Why did you provoke me?

Yu Meng looked at her palm in surprise; there really were none left.

She felt a little dizzy, so she quickly put the book away and lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), where she fell asleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw my father, mother and brother's faces above me.

The mother's eyes were red, and the younger brother's eyes looked like he had been crying too.

"Little sister, you're awake!"

"Little Si'er, you're awake!"

"Xiao Si, what's wrong?"

Three voices rang out simultaneously. Yu Meng rubbed her eyes, feeling nothing was wrong. "I'm fine."

Tears welled up in Mom's eyes immediately. "It's alright, it's alright."

The delivery guy brought over a glass of water. "Hey little sister, have some water."

Yu's father helped Yu Meng sit up, his hand trembling slightly as he supported her.

Yu Meng looked at her father, "What's wrong with me?"

She reached out to take the water that Yu Hai handed her.

Her mother sat beside her, holding her tightly without saying a word.

Yu's father sat down as well. "When we came back, we saw you sleeping and just thought you were tired from playing, so we didn't pay much attention. When it was time to eat, Haizi came to call you, but you didn't wake up. That's when we realized something was wrong. No matter how the three of us called you, you just wouldn't wake up."

Yu's father sighed, "When you were three years old, you fell asleep like this once. Your mother and I watched over you for seven days before you woke up. This time, it scared your mother to death."

Yu Meng tilted her head and looked at her mother, "I'm fine."

"Little sister, you've slept for a whole day and night this time. This is already the second night."

"Dad, Mom, I'm hungry," Yu Meng changed the subject.

"There's rice in the pot, I'll go get it for you." Dad got up and walked towards the kitchen.

"Little sister, how come you fell asleep?" Yu Hai asked from the side.

"I feel dizzy and sleepy."

The mother quickly placed her hand on Yu Meng's forehead. "No fever. Little Si'er, are you still dizzy?"

Yu Meng shook her head.

Soon, Dad brought the food over. "Little Si'er, can you eat by yourself?"

Yu Meng nodded hurriedly. Judging from his posture, her father would feed her even if she said no.

Yu Meng didn't mention the line book; it was too sensitive a topic, and she was afraid of being treated like a monster again.

"Little Si'er, are you really sure you're alright? Should Daddy take you to the hospital for a checkup?"

Yu Meng ate with her head down. "It's nothing, maybe I absorbed too many lines." Yu Meng decided that she still had to reveal a little about herself.

Several people looked at her. "How much?"

Yu Meng pursed her lips. "Thirty."

"How much do you want?" Both Dad and Mom's chopsticks fell onto the table.

Although Yu Meng tried her best to say as little as possible, she still scared her parents.

Yu's father turned to look at Yu Hai. "Hai Zi, this matter absolutely cannot be told to anyone, do you hear me? Otherwise, your little sister's life will be in danger."

Yu Hai nodded quickly. "I would rather die than tell."

Yu Meng looked at him and said, "If you survive, it's okay to tell anyone."

Knowing that Yu Meng had fallen into a coma because of this incident, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

That day, Sister Xiu and Dali returned one after the other. Father Yu asked anxiously, "What happened? Why are you both back?"

"Big sister, what do you want to say?" Sister Xiu looked at Dali.

"That's right. Tomorrow, I heard a teacher will be coming to town to give a lecture. It's about the making and improvement of the mask-making process. I'd like to take my little sister to listen too."

Sister Xiu chimed in, "I came back because of this too."

Everyone looked at Yu Meng. Yu Meng nodded, "I'll go."

She'd definitely attend a lecture like this where she could learn real skills. The only question is whether it would focus on genuine skills or just superficial stuff.

The next day, before dawn, everyone got up.

"We need to get there early. I reckon quite a few people have heard the news this time. If we're late, we probably won't get any seats." Dali picked up some dry food and water. As she walked out, she pulled Yu Meng along.

Yu Meng found it funny. She was already 10 years old, but her older sister still treated her like a little child, pulling her along whenever they went outside.

At the village entrance, Jiang Mingfeng was already waiting in his car. "You're here so early, haven't you eaten yet? Here's some dry food and water." Dali handed the food over.

Several people squeezed into the driver's seat. "No rush, you eat first, we'll leave after you've finished," Sister Xiu said.

Yu Meng sat on Da Li's lap, afraid she would get carsick. If she did, she wouldn't be able to listen to anything when they got to town.

As dawn broke, they arrived in town. The car drove directly to the main courtyard. It had a name: Sanyong Hall. (This assembly hall was used for three purposes: lectures, awards ceremonies, and screenings of documentaries.)

The main gate wasn't open yet, but a large crowd had already gathered in the courtyard. This lecture was for women only, regardless of age, and seating was on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wanted to stand and listen, no one would ask you to leave.

Dali and Sister Xiu squeezed Yu Meng forward, one in front and one behind. Of course, you have to sit in the front row to hear these kinds of lectures clearly. If the teacher uses physical demonstrations, you can see them clearly too.

Almost every woman had a man protecting her. Those who knew Jiang Mingfeng would give him some space. Dali followed behind, constantly saying thank you.

Yu Meng felt a little uncomfortable with such a dense crowd. She kept her head down, Dali held her hand, and Sister Xiu supported Yu Meng's small shoulders from behind. More and more people gathered.

Suddenly someone shouted, "The door is open!" Everyone rushed towards the door. At that moment, the noise level rose several notches.

Yu Meng suppressed her discomfort and followed the crowd toward the entrance. Jiang Mingfeng stepped aside, and Dali pulled Yu Meng and Sister Xiu inside.

The lights inside were dim. Dali pulled Yu Meng directly to the front.

"My sister is coming soon, so I've saved this seat for her. You can't sit here." Two people in front of us were arguing.

Dali decisively moved to a row back and sat down, and Yu Meng breathed a sigh of relief.

The argument continued. "If everyone takes up seats like you, what's the point of us coming so early? I'm going to sit here today."

Yu Meng watched the two people arguing in front of her with great interest. One wouldn't let her sit, while the other insisted on sitting. She wondered who would win in the end.

Soon, the room was full of people. "Little sister, why don't you take a nap? The lecturer might not be here for a while," Sister Xiu said in a low voice.

Yu Meng shook her head. She looked around and was surprised to find that there were so many mask-removing masters in this small town.

Dali looked at her. "Are you scared? This is only because the news hasn't reached the villages below yet; otherwise, there would be even more people."

Yu Meng suddenly tugged at her older sister's sleeve. "What's wrong?" Yu Meng pointed. Two men were escorting a woman onto the platform in front of them.

"Big sister, is that a lecturer?" Sister Xiu asked in a low voice.