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

Xiao Yong's dark red face instantly fell. The domineering force he had just displayed, as if he wanted to pin someone down on the stove and kiss them, vanished completely after being overwhelmed by the four menacing figures at the door.

He even subconsciously pulled his hand back from Lin Qingqing's waist and put it behind his back, like a primary school student who had done something wrong and was caught by his parents.

Qin Lie's gaze was fixed on Xiao Yong's uneasy face.

"come out."

It was just two words, spoken softly and without any anger, yet it made Xiao Yong, a man nearly two meters tall, tremble.

Xiao Yong swallowed hard, not daring to look at the little woman huddled up behind him. He lowered his head and slunk away from Qin Lie.

As he passed by Gu Qiangying, he was given a half-smile by the refined third brother, which sent chills down his spine.

Li Dongye whistled and patted Xiao Yong on the shoulder with a smug look on his face: "Second brother, you're so hot-tempered. Go to the blacksmith's shop and swing the sledgehammer two hundred times, and I guarantee you'll cool off."

"Get lost!" Xiao Yong roared, his ears burning red with embarrassment. He strode out of the courtyard without even looking back.

Before long, the deafening sound of hammering came from the blacksmith shop next door, "clang, clang, clang," each strike harder than the last, as if the blacksmith was going to smash the piece of iron to pieces as if it were an enemy.

Lin Qingqing leaned against the stove, her legs too weak to stand.

In those few short minutes, it felt like she had just stepped into a pot of boiling oil.

Xiao Yong's hot breath seemed to still linger on her neck. The oppressive feeling of being completely enveloped by masculine power made her feel lingering fear, yet she also blushed and her heart raced for no reason.

"Cousin, the water's boiling."

Gu Qiangying's gentle voice came from the doorway.

Lin Qingqing snapped back to reality and realized that the water in the pot was already bubbling away. She frantically grabbed the ladle and hurriedly poured water into the thermos, not even daring to look up at the men standing in the doorway.

"Alright, everyone disperse," Qin Lie said.

He glanced at the busy yet panicked figure in the kitchen, his eyes darkening. He turned and walked to the stone mill in the yard to continue sharpening his axe.

Li Dongye stretched and twirled the car keys on his fingers quickly: "Alright, I should get going. I have to haul some coal to the county town today, I might not be back tonight."

He walked to the kitchen doorway, poked half his body inside, and called out to Lin Qingqing, "Cousin, lock the door tonight. If you're afraid of the dark, just sleep with your fourth brother's pillow; it smells good and will ward off evil spirits."

"Get lost." Jiang He kicked Li Dongye in the butt. "Your pillow smells like cigarette smoke. What if it bothers your sister?"

Li Dongye laughed heartily, not annoyed at all. He jumped into the large Liberation truck parked at the door, revved the engine, and the behemoth roared away, spewing out a plume of black smoke.

Jiang He originally wanted to stay at home, but Qin Lie gave him a cold look: "Go to the back mountain and watch the traps. If the wild boar gets away, you won't get any dinner tonight."

The boy pouted and reluctantly picked up the hunting fork in the corner: "Okay, brother, I'll go now."

Before leaving, he leaned against the kitchen window, his clear black and white eyes staring intently at Lin Qingqing: "Sister, when I come back, I'll bring you some wild fruits to eat."

The courtyard quickly quieted down.

Gu Qiangying was the last to leave.

He carried the medicine box, which seemed to carry a deeper meaning at this moment, walked to Qin Lie's side, and took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket.

"Brother, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip for these medicines."

Qin Lie stopped sharpening his knife, took the note, and glanced at it.

The herbs listed above are not ordinary herbs, but rather "Paris polyphylla", "Dendrobium nobile", and a herb called "Snake-bite Grass" that only grows in dark, damp places.

"These all grow deep in the mountains and forests." Qin Lie frowned, looking up at Gu Qiangying. "What do you need these for?"

Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses, her gaze behind the lenses passing over Qin Lie's shoulder and landing on the slender figure in the kitchen. Her voice was very low:

"My cousin's constitution is too weak, and the cold has penetrated too deeply into her body. I just massaged her, but that only treats the symptoms. To cure it completely, she needs a strong medicinal bath to force out the cold. Otherwise, later..."

He paused, a cryptic smile playing on his lips: "Otherwise, if you get pregnant later, you'll probably suffer terribly."

Qin Lie tightened his grip on the axe.

"Okay." Qin Lie put the note in his pocket. "I'll go pick it."

Gu Qiangying nodded in satisfaction, then turned and left.

The vast Qin family compound was instantly emptied.

As the sun began to set, the cicadas' chirping grew increasingly noisy, as if they were about to shout themselves hoarse. The deathly silence that followed the cacophony was unsettling.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Lin Qingqing came out carrying a basin of dirty clothes.

The courtyard was quiet, with only Qin Lie sitting there.

He had taken off his sweat-soaked vest, revealing his muscular, bare upper body.

His bronze skin gleamed in the sunlight, and the muscles on his back bulged as he wiped his axe, crisscrossed with scars that were both ferocious and wild.

Lin Qingqing instinctively slowed her pace, intending to bypass him and go to the well to wash her clothes.

In this family, the person she feared most was Qin Lie.

"come over."

A deep voice broke the silence in the courtyard.

Lin Qingqing paused, her fingers tightening around the wooden basin until her nails dug into the wood. After a moment's hesitation, she obediently walked over and stood three steps away from him.

"Big brother..."

Qin Lie didn't look up, still focused on wiping the axe blade. The gleaming blade reflected his hard, cold chin.

"I want to go into the mountains."

Lin Qingqing was taken aback for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief: "Then...then I'll prepare some dry rations for my older brother."

Once he's gone, she'll be all alone in this courtyard. It'll be a bit deserted, but at least she won't have to live in constant fear of being cornered.

"These herbs are hard to find; we have to go deep into the mountains, to the other side of the old forest." Qin Lie finally raised his head, his dark eyes locking onto her. "It will take at least three days to get here and back."

three days?

Lin Qingqing's momentary relief vanished instantly.

She spent three days and three nights alone in these three empty brick houses.

Although Qingshan Village is small, the people in it are more terrifying than ghosts.

Xiao Yong beat up Li Ergou, which temporarily subdued him, but the Li family thugs will definitely hold a grudge. And then there's Wang Dazui, always peeking over the wall, and Zhao Si with his lecherous eyes…

If they found out that all five Qin brothers were gone, leaving only her, a helpless widow at home...

Lin Qingqing dared not think about it.

The image of Li Ergou's drooling face and Zhao Si's green eyes in the darkness instantly flashed into her mind.

Qin Lie looked at her.

Looking at her pale face, her eyes with pupils constricted due to fear, and her slightly trembling lips.

Like a frightened little rabbit.

It makes you want to pull her into your arms and protect her, but you also want to... bully her hard and see her cry even harder.

Qin Lie's Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the restlessness in his heart. He knew, of course, what it meant to leave her alone at home. The bachelors in the village had been lusting after her for a long time. With him at home, they could only feast their eyes. But if he left…

"Scared?" Qin Lie threw the rag in his hand onto the millstone and stood up.

The shadow cast by that 1.9-meter height instantly enveloped Lin Qingqing.

"If you're scared, go pack your things."

Lin Qingqing looked up, not quite understanding: "Pack...pack your things, where are we going?"

Should we send her back to her parents' home? But where does she have a parents' home anymore?

Should we send her to the village chief's house for temporary accommodation? With Su Jiaojiao's spoiled temper, she'll definitely kick her out.

Qin Lie bent down, his cold, hard face close to hers. The strong smell of sweat mixed with a faint scent of tobacco, belonging to a man, forcefully entered her nostrils.

"Come with me into the mountains."

Lin Qingqing's eyes widened, and she even forgot to breathe.

"What, you don't want to?" Qin Lie raised an eyebrow at her dazed expression. "Then stay home. I'll have Lao Wu leave you the hunting fork. If anyone tries to climb over the wall tonight, stab them to death."

"Wow!"

Lin Qingqing practically shouted it out.

Rather than facing those unknown wolves, she preferred to follow this alpha wolf.

At least, although Qin Lie looked fierce, he had never truly hurt her. In fact, to some extent, he was the most disciplined person in the family.

"Hurry up and get going." Qin Lie straightened up, turned and walked towards the main room. "Change into some thick clothes, it's cold in the mountains at night. Don't wear this polyester, if it tears, you'll be left naked."

Lin Qingqing's face flushed as she recalled the scene of her clothes being torn by tree branches. The image was too shameful for her to bear.

She quickly squatted down, picked up the clothes from the ground, and grabbed the basin, ready to run into the house.

"etc."

Qin Lie called her back again.

Lin Qingqing paused and turned to look at him.

Qin Lie stood at the entrance of the main room, backlit, making it impossible to see his expression.

"Bring your little blanket too." His voice was a little hoarse. "The rocks in the mountains are hard; your skin is too soft, you won't be used to sleeping there."

Lin Qingqing's face instantly turned bright red, like a boiled shrimp.

How could this person even think of something like this?

She nodded haphazardly and fled into the east room as if escaping.

After half an hour.

Qin Lie carried a huge military pack on his back, a machete at his waist, and an old hunting rifle in his hand, exuding a menacing aura that kept strangers at bay.

Behind him followed Lin Qingqing, who was wrapped up tightly.

She changed into a dark blue coarse cloth outfit, with the trousers tightly tied at the ankle, and wore a pair of cloth shoes with multiple layers of soles. She carried a small bundle on her back, containing her bedding and a few changes of clothes.

The bundle was a bit too big for her, making it difficult for her to walk.

Qin Lie glanced back, frowned, reached out and pulled the bundle off her back, casually hanging it on his huge military pack as easily as a small pendant.

"Stay close."

He left those words behind and strode off toward the dirt road behind the village.

Lin Qingqing felt a lightness on her back. Looking at the tall, mountain-like figure in front of her, she jogged to catch up, stepping on his shadow.

The two walked out of the village entrance one after the other and entered the lush bamboo forest.

And just as their figures disappeared...

Next to the Qin family's house, on that low wall, a head slowly peeked out.

Wang Dazui had half a cucumber dangling from his mouth, his beady green eyes wide open, the glint in them more venomous than the midday sun.

"Goodness..."

"This Boss Qin, he usually seems like a gentleman, but who knew he was such a sly old man! Taking that young widow into the old forest in broad daylight, what kind of good deed could they possibly be up to?"

Wang Dazui's eyes darted around, and instead of airing out the quilts, he scattered the sunflower seed shells on the ground, twisted his waist like a water bucket, and ran towards the big locust tree at the village entrance.

There, a group of elderly women were gathered, enjoying the cool evening air.

"Wow! Big news! Big news indeed!"

"That murderous Qin Lie took that little vixen Lin Qingqing into the mountains! He even brought bedding! Are they going to be a clandestine couple in the mountains?!"