After the family split up, my stepmother and scumbag father begged me to come home.

When Lin Qianqian climbed to the edge of the bird's nest, her legs were trembling. She didn't dare look down—she was actually afraid of heights, but when she got hungry, she didn't care about anything else. The bird's nest was built among the branches, about the depth of a palm, lined with dry grass and soft feathers, and filled with a nest of bird eggs.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine—nine.

She picked them up one by one, carefully tucking them into her bosom, pressing them against her chest. The eggs were warm, still carrying the warmth of the mother bird's body.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, "my brother and I are really malnourished, so I'll borrow a few eggs from you."

She carefully tucked herself in, too afraid to look down, and slid down the tree trunk little by little. Just as she was about to reach the ground, her foot slipped, and she slid down with a "whoosh," her hand scraping against the bark, burning with pain. She didn't bother looking; she first checked her chest—the eggs were fine, not a single one broken. Then she looked down at her hand; her palm was scraped, and beads of blood seeped out. She sucked on them; they tasted sweet and metallic.

It was getting late. It was getting dark quickly in the woods, and if they didn't leave soon, Ah Long would go crazy. Lin Qianqian picked up the wild vegetables, carried the wild berries, and held the bird egg close to her heart, warm and cozy, as she hurried back with Ah Long.

From a distance, she could smell a delicious aroma. It was the smell of meat, slightly charred, mixed with the smoky scent, wafting straight into her nostrils. Ah Long had started grilling.

Upon closer inspection, Ah Long was squatting by the fire, turning over a skinned rabbit. It was sizzling and dripping with oil, the skin golden brown with a few burnt spots, but it didn't matter.

"Sis, you're finally back!" Ah Long looked up, his face smeared with soot. "What took you so long?"

He flipped the rabbit over, put down the stick, and came to catch it. When he saw the huge bundle of wild vegetables in Lin Qianqian's arms, his eyes widened: "Wild vegetables? So many! Where did you pick these... wild berries! Sis, you're amazing!"

"Impressive, right?" Lin Qianqian put down her things, reached into her pocket, and said, "There's something even more impressive!"

Nine bird eggs lay white in her palm.

Lin Yulong's mouth was so wide open it could fit a fist, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

"We'll eat this when we get back," Lin Qianqian said, putting the egg back in her pocket. "Is the rabbit ready?"

"Almost done, almost done!" Ah Long snapped out of his daze, beaming. "Sis, wasn't I amazing? I got it right on my first try!"

Lin Qianqian nodded, her heart softening slightly. Ah Long learns quickly and is very clever. When she earns money in the future, she will definitely send him to school. She can't let him end up like her, illiterate.

The two sat down around the fire and tore at the rabbit meat. There were no seasonings, and it had a raw, earthy smell, but for the siblings who hadn't eaten for almost half a month, this was heaven. The meat tasted so good it brought tears to their eyes.

"Sis, the meat is so delicious," Ah Long said, his mouth glistening with oil, his words muffled. "I can't even remember the last time I ate meat..."

The two of them ate the rabbit clean, leaving half of it. They removed the bones, wrapped it in a large leaf, and saved it to eat on their way to town.

"Let's go to town and sell rabbits." Lin Qianqian stood up and dusted herself off.

There's only one road in the village; heading east will eventually lead to the town. Ah Long wanted to carry the basket, but Lin Qianqian stopped him: "You're still too young, let me carry it."

Ah Long tucked the wrapped rabbit meat into his pocket. Lin Qianqian piled wild vegetables on top of her basket, completely covering the three rabbits underneath—that way, even if they met someone on the road, they would just think she had picked some cheap wild vegetables, and no one would give her a second glance. Ah Long held the bag of wild berries, eating as he walked, his lips stained red.

The mountain road winds its way eastward, its destination unknown.

But neither of them was afraid. One carried a basket on his back, and the other held berries. They walked forward step by step, stepping on their own shadows.

They didn't see anyone on the road; most people had gone to work in the fields. The siblings walked along the road toward the town.

There's only one road leading out of the village, it's easy to find.

"Sister, are you tired? How about I memorize it?" Nine-year-old Lin Yulong said worriedly.

"It's okay, I'm stronger than you," Lin Qianqian said with a smile.

I'm so tired! My feet are so sore from all the chafing. This is unbearable.

But she couldn't bear to let a nine-year-old child carry her!

All I could do was grit my teeth and encourage myself over and over again.

After resting three times along the way, the two finally arrived in town. Lin Qianqian felt that the back of her clothes was soaked and her forehead was covered in sweat.

I wiped it with my sleeve.

I asked an elderly man for directions to the restaurant in town.

Setting up a stall at this time is difficult; it depends on whether the restaurants will accept it. According to the plot of the novel she read, restaurants usually accept wild game.

However, she didn't know anything about this dynasty!

The biggest restaurant in town was Tianfu Restaurant, and the two decided to try their luck there.

"Excuse me, do you buy wild game?" Lin Qianqian asked politely.

"Go away, go away. Our restaurant has suppliers we cooperate with. Why would we need something of dubious origin like yours? Get out of here and don't delay our business." The waiter glanced at the siblings' clothes and said with disdain.

"You're being unreasonable! I was just asking. Aren't you just a waiter? You look down on poor people. You're not rich either. Bah!" Lin Qianqian said angrily.

As he spoke, he pulled Lin Yulong away. "If the shopkeeper can hire such a waiter, he can't be a good person either."