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

As dawn broke, the rain subsided, turning into a light drizzle.

The rooster in the Qin family compound crowed loudly. In the east room, Song Weihe suddenly sat up in bed, her messy curly hair and her aura frighteningly low.

"It's so noisy!"

She grabbed a pillow and threw it against the window.

Lin Qingqing, who was next to her, was startled awake. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, and the blanket slipped halfway down, revealing her pink undershirt.

She looked at the irritable Song Weihe in a daze and called out softly, "Sister Weihe..."

Song Weihe turned her head and saw Lin Qingqing looking like a begonia in spring sleep, and her morning grumpiness instantly subsided by half.

She reached out and pinched Lin Qingqing's face; the feel was so good that she wanted to pinch her again.

"How come you're so fair-skinned?" Song Weihe muttered, then fell back onto the bed, pressing her legs against Lin Qingqing. "Sleep a little longer, or if that chicken crows again, I'll have Mu Wenbin stew it."

Mu Wenbin barely slept that night.

He had been sitting on the bench by the door all night, and now, hearing the noise inside, he stood up and stretched his stiff neck.

Qin Lie was already up and chopping firewood in the yard. Wet wood was difficult to chop, but he was strong, and wood chips flew everywhere when he swung the axe.

"Good morning." Mu Wenbin walked to the door, looked at the muddy yard, and frowned slightly.

Qin Lie nodded and continued chopping wood.

Li Dongye came out of the west room yawning, carrying a chamber pot in his hand. When he saw Mu Wenbin standing at the door like a doorman, he didn't give him a friendly look and said, "Excuse me."

Mu Wenbin stepped aside, his gaze falling on the chamber pot, and he held his breath, taking two steps back.

Breakfast was still sweet potato porridge, but today there were a few hard-boiled eggs. Lin Qingqing had specially cooked them for the wounded and the guests.

Song Weihe was pulled up by Lin Qingqing. She was wearing that silk nightgown with Lin Qingqing's old coat draped over it, a mismatched look that exuded a lazy and delicate air.

"I don't want sweet potatoes." Song Weihe looked at the food in her bowl, not touching her chopsticks. "I want milk."

"No." Qin Lie peeled an egg and put it in Lin Qingqing's bowl without even looking up.

"Mu Wenbin!" Song Weihe turned around and began to complain.

Mu Wenbin placed the peeled eggs into Song Weihe's bowl and then wiped his hands with a handkerchief.

"Don't be so demanding." Mu Wenbin pushed the enamel mug towards her. "Eat."

Song Weihe glared at him, but still obediently picked up her chopsticks.

Although she was spoiled, she wasn't unreasonable; she just enjoyed seeing Mu Wenbin's helpless expression. However, this man rarely lost his temper, and when he did, even the Mu family patriarch had to give him some leeway.

While we were eating, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Is Qin Lie home? I'm your uncle!"

Qin Lie put down his bowl and gave Jiang He a wink. Jiang He reluctantly went to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, the village chief's old face beamed with joy. Behind him followed his wife, Su Jiaojiao, who was dressed in her finest attire, and several villagers who had come to watch the spectacle, carrying baskets filled with eggs, cured meat, and a few still-flailing old hens.

"Oh, everyone's eating?" The village chief didn't treat himself like an outsider and stepped inside, leaving a trail of black marks on the floor of the main room with his muddy rubber shoes.

Mu Wenbin was drinking water when he saw the mud stains on the ground and slammed his cup down on the table.

"This must be the high-ranking official from Beijing?"

The village chief had already heard from his son that this time the visitor was a big shot; first came a man in a jeep, and then came a man with guards.

However, the girl refused to let the guards enter the village and sent the people who were with her outside the village.

He placed the cured meat in his hand on the table. The cured meat was dark and still dripping oil, which dripped onto the table surface that Mu Wenbin had just wiped clean.

Mu Wenbin stared at the drop of oil, and the vein on his forehead throbbed twice.

"Greetings, Chief! Greetings, Chief!" The village chief stretched out a hand covered in calluses and grime to shake Mu Wenbin's hand.

Mu Wenbin did not move.

Qin Lie lit a cigarette beside him, said nothing, and just watched.

Li Dongye chuckled, propping his legs up on the stool. "Village chief, your intelligence network is pretty impressive. The road's been cut off, yet you still managed to smell it and come over?"

The village chief's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly resumed his obsequious smile. "Look at what you're saying, Fourth Brother. Our village has distinguished guests, and as the village chief, I have to come and extend my hospitality, don't I?"

As he spoke, he pulled Su Jiaojiao out from behind him.

"Jiaojiao, quick, call for help."

Su Jiaojiao wore a floral blouse made of polyester today, and her two braids were slicked back and shiny. She glanced at Mu Wenbin, blushed slightly, but the man was too cold, his eyes were like knives, which frightened her so much that she quickly looked away and focused her gaze on Li Dongye.

"Fourth...Fourth Brother," Su Jiaojiao called out softly.

Li Dongye raised an eyebrow. "No, I can't accept that."

At that moment, someone squeezed in from the back of the crowd.

Chen Qinghe was wearing a faded Zhongshan suit with a pen in his pocket, his hair parted in a three-seven split, and glasses perched on his nose, giving him a somewhat refined appearance.

As soon as he came in, his gaze was fixed on Song Weihe.

Although Song Weihe was wearing an old coat, her face, figure, and fashionable air were something that the country girls in the village could never match.

Chen Qinghe felt his long-dormant heart suddenly stirring.

"This... must be Miss Mu?" Chen Qinghe stepped forward, extending his hand in what he thought was an elegant manner. "My name is Chen Qinghe. I am an educated youth sent to the countryside and also a teacher at our village primary school."

Song Weihe was already annoyed; the greasy smell of the cured meat made her want to vomit.

She glanced at Chen Qinghe's outstretched hand; there was still black dirt under his fingernails.

"My surname isn't Mu." Song Weihe leaned back, avoiding the hand. "Don't make up relatives randomly."

Chen Qinghe's hand froze in mid-air, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Su Jiaojiao had been secretly watching Chen Qinghe. When she saw him staring at Song Weihe with a fervent look in his eyes that she had never seen before, her jealousy instantly flared up.

"Brother Chen, why are you wasting your breath talking to her?" Su Jiaojiao stomped her foot, her voice shrill. "She's a rich city girl, how could she possibly look down on us country bumpkins?"

"Jiaojiao, don't be rude!" the village chief scolded, then turned to Mu Wenbin with a forced smile, "My daughter is ignorant, please don't take offense, sir."

Ignoring the smoky atmosphere in the room, Mu Wenbin turned to Qin Lie and asked, "Is this the prevailing custom in your village?"

Qin Lie exhaled a smoke ring. "You'll get used to it."

Chen Qinghe was unwilling to be ignored like this. He felt that this was an opportunity. As long as he could climb this high branch, his future after returning to the city would be bright.

"Miss," Chen Qinghe cleared his throat and began to speak in a literary style, "The Book of Songs says: 'There is a beautiful woman, graceful and charming.' I think your temperament is not that of an ordinary person. May I ask what books you like to read? We can discuss it."

puff.

Li Dongye spat out all the porridge he had just drunk.

"Cough cough cough... Damn..."

Li Dongye wiped his mouth while laughing, "Discuss? Chen Zhiqing, do you want to discuss books? You want to discuss people, don't you?"

Chen Qinghe's face flushed red. "You...you're unreasonable! This is an insult to scholarship!"