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

The dead branch snapped, making a crisp "crack" sound.

Flames leaped from the haystack, licking the eaves of the firewood, quickly dispelling the musty smell and chill that perpetually perpetually lingered in the cave.

Qin Lie threw a thick, dry log into the fire, dusted off his hands, and sat down in a spot near the wind.

A military-green hiking backpack cushioned his back, protecting him from the chill seeping from the rock face. He held a hunting knife in one hand and a thick piece of hardwood in the other, his head bowed as he carefully whittled it away.

Wood chips flew everywhere and accumulated at his feet.

Lin Qingqing sat on the other side of the fire, holding the water bottle that Gu Qiangying handed her, and took small sips.

"Hand out."

Gu Qiangying sat opposite her, the lenses of her glasses gleaming in the firelight.

He spread out the leather medicine pouch he carried on his lap, inside which were two neat rows of silver needles of varying lengths, gleaming coldly in the dim cave.

Lin Qingqing put down the kettle and obediently stretched out her hand.

Although that hand had been doing a lot of work lately, it was still fair and tender, with pinkish fingertips and only a thin layer of calluses on the palm.

Gu Qiangying didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pressing her slender fingers on the web of her thumb.

"This is called Hegu."

He applied a little pressure with his fingertips, causing Lin Qingqing to frown and instinctively pull back.

"Don't dodge." Gu Qiangying grabbed her wrist. "Remember, for headaches, fever, toothaches, and facial swelling, press here. The pressure needs to penetrate deep; you've found the right spot when you feel a soreness."

Lin Qingqing endured the tingling and numb sensation, and reached out with her other hand, mimicking his gesture on the web of her hand, asking, "Is it here?"

"Go down three points." Gu Qiangying moved her fingers, adjusting their position, "Inside the bone, don't just press on the flesh."

Lin Qingqing pressed down tentatively, and sure enough, a strong soreness surged up her nerves, even more pronounced than when Gu Qiangying had pressed down earlier.

"Oh, right."

Gu Qiangying released her grip, took out the shortest acupuncture needle from the medicine bag, and twirled it between two fingers. "There are 361 acupoints on the human body. Memorizing them by rote is useless. You have to remember the feel, the difference between soreness, numbness, distension, and pain."

He then pointed to the inside of his wrist, "Neiguan point. It's for chest pain, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. I noticed you looked pale outside earlier, were you feeling nauseous?"

Lin Qingqing nodded.

I was scared by the wild boar and also tired.

"Press here." Gu Qiangying rolled up her sleeves, revealing a thin, pale wrist with clearly visible blue veins. "Try it yourself, get a feel for it."

Lin Qingqing leaned closer, her fingertips touching his slightly cool skin.

The man's wrist bones were strong and firm, completely different from the feel of her own. She traced the space between the two large tendons, pressing down gently with her fingertips.

Gu Qiangying looked at her with her eyes lowered.

"Found it." Lin Qingqing's eyes lit up, and she pressed down a little with her finger. "There's a pit here."

"Hmm." Gu Qiangying's lips curled up slightly as she lowered her sleeve. "He has a good memory, much better than Jiang He, that blockhead. When I taught him acupoints, he could press the Yongquan acupoint all the way to the top of his head."

Lin Qingqing couldn't help but laugh, "Fifth Brother's mind isn't on studying medicine."

"What's on his mind? In the pigsty?" Gu Qiangying slowly put away the silver needles. "Or in the porridge you made?"

Lin Qingqing glared at him. "Third Brother, when will you ever stop spouting insults?"

"To harm others for personal gain is a pleasure in life." Gu Qiangying tied up the medicine packet, stuffed it into her bosom, and looked over the fire, landing on Qin Lie, who had been silent all along.

The hardwood in Qin Lie's hand had already been shaped into a short spear with sharp ends.

In close combat, this thing is more effective than a knife; it can leave a bloody hole in your body.

He sat with a stiff posture, and although he tried his best to hide it, the muscles in his back would involuntarily tense up every time he turned around to get firewood.

Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses, stood up, and patted the grass clippings off her bottom.

"It's stuffy in there, I'm going to the cave entrance for some fresh air."

Lin Qingqing looked up at him. "It's windy and foggy outside."

"The wind is good for clearing my head." Gu Qiangying didn't explain much, and started walking out. As she passed Qin Lie, she kicked his backpack with her toe. "Stop cutting it, we'll be there soon."

Qin Lie didn't even look up. "Just in case."

Gu Qiangying scoffed and staggered out of the cave.

Only two people remained in the cave.

The firewood crackled and popped.

Qin Lie finally stopped what he was doing and placed the short spear at his feet. He looked up and met Lin Qingqing's gaze.

"What are you looking at?" Qin Lie asked in a low voice.

"Big brother." Lin Qingqing broke the half-eaten steamed bun in her hand, toasted it over the fire, and handed it to him. "Have something to eat."

Qin Lie took it, but didn't eat it right away. He ruffled her hair with his large hand and said, "Go to sleep. We'll go down the mountain when the fog clears tomorrow morning."

His palms were large and warm. Lin Qingqing stared at him intently. "Does your back hurt a lot?"

Qin Lie paused in his actions, then casually withdrew his hand, took a bite of the steamed bun, and said, "It doesn't hurt."

"You're lying," Lin Qingqing muttered softly. "When Third Brother kicked your bag just now, your eyebrows were all furrowed."

Qin Lie slowed down his chewing of the steamed bun.

"An old problem."

"A good night's sleep will do the trick."

Lin Qingqing knew she couldn't get any information out of this taciturn man.

She stood up, dusted off her pants, and said, "I'm going to check on Third Brother. I don't want him to go too far."

Qin Lie instructed: "Don't go outside the cave entrance area."

Lin Qingqing responded and quickly walked towards the cave entrance.

The wind at the cave entrance was indeed strong, carrying damp, cold mist that stung one's cheeks.

Gu Qiangying didn't go far. She sat on a large, protruding rock at the cave entrance, casually draped her long legs over the stone steps below, and stared blankly at the vast expanse of white outside.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn around. "What's wrong? Is it too hot inside, or are you tired of seeing your older brother's cold face?"

Lin Qingqing sat down on a rock next to him, pulling her collar tighter. "Third Brother, did you come out on purpose?"

Gu Qiangying turned her head, looking at her with a half-smile, "Why would I do something on purpose?"

"Give face to your elder brother."

Lin Qingqing looked directly into his eyes. "He's used to being strong in front of his younger brothers, and he won't even say he's in pain. With you inside, he doesn't even dare to change his position."

Gu Qiangying raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Qingqing," he turned around to face Lin Qingqing, "your brain is getting sharper and sharper. It seems those two medical books I gave you weren't for nothing."

"What exactly happened to Big Brother's back injury?" Lin Qingqing ignored his teasing and went straight to the point. "I don't think the injury was from hunting. When that wild boar charged at us just now, the way he dodged it... it's not something an ordinary person could do."

Gu Qiangying was silent for a moment, then said, "That was several years ago."

Gu Qiangying's voice sounded somewhat faint in the wind.

"My eldest brother retired from the military a long time ago, and that's when the five of us brothers got together."

That year, the house was only half-built and didn't even have a proper roof.

That day was also a rainy day, and suddenly a jeep with military license plates appeared at the village entrance.

Lin Qingqing held her breath and listened quietly.

"Two men in military uniforms got off the bus, found my brother, saluted, and said a few words. Without saying a word, my brother threw down the trowel he was holding, went back into the house to get his backpack, and got back into the bus."

Where did he go?

"have no idea."

Gu Qiangying shrugged. "He was gone for six months. During those six months, the family didn't receive a single letter or word. The second son was so anxious that he wanted to dig out the tire tracks left by the jeep. Then one night six months later, he came back."

Gu Qiangying paused for a moment, her gaze falling on a certain point in the void.

"The rain was even heavier that night than today. He came back soaking wet, didn't say a word, and then fell seriously ill."

When Higashino was taking care of his older brother, he packed his bag and found a bunch of medals and a black-and-white photograph inside.

Lin Qingqing's heart clenched suddenly. "Photos?"

"Um."

Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses darkening. "The photo shows a young man, smiling brightly. After my brother woke up, he wouldn't say anything except to tell us to burn the photo. But that was the first time I saw him cry."

Gu Qiangying stretched out her finger and gestured to her lower back.

"When I was treating his wound, I saw it here. There was a penetrating wound. It looked like something sharp had pierced through it, just a hair's breadth away from the spine. If it had been a couple more hairs' width off, he would have been bedridden for the rest of his life."

Lin Qingqing's fingers gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"Later, I asked around and found out that things weren't peaceful on the border around that time," Gu Qiangying said in a lower voice. "It's said that a special sniper team went to the border on a mission. Not many of them came back alive."

Suddenly, Lin Qingqing saw Qin Lie's cold, hard face and the murderous intent that flashed in his eyes when he looked at the wild boar.

So,

Gu Qiangying stood up and patted Lin Qingqing on the shoulder.

"Don't be fooled by his seemingly iron tower-like appearance; he's actually riddled with holes inside."

This back injury is an old problem; it aches when it's cloudy or rainy. And today's kick was delivered with all my might; I bet he's gritting his teeth and enduring it right now.

Lin Qingqing took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in her heart.

"I see."

She stood up and turned to walk into the cave.

"Where are you going?" Gu Qiangying grabbed her arm.

"Go treat him." Lin Qingqing turned around, her eyes clear. "Didn't you just teach me how to identify acupoints? Now that you know where it hurts, you can't just leave him there."

Gu Qiangying looked at her and suddenly smiled.

That smile had lost some of its usual flippancy and gained a more genuine warmth.

"Okay." He released his grip. "Go ahead. If he dares to glare at you, just say I sent you."

Lin Qingqing didn't say anything more, lifted the vines at the entrance of the hole and crawled inside.

Gu Qiangying sat back down on the rock, looked at the rolling sea of ​​clouds in the distance, and sighed deeply.