From Broken Family to Life Winner: A Reborn Mother's Journey

Su Li adored the gift from Little Tang Mo. She couldn’t put it down.

Wu Sheng liked it a lot, too, and couldn’t resist accusing Little Tang Mo of ”playing favorites.”

”Little Mo, you gave me a folding fan, and in the middle of winter, no less. But you give your mom something this nice. You’re a little biased, aren’t you?”

Little Tang Mo replied matter-of-factly.

”Of course I’m biased. If I’m not biased toward my mom, am I supposed to be biased toward you?”

He made such a good point that Wu Sheng was left speechless.

Little Tang Mo hung up the phone, the smile at the corners of his mouth vanishing in a flash.

When he came out, he saw Su Li reading the newspaper, her brows slightly furrowed.

”Mom, what’s wrong?” Little Tang Mo asked.

Su Li had a newspaper subscription and would read it every morning. Sometimes, when she saw something interesting or noteworthy, she would tell Little Tang Mo about it.

Little Tang Mo had also picked up the habit of reading the newspaper every day from her.

As he asked, he sat down next to Su Li to take a look.

”Little Mo, does this person look familiar?”

Su Li asked Little Tang Mo, pointing to a photograph in the newspaper.

The picture was taken at the scene of a fire. It wasn’t very big, so the people in it were small, and the person Su Li was pointing to was just a tiny figure.

It was a photo of someone’s back and side profile, which she found very familiar.

Little Tang Mo looked and thought so too. He studied it for a moment before nodding. ”He does look familiar.”

”Is this your dad?”

The newspaper was today’s edition, but the news was from yesterday.

When Su Li saw the article about the fire, she took a closer look and was surprised to spot Tang Yuanxiao.

”Yeah, I think that’s him.” Little Tang Mo nodded after another look.

Based on the article and the picture, it looked like he was helping with a rescue. It didn’t mention any injuries, so he was probably okay.

Su Li’s deductions were correct.

Yesterday was Friday. After his classes ended, Tang Yuanxiao planned to visit Mrs. Tang at the nursing home before returning to the family residential compound. However, on his way to the nursing home, he came across a fire.

A restaurant was on fire, and it was unclear how it started. Tang Yuanxiao saw thick plumes of smoke from far away.

Passersby walking nearby also saw it and began discussing whether there was a fire.

As soon as Tang Yuanxiao heard this, he broke into a run. When he arrived, he indeed saw thick plumes of smoke billowing out.

A crowd had already gathered at the scene, holding pots, basins, and buckets, wanting to help put out the fire. Unfortunately, the smoke was billowing thick and the fire was a bit too large, so no one dared to go closer.

Even from a distance, the scorching heat of the fire washed over them.

”When are the firefighters going to get here?”

”I don’t know. No one’s come out, and we don’t dare go in.”

As everyone discussed the situation, Tang Yuanxiao observed for a few seconds, then took a bucket from an elderly man standing next to him.

”Sir, I’m going in to rescue people.”

Tang Yuanxiao poured the bucket of water over his head and, amidst the crowd’s gasps, agilely entered the smoke-filled restaurant, quickly disappearing from sight.

”Oh my, what a good young man, but that’s too dangerous.”

Tang Yuanxiao could no longer hear the praise from outside. The moment he entered, he choked on the smoke, and his eyes streamed with tears.

”Is anyone in here? If you can hear me, say something! I’m here to rescue you!”

Tang Yuanxiao called out, half-covering his mouth as he tried his best to look around.

The restaurant was filled with wooden tables and chairs, all of which were now on fire. The blaze was spreading rapidly.

It looked like the fire had started in the back kitchen. Tang Yuanxiao moved a little deeper inside and finally saw someone.

They were collapsed up ahead, apparently knocked unconscious.

Tang Yuanxiao immediately crouched and moved forward, patting the shoulder of the person lying face-down on the ground. ”Hey, can you hear me?”

A strange feeling flickered through Tang Yuanxiao’s mind, but under the circumstances, he was too anxious to save the person to give it a second thought. He just scooped them up and started dragging them toward the exit.

Once he reached the doorway, Tang Yuanxiao breathed a sigh of relief, coughed twice, and shifted his grip.

Tang Yuanxiao suddenly looked down and saw the same short hair—definitely not a girl’s hairstyle.

Even though his vision had been obstructed earlier, he had still seen that the person collapsed on the ground had short hair.

Because of the short hair, he had naturally assumed it was a man.

But...

Tang Yuanxiao squeezed his eyes shut. When his vision cleared a little, he saw the fair nape of the person in his arms as their head lolled to the side.

Tang Yuanxiao scrambled to release the arm he had wrapped around their chest.

The people waiting outside saw that Tang Yuanxiao had actually rescued someone and grew excited.

”That’s great! He actually got someone out!”

Tang Yuanxiao’s hesitation lasted only an instant. Coming to his senses, he changed his grip to support the person by the shoulders, half-carrying and half-supporting them out.

Two young men, who had wanted to go in earlier but either didn’t dare or were held back by their families, hurried forward with their hands outstretched to take the person.

Tang Yuanxiao glanced at their hands. ’They’ll probably end up touching somewhere they shouldn’t, just like I did.’

He sidestepped them and said, ”She’s a girl.”

Before the two young men could react, they heard a slightly husky, androgynous female voice.

”What’s wrong with being a girl!”

The two young men were completely baffled.

The person Tang Yuanxiao had rescued was dressed like a boy and had very short hair—at first glance, anyone would think it was a boy. Who would have thought...

They were stunned. After a moment, Tang Yuanxiao also turned to look at the person in his arms.

He saw the woman, who was only half a head shorter than him, shake her head and look up at him.

The moment Lin Huanzhu woke up, she heard a voice saying ”She’s a girl” and retorted reflexively, ”What’s wrong with being a girl!”

Only after her retort did her mind finally clear.

She rubbed the back of her neck, glanced at Tang Yuanxiao’s drenched clothes, and said, ”Thanks for saving me.”

Seeing that she was awake, Tang Yuanxiao quickly let go of her shoulders. But the moment he did, she turned and charged back toward the restaurant.

”What are you doing?” Tang Yuanxiao grabbed her, his reflexes sharp. ”I just got you out of there!”

”Saving people,” Lin Huanzhu answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

However, now that he had stopped her, she didn’t rush inside.

She turned back, took a basin from an older woman’s hands, and just as Tang Yuanxiao had done, SPLASH, poured it over her own head.

Shaking her head, Lin Huanzhu took off her already soaked jacket and shirt. With a sharp RIP, she tore the shirt in two.

Lin Huanzhu handed one of the wet shirt halves to Tang Yuanxiao. ”Here.”

Lin Huanzhu’s series of actions was incredibly fast, completed in an instant before anyone could react.

As if sensing Tang Yuanxiao’s confusion, Lin Huanzhu put her jacket back on and said to him.

”I’m more skilled than you are.”

After saying that, she covered her mouth and nose with the other half of the wet shirt and charged back inside. ”Let’s go.”