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

Lin Qingqing clutched the blanket, her sobs choked in her throat, leaving only soft sobs. She looked at the knife in Qin Lie's hand, its blade still gleaming coldly, clearly showing that for a moment, this man had truly intended to kill.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

After a long silence, Qin Lie finally spoke.

Lin Qingqing sniffed, nodded, then remembered that it was so dark he couldn't see, and whispered, "Mmm... I dreamt... I dreamt of Zhao Si and the others..."

Qin Lie's muscles had visibly become looser.

"Go to sleep."

He didn't say much to comfort her; this man was clumsy with words and didn't know how to coax people. He just stood by the bed for a while longer, making sure the woman wouldn't suddenly scream again, before turning around and walking out.

Lin Qingqing looked at his tall figure, the fear in her heart still lingering, and subconsciously called out, "Cousin..."

Qin Lie paused, but didn't turn around: "Mm."

"Could you...not close the door completely?" Her voice was barely audible, tinged with a hint of pleading. "I'm afraid of the dark."

Qin Lie walked to the door and placed his hand on the door frame. Lin Qingqing held her breath, afraid that he would refuse or think she was being difficult.

"Squeak—"

The old wooden door made a soft creak.

Between the two doors, there was a gap about two fingers wide. The kerosene lamp that was still lit in the main room squeezed in through that gap, casting a thin strip of light on the floor that stretched all the way to the foot of the bed.

Although the light was faint, it acted like a barrier, keeping all the darkness and fear out.

Lin Qingqing stared at the light, and her heart, which had been pounding wildly just moments before, inexplicably calmed down. She could hear Qin Lie lying down again in the next room. The straw mat creaked under the weight, followed by the click of a lighter.

He wasn't asleep; he was smoking.

The smell of tobacco wafted in through the crack in the door; it was pungent, but reassuring.

That night, there were no more nightmares.

……

The next morning, Lin Qingqing got up early.

After last night's commotion, she felt a little embarrassed to see Qin Lie. She busied herself in the kitchen, reheating the leftover porridge from last night and picking two cucumbers from the vegetable garden to make a salad.

When the meal was served, Qin Lie was sitting on the doorstep putting on his straw sandals.

He still had that cold, hard look, but the faint dark circles under his eyes made his gaze appear even more sinister. Seeing Lin Qingqing come out, he didn't say anything, simply kicked his feet into his shoes, stood up, and dusted off his trousers.

"There's hot water in the pot," Qin Lie pointed to the stove. "I'll change the medicine in a bit."

That's for cleaning her wounds.

Lin Qingqing nodded obediently: "I understand, cousin."

Qin Lie glanced at her, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end he just frowned, picked up the axe, and went out the door.

On this day, Qingshan Village was as hot as a steamer.

The cicadas were chirping so loudly in the trees that it made one feel irritated. The sun was scorching the earth, and even the air seemed distorted.

Lin Qingqing wasn't idle at home either. She took apart the tattered cotton quilts of the Qin brothers' quilts, dried them in the blazing sun, and then used needle and thread to patch up the holes one by one.

This job is tiring. Before long, she was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

The oversized military green vest clung to my body, sticky and uncomfortable. Sweat streamed down my neck, into my chest, and then down my back into my waistband, making me feel like I'd been pulled out of the water.

As evening approached, the sun finally set, but the heat of summer lingered.

Lin Qingqing couldn't stand the sticky feeling all over her. She glanced at the courtyard gate, which was already locked. Qin Lie hadn't returned yet, Li Dongye had gone out in his car, and the others were nowhere to be seen.

It's lunchtime in the village, so no one should be coming.

She turned her gaze to the makeshift bathhouse in the corner of the courtyard.

It was called a bathhouse, but it was really just a few bamboo poles propped up and surrounded by a few tattered straw curtains. Inside, a black rubber hose connected to the hand pump well in the yard. Qin Lie had specially set it up for his brothers to make it easier for them to shower.

Lin Qingqing gritted her teeth, grabbed a bar of soap and some clean clothes, and crawled behind the straw curtain.

The space was small, just enough for one person to turn around. Several blue bricks were laid on the ground to prevent slipping.

She first hung one end of the black rubber tube on a high bamboo hook, then walked to the outside hand pump well, filled a large bucket with water, and poured it into the tin bucket that was placed high up.

This is a simple shower device.

After doing all this, she crawled back under the straw curtain and untied the hemp rope around her waist.

The baggy black trousers slipped down to his feet. Next came the military green vest.

The girl's beautiful body was dazzlingly white in the dim light, like a piece of fine mutton-fat jade. Because she had never seen the light of day, her skin was so delicate that even her pores were invisible, making her stand out starkly from the rough and simple environment.

Lin Qingqing opened the valve on the pipe.

"Splash—"

Cool well water flowed down the pipe, washing over her feverish body.

"Phew..." Lin Qingqing sighed comfortably, tilted her head back, and let the water wet her hair.

She picked up the soap and lathered it up. The crisp, clean scent of soap instantly filled the small space.

Just then.

"collapse!"

A muffled thud.

The wooden frame supporting the metal buckets overhead, probably due to years of disrepair, suddenly tilted. Immediately afterwards, the black rubber hose snapped open at the joint!

The water pressure suddenly became uncontrollable.

The icy well water gushed out haphazardly like a fountain.

"what!"

Lin Qingqing screamed and instinctively covered her chest, hiding in a corner.

The pipe, like a crazed black snake, danced wildly in the air, the water jets making the straw curtains rustle and even splashing onto the muddy ground outside.

"What's wrong?!"

A loud shout came from the courtyard gate.

Lin Qingqing was terrified.

Before she could react, the straw curtain was suddenly ripped open.