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

On the dining table sat a large pot of braised pork with vermicelli, glistening with oil and steam rising from the ceiling.

Xiao Yong, shirtless, was sweating profusely from the commotion in the yard earlier. Now he was shoveling vermicelli into his mouth, eating with great relish.

Everyone started eating, but Jiang He, still holding his chopsticks, picked through his food in his bowl and sighed for the eighth time next to the pink book "The Science of Pig Farming".

"If you sigh again, I'll eat that book." Qin Lie said without looking up, picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks.

Jiang He slammed his chopsticks on the table and pointed at the book: "Brother, looking at this fat pig, even the meat tastes like it's from a pigsty."

"That's because you're not enlightened enough."

Seeing that Lin Qingqing didn't like fatty meat, Gu Qiangying picked out a few leaner pieces for her and said:

"The book says that scientific farming can increase meat yield. Take a look; whether our braised pork will taste even better in the future depends entirely on you."

Looking at Jiang He's aggrieved little face, Lin Qingqing couldn't help but let her dimples spread across her face.

"Xiao Wu, if you really don't want to watch, I can feed the pigs for you. You just need to shovel... you know what."

"I don't scoop poop!"

Jiang He almost jumped up, "Sister, you've gone bad too, teaming up with Third Brother to bully me."

Lin Qingqing blinked, swallowed the small piece of meat, and said innocently, "I was just worried about you and afraid you'd get tired."

"Alright, let's get down to business." Gu Qiangying put down his chopsticks, and the others at the table subconsciously stopped talking as soon as he did.

"I'm thinking of taking Qingqing with me on my house calls from now on."

Upon hearing this, Jiang He slurped up a noodle from his mouth.

"Third brother, are you crazy?" Xiao Yong's eyes widened. "Is house call work something a human being can do? Not to mention crossing mountains and valleys, some patients' homes are so filthy you can't even step foot in them. How could Qingqing endure that?"

Jiang He shook his head vigorously: "No, no, I'll raise pigs, I'll raise pigs. My sister can stay at home. Our family doesn't need her money. I'll raise pigs to supplement the family income. Don't let my sister do any work."

Gu Qiangying ignored the two loudmouths and only looked at Qin Lie:

"Brother, it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish."

Qingqing is quick-witted and recognizes herbs easily. I don't expect her to become a miracle doctor, but I hope she can figure out what's wrong if she gets a headache or fever in the future.

Besides, staying cooped up at home all day, just sitting around the stove, would make even a healthy person sick.

Lin Qingqing tightened her grip on the chopsticks.

She hadn't expected Gu Qiangying to be serious.

After all these years, her family instilled in her the idea that women are like donkeys pulling a millstone; as long as they can work and give birth, that's enough. Who cares if you're bored or what you want to learn?

Qin Lie paused in his chewing of the steamed bun, his gaze falling on Lin Qingqing's face. Her face was fair, and her eyes held a cautious expectation, like a kitten that wanted to scratch someone but dared not.

"Want to go?" Qin Lie asked.

Lin Qingqing immediately nodded: "Yes! I'm not afraid of being tired, and I'm not afraid of getting dirty."

"Then let's go." Qin Lie made the final decision, stuffing the last bite of steamed bun into his mouth. "It's worth learning some skills from the third brother."

With their elder brother's words, Xiao Yong and Jiang He had no choice but to swallow their opinions, no matter how many they had.

Jiang He rolled his eyes twice, then suddenly stuffed the book "The Science of Pig Farming" into his clothes, leaned close to Gu Qiangying, and smiled:

"Third Brother, since Sister is going to be your apprentice, why don't I go too? I'll carry the medicine box for you two."

"You?" Gu Qiangying glanced at him, took out a neatly folded piece of paper from her pocket, and slapped it on Jiang He's forehead. "This is the feeding schedule and feed ratio for those pigs. If you dare to skip a meal, I'll make you sleep in the same room as the pigs."

Jiang He tore the paper off and saw that it was covered with dense writing, even including plans for when the pig would poop.

"Gu Qiangying! You're treating pigs like royalty!"

"That's your performance record." Gu Qiangying stood up and casually ruffled Lin Qingqing's hair. "Eat your fill and rest more. I'll go get you some medicine to regulate your body."

Lin Qingqing looked up at him and nodded.

……

After finishing dinner and cleaning up, night fell.

The mountain breeze was cool, making the paper windows rustle.

A kerosene lamp was lit in the east room, its wick small, casting a dim, yellowish glow on the wall. Lin Qingqing sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the sounds coming from the outer room.

The bubbling sound of the medicine pot on the stove, mixed with the bitter smell of Chinese medicine, seeped in through the crack in the door.

"Second brother, the fire's too big! Slow down! Do you understand? It means let the flames lick the bottom of the pot, not attack it like a boiler!" Gu Qiangying's voice came through the door, unusually impatient, with a hint of disappointment.

"Oh, I know! I'm in a hurry, I'm afraid it won't be effective if it gets cold," Xiao Yong retorted loudly.

Before long, the footsteps reached the door.

"Qingqing, open the door, the medicine is ready!"

Just as Lin Qingqing was about to get off the bed, the curtain was lifted by a large hand resembling a palm-leaf fan.

Xiao Yong was holding a large bowl, his face smeared with black ash from blowing on the fire earlier, making him look both comical and honest.

"Hot, hot, hot!" Xiao Yong slammed the bowl on the table, pinched his ears with both hands, and stomped his feet vertically. "This bowl doesn't insulate against heat at all. It burned my hands!"

Lin Qingqing quickly handed him a wet towel: "Second brother, slow down, there's no rush."

Xiao Yong took the towel and squeezed it to cool his hands, chuckling foolishly, "That won't do. Third Brother said this medicine has to be drunk while it's hot; it'll taste bitter when it's cold."

He pulled over a stool and plopped down, clearly indicating he wasn't planning on leaving.

His eyes were fixed on Lin Qingqing, as if he wanted to make up for all the mistakes he had made over the past few days.

"Qingqing, you haven't been bullied in the city these past few days, have you? If that Jiang kid dares to mess with you, just tell me, and I'll give him a good spanking."

Lin Qingqing stirred the dark, murky medicine soup with a spoon. The smell made her want to frown, but hearing these words warmed her heart: "No, Xiao Wu is quite obedient, and Third Brother takes good care of me too!"

"That's good, that's good."

Xiao Yong scratched his head, racking his brains for something to say: "Um... you've seen our piglets, haven't you? I think two of them are quite... "

"Second Brother."

A clear, cold voice suddenly called out from the doorway.

Gu Qiangying leaned against the door frame, her white shirt still spotless, a stark contrast to Xiao Yong.

"After the medicine is decocted, have you disposed of the dregs?"

Xiao Yong was taken aback: "Huh? We still need to dispose of the dregs?"

"The dregs of the medicine need to be dumped at the crossroads and trampled by people so that the illness can dissipate," Gu Qiangying said, touching the tip of her nose. "Also, this medicine contains several special ingredients that can cause chickens and ducks to lose their feathers if they eat it. You need to deal with it quickly, lest the black leopard lick it up."

Xiao Yong was shocked to hear this. Black Panther was his precious pet; it would be so embarrassing if it lost its fur and became a bald dog.

"I'll go right now!" Xiao Yong jumped up, picked up the jar of leftover medicine dregs from the outer room, and walked out.