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

Xiao Yong was steaming hot, lying shirtless on the kang (a heated brick bed).

He couldn't sleep because of the heat; the old house was like a sauna in the summer, and it only cooled down a bit in the latter half of the night.

He tossed and turned for a while, but still couldn't fall asleep. So he simply went out of the house with his bare arms, walked to the bucket, scooped out a basin of water, and vigorously rubbed his back with the indistinct towel until his skin turned bright red.

I feel really agitated.

I just ate half a bowl of meat, and now all the energy is rushing up to me; my whole body feels like it's on fire. The water only cools me down for a short while, then I feel hot again.

"Damn it, it's going to be scorching hot today," Xiao Yong muttered.

Just as the sound of water subsided, a very faint noise came from above.

creak.

The sound wasn't loud, but Xiao Yong suddenly stopped moving, still clutching the half-eaten wet towel in his hand, his neck stiffly raised upwards.

The night sky was pitch black, with nothing but a few bright, glaring stars. The shadows under the eaves were dark and gaping, like a toothless mouth.

There was another "creak".

This time I heard it clearly; it was the sound of tiles rubbing together.

Xiao Yong's brows furrowed instantly. The old houses in the Qin family compound were quite old, and it was common for the tiles to loosen, but in the middle of the night, the noise didn't seem to be from the wind; it sounded like someone was walking on them.

"Who?" Xiao Yong shouted in a low voice, and casually picked up the carrying pole leaning against the well.

No one answered.

The noise stopped, and there was a deathly silence.

Xiao Yong's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that a thief has broken in?

He's straightforward and doesn't think things through; his first instinct is to protect his family.

He carried a shoulder pole, took a few steps to the door of the main room, and pushed the door open.

The door wasn't locked, so the brothers could come and go easily. The room was dark, with no lights on, except for a tiny, flickering, scarlet flame.

Qin Lie was still awake.

"Big brother," Xiao Yong said urgently, his voice low, "there's movement on the roof."

The flickering light in the darkness dissipated, and Qin Lie's deep voice came through: "What's that noise?"

"It sounds like something is treading on the tiles." Xiao Yong slammed his carrying pole on the ground. "It doesn't sound like a cat or dog to me, more like a person. Could it be one of those village hooligans sneaking in? Should I go get a ladder and go check it out?"

"stop."

Qin Lie called out to him, and Xiao Yong stopped in his tracks, scratching his head anxiously: "Brother, what if a thief breaks in..."

"What kind of thief dares to come into this yard?" Qin Lie took a drag of his cigarette, the light momentarily illuminating his cold, hard face before quickly dimming again. "It's rats. I heard about them a couple of days ago. I'll have Lao San get some poison tomorrow."

"A rat?" Xiao Yong's eyes widened. "A rat that can make such a commotion? How big must it be? Is it some kind of spirit?"

Qin Lie didn't reply, but simply threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed the last spark with his toe.

"Go to sleep." Qin Lie turned around, his back to the door, clearly not wanting to waste any more words. "You're all sweaty, don't stink here."

Xiao Yong was speechless. In this family, the eldest brother's word was law. If he said it was a rat, then it was a rat. Even if an elephant was dancing on the roof, it would still be a rat that looked like an elephant.

He scratched the back of his head, picked up the carrying pole, and retreated.

Standing in the courtyard, Xiao Yong felt increasingly uneasy.

The commotion just now clearly came from the roof of the main house, not far from Lin Qingqing's east room. What if that thief climbed up the roof beam into my cousin's room...?

Thinking of this, Xiao Yong felt a chill run down his spine.

No, my brother is too carefree; he can't be. My cousin has such delicate skin; what if she gets scared?

He tiptoed toward the east room.

A dim, yellowish light shone through the paper window of the east room. Gu Qiangying was still staying up late studying medical books. Xiao Yong leaned close to the window, but before he could peek inside, the door opened from the inside.

Gu Qiangying left two buttons undone at the top of her collar, revealing her pale collarbone.

He was carrying a jug, intending to get some water to drink, and he wasn't surprised to see the figure at the door.

……

Chapter 57 is stuck in the review process because I replaced it because it wasn't good. Chapter 57 has the third brother making noises while washing his hands.

Waaaaah, if I could see chapter 57 now, it definitely wouldn't be the latest one. I feel like crying.