Chapter 6: Isn’t a Mother Who Can Admit Her Mistakes and Change Still a Good Mother?

“How could that be? I don’t think Youyou is that kind of person! Today, I noticed that everything about her had changed, and that’s why I’m happy.”

Jiang Fenglin didn’t say anything more. He didn’t want to shatter the beautiful illusion in his wife’s heart.

He hoped that Xi Youyou had truly realized her mistakes and was willing to change—if that were the case, their family could finally look forward to better days.

But if not…

He exhaled heavily, hoping Xi Youyou wasn’t secretly up to anything bad.

While the two of them were talking, the two little children were playing and laughing in the courtyard. Xi Youyou came out from the kitchen after washing the dishes.

The moment she stepped out, the two little ones looked like they were about to run away.

Xi Youyou felt helpless.

The Original Owner had not treated them well at all. Most things were hidden away; it wasn’t just that she wouldn’t let the children eat certain foods—she would sometimes even hit them.

No wonder the two children were not close to the Original Owner.

“You two got all dirty playing outside today. How about Mommy gives you a bath?”

The two children had been running and playing with the other kids during the day. They had clearly had fun, but their faces were covered in mud and their arms were grimy.

Xi Youyou thought she’d start with a bath to begin building some kind of bond with them.

If her husband couldn’t accept her yet, maybe the children could. She needed to win their hearts back, bit by bit.

Cleaning up after the mess that the Original Owner—the vicious former wife—had left behind.

“No!”

Da Bao immediately shook his head. The siblings both looked guarded.

“I’ll be gentle, okay? I’ll clean you both up nicely.” Xi Youyou tried to make her voice sound as gentle as possible, but the two little ones still slowly backed away.

The impression she’d left on them was just too awful. They were scared of her.

“Go on, let your mom give you a bath. Your grandpa and I are going out for a bit.” Xu Xiu said. She could tell that Xi Youyou truly wanted to change, and she believed her, so she did her best to create chances for her to spend time with the children.

Hearing that, Xi Youyou lifted her head and looked at Xu Xiu, her eyes filled with gratitude.

The two children felt conflicted after hearing their grandma’s words.

“I’ve already heated the water. Come in in a bit.” Xi Youyou said, then asked Xu Xiu to help her find two clean sets of clothes for the kids.

After Xu Xiu found the clothes, she left together with Jiang Fenglin.

Only when everything was ready did Xi Youyou allow the children to come inside.

“One basin each. One of you can play with the water while I wash the other.” Xi Youyou said. She had already prepared towels, soap, shampoo, and clean clothes.

Even though the little ones were still afraid, they eventually undressed and sat in their basins.

Da Bao trembled with fear, especially when Xi Youyou looked at him with gentle eyes—his teeth chattered, and his whole body shuddered a few times.

Xiao Bao wasn’t as dramatic, but she was still scared. Like a little bird, she sat in the basin with her head lowered.

Xi Youyou let out a sigh. These were such well-behaved children, yet the Original Owner had tormented them into this state. She felt genuinely angry about it.

How could anyone mistreat such obedient little ones?

“I won’t hit you anymore. I know I was wrong before—can you forgive Mommy?” Xi Youyou apologized to the two children. Upon hearing those words, both of them lifted their heads to look at her.

Xi Youyou didn’t say more. She started by giving Xiao Bao her bath.

For the first time, Xiao Bao experienced her mother’s gentleness. As Xi Youyou washed her, Xiao Bao suddenly felt overwhelmed. She let out a loud cry.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Bao?” Xi Youyou hadn’t expected the little girl to cry so suddenly. Da Bao, upon hearing his sister cry, snapped his head up and shouted fiercely: “What are you doing to my sister?!”

“You’re hitting my sister! Believe it or not, I’ll bite you!” As he spoke, he looked like he was about to pounce.

Xiao Bao quickly shook her head. “No, Gege.”

“I just suddenly felt like crying. Comrade Xi Youyou didn’t hit me.” Once Xiao Bao explained, Da Bao finally calmed down a little. Xi Youyou looked at how fiercely protective he had just been and couldn’t resist reaching out to pat his head.

“Hmph!” he turned his head away.

Xi Youyou couldn’t help but laugh. “So you know how to protect your sister, huh? You really are a big brother.”

Seeing that Xi Youyou wasn’t angry at all and was even joking, Da Bao felt uneasy inside. Xiao Bao, on the other hand, quietly sat still, waiting for her turn to be dried off.

Xi Youyou didn’t say anything else. She focused on bathing Xiao Bao carefully, washing her hair and wiping her body, making sure she was completely clean before wrapping her up in a towel and carrying her to her own bed.

Xiao Bao watched her mother go back over to bathe her brother. A trace of warmth rose in her little heart.

She had never seen Mommy so gentle before.

And when Mommy held her just now, she had felt so warm.

Was Mommy’s embrace always this warm?

So many thoughts stirred in her mind.

Da Bao sat in the basin, and Xi Youyou bathed him the same way—scrubbing off the dirt, making sure he smelled nice and clean.

Following the same method, she carried him over to the bed and used towels to dry both little ones off.

Xi Youyou took out the face cream they usually used after washing up and began applying it to the children’s bodies.

As soon as the two little ones saw the cream, they instinctively shrank back a little. They had wanted to use that “nice-smelling stuff” before, but Mommy never allowed it.

She simply couldn’t bear to use it on them.

Even when they tried to act obedient and sweet, she would at most apply a bit to their faces. All they remembered was that the cream smelled really nice.

They had only gotten to use it once or twice, ever.

Earlier, the two little ones had still been bracing themselves. They hadn’t expected that after being bathed by Mommy, they would actually be safe and sound.

They thought she might strip them down and beat them instead.

But it really was just a bath!

Now, seeing the cream, the two children started imagining all sorts of things again. Xi Youyou picked up Xiao Bao and first applied some to her face, then began gently rubbing it onto her body.

Xiao Bao shrank back in disbelief. “This… isn’t this only for the face? Why are you putting it on my body too?”

Getting it on her face was already surprising, but now her whole body smelled nice. It was unbelievable.

“Putting lotion on your body makes your skin better.” Xi Youyou explained, and then turned to apply some on Da Bao. He was a boy and didn’t want to smell like flowers—he felt awkward.

Xi Youyou gently pulled him over. “Just because you’re a boy doesn’t mean you can’t smell nice. This is to help your skin get healthier, so it won’t get dry and cracked later—it hurts more when that happens.”

After she finished applying the cream, she dressed them and carried them back to Xu Xiu and Jiang Fenglin’s room.

Since birth, the two little ones had always slept with their grandparents. They were long used to it.

Even though Xi Youyou wanted them to sleep with her, she hadn’t yet reversed their impression of her. They weren’t willing, and she didn’t want to force them.

After all, forced affection doesn’t last.

She figured it was better to take things slowly.

After settling them back in the room, Xi Youyou carried out the water basin from her room, dumped it out, cleaned it, then washed up herself before returning to her room.

The two children waited in the room for their grandparents.

Xiao Bao listened to the sounds outside and whispered: “Comrade Xi Youyou actually used face cream on us. Do you think she’s really changing?”

“Could it be she truly knows she was wrong and will start treating us nicely?”

Though they were only toddlers, just past the age of two, they understood more than people gave them credit for.

Xiao Bao’s words were filled with hope.

If Mommy could stay this gentle from now on, she would be happy to sleep with her, to play with her.

Grandpa and Grandma had said before: a child who knows their mistakes and can change is a good child.

Then—Wouldn’t a mother who knows her mistakes and can change… also be a good mother?

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Lucia: They’re so cuteeee~

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