Why did you provoke me?

Yu Meng watched them, grinning foolishly. It turned out that crying wasn't just a mother's weapon, but also a child's. They used crying to express what they needed, and now it seemed to be working surprisingly well.

"Am I not Mom's daughter? Isn't it normal for me to cry?" Yu Meng looked at her mother innocently.

Dali turned around, her shoulders shrugging.

Mr. Yu nodded, "You are indeed your mother's daughter, but you shouldn't learn things like this."

At this moment, Aunt Yu opened her eyes wide and looked at Yu Meng, who was nestled in her arms. "Don't they say that daughters are their mothers' little cotton-padded jackets? You're letting the wind in."

"No, we absolutely can't let the little cotton-padded jacket get drafty." Yu Meng immediately stood up straight and raised her right hand to assure him.

"Mom, we just got back today. Is there no food at home? I'll go to the river and get some extra vegetables for us." Yu Meng ran off.

The people in the room exchanged glances. Unconsciously, several of them burst into laughter. "I suddenly feel that Xiao Si'er is acting a bit like a child this time," Yu's father remarked.

"Yeah, this really gave me a big fright. I really thought something terrible had happened. It's something that hasn't even happened yet, but it scared me to tears." Aunt Yu also looked incredulous.

"Dad, Mom, is it possible that my little sister just wants to act cute in front of you?" Dali said hesitantly.

"What did you say?" Two voices rang out simultaneously.

Yu Meng went to the riverbank and patted her still slightly flushed face. It was the first time she'd ever done something so foolish; she felt like her whole face was burning. But somehow, she felt alright.

Ever since she was ambushed by someone by the river, Yu Meng has figured out a way to protect herself.

Whenever she goes out alone, her lines always create a warning circle within a meter around her.

Now she has more than 100 lines. Apart from the big black cat, which is woven from her own life line, Yu Meng has turned the rest into all sorts of things to carry with her.

For example, the branch you're carrying, the buttons on your clothes, or the bracelet on your wrist. These things change with the environment; they aren't static.

In her past life, Yu Meng was confined to a wheelchair and lived a short life. In this life, she longs to try everything, but she hides it so well that her family doesn't find out.

Yu Meng's lines suddenly plunged into the river. She was going to find two big fish to take home.

Perhaps because these lines weren't her natal lines, or perhaps because she obtained them too easily, Yu Meng didn't treat them with care. Instead, she would experiment with the lines in her hands whenever she thought of something. Therefore, catching fish with lines was just one of her experiments, and she had already succeeded in it a long time ago.

Yu Hai was always happy when he caught a fish. Little did he know that a large portion of the fish were actually delivered to him by Yu Meng using lines.

Almost all of Yu Meng's experiments with lines were for self-defense, such as the escape wheel she made, or catching fish with lines. She could even control the lines to precisely pierce the heads of small birds flying on tree branches.

Before long, Yu Meng had caught two big fish. She tied the two fish to the shore with a line and walked straight to the big willow tree next to her.

As the weather warms, the willows along the riverbank are already showing hints of green. The bark on their branches has become soft.

Yu Meng observed carefully. She had always thought that as long as the second layer of bark was peeled off, the willow tree would die. Now she was suddenly a little unsure.

As we all know, trees go dormant when the weather is cold, and the supply of nutrients to the trees stops during this period of dormancy.

Strangely, the branches that stop receiving nutrients do not die. They regain their vitality when spring arrives the following year.

Yu Meng decided to investigate. She had a feeling that there was some secret hidden in the second layer of bark of the big willow tree.

Yu Meng was very conscientious; instead of harming the large willow trees protecting the embankment, she found a small willow sapling.

It was just a small willow sapling, barely waist-high. It wouldn't freeze to death even after a cold winter. This time, Yu Meng didn't stand on ceremony; she reached out and peeled off the second layer of bark from the willow.

She held the peeled bark up to the sunlight and examined it closely. Perhaps because the willow tree was just beginning to sprout new life, the bark wasn't tightly packed, and there were many small, round holes in the center. What was this?

I casually peeled off another piece of stone skin. In the sunlight, the lines were closely arranged, and there were no round holes.

When I got to the river, I peeled off the skin of the fish, held it up and looked at it again, but there was still no round hole.

Yu Meng stared at the round hole in a daze, wondering if it was unique to trees.

She remembered the tree in her yard. Should she give it a try?

Carrying two large fish, Yu Meng ran home—or rather, floated home.

Dali was the first to see Yu Meng come in. "You can actually catch fish?"

"What else? You think I'm joking? The fish are fresh from the river's opening." Yu Meng handed the fish to her older sister and went straight to the big tree.

The trees in the yard seem to be growing better than those by the river. Tiny buds are already visible sprouting on the branches.

Yu Meng circled around and around, examining it. "Don't you dare try to take advantage of it. If it lets you peel off its skin, you won't get any dates this year," her mother said as soon as she saw Yu Meng looking at the tree.

Yu Meng went to her mother and asked, "Mom, how did you know? Who in our village did this?"

"The village chief mentioned this at a meeting. No one is allowed to harm the fruit trees in the yard or the red willows by the river. He said that if you peel off the bark, the trees will slowly die." Aunt Yu handed Yu Meng a glove. "Bring some wood in, I'll stew some fish for you."

Yu Meng agreed. Fish stewed over a wood fire smells amazing. Last time, it was the young man who told her that Zhao Changjiu made delicious fish; after asking around, he learned that there are so many intricacies to the use of fire.

Yu Meng's manipulation of the lines completely ignited Da Li's fighting spirit. Aside from meals, even her sleep time was drastically reduced. Seeing her older sister like this, Yu Meng's competitive spirit was also stirred.

Dali's talent is not high; her current achievements are entirely due to her ruthlessness and fighting spirit.

Yu Meng once asked her older sister, "You're working so hard, what if it doesn't work out? Won't you regret it?"

"Why worry about success or failure? No effort is ever wasted. If it didn't work, it probably just means I didn't put in enough effort or skill."

Yu Meng recalled what her brother did when she was little. The situation was that he would put up a thin stone in a place, walk a few meters away, and then knock it down with another stone.

At first, the stones he stood up were quite large. But gradually, the stones he found became smaller and smaller, while his aim improved.

The young man practiced this one thing for a full month. Yu Meng once said, "What's the point of practicing this?"

The guy once said, "No effort is ever wasted; keep practicing. You never know when you might need it."

The older sister and younger brother never worry that their efforts will be in vain.