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

Meanwhile, in the courtyard.

Xiao Yong squatted at the kitchen door, fanning himself with a tattered palm-leaf fan, staring blankly at the kettle bubbling on the stove.

The firelight from the stove made his dark face glow red. He sniffed and reached over the kettle to test the temperature.

almost.

Qingqing really suffered today.

He was running to the village chief's house and outwitting Su Jiaojiao. Xiao Yong was a rough man, not good at saying nice things, and unlike the third and fourth brothers, he wasn't cunning.

He felt that he needed to soak his feet when he was tired.

Hot water relieves fatigue.

He scrubbed his enamel basin several times, added cold water, stirred it, and found the temperature was just right.

As Xiao Yong carried the basin toward the east room, he deliberately tiptoed. His tall, 1.8-meter frame made him walk like a thief, as if afraid of stepping on a dead branch and making a noise that would wake his brothers.

When he arrived at the door of the east room, Xiao Yong was about to raise his hand to knock, but he stopped halfway through.

It's so late, is the girl asleep?

It would be very inconvenient to be woken up while asleep.

He was hesitating whether to put the basin down and leave or to call out when his ears suddenly twitched.

There was movement inside the house.

The sound was very soft, somewhat suppressed, and like the whimpering of a small animal that had been wronged.

But that's not the point. The point is that mixed in with it are the man's voice and the creaking sound.

Xiao Yong's mind went blank.

He recognized that voice. Every man has his moments of restlessness.

Xiao Yong's hand, holding the basin of water, froze in mid-air, unsure whether to move forward or backward. The steam rising from the basin made his face even hotter.

"Big brother..." Lin Qingqing's voice, trembling with sobs, came from inside the house, soft and delicate.

Then came Qin Lie's low, hoarse reply: "Bear with it."

Xiao Yong felt a rush of heat to his head and his throat go dry.

I never expected my older brother to be so ruthless behind closed doors.

A sour feeling welled up inside him, like a spilled jar of vinegar. He was the one who first thought of boiling water for his sister to wash her feet, but now he hadn't even gotten a sip of soup and was stuck here listening to a live sex show.

Let's go, I'm not willing to give up;

"Don't leave? That's really infuriating."

For some inexplicable reason, Xiao Yong didn't leave. He gently placed the basin on the ground and clung to the door like a gecko.

The gaps in the old-fashioned wooden door were a bit wide. Although it was dark inside and you couldn't see anything clearly, you could hear the sounds very clearly.

With each sound from inside the room, Xiao Yong's heart skipped a beat.

This feeling is fucking unbearable.

Just as Xiao Yong was listening intently, wishing he could rush in and take his boss's place, a series of rustling footsteps suddenly came from the backyard.

Jiang He, wearing only a thin shirt and carrying a flashlight, walked sleepily from the pigsty in the backyard.

He was worried about the piglets. These past few days, the piglets hadn't had a good appetite, and fearing they might be hungry, he would get up in the middle of the night to check on them.

Just as he turned the corner, before the flashlight beam was even turned on, Jiang He saw a dark figure crouching at the door of the east room.

The dark figure had its rear end sticking out, its head pressed against the door, acting suspiciously; it was clearly no good.

Jiang He's drowsiness vanished instantly.

Good heavens, where did this thief come from?

They've gone so far as to steal from the Qin family?

Or is it some reckless lecher trying to take advantage of my sister?

Jiang He didn't say anything, tucked the flashlight to his waist, grabbed a wooden stick used to prop up the door from the base of the wall, and crouched down to reach it.

Xiao Yong was completely focused on the commotion inside the house and didn't notice anyone coming from behind him.

By the time he felt a gust of wind behind his head, it was too late.

"Bang!"

The wooden stick slammed solidly into Xiao Yong's shoulder.

"Ouch, damn it!" Xiao Yong winced in pain and instinctively jumped up, kicking over the basin of water on the ground.

With a "splash," hot water was spilled all over the floor, and the enamel basin rolled several times on the ground, making a jarring sound.

"Thief! Thief!" Jiang He shouted, his wooden stick still swung, striking the shadowy figure again.

Xiao Yong finally realized what was happening. Although his shoulder was in a lot of pain, his hot temper wouldn't allow him to tolerate it.

He turned around, grabbed the wooden stick, and used the force to pull Jiang He into his arms, while swinging his other fist at him.

"Are you fucking blind?! Who are you hitting?!"

Upon hearing that voice, Jiang He paused for a moment, then asked, "Second Brother?"

But in that moment of hesitation, Xiao Yong's fist was already out of control. Although it missed a little, it still grazed Jiang He's cheek.

The two slipped and, stepping on the water they had just spilled, tumbled together onto the muddy ground.

The noise inside the house suddenly stopped.

The next second, the door to the east room was pulled open from the inside.

Qin Lie stood at the doorway, wearing only an overcoat, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. In his hand, he held a hunting knife that he had pulled out from somewhere, its blade gleaming coldly.

By the moonlight, he saw that on the muddy ground in the yard, the second and fifth brothers were twisted into a pretzel, one straddling the other, in an extremely awkward position.

There was an overturned enamel basin next to it, and the ground was wet.

Qin Lie's temple throbbed twice.

"What are you doing in the middle of the night?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling, murderous aura.

The two people on the ground froze instantly.

Xiao Yong released his grip on Jiang He's neck, climbed out of the mud, patted the mud off his buttocks, and said awkwardly, "Um... big brother, this is a misunderstanding."

Jiang He also got up, rubbed his red cheeks, and pointed at Xiao Yong with a wronged look: "Big brother, second brother didn't sleep in the middle of the night, he was lying around suspiciously at sister's door, I thought a thief had broken in."

"You're talking nonsense!" Xiao Yong retorted, his face turning a deep purplish-red. "I was... I was bringing a girl some foot bath water! Who was being sneaky?!"

"You practically glued your face to the door while delivering foot-washing water?" Jiang He retorted, narrowing his eyes. "Second Brother, you weren't eavesdropping, were you?"

Caught off guard, Xiao Yong snapped, "Get lost! What do you know, you little brat! I was just trying to hear if there was any noise inside before knocking, so I didn't want to wake the girl!"

At this moment, the lights in the west room and the main room were also turned on.

Li Dongye yawned and pushed open the door, wearing only a pair of shorts, revealing his muscular upper body.

"What's going on now?" He scratched his messy hair, saw the scene in the yard, and chuckled, "Oh, what's this all about?"

Gu Qiangying also came out.

He leaned against the door frame, his gaze sweeping over the group before finally settling on Qin Lie's open collar and the obvious scratches on his neck, raising an eyebrow.

Qin Lie ignored his brothers who were just enjoying the show and glanced back into the house.

Lin Qingqing was huddled under the covers, only her eyes showing as she watched the chaotic scene at the door.

Qin Lie closed the door, blocking everyone's view, then turned around and looked coldly at Xiao Yong and Jiang He.

"Haven't you had enough?"

Xiao Yong shrank back: "That's enough, that's enough."

Jiang He obediently lowered his head: "That's enough."

"Clean it up." Qin Lie pointed to the basin of water and muddy water on the ground. "If I hear another sound, you're all going to the back mountain to clear the wasteland tomorrow."

After saying that, he turned around and went back into the house, slamming the door shut.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Several seconds later, Li Dongye burst out laughing.

"Second brother, really." He walked over to Xiao Yong and patted Xiao Yong's mud-covered shoulder. "If you want to hear it, just say so. Our walls aren't soundproof. You could have just listened in your own room. Why did you have to go to the door?"

"Get lost!" Xiao Yong snapped, shaking off his hand and bending down to pick up the enamel basin from the floor. "I was just trying to be helpful! Unlike you lot!"

Gu Qiangying shook her head, turned around and went back into the house.

Jiang He had already quickly found a broom and a mop.

"Second brother, hurry up and get started." Jiang He shoved the broom into Xiao Yong's hands and started mopping the floor himself. "If we anger eldest brother again, we'll really have to go clear land tomorrow. I still have to feed the pigs."

Xiao Yong, seething with anger, had no choice but to resign himself to his fate and begin sweeping the floor.

While scanning, he muttered to himself: This boss is so inconsiderate. It's only a few o'clock, why is he starting to make a fuss? Doesn't he care about tiring the girl out?

And this fifth brother, has raising pigs made him stupid? He's so ruthless, that blow almost broke his bones.

……

That's all for today!

Thank you for your support, everyone!