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

For several days in a row, they did not go up the mountain to do these things.

The starch gradually settles, excess water is drained, and it is then sun-dried for several days to obtain real cassava starch.

The three little ones squatted around the winnowing basket, their eyes lighting up.

"Is this cassava starch?" Lin Yulong couldn't help but reach out and poke it. The white powder spread out on his fingertip, as fine as noodles.

Lin Qianqian nodded.

"Sister, are we still going into the mountains today?" Lin Yulong asked.

"We're not going into the mountains." Lin Qianqian stood up, brushed the dust off her knees, and said, "We're going to town to sell cassava starch."

Lin Yulong and Ding Xiaohu exchanged a glance, both seeing excitement in each other's eyes.

Lin Qianqian found a clean cloth bag, filled it with starch, and carefully placed it into her basket. The three of them, each with a basket, locked the door and headed towards town.

As I approached the village entrance, I saw several women squatting under the shade of a tree, chatting idly.

"Hey! Where are these little kids headed?" someone joked with a laugh.

Lin Qianqian didn't stop walking, but her mind was racing—she knew that she needed a reason to buy things and sell them to make a living. Hiding things wasn't a long-term solution.

"I got some poisoned potatoes and'm going to try my luck in town," she replied with a smile, her tone light and casual, as if she were just saying the weather was nice today.

The smiles on the women's faces froze instantly.

"What? Poisonous potatoes?"

"That stuff is deadly, how can you eat it?"

"The Lin family is really something. What have they driven their child to? Has the child gone mad?"

The chatter behind them grew louder and more distant, each word more shrill than the last.

The three little ones didn't even turn their heads, and their steps quickened.

When he could no longer hear clearly, Lin Yulong couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Sister, have you noticed? The villagers look at us like we're monsters."

“They don’t just think we’re monsters,” Ding Xiaohu added, “they think we’re crazy.”

Lin Qianqian didn't reply, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

Whether he's crazy or not, we'll know once we get the money.

As you leave the village, the dirt road gradually widens, and a few farmers are working sporadically in the fields on both sides. After walking a little further, you can see the rooftops and cooking smoke of the town in the distance.

Ding Xiaohu suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice, "Sister Qianqian, when we get to town, how much will our starch cost? And who will we sell it to?"

Lin Qianqian had already thought it through.

"We won't sell them individually," she said. "We'll go directly to a restaurant."

"A restaurant?" Lin Yulong's eyes widened. "Sister, would they even accept that?"

"We'll only know if we try it or not." Lin Qianqian tightened the rope of her basket. "Besides—if you don't tell and I don't tell, they won't know about the poisonous potatoes."

Ding Xiaohu paused for a moment, then laughed: "Right, they only know starch."

The three people's shadows stretched long on the dirt road, and the cloth bags in their baskets swayed gently, containing all the hardships of the past few days, as well as three pounding hearts.

Lin Qianqian is confident in her product. Cassava starch, used for thickening, is more translucent than cornstarch or potato starch. When poured over cooked dishes, it gives them a glossy sheen, instantly elevating their appearance. As long as she can prove this, she has no worries about sales.

Besides, there's an abundance of cassava in the deep mountains. Villagers avoid it because it spreads rapidly, growing into vast patches that are impossible to dig up completely. The cost is zero; the only drawback is the complicated process—soaking, grinding, settling, and drying—all steps are essential. However, Lin Qianqian understands: making money is never easy. Trouble isn't the problem; the problem is not making any money.