Bai Li did not stop to listen. She simply walked past them with the others, her expression light but alert. Yan Cijin followed her and felt the pressure of leaving the apartment behind becoming more real with every step.
A bit of wind brushed through the entrance when they reached the outside path. The air carried the dry smell of dust and concrete. It was not pleasant, but it was normal enough that people would still keep pretending nothing major had changed. Bai Li looked at the path leading to her place and then at the bags in Yan Cijin's hands. She offered to take one more, but Yan Cijin shook her head and said she could handle it. Bai Li did not insist. They started walking together, and the little girl kept looking from one side to the other as though she was being taken to somewhere very important. In her mind, this probably was an important trip. She was moving to Auntie's house, after all. That sounded huge enough to make her chest puff out with pride.
