The twins looked up at the crowd in front of them with a very contrasted expression on their faces. One of them panicked, and the other one was expressionless.
"Xiaohua, I'm sorry. I let go of Mother's hand, so we got separated!" Li Caiyi said with a shaking voice, looking like she was on the verge of tears.
Li Chunhua didn't know why her sister got so flustered, so she said casually, "Well, this thing happens sometimes. If we wait, Mom will surely come for us."
"B-but…"
"Get it together. There is nothing to be scared about with so many people here."
"It's scary because there are TOO many people here!" Li Caiyi argued, but Li Chunhua just shrugged her shoulders.
"If adults see children like us standing alone, they would wonder if we got lost and help us, so there is no problem."
"But what if the adult is the bad guy?"
"We can scream, and other adults will help us. There is nothing to be afraid of as long as we stay in the crowd where people can see us."
Li Caiyi's fear subsided a bit after she heard her sister's explanation. Sure enough, Li Chunhua was always smarter and braver than she was. Li Caiyi envied and admired her sister so much.
Oblivious to Li Caiyi's thoughts, Li Chunhua looked around with interest. Unlike her sister, it thrilled her to be separated from their mother. Because she could finally do anything, she wanted with no one nagging behind her every time.
It was a rare chance of freedom, and for the little Li Chunhua who couldn't go anywhere, the vast world was like a playground full of beautiful things. She wanted to look more, so she tugged at Li Caiyi's hand. "Forget about that. Shall we explore this place a bit more?"
"Huh? But didn't you just say we have to stay put? What if Mother couldn't find us?"
"It will be fine if it's just for a little while! Don't worry, this street market only has one road, so we can just go back to the way we came after we finished looking around."
Li Caiyi bit her lips hesitantly. "We can't. I promised Mother I would look after you. We can't wander around without her permission."
Li Chunhua pouted. "Xiaoyi, don't be such goody-two-shoes. I rarely come to a place like this, so I want to enjoy it more without Mom holding me back."
"E-even so… Mother must be worried right now. Let's meet with her first, then we can explore this place together."
"No! She won't let me do anything if she catches me again. Forget it, then. If you don't want to come, then you can stay here by yourself!" Li Chunhua threw Li Caiyi's hand and squeezed through the crowd, completely ignoring Li Caiyi's shout behind her.
At that time, Li Chunhua thought Li Caiyi wouldn't come after her because she was a coward. She took some time to explore the place until she was satisfied.
Li Chunhua thought that Li Caiyi was probably crying and waiting for her, so she quickly returned to the same place they separated. However, her sister was nowhere in sight.
"Xiaoyi? Where are you?" Li Chunhua called out, but no one answered. It meant that Li Caiyi wasn't hiding but had gone somewhere by herself. "Geez, she should have come with me from the beginning, then."
Li Chunhua thought her sister would be back soon, but Li Caiyi still hasn't appeared even after waiting long. "Has she met with Mom already?"
Li Chunhua thought she shouldn't wander around again, or her family would have a harder time looking for her. Playing was fun, but she also didn't want to collapse again and feel pain, so she restrained herself.
She leaned her back against a wall of one store while kicking the pebble with her feet in boredom. Waiting always made her feel restless, so she hated it.
"There you are!"
A gruff and angry voice, followed by a harsh yank on her shoulder, suddenly appeared beside Li Chunhua and Li Chunhua off balance. She fell to the ground before she could register what had just happened. When she raised her head, a tall and fat man looked down at her with a menacing look.
Li Chunhua didn't know what this man wanted from her and why he suddenly attacked her without reason. Still, her instinct immediately warned her that he was up to no good.
"You made me spill my coffee on my woman, then stole my money. Thanks to you, my date today was ruined!" The man berated angrily. His voice was so loud it caught people's attention.
Li Chunhua was dumbfounded, but she soon realized that the man must have mistaken her for Li Caiyi, so she shouted back. "Mister, I don't know what you are talking about! I never do such things!"
"You little brat still have no intention of apologizing and returning my money? Come, and I will teach you a lesson!"
"Look closely! I may look similar, but I'm not the one who bumped into you. That was my twin sister. My scarf's color is different from hers. See?" Li Chunhua raised the end of her scarf for the man to see, but the man didn't buy it.
"Want to deceive me, huh? Nice try, but I have met a lot of thieves like you who used the same excuse." He sneered.
Li Chunhua became angry when she was accused of being a thief. She was a princess, not a thief! "I'm not a thief! And my sister is also not a thief! If you ask me, I bet your girlfriend is the one who stole it."
Her words only made the man more furious. "You! Don't think you can get away from this just because you are a little girl!"
Li Chunhua stood up while glaring fiercely at him. "You don't even have proof that my sister did it. Don't think you are always right just because you are an adult, you fat dumpling!"
Li Chunhua's retort amused the bystander, so they looked away while holding their laughter. The man's face flushed with embarrassment and anger, and he rushed to grab her. However, Li Chunhua would never just stand by and let that happen. She quickly avoided his hand and ran away to the crowd.
"Hey, you brat! Stop there! Return my money first!"
"Who do you think will wait if you yell at them like that?" Li Chunhua stuck out her tongue before agilely making her way through the crowd. The man with his fat belly couldn't catch up at all.
However, just to be sure, Li Chunhua ran a bit more. Her breath became shallower after each step she took, and she felt there was a knot around her lung. In the end, her steps became slower before she stopped altogether.
"Huff...huff…." Li Chunhua clutched her chest, which throbbed painfully.
Her legs weakened, making her body sway left and right, but she gritted her teeth and walked behind the bush. If she was going to collapse, then she should hide first. Who knows when that man will catch up?
Li Chunhua crouched down and hugged herself into a ball, all while enduring the pain she felt. Her mother never explained to her in detail about her condition. What she knew was that she would feel suffocated and weak all over whenever she was too tired. Aside from that, her chest would hurt so much, like a balloon stretched to the maximum and on the verge of popping.
"Huff...huff…." Li Chunhua peeked in the crowd outside and thought of calling out for help, but her vision spun too much, and staying conscious was already the best she could do.
At that time, when Li Caiyi and her mother were not by her side, she felt an extreme fear from the bottom of her heart.
'Is this how it feels to die? It hurts so much. There is no one here with me. What if I die alone here?'
Li Chunhua's eyes flooded with tears. She regretted her decision very much. If there was another chance, she wouldn't act wilfully anymore. She wouldn't even dare to think of playing around and gaining freedom anymore.
'That's why, just a bit more… Please give me just a little more time….'
Her vision was getting blurry, and her eyelids slowly closed. Li Chunhua couldn't endure the pain anymore, and her consciousness faded.
Before she closed her eyes, the bush covering her suddenly opened, causing a rustling sound. Li Chunhua squinted as she looked up.
'Ah, who puts a mirror here?'
"Xiaohua!"
No, it was not a reflection of her face. It was her twin sister's face.
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