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

As soon as the sun climbed above the treetops, the Qin family's gate was completely surrounded.

Last night's farce was so big that the whole village was craning their necks to see what would happen next.

Wang Dazui had already moved a small stool and sat in the front row early on, holding a handful of sunflower seeds in his hand. He looked even more excited than if he were watching an open-air movie.

"Here it comes!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and the buzzing discussion instantly subsided.

The old village chief walked ahead with a dark face, his hands behind his back, each step heavy as if he wanted to tamp down the soil.

Su Jiaojiao followed half a step behind him, her head bowed low, her hands tightly twisting the hem of her clothes, her nails digging into her flesh.

The Qin family's gate was wide open.

Qin Lie sat in the middle, with Xiao Yong and Jiang He on either side as door gods. Li Dongye leaned against the door frame smoking, his face expressionless except for the dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well last night.

Lin Qingqing held a palm-leaf fan in her hand, idly waving it, her gaze falling on Su Jiaojiao, pausing slightly.

"Qin Lie! I'm here!"

The old village chief stopped, slammed his cane on the ground, and roared in a powerful voice, "What happened last night must be addressed today! In front of the entire village, if Li Dongye really did that despicable thing, I'll risk my old life to send him to jail!"

A chorus of cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd, and several men who usually disliked the Qin family joined in the commotion.

Li Dongye threw the cigarette butt on the ground, crushed it out with his toe, and was about to curse when Qin Lie raised his hand to stop him.

Qin Lie looked at the old village chief, then at Su Jiaojiao who was cowering behind him, and said in a low voice, "There needs to be an explanation. Su Jiaojiao, you tell me."

The old village chief pulled Su Jiaojiao close to him: "Girl, don't be afraid! Dad will stand up for you!"

Su Jiaojiao looked up and glanced quickly at Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing remained calm and even gave her a slight smile.

That smile was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing all of Su Jiaojiao's hopes.

"Father..." Su Jiaojiao's voice was barely audible.

"Speak louder!" the old village chief cried anxiously.

Su Jiaojiao closed her eyes, steeled her resolve, and suddenly shouted, "I must have seen wrong!"

The moment he shouted, the surroundings became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The old village chief was stunned. He picked at his ear, thinking he had misheard: "Huh? What did you say?"

"I said I was mistaken!" Su Jiaojiao said in a tearful voice, speaking very quickly, as if afraid that if she stopped, she would not be able to continue. "It was too dark in the woods last night, and I twisted my ankle and was in so much pain that I was delirious. That person... that person was not Li Dongye."

"When I was on my way home, Li Dongye happened to be passing by. I thought it was him, but after looking closely, it didn't look like him. I was terrified last night, and I only remembered this morning."

"Whoosh—"

The crowd erupted in chaos.

"Not Li Dongye? Then what was all that commotion about last night?"

"So you're framing someone?"

"I knew it. Although Li Laosi is cunning, he wouldn't be so desperate as to attack someone at his own doorstep."

"What's wrong with this village chief's daughter? Does she want to ruin her reputation?"

All sorts of unpleasant words were like flies burrowing into my ears.

The old village chief's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, the veins on his neck throbbing. He stared at his daughter in disbelief, his cane trembling: "Jiaojiao, what nonsense are you talking about? You clearly said last night that it was him..."

"I mistook you for someone else! Dad, don't ask anymore!" Su Jiaojiao covered her face and turned to run back, but the old village chief grabbed her arm.

"Explain yourself! Who? Who is that? Who tore your clothes?" The old village chief was furious. If he admitted that this was a misunderstanding, where would he put his old face?

Driven to desperation, Su Jiaojiao remembered Lin Qingqing's words and gritted her teeth, shouting, "I fell myself! My clothes got caught on a tree branch! I already said I was mistaken, why are you still asking! I was mistaken, okay?! Waaah..."

She shook off the old village chief's hand, covered her face, rushed out of the crowd, and ran away without looking back.

The old village chief was left standing there, bewildered in the wind.

The villagers' gazes towards him changed, shifting from sympathy to amusement, and even a hint of disdain. Their own daughter dared to throw dirty water at someone she didn't even recognize; their family upbringing was truly appalling.

Qin Lie stood up from his chair, his tall figure casting a shadow.

"Village Chief," he called out, his tone flat, "Did you hear me?"

The old village chief's face flushed red, then turned pale, then blue. He glanced at Qin Lie, then at the pointing and whispering villagers around him, and finally his gaze settled on Li Dongye's ambiguous smile.

You have to swallow this anger, even if you can't.

"It's...it's my fault for not raising my daughter properly." The old village chief gritted his teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth. "I wronged my nephew Dongye. I'll...I'll hold a banquet to apologize another day."

Having said that, he was too ashamed to stay any longer. He didn't even bother to use his cane, and slunk away into the crowd.

The villagers who had been watching the spectacle lost interest when they saw that the main characters had all run away, and dispersed in twos and threes, still muttering about the absurdity of the Su family's affairs.

Li Dongye leaned against the door frame and exhaled a long breath.

His usual carefree attitude had completely vanished. He lowered his head, staring at his toes, and remained silent for a long time.

A hand was placed on his shoulder.

Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses: "Alright, let's go inside. Aren't you sleepy?"

Li Dongye didn't move. He raised his head, his gaze passing over Gu Qiangying and landing directly on Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing was about to put away her palm-leaf fan and go back inside when she felt that burning gaze. She paused and turned around: "Fourth Brother?"

Li Dongye strode over.

He walked quickly, creating a gust of wind. When he stood in front of Lin Qingqing, he suddenly stopped, as if afraid of bumping into her.

"Qingqing".

He called her name, his voice hoarse and heavy, devoid of its usual frivolous banter.

"Thanks."

Li Dongye was a habitual scoundrel, rarely speaking the truth, and usually fearless. But this time, he had truly learned his lesson. Although he knew he was innocent, he was still afraid of implicating his brothers and that the Qin family would fall apart.

Looking at the bloodshot in his eyes, Lin Qingqing felt a little less uneasy about his scheming.

She smiled gently, her eyes crinkling, "We're family, no need to thank me."

"Oh my god!"

Suddenly, a large hand reached out from the side and slapped Lin Qingqing on the shoulder.

Xiao Yong grinned, "Girl! You're amazing! I was completely stunned by what you just did. That woman Su Jiaojiao actually changed her mind! You're even better than the men!"

The slap was delivered with such force that Lin Qingqing staggered and almost lost her balance.

"Second Brother! Is that a bear paw?" Jiang He quickly caught Lin Qingqing, pulling her into his arms. He then glared at Xiao Yong, "If you break my sister, can you afford to pay for it?"

Xiao Yong scratched his head and sheepishly withdrew his hand: "Hehe, I'm just happy!"

Jiang He ignored him and turned to look at Lin Qingqing, her beautiful eyes filled with sparkling admiration.

"Sister is so smart." His voice was soft, with a hint of coquetry. "That Su Jiaojiao was so scared of you just now. How did you do it? Can you teach me?"

Lin Qingqing shrank back, her cheeks slightly flushed: "No...it's nothing, I just talked to her about it."

"Reasoning?" Gu Qiangying walked over and smiled meaningfully. "Our Qingqing's way of reasoning is quite unique."

Qin Lie remained silent.

He stood a few steps away, his gaze fixed intently on the woman surrounded by her brothers. She was wearing a light blue floral blouse today, making her appear exceptionally fair and delicate. Yet this woman, who looked as if a gust of wind could blow her away, had somehow managed to keep the old village chief's family completely under her thumb.

He remembered the way she walked away with the basket of eggs.

At that moment, the little chick that they had always protected under their wings seemed to have finally grown its own sharp claws.

Qin Lie walked over and ruffled Lin Qingqing's hair with his large hand.

"Go back inside and eat."