A reborn mother longs for her daughter's happiness.

Chapter 68 Encounter on the street

On this scorching summer day, the sun seemed to be baking the earth, and the entire city was enveloped in a heatwave. Li Yuan and Liu Xuan, along with their two daughters, Li Shiqing and Liu Yixin, and their son, Liu Qicheng, decided to go shopping at the mall and buy some new clothes for the children. The family set off in a large group. Li Shiqing and Liu Yixin chattered excitedly like two cheerful little birds, discussing what clothes they would buy, while Liu Qicheng looked around curiously, full of interest in everything around him.

Upon arriving at the mall, they found it packed with people, and even the air conditioning seemed inadequate against the massive crowd. They first went into a clothing store, where Li Yuan and Liu Xuan busied themselves choosing the right sizes and styles for their children, while their two daughters went in and out of the fitting rooms, showing off their new outfits.

"Mom, do I look like a little princess in this dress?" Li Shiqing asked, twirling around in a pink dress.

“She looks beautiful, my darling daughter looks pretty in anything,” Li Yuan replied with a smile.

Liu Yixin chimed in, not to be outdone: "Isn't my blue denim outfit even cooler?"

Just as the family was enjoying a happy time together, Liu Xuan suddenly nudged Li Yuan and gestured for her to look in the distance. Li Yuan turned her head and saw her ex-husband Wang Qiang's wife, Xiao Liu, picking out clothes with their daughter. Xiao Liu was wearing a long dress, a somewhat outdated style, which looked particularly conspicuous in the hot weather.

Li Yuan was a little surprised and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "In this hot weather, isn't it hot to wear such long clothes?"

Just then, Li Shiqing, who always liked to meddle, overheard her mother's words and asked, "Mom, who are you talking about?"

Li Yuan quickly waved her hand: "I didn't say anyone, baby, go and see if you like that dress over there."

But Li Shiqing's curiosity had been piqued, and she pulled Liu Yixin along, secretly moving closer to where Liu was. Liu Yixin was somewhat unwilling, but she couldn't disobey her sister, so she had no choice but to follow.

Two little girls hid behind a row of clothes, secretly observing Xiao Liu and her daughter. Xiao Liu's daughter picked up a pretty short-sleeved shirt and said to Xiao Liu, "Mommy, I want this one, it's so cool."

Xiao Liu quickly put the clothes back where they were and said softly, "Honey, this one doesn't look good. Let's look at some others."

The little girl said with a hint of grievance, "But Mom, I'm so hot, I want to wear short sleeves."

A hint of embarrassment and helplessness appeared on Xiao Liu's face. She squatted down and said to her daughter, "Sweetie, let's go home and change. None of the clothes here fit."

Li Shiqing and Liu Yixin exchanged a glance, both finding it strange. Back with their parents, Li Shiqing couldn't help but say, "Mom, that auntie was so weird. Her daughter wanted to wear short sleeves, but she wouldn't let her."

Liu Xuan said with a smile, "Kids shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs."

But Li Shiqing's curiosity wasn't so easily quelled. She rolled her eyes and said to Liu Yixin, "Yixin, I have an idea. Let's pretend to bump into them by accident and see if we can discover any secrets."

Liu Yixin's eyes widened: "Isn't that inappropriate, sister?"

But after Li Shiqing's persistent pleading, Liu Yixin reluctantly agreed. So the two girls pretended to be playing around and accidentally ran towards Liu and her mother.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Li Shiqing quickly apologized, then pretended to steady herself and accidentally tugged at Xiao Liu's clothes. Xiao Liu panicked and tried to cover her clothes, but it was too late.

Li Shiqing and Liu Yixin were surprised to see that Xiao Liu had several bruises on her arm.

Li Shiqing couldn't help but exclaim, "Auntie, how did you hurt your arm?"

Xiao Liu's face turned bright red. She hurriedly pulled her daughter and turned to leave without saying a word.

Li Shiqing and Liu Yixin returned to their parents and told them what they had seen. Li Yuan frowned, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her. Although she and Wang Qiang were divorced, hearing that his current wife might be suffering such treatment still left her feeling uneasy.

Liu Xuan sighed, "It seems that Wang Qiang might not be so decent."

Li Yuan couldn't help but say, "No matter what, she's a woman. How could you treat her like this?"

At this moment, Li Shiqing patted her chest and said, "Mom, we can't just ignore this. We have to go and save that auntie."

Liu Yixin nodded in agreement: "Yes, sister is right."

Liu Xuan was both amused and exasperated: "What can you two little girls do? This is their family matter."

Li Shiqing said defiantly, "Dad, we can go and talk to that auntie first and ask her what happened. If it really was a bad uncle who bullied her, then we'll confront him."

Li Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Shi Qing has a point. We can't just stand by and do nothing."

So the family decided to follow Xiao Liu and her daughter. They saw Xiao Liu take her daughter into the mall's rest area and sit in a corner. Xiao Liu's daughter leaned against her, seemingly comforting her.

Li Yuan stepped forward, gently sat down next to Xiao Liu, and said, "Xiao Liu, it's been a long time."

Xiao Liu looked up and saw Li Yuan. A hint of panic and embarrassment flashed in her eyes: "You... what are you doing here?"

Li Yuan looked at her sincerely and said, "I just saw that your arm was injured. Was it because of Wang Qiang...?"

Tears welled up in Xiao Liu's eyes. She bit her lip and said, "I did this by accident. It has nothing to do with him."

Li Shiqing said anxiously from the side, "Auntie, don't lie to us. We all saw it. You're still wearing long sleeves in this hot weather. There must be a reason."

After a moment of silence, Xiao Liu finally broke down in tears: "I...I really don't know what to do. Ever since I gave birth to my daughter, Wang Qiang has been in a bad mood and always gets angry. If I do anything slightly wrong, he will hit me."

Li Yuan held Xiao Liu's hand and comforted him, "How can you endure this? You should leave him."

Xiao Liu shook his head: "I can't. I have a daughter, and I don't want her to be without a father."

Liu Xuan said from the side, "If you continue to endure this, it won't be good for the child either. Growing up in such an environment will have a great impact on the child."

Xiao Liu fell into deep thought. She knew that Li Yuan and Liu Xuan were right, but she was also afraid to face life after the divorce.

Li Shiqing suddenly had a bright idea: "Auntie, you can bring my sister to stay at our house for a while. You can come back after the bad uncle has reflected on his actions."

Looking at Li Shiqing's innocent face, Xiao Liu was touched: "Thank you, young lady, but this will cause you trouble."

Liu Yixin also said, "Auntie, it's no trouble at all. We can play together and have so much fun."

Li Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Liu, don't think too much about it for now. Come stay at our house first; at least it will ensure your and the child's safety. As for what happens later, we can discuss it later."

Xiao Liu hesitated for a long time before finally nodding.

So, on this hot summer day, Li Yuan and her family took Liu and her daughter out of the mall. What was originally just an ordinary shopping trip took an unexpected turn because of this unexpected encounter. And the two little girls, Li Shiqing and Liu Yixin, became little heroes in this story because of their courage and kindness.