"She has your eyes," Yan Cijin whispered.
"She has your mouth."
"She looks very serious."
Bai Li laughed, then bent and kissed Yan Cijin's forehead. "She got the best parts."
Yan Cijin, exhausted and glowing and impossible, reached out with the hand that was not holding Lili and touched Bai Li's cheek. "Say hello to your daughter."
Bai Li looked down and, because she was the kind of woman who could face high wind and steel and not blink, but could not remain calm in front of a newborn, she said the first thing that came to her heart.
"Hello, little Lili. Your mother is very beautiful. Please forgive her for making me this emotional."
Yan Cijin laughed weakly. "You are hopeless."
Lili made a small offended noise as if agreeing.
And that was the end of the waiting.
The beginning after that was the kind of beginning that makes people understand why love stories never really end. They only change shape.
