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

Qin Lie closed the door to the main room behind him, slammed his heavy military green hiking backpack onto the octagonal table, unzipped it, rummaged through a pile of ropes and tools, and pulled out a piece of animal skin hastily wrapped in old newspapers.

"Take a look." Qin Lie pushed the things over and sat down on the bench.

Li Dongye, who had been somewhat nonchalant, was twirling the windproof lighter in his hand, the cap clicking open and closing.

Seeing Qin Lie's serious expression, he also dropped his playful smile and reached out to unwrap the newspaper.

"What good stuff? Wild boar hide? That stuff is as hard as iron, only Fifth Brother would care about it..."

The words came to an abrupt halt.

The newspaper was spread out, revealing a piece of leather about the size of a palm.

It's not wild boar skin; it looks like some kind of mustelid, with glossy, smooth fur, but that's not the point.

The key feature is the inside of the leather, where a dark red totem is printed using a special branding technique.

The totem's lines are bizarre, resembling both an eagle and a snake, coiled into a complex geometric shape.

The lighter in Li Dongye's hand fell onto the table with a "thud".

He stared intently at the totem, his eyes never wavering, his breathing becoming extremely shallow for a moment, as if afraid that a single breath would dispel the illusion before him.

After a long while, Li Dongye finally reached out with trembling hands to untie the watch strap on his left wrist.

It was an old-fashioned Shanghai brand mechanical watch. The dial was worn out, and the strap was a cheap replacement that came later, which was completely out of place with the watch's original exquisite craftsmanship.

This watch was the only valuable thing he owned, and it was the only thing he had with him when he was abducted by human traffickers at the age of three.

He was so young then, with thin wrists, that the watch could be hung around his neck.

Li Dongye turned the watch over, revealing the polished stainless steel back cover.

On the back cover, an identical totem is clearly engraved. It is exactly the same, even the curve of the snake's tail is completely identical.

"The hunter said he found it in the back mountain."

Qin Lie lit a match, brought the cigarette to his lips, and took a drag. The bluish-white smoke instantly blurred his cold, hard features.

"This leather is not something an ordinary family can use, and the branding on it is not a civilian method. When I was in the army in my early years, I went to the military region to carry out missions and saw people branding things on animal skins. The technique is similar to this."

Li Dongye gripped the animal hide tightly with his fingers, repeatedly rubbing the rough texture with his fingertips.

"The military region..." His voice was terribly hoarse, "Brother, you mean..."

I'm not sure.

Qin Lie interrupted him, his voice steady and powerful, like a pillar of strength:

"But there aren't that many coincidences in this world. You've been driving long distances for five years, going south and north, your wheels have almost covered several nearby provinces, but you haven't found a single clue."

But this thing appeared right under our noses.

Li Dongye was filled with mixed feelings.

He only started remembering things when he was five years old; his memories before that are all fragmented.

All I remember is this watch, and a blurry, tall figure lifting him above his head.

For so many years, he drove that beat-up truck, going wherever there was a road, asking everyone he met, even if it was like searching for a needle in a haystack, just to find something.

He thought that this was how his life would be.

He had no parents and was a bastard who sprang from a rock. Only his few brothers, who were not related by blood, could be considered his family.

But now, this piece of animal hide is like a key, forcefully inserted into his rusty lock.

"That mountain..." Li Dongye murmured these three words, his eyes gradually focusing, "I've been there once, but you can't drive in."

"The road is difficult to travel." Qin Lie flicked his cigarette ash. "But now that we have a lead, we can't let it go. If we can confirm that it belongs to the military region, it will be easier to find. I'll take this to the county's armed forces department and ask around."

Li Dongye took a deep breath and gripped the animal hide and watch tightly in his hand.

He looked up, his eyes, which always held a hint of a smile, were now bloodshot.

"Thanks, brother."

Qin Lie reached out and patted him hard on the shoulder.

"We're all brothers." Qin Lie stood up. "Alright, pack your things. Don't tell Lao Wu about this yet; he's a loose tongue, and besides..."

Qin Lie paused and glanced out the window.

"And with his personality, he'll make a scene if he finds out."

Li Dongye nodded, tucking the item into his robes and placing it close to his body. The animal hide pressed against his chest, though inanimate, felt hot against his heart.

……

yard.

Lin Qingqing changed into a light blue floral shirt, which looked exceptionally refreshing on her.

Her hair wasn't completely dry yet; it was loosely braided into a side braid, with water still dripping from the ends.

She took the wooden basin out to pour water, and as soon as she stepped out, she saw a person squatting by the pigsty.

Jiang He moved a small stool and sat outside the pigpen fence, holding a pig bristle brush he had gotten from somewhere, and was brushing the little white pig inside the fence to relieve its itch.

The piglet he called "Little White," the same one that was previously called "Mantou," was now contentedly squinting its eyes, grunting and whimpering as it pressed its belly against the fence, letting Jiang He take care of it.

The ruthless and vicious boy who had just been in front of Chen Qinghe now had a smile on his face and was muttering to himself.

"Feels good, doesn't it? You're lucky to have met such a good master like me."

Jiang He muttered to himself as he brushed the paper.

"That good-for-nothing Chen Qinghe can bury himself in poop while shoveling, he's nowhere near as comfortable as me serving him. Eat more, gain some weight, don't end up like that other guy, all skin and bones."

I don't know who he was talking about.

Lin Qingqing found it amusing, placed the wooden basin on the steps, and walked over quietly.

She knew that Jiang He was all bark and no bite...

No, he's sweet-talking but ruthless, but when it comes to things he cares about, he has an almost obsessive protectiveness.

"Little Crane".

Lin Qingqing called out.

Jiang He didn't stop what he was doing, but he turned his head. Sunlight shone behind him, highlighting his face, which still had a touch of boyish innocence.

When he smiled, his two little tiger teeth were faintly visible, making him look incredibly well-behaved.

"Sister!" Jiang He's eyes lit up. "You're done washing? You smell so good, I can smell it even from the pigsty."

Lin Qingqing walked to the fence, put her hands on the wooden bars, and looked at the little pig inside enjoying itself.

"What do you talk about with a pig?"

"Let's talk about life." Jiang He tossed the brush aside, dusted off his hands, and without a care for the dirt, rested his chin on the back of Lin Qingqing's hand, which was resting on the railing.

His cheek was a little cool, which made Lin Qingqing's hand itch.

"What kind of life can it understand?"

"It doesn't matter if it doesn't understand, as long as I do." Jiang He tilted his head and looked at her intently. "Sister, what did Big Brother call Fourth Brother into the room to talk about just now? He was being so mysterious and wouldn't let me hear."

"Don't pry into adults' business, kids." Lin Qingqing flicked his forehead with her other hand.