She asked whether there was anything else in the kitchen they needed to bring, whether the child had a favorite cup, whether Yan Laojin wanted to pack the medicine separately. Every question was ordinary, but together they made the whole thing feel stable. The more stable the process felt, the less awkward Yan Cijin became.
At one point, the child got tired of sitting still and climbed into Bai Li's arms again. Bai Li easily lifted her and let her sit on one hip while she carried a bag with the other hand. The little girl immediately wrapped her arms around Bai Li's neck and looked at her with sparkling eyes. Yan Cijin watched that and felt another tiny tug inside her chest. Bai Li was good with children. It was almost unfair how naturally she could handle both a child and a room full of supplies without looking strained. Yan Cijin thought that maybe Bai Li would be the kind of person who could keep a family steady even when the world outside was crumbling.
