Chapter 177: good girl.
She did not show it on her face, but her eyes became gentler.
"Yes, I came to play with you. Have you been a good girl?" Bai Li asked with a smile.
The little girl immediately nodded hard, as if she had to prove it with all her might. "Yes! Hehe."
She rubbed against Bai Li sweetly, her little cheek pressing against Bai Li’s leg, then she looked up with a pair of sparkling eyes. She was clearly in a very good mood, and just seeing Bai Li seemed enough to make her feel excited. Bai Li bent down a little and reached out to touch the little girl’s hair, her fingers moving very lightly, afraid of messing up the child’s soft little pigtails. For some reason, the child looked even smaller today than she had yesterday. Maybe it was because her pajamas made her seem even more tiny and round, like a little dumpling rolling straight into someone’s heart.
Yan Cijin showed the little girl the bag in her hand and smiled, "Look, this is all from your auntie. What do you want to say to your auntie?"
When the little girl saw the bag, her eyes lit up instantly. She was still hugging Bai Li’s leg, but her attention shot over in a second like a small radar finding something delicious. "Ah! It’s meat!" she said with great surprise, her mouth opening wide in delight. Then she turned back around and looked at Bai Li with the kind of grateful happiness only children could show so openly. "Thank you, Auntie~"
Her voice dragged out at the end, soft and sweet. Bai Li could not help smiling more deeply. The child was really too easy to please. A bit of meat, a few vegetables, and some snacks, and she was already this happy. It made Bai Li feel that the things she had brought over were suddenly more useful than she first thought.
"You’re welcome. Be a good girl and eat your food, okay?" Bai Li said softly to the little girl.
"Okay!" The little girl answered quickly, then rubbed her face against Bai Li sweetly again, like she was trying to leave a little bit of her warmth there on purpose.
Yan Laojin looked at the two of them and was a little surprised that Bai Li had come again, and even more surprised that her daughter had brought so many things from someone else’s house. In these days, even small things were precious, so seeing Bai Li carry over a whole bag of food made Yan Laojin feel both touched and slightly overwhelmed. She was the kind of person who could tell at a glance whether something was truly meant with kindness or whether someone was simply being polite. Bai Li’s things did not feel like empty politeness. They felt sincere. That sincerity made her think more highly of Bai Li right away.
"Xiao Lin, you’re here, why did you bring so many things?" Yan Laojin asked, her voice warm but still carrying a little bit of carefulness. She was no longer as guarded as before, but she still could not quite hide the instinctive habit of being cautious in this kind of world.
"Auntie, my hands aren’t very convenient, and these vegetables will spoil if I leave them at home. Besides, LiLi is so little, she needs to eat these to supplement her nutrition, so please accept them." Bai Li said this naturally, while reaching out to poke the little girl’s face. Her fingertip lightly tapped the child’s cheek, making the little girl grin and lean into her hand even more. Bai Li spoke in a very ordinary tone, but that ordinary tone was exactly what made the words feel real. She was not trying to make herself look good. She just sounded like she genuinely thought the food should go to someone who could use it.
When she said LiLi needed to supplement her nutrition, the little girl immediately puffed her face a little, clearly proud that she was being taken care of. She did not understand all the adult worries, but she understood the important part, which was that Auntie was being nice to her.
"Mom, look, what are we having for lunch?" Yan Cijin smiled and showed the contents of the bag to Yan Laojin.
The bag was full enough that even Yan Laojin could not help glancing over twice. There were vegetables, meat, and a few things that looked fresh enough to make a proper meal instead of the very frugal one she had planned for herself. Her family had already eaten most of their food. There was still a cabbage, four potatoes, and two onions in the refrigerator, and nothing else. She had been planning to make one simple dish for lunch and just eat a little less, saving what was left for later. But Bai Li suddenly brought over so much food that the whole plan changed in one breath.
"Xiao Lin, what do you want to eat? Auntie will make it for you." Yan Laojin said immediately. Since Bai Li had brought so much, it would be rude not to show proper hospitality. More than that, she wanted to make sure Bai Li knew her kindness was being appreciated. The world outside was already messy enough. Inside the home, at least, people should still know how to treat each other well.
"See what LiLi wants to eat, I’ll eat anything." Bai Li smiled at the little one.
Yan Cijin picked up the little one and asked, "Look, which one do you want to eat?"
The little girl looked at the bag with great seriousness, like this was a very important decision and not just lunch. She pointed to the eggplant, then to the mushrooms, and finally to the bag of chicken drumsticks. Her small finger moved from one thing to the next, and after a moment she said, "These."
Yan Cijin kissed the little one’s cheek and laughed lightly. "Okay, you little glutton, you still want meat, don’t you?"
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To be continued.....
