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

Xiao Yong's large, round eyes scanned back and forth between Qin Lie's soaked crotch and the still dripping straw curtain, his expression slowly shifting from shock to a tacit understanding.

"Brother, you're something else." Xiao Yong pulled the dirty towel off his neck, wiped the oil and sweat from his face haphazardly, and chuckled, "So that's why you insisted on taking a cold shower in this sweltering heat... because you're too hot-tempered?"

Qin Lie, his face dark, ignored his second brother's nonsense and kicked Xiao Yong in the buttocks: "Get out of here. Shut your mouth."

Xiao Yong was thick-skinned and tough, so this kick was like a tickle to him.

He jumped aside, his loud voice still booming, "What's wrong? This place is a wolf's den, we haven't had a female mosquito in years! Are you having your first meal today?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the straw curtain moved.

A small, dazzlingly white hand reached out first, followed by Lin Qingqing's flushed face.

She was wearing Qin Lie's black vest, which could be used as a theatrical costume, with the hem reaching her upper thighs. Her wet hair clung to her neck, still dripping water.

Because of that commotion, she was like a drenched cat just pulled out of the water, standing there timidly, her toes curling up nervously.

Xiao Yong's laughter stopped abruptly.

He looked as if someone had suddenly grabbed him by the neck, his eyes widening as if they would almost pop out.

Where...where did this fairy come from?

He had seen many women in the village; they were all tanned dark and had louder voices than he did.

The woman before him was so fair and delicate, it looked like she could be squeezed for water. Especially her eyes, which seemed to be still in shock and were wet. Just one look from her made Xiao Yong feel like his heart of iron would melt.

"This...this is..." Xiao Yong stammered. His previous reckless attitude vanished instantly. He didn't know where to put his hands and feet and subconsciously tried to cover his dirty arms.

Qin Lie took a step to the side without making a sound, blocking Xiao Yong's staring gaze like a mountain.

"This is my cousin," Qin Lie said coldly. "Lin Qingqing."

"Cousin...cousin?" Xiao Yong scratched his head, looking completely bewildered. "What kind of cousin do we have? I've never heard of her."

"We just met." Qin Lie didn't bother with any more words. He glanced back at Lin Qingqing, his tone softening slightly. "Go back inside and change your clothes. Don't catch a cold."

Lin Qingqing felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She lowered her head and said, "Hello, Second Brother," and then, like a frightened rabbit, she scurried back to the east room along the wall and slammed the door shut.

Xiao Yong was still standing there in a daze, the faint scent of soap still lingering in his nose.

"Brother, this cousin... she's really hot." Xiao Yong swallowed and spoke the truth.

Qin Lie gave him a cold glance, his eyes carrying a warning: "That's a person, not some iron lump you made. Keep your tricks to yourself."

Xiao Yong pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, "I was just looking, I didn't even touch it..."

Just then, there was another commotion at the gate of the courtyard.

"Wow, what's the occasion today? It's so lively!"

With a soft chuckle, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white shirt walked in. He carried an old first-aid kit, and although he was walking on muddy ground, his black leather shoes were polished to a shine, and his shirt was buttoned up meticulously to the top.

The third child, Gu Qiangying.

Following him in was a slender young man. He was twirling a butterfly knife in his hand, chewing bubble gum, and his messy hair gave him a somewhat unruly air.

The fifth son, Jiang He.

"Second Brother is back?" Jiang He blew a bubble and popped it with a "pop". He glanced at the mess in the yard, his gaze falling on the puddle of water on the ground, and finally settling on the tightly closed door of the east room.

The boy narrowed his eyes, like a wolf cub smelling prey: "Someone's come to visit?"

Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses, her gaze sweeping over Qin Lie's soaked body, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "Big brother... you look like you just put out a fire?"

The five Qin brothers are finally all together.

The small courtyard was instantly filled with several distinct masculine scents.

Qin Lie looked at his troublesome younger brothers, his temples throbbing. He knew that peace and quiet was no longer possible.

"Listen up, all of you." Qin Lie said sternly, slamming the axe into the ground. "That's my cousin, Lin Qingqing. She'll be living with us from now on. Anyone who dares to bully her, or has any ulterior motives..."

His gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on Gu Qiangying's smiling tiger-like face. "Don't blame me for not showing brotherly affection."

Gu Qiangying's smile deepened: "Brother, you're right. Since she's my cousin, I should naturally take good care of her."

Jiang He sheathed the butterfly knife, licked his cheek with the tip of his tongue, and smiled innocently: "Cousin... I love my cousin the most."

……

dinner.

The already small eight-immortal table was crammed with five grown men, plus Lin Qingqing, making it look even more crowded.

The air was thick with heat and a sense of oppression.

Lin Qingqing changed into a dry floral shirt and sat next to Qin Lie, holding a bowl in her hands, not daring to lift her head. She felt like a lamb that had fallen into a wolf's den, surrounded by green eyes.

In the middle of the table was a large pot of braised pork, made from wild boar meat that Qin Lie had hunted that afternoon. It was glistening with oil and smelled delicious.

"Eat meat."

Xiao Yong was an impatient person and couldn't keep anything to himself. He was getting anxious watching Lin Qingqing eat like a cat. He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and shoved it roughly into Lin Qingqing's bowl.

The piece of meat slammed onto Lin Qingqing's white rice, splashing a few drops of oil.

"You're so skinny, like a monkey. How can you work? Eat more!" Xiao Yong's voice was loud, and although he meant well, it sounded like he was cursing.

Lin Qingqing was startled, her shoulders hunched, and she stammered softly, "Thank...thank you, Second Brother."

"Tsk."

A soft snort came from the side. Li Dongye slumped in his chair, toying with a lighter in his hand, and looked at Xiao Yong with a half-smile: "Second brother, are you feeding pigs? Didn't you see you scared your cousin?"

As he spoke, he stood up, walked across most of the table, picked up a soup spoon, and ladled a bowl of egg drop soup for Lin Qingqing.

"Cousin, don't mind this roughneck." Li Dongye placed the bowl in front of Lin Qingqing, and as he withdrew his hand, his fingertips seemed to lightly brush against the back of Lin Qingqing's hand.

The touch was extremely light, with a tingling, electric-like sensation.

Lin Qingqing recoiled as if she had been burned.

A mischievous glint flashed in Li Dongye's eyes, but he said in a serious tone, "Have some soup to soothe your nerves."

Gu Qiangying slowly chewed the vegetables in her mouth, her eyes behind her glasses slightly narrowed, and her gaze lingered for two seconds on the spot on Lin Qingqing's hand that Li Dongye had touched.

"My cousin has a sensitive stomach, so it's late at night. She should eat less oily food," Gu Qiangying said in a gentle voice, like a warm breeze. "But sweet potatoes are good for the stomach. Shall I peel one for you?"

As he spoke, he picked up a sweet potato, peeled it, and handed it to Lin Qingqing. His hand was slender and fair, with distinct knuckles; if he were holding a scalpel, it would probably be just as pleasing to the eye.

"Eat up," Gu Qiangying said with a smile.

These people, one after another, are so eager to please that it's almost unbearable to watch.

Jiang He, who had been silent all along, suddenly slammed his chopsticks on the table.

"Snapped!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was enough to make everyone stop what they were doing.

Jiang He moved his chair closer to Lin Qingqing, almost pressing himself against her. He turned his head, his still somewhat boyish face close to Lin Qingqing's, his eyes sparkling.

"Sister," Jiang He called out sweetly, completely disregarding the fact that she was only a year younger than Lin Qingqing, "I also want to eat that meat, but I can't reach it. Can you get it for me?"

That one "sister" gave Lin Qingqing goosebumps.

Looking into Jiang He's innocent big eyes, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. She could only tremblingly reach out her chopsticks, pick up a piece of meat, and put it in his bowl.

"Thank you, sister!" Jiang He smiled, revealing his little tiger teeth, and then took advantage of the situation by rubbing his head against Lin Qingqing's shoulder. "Sister is so nice, much nicer than my older brother and the others."

"..."

The three older brothers at the table all turned pale.

That ungrateful little brat.

Qin Lie finally reached his breaking point.

He slammed the bowl down on the table with a loud thud.

The room fell silent instantly; even the sound of chewing stopped.

Qin Lie, his face cold, reached out and grabbed Jiang He, who was clinging to Lin Qingqing, by the back of his neck and pulled him away: "Sit down. Let's eat, why all the nonsense?"

Jiang He was pulled away from his seat, but he wasn't annoyed. He just pursed his lips, gave Qin Lie a wry look, and sat back down.

Qin Lie turned his head and looked at Lin Qingqing.

A grain of rice stuck to her lips as she watched, bewildered, as the table was filled with this spectacle of geniuses.

Qin Lie frowned and took out a handkerchief from his pocket—it was one he had specially found; although it was a bit old, it was very clean.

Rough, large hands gripped Lin Qingqing's chin, forcing her to raise her head.

Lin Qingqing stared wide-eyed in horror, thinking he was about to get angry.

However, the hand didn't exert any force. Qin Lie took a handkerchief and gently wiped the corner of her mouth.

"You babbled while eating." Qin Lie scolded in a low voice, but there was little reproach in his tone. "In the future, don't just think about others, take care of yourself first."

Everyone present knew perfectly well who he was saying this to.

Xiao Yong rolled his eyes and took a big bite of his steamed bun. Gu Qiangying pushed up her glasses, concealing a hint of gloom in her eyes. Li Dongye whistled and fiddled with the lighter in his hand.

Only Jiang He stared intently at the hand that Qin Lie had touched Lin Qingqing's chin.

Lin Qingqing had a stomachache after eating that meal.

After finally getting through the meal, the men were unusually diligent and didn't let her wash the dishes. Xiao Yong insisted on washing the dishes, and Lin Qingqing was happy to have some peace and quiet, so she quickly retreated to the east room.

Late at night.

Night always falls especially quickly in the mountains.

I don't know how the Qin brothers divided things up. Tonight, Qin Lie didn't sleep in the main room; it seems he went to patrol the woods behind the mountain.

Lin Qingqing lay in bed and could hear Xiao Yong snoring loudly from the west room next door. She could also hear someone speaking in a low voice in the courtyard.

"Third brother, do you have anything in your medicine box... to liven things up?" It was Li Dongye's voice.

"Fourth brother, I'm a doctor, not a veterinarian," Gu Qiangying said calmly. "But if you have kidney deficiency, I can prescribe some medicine for you."

"Get lost! I'm hard!"

Lin Qingqing blushed deeply and quickly pulled the blanket over her head.

These thugs!

She curled up in bed, forcing herself not to listen to the foul language. After what seemed like an eternity, the noise outside gradually subsided.

As drowsiness washed over her, Lin Qingqing drifted off to sleep.

Just then.

"Click".

A very faint sound came from the window.

It was an old-fashioned wooden window, and the latch had long since come loose.

Lin Qingqing woke up with a start, her heart leaping into her throat. She held her breath, staring intently at the window.

By the moonlight, she saw that the window had been pushed open from the outside with something.

Immediately afterward, a dark figure silently slipped in and, with incredible speed, crawled into Lin Qingqing's bed. "I want to sleep with my sister."

Someone crawled into my bed, and it was a real person.

Lin Qingqing was so frightened that she almost lost her mind. Just as she was about to open her mouth to scream, a cool hand covered her mouth tightly.

"Shh-"

Jiang He's face loomed large right before her eyes.

"Sister, don't shout." Jiang He's voice was very low, with a hint of hoarseness from her voice not being fully broken. It sounded soft and sweet, but the hand covering her mouth was actually surprisingly strong. "I'm afraid of the dark, and I can't sleep alone."