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

I felt these two chapters weren't very good, so I rewrote them.

You can take another look at the items you've seen before.

57.com approved it! Good heavens, I'm such an incompetent author! 57.com has its third member washing his hands...

……

Before dawn, the fog clung to the roof tiles, making them damp.

Lin Qingqing's nose was pinched, making it difficult for her to breathe. She opened her mouth to breathe in a daze, but then her mouth was blocked.

"Shhh."

Li Dongye's magnified handsome face was right in front of her, his peach blossom eyes curved. Seeing that she was awake, he intensified his rubbing of her lips until Lin Qingqing was out of breath and reached out to push his chest. Only then did he reluctantly withdraw.

"Mmm..." Lin Qingqing was about to speak when his rough thumb pressed down on her lips.

"Shh—" Li Dongye lowered his voice, "Keep your voice down, those guys have sharp ears."

Lin Qingqing's eyes widened. Now she knew to keep her voice down. Who was it that was so reckless yesterday!

She shrank further into the clothes covering her, leaving only her eyes pleading as she looked at him.

Li Dongye seemed to see through her thoughts and chuckled, "It's a good thing that my cousin has a temper."

As he spoke, he unceremoniously lifted the corner of his shirt and squeezed half of his body inside.

Lin Qingqing froze, and just as she was about to kick him, she was easily pinned down by those long legs.

"Don't move, let me hold you for a while." Li Dongye buried his face in the crook of her neck. "From now on, this is how it is. If you're angry, just say it. If you're unhappy, just glare at whoever you want."

"You...you get up quickly," Lin Qingqing whispered in his ear, "Big Brother and the others need to get up."

"Hmm." Li Dongye put his arm around her waist. "I have to go on a long trip today to a neighboring province to haul coal. It'll take three to five days."

Lin Qingqing was taken aback. "Leaving again?"

"You can't bear to part with him?" Li Dongye looked up and kissed his smooth forehead. "Even if you can't bear to part with him, there's nothing I can do. I'll go earn money to buy you flowers. I came back in such a hurry that I was afraid my older brother would be angry and really beat me badly."

He said this with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

Lin Qingqing didn't respond, and Li Dongye didn't bother her anymore. He just hugged her quietly for a while, his usual carefree attitude subdued, revealing a rare tenderness.

The rooster outside crowed a second time.

The sound of the hand pump creaking came from the courtyard; Qin Lie had gotten up to draw water.

Li Dongye tucked her clothes in, sat up, looked at her, and smiled.

"I'm calling my older brother away. You can go take a nap later."

Lin Qingqing craned her neck and looked down.

"Don't be afraid, your brother won't ask." He chuckled, reached out and pinched her exposed earlobe, then turned and nimbly left.

……

Breakfast consisted of millet porridge with pickled vegetables, and a few leftover multigrain steamed buns from last night, which were sliced ​​and toasted.

Xiao Yong, sporting two enormous dark circles under his eyes, took a big bite of a slice of steamed bun, chewing it with a loud crunch.

"Brother, I've been thinking about this all night, and that's definitely not an ordinary rat." Xiao Yong slammed his chopsticks on the table. "The noise it made, the weight it carried, it must weigh at least fifty pounds! If we let it nest in our roof, it'll collapse sooner or later."

Qin Lie was drinking his porridge with his head down, and upon hearing this, he didn't even lift his eyelids: "Eat your food."

"No, brother, why don't you believe me?" Xiao Yong exclaimed anxiously, turning to look at Gu Qiangying, who was peeling eggs. "Third brother, you stayed up late last night, did you hear me?"

Gu Qiangying, who was peeling an egg for Jiang He, was taken aback when she heard this. She then placed the peeled egg in Lin Qingqing's bowl and said casually, "I heard you."

Xiao Yong slapped his thigh: "See! I told you! That was that noise!"

"Hmm..." Gu Qiangying picked up a towel and wiped her hands. "It sounds like two cats are fighting. Spring has been over for so long, but there are still a lot of stray cats in heat."

"puff--"

Lin Qingqing, who was drinking porridge, choked and coughed violently.

Qin Lie immediately patted her back with his large hand, applying just the right amount of pressure to help her catch her breath.

He glanced at Gu Qiangying, his eyes carrying a warning.

"Drink slowly." Qin Lie's voice was calm as he handed over his water glass.

Lin Qingqing took the water glass and drank two sips, her face turning bright red. She secretly glanced at Gu Qiangying, who was holding a bowl of porridge and looking every bit the gentleman.

Li Dongye sat opposite him, half a steamed bun dangling from his mouth, laughing so hard his shoulders shook: "Second brother, really! Whether it's a mouse or a cat, as long as it doesn't break into your house to steal your scrap metal, why do you care?"

"Is that scrap metal? That's my lifeline!" Xiao Yong glared. "Besides, what if I go into my cousin's room? She's so timid, what if she gets scared?"

Lin Qingqing lowered her head even further, almost burying it in the bowl.

"Why are your lips swollen, sister?"

Jiang He, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

He held a spoon in his hand, stirring the contents of the bowl, his clear black and white eyes fixed on Lin Qingqing's lips.

The dinner table fell silent instantly.

All eyes were focused on Lin Qingqing's face.

Those two lips were indeed a little red and swollen, especially the lower lip, which was also slightly broken, showing a hint of having been bullied.

Lin Qingqing almost dropped her chopsticks, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

She instinctively raised her hand to cover her mouth, stammering, "There were a lot of mosquitoes last night, and I got bitten. I scratched it."

"Mosquitoes?" Jiang He tilted her head, revealing her sharp little tiger teeth, looking innocent and naive. "Sister, you're being naughty."

Li Dongye kicked Jiang He under the table.

Jiang He winced in pain, frowned, and turned to glare fiercely at Li Dongye.

"Alright." Qin Lie put down his chopsticks. "Can't you even shut your mouths while eating? Fourth brother, is the car loaded?"

"All packed." Li Dongye stuffed the last bite of steamed bun into his mouth, clapped his hands, and stood up. "I'm leaving now. I'll bring you some vinegar when I get back from Shanxi."

He walked behind Lin Qingqing, and as he passed by, he casually pressed his palm on her shoulder. The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric, and Lin Qingqing stiffened for a moment.

"I'm off." Li Dongye whistled, picked up the car keys hanging on the wall, and strode out the door.