Chapter 173: bai li.
"Alright, then find a place to sit. I’ll change your dressing." Yan Cijin’s voice was a little shaky. She glanced at Bai Li, then quickly looked away.
Bai Li noticed that too. It was not a huge reaction, but it was enough to make her heartbeat shift in a strange little way. Yan Cijin’s eyes had flicked over her face, and for a brief second Bai Li had the impression that Yan Cijin was trying to look composed while also trying not to be too obvious about how close she stood. Bai Li did not say anything about it. Instead, she quietly walked to the sofa area and sat down as told, but the soft, brief tension in the room stayed with her. It made the whole scene feel a little more personal than it probably should have been. "Oh, then I’ll sit on a chair." Bai Li obediently sat down on a chair in the living room, extending her arms.
Yan Cijin took a few deep breaths with her back to Bai Li before taking out a small stool from under the coffee table and placing it in front of Bai Li. She sat down on the stool herself, while her first aid kit was placed on the coffee table to her right. Her movements looked neat and practiced, but there was still a very tiny stiffness in the way she sat down, as though she had to force herself to stay calm. Bai Li could see the top of Yan Cijin’s ear, which was still faintly red, and that tiny detail made Bai Li’s fingers curl slightly before she consciously relaxed them again.
She carefully cut open the gauze on Bai Li’s right hand and removed it. The yellow gauze strips were still stuck to the flesh, but the condition was much better than a few days ago, with significantly less tissue fluid oozing out. Yan Cijin, as usual, moistened the yellow gauze strips with the medicine she had applied to them with a cotton swab, then carefully removed them, disinfected the wound with iodine, and replaced the yellow gauze strips with fresh ones before wrapping them with gauze.
The room was quiet while she worked. The only sounds were the soft rustle of cotton, the little clink of the medicine bottle when Yan Cijin put it down, and the occasional small breath Bai Li let out when the iodine touched the wound. Bai Li didn’t feel any pain throughout the process, and Yan Cijin quickly changed the dressings on both hands. Even though she had done this before, she still worked with unusual concentration this time. Her brows were slightly drawn together, and her lips pressed into a thin line. She seemed to be watching every tiny detail so that the bandage would be neat, secure, and comfortable.
Bai Li glanced down at her own hands after the dressing was finished. The fresh gauze looked clean and tight, and the wound underneath no longer felt as messy as before. The smell of medicine still lingered on her fingers, but in a strange way, that smell also made her feel safe. It reminded her that someone had taken the time to look after her. In a world where everything had become chaotic, that kind of care felt almost unreal.
"Alright, remember to take your anti inflammatory medication on time. Also, come to my house for lunch. Your hands are injured, and you can’t cook for yourself," Yan Cijin said while packing her first aid kit.
Yan Cijin tried to make her tone sound natural, but there was still a faint nervousness hiding underneath. She had spoken up first because she did not want Bai Li to reject her immediately, and she also did not want to make the invitation sound too forced. In her mind, it was simple enough. Bai Li had helped them again and again. It was not right to let her go home alone and just eat some random food while injured. On top of that, Yan Cijin had a private reason too. She wanted Bai Li to stay a little longer, even if it was only for lunch.
"No need, I have plenty of food at home. I can just have some self heating rice or something," Bai Li declined, not wanting to trouble them any further.
When she said that, Bai Li’s voice was polite and very mild, almost too mild. She was clearly trying to keep things easy and not make Yan Cijin feel burdened. But the moment those words left her mouth, Yan Cijin frowned slightly, looking at Bai Li. That small frown was not angry exactly. It was more like she was trying to hold back a different kind of emotion. "It’s fine if it’s just food at other times, but your hand is injured, so you can’t eat just anything. Besides, lunch is the most important meal. You can skip dinner if you want, but you absolutely have to eat well at lunch. Just listen to me and come to my house."
Bai Li observed Yan Cijin’s expression and saw that she seemed to be frowning. Bai Li felt a little apprehensive. What if she refused again and cried?
That thought flashed through Bai Li’s mind so suddenly that she almost had to stop herself from looking too surprised. It was not that Yan Cijin looked like the sort of person who cried easily, but right now, with that worried face and that stubborn tone, Bai Li had a strangely vivid image of her becoming upset if she pushed too hard. Bai Li did not know where that thought came from, but it made her pause in a way that was almost funny. For a split second, her own heart beat a little faster for no clear reason, and she quickly lowered her eyes so that Yan Cijin would not notice.
Bai Li swallowed and decided not to provoke Yan Cijin. She went along with Yan Cijin’s words and said, "Okay, then I have a lot of vegetables at home.
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To be continued.
