But even with that strange feeling in her chest, Yan Cijin still missed her mother and daughter very much. That thought quickly pulled her back to the present. She did not keep standing there and thinking too much. Instead, she turned away and used her key to open her own security door as fast as she could. Home was right there now. Her mother and daughter were right there too. And after all the blood, the smell, the stairs, and the fighting, that was the thing she wanted to see the most.

As soon as Yan Cijin opened the door and stepped inside, the first thing she saw was the little chubby dumpling of a child running straight toward her with those tiny short legs moving as fast as they could. The little one was full of energy, full of love, and clearly had no idea how dirty Yan Cijin looked right then. She was still covered in the mess from the zombie blood, and the smell of it was still hanging around her body too, so the moment she saw that tiny body rushing up to her like that, Yan Cijin reacted fast and reached out to stop the little dumpling before it could crash into her leg. Her hand landed lightly on the child’s shoulder, careful and gentle, because even though she had just gone through something dangerous, the first thing in her heart was still to protect this child from getting dirty. The little one looked up at her with those bright, shiny eyes, and the way the child was looking at her was so soft and so trusting that it made Yan Cijin’s heart feel warm in an instant. The child seemed so sweet and so good, and with that innocent little face, it was impossible not to feel touched.

"Mommy!"

The little one called out like that with all the happiness in the world, and even though the child had rushed over with so much excitement, there was still a little pause after getting closer. The smell from Yan Cijin’s body was just too strong, and the child noticed it right away. That little nose wrinkled up just a bit, and then the child pulled back on instinct, not daring to come any closer after catching that strange stinky smell. The change was so quick and so honest that Yan Cijin could not help but smile. It was the kind of reaction only a tiny child could have, completely pure and completely without pretending. The little dumpling still looked at her with those affectionate eyes, still wanted to get close, but the body was smarter than the heart for a second, and the child backed away because of the smell. Yan Cijin found that little action adorable, and the corner of her mouth lifted as she gently shook her head. Even in a situation like this, with her body dirty and tired, this tiny family moment made her feel a little soft inside.

Right then, Yan Laojin also came over. The second she saw Yan Cijin standing there safe and sound, all the worry she had been carrying came out at once. Her eyes filled up fast, and then tears started falling as she hurried to Yan Cijin’s side. Her voice shook with fear and relief at the same time as she looked her daughter over again and again, checking every inch of her like she was trying to make sure nothing was broken.

"Xiaoyan, are you alright? What happened to all this blood on you? Are you hurt?"

Yan Cijin saw her mother like that, and her own heart tightened. She knew her mother had been scared. She knew that during these kinds of days, every time someone came home covered in blood, it could mean anything from a small injury to something far worse. So she quickly bent down to change her shoes and began explaining before her mother could keep imagining the worst. Her tone was calm on the surface, but there was a softness in it too, because she did not want Yan Laojin to cry anymore.

"Mom, don’t cry. Don’t worry, I’m fine. The blood on me is from zombies. I’m perfectly fine."

She spoke fast and reassuringly, trying to make her mother stop worrying. But even while she said those words, her own eyes started to turn red too. That was because seeing Yan Laojin cry like that made her think about how much her family cared about her, and the feeling hit her deeper than she expected. She had gone through so much outside, but the instant she came home and saw her mother looking at her with such heartbroken eyes, all that toughness softened. She understood then more clearly than ever that coming back alive mattered so much to the people waiting for her.

Yan Laojin listened to her daughter and finally let out a shaky breath. Even so, her face still looked full of pain, because a mother could never stop worrying completely just by hearing a few words. Still, the fact that Yan Cijin had come back safe was enough to make her grateful, and she wiped at her tears before speaking again.

"It’s good that you’re alright. Go wash up and get some rest."

Yan Cijin nodded at once. She did not want her mother crying anymore, so she quickly answered in a gentle voice.

"Okay, then don’t cry anymore. I’ll quickly find some clothes to take a shower." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After that, she went to the bathroom first to wash her hands a little, and then she headed to the bedroom to look for clean clothes. She moved as quickly as she could, because she still had something important in her mind. Bai Li was waiting for her, and she needed to go over there as soon as possible. That thought was sitting in the back of her mind the whole time, pushing her to hurry. She pulled out a pair of shorts, a short sleeved shirt, and a set of underwear, then carried everything with her and went to shower. She did not want to waste time. The longer she delayed, the more worried Bai Li might get, and the more the injuries on Bai Li’s hand might trouble her.

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TO BE CONTINUED.