Chapter 179: Wahahah...
but it still made Bai Li feel a little less calm than before. She was not used to standing this close to someone and being teased without warning. It made her ears feel slightly warm, so she looked away for a moment.
The little girl secretly watched from behind the door as her aunt asked for Wahaha, then realized that her aunt seemed a little afraid of her mother. The little girl scratched her little pigtails, looking longingly at her aunt and mother, wondering if her aunt could get it for her. In the child’s mind, this whole scene probably just looked like adults being funny for no reason. She did not understand the subtle tension in the air. She only understood that Auntie was trying to help her, and Mommy looked like she was pretending to be strict. To the little girl, that was all very interesting.
Yan Cijin was amused to see her silent. She was clearly not afraid of anything outside, so why was she silent now after only asking a couple of questions? The contrast was so obvious that it almost made Yan Cijin want to laugh. Bai Li could face zombies, chaos, and danger without even changing her face, but when it came to one small question from her, she suddenly became quiet. That difference was hard not to notice.
Yan Cijin took a Wahaha drink from the cabinet and smiled, "Okay, give it to her, but tell the little glutton that she can only drink one bottle a day. If she drinks it now, there won’t be any left this afternoon."
"Okay." Bai Li’s eyes lit up, and she reached out to take the Wahaha. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing if the little girl had been looking forward to it for so long and she could not even get a Wahaha. The fact that Yan Cijin agreed made Bai Li feel oddly relieved. It was only a drink, but the child’s happiness seemed to matter a lot in this house. Bai Li liked that. She liked the feeling that these people still paid attention to little things, even now.
Bai Li breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the Wahaha drink. Walking back, she saw the little dumpling waiting for her at the kitchen door. The child was standing there on her little feet, her eyes full of expectation, almost like she had been holding her breath the entire time. Seeing her bring out the Wahaha, the little dumpling immediately hugged Bai Li’s leg, "Auntie, you’re so great!"
Bai Li chuckled and shook her head. She helped the little one insert the straw and then handed her the Wahaha. Her fingers brushed against the child’s hand for a second, and the contact was so light it almost disappeared immediately. Even so, Bai Li felt another small flutter in her chest. It was not a strong feeling, just a soft little beat that came and went quickly. She could not really explain why it happened. It might have been because the child was so happy. It might have been because Yan Cijin was standing not far away, watching them with that restrained, gentle look in her eyes. It might have been because the whole room felt very alive in that exact moment.
The little girl immediately took it, took a big suck, and then tilted her head back to continue her adorable act. She was clearly enjoying the drink a lot, and she made no effort to hide it. Her cheeks puffed up a little as she drank, and her eyes half closed in satisfaction. Bai Li watched her and felt the corners of her mouth lifting again without effort. A child could really make a room feel different. A child could make even a quiet apartment feel bright.
The room after that settled into a soft kind of quiet. The little girl sat there with her drink, carefully holding the bottle like it was a treasure. Every now and then she would take a small sip, then look up at Bai Li with bright eyes, clearly wanting attention and also clearly afraid Bai Li might disappear if she blinked too long. Bai Li stayed close beside her and did not move away. She helped adjust the little girl’s posture when the child leaned too far back, and she also pulled the kitten doll a little closer when it almost slid off the sofa. These were all tiny actions, so small they almost did not count, but somehow they made the whole moment feel steady and real.
Yan Cijin came back from the kitchen after a short while and saw the two of them sitting like that. Her expression softened almost at once. She did not say anything right away, just stood there for a second with the dish towel in her hand and looked at Bai Li and the little girl together. Bai Li happened to look up at that moment, and their eyes met across the room. It was only a second, maybe even less than that, but Bai Li still felt her chest give a small quick beat again. Yan Cijin looked very normal, like she had not done anything at all, but the way she stood there, the way her eyes moved so naturally toward Bai Li, made Bai Li feel a little hot around the ears. She lowered her gaze first and pretended to be interested in the child’s drink instead.
The little girl did not notice any of this. She only saw that both Auntie and Mommy were nearby, and that was enough to make her feel safe. She hugged the Wahaha tighter, kicked her little feet once, and then leaned against Bai Li in that soft, sticky way children do when they are completely comfortable with someone. Bai Li sat there with the little girl by her side, listening to the small sounds in the room, feeling the warmth of the apartment, and for a rare moment she did not think about zombies, supplies, or danger outside.
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TO BE CONTINUED.
