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

The window paper in the west room was a bit drafty, and the morning light shone through the gaps, falling directly on the IV bottle.

There was only a little medicine left. Gu Qiangying reached out and pulled out the needle. Jiang He lay on the bed, his face still pale, but the flush from the high fever had subsided.

He grunted and tried to turn over.

The excruciating pain in his back made him gasp instantly, his face contorting in pain.

"Don't move around." Gu Qiangying tossed the needle into the tray and slowly pressed the needle hole with a cotton ball. "The skin has just healed. If it tears open again, I won't bother stitching it up a second time."

Jiang He buried his face in the pillow, remaining silent.

He's still struggling with himself and is too ashamed to face anyone.

He didn't cry when he was beaten black and blue last night. Later, he was delirious with fever. Now, thinking back on the beating he received in front of Lin Qingqing yesterday, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

A loud rumble of an engine came from the yard, followed by a long, extremely arrogant whistle.

"drop--!"

Immediately afterwards, the large iron gate was kicked open with a loud bang, and footsteps rushed towards the main room, before even entering.

"Oh my! I heard our fifth son's butt's bloomed? Let me see, is it a peony or a rose?"

The curtain was lifted, and Li Dongye walked in.

With a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his mouth and two oil paper packets in his hands, he entered the room and saw Jiang He lying on the bed. He slapped his thigh with delight.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this design is quite unique."

Li Dongye threw the oil paper package in his hand onto the table. It contained the best roast chicken in the county, and its aroma instantly overpowered the smell of medicine in the room.

He walked a few steps to the bedside and reached out to lift the sheet off Jiang He.

"Get lost!" Jiang He, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly turned his head, baring his teeth and cursing, "Li Dongye, you bastard, try touching me!"

"Still has the energy to curse; looks like nothing serious."

Li Dongye, with his good temper, didn't get angry even after being scolded. He simply pulled over a chair, sat down backwards, rested his chin on the back of the chair, and looked at him with a smile:

"What? I heard you drugged Lai Laoyao and even tried to drag our pretty cousin down with you? I didn't beat you to death because I'm letting you live through the New Year."

Gu Qiangying wiped her hands and added casually, "He almost died. He had a fever of 40 degrees last night and was talking nonsense about chopping up Lai Laoyao and feeding him to the dogs."

Li Dongye laughed heartily and reached out to ruffle Jiang He's messy hair:

"Fine, Fifth Brother, you've got guts. But did a donkey kick your brain? Is that kind of low-grade drug even worth you personally handling?"

"I'll teach you a couple of tricks later, guaranteed to get people to hand over their entire fortune to you without you even noticing, and they'll be kneeling down thanking you."

Jiang He turned his head away, not wanting to pay attention to these two gloating bastards.

Just then, Lin Qingqing came in carrying a basin of hot water.

She had dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept well all night.

She paused for a moment when she saw Li Dongye.

"You...you're back?"

Li Dongye's eyes lit up, and he immediately jumped up from his chair, stubbed out his cigarette, and instantly toned down his carefree demeanor, smiling broadly.

"Cousin! Oh my, you've become even more beautiful in just a few days!"

Li Dongye leaned over to take the basin from Lin Qingqing's hand, "How can I let you do this kind of rough work? Let me do it, or let the second brother do it, he's tough and resilient."

Lin Qingqing avoided his hand, a little embarrassed: "It's okay, I was just doing it. Have you eaten? There's still some hot porridge in the pot."

"I haven't eaten yet. I rushed back to put out the fire." Li Dongye gestured towards Jiang He with his chin. "This kid has really messed things up. I had to come back and see if my brother's anger had subsided."

The atmosphere in the room noticeably froze when Qin Lie was mentioned.

Jiang He's body stiffened, his fingers digging into the bed sheet.

Li Dongye saw this but didn't say anything, instead asking in a low voice, "Where's Big Brother?"

"He's chopping wood in the backyard." Gu Qiangying shrugged. "He chopped half a mountain of firewood this morning. The murderous aura he exuded was so strong that wild boars within a ten-mile radius dared not pass by."

Li Dongye turned around and slapped Jiang He's uninjured thigh:

"Alright, stop pretending to be dead. Your brother is angry at you for being so useless, and even more worried that you'll go astray. If you have any conscience at all, stop acting like a woman."

Jiang He bit her lip, her eyes a little red.

He knew, of course, that his older brother loved him, but that beating really hurt, and he was even more embarrassed.

"I'm not being dramatic," Jiang He muttered softly. "I know I was wrong."

"If you know you're wrong, you have to let your eldest brother hear it." Li Dongye stood up, stretched, and said, "Wait, your fourth brother will give you a way out."

After saying that, Li Dongye swaggered out. A short while later, his voice and Qin Lie's voice could be heard coming from the courtyard.

"Brother! This firewood is chopped very finely; perfect for a barbecue tonight. I brought five pounds of top-quality pork belly and two bottles of good wine..."

"Get out of here." Qin Lie's voice was low and cold.

"Don't be like that, Fifth Brother is awake. He was crying to me just now, saying he's sorry to Big Brother, that he'll never dare to do it again, and that he wants to kowtow to you to apologize, but his butt hurts so much he can't get up..."

Li Dongye is a complete liar, making up all the things Jiang He didn't say.

Inside the room, Jiang He's face flushed red and then turned pale as he listened, gritting his teeth: "Li Dongye, I'm going to kill him!"

Gu Qiangying pushed up his glasses, a playful smile playing on his lips: "Although Fourth Brother is a chatterbox, he has the most influence with his elder brother. Just bear with it."

After a moment, steady footsteps sounded at the door.

The room fell silent instantly. Lin Qingqing instinctively straightened up, looking nervously at the doorway.

Qin Lie walked in.

He was shirtless, his bronze skin glistening with sweat, his muscles undulating with each breath, exuding explosive power. He held a towel in his hand, casually wiping away his sweat, his gaze fixed on Jiang He.

Jiang He shrank his neck, his murderous intent vanishing instantly, like a little quail caught in the rain.

"Big brother..." he whispered.

Qin Lie didn't speak, but walked to the bedside and looked down at him.

"Do you know you were wrong?" Qin Lie asked.

Jiang He nodded, not daring to cry out in pain despite aggravating his wound: "I was wrong. I shouldn't have resorted to such underhanded tactics, shouldn't have made my sister take the blame, and shouldn't have caused trouble for the family."

Qin Lie was silent for a few seconds, then reached out his rough hand and ruffled Jiang He's hair.

The force wasn't great, but it carried the warmth of an older brother.

"Get well soon and go apologize to the village chief. Make up your own reason, but don't drag your family into it."

Jiang He suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling: "Big brother, you're not angry with me anymore?"

"If there's a next time, I'll break your legs." Qin Lie coldly tossed out the words, then turned to Lin Qingqing, "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

Lin Qingqing quickly shook her head: "I'm not sleepy anymore after I woke up."

Qin Lie's gaze softened slightly, and he turned to Li Dongye, saying, "Go and call the second brother back. Hurry up and eat."