Chapter 183: Play with her.
Bai Li was obviously the sort of person who could kill zombies without blinking, but now she was standing in the kitchen acting like she had been caught doing something bad just because she was trying to get a drink for a child.
Behind the kitchen door, the little girl was secretly watching. Her tiny hands were gripping the door frame while she peeked around the corner, her eyes full of curiosity. She watched her aunt ask for Wahaha and then noticed that her aunt seemed a little afraid of her mother. The little girl scratched her pigtails and looked back and forth between the two adults, wondering if Auntie would really get it for her. She did not understand all the complicated feelings floating around the room. She only knew that her aunt was very nice and her mother was very strict when it came to snacks.
Yan Cijin noticed the little girl’s peeking too, and the corners of her lips lifted a little. She took a Wahaha drink from the cabinet, then smiled at Bai Li and said, "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 a little. She reached out and took the drink. If Yan Cijin really did not let the little girl have it, then it would be too embarrassing for Bai Li, especially after the child had been looking forward to it for so long. Bai Li was not the type to let a child down after promising something. So when Yan Cijin handed it over, she felt a tiny bit of relief and a tiny bit of warmth too.
Bai Li breathed a quiet sigh after receiving the Wahaha drink. When she walked back toward the living room, she saw the little dumpling waiting for her at the kitchen door, her little body half hidden behind the wall. The moment the little girl saw the drink in Bai Li’s hand, she instantly rushed forward and hugged Bai Li’s leg. "Auntie, you’re so great!"
Bai Li chuckled and shook her head. "You little thing."
She bent down, helped the little one insert the straw, and then handed her the bottle. The child immediately took it, sucked hard, and then tilted her head back with a satisfied little hum as she continued her adorable act. It was impossible not to smile looking at her. The little girl really looked like a tiny, very happy dumpling right now.
Bai Li and the little dumpling returned to the sofa. The little dumpling hugged the Wahaha in one arm and stroked her cat toy with the other, while Bai Li stayed by her side. The room grew quieter again, but it was not awkward quiet. It was that soft, domestic kind of quiet that made people unconsciously relax. Yan Cijin was still moving around nearby, putting things away, occasionally glancing over with that same calm, slightly attentive look. Every time Bai Li happened to look up and meet her eyes, the atmosphere would shift just a little, like something invisible had passed between them. Nothing obvious. Nothing loud. Just a tiny pause, a small change in breath, a glance that lasted a second too long before either side looked away first.
Bai Li noticed it more than once.
Yan Cijin noticed it too, but she did not say anything. She only kept working while pretending to be very focused on the things in front of her. Still, Bai Li could tell she was different from her usual calm self today. Her ears would turn a little red whenever she came too close. Her voice would become slightly softer when she spoke to Bai Li. Even the way she handed over little things, whether it was a cup or a tissue or the remote, felt a little too careful. Bai Li was not blind. She had seen enough to understand when someone was quietly looking after her in a special way.
The little girl, of course, was completely unaware of any of that. She only knew that her aunt had brought her a drink, her mother had let her have it, and the cat toy was still in her hands. That was enough to make her happy. She leaned against Bai Li from time to time, then leaned against the sofa cushion again, then took another sip of Wahaha with great satisfaction. After a while she looked sleepy, but she still refused to nap immediately, probably because she did not want Bai Li to leave so soon.
Bai Li stayed with her until the child finally started yawning. Only then did she stand up and help tidy up a little. Yan Cijin naturally said she did not need to do anything, but Bai Li still insisted on helping with the easy parts. There was no way she could just sit there and do nothing after eating their meal and drinking the little girl’s favorite drink. The two of them moved around each other in the living room and kitchen more smoothly now, and compared to the first day, there was already a strange kind of familiarity between them. It was the kind of familiarity that did not need to be spoken aloud. A look, a small pause, or a brief exchange of words was enough to make the other person understand.
When Bai Li was about to leave, the little girl held onto her leg again and looked at her with sleepy, reluctant eyes. "Auntie, will you come play with me again tomorrow?"
Bai Li smiled down at her. "I will. I’ll come in the morning, okay?"
"Okay." The little girl nodded obediently, even though her eyes were already drooping a little. "Then I’ll wait for you."
Bai Li reached out and touched her soft hair. "Be good and take a nap."
"I will."
After that, Bai Li finally left.
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To be continued.
