Why did you provoke me?

Yu Meng let her small body sink into the cold swimming pool.

She can finally escape this suffocating home.

Clutching her first gift, she prayed fervently, "I don't want parental love, I just want a world that doesn't treat me like a monster."

Gradually, Yu Meng felt sleepy. She closed her eyes and heard a voice whispering in her ear, "Come, my child, welcome to the world in your heart."

When Yu Meng woke up again, she was lying on what was called a "kang".

It was warm under my body, and an adult's clothes were covering me.

She looked up and saw a canopy made of paper. Some of the paper had lines on it, while others were black and white drawings, but they were blurred and illegible, perhaps due to the passage of time.

This is an unfamiliar place, not my old home. The walls are dusty and gray, and there's a rope on one of them, secured with nails, with two small pieces of clothing on it. I guess they belong to her.

I raised my hand, glanced at it, and realized it wasn't mine. It was small and white.

She lay there without moving, somewhat reluctant to leave the warmth of the kang (heated brick bed).

"Is Xiao Si still not awake?" a man's voice came.

"She's still not awake. When the third son comes back, you'd better keep a close eye on him. If it weren't for Uncle Feng passing by, our fourth son wouldn't be alive." A gentle female voice came from behind.

Judging from their tone, they must be the child's parents.

"I'll go to the backyard in a bit and pick some vegetables to take to Uncle Feng," the man said.

"Pull more, we really owe him a lot today. Otherwise, our little Si might not be here." The woman's voice was still soft.

Yu Meng closed her eyes. She was still a child and was frightened. She didn't speak, so she should be fine, right?

"Mom, how's my little sister?" a slightly high-pitched voice asked.

"Mom, when your little brother comes back, please don't hit him. If it weren't for trying to steal that fish, your little sister wouldn't have fallen into the water."

"I know, I'll have your dad talk to him. How can a boy be so careless? Your little sister is different from other kids. Now that we've taken her out, how can we not take care of her?"

From several conversations, Yu Meng gleaned the following information: firstly, she was the fourth child; secondly, she wasn't a "normal" child. Her older brother and sister treated her neither well nor badly. No one scolded her, nor did anyone blame her.

That's good. As long as she's treated like she's invisible, she can survive.

She has only one small wish: don't call her a monster, don't say she deserves to die. Don't blame everything on her.

She had no demands, only small wishes she dared not voice.

Perhaps she was too tired, or perhaps she was too comfortable, Yu Meng fell asleep again.

When she woke up again, someone was gently tugging at her, saying, "Little sister, get up and eat."

It was a little boy, about six or seven years old. He had dark skin and big, bright eyes. When he saw she was awake, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Get up quickly, Mom made your favorite steamed egg custard."

He helped her get dressed as he spoke. "I didn't mean to leave you there. I caught a fish, and I'll give you my share later. Don't be mad at me."

Yu Meng nodded without saying anything.

During dinner, Yu Meng saw all the members of the family: her parents, her eldest brother, her eldest sister, her younger brother, and herself—six people in total.

"Come on, my dear daughter, this is steamed egg custard that I made especially for you. Eat slowly, don't rush." ​​Mr. Yu hugged Yu Meng to his side.

It was a very ordinary meal: coarse grain steamed buns, a potato slice, and an egg custard in front of her.

"Dad, I'll go with you tomorrow." The older brother's voice was a little high-pitched, perhaps because he was going through puberty.

"Let him go. More people might be able to find more things," Yu's mother supported.

"Mom, I'm going too." The eldest sister put down her chopsticks.

Yu's mother sighed. In six months, her daughter would have to undergo testing, and her nutrition was not keeping up.

"You train at home and keep an eye on Xiao Si'er. How many lines can you find now?" Dad Yu made his decision.

The older sister lowered her head. "Only two." Then she raised her head again. "I will try my best."

Yu Meng ate all the steamed egg custard. She was at a crucial stage of growth and wouldn't neglect herself. Besides, it was already said to be for her.

"My little Si is so good, she actually ate it all." Yu's mother looked at Yu Meng with surprise.

Perhaps because she slept too much during the day, at night, Yu Meng lay in her mother's arms, staring blankly at the ceiling.

A faint sound came from the edge of the shed and the gap in the wall, and a thin line hung down.

Yu Meng's body tensed up. What did she see? At the bottom of the line, a rat's face was slowly forming.

The rat's face slid along the wall and landed quickly on the kang (a heated brick bed). It then bit down on Yu's father's foot.

Yu Meng suddenly screamed loudly, waking her father up. "Quick, look what's wrong with Xiao Si? She's screaming so loudly. Did she get scared during the day?"

The light came on. That rat-like face immediately caught Yu's father's eye.

Dad quickly covered it with the blanket. "Go get the rope."

"Did you catch it?" Aunt Yu threw off the blanket and hurriedly went to get the rope box on the cabinet.

"Yes, we caught her." Dad Yu was very happy. "We'll get Dali some new resources tomorrow, so she can get some good nutrition."

Tie the mouse's face with string. Place it in a special box.

Yu Meng just watched without saying a word.

Aunt Yu stroked Yu Meng's little head and said, "If only my little fourth child could talk."

Every time she spoke up, Yu's parents would gain something.

"Our fourth daughter is very precious. It's not easy for someone of high status to speak well," said Dad Yu optimistically. "It doesn't matter if she can't speak well, Dad will take care of her for life."

The little incident that night did not affect Yu's parents' sleep.

Soon, soft snoring began. Before she knew it, Yu Meng had fallen asleep.

The next morning, Yu Meng woke up to a fragrant aroma, clutching her stomach; she was hungry.

The door opened, and a voice called out, "Little sister, you're awake. Get up quickly, Mom has made something delicious."

Yu Meng slowly got up and looked at the person who came in; it was her younger brother.

"Mom made cabbage soup with pork cracklings in it. It smells so good." The young man slurped his saliva.

Yu Meng nodded; it smelled delicious. She rubbed her stomach, her desire to eat clearly written on her face.

"Mom, my little sister is hungry," the young man shouted.

"Hey, Xiao Si's awake. Boss, set the table, put out the bowls and chopsticks, it's time to eat."

Yu Meng looked at her lively family early in the morning, her eyelids drooping. That house was always cold and quiet.

Even in a whole day, this family wouldn't talk as much as they do in the morning.

The food on the table was just ordinary farm food, without fancy plating or those rare, medium-rare raw meats with a balanced nutritional profile.

Yu Meng ate her meal, and every now and then, her mother would put food on her plate. No one said she had bad manners, nor did anyone say she ate inelegantly. Her father stood beside her, constantly telling her to slow down, not to rush, and to eat slowly.

Yu Meng pouted; this feeling was really nice.