Why did you provoke me?

Standing at the door, Aunt Yu heard everything. She felt her mind was going haywire; her heart was screaming, "I disagree! I absolutely disagree!" But her feet wouldn't obey her, and she mechanically walked in.

Both Dad and Dali looked over. Mom's lips trembled, her face pale, and she walked step by step to Dali. She hugged Dali tightly, "How could I bear to? How could you be so heartless? I only have..." She swallowed the rest of her words.

Yu Meng stood in the yard, just watching. She knew what the two words her mother hadn't said were.

But this wasn't her fault. She wouldn't take the blame herself.

If Dali can persuade her parents to agree, she will teach them. If not, she will not force them.

Dali hugged her mother; in the past two years, Dali had grown taller than her mother. "Mom, this is the fate of a low-level mask revealer. If I don't want to be controlled by fate, this is a necessary step. You and Dad, keep encouraging me; I will definitely wake up."

Her mother held her, silently shedding tears, without saying a word.

After a long while, Mr. Yu came over and patted Mrs. Yu on the shoulder. "Don't cry. Dali needs courage to make this decision, knowing she might never wake up again. If you continue like this, your tears will wear down her courage."

The mother said through tears, "My heart aches for my child, that's all. Courage is gone, but I just want my child to be alright."

Dali wiped away her mother's tears. "But I wouldn't be happy living like that. I don't want to live like that either."

Mom punched Dali with her hand. "You're such a silly child. Can't we just not compare ourselves to your little sister?"

This sentence stunned everyone. Mother's nature was gentle, but that didn't mean she was ignorant.

Yu Meng clenched her hands tightly in the courtyard.

"Mom, what are you saying? If it weren't for my little sister, do you know what I'd be like now? You know Xia Jie from the Xue family, right? I'd be living the same life as her, except my leg wouldn't be crippled. Do you want your daughter to live like that?"

Xia Jie is three years older than Yu Meng. At the age of 14, she was already married off by her parents. Because the dowry was high, her parents didn't bother to choose a good person or family background before marrying her off. I heard she's not doing well. Becoming a stepmother at such a young age, her life is bound to be difficult.

Mentioning Sister Xia, Yu Meng narrowed her eyes in the courtyard. This was just the beginning. The days to come would be even harder.

"You're our eldest daughter, how could I possibly find you a family to marry into?" the mother said stubbornly.

Dali helped her mother sit down on the kang (a heated brick bed), then leaned close to her and whispered, "Mom, I'll only say this once. I'm not comparing myself to my little sister. When I was 10, do you know how many lines I had? Only three. Mom, only three. Do you know what that means? It means I'm no different from any other girl, destined to stay at home, have children, cook, and serve men."

Dali paused, calming herself down. "It means you can't see me like this now. I can't possibly find the mayor's son to be my fiancé. And I certainly can't use gold coins to buy you so many things. Because I can't earn gold coins."

But all of this changed because of my younger sister. She taught me how to find lines, how to memorize them, and how to use them. That's how I became who I am today. Now you can proudly tell others that she's my eldest daughter.

I'm not doing this to compete with my little sister. I'm following in her footsteps, staying close to her. If she goes too far ahead, I won't even have the right to stay by her side. Then, who will protect her?

The mother stared blankly at Dali, then looked up at Yu Meng in the yard. She was illiterate and had never been to school; she simply wanted to protect them like a mother hen shielding her chicks from the wind and rain. But at this moment, she understood: they were too weak; they couldn't protect their daughters.

"Your little sister is so smart, she can live a good life without you protecting her," Mom said softly.

Dali knew her mother was starting to relent. "What if she gets tired? What if she gets hurt? What if she's wronged? Can we stand up for her?"

Tears welled up in Mom's eyes again. "What if you don't wake up? Your little sister slept for seven days that time, do you know how much it hurt me?"

Dali smiled; she knew her mother had promised. "I promise, I will wake up. I will take you to town, to the city, so you can live in high-rises and eat the finest delicacies."

Dali's eyes were bright. Yu's mother held Dali, looking at Yu Meng in the yard. "Can you guarantee your sister will wake up?"

Yu Meng raised her head and looked directly into her mother's eyes. "I...can't...guarantee."

Yu Meng's eyes were calm, indifferent, and devoid of any emotion.

That look stung the mother, and it also stung Dali and Yu's father who were standing nearby.

Yu's father angrily tugged at Yu's mother's arm. "When you go to the hospital for treatment, can the doctor guarantee that they can definitely cure you?"

Dali looked at Yu Meng apologetically, "Little sister, don't blame Mom."

Yu Meng walked to the small stool she usually sat on. She slowly stroked the black cat at her feet. "This was your choice, why should I guarantee it?"

The mother looked at the father helplessly, "That's not what I meant."

Dali walked up to Yu Meng and squatted down. She took Yu Meng's hand. "This is my own choice. I don't need your promises. Our mother isn't educated, so what she says might not mean what you think."

Yu Meng simply watched her quietly, her hand idly stroking the black cat at her feet. "I don't like black cats, I just want companionship."

Yu Meng didn't know if she was a genius. But she knew she was lonely, and she wanted something lively and active to keep her company. She wanted to prove that she was needed too. But she was also selfish; she didn't want to take responsibility for anything, and she certainly wouldn't presumptuously make any guarantees about anything.

Yu Meng looked at Dali earnestly, "I can take care of myself, I don't need you to protect me."

"But I just want to protect my little sister, what do you say we do?" Dali started acting like a rogue. "Besides, if you have a useless older sister, you'll lose face, right?"

Yu Meng laughed, "I don't care about these things at all. No one can force me to do what I don't want to do, and no one can stop me from doing what I want to do."

Listening to their conversation, Mr. Yu realized for the first time how hard-hearted and cold-hearted his youngest daughter was.

"I don't care what you say, you promised me you'd teach me, and you have to keep your word, or I'll keep bothering you." Dali grabbed her hand and started clinging to her.

"If you really don't wake up, I can't give them a daughter in return. Let's just leave it at that." Yu Meng left Dali no room for negotiation.