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Yan Cijin looked at her mother, then at the little dumpling, then back at the kitchen, and her voice stayed calm. "Mom, you’re being obvious."

"I’m your mother. Being obvious is part of my job."

"Then do that job somewhere else."

Yan Laojin laughed, not bothered at all. "Fine, fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut. But you know, you really do look different when Bai Li is involved."

Yan Cijin glanced down at the child in her arms again and adjusted the blanket. "How different?"

"Less sharp," Yan Laojin said, clearly enjoying herself. "A little more like a normal person."

Yan Cijin gave her a very small look, one that held just enough warning to be respectful but not enough to be threatening. Yan Laojin held up a hand in surrender and laughed again. The two of them had always had this kind of rhythm. Yan Laojin teased, Yan Cijin stayed calm, and somehow that made the teasing even funnier because her daughter never gave the big dramatic reactions people usually wanted. She just let the jokes slide off her like rain, only showing the faintest crack of expression if someone really pushed.

The little dumpling, who had been listening with wide eyes, suddenly asked, "Was Mommy with a pretty woman?"

Yan Cijin blinked once, then looked down at her daughter. "Who told you that?"

The child pointed toward Yan Laojin without hesitation. "Grandma."

Yan Laojin, from the kitchen, immediately said, "Hey now, don’t drag me into your little interrogation."

Yan Cijin looked toward her mother slowly. "Mom."

Yan Laojin walked back with a bowl in her hand, laughing all the way. "What? I said pretty woman. That’s all. I didn’t say anything else."

The child’s eyes got even brighter. "Is Bai Li pretty?"

Yan Cijin paused for a second, then answered in the same calm tone she always used. "Yes, she is."

That answer made Yan Laojin almost laugh out loud. "Wow, you answered that one pretty fast."

Yan Cijin ignored that and turned her attention back to her daughter, who was now smiling with complete innocence like she had just discovered a very important secret. The little one leaned against her and whispered, "Then Mommy should play with pretty woman and play with me too."

Yan Cijin’s mouth twitched. "You’re too small to understand these things."

"I understand Mommy likes pretty people." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Yan Laojin nearly dropped the bowl she was holding. "This child is scary. Who taught her that?"

"No one," Yan Cijin said at once. "She’s just your granddaughter."

Yan Laojin pointed at her daughter with mock seriousness. "So now you admit it. You like pretty people."

Yan Cijin looked at her mother with that same calm face and said, "I have eyes."

That answer made Yan Laojin laugh so hard she had to turn away for a second. Even the little dumpling giggled, not fully understanding the joke but loving the sound of the adults laughing. Yan Cijin shook her head a little, but her lips were soft, not annoyed. She had no intention of arguing more than necessary. Her mother could tease all she wanted. It would not change anything. The only thing that mattered right now was that the child was safe, the house was warm, and she was finally back home.

Yan Laojin brought the bowl into the room and set it down nearby, then looked at her daughter with a more careful expression, the teasing easing into something more gentle now. "You really are alright?"

Yan Cijin nodded. "I’m fine."

"Really fine?"

"Really."

Yan Laojin studied her face for another second, then finally gave a quiet nod. The warmth in her eyes was obvious now. She trusted her daughter’s answer, but more than that, she was simply relieved to hear it. The world outside was not safe. That much everyone knew now. So every return home felt heavier than before. Every safe step back through the door felt like something to be grateful for. She reached out and touched Yan Cijin’s shoulder lightly, then said, "Good. Then eat a little later. You came back tired, and the little one has been waiting for you the whole time."

The little dumpling immediately lifted her head and added, "I really did wait."

Yan Cijin smiled slightly and touched her nose. "I know."

The child grinned so wide it almost looked like her cheeks might split from happiness. She grabbed at Yan Cijin’s sleeve again, not wanting to let go even a little. Yan Cijin let her stay close, letting the child cling the way she wanted. In the middle of all the teasing, the laughter, and the tiredness, there was something peaceful about that simple family moment. Yan Cijin’s mother was still in the kitchen, the smell of food slowly getting stronger now, and the child was still tucked safely against her, warm and trusting and full of little demands that were impossible to refuse. It was a strange kind of comfort, one that settled in slowly after a hard day. Yan Cijin sat there with the little one in her arms and listened to the sounds of Yan Laojin moving around in the kitchen, and for a while she did not think about the outside world at all. She just stayed there, calm as ever on the surface, while her heart remained quietly full underneath it.

..

..

Bai Li checked the security door one more time before she let herself relax. She did not trust a lock just because it had clicked once. In this world, one careless second could turn into a disaster, so she pressed a hand against the heavy door frame, tested the latch, and made sure everything was shut tight the way it should be. Only after that did she turn back toward the living room. The apartment felt a lot quieter now, but it was the kind of quiet that still carried weight in it. Outside the walls, the city had already changed into something ugly and unstable, and even though Bai Li had made it back home safely,

.

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TO BE CONTINUED.