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

When the truck came to a stop, Li Dongye was the first to jump off, carrying two net bags filled with glass bottles of Arctic Ocean soda. The orange liquid swayed in the setting sun, making a crisp sound as it collided.

He shouted into the courtyard, "Iced food! Hurry up and welcome the emperor!"

Lin Qingqing followed behind and climbed down. Her legs were still a little weak as soon as her feet touched the ground.

The tobacco-smelling kiss in the car still makes her lips numb.

She subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth, and when she looked up, she saw Qin Lie standing by the stove.

The man was shirtless and holding a large palm-leaf fan, fanning the charcoal fire vigorously.

Hearing the noise, he raised his eyelids, his gaze lingered for a second on Lin Qingqing's slightly swollen lips, narrowed his eyes, and then turned to look at Li Dongye.

"How much did you buy?" Qin Lie asked.

"Two cases, enough for several days." Li Dongye put the soda on the table, casually opened a bottle, and handed it to Lin Qingqing, "Here, wet your throat first."

The gas hissed, and white foam bubbled out of the bottle opening.

Lin Qingqing took it, and the coolness spread throughout her body from her fingertips, dispelling the summer heat.

She took a small sip, and the bubbles burst on her tongue, both pungent and sweet, making her squint her eyes.

"Is it good?" Qin Lie walked over at some point, holding two skewers of sizzling, oily pork belly.

Lin Qingqing nodded and held the bottle to his lips: "Would you like to try some?"

Qin Lie took a sip from her hand, his brows furrowing slightly. He was clearly not used to this sweet and bubbly drink, but he still swallowed the meat in his mouth and commented, "Sweet water."

He handed the meat skewers to Lin Qingqing: "Eat them while they're hot."

The pork belly was cut thickly, grilled until golden brown, and sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, its aroma so strong it practically assaulted the nostrils.

Lin Qingqing took a bite; it was fatty but not greasy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—so delicious she wanted to stomp her feet.

"Me too!"

Jiang He's mournful shouts came from inside the house.

Xiao Yong was squatting on the ground gnawing on a bone when he heard the noise, so he took a bowl and went inside.

Less than two seconds later, Jiang He's voice came from inside: "I want meat! I don't want porridge!"

"Fifth brother, don't be ungrateful." Gu Qiangying walked in slowly, holding a pair of medical tweezers in her hand, which were used for changing dressings. "If you dare to eat a single spicy bite, and the wound becomes infected tomorrow, I'll just take a knife and dig out the rotten flesh without anesthesia."

The room fell silent instantly.

After a while, Xiao Yong carried Jiang He out on his back.

Jiang He lay on a bamboo couch with a soft pillow under his bottom, and a bowl of white porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables in front of him.

He watched everyone eating meat and drinking soda with longing eyes, his gaze pitiful.

"Sister..." Jiang He tugged at Lin Qingqing's trouser leg, her voice so soft it could melt water, "Just one bite, I just want to taste it."

Just as Lin Qingqing was about to soften her heart, Qin Lie tapped the charcoal fire with iron tongs in his hand: "The non-spicy ones aren't done yet, wait a while."

Lin Qingqing pulled her out hand back.

She thought for a moment, then took a bottle of soda and held it to Jiang He's lips: "We'll just have to wait."

Jiang He pursed his lips, tasting a hint of sweetness and orange flavor. He whimpered in grievance, but didn't make a fuss anymore.

This meal was lavish.

Five pounds of pork belly, plus a wild rabbit that Xiao Yong hunted, all ended up in the stomachs of several grown men.

Lin Qingqing had a small appetite and was full after eating a few skewers. She sat on a small stool, holding a soda bottle, and watched them eat.

The sky grew completely dark.

Artemisia was lit in the courtyard, its aroma mingling with the lingering scent of roasted meat, creating a strange sense of tranquility in this summer night deep in the mountains.

After eating and drinking their fill, Xiao Yong went to the well to wash the dishes, while Gu Qiangying checked Jiang He's wounds. Li Dongye lit a cigarette and leaned back in his recliner, counting the stars.

Qin Lie sat on the threshold, toying with the empty soda bottle in his hand.

Lin Qingqing sat next to him, looking at the men in the courtyard.

"Qin Lie," Lin Qingqing couldn't help but ask, "Are you... brothers?"

She had been keeping this question to herself for a long time. Everyone in the village knew about the five Qin brothers, but since they all had different surnames, no one dared to ask. There were some families with one mother and five fathers who didn't change their surnames, but these five brothers didn't look like they came from the same womb at all.

Qin Lie paused for a moment.

The talking in the courtyard gradually stopped, and several men looked over.

Li Dongye exhaled a smoke ring and chuckled, "My cousin finally asked."

Qin Lie put the soda bottle on the ground, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, and pulled out a cigarette.

"No." Qin Lie's voice was deep, with a gritty quality in the night. "None of the five of us are related by blood."

Lin Qingqing's eyes widened.

"Then you..."

"I found him." Xiao Yong, who was washing dishes, interjected without turning his head, "My older brother dug him out of a pile of corpses."

Qin Lie struck a match, and the light illuminated his resolute profile.

"Back in the chaotic years before," Qin Lie took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, "I had just been discharged from the army, and there was no one left at home; the house had been burned down. So I headed north, hoping to find a deserted place to survive."

"When I passed through Henan, I ran into the second brother."

Qin Lie pointed at Xiao Yong, "Back then, there was a drought, and many people starved to death. The second brother was only twelve or thirteen years old at the time. He was beaten to the ground by a group of homeless people for trying to grab half a moldy steamed bun. I saw that he was a promising young man, so I rescued him and gave him half a piece of dry food. From then on, he was like a tail that I couldn't shake off."

Xiao Yong chuckled foolishly: "That steamed bun smelled so good, I've never tasted anything so delicious in my life."

"And then?" Lin Qingqing listened intently.

"Later we arrived at the provincial capital's train station," Li Dongye continued, pointing to himself. "I was the ringleader of the pickpockets in that area. When I saw the older brother carrying a big bag, I thought he was easy prey, and as soon as I reached my hand in, he grabbed me. He almost twisted my hand in half."

Qin Lie glanced at him: "You were as skinny as a monkey back then, and your body was covered in fleas."

"Well, I still ended up sticking with you." Li Dongye shrugged. "I saw that this guy could fight, and I wouldn't get bullied if I followed him, so I shamelessly called him 'Big Brother'."

"The third one was found in a mass grave," Qin Lie said, looking at Gu Qiangying.

Gu Qiangying was wiping her glasses when she heard this. She paused for a moment, then said calmly, "My family had a bad political background, so we were persecuted. My parents died, and my legs were broken, so I was left to die in a mass grave. My older brother happened to be passing by and carried me out. At that time, I didn't want to live, but my brother forced me to drink rice gruel, which saved my life."

Lin Qingqing's heart tightened as she looked at the always refined man, never expecting him to have such a past.

"What about Xiao Wu?" Lin Qingqing asked, looking at Jiang He, who was lying on the bamboo couch.

Jiang He buried his head in his arms and didn't say a word.

"The fifth child is the youngest."

Qin Lie sighed, "We were building this house back then. That winter was particularly cold, and the mountains were blocked by heavy snow. In the middle of the night, the four of us heard ghostly wailing outside. When we went out to check, we found a child who had been abandoned in the snow. He was frozen to the point of turning purple and had stopped breathing."

He gestured with his hand: "It's about this tall."

"We weren't even getting enough to eat ourselves back then." Xiao Yong shook the water off his hands as he walked over. "The third brother said the child wouldn't survive and should be thrown away. The eldest brother wouldn't allow it. He tore up the only tattered cotton-padded coat he had, and used the blanket the child had made."

"Back then, we were all poor and didn't know how to manage our money. It wasn't as comfortable as it is now! Later, to support our fifth brother, the eldest brother went to the black market to sell his blood, I went to the docks to carry heavy loads, and the third and fourth brothers went... cough, to earn some extra money." Xiao Yong scratched his head. "That's how we raised this kid."

The courtyard was completely silent.

Lin Qingqing looked at the five men.

They came from all over the country and had different backgrounds, but they came together for survival during those most difficult years.

Though not related by blood, they were closer than brothers. Their lives were intertwined; neither could live without the other.

No wonder.

No wonder they value "home" so much.

In this world, they only have each other.

"Qingqing." Qin Lie threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out, then turned to look at her. "Our lives are better now, and they will only get better. I won't let you live a poor and miserable life."

He reached out his rough, large hand and grasped Lin Qingqing's small hand, which was resting on her knee.

My palms were warm, covered with thick calluses.

"Now that you've entered this door, no matter who you are or what you want to do in the future," Qin Lie stared into her eyes, enunciating each word clearly, "as long as we're here, even if the sky falls, there will be five tall guys to hold it up for you."

"I..." Lin Qingqing's eyes welled up with tears, and her throat tightened.

"Alright, stop making your cousin cry."

Li Dongye stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "It's getting late, everyone should wash up and go to bed. We have work to do tomorrow."

Jiang He immediately raised his head: "I want my sister to stay with me! I'm a patient!"

"The patient should just go to sleep." Qin Lie stood up, his tall figure looming over Jiang He, immediately extinguishing Jiang He's hopes. "Stop thinking about this and that all the time."

"Ah?" Jiang He wailed, "Big brother, you're being unfair!"

"Shut up." Qin Lie bent down and pulled Lin Qingqing up, his actions leaving no room for argument. "Disperse."