Liu Yun'er blamed herself and looked down on herself.
However, Liu Yun'er simply didn't have the courage of Liu Qiaozǐ. She didn't dare to step forward.
At present, just hearing the sound of scolding and beating, Liu Yun'er could only hug her head tightly and tremble in the corner.
At this moment, she didn't even have the strength to stand up. Her hands trembled uncontrollably out of fear. How could she even think about rescuing Liu Qiaozǐ?
Liu Yun'er was extremely scared. Her only action was to cover her mouth, not daring to make a single sound. She felt as if she had returned to that toilet cubicle and was being abused again.
The two people separated by a wooden board were both plunged into the abyss of hell.
Liu Qiaozǐ cried and hugged her mother's leg, saying,
"Mom, don't leave me. Qiaoliao only has you. Qiaoliao has grown up now. I've learned to put myself to sleep. I won't waste Mom's time anymore. Qiaoliao will do whatever Mom says. Mom, please don't leave Qiaoliao, okay?"
Liu Qiaozǐ's heart - rending cries reached Liu Yun'er's ears through the wooden board. She seemed to be jolted awake and raised her head, but Liu Yun'er still didn't take any action.
After hearing what she wanted to hear, Liu Qiaozǐ's mother calmed down.
She took a few deep breaths. With astonishing speed, she changed her expression and resumed the appearance of a kind mother.
She squatted down, helped up Liu Qiaozǐ who had been knocked to the ground, stroked her hair, and said gently,
"Do whatever I say? If you had said so earlier, you wouldn't have to get beaten. Qiaoliao is a good girl. As long as Qiaoliao is obedient, Mom won't abandon Qiaoliao."
"Now Qiaoliao just needs to stay with uncle for a while. Mom will go out and buy some candy for Qiaoliao and come back right away."
Liu Qiaozǐ lowered her head and nodded timidly.
However, the tenderness under the tyranny was always an illusion.
As soon as Liu Qiaozǐ's mother left, with the sound of the door opening, another heavier footsteps approached. Liu Yun'er vaguely guessed what was going to happen next.
Liu Yun'er wanted to escape from reality again.
She buried her head deep in her clothes, as if this could make her escape from this place.
However, this wardrobe was old, and it was impossible for the door to fit tightly.
After a while,
Liu Yun'er couldn't help but raise her head. When she saw Liu Qiaozǐ, she noticed that her clothes had somehow been replaced by a large men's coat.
The oversized coat enveloped her slender body.
It reached all the way down to her ankles.
At her age, she should have been playing around in adult clothes, rather than sitting on the edge of the bed in tears, trembling with fear, waiting for the unknown.
The scales in Liu Yun'er's heart began to waver. She had meddled in Liao Ruochun's business and got beaten up. If she meddled again, she didn't know what would happen.
Moreover, she was just a child. She didn't have the strength to fight against adults.
She was afraid, afraid of being beaten again by Liu Qiaozǐ's mother.
She could only silently shed tears as she watched Liu Qiaozǐ. The middle - aged man shrank his neck and quietly turned his head, secretly looking around. This made him look even more vulgar.
His fat body was topped with a shiny face with a greasy red glow. The false smile on his lips never faded, and his beady eyes darted around. Along with a sly laugh, the lewdness on his face became even more prominent, revealing his vulgar and mercenary features.
When his hand reached out towards Liu Qiaozǐ, Liu Yun'er stared fixedly at his movements.
As if sensing something, Liu Qiaozǐ turned her head and accurately met Liu Yun'er's gaze. She gave her a reassuring smile, trying to make Liu Yun'er feel at ease.
All of Liu Yun'er's nerves were focused on that lecherous hand. He was unbuttoning Liu Qiaozǐ's clothes.
One button.
Two buttons.
Liu Yun'er's tears flowed uncontrollably.
"Why don't you run? Why?"
When the middle - aged man was about to finish unbuttoning Liu Qiaozǐ's clothes, Liu Yun'er couldn't bear it any longer. Even if she was beaten to death by Liu Qiaozǐ's mother, she couldn't accept seeing a living soul being trampled in front of her.
Liu Yun'er couldn't stand seeing the angel in her eyes being defiled like this.
With a determined look on her face, she rushed out of the wardrobe and unexpectedly appeared in front of the greasy man. She threw all the clothes she had been holding at him.
The man was stunned by the sudden attack. While he was in a daze, Liu Yun'er, who had already planned this, picked up Liu Qiaozǐ and rushed out of the room.
When Liu Yun'er ran out onto the road, it was pitch - black outside, as if it was going to swallow her up. But she didn't dare to stop for a moment. She could only vaguely follow the way she remembered and run desperately.
All she could think about was running. The howling wind and the man's angry curses echoed in her ears. The wounds on her body had become numb from the pain, but she didn't stop.
She had to keep running. She mustn't be caught. If she was caught, it would be all over.
This was the only thought in Liu Yun'er's mind.
When Liu Yun'er picked up Liu Qiaozǐ, she realized how thin and weak this little girl was.
Liu Yun'er managed to run all the way home on sheer willpower.
There was no light in her house either.
Liu Yun'er lived alone in the old family house.
When she was about to put Liu Qiaozǐ down, she found that Liu Qiaozǐ's arms were tightly wrapped around her neck.
Liu Qiaozǐ buried her head in Liu Yun'er's shoulder and asked in a muffled voice,
"Why did you carry me out? Mom will be angry."
Liu Yun'er stopped moving. The moment she closed the door, her heart finally relaxed. She hugged this insecure child back, and the two of them leaned on each other for warmth.
Liu Yun'er counter - questioned her,
"Why did you lie? The piggy bank wasn't a gift from your mom. You picked it up from the garbage, right?"
Liu Qiaozǐ trembled slightly and said timidly,
"Yes, I lied. All the toys at home were picked up by me. I imagined them as gifts from Mom. I would be very happy. Is this wrong? Will you not like me because of this?"
Liu Qiaozǐ was extremely insecure.
Liu Yun'er heaved a heavy sigh. Liu Qiaozǐ hadn't yet formed a correct outlook on life and the ability to judge right from wrong.
Her mother had only told her that apart from herself, Liu Qiaozǐ had no one else to rely on.
At such a young age, Liu Qiaozǐ was more mature than other children.
Liu Yun'er could only hug the little Liu Qiaozǐ tightly with heartache and reply to her,
"I won't stop liking Qiaoliao. You are the greatest blessing in my life. If it weren't for you giving me the courage, I wouldn't have been able to get out..."
At night, Liu Yun'er helped Liu Qiaozǐ change her clothes and take a comfortable hot bath.
The two of them lay on the bed, feeling relaxed. However, there were large purple - blue bruises on their bodies.
They finally achieved what Liu Qiaozǐ had said at the beginning: they could accompany each other to sleep at night.
Liu Yun'er turned on the starry night light.
The stars in the sky were reflected on the ceiling. Liu Qiaozǐ had never seen such a sight before. Opening her eyes to a sky full of stars, she couldn't help but say,
"How beautiful."
Liu Yun'er laughed and said,
"If you like it, it's yours."
The two lonely souls finally found a place to rest together.