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

Lin Qingqing blushed deeply with embarrassment. Before she could even speak, Jiang He, with a dark expression, pulled her close to him.

"Fourth Brother, if you're going to drive, then drive. Don't reach out your hands."

"Alright, alright, you little wolf cub who's possessive of his food." Li Dongye wasn't annoyed. He shifted gears, released the clutch, and stepped on the gas in one smooth motion.

The cab of the Jiefang truck looks big, but it's actually quite cramped.

The three sat side by side, with Lin Qingqing sandwiched in the middle. On one side was Jiang He, and on the other was Li Dongye.

The car started up again, its engine roaring deafeningly. The road conditions were terrible these days; the car bounced like a leaf, making you feel like your internal organs were about to shift.

The space is too cramped.

Lin Qingqing had to hunch her shoulders, trying to minimize her presence. Even so, whenever the car swayed, her body would inevitably bump into the men on either side.

The car was stuffy and hot. Li Dongye glanced at Lin Qingqing, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes darkened.

"Why are you blushing so much if you're not warm-hearted? Come here, let Fourth Brother open a window for you."

As he spoke, he leaned over to shake the car window handle on the other side.

The movement was extremely large, with most of his body almost pressing down on Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing was so frightened that her breath caught in her throat, and she froze like a piece of wood, her back pressed tightly against the seat back, not daring to move at all.

"Fourth Brother!" Jiang He suddenly raised his hand to block Li Dongye's pressing chest, his smile forced. "No need to trouble yourself, the window here is broken and can't be opened."

Li Dongye paused, glanced at Jiang He with a half-smile, and slowly withdrew.

"Oh, that's a shame." He said it was a shame, but his eyes were still lingering on Lin Qingqing. "Looks like my cousin will have to bear with it. How about she unbuttons a couple of buttons to let some air in? We're all family, what's the big deal?"

"Fourth Brother!" Lin Qingqing finally couldn't hold back anymore, biting her lip and glaring at him. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll... I'll tell Big Brother!"

This soft, coquettish rebuke had little intimidating power; instead, it sounded more like a coquettish pout.

Li Dongye burst into laughter, his chest trembling with the force of his voice: "Alright, alright, I give up. You're so easily teased!"

The car then entered a more rugged mountain road.

The road was full of gravel and potholes, and the truck bounced so hard it felt like it was about to take off.

Lin Qingqing gripped the edge of the seat tightly with both hands, her body swaying left and right with the movement of the car. Several times she bumped into Jiang He's arms and was bounced back to bump into Li Dongye.

"Hold on tight!" Li Dongye shouted, but instead of letting go of the accelerator, he floored it and drove straight into a large puddle.

"boom!"

The enormous impact caused the car to veer sharply to the right.

Lin Qingqing lost her balance and cried out in surprise as she uncontrollably lunged towards Li Dongye.

Just as my face was about to crash into the hard steering wheel, a large hand appeared out of nowhere.

"Snapped!"

Li Dongye reacted quickly, releasing the gearshift with his right hand and blocking the way.

Jiang He's face was so gloomy it could drip water. With his other hand, he tightly gripped Lin Qingqing's waist, forcefully snatching her back from Li Dongye's grasp.

"Fourth Brother, your hand slipped pretty badly."

Jiang He's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling aura.

Li Dongye wasn't embarrassed at all. He slowly withdrew his hand, even rubbing it between his fingertips, as if savoring something.

He glanced at Jiang He, a playful smile curving his lips: "The road was too bad, there was nothing I could do. If I hadn't stopped her, our cousin would be disfigured. You should thank me."

"Thank you?" Jiang He sneered. "Thank you for taking advantage of my misfortune?"

"That was an accident." Li Dongye gripped the steering wheel again, looking straight ahead. "But speaking of which, our family's food is pretty good, and my cousin is... growing very well."

Lin Qingqing buried her head low, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Those two bastards! Both are worse than the other!

After a while, the road became a little smoother.

Li Dongye freed one hand, rummaged in the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat, pulled out a paper package, and casually tossed it into Lin Qingqing's arms.

"Take it."

Lin Qingqing was startled and hurriedly caught it, asking, "What... what is this?"

"Just open it and you'll know." Li Dongye lit a cigarette, took a puff, his expression somewhat nonchalant, but the tips of his ears turned slightly red.

Lin Qingqing carefully unwrapped the paper package.

Inside was a delicate little tin box with two modern women in cheongsams printed on it, along with the words "Shanghai Snow Cream".

In the rural areas at that time, this was a rare item, costing several yuan per box, equivalent to half a month's food expenses for an average family.

"This..." Lin Qingqing was a little stunned.

"I just bought it on the way to the department store," Li Dongye said casually, exhaling a smoke ring. "Don't you women all like this stuff? It makes your face smell nice. It's windy in our village, don't let it chapp your face."

Although the words were meant to show concern for her, the item was indeed very valuable.

Lin Qingqing bit her lip, unsure whether she should accept the offer.

Jiang He, standing nearby, snorted coldly and reached for the box: "My sister doesn't like this kind of powdery stuff. She's naturally beautiful; she doesn't need to wear this nonsense."

"Hey, don't move." Li Dongye slapped Jiang He's hand away. "This is for my cousin, not for you. What do you know about women, you little brat? Women should be fragrant and soft."

As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow at Lin Qingqing: "Keep it. If my eldest brother asks, just say it's a gift from my fourth brother. He wouldn't punish me for something so trivial, would he?"

Jiang He looked at the box of face cream with a somewhat gloomy expression.

He bought Lin Qingqing fabric so that she could make clothes for herself;

I bought sandals so that her feet wouldn't rub when she walks.

These are all practical things for everyday life.

But that bastard Li Dongye always comes up with these kinds of things to please women.

Most importantly, he saw that although Lin Qingqing didn't say anything, she gently rubbed the tin box with her fingers twice, clearly indicating that she liked it.

What woman doesn't love beauty?

Jiang He felt a surge of jealousy rising in his heart. He pinched Lin Qingqing's waist, leaned close to her ear, and whispered through gritted teeth, "Sister, throw this thing away when you get back. If you like it, I'll buy you ten boxes, a hundred boxes."

Lin Qingqing winced in pain, but dared not cry out. She could only look at him with a pitiful expression.

That one glance, with its shimmering water, ignited Jiang He's anger, making him want to bully her right then and there.

"Alright, stop whispering in each other's ears."

Li Dongye watched their interaction in the rearview mirror and felt uneasy. He suddenly turned the steering wheel, and the truck rounded the last bend.

Ahead, the familiar outline of a village came into view.

The Qin family compound is located at the west end of the village, in a prominent position.

From afar, you can see two tall figures standing at the gate of the courtyard.

"Are those my eldest and second eldest brothers?" Lin Qingqing's heart tightened, and she subconsciously tried to sit up straight and tidy her messy clothes and hair.

If they saw me tugging and pulling at my two younger brothers like this in the car, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause.

But Li Dongye wouldn't let her have her way.

Looking at the two door gods at the entrance, a glint of excitement flashed in Li Dongye's eyes.

Instead of slowing down, he accelerated, flooring the accelerator, and the truck charged forward like a bull.

At the same time, he slammed his large hand down on the horn.

"drop--!!!"

The sharp, high-pitched blare of the horn echoed throughout the village, startling a flock of birds into flight.

"Big brother! Second brother!"

Li Dongye leaned out of the window and waved to his two older brothers, his voice so loud that half the village could hear him:

"Big brother, second brother! I've brought our precious darling and our little traitor back!"