After being bought by seven rough men and taken to the deep mountains, I was pampered.

Chapter 48 A Winter Night's Assault! He rejected the Prime Minister's invitation; I will b

"Creak, creak," the wind howled.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the main room of the Qin family was eerily quiet.

Second Brother Qin Mo had been gone for less than an hour.

The fourth brother, Qin Yue, squatted by the charcoal brazier, holding a pair of fire tongs, rummaging through a pile of "waste paper" that his second brother hadn't finished burning before he left.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

As Qin Yue rummaged through the dust, he waved the tattered folding fan, his peach blossom eyes filled with disbelief, his mouth practically agape to his ears:

"Sister-in-law, come and see! Second brother has truly gone mad!"

"What?"

Su Wan had just spread the moisturizer on her hands when she leaned over to take a look.

In the charcoal fire, several exquisite letters, not fully burned, were curled at the edges.

The paper was clearly not ordinary; it even had a large, gold-stamped seal on it.

Qin Yue used the fire tongs to pick up a tattered page and read aloud exaggeratedly: "[Imperial Academy of the Capital]...[This letter is to invite Qin Zimo to the capital]...signed as...[Grand Tutor of the Court]?!"

Holy crap!

Qin Meng, the third brother who was wiping his axe next to him, was so frightened that he almost smashed the axe on his foot. His eyes widened: "Grand Tutor? How high a position is that?"

"More powerful than the county magistrate?"

"Big?" Qin Yue rolled his eyes, casually tossed the priceless piece of paper back into the brazier, and watched it turn to ashes: "That's the Imperial Tutor! As long as Second Brother takes this letter to the capital, he can get into the Hanlin Academy even if he takes the exam with his eyes closed!"

That's a ladder to heaven that we peasants wouldn't even dare to dream of!

At this point, Qin Yue suddenly laughed, a laugh like a fox that had stolen some fish but was also a little heartbroken: "And this one, from the White Deer Cave Academy in Jiangnan, an annual salary of three thousand taels, plus a house and land... Second Brother burned it all."

"Just to go to that Ghost Valley Academy, which is only thirty miles from home and in the middle of nowhere?"

Su Wan stood there, stunned.

The flickering firelight in the brazier reflected in her watery eyes.

She recalled how Qin Mo had looked when he left. He was wearing a faded blue robe, his back ramrod straight, and he said calmly, "I don't go to places that are too far away."

It turns out that wasn't just a casual love confession.

Even if it meant breaking his own wings to soar to the heavens, he would still stay where she could see him.

"Sister-in-law, stop spacing out."

Qin Lie, the eldest brother who had been sitting in the shadows, suddenly spoke up.

He was holding a whetstone in his hand, which he had honed to a gleaming shine from a pig-slaughtering knife.

He raised his head, his dark eyes fixed on Su Wan, his voice deep and resonant like a bass cannon:

"Since the second son has chosen this path, rejecting better offers to stay home, then we have to make this a respectable life for him."

"It's getting windy, let's go back inside and sleep."

Qin Lie stood up, his tall figure like a mountain, instantly blocking most of the cold wind blowing in from the doorway.

"Something's not right tonight."

……

Something's definitely not right.

By the middle of the night, the wind was practically supernatural!

Su Wan huddled in the quilt, and even though she was covered with two thick blankets, she still felt a chill seeping into her bones.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

The wind outside changed from howling to roaring, like hundreds of hungry wolves scratching at the wall.

"Snap—!!!"

Suddenly, a loud explosion!

The window in Su Wan's room, which had been in disrepair for many years, finally couldn't withstand the blizzard of the northwest. With a loud crash, half of the window frame broke off!

That fragile layer of oil paper instantly shattered into pieces!

The gale, carrying large clumps of snow, roared into the house like a cold, white python!

"what!"

Su Wan screamed in surprise, her whole body instantly engulfed by the cold air.

The oil lamp on the table was blown out, and the room was instantly plunged into deathly darkness, with only the howling wind and Su Wan's teeth chattering from the cold.

Cold! Bone-chilling cold! It felt like being thrown into an ice cave in an instant!

"Bang!"

The door was kicked open with a large foot!

"Jiaojiao!" "Sister-in-law!"

Two dark figures, exuding a murderous aura, rushed in!

Eldest brother: Qin Lie! Third brother: Qin Meng!

The two men rushed in without even putting on their outer garments, wearing only thin undergarments and even barefoot.

"Window...window..." Su Wan was so cold that she could barely speak, pointing to the dark, drafty vent.

"Damn! This weather!"

The third brother, Qin, cursed and grabbed a nearby cabinet, intending to block the window.

But the wind was too strong! It was a "through wind" unique to the Northwest. The cabinet, weighing several hundred kilograms, was blown about by the wind as soon as it was lifted, and the gaps could not be blocked at all!

"It's no use! The wind is just getting in through the cracks!"

Qin Lie roared and shoved aside the third brother who was in his way.

By the faint light of the snow, he glanced at Su Wan, who was huddled on the bed, shivering.

That small mound looked so helpless in the strong wind.

Just moments ago, he was saying in the main room that "the second son sacrificed his future," but at this moment, the fire in Qin Lie's eyes instantly ignited.

Scholars have their own laws to uphold. Warriors have their own laws to protect!

"Bring me a blanket!"

Qin Lie yelled, but he didn't cover Su Wan with the blanket (that wouldn't block the wind at all).

He grabbed the spare thick quilt at Su Wan's feet and threw it onto his back!

Then, he did something that shocked Su Wan!

"Thump!"

A muffled thud!

Qin Lie jumped onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed)!

He wasn't facing the window. He had his back to the howling wind and snow, and his face was towards Su Wan on the bed!

With arms outstretched and legs spread apart, like a giant lion guarding its territory, he forcefully wedged himself into the broken window frame!

Perfectly fitted!

The quilt he draped behind him became the first line of defense. His astonishingly broad back and muscles as hard as granite became the second, and most unshakeable, wall!

The wind stopped.

The snowflakes stopped.

The raging white wind slammed against his back, making muffled "thump-thump" sounds, but it could not penetrate even a little bit!

The room fell silent instantly.

"Huff... huff..."

In the darkness, only Qin Lie's frighteningly heavy breathing could be heard.

He was too close; he was wedged at the window, practically suspended above Su Wan. That scorching heat, brimming with masculine hormones, instantly dispelled the surrounding chill and enveloped her completely.

Su Wan could even smell the sweat emanating from his body from running so hard, mixed with his unique masculine scent, which made her legs weak.

"Big brother..."

With a sob in her voice, Su Wan reached out her hand, wanting to touch his arm.

Upon touching it, the muscles were as hard as iron, and still trembling slightly. The skin was frighteningly hot!

"Don't move."

Qin Lie spoke in a hoarse voice, his voice rough and incredibly sexy, as if he had a mouthful of sand in it.

He lowered his head in the darkness. His eyes shone like a wolf's, fixed intently on the terrified little face hidden under the covers.

"The second son is smart enough to refuse the Grand Tutor's letter for you while you were out there."

"I'm a rough man, I don't understand those complicated things."

Qin Lie took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, and a drop of sweat dripped down his chin, landing right on Su Wan's lips.

It was scalding. That single drop of sweat was hotter than fire.

"But as long as I'm still breathing."

"If this wind could even touch a single hair on your head, I'd skin you alive and use you as a mattress!"

"Big brother, you'll catch a cold..." Su Wan's heart ached and tears streamed down her face.

Outside, it was a blizzard with temperatures tens of degrees below zero! He was just wrapped in a cotton blanket, enduring the brunt of the storm with his bare flesh!

"Frozen?"

Qin Lie seemed to have heard a joke, and a wild smile appeared on his lips.

He suddenly lowered his head, pressing his forehead hard against Su Wan's forehead.

Buzz—Electric current surged wildly!

"Feel it." He grabbed Su Wan's cold little hand and pressed it against his wildly beating heart.

Beneath his palm, his heart pounded like a drum! Thump! Thump! Thump!

"I'm burning up right now."

"This little breeze is nothing!"

"Looking at you... I'm hot enough already, so hot... I want to tear this wall down."

The third brother, Qin Meng, was holding a broken wooden plank. Looking at his older brother's posture, he scratched his head and asked sheepishly, "So...big brother, what am I doing?"

"Go and make ginger soup!" Qin Lie roared without turning his head. "Add lots of ginger! My sister-in-law has caught a cold!"

The third brother was so frightened that he trembled and ran away as fast as he could.

[Beep! Alert for FarmVille!]

[A "human wall" has been detected protecting us! Feeling incredibly safe!]

[Qin Lie's Heartbeat Value: Breaking the Threshold! Title Obtained: This Damn Sense of Security!]

[Reward unlocked: Top-grade firebrick recipe x1 (Don't let your older brother block it with his body, quickly make a glass greenhouse for your sister-in-law!)]

Su Wan listened to the system's notification and looked at the man before her who was willing to risk his life for her. A thought grew wildly in her mind like weeds:

They can't let this continue. Her second brother sacrificed his future, and her eldest brother sacrificed his health. She has to do something.

This window... it absolutely has to be replaced! Replace it with those glass windows that can't be broken by the wind or penetrate by the snow! Even if it means burning a hole in the sky, she'll burn that glass out!

"We need to replace the windows!" "Replace them with windows that won't be broken by the wind or penetrated by snow, but will let in sunlight!"

"Sunlight... shining in?" Fifth Brother Qin Feng scratched his head. "Sister-in-law, are you talking about that... glass that's only found in the palace?"

"Yes! It's crystal! And it's a hundred times brighter than the crystal in the palace!" Su Wan's voice wasn't loud, but it was resolute: "It's too cold today, and this world is too cruel." "Since God won't give us a way to survive, we'll forge one ourselves!"

"Fifth brother, sixth brother!" "Yes, sir!" The twins instinctively stood at attention.

"You two have great lung capacity, come with me to the cave dwelling behind the mountain tomorrow." A glint of shrewdness flashed in Su Wan's eyes: "Since Big Brother likes to be a wall... then let's blow a 'crystal wall' for him!"

……

The next morning, the wind stopped and the snow ceased, but the earthen kiln behind the Qin family's house was bustling with activity.

This is where the Qin family usually burns charcoal and bricks.

At this moment, the fire in the furnace was burning at its peak, and the orange-red flames licked the top of the furnace, making the entire kiln look like the alchemy furnace of Laozi.

"Sister-in-law, this...this thing can really be blown up?"

Qin Yun, the sixth brother, was shirtless, holding a long, hollow iron pipe in his hand.

At one end of the iron pipe was a ball of hot, reddish liquid that was flowing like a soft candy—it was molten glass that Su Wan had melted at high temperatures using quartz sand and an alkaline surface according to the system's recipe.

"Yes!" Su Wan stood at a safe distance, her face covered with a damp towel, and held a small notebook in her hand, giving instructions: "This is called the blowing method! Blow hard! Make sure it's even!"

"Imagine you're blowing up a balloon... no, imagine you're blowing it up... never mind!"

"Sixth Brother, look at me!" Su Wan suddenly removed her towel, revealing a small face flushed from the steam, her bright eyes fixed on Sixth Brother: "Just think about how you can blow this breath into your sister-in-law's heart!"

Boom—! The sixth brother, who had initially thought the iron pipe was incredibly heavy and his lungs were about to explode, instantly perked up upon hearing this! Blow it into his sister-in-law's heart? He had to blow it hard! Blow it with all his might!

"Hah—Ptooey! No, it's hoo—!!!" Old Liu's cheeks bulged like a toad's, the veins on his neck bulged, and his beautiful muscle lines were taut to the extreme from the exertion.

Sweat trickled down his sexy jawline, past his Adam's apple, and into his heaving chest.

At the other end of the iron pipe, the mass of red liquid really did begin to slowly expand, grow larger, and become rounder...

"Steady! Rotate the iron pipe!" Su Wan shouted excitedly.

However, this job is not only technical but also physically demanding. The prolonged lack of oxygen, coupled with the scorching heat, caused Lao Liu to stumble.

"Watch out!" Su Wan reacted quickly, rushing forward without thinking and grabbing Lao Liu's sweaty waist.

"Huff...huff..." The sixth brother was panting heavily, almost hanging on the petite Su Wan.

It was so hot. Their bodies were pressed tightly together. Su Wan could clearly feel the burning heat from Lao Liu's body, and his heart pounding wildly with excitement and lack of oxygen.

"Sister-in-law..." The sixth brother's eyes were glazed over, his puppy-dog eyes wet as he looked at the red lips so close to his face. His Adam's apple bobbed with great difficulty: "I...I'm out of breath."

"Could I... borrow a mouthful?"