Yan Cijin smiled slightly and unlocked her own security door. The second the lock clicked open, the little dumpling inside the house seemed to sense her return before she even fully stepped in. Small feet pattered across the floor, fast and excited, and then the child ran straight over and clung to Yan Cijin’s leg with both arms wrapped tight like she was afraid her mother might disappear again if she let go. "Mommy, hug me~"

Yan Cijin’s expression softened at once. The calm look she always carried on her face did not disappear completely, but it changed in a way that only the people closest to her would notice. Her eyes got gentler, and the corner of her mouth lifted a little more than before. She looked down at the child hanging onto her leg, all round cheeks and bright eyes and that sweet little voice that always made her heart feel a little too full. Before she could bend down and scoop her up, Yan Laojin quickly stepped in with an amused smile in her eyes and gently pulled the little dumpling away. "Be a good girl, your mommy just finished working and must be very tired. Grandma will play with you, okay? Let your mommy rest."

The little dumpling looked up with a face full of unwillingness, then puffed her cheeks a little like she was trying to be brave about it. "Okay then."

She sounded a little wronged, but she still obeyed. That was what made her especially lovable. Even when she wanted something badly, she tried very hard to listen. She snuggled into Yan Laojin’s arms and stayed there, small hands clutching at her grandma’s clothes, but she did not cry or fuss. She just looked at Yan Cijin with big, expectant eyes, still clearly wanting attention even if she was trying not to say it out loud anymore.

Yan Cijin stood there for a moment, looking at the two of them, and the sight made the tiredness in her body feel a little less heavy. There was something soft about coming home to this kind of scene. Even after everything outside, after the danger, the stress, the blood, and the long exhausting day, just seeing her daughter safely in the house and her mother smiling like that made the whole world feel a little more stable again. Her shoulders loosened a bit, and she stepped fully inside, closing the door behind her before the little one could try to rush over again. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Yan Laojin looked at her daughter and asked in a teasing voice, "So, how did it go?"

The tone was light, but there was definitely a spark of mischief hiding inside it. Yan Cijin caught it right away. She looked at her mother for a second, then gave a very small pause before answering, like she was deciding whether to give a real answer or ignore the question entirely. In the end, she only said, "No, I’m a little tired. Mom, I’ll take Lili back to the room to lie down for a while."

That answer was very much in Yan Cijin style. Calm, neat, and just vague enough to avoid being dragged into anything too personal. She reached out and took the little one from Yan Laojin’s arms, lifting her gently with one arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The child immediately settled into her mother’s embrace like she belonged there and nowhere else. Yan Cijin still had that tiny bit of her own thoughts circling in her head, though. She was thinking about Bai Li, and about the way things had gone earlier, and about how strangely quiet the atmosphere between them had been at the end. There were a lot of little details she had not yet sorted out properly, but she did not show that on her face. She just held the child more securely and kissed her cheek.

That one kiss made the little dumpling instantly light up. Her whole face changed in a second, as if she had just received the biggest reward in the world. "Mommy~ I missed you so much, I want to play with you."

Yan Cijin looked at her daughter and her voice softened even more. "Okay, then I’ll sleep for a while, and when I wake up I’ll play with you, okay?" She hugged the little one tighter and gave her another kiss, this time a little more lingering, the kind that made the child giggle and squirm in her arms. The little dumpling smelled sweet and milky, like a warm little pastry fresh out of the oven. Yan Cijin could not help but hold her for a second longer than necessary because the child always smelled so comforting and so clean, like home itself had taken shape and become small enough to carry.

"Hehe, Mommy, it tickles~" The little dumpling rubbed against Yan Cijin affectionately, her voice going all soft and sugary. She wrapped her tiny arms around her mother’s neck and leaned into her with complete trust, her little face bright and pleased. Yan Cijin’s heart gave a quiet tug at that. No matter how tired she was, no matter how strange the day had been, this was the kind of thing that made it worth coming back alive. Her child. Her family. Her home. All of it was right here, in one warm cluster of arms and smiles.

Yan Laojin stood there watching them for a moment, and the relief in her own face was very obvious now. She was clearly glad to see that her daughter had come back safe. Even though she was still trying to act casual, the way her shoulders eased and the way her eyes softened gave her away immediately. A daughter coming back alive in a situation like this was not something anyone could take lightly. It was a blessing, a very real one, and Yan Laojin knew that. So instead of standing around asking more questions, she turned toward the kitchen right away and hurried in to prepare a meal.

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TO BE CONTINUED.