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

Gu Qiangying sat at the stern of the boat, holding an oil-paper umbrella she had just bought by the roadside. Most of the umbrella was tilted towards Lin Qingqing to shield her from the sun.

He himself was exposed to the sun, but his fair skin made him appear even more aloof.

"Push to the left," Gu Qiangying commanded calmly. "Round to the right."

Under Gu Qiangying's command, the boat finally stopped circling and slowly drifted towards the center of the lake.

A gentle breeze blows, and the willow branches sway lightly.

Lin Qingqing reached out to splash the lake water, the cool touch making her squint her eyes in comfort.

She watched the people coming and going on the shore: young workers pushing bicycles, elderly people with children, and female students wearing dresses and holding books.

"Third Brother," Lin Qingqing suddenly spoke, her gaze following the female students, "Don't they have to work in the fields?"

Gu Qiangying followed her gaze and looked over:

"Those are students from the county high school, or clerks from the textile factory. They earn their living with their brains and skills, instead of toiling in the fields."

Lin Qingqing withdrew her hand, her fingertips still dripping water.

She wiped herself on her pants, her eyes dimming slightly: "That's nice."

"Envious?" Gu Qiangying asked.

Lin Qingqing nodded, then shook her head: "It's not that I envy them, it's just that... they live quite dignified lives."

Unlike her, who used to have endless farm work to do at her parents' home, and now has endless responsibilities to serve her husband's family after getting married.

Although life is better now thanks to the Qin brothers, we still end up working around the stove.

As the boat reached the center of the lake, all around quieted down, with only the splashing sound of the oars cutting through the water.

Jiang He was tired from rowing, so he put down the oar and leaned on the gunwale to catch his breath: "If you want to wear a dress like that, I'll buy you ten later. We can wear them every day and they'll look a hundred times better than theirs."

"It's not about the dress," Lin Qingqing said softly, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

Gu Qiangying closed her umbrella and her gaze fell on Lin Qingqing's face.

She didn't wear her hair in a braid today; it was loose and disheveled by the wind.

Her face was still beautiful, but now it held a hint of confusion.

"Qingqing".

Gu Qiangying called her name.

Lin Qingqing looked up and met his unfathomable eyes.

"There is more than one way to live a life."

Gu Qiangying's voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear, like the sound of wind that could penetrate the surface of the lake:

"It is an honor to farm in the countryside, it is an honor to work in a factory, and it is an honor to stay at home and raise children."

But this is on the premise that it's your own choice, not something you were forced to do out of necessity.

Lin Qingqing was stunned.

No one had ever said such a thing to her before.

"How much schooling have you received?" Gu Qiangying asked.

Lin Qingqing blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed: "I'm not bad at studying, it's just that... it's just that her mother made her do chores early in the morning to save money for her younger brother."

"Would you like to learn?"

"Huh?" Lin Qingqing's eyes widened. "Me? I'm so old, how can I still learn?"

"Why not?" Gu Qiangying smiled, her smile now gentler. "It's never too late to learn, as long as you want to. If you're willing, I'll teach you."

Jiang He, listening from the side, pouted and said, "Third Brother, are you going to be a teacher? Then could you teach me too? I want to take classes with my sister."

"You?" Gu Qiangying glanced at him disdainfully. "You should learn to recognize all those comic books first."

Lin Qingqing ignored their continued bickering, her mind completely focused on Gu Qiangying's words.

"I...I'm afraid I'm not smart enough to learn it." Lin Qingqing twisted her fingers, looking somewhat insecure.

"No one is born smart." Gu Qiangying looked at her. "You have a good memory. You can recognize the shape and medicinal effects of herbs, which means you are not stupid. You just haven't had the opportunity."

He paused, then reached out and tucked a strand of her hair, ruffled by the wind, behind her ear. His fingertips were slightly cool, yet the touch was gentle.

"Qingqing, I don't want you to be just a vine clinging to a big tree. I want you to grow into a tree, even if it's not big, so you can stand on your own."

These words were somewhat profound, and Lin Qingqing seemed to understand them only vaguely, but a warm feeling welled up in her heart, a bittersweet sensation.

"Then...then shall I give it a try?" she asked tentatively.

"Okay, let's give it a try." Gu Qiangying nodded.

Jiang He couldn't bear to see them gazing at each other so affectionately, so he deliberately rocked the boat hard:

"Oh no! The boat's going to capsize! Third Brother, stop trying to comfort my sister and help me row!"

The ship rocked violently, and Lin Qingqing screamed in fright, instinctively rushing towards Gu Qiangying, who was closest to her.

Gu Qiangying caught her steadily, pinched her waist, and gave Jiang He a warning look.

Jiang He stuck out his tongue and grinned in a way that made him look like he wanted to punch someone.

They played all afternoon until sunset before reluctantly returning to shore.

Dinner was at a state-run restaurant by the roadside, a simple meal of two dishes and a soup.

Lin Qingqing was preoccupied with something on her mind, and ate somewhat absentmindedly.

"What are you thinking about?" Gu Qiangying put a piece of green vegetable on her plate.

Lin Qingqing hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Third Brother, when we left, Eldest Brother mentioned the household registration... my household registration..."

This was a source of great anxiety for her.

As long as her household registration remained with the Lin family, she felt like a grasshopper tied to a string, always at risk of being pulled back.

Gu Qiangying paused, put down her chopsticks, and said, "You don't need to worry about this."

"But……"

"No buts." Gu Qiangying interrupted her, her tone leaving no room for doubt, but not stern. "I'll handle this. When your signature is needed, just be there to sign it."

He looked at Lin Qingqing, his gaze behind his glasses sharp and resolute: "From the day you entered the Qin family, everything else is in the past. No matter what they're plotting, they can't get to you."

Jiang He chimed in, his words muffled, "That's right, sister, what are you afraid of? If that Lin Dajun dares to cause trouble, I'll break his legs! Besides, how could we brothers not protect you?"

Lin Qingqing looked at the two men in front of her.

One is refined and composed, the other is flamboyant and passionate; though childlike, they are also sincere.

She suddenly felt that those days of fear and anxiety were really far away from her.

"Eat your food." Gu Qiangying tapped the table. "Go back and get some sleep after you've eaten. Tomorrow we have to take this kid to the department store. He said he wants to buy some rare stuff."

"That's for my sister's hair clip!" Jiang He protested. "I think that red hair clip in the counter is really pretty. My sister will definitely look like a movie star when she wears it."

Lin Qingqing couldn't help but smile, her eyebrows curving and her dimples appearing shallow.

"Okay, let's buy hair clips."

As night deepened, the lights in the county town became sparse.

The three of them walked slowly toward the guesthouse. The streetlights cast long shadows of them, which intertwined and became indistinguishable from one another.

Lin Qingqing walked in the middle, with Gu Qiangying on her left and Jiang He on her right.

She glanced furtively to her left, then to her right, and her steps quickened considerably.

Perhaps Gu Qiangying is right.

Life is made by living it, and paths are made by walking them. Lin Qingqing, too, can have a different way of living.

……

Next might be the third brother, the eldest brother, the third brother again...

It takes a cunning, eloquent, cultured, gentle, and refined scoundrel to get the meat...

In comparison, Xiao Wu really is a younger brother!