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

"Take it out," Qin Lie commanded.

Lin Qingqing bit her lip and slowly stretched out her hand.

"Second brother is quite generous." Qin Lie chuckled, a dark and unreadable emotion swirling in his eyes. "The money he made on this trip will probably all go into this."

Lin Qingqing sensed the sourness in his words, and felt both scared and amused. This man was even jealous of his own brother.

She mustered her courage, reached out her other hand, gently hooked her little finger around Qin Lie's, and wiggled it, saying in a soft, coquettish voice, "Big brother...you're hurting me."

Qin Lie stiffened, his grip loosening slightly, but he didn't let go completely. He looked down at the little devil in front of him, who was always so persistent, and wished he could devour her right then and there.

"Stay away from him from now on," Qin Lie warned in a low voice, with a hint of gritted teeth. "Old man is rough and doesn't know his own strength. Don't let him take advantage of you."

Lin Qingqing nodded obediently, but in her heart she was thinking: In this family, isn't the most dangerous person you, this big bad wolf, the one?

"Let's go out for dinner."

Qin Lie glanced at her one last time, released his grip, turned, and strode out.

……

In the main room, a dim kerosene lamp dispelled the darkness.

On the worn-out octagonal table sat a large pot of steaming braised pork, glistening with oil and emitting a fragrant aroma. Xiao Yong was indeed a skilled worker; in such a short time, he had not only washed himself clean but also prepared the meal.

He was shirtless, revealing his well-built muscles, and his clothes were still damp, glistening with water droplets. He wore a pair of shorts and straw sandals, and sat imposingly on a bench, a white steamed bun in his hand, which he ate with gusto, his mouth dripping with oil.

Seeing Lin Qingqing come out of the house, Xiao Yong's eyes lit up, and he quickly called out, "Little sister, come here quickly! This meat is very fatty, I saved it especially for you!"

As he spoke, he used his chopsticks to pick up the largest piece of meat and put it directly into Lin Qingqing's bowl.

Lin Qingqing wore a faded floral shirt, her hair casually tied in a bun, and her face, though without makeup, was still breathtakingly beautiful. She thanked him softly and sat down opposite Qin Lie.

Qin Lie had changed into clean clothes, still buttoning them all the way up, looking abstinent and proper, completely unlike the beast who had been about to devour him in the room just moments before. He picked up his wine bowl, took a sip of the Erguotou that Xiao Yong had brought back, and the spicy liquid rolled down his throat, suppressing the burning sensation in his heart.

"Brother, when I entered the village just now, I saw that the ground in front of our house was trampled flat, and there were bloodstains." Xiao Yong took a bite of his steamed bun, his smile fading, replaced by a bandit-like air. "What happened? Who's causing trouble?"

Lin Qingqing paused in her action of picking up the meat, and subconsciously looked at Qin Lie.

Qin Lie remained calm and said indifferently, "The Li family group came by."

"Snapped!"

Xiao Yong slammed the chopsticks in his hand onto the table, causing the soup in the bowl to spill out.

His eyes widened instantly, and the veins on his neck bulged: "Those bastards dare to come again? Do they think we're all alone?!"

He jumped to his feet, his muscles taut, like a vicious dog ready to bite: "I'm going to cripple Li Ergou's leg! Damn it, how dare he bully our family? He's got a death wish!"

"Sit down." Qin Lie didn't even lift his eyelids. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Brother! You can tolerate this, but I can't!" Xiao Yong gasped for breath, his chest heaving. "Qingqing just stepped inside, and she's already being bullied by those hooligans. How will she ever be able to hold her head up in the village again?"

He turned his head and looked at Lin Qingqing, who was bowing her head and not daring to speak. The anger in his heart instantly turned into a feeling of pity and protectiveness.

He strode over to Lin Qingqing, reached out his big hand and patted her on the shoulder, almost knocking her over.

"Don't be afraid, little sister! Now that you've entered our family, you're family!" Xiao Yong patted his chest, spitting everywhere. "If anyone dares to lay a finger on you, I'll twist their skull off and use it as a chamber pot!"

Lin Qingqing looked up at the man with a rugged face but sincere eyes, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. Although he was a bit rough, he did give her a real sense of security.

"Thank you, Second Brother." She smiled sweetly at Xiao Yong.

That smile almost bewitched Xiao Yong.

He stared blankly at Lin Qingqing, feeling that the woman in front of him was a hundred times more beautiful than the stars in the magazines. The anger in his heart instantly subsided by half, replaced by a different kind of burning fire.

"Alright, stop making a fool of yourself here." Qin Lie coldly interrupted the two's "deep gaze." He put down his wine bowl with a crisp "clatter." "I've already broken Li Ergou's leg, and those guys have been dealt with. If you have nowhere to vent your energy, go chop some firewood on the back mountain tomorrow."

Upon hearing that Li Ergou's leg was broken, Xiao Yong sat back down, relieved, grabbed a steamed bun, and took a big bite: "Serves him right! Brother, you were too lenient. If it were me, I would have crippled his thing too, making him a eunuch for life!"

Lin Qingqing blushed and her heart raced; these men were talking in a very crude and vulgar way.

"But speaking of which," Xiao Yong mumbled between chewing meat, "Big brother, isn't our house a bit too cramped? It was fine for the brothers to squeeze in before, but now that we have Qingqing here..."

His sly gaze swept over Qin Lie and Lin Qingqing, finally settling on Lin Qingqing's rosy cheeks: "Since you're staying in the east room, how do we divide the west room and the main room? The third, fourth, and fifth brothers will be back in a few days. When they come back, there will be a whole house full of men snoring and farting at night. Don't let the smell bother you."

These words really hit a nerve.

The Qin family's few dilapidated thatched houses were originally just for makeshift accommodations.

Now, with the addition of the delicate Lin Qingqing, it's like putting a fragrant piece of fresh meat in a wolf's den—it can't be hidden no matter how hard you try, and it can't be divided evenly no matter how hard you try.

Qin Lie tightened his grip on the wine bowl, his knuckles turning slightly white. He raised his eyes and gave Lin Qingqing a deep look.

"You don't need to worry about that," Qin Lie said in a deep voice. "First, clean up that storage room next door and save it for the third brother. As for you..."

He paused, a calculating glint in his eyes: "Now that we're back, we'll sleep in the main room tonight and keep watch, so that the Li family won't give up and come back to cause trouble again."

"Huh?" Xiao Yong's face fell instantly when he heard that he had to sleep in the main room to feed the mosquitoes. "Big brother, is it really necessary to be so careful? Those cowards definitely won't dare to come. I want to sleep in the west room; the bed there is firm and comfortable."

The west room was right next to the east room, separated only by a thin earthen wall.

Qin Lie knew exactly what he was up to. He sneered, his tone icy: "What, my words don't carry any weight anymore?"

Xiao Yong shrank back. Although he was unwilling, he didn't dare to argue under his older brother's imposing presence. He could only mutter, "Just sleep, why are you being so fierce..."

After dinner, Lin Qingqing rushed to clear the dishes, but Xiao Yong pushed her away, saying, "How can I let you do such rough work! Your hands are for wearing bracelets, not for washing dishes!"

As he spoke, he quickly cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, picked up the basin, and went to the hand pump well in the yard.

Lin Qingqing stood at the entrance of the main room, looking at the tall, busy figure in the courtyard, and then glanced back at Qin Lie, who was sitting motionless at the table.

Feeling Lin Qingqing's gaze, he raised his head, his deep eyes locking onto her.

"You smiled at him when he put meat on your plate."

Lin Qingqing trembled. How could this man have such a good memory?

"I... that was just politeness..."

"You're not allowed to smile like that at him anymore," Qin Lie declared domineeringly, his warm lips brushing lightly against her earlobe. "And you're not allowed to smile like that at anyone else either."

"But……"

"No buts."

"No buts." Qin Lie lowered his head and kissed Lin Qingqing.

The sound of rushing water came from the courtyard, along with Xiao Yong's hoarse voice humming a song.

I lowered my head towards the ravine...

Separated by a wall, the interior is lush and beautiful, while the exterior is rugged and unrestrained.

Nestled in Qin Lie's arms, Lin Qingqing listened to the singing outside and his powerful heartbeat, and a strange yet exciting feeling suddenly welled up inside her.