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

"Beep...beep...beep..."

The horn blared louder and louder, as if it were being shoved into the courtyard gate.

Gu Qiangying had just pinned the person to the edge of the bed, and before she could continue, another shout came from outside...

"Gu Qiangying! Open the door! Are you deaf or pretending to be dead?!"

Lin Qingqing flinched, her cheeks still flushed, and frantically tugged at her clothes: "Who is it?"

Gu Qiangying's face was so dark it could drip water. She ground her back teeth and said, "Who else could it be? The only one alive who could blast the horn like this is probably the fourth brother."

"You go quickly, I... I'll get dressed first." Lin Qingqing's voice was weak as she looked down to find the loose buttons, making more mistakes the more she hurriedly buttoned them.

Gu Qiangying got out of bed, picked up the white coat and draped it over her shoulders. She walked to the door and looked back at her again: "Don't rush, take your time getting dressed."

"Go open the door first."

"understood."

He opened the inner room door, took a few steps through the front hall, and as soon as the courtyard gate opened a crack, a hand pushed it in from the outside, and the door creaked open.

Li Dongye leaned against a Jiefang brand truck, his floral shirt hanging loosely, sunglasses perched on his nose, and he grinned nonchalantly: "Hey, Third Brother, you're pretty busy during lunch break? I honked the horn for ages before you finally came out."

Gu Qiangying narrowed her eyes: "Press it twice more, and I'll take your car horn apart and use it as a stethoscope."

"Fine, if you tear it down, you have to buy me a new one." Li Dongye wasn't afraid at all. He stepped into the yard and casually waved the two net bags he was carrying in front of Gu Qiangying. "See? They were brought back from the county. You can't even buy them in town. Don't talk so impulsively, it'll ruin our brotherly relationship."

The net bag was full of fruit: apples, bananas, and a few bright yellow oranges, so much so that the net rope was digging into the fruit peels.

Gu Qiangying sneered, "Did you become a truck driver, or did you switch to street vending?"

"Is it wrong for me to bring you warmth and comfort?"

"Offering favors for no reason."

"Should I leave?"

"Put your things down before you leave."

Li Dongye clicked his tongue, grabbed the net bag, and barged inside, calling out as he went, "Qingqing! Fourth Brother brought you something delicious..."

Lin Qingqing had just come out of the inner room. Her hair was still a little messy, the blush on her face hadn't faded, and her eyes were wet. It was obvious that she had just been bullied quite badly.

Li Dongye paused, his sunglasses sliding down to reveal a pair of amused eyes: "Hey, why is your face so red? Is it so hot in here?"

Lin Qingqing subconsciously raised her hand to touch her face, about to speak, when Li Dongye leaned closer, deliberately sniffing the air, his smile becoming even more smug: "There's something else mixed in with the medicinal scent. Third Brother, in broad daylight, you're not treating patients anymore, you're studying the human body?"

Gu Qiangying stepped forward and blocked him to the side, her voice icy: "Stop sniffing around with your dog nose. Look in the mirror first; your eyes are dark and your dark circles are almost reaching your mouth. I'll prescribe you two doses of aphrodisiac to replenish your kidneys."

Li Dongye laughed out loud: "You keep it for yourself, Third Brother. I'm young and have plenty of energy."

"You're got plenty of energy, yet you still doze off while driving?"

"Who told you I was dozing off?"

"Your face tells me that."

The two brothers were exchanging barbs, neither willing to give in.

Lin Qingqing stood to the side, wanting to offer advice but unable to get a word in edgewise, finally able to ask softly, "Fourth Brother, have you eaten?"

Li Dongye immediately changed his expression and smiled at her: "Qingqing still cares about me the most. I ate a cold steamed bun this morning, and my legs were so weak when I drove to the town entrance."

Gu Qiangying glanced at him sideways: "Your legs are weak from staying up all night, not from being hungry."

"Could you please let me save face in front of Qingqing?"

Do you have it?

Li Dongye chuckled, turned around and gestured with his chin toward the truck: "Alright, I'm not going to argue with you. There's some real stuff on the truck, come and lend a hand, we're restocking your little clinic today."

Gu Qiangying glanced at the carriage, her expression finally softening slightly: "What did you buy?"

"Rice, flour, oil, salt, and some dried noodles, brown sugar, soap, and kerosene. Didn't you say last time that the town was out of stock these days? I picked these up on my way from the county."

"On the way?"

"Yes, we took a detour of forty miles along the way."

"You're so free."

"I'd like to."

The two left the hospital gate one after the other.

The truck bed was packed full of sacks and oil drums.

Li Dongye bent down, hoisted a 50-pound bag of rice onto his shoulder, and tossed it over his shoulder, then turned and shouted, "Third Brother, catch!"

Gu Qiangying stood by the car, caught the bag with her hand, and turned to walk towards the kitchen. Her movements were clean and efficient, without even breaking a sweat.

Lin Qingqing wanted to go up and help carry the small bag of salt, but was stopped by two voices at the same time:

"Don't move."

"You stand there."

She was taken aback and looked up at the two people. One was frowning, and the other was raising an eyebrow. Even their tones were almost the same.

Li Dongye laughed: "See? That's called brotherly understanding. Go inside and rest, just pour us a bowl of water."

Gu Qiangying added, "The ground is slippery, don't run around."

"I'm just carrying a small bag..."

"I told you not to move."

"All right."

Lin Qingqing could only turn around and go to the kitchen to fetch water.

The sounds of moving things outside were constant: sacks hitting the ground, oil drums bumping against each other, and the truck floor thumping. Interspersed among these sounds were the two brothers' banter...

"Place it gently, will you pay for it if the oil drum gets damaged?"

"The floor in your clinic is way too delicate."

"You're the one who's being spoiled."

"Even if I'm a bit spoiled, I'm still better at comforting people than you are."

"Who are you trying to fool?"

"I'm just trying to coax Qingqing."

"Li Dongye".

"Yes, Dr. Gu."

"Shut up and move the goods."

"See, you're in a hurry again."

Trip after trip, rice, flour, and cooking oil were quickly moved from the carriage into the kitchen.

Gu Qiangying was in charge of organizing, and Li Dongye was in charge of carrying. The two argued fiercely, but their hands moved without the slightest hesitation. They didn't even need to exchange glances to decide where to put things or which items to move first; they could take over with just a few gestures.

When Lin Qingqing came out carrying the enamel mug, she saw Li Dongye carrying the last bag of flour off the car. Gu Qiangying had already tidied up the kitchen, even arranging the oil drums by size.

"Have some water." Lin Qingqing handed over the mug.

Li Dongye reached out to take the cup, but just as he touched the rim, Gu Qiangying snatched it away from the side, took a sip herself, and then handed it back: "It's too hot. His lips are thin; don't let him burn himself and start yelling."

Li Dongye laughed angrily: "Are you sick? You know perfectly well whether I'm thin-skinned or not?"

"You talk too much, and you get easily irritated."

"I won't take the medicine you prescribed if I have a sore throat."

"I won't give it to you even if you beg me."

Lin Qingqing, who was listening nearby, felt overwhelmed and quickly changed the subject: "Fourth Brother, I'll go wash some fruit."

"Okay, wash a peach for me, pick the biggest one."

"OK."

She carried a net bag into the kitchen, washed a peach, dried it, and brought it out to Li Dongye: "Here you go."

Just as Li Dongye reached out, Gu Qiangying intercepted him halfway, took a bite with a "crunch," and smeared some peach juice down her lips.

"Hmm, it's quite sweet."

Li Dongye glared at her: "Gu Qiangying, have you no shame? That was given to me by Qingqing."

Gu Qiangying slowly finished chewing: "Did you write your name on it?"

"This is blatant robbery."

"I took it, so what?"

"Even favoritism isn't this extreme."

Lin Qingqing was both amused and exasperated: "I'll just wash you another one."

Li Dongye sighed, pretending to clutch his chest, "No need, I can handle it. Men are easygoing, a little grievance is nothing."

"Then stop howling."

"If I don't cry out, who will uphold justice for me?"

Gu Qiangying shoved the half-eaten peach back into his hand: "Eat yours, stop acting."

Li Dongye looked down at the half peach and chuckled, "Okay, it's from Third Brother, so it's twice as sweet."

Gu Qiangying: "Get out."

Lin Qingqing washed two more, one for Li Dongye and one for herself. She had just taken a bite when Li Dongye suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek, a light, teasing gesture: "Want to go out with Fourth Brother later?"

Lin Qingqing blinked: "Where to?"

"The supply and marketing cooperative. I'll buy you some intimate items that a young lady needs: toilet paper, menstrual pads, soft cloths, and soap. You've just arrived in town, so you probably don't have everything on hand. Third Brother is a grown man; he knows about medicine but not these things."

Lin Qingqing's ears burned, and she stopped biting into the peach: "I... I can go by myself."

"If you go and queue up by yourself, you'll be waiting until dark, and it'll be crowded. Fourth Brother has a car, he can take you there, it'll only take ten minutes to get to the door. Besides, I have industrial coupons, I can buy something better."

Gu Qiangying's face immediately darkened: "I'm not going."

Li Dongye looked over and said, "You think you can just say you won't go and then not go? Isn't that just making things easier for you?"

"I'll buy her whatever she needs."

"You'd buy it?" Li Dongye raised an eyebrow. "Do you know which menstrual pads are absorbent and leak-proof? Do you know which counter at the supply and marketing cooperative would try to pass off substandard products? Do you know that the soap a young woman uses is different from laundry soap?"

Gu Qiangying was speechless for half a second, then her gaze turned even colder: "You know quite a lot."

"I've seen and heard a lot about sports cars. Besides, I'm good with words, so the salespeople are willing to talk to me. If you go there, they'll all think you're there to get a prescription."

Lin Qingqing said softly, "Third Brother, I'm just going to buy something, I won't wander off."

Gu Qiangying didn't reply to her, staring at Li Dongye as if weighing her options.

Just then, a young boy came to the door, panting as he leaned against it: "Dr. Gu! They need you to go to Dongqiao. Old Master Liu can't breathe, and his family is extremely worried."

Gu Qiangying frowned: "Now?"

"Now, I've just been asked to come here."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

The boy ran off after delivering the message. The courtyard was silent for two seconds; even the wind seemed to stop for a moment.

Gu Qiangying turned to look at Lin Qingqing, her tone firm, but she didn't say "don't go" again: "Are you really going?"

Lin Qingqing nodded: "I'll be back after I buy it."

He then looked at Li Dongye, his eyes full of warning: "Listen carefully, only go to the supply and marketing cooperative and the department store counter, and come back immediately after you've bought everything. Don't take her to the freight station, don't go to any of your shady places, and absolutely no speeding."

Li Dongye raised his hand: "Understood, Director Gu. Do you need me to write a guarantee?"

"Be poor."

You can rest assured that I can handle things well.

"I just don't trust you."

"Then why don't you tie her up at the clinic?" Li Dongye laughed. "You'll have to make house calls again."

Gu Qiangying's face darkened further, and she raised her hand to point at him: "Li Dongye, don't test my patience."

"Alright, alright, I'm just teasing you." Li Dongye glanced at his watch. "I can get the person back in an hour at most. If it's late on your end, bring the medicine kit first, don't delay the patient."

These words were spoken seriously, so Gu Qiangying didn't continue to argue. She turned around and went inside to get her first-aid kit and travel document.

Lin Qingqing took the opportunity to go back into the house to get a small cloth bag, put in money and a handkerchief, and when she came out, Gu Qiangying was already standing at the gate of the courtyard. He had changed his white coat into the dark coat he usually wore when making house calls.

"Did you take your wallet?" he asked.

"Take it."

"Where are the tickets?"

"I brought it too."

"Don't lose them."

"Um."

Gu Qiangying reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a quick movement as if afraid of being seen.

Li Dongye whistled from the side: "Third Brother, if you keep dawdling, Old Master Liu will be able to walk on his own."

Gu Qiangying gave her a cold look: "Shut up and keep driving."

Li Dongye smiled and walked around to the driver's side, first opening the passenger door and helping Lin Qingqing step onto the running board: "Slow down, it's high up. Hold on here."

After Lin Qingqing settled down, she put the cloth bag on her lap and looked back at Gu Qiangying: "Third Brother, walk slowly when you go out to make house calls."

Gu Qiangying hummed in response, still frowning, as if she had something left unsaid.

Before Li Dongye started the engine, he leaned out of the window and grinned at him: "I'll bring you back safe and sound, even if a single hair is missing, it's on me."

Gu Qiangying stood at the door carrying a medicine box, her voice low but deep: "Li Dongye."

"exist."

"Be back before dark."

"Know."

"Also, don't make her cry."

Li Dongye paused for a moment, then his smile faded slightly, and he nodded: "Okay."

The next second, he stepped on the gas, and the Jiefang brand truck roared, kicking up dust at the entrance of the alley. The truck swerved sharply and sped out of the alley with a deep engine roar.