After She Bullies Me in the Shopping Mall

The weekend shopping mall was packed with people; the cold blast from the air conditioning drove away the outdoor heat, the air thick with the sweet scent of milk tea blending with the greasy aroma of grilled sausages. I held my seven-year-old daughter Bella Collins' hand as we walked through the women's clothing aisle. Bella wore her hair in pigtail buns, her pink dress dotted with bits of cotton candy, clutching a pink cotton candy in her hand, occasionally licking her fingertips, her mouth chalked white at the edges. "Mom, look at that teddy bear!" Bella suddenly stopped, pointing at the toy store window diagonally ahead, her eyes sparkling like stars. I followed her hand and looked—the brown plush teddy bear in the display window, adorned with a red bow, was "smiling" right at us. I ruffled her hair. "Let's finish looking at the dresses, then we'll go buy one, okay?" Bella Collins nodded vigorously, bouncing along behind me. Before we had taken three steps, a figure suddenly dashed over from the side. She was a woman in a red dress made of fine fabric, a pearl brooch pinned to her collar, heavy makeup matched with bright red lipstick, and wore a strong, almost suffocating scent of perfume. Without a word, she reached out and viciously shoved Bella Collins aside. Bella Collins lost her footing, staggering backward two steps before falling hard to the ground; the Cotton Candy tumbled onto the tiled floor, its pink strands smearing dust everywhere. Tears instantly brimmed in Bella Collins' eyes as she pouted and looked up at me. I quickly knelt to help her, noticing her knee grazed and bleeding, her skirt hem smudged with dirt. Heart aching, I wiped the tears from her face, brushed the dust off her skirt, then glared up at the woman and shouted, "What do you think you're doing!" The woman stood with her hands on her hips, looking down on us with contempt. Her eyes swept over Bella Collins's faded dress, then landed on the cheap T-shirt I wore, a sneer tugging at her lips: "What's this? Your kid thinks she belongs here? Dressed so plainly—probably just some fake rich second-generation trying to mooch off the air conditioning, right?" I tightened my brows, fire burning in my chest, but still held back, saying, "How can you talk like that? And you even pushed my child!" "So what if I pushed her?" The woman stepped closer, her tone growing more insolent, then suddenly reached out and shoved me again. Unprepared, I stepped back half a pace, nearly bumping into the clothing rack behind me. "I think you're just trying to make a fool of yourselves on purpose." The woman said, pulling her Cell Phone from her bag, "Today, I'm going to teach you unruly people a lesson!" Her Cell Phone lens focused on Bella Collins, who was crying uncontrollably, snapping photo after photo with a relentless "click-click". Bella, terrified, dove into my arms, her little hand clutching my clothes tightly. I quickly shielded Bella with my body and reached out to snatch the phone. "Don't take pictures! Delete them now!" The woman suddenly dodged back and raised her hand, slapping me sharply across the face with a loud "smack." The burning pain spread instantly, and I felt numbness creeping over half my face. "Delete it? No way!" the woman sneered triumphantly, her fingers flying over the cell phone screen as if posting on social media. "I'm going to upload this online so everyone can see the shame you and your son bring!" People around gradually gathered closer; some secretly filmed with their cell phones, others whispered and gossiped, while a few frowned, merely watching the spectacle. I shouted toward the crowd, "Please, someone help me! She's hitting me and recklessly taking photos!" But no one stepped forward. A man in a plaid shirt muttered quietly, "Look at how that woman's dressed; she must be from a wealthy family. Better not stir up trouble." Those words reached the woman's ears, and she grew even more arrogant, lifting her chin to look at me. "Hear that? No one's going to help you poor wretches! If you know what's good for you, get the hell out of this shopping mall!" I held the trembling Bella Collins close, feeling both anger and anxiety, gently patting her back. "Bella, don't be afraid. Mommy's here."