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

By the time we got back to the Red Flag Guesthouse, it was completely dark.

One of the light bulbs in the hallway was broken, and the other one was flickering weakly, making the peeling paint on the hallway look rather eerie.

Jiang He was still excited from the journey, humming an unknown tune and twirling a half-eaten sugar figurine in his hand.

"Sister, let's go eat that mutton stew noodles tomorrow? I saw a long line outside, it must be delicious." Jiang He leaned against Lin Qingqing again.

Lin Qingqing smiled faintly but did not reply.

She was distracted the whole way. When she arrived at the door of 203, Lin Qingqing stopped, put her hands behind her back, and secretly tugged at Gu Qiangying's sleeve.

Gu Qiangying was taking out her keys when she felt a force on her sleeve. She inserted the key into the lock and turned it twice, thus opening the door for Lin Qingqing.

He pushed open the door, glanced back at Jiang He, and said, "Xiao Wu, go to the front desk and get a kettle of hot water. Qingqing wants to soak her feet."

"Didn't we call it this morning?" Jiang He peeked into the room and saw the kettle sitting there perfectly fine.

"That's just cooled boiled water, why are you scalding your feet?" Gu Qiangying pulled out the key and stuffed it into her pocket. "Go get another pot of boiling water, and while you're at it, ask that lady if she has any new newspapers, and get me two copies."

Jiang He looked at the two men suspiciously.

Lin Qingqing looked down at the tips of her shoes, while Gu Qiangying stood calmly in the doorway.

"Alright then." Jiang He clapped his hands. "Then, sister, you go inside and rest first. I'll be right back. Third brother, don't bully me while I'm gone."

Too much nonsense.

Gu Qiangying dismissed Jiang He, closed the door behind her, and locked it with the latch.

He walked to the table, turned on the light, pulled out a chair, sat down, casually stretching out his long legs, and asked softly, "So, what do you want to tell me about getting Xiao Wu away?"

Lin Qingqing bit her lip, the words swirling in her throat, but she just couldn't get them out.

"Nothing to say?" Gu Qiangying raised an eyebrow and made as if to get up. "Then I'll go call Xiao Wu back. Let's get some rest."

"No!" Lin Qingqing exclaimed anxiously, rushing over and reaching out to block him. "Third Brother, I...I have something to ask you."

Gu Qiangying sat back down, looking at her leisurely: "Hmm, what's wrong?"

Lin Qingqing took a deep breath, gripping her clothes tightly with both hands: "Third Brother, you can take a pulse... so could you check if I am... am I...?"

"Is it something?"

"Are you pregnant?"

The last two words were so soft they were almost inaudible, but to Gu Qiangying, they sounded like thunder.

The air was still for a few seconds.

Gu Qiangying's expression remained unchanged; she merely adjusted her glasses, the glare from the lenses concealing her fleeting emotions: "You think you're pregnant?"

"I have no idea……"

Lin Qingqing's eyes reddened with anxiety. "I'm just scared. What if... what if I really am pregnant? Whose child is it? If I'm really pregnant, what will happen to me... what will happen to me..."

She was rambling incoherently, becoming increasingly flustered as she spoke.

Although she had a comfortable time during this period, this weight remained on her heart.

Gu Qiangying sighed inwardly as she looked at her, who was on the verge of tears.

"Hand out."

Lin Qingqing sniffed and obediently handed over her wrist.

Gu Qiangying's fingers rested on her wrist. His hands were cold, which made Lin Qingqing shiver.

The pulse is thready, weak, slow, and feeble.

He already knew what was going on in her pulse; he had already figured it out when he first met Lin Qingqing.

After a long while, Gu Qiangying withdrew his hand and said slowly, "Don't worry, you won't get pregnant for now."

Lin Qingqing froze, tears welling in her eyes, threatening to fall: "Huh?"

"Huh?" Gu Qiangying mimicked Lin Qingqing's tone and said "Huh?", but her tone was indeed gentle.

"When you were at Lao Li's house, you would go to the river barefoot to wash clothes in the dead of winter. You didn't rest even when you had your period. You also worked at your parents' house all the time. You've already worn yourself out."

The patient suffers from severe uterine coldness and deficiency of both qi and blood. Even if she were to recuperate for another year or two, crops would hardly grow in this field.

If these words were spoken to any other woman, it would be a bolt from the blue, tantamount to a death sentence.

But Lin Qingqing breathed a long sigh of relief and collapsed to her knees: "You scared me to death... That's good, that's good."

Looking at her surviving state, Gu Qiangying felt a pang of sadness.

What, is having a child for the Qin family that scary to her?

"What's so good about this?" Gu Qiangying sneered. "You're so young and you've ruined your health like this. You'll be riddled with illnesses when you're old. Back pain and leg pain are the least of your worries."

Lin Qingqing was startled by his serious attitude and whispered in defense, "Well... that wasn't what I wanted either."

"Alright." Gu Qiangying stood up and walked over to her.

Lin Qingqing instinctively leaned back, but Gu Qiangying simply bent down and placed his palm on her lower abdomen through the thin shirt.

"Here," Gu Qiangying gently stroked the flat stomach with her palm, her voice low, "you'll need to put a hot water bottle on it every night from now on. I'll write you a prescription later, and I'll have your second son brew it for you when we get back. It's a bitter medicine, so don't throw it away. If you dare to throw it away even once, I'll give you an acupuncture needle."

Lin Qingqing's face turned as red as a ripe shrimp, and she nodded stammeringly, "I...I understand. Third Brother, you...you can let go first."

Gu Qiangying didn't loosen her grip; instead, she moved to another spot and pressed down with a little more force: "Does it hurt?"

"It's a little sour."

"That's right." Gu Qiangying withdrew her hand and straightened her back. "It's really congested. Whenever I have time when we get back, I'll give you moxibustion."

After the business was finished, the sense of ambiguity belatedly crept in.

Lin Qingqing felt the air in the room was a bit thin, and to hide her embarrassment, she glanced around nervously.

With that glance, I noticed that Gu Qiangying's shoulder bag was open, revealing a corner of a book inside.

The cover is pink, which looks quite festive.

Lin Qingqing's heart skipped a beat.

These past few days, Jiang He has been buying her all sorts of things, and although Gu Qiangying doesn't say anything, she's spent a lot of money on her.

Is this pink book some kind of sketchbook I bought for her?

"Third Brother, that book..." Lin Qingqing pointed to her handbag, "Is it for me?"

Gu Qiangying followed her finger and pulled out the book.

"want to?"

Lin Qingqing was a little embarrassed, but she still nodded. Gu Qiangying was a cultured person, so the books he gave her must also be knowledgeable.

Gu Qiangying's lips curled into a half-smile as she handed the book to her: "You can take a look if you want. But this isn't for you; it's a gift for Xiao Wu."

For Xiao Wu? A pink book?

Lin Qingqing took it curiously and glanced at the cover with anticipation.

On the pink cover was printed a large, chubby, and adorable white pig, with several bold characters next to it—

Pig Farming Science

Lin Qingqing: "..."

She stood frozen, holding the book, her expression somewhat...

"This...this is for Xiao Wu?" Lin Qingqing asked tentatively. "Third Brother, you didn't take the wrong one, did you?"

"You didn't take the wrong one."

Gu Qiangying poured herself a glass of water in a good mood. "This kid has too much energy. He's always hanging around you all day long, and he's always trying to tear things down. I was thinking I should find him something serious to do."

"So... he's going to raise pigs?"

"Hmm." Gu Qiangying took a sip of water. "Raising pigs cultivates one's character. Besides, there's a lot of knowledge in this book; it'll keep him pondering for a while."

Lin Qingqing looked at the big, fat pig with a bright smile on the cover, and then thought about Jiang He's delicate and handsome face, imagining Jiang He wearing rubber shoes and shoveling manure in the pigsty.

"Pfft."

She couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Third brother, you're so mean." Lin Qingqing laughed, her dimples brimming with joy. "If Xiao Wu saw this, he'd be rolling on the floor in anger."

"He's grown up." Gu Qiangying looked at her smiling face and couldn't help but smile as well. "Even if it's just to pass the time, he still needs to learn something. We can't take care of him forever."

we.

He spoke those two words with such naturalness that Lin Qingqing's heart stirred slightly. Before she could even savor them, Jiang He's loud voice came from outside the door.

"Open the door! Open the door! It's scalding hot! This kettle is leaking!"

Gu Qiangying walked over and opened the door.

Jiang He stormed in carrying a tin thermos, slammed it on the ground, and jumped up and down, clutching his ears: "This lousy guesthouse! The kettle stopper isn't even tight! It's scalding hot!"

He looked up and saw Lin Qingqing holding a book, still laughing. He immediately leaned over and asked, "What are you looking at, sister? Why are you so happy? Did Third Brother secretly buy you something?"

Lin Qingqing quickly hid the book behind her back, shaking her head while suppressing a laugh: "No...it's nothing. Third Brother bought it for you!"

"Really?" Jiang He's eyes lit up, and he reached out to grab it. "Let me see!"

Gu Qiangying grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back: "What's the rush? Go back and look at it later. Go back to sleep now."

……

After lingering in Hongqi Town for a few more days until the musk arrived, the three of them boarded the bus back home, carrying large and small bags.

The journey back was more bumpy than the way there.

It had just rained, and the dirt road had turned into a mud puddle.

The dilapidated bus bounced around in the mud, and the people inside were tossed around like they were being shaken.

Jiang He held the few packets of delicate medicinal herbs in his arms, while he rested his head on Lin Qingqing's shoulder like a boneless creature, rubbing against her neck with each sway of the car.

"Sit still." Gu Qiangying sat on the other side of the aisle, engrossed in reading a book about pig farming. She glanced at Jiang He occasionally, "Has no bone growth?"

"I get carsick," Jiang He hummed with his eyes closed. "My sister smells nice; the scent will make me feel better."

Lin Qingqing felt itchy from his rubbing, and although she wanted to push him away, she was afraid of touching the medicinal herbs in her arms, so she could only let him do as he pleased.

She turned to look out the window.

The mountains stretch endlessly, and the further you go in, the denser the green becomes. It's a deep, wild green, as if it wants to swallow you whole.

When she left, she was apprehensive and confused. When she returned, looking at the familiar mountains, she felt a sense of peace.

It was just evening when we were almost at the village entrance.

Smoke was billowing from the chimneys of every household, and the air was filled with the aroma of firewood and cooked food.

As they passed the old locust tree at the village entrance, several villagers who were eating with bowls in their hands saw them and their eyes immediately became meaningful.

"Hey, aren't these the Qin brothers? Back from enjoying a good time in the city with your cousin?"

"Look at all these bags and packages! You've struck it rich!"

"The young widow from the Lin family looks quite well; she's even more radiant than when she left."

Those gazes were sticky, like hooks, scraping all over Lin Qingqing.

In the past, Lin Qingqing would have been so frightened that she would have lowered her head and run away quickly. But today, she remembered what Gu Qiangying said on the boat—"I want you to grow into a tree."

She straightened her back, and although her palms were still sweating, she didn't flinch. She simply nodded politely to the group without stopping.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a beautiful woman before?" Jiang He frowned at the group of idlers. "If you look again, I'll gouge your eyes out and stomp on them!"

The idlers, startled by the ruthless man's shout, immediately shrank back, picked up their bowls, and dispersed.

When they arrived at the Qin family's door, before they even pushed it open, they heard a commotion of chickens and dogs running around inside.

"Woof! Woof woof woof!"

"Awooo—Awooo—"

"You bastard! Stop right there! That's a pig! Not your dinner! Ouch, don't step on the vegetable patch!"