The two of them tangled their hands in each other’s hair and rolled across the ground, neither able to gain the upper hand for a moment.
“Big Dog! Second Dog! Get in here!” Qi Ping shouted for backup.
The two lackeys wanted to help, but the pair were locked together so tightly that there was no opening to jump in.
Qi Rong felt that hair-pulling fights were something women did. He released Qi Ping’s hair, freed one hand, and drove a solid punch straight into Qi Ping’s narrow, squinty eye.
Qi Ping cried out in pain, clutching his eye as he rolled aside, howling miserably.
Seizing the chance, Qi Rong straddled him and began raining punches down on his chubby body.
“Big Dog! Second Dog! Save me!” Qi Ping screamed again.
Seeing the two about to rush over, Qi Rong slammed a heavy punch into Qi Ping’s chest and said coldly, “You call for help when you’re fighting, but you didn’t call them when there was meat to eat.”
Big Dog and Second Dog paused.
…That actually made sense.
Qi Rong punctuated every punch with a sentence. “One whole wild boar—why didn’t you share any with them? A pig leg, a pig ear, a length of intestines…”
The scene suddenly took on a strange tone, as if Qi Rong were fighting on behalf of the two lackeys.
Listening to Qi Rong list off each part of the pig, the two grew angrier by the second. Their family had gotten an entire boar, yet the brothers hadn’t even tasted the pig’s tail.
The two exchanged a look. Then they turned and left.
Once the lackeys were gone, Qi Rong climbed off Qi Ping and waved his fist threateningly. “Get lost already. If you dare run your mouth in front of me again, I’ll knock your teeth out.”
Qi Ping, his face smeared with tears and snot, scrambled to his feet. Wiping his eyes, he cried, “Just you wait—I’m telling my dad!”
Qi Rong shook out his aching hand and gave Qi Ping a kick in the backside. Staggering forward, Qi Ping took the opportunity to bolt for home.
When the mother- and daughter-in-law returned, they happened to see Qi Ping, battered and bruised.
The moment Qi Ping spotted Chen Ruolan, he spat once and ran off crying. “Dad! Qi Rong beat me up…”
Yu Chunmiao looked puzzled. Chen Ruolan sighed. “Let’s go home first.”
She quickened her pace, worried whether her younger son had been hurt. From afar, they saw smoke rising from the chimney. Yu Chunmiao asked, “Mother, who’s cooking?”
“Chong’er,” Chen Ruolan replied without hesitation.
Among the men in the family, only the eldest son could cook now—something his late husband had taught him personally.
As she spoke, Chen Ruolan broke into a jog. Qi Chong was still injured—what if he fell? Both sons, each more worrying than the other.
At the courtyard gate, they ran into Qi Rong. He jogged up to them, smiling brightly. “Mom, I picked up half a basket of river clams this morning.”
Chen Ruolan grabbed him and looked him over from head to toe. “I saw Qi Ping—his face was all bruised. You weren’t hurt, were you?”
Qi Rong shook his head with a grin. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m fine.”
Yu Chunmiao had seen Qi Ping’s size, and judging by how badly he’d been beaten while her brother-in-law was unscathed, she couldn’t help rubbing Qi Rong’s head in praise. “Rong’er is amazing.”
Chen Ruolan: *Is that really something to praise?*
The moment her hand touched his head, Qi Rong hissed and dodged back. “Qi Ping fights like a woman—first thing he does is grab hair.”
As if he hadn’t done the same himself.
Chen Ruolan pulled both of them close and said, “Let’s go inside. Close the gate tight—who knows if they’ll come looking for trouble again.”
A single word—“again”—made Yu Chunmiao pause. This family was so honest and well-behaved; who on earth would keep coming to stir up trouble?
Qi Rong headed straight for the backyard to draw water, keep the clams alive, and wash the wild vegetables. The mother- and daughter-in-law went into the kitchen.
The moment Yu Chunmiao stepped inside, she saw a tall figure with his back to her. Leaning on a crutch, he was stirring something in the pot with a ladle. From the smell, it seemed to be wild-vegetable millet porridge.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Qi Chong’s heart gave a jolt. His hand paused mid-stir.
Seeing her daughter-in-law sweaty and flushed, Chen Ruolan felt a pang of sympathy. “Give me the basket. Go drink some water and rest—your voice was hoarse this morning from hawking.”
Yu Chunmiao really was thirsty. She didn’t stand on ceremony, went to the wooden shelf by the stove, poured herself a big bowl of water, and gulped it down. Afterward, she poured another bowl for her mother-in-law.
Once Chen Ruolan finished drinking, Yu Chunmiao took the empty bowls to rinse them. The water jar was right beneath the shelf—just scoop a ladle of water into the wooden basin above.
The porridge was ready. Qi Chong, leaning on his crutch, walked over to the shelf to get a clay bowl. The two reached the shelf at the same time and looked up—eyes meeting.
Yu Chunmiao blinked her almond-shaped eyes at him and thought he looked exactly like a novel’s male lead: sharp brows, starry eyes, and a gaze as deep as the night sky. With just that one look, she fell straight into Qi Chong’s dark eyes and couldn’t pull herself out. Her heart began to race, and a blush crept across her cheeks.
Qi Chong’s gaze dropped to her slightly upturned lips. She’d just had water; the moisture hadn’t dried yet, making them look like tiny pink petals damp with morning dew—tempting enough to make anyone want a taste. His heart skipped two beats, then started pounding wildly.
In those few seconds of eye contact, both of them lost their composure.
Yu Chunmiao set down the bowl and turned to leave for the backyard. Qi Chong, as if possessed, blurted out, “Where are you going? It’s time to eat.”
“I—I’ll go… wash my face. I’ll be right back,” Yu Chunmiao stammered, silently scolding herself. *Why do I still get tongue-tied when I see a handsome guy—even here? *
Chen Ruolan saw everything and understood at once. The way her son looked at his wife—there was a trace of how her husband used to look at her back then.
Her daughter-in-law had clearly fallen headfirst into this “closed jar.”
She stepped forward to help rinse the bowls and said to her son, who was ladling out porridge, “Chong’er, Rong’er beat up Qi Ping today—pretty badly, too.”
Qi Chong’s swordlike brows drew together slightly. He gave a low “Mm. I know.”
“Rong’er,” he called out in his deep voice toward the backyard, “did you take any losses in that fight today?”
Qi Rong answered smugly, “Him? If you hadn’t warned me beforehand, I could’ve beaten him so badly his own parents wouldn’t recognize him.”
Chen Ruolan felt a headache coming on. Why was her belly so *productive*—three sons, each one just like their father, strong as oxen. Thankfully, they were reasonable; otherwise, who knew how much trouble they’d stir up.
Yu Chunmiao splashed her face with cool well water three times before the heat finally faded. She sat beside Qi Rong and helped wash the wild vegetables. “So what’s the story with that chubby guy you beat up?”
Qi Rong snorted angrily. “He’s my eldest uncle’s son—Qi Ping. Two months ago, my big brother went up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots and saw a wild boar chasing my uncle. He rushed in to help. That day, my brother didn’t have his hunting knife or bow. One swing of the hoe didn’t kill the boar, and its tusk snapped his leg. Even with a broken leg, my brother fought the boar and killed it.”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He slammed a handful of wild mustard greens into the basin, splashing water everywhere. “That man didn’t help at all. When my brother passed out from the pain, he dragged the boar away and ran. Fine, you took it—but you could’ve at least come back to tell us! Mom, second brother, and I searched the mountains all night before we found him. He was burning with fever, nearly dead. It took a whole month of medicine before he recovered.”
“Son of a bitch!” Yu Chunmiao cursed loudly.
Her shout startled Qi Rong, and even the mother and son in the kitchen froze. That kind of roar—from a woman?
“Shameless, faithless scum!” Yu Chunmiao slapped Qi Rong hard on the shoulder. “You did right. People like that deserve to be beaten every time you see them. Today you went too easy—next time, knock his teeth out and beat him till he’s crawling in the dirt.”
Chen Ruolan pressed a hand to her forehead. “Well—no wonder. Birds of a feather.
Qi Rong: *This sister-in-law? Totally my kind of person.
Qi Chong: *My kind of person too. Feels just right.