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

Before dawn, this commotion could be heard in the courtyard.

"Click—"

The sound of wood being cleaved by brute force was crisp, clean, and carried a ruthless, cathartic force.

Lin Qingqing was awakened by this sound.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, sat up, and hugged the patched but faded thin quilt. The hard bed beneath her creaked.

Last night, Qin Lie tormented me so much that my waist is still incredibly sore and weak, as if it had been run over by a wheel.

She put on her coat and pushed open the half-closed wooden window.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated in the mountain village, and a damp chill swept over us.

In the center of the courtyard, Xiao Yong stood shirtless, revealing his strong, bronze muscles. Sweat streamed down the deep groove on his back and into his waistband.

The heavy axe in his hand was handled as if it were a game, creating a gust of wind with each swing.

The firewood that was originally piled up in the corner has now been chopped neatly and stacked into a small wall.

The large water vat next to it was also overflowing, and a gourd ladle was floating on the surface, swaying gently.

This isn't work; it's more like a peacock displaying its tail feathers.

Xiao Yong, with his sharp ears, heard a noise at the window and whirled around. Seeing Lin Qingqing's sleepy face and the glimpse of her white collarbone peeking out from her neckline, he nearly smashed the axe in his hand into his foot.

"My dear Qingqing, you're awake?"

He grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth, his憨厚 (honest and simple) demeanor tinged with an undisguised fervor. "Why didn't you sleep a little longer? Did I make too much noise and disturb you?"

Lin Qingqing pulled her collar tighter, her cheeks slightly flushed. "No, I should have gotten up earlier. Second Brother, why are you up so early?"

"I can't sleep!" Xiao Yong slammed the axe into the wooden stump, the axe sinking deep into the wood. "I'm full of energy but have nowhere to use it, so I thought I'd do some work so your tender hands won't have to do this rough work."

As he spoke, he darted to the windowsill, looked up at her with a fixed gaze, like a wolf that hadn't eaten for days seeing a meat bun: "Hey sis, what's for breakfast? I want your handmade noodles, with two extra eggs, okay?"

His way of begging for a reward was just like the big yellow dog wagging its tail at the village entrance.

Lin Qingqing felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. Just as she was about to nod, the curtain of the main room was lifted.

Qin Lie came out.

He was dressed neatly, in dark blue work pants and a faded old shirt, buttoned up tightly, even the cuffs rolled up meticulously. He carried a slightly rusty hoe and a sickle, his calm eyes sweeping lightly over Xiao Yong under the window before finally settling on Lin Qingqing's face.

The temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees instantly.

"You're up?" Qin Lie's voice was low and unreadable.

Lin Qingqing subconsciously shrank her neck and nodded obediently, "Big brother."

Qin Lie ignored Xiao Yong's mountain of spoils, walked to the eaves, took out a whetstone from his toolbox, squatted down, and slowly began to sharpen the sickle.

"rustle--"

"The soil in that wasteland in the backyard is loosened up enough," Qin Lie said without looking up as he sharpened his knife. "Let's turn the soil over today and plant some bok choy and chili peppers. Don't you like spicy food?"

Xiao Yong's smile froze for a moment.

Chopping wood and carrying water are physically demanding tasks that anyone can do, but clearing land and planting vegetables is a long-term plan for making a living. The older brother is telling him that how the family operates depends on him.

"Brother, isn't there a rush to plant vegetables?" Xiao Yong asked, somewhat unconvinced. "Qingqing is new here; her hands are still too soft. How can she get to work in the fields?"

Qin Lie stopped what he was doing, looked up at him, his gaze as sharp as a knife: "Who said she was allowed to get out of bed? I'll turn her over, she can just watch."

Xiao Yong was speechless, the veins on his neck throbbing twice. Finally, he could only grunt and turn to Lin Qingqing, shouting, "Little sister, don't listen to your brother! The sun's scorching hot. Go make me some noodles, I'm starving!"

Lin Qingqing was sandwiched between the two men, and she felt that the morning air was more intoxicating than the wine from last night, giving her a headache.

She dared not offend anyone.

"I'll do it right away," she replied softly, and fled into the kitchen as if escaping.

The flames in the stove licked the bottom of the pot as Lin Qingqing kneaded the dough, pondering how to keep the water level.

Half an hour later, steaming hot hand-pulled noodles were served on the table.

In the large bowl in front of Xiao Yong lay two golden poached eggs, sprinkled with a handful of bright green scallions, their aroma filling the air.

"Hey, my girlfriend really loves me!" Xiao Yong grinned from ear to ear as he looked at the two eggs. He picked up a mouthful of noodles and slurped it into his mouth, mumbling, "So delicious! Even better than my mom's!"

Qin Lie also had a bowl of noodles in front of him, but only one egg.

Xiao Yong glanced at Qin Lie smugly, his eyes clearly saying: See? The girl is still on my side.

Qin Lie remained expressionless, picked up his chopsticks and was about to eat when Lin Qingqing suddenly pushed the military green enamel mug next to him.

"Big brother, have some water."

Qin Lie paused.

The jar contained cooled boiled water, but its color was slightly yellowish. He picked it up and took a sip; a faint sweetness melted on his tongue.

It's sugar water.

In those days, brown sugar was a precious commodity, and only women in their postpartum period could afford to drink it.

Qin Lie looked up and met Lin Qingqing's bright, peach-blossom eyes. She bit her lower lip, her gaze darting away, her fingers twisting together on her knees, clearly afraid of his disapproval and also afraid of being discovered by Xiao Yong.

The sweetness flowed down his throat and into his stomach, suppressing the restlessness that had risen in Qin Lie's heart because of the two eggs.

He didn't say anything, but tilted his head back and drank the whole jar of sugar water, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, exuding an indescribable sexiness.

As he put down the jar, his fingers brushed against the back of Lin Qingqing's hand almost imperceptibly.

The rough fingertips were burning hot.

Lin Qingqing reacted as if she had been burned, quickly withdrawing her hand and looking down at the few noodles in her bowl, her ears turning bright red.

Xiao Yong was so engrossed in eating that he completely missed the subtle exchange between the two right under his nose. He finished the last drop of soup, wiped his mouth, and let out a loud burp: "That felt good! Sis, from now on I'll take care of all the heavy chores around the house; you just need to cook!"

Qin Lie put down his chopsticks and said calmly, "After you've eaten, go and prepare some more firewood from the back mountain. It's likely to rain these next few days."

Xiao Yong was about to retort, but after glancing at Qin Lie's unwavering expression, he swallowed his words. His older brother said it would rain, so it most likely would. Back in the army, his brother's intuition was more accurate than the weather forecast.

"Okay." Xiao Yong stood up, grabbed a T-shirt hanging on the wall and draped it over himself. "Sis, leave the dishes there, I'll wash them when I get back!"

After saying that, he strode out the door.

Qin Lie didn't leave immediately. He looked at Lin Qingqing, who was tidying up the table, and suddenly said, "Don't put so many eggs in his bowl next time."

Lin Qingqing's hand trembled, and her chopsticks fell onto the table.

"He's become so spoiled." Qin Lie stood up, his tall figure looming over him, blocking the light from the doorway. "Also, the sugar water... from now on, you're only allowed to pour it for me."

After saying that, he picked up the hoe, turned around, and went to the backyard.

As the sun rose higher, the cicadas chirped in the trees, becoming increasingly irritating.

Lin Qingqing gathered up the dirty clothes from home and carried the wooden basin to the stream at the village entrance. The Qin family didn't have a well, so they usually had to either fetch water or wash themselves by the stream.

At this time, many women from the village had already gathered by the stream.

The sound of the mallet striking the stone, accompanied by the women's chatter, carried far and wide.

The moment Lin Qingqing appeared, the once lively streamside fell silent for a few seconds.

She wore a simple floral blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing her slender forearms. Although the blouse was loose, it couldn't hide her slim waist and the full curves of her chest. As she walked, her figure swayed like a willow in the wind, effortless yet full of charm.

"Oh, isn't this Qin family's 'cousin'?"

The speaker was Wang Dazui, who was slamming a pair of men's underwear onto a rock with a loud thud. Her triangular eyes slanted sideways, full of sharp sarcasm. "What, finally decided to go out today? I thought you were going to grow white mold in bed."

Several women nearby covered their mouths and chuckled.

Lin Qingqing ignored her, found an empty bluestone slab, squatted down and started washing clothes.

"Hey, did you guys hear?" Wang Dazui raised his voice even louder when no one responded. "Last night, the second son of the Qin family came back too. The noise they made, tsk tsk, I heard it all clearly from next door. The Qin family is really something else. The brothers haven't even separated yet, and this 'cousin' has moved in. I wonder whose light was on last night."

"Sister-in-law Guifen, what are you saying? They're relatives." A young woman next to her teased in a low voice.

"A relative?" Wang Dazui sneered, throwing the club in his hand into the water, splashing up a spray. "What kind of relative looks like that? I think she's a vixen, not content with seducing one, she's planning to devour all five Qin brothers?"