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

Then came a clanging sound of metal colliding, and the sound of something breaking.

Gu Qiangying frowned and pushed open the courtyard gate.

The scene in the courtyard can only be described as "horrific".

The once neat and tidy courtyard now looked as if it had been ransacked by the Japanese invaders.

Five or six black and white piglets were running around the yard happily.

Some burrowed into the woodpile, some were digging up the radish tops in the vegetable patch, and one, oblivious to its own mortality, ran towards the well.

The family's usually majestic big black dog, "Black Panther," was now acting like a madman, chasing after one of the smallest piglets, barking as it ran, drooling profusely.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yong, the second brother who usually wields a sledgehammer without breaking a sweat, is now shirtless, carrying a broken iron bucket, and sweating profusely as he chases after the dog.

"Black Panther! You son of a bitch! Stop right there!"

Xiao Yong slipped, stepped into a patch of mud, and fell forward, landing face-first in the dirt. The iron bucket in his hand flew out and slammed onto a piglet's head with a loud thud.

The piglet was startled and ran blindly with the iron bucket on its head, bumping into Jiang He's leg as he entered the room.

"Ouch!"

Jiang He was knocked off balance and nearly dropped the medicine packet in his hand.

"This... was it a burglary or an earthquake?" Jiang He stared wide-eyed at the mess in the yard.

Xiao Yong got up from the ground, covered in mud and with a patch of black ash on his face, looking like a kitchen god.

He looked up and saw three people standing at the door. In particular, when he saw Lin Qingqing staring at him with wide eyes at his disheveled appearance, his face instantly turned purple and then liver-colored.

"Qing...Qingqing is back?"

Xiao Yong frantically brushed the mud off his body, only to get dirtier with each stroke. Finally, he could only awkwardly put his hands behind his back, stammering, "Um... this pig... this dog..."

"Black Panther! Sit down!"

A deep, furious shout came from behind.

The big black dog, which had been jumping around a moment ago, immediately slammed on the brakes upon hearing the sound, tucked its tail between its legs, whimpered, and obediently lay down on the ground without moving.

The three of them turned around as soon as they got back and saw Qin Lie walking towards the front door. The messy yard instantly became quiet.

Even the few piglets that were frolicking seemed to sense the murderous aura, grunting and huddling together in a corner, too afraid to move.

"Brother," Jiang He said, putting his things on the stone table, "what's going on here?"

Qin Lie's gaze swept over Lin Qingqing, his expression softening slightly. Then he raised his chin and pointed to the pile of piglets.

"Before the third brother left, he told me to go to the next village and catch a few piglets."

All eyes were on Gu Qiangying.

Jiang He picked up the piglet with the iron bucket on its head that was beside him, looked at it, and asked, "Third Brother, why did you let Big Brother catch this thing?"

Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses and took out the pink book from her handbag.

"Xiao Wu, here you go."

Jiang He quickly put the pig down and instinctively reached out to catch it.

"This is a gift for you." Gu Qiangying smiled warmly. "These pigs are yours to take care of from now on. Your older brother will supervise them, and if they get too thin, he'll deduct your allowance."

Jiang He stared at the book "The Art of Pig Farming" in his hand, then at the piglets rooting in the mud in the corner, and froze.

"I won't raise them!" Jiang He jumped up, hopping mad in protest. "I'm a man destined for great things! You want me to raise pigs? If word gets out, how am I supposed to face the surrounding villages?"

"It's fine if you don't want to raise them," Qin Lie said coldly. "Then you can go to the mine to carry stones. You'll get two yuan a day to cover your living expenses."

Jiang He immediately deflated.

Is carrying stones even a human being's job? That would rub his delicate skin raw!

He looked at Lin Qingqing with a pitiful expression: "Sister..."

Looking at him, Lin Qingqing felt a little sorry for him, but she couldn't help but want to laugh.

She walked over, dusted off the book, and handed it back to Jiang He.

"Xiao Wu, raising pigs is a skill in itself," Lin Qingqing coaxed him, suppressing a laugh. "Once the pigs are fattened up, we'll slaughter them for the New Year and save the best meat for you, okay?"

Jiang He pouted, "Really?"

"real."

"Then...then I want to eat what my sister makes herself."

"Okay, I'll make you a big pot."

Jiang He finally managed to accept this cruel reality, clutching the pink book, turning back every few steps to look at his "new favorite": "This is so ugly...it's not even as good-looking as Black Panther..."

Standing to the side, watching these people chatting and laughing, Xiao Yong felt like an outsider.

These past few days at home, he's been doing nothing but forging iron and feeding the dog, missing Lin Qingqing terribly.

After finally getting them back, the three of them were having a great time, while I was just standing there like a fool.

"Um... Qingqing," Xiao Yong stepped forward, a smile spreading across his face, "You must be exhausted from the journey, right? Are you hungry? There are some boiled eggs left in the pot, they're still warm."

Lin Qingqing turned around and looked at Xiao Yong's smeared face, her heart warming: "Second Brother, I'm not hungry. You've worked hard at home."

That soft, sweet "Second Brother" made Xiao Yong's bones melt.

He grinned and said, "It's not hard work at all, it's just that this pig can run too fast..."

Just as he was about to say a few more words, Gu Qiangying suddenly stepped in, silently blocking him and Lin Qingqing.

"Second Brother, could you go boil some water? Qingqing is all sweaty, she needs to wash up." Gu Qiangying said, pointing to the east room. "Qingqing, go back to your room and put your things down first."

"Okay, sure." Xiao Yong subconsciously agreed and turned to go to the kitchen.

After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Why does it feel like the third brother is guarding against him like he's a thief?

Although Gu Qiangying was cunning before, she never did it like this, making him run around like a headless chicken, not even giving him a chance to say a word to his cousin.

Xiao Yong stopped and looked back.

Gu Qiangying was talking to Lin Qingqing with his head down, and he took the opportunity to tidy up her hair that had been messed up by the wind.

The gesture was natural and intimate, and Lin Qingqing didn't dodge; she simply nodded obediently and went inside.

Xiao Yong scratched the back of his head, the feeling of tightness in his chest intensifying.

What exactly happened in the county town these past few days?

Why does it feel like the atmosphere around us has changed since these three people came back?

"Second brother, what are you thinking about?"

Jiang He approached at some point, "If you're going to boil water, could you give me some too...?"

Xiao Yong glared at him: "Go away, go raise your pigs!"

No, I have to find a chance tonight to ask Qingqing properly.

……

Here I am again, rambling on and on.

Seeing this, many of you might like the third child, but wait a minute, the eldest child will also change your mind.

The reason I didn't write about the eldest brother first is because his aura is too strong. If I wrote too much about him in the early stages, it would overshadow the others and create too much of a gap.

These male protagonists each play a different role, and they are all evenly matched in terms of both romantic relationships and character.

In the days to come~~~~

The eldest brother teaches his daughters about responsibility.

The second son brought Qingqing loyalty.

The third brother broadened Qingqing's horizons.

The fourth brother told Qingqing about freedom.

Xiao Wu helps the female lead fight back.

The completely different lives they lead, each bringing forth different strengths for the female protagonist, is the meaning behind my writing of n male protagonists versus 1 female protagonist.

At this stage, Xiao Wu is immature, naive, and sometimes childish and irresponsible. I hope everyone can be more tolerant of him. He will grow into a responsible man in the future.

Qingqing is changing little by little, I don't know if I've expressed myself well, sob sob.