"Yu Lian, this is for you!"

Wearing coarse cloth clothes, shoddy cloth shoes with holes, and carrying a patched sack, Xiao Yulian appeared in their sight.

"Thanks……"

Before he could even say another "thank you," the bottle that had just been handed to him was snatched away.

"Hehehe—little beggar, I'd rather throw you in the river than give you anything!"

Children's malice is always unfounded, happening on a whim; they don't take evil seriously. As the sound of a glass bottle shattering on the water rang out, the laughter of several children crushed Xiao Yulian's embarrassment.

Unlike adults, Xiao Yulian wasn't concerned with saving face, but she still had her pride. However, she would never make the first move; she would simply turn and walk away. But the other person wouldn't let it go, chasing after her and grabbing the cloth bag behind her to prevent her from leaving.

Seeing that she was being held hostage, Xiao Yulian asked first, "Are you sure you're not leaving now?"

"Where are you going? Open your bag and let us see! What kind of junk have you picked up? You think you can fool us just because you lied to the teachers at school? If your dad were a hero, would you be picking up junk here? You can't even afford to eat, and you still..."

Before she could finish speaking, a fist slammed into the nose of the girl who was leading the group. Instantly, a sharp, piercing pain shot through her. Before she could even react, tears were already streaming down her face.

"Waaah! What are you standing there for? Get revenge for me!"

The little girl cried loudly, but she was no match for Xiao Yulian's speed and punches. In the blink of an eye, all three of them were injured.

"Waaaaah—"

"You...you just wait! I'm going to tell my mom!"

Xiao Yulian gave a nonchalant look: "Go ahead, you crybaby! If you want to trick me again next time, you'd better think twice before you break my fists!"

She turned away gracefully, but before she could take two steps, she was grabbed and lifted up. It turned out one of the children lived nearby, and her father happened to be at his door. Seeing his son being beaten, he instantly flew into a rage. He rushed over and turned the child around: "You're a girl?!"

Xiao Yulian looked disdainful, thinking she was about to be taught a lesson. But the next second, she landed safely, and the tall, burly man turned around and picked up his son: "You tell me what happened first! If he's wrong, I'll punish him in front of you; if you're wrong, I'll have to go to your house and ask your parents for medical expenses."

Encountering such reasonable parents for the first time, Xiao Yulian was stunned for a moment before recounting what had just happened. After hearing the whole story, the man realized that the child in front of him had lost his father, and immediately gave his son a sound beating in front of everyone around. This commotion scared the other two away.

Seeing that Xiao Yulian was out collecting scraps, he guessed that she was in poor circumstances. After making his son apologize, he took some scraps he had collected from home and stuffed them into her pocket.

"I'm sorry, little girl, Xiao Zhong is too naughty. If he dares to bully you again, just come to our house and I'll teach him a lesson."

After saying that, she kicked her own son in front of Xiao Yulian: "Apologize now!"

"I'm so sorry, sob sob—I'm so sorry—I'll never do it again, sob sob—"

Xiao Zhong's voice was so loud that Xiao Yulian instinctively covered her ears.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle. I'll be going now."

It was getting late. Xiao Yulian glanced at the sky and started walking home. The sack was much heavier, and every step required great effort. Her uncle was a kind and understanding man, but he forgot that she was just a child. It took a lot of effort for Xiao Yulian to finally carry the sack of rags home.

From afar, unable to find anyone and forced to wait at the door, He Lin immediately recognized the person struggling to drag the cloth bag as Yu Lian from her childhood. He instinctively wanted to help, but just as he was about to touch little Yu Lian, he passed right through her. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn't touch her, not even the cloth bag she was clutching.

Watching her small figure walk against the light in the sunset, her back bent from the weight of the weight, yet she didn't utter a sound of fatigue. She reached the door and skillfully unlocked it with the keys hanging around her neck. The few steps in front of the door took her quite a while to carry the bags inside. Taking advantage of the closing time, He Lin entered the Yu family's courtyard.

After sorting and putting things away under the awning, Xiao Yulian slowly walked to the pool and cleaned herself thoroughly. After a good wash, she opened the door to the east room of her house.

"Mom, I'm home."

As she spoke, she walked to the other side, untied the rope, and carried her sleeping younger sister to the crib. Their father had passed away six months ago, and their uncle had swindled them out of the compensation money. Most of the family's remaining money had been spent on their mother, who was devastated by the loss, and their younger sister, who suffered from a congenital illness. Xiao Yulian went to school during the day, took care of her mother and sister in the afternoons, and when she had time, she would go out to collect recyclables, like she did today.

In front of her mother, ten-year-old Yu Lian doesn't act like a child. She speaks to her mother without a trace of childishness.

"Xiao Lian, I think I heard someone knocking at the door just now."

Xiao Yulian didn't even look up as she tidied up the mess her younger sister had made on the ground: "No, there's no one at our door."

He Lin stood confidently at the door, and as he expected, the three people in the room—including his mother-in-law Wang Meixia, who was lying directly opposite the door—could not see him.

"Mom, I'm going to cook now. Take this medicine first, and call me if you need anything."

"Hmm, Mom... never mind, you go ahead."

Unable to bear the blow of her husband's death, Wang Meixia fell seriously ill and now even standing for long periods has become a problem. Betrayed by her own brother, she contemplated suicide many times. But seeing her eldest daughter's understanding and maturity repeatedly brought her back to the forefront of her mind. Only recently has she resolved to focus on her health, recover quickly, and support her family.

In the kitchen, Xiao Yulian stood on a stool and skillfully scrubbed the large iron pot. After scrubbing it, she scooped a large ladle of water into the pot. She didn't stop for a moment, rinsing rice, picking vegetables, washing vegetables, and chopping vegetables.

An hour later, a bowl of rice and a stir-fried vegetable dish without any oil were placed on the stove.

After running back and forth several times, Xiao Yulian placed the food and dishes in the east room. She first served the food to her mother, then woke up her younger sister to feed her. She only started eating after her sister had finished. The last plate of vegetables, along with the juice at the bottom, was wiped clean with rice.

"Mom, the water in the pot should be boiled by now. I'll give my sister a bath first, then I'll come and wash you up."

"Don't worry about Mom, just be careful not to burn yourself."

She gently agreed and led her younger sister out of the house. From the time she got home until after nine o'clock at night, Yu Lian had cleaned the house spotless by herself, even tidying up the junk. After finishing, she rubbed her aching elbows and shoulders and fell asleep on the edge of the bed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, He Lin, using the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the window, could clearly see the wound on her hand. Breath was caught in her throat, causing her great discomfort. He desperately wanted to help, but there was nothing he could do; he could only watch as Xiao Yulian suffered day after day.

A few days later, He Lin finally figured out the rules of this world—those who were too involved with Yu Lian couldn't see him. As long as he didn't get close to Yu Lian or affect her predetermined future, he could communicate with her as a normal person. But when he tried to get help from outsiders, he found that he had nothing on him.

He Lin, a man who would never sit idly by and wait for his fate, came up with an excellent idea.

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