Chapter 200: Zombies and outing.
The more Yan Laojin thought about it, the more she felt that Bai Li was the kind of person who could stand beside her daughter through hard times. The apocalypse had changed everyone. It had stripped away many soft things and forced people to become practical, sharp, and guarded. In a world like this, being able to trust someone was already rare. Being able to rely on them was even rarer. Bai Li seemed to have both the ability and the temperament to make people feel at ease. Yan Laojin had lived long enough to know that a decent partner in hard times mattered much more than pretty words.
At the same time, she could not help feeling a little relieved that Bai Li and Yan Cijin seemed to get along well. They moved around each other naturally. They did not clash too often. Even when they talked, there was a kind of quiet understanding between them. Yan Laojin did not know exactly what had happened between the two of them in the past few days, but she could see the change with her own eyes. Her daughter no longer had that stiff and lonely look that she used to carry. Even the way Yan Cijin spoke had softened a little. It was subtle, but Yan Laojin noticed.
She also saw another thing. Yan Cijin’s face had become much more expressive whenever Bai Li was near. She got embarrassed easily, and her ears turned red very often. That kind of reaction was not hard to understand. Anyone with eyes could tell that there was some kind of feeling there, even if it was not spoken aloud yet. Yan Laojin had lived through enough things to know that no relationship was perfect from the start. People had to build trust slowly. They had to learn each other’s habits. They had to go through danger and pressure together before they could truly settle into one another’s rhythm.
That was why she did not interfere and did not ask questions. She only watched.
In the kitchen, Yan Laojin arranged the rice and flour into the cabinet, then shifted the oil into a corner where it would be easy to reach when cooking. She checked the seasonings one by one, and the more she looked, the more pleased she felt. Even simple meals could be made much tastier with these things. In the apocalypse, being able to eat something warm and decent was already a kind of happiness. The family had gone from worrying about whether there was enough to eat to worrying about how to store what they had. That alone was a huge improvement.
In the living room, the little girl was still watching cartoons with her legs tucked up under her. Every now and then she would glance toward the bedroom door, clearly still thinking about her mother and Aunt Bai Li. She had been excited just a moment ago, but because she had been told not to hug them, she was now behaving with the seriousness of a tiny adult. Yan Laojin looked at her and smiled helplessly. She knew the child had already forgotten the disappointment, because LiLi was that kind of child. As long as someone spoke kindly to her and promised to come back, she would believe them.
Bai Li and Yan Cijin were inside the room for only a short while, but the atmosphere there was already different from when they had first entered. The room smelled faintly of the supermarket plastic bags, of rice sacks, and of the clean scent of newly bought clothing. Yan Cijin stood by the bed for a moment longer than necessary, then finally turned away and adjusted the strap of her backpack. Bai Li was at the door, waiting for her without rushing her. There was something in that simple patience that made Yan Cijin feel even more embarrassed, because Bai Li had seen her blush so clearly and had still acted as if nothing unusual had happened.
Yan Cijin took a breath, trying to steady her heart. She was not used to this kind of feeling. It was strange, a little overwhelming, and at the same time not unpleasant at all. Bai Li stood there with that calm look of hers, and every so often she would glance over just to make sure Yan Cijin had everything she needed. That quiet attention was far more dangerous than flirting in the usual sense. It slipped under the skin without warning.
When they stepped back into the hall, Yan Laojin looked up from the kitchen doorway. "You’re going again?"
"Yeah," Bai Li answered. "There are still a lot of things downstairs that we can use."
Yan Laojin nodded, then glanced at the backpacks on their shoulders. "Take care. If anything feels wrong, come back right away."
"We will," Yan Cijin said.
She looked at her mother and saw the concern there, and for a moment her heart warmed. In the past, she had carried so much pressure alone that she had grown used to hiding her feelings. Now, with Bai Li around, and with LiLi and her mother both safe inside the apartment, even a small ordinary conversation felt precious. It was one thing to survive. It was another thing to survive while still being able to hear someone tell you to come home safely. That simple sentence had more weight than most people realized.
Bai Li adjusted the backpack on her shoulder. "Let’s move faster this time. There are still some shelves downstairs that haven’t been touched. If someone else gets there before us, we’ll have to fight over what’s left."
Yan Cijin nodded and immediately followed her out. Before leaving, she glanced back one more time and saw her mother already busy with the supplies. The sight made her feel strangely steady. There was food at home now. There was her mother and LiLi. There was Bai Li beside her. It was still the apocalypse, still dangerous, still full of risks at every step, but at least she was not walking through it alone anymore.
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To be continued.
