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

As soon as they entered the courtyard, the sharp-eyed Aunt Ding spotted them.

"Qianqian, Yulong is here!" Aunt Ding greeted him warmly.

The siblings responded with smiles: "Uncle Ding, Aunt Ding."

When Aunt Ding saw the dirt on the group, she was taken aback: "What happened? Did you get into a fight? How did you get all this dirt?"

"Mom, there was no fight. We're going to make money, look!" Ding Xiaohu said, stuffing the money bag into Aunt Ding's hand.

Aunt Ding took the bag, her face changing: "What have you been doing? We may be poor, but we would never do such petty theft!"

"Mom, we really earned it ourselves, we didn't steal it!" Tiger pouted and cried out aggrievedly.

"Nonsense! So many copper coins? How many baskets would your father have to weave to earn that much? Where are you kids supposed to earn that much?" Aunt Ding said, raising her hand to hit her.

"Auntie, please don't hit Brother Hu. It's really what we earned—it's money we got from selling wild vegetables." Lin Yulong quickly stepped forward to stop him.

"The wild vegetables on the mountain are all too old now, and there aren't any left to eat. If there were any left, wouldn't the villagers be going up the mountain to pick them? Would it be your turn?" Aunt Ding didn't believe it at all.

"Auntie, we really found a huge patch of wild vegetables and sold them to the restaurants in town. If you don't believe me, I'll take you there to ask!" Lin Qianqian said earnestly.

Aunt Ding then stopped, still somewhat doubtful. Uncle Ding, who had been silent until now, suddenly realized, "You...did you go deep into the mountains?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Ding immediately became furious: "You little rascals, how dare you go into the deep mountains? Even the strong men in the village wouldn't dare go there, are you out of your minds?"

"Auntie, don't worry, I took Tiger there. We just picked them on the side, we didn't go inside," Lin Qianqian quickly explained.

Aunt Ding refused to believe it. She grabbed Qianqian and Yulong and looked them up and down, as if she were afraid they were missing a piece of flesh.

"You still say you won't go in? You bunch of little monkeys, you're more audacious than the sky! There are plenty of wild animals in those deep mountains. A few years ago, didn't the second son of the Li family run into a wild boar and almost cripple his leg? And that boy from the Sun family, he went in and never came out again. And that hunter's family, they all came out insane..." Aunt Ding's eyes reddened as she spoke, and her voice choked. "If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to face your mother?"

Seeing that Aunt Ding was really anxious, Qianqian quickly grabbed her hand and coaxed her softly, "Auntie, I'm not lying to you. We're just over there at Eagle Cliff, not even halfway up the mountain. You know that place, it's damp, and the wild vegetables grow well there. Others don't dare to go, so we've gotten a good deal."

Ding Xiaohu chimed in, "That's right! The restaurant owner said these wild vegetables are ten times more tender than anywhere else. Mother, if you don't believe me, I'll go with you tomorrow and see if it's a lie!"

Uncle Ding took a drag of his cigarette and slowly spoke up: "Alright, it's good that the child is back safe and sound. Qianqian has always been steady and reliable, not the impulsive type. But you—" He glanced at the money bag in Aunt Ding's hand, "count it first, and see how much these kids have actually swindled."

Aunt Ding finally came to her senses, poured the coins onto the table, and began counting them one by one. By the end, her hands were trembling slightly: "Fifty? You...you've taken all the wild vegetables from the mountain?"

"Of course not!" Lin Yulong grinned from ear to ear. "The shopkeeper said that as long as we deliver every few days, he'll take as much as we can. Even if we pay the market price later, the price will still be quite good!"

Aunt Ding's expression was complex after hearing this; she felt both heartache and lingering fear. Finally, she sighed, retied the money pouch, and stuffed it back into Lin Qianqian's hand: "Keep this money yourselves. Next time you go, take your Uncle Ding with you. Understand?"

"Auntie, this money is Tiger's. The wild vegetables sold for a total of 150 coins," Lin Qianqian said, pushing the money back.

"What? 150 coins? Last time I brought Tiger, I couldn't sell a single pound for a single coin." Aunt Ding was full of surprise.

"Auntie, like you said, there are hardly any wild vegetables left now. Things are more valuable when they are scarce. We sold them for three coins a pound," Lin Qianqian said with a smile.

"Three coins, that's quite a lot. Hide the money well, lest you..." Aunt Ding winked at the neighbor next door.

"Don't worry, Auntie, this is the money for the basket." Lin Qianqian said, placing five copper coins on the table.

"Take it back! What's a basket worth? If you keep doing this, Aunt Ding will get angry," Aunt Ding said, pretending to be angry.

"Auntie, then I won't stand on ceremony with you, and you shouldn't stand on ceremony with me either. These are steamed buns I bought for you." Lin Qianqian put them down and ran away quickly.

Aunt Ding wanted to chase after them, but she didn't dare to shout, afraid that the Lin family next door would hear and cause trouble for the child.

In the courtyard, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the ground. Aunt Ding turned and went into the house, muttering, "This child, these steamed buns are so expensive! She only earns a few dollars, and she's already wasting it."

Uncle Ding tapped his pipe and said, "Alright, the kids bought it for you, so eat it! Help them out more in the future; it's really tough on those two kids who are supporting the family."

Aunt Ding nodded.