreaking. Come on, look up."

Lin Qingqing obediently raised her head.

Song Weihe gently pinched Lin Qingqing's chin and lightly applied a touch of bright red to her lips.

"Tsk, so beautiful." Song Weihe looked at Lin Qingqing. "If you were in the capital, the sons of wealthy families would fight tooth and nail for you."

Lin Qingqing blushed, pursed her lips, and felt that her lips were oily and had a pleasant fragrance.

"Sister Weihe, you and Brother Mu... have such a good relationship," Lin Qingqing whispered.

"What's so great about him?" Song Weihe rolled her eyes and covered her lipstick. "He's just a blockhead. You know, I was shameless enough to pursue him. And he, on the other hand, is always so cold and aloof."

Although she complained, her eyes and brows were full of smiles.

Lin Qingqing looked at her, feeling a pang of sadness mixed with envy. The confidence and charisma that Song Weihe possessed were something she could never learn in her lifetime.

"By the way, don't worry about that disciplinary action," Song Weihe suddenly lowered her voice and whispered in Lin Qingqing's ear, "It's not that serious."

Lin Qingqing was taken aback. "But Fourth Brother..."

"Mu Yunqi is just being stubborn."

Song Weihe pouted:

"Mu Wenbin did indeed violate the rules this time, breaking the arm of a former leader's grandson, but ultimately no one was killed. The higher-ups were just putting on a show, demoting him to reflect on his actions, and giving him a long vacation."

My dad is his boss, but although he's angry, he also knows Mu Wenbin has been working too hard these past few years and needs a break. So, this is a paid leave.

Lin Qingqing's eyes widened suddenly. "Really?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Song Weihe reached out and poked Lin Qingqing's forehead. "So don't make that face, like you owe someone millions. Mu Wenbin is shrewd; he never does anything that doesn't benefit him, as long as he's the one making others suffer."

Hearing this, Lin Qingqing finally felt relieved.

She always felt that she had dragged Li Dongye, Li Dongye's family, and Mu Wenbin down with her, and she felt extremely guilty.

Now that she knows everything is alright, she feels much more relaxed.

"Thank you, Sister Weihe," Lin Qingqing said sincerely.

"Don't thank me, we're sisters now." Song Weihe put her arm around Lin Qingqing's shoulder. "When we go to Beijing, I'll take you shopping and buy you lots and lots of pretty clothes."

Lin Qingqing nodded with a smile, although she knew that "returning to the capital" was almost impossible for her.

Not far away, Mu Wenbin peeled the last roasted sweet potato, blew on it to make sure it wasn't too hot, and then got up and walked over.

"Want some?" He held the sweet potato to Song Weihe's lips.

Song Weihe, not wanting to smudge her freshly applied lipstick, opened her mouth and cried out, "Ah—"

Mu Wenbin frowned. "Take it yourself."

"Dirty." Song Weihe stretched out two clean, white hands.

Mu Wenbin sighed and fed her the sweet potato bit by bit.

Qin Lie extinguished the fire, covered it with soil, and tamped it down. He glanced over here, then at Lin Qingqing, who was laughing and joking with Song Weihe.

Those lips, painted with lipstick, shone brightly red in the sunlight.

Qin Lie's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Let's go." Qin Lie picked up his hunting rifle, his voice a little hoarse. "Down the mountain."

The road down the mountain was more difficult to walk than the road up the mountain.

It had just rained, the dirt road was slippery, and the stones were covered with moss.

Song Weihe was wearing leather shoes that were not suitable for mountain climbing, and she slipped and fell with every step.

"Ouch!"

Her foot slipped, and Song Weihe fell backward.

Mu Wenbin reacted quickly, grabbing her waist and pulling her into his arms.

"Watch where you're going," Mu Wenbin said sternly. "Are your eyes on the top of your head?"

"It's your fault for not holding me properly!" Song Weihe retorted. "I don't care, carry me."

"My hand is injured." Mu Wenbin raised his right hand, which was wrapped in gauze.

"Didn't you say this injury was nothing?" Song Weihe started to act spoiled. "Anyway, I'm not walking anymore, my foot hurts."

Mu Wenbin stared at her for a few seconds, then finally squatted down, scooped up her legs with one hand, and picked her up in his arms.