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

Aunt Ding was hanging out the bed sheets in the yard when she heard the sound of the gate opening. She looked up and saw Lin Qianqian, and a smile spread across her face: "Qianqian's here? Please have a seat."

Lin Qianqian didn't stand on ceremony. As soon as she entered, she helped straighten the corner of the quilt and got straight to the point in a few words—she wanted to make two ready-made garments, and she would provide the fabric herself, with the labor cost calculated according to the rules.

Aunt Ding waved her hand, saying, "We're neighbors, let's not talk about money. I'll remember your kindness to Hu Zi! Life isn't easy for you either, I'll do it for you."

Lin Qianqian looked at her and didn't refuse anymore. She knew that Aunt Ding genuinely cared for her, and this kind of kindness couldn't be measured in coins. She had already made up her mind to repay this favor slowly in the future.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie," she replied with a smile.

While she was stretching the cloth, she brought up the matter of collecting the poisoned potatoes again—one copper coin per pound. She said she would buy them if Uncle Ding and Aunt Ding were willing to do so.

Aunt Ding paused in her hand holding the cloth, then turned around and glanced at Uncle Ding.

Uncle Ding squatted on the threshold, smoking his pipe without saying a word, but his eyes were a little red.

Their family was among the poorest in the village. Their three sons were all married, and they barely made ends meet by farming. Occasionally, they would weave baskets, but those weren't worth much. They didn't even dare to dream of any other source of income.

The money the family had painstakingly saved was earned by Qianqian and Huzi, and they were keeping it to help their son find a wife.

Qianqian's words have opened a crack for them. There are plenty of poisonous potatoes on the mountain. As long as you are willing to work hard, you can earn a few coins. Who wouldn't be happy?

"Qianqian, you..." Aunt Ding's voice was a little choked.

"Auntie, I'll take anyone from the village, just come and do whatever you want." Lin Qianqian said casually, patting the dust off her hands. "If Tiger is free, come back to the old house with me later and lend a hand. I'll pay you extra."

Tiger leaped out of the house. The twelve or thirteen-year-old boy had boundless energy. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Sister Qianqian, I don't want money, I'll help you!"

Lin Qianqian flicked his forehead: "Take it if I give it to you, save it for when you get married in the future."

As the sun climbed higher, Lin Qianqian first went to the east end of the village to find Doctor Zhou.

Dr. Zhou lived in a crooked mud house at the end of the village. In the yard, instead of medicinal herbs, there was a pile of withered vines and rotten roots that were hard to identify and smelled strange.

The villagers all said this person was strange; he didn't like to interact with people, and he only saw doctors when he was in a bad mood. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he wouldn't open the door.

Lin Qianqian knocked three times before a muffled "Come in" came from behind the door.

Dr. Zhou was squatting on the ground pounding medicine, without even raising his head.

"Dr. Zhou, I'd like to exchange some copper coins."

Dr. Zhou then raised his eyelids and glanced at her. "How many times should I change?"

"Five taels of silver," Lin Qianqian said with a smile.

He pulled a small coarse cloth bag from his pocket, counted the contents, and placed it on the stone stool without uttering a single extra word.

Lin Qianqian didn't say much, and emptied the contents of the basket—two handfuls of dried herbs, not in the best condition, which she had found on a cliff deep in the mountains. Doctor Zhou glanced at them and hummed in agreement.

She picked up the coin, weighed it in her hand, and turned to leave. Dealing with this kind of person is a waste of breath; any unnecessary words are pointless.

Before noon, the courtyard of the Lin family's old house was already packed with people.

Lin Qianqian moved a tattered long bench and stood on it, his gaze sweeping over the heads of the crowd. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear: "Fellow villagers, I'll buy poisonous potatoes, one copper coin per pound, cash on delivery. But there are two rules—queue up, don't push. Those who cut in line, cause trouble, or break the rules, I won't buy from them. I'm making this clear upfront, so don't say I, Lin Qianqian, am heartless later."

There was a buzzing sound in the crowd, but no one dared to rush forward.

Grandma Zhao took the lead and lined up first, then turned around and shouted, "Did you all hear that? Qianqian is a woman of her word, don't make trouble for yourself!"

Ah Long weighed the coins, Hu Zi inspected them, and Lin Qianqian sat at a small table distributing coins. Several strings of coins were stacked in a rough porcelain bowl on the table, gleaming with a dull copper light in the sunlight.

"Grandma Zhao, twenty catties, twenty copper coins."

"Aunt Wang Liu, fifteen catties, fifteen copper coins."

"Sister-in-law Liu, eighteen catties, eighteen copper coins."

……