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

"Second brother, practicing your martial arts in the middle of the night?" Gu Qiangying's voice was icy.

Xiao Yong peeked into the house and asked, "Where's Lao Wu?"

"I'm asleep." Gu Qiangying turned aside, making a small gap.

By the light of the kerosene lamp, Xiao Yong saw Jiang He curled up on the bed, covered tightly with the quilt, with only a tuft of messy hair showing.

"Did you hear anything?" Xiao Yong asked in a low voice.

Gu Qiangying slowly took a sip of water: "What's that noise?"

"On the roof," Xiao Yong pointed upwards, "there were several noises just now. My brother said it was rats, but it doesn't sound like them to me. Do you think someone might be trying to steal our cured meat?"

Gu Qiangying paused for a moment, her hand holding the cup still.

He raised his head slightly, his gaze passing over Xiao Yong's broad shoulders and landing on the dark eaves. His eyes behind his glasses narrowed, and the half-smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.

"Cured pork?" Gu Qiangying chuckled. "Cured pork isn't the most valuable thing in our family."

Xiao Yong didn't understand the hidden meaning in those words and was still pondering, "If it's not cured meat, then what is it? Nobody's going to steal our few broken iron hammers."

Gu Qiangying ignored his nonsense, and simply closed the door a little to block the wind from outside: "If you're really worried, Second Brother, go and keep watch in the yard. You're too hot to sleep anyway."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yong felt that it made sense.

Instead of guessing here, we should go on patrol.

Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly remembered something.

He walked around the yard. The eldest brother was sleeping inside, the third brother was reading, and the fifth brother was lying dead.

What about the fourth brother?

The large truck was parked at the gate of the yard, with its front facing outwards, but there was no one inside; the cab was empty.

"Where's the fourth brother?" Xiao Yong asked Gu Qiangying. "He was just here at dinner, where did he go in such a short time?"

Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses and said in a flat tone, "He probably went to the outhouse."

"The outhouse?" Xiao Yong turned his head and looked at the outhouse in the corner of the yard, which was surrounded by straw curtains. "I took a peek when I went to take a shower just now, and there was no one inside."

Gu Qiangying shrugged: "He probably went for a stroll at the edge of the village. You know his personality."

Xiao Yong frowned, feeling that something was amiss.

Li Dongye usually likes to wander around, but it's the middle of the night, and there's not a soul in the village. Where could he be wandering off to? Besides, what was that noise from the roof just now...?

"No, I have to go look for it." Xiao Yong hoisted the carrying pole onto his shoulder. "What if it's drunk and fallen into the ditch?"

After saying that, he ignored Gu Qiangying's reaction and strode towards the courtyard gate.

The heavy footsteps faded away outside the courtyard gate, and Gu Qiangying slowly withdrew his gaze.

He didn't want to get water anymore, so he turned around, closed the door, and bolted it shut.

The wick of the kerosene lamp in the room flickered, casting swaying light and shadow.

Gu Qiangying walked to the table and put down the enamel mug she was holding. She turned around, leaned against the edge of the table, and tilted her head back slightly.

Even through the thin layer of tiles and reed mat roof, the sounds coming from above were quite clear.

Just now, when Xiao Yong was making a ruckus in the courtyard, it was as quiet upstairs as if no one was there. But now that the courtyard is empty, the faint sounds are coming down from the roof beams.

It wasn't just the clanging of the tiles.

Gu Qiangying's fingers tapped unconsciously on the edge of the table, the rhythm somewhat disordered.

Is he jealous?

Not really.

In this family, whoever gets to eat first has skill. Everyone knows this tacitly, and each person uses their own methods.

***

More than half an hour later, Gu Qiangying washed her hands again and dried her fingers with a towel before preparing to go to sleep.