That was how she showed love. Quietly, in motion, through food and care and the steady rhythm of making sure everyone had what they needed.

Yan Cijin carried the little dumpling toward the room while the child happily rested her cheek against her shoulder. As she walked, Yan Laojin’s voice came from behind her, still carrying a teasing note even while she was heading into the kitchen. "You really are something, coming back all tired like that. Did Bai Li wear you out?"

Yan Cijin paused for a fraction of a second, just enough to show that she had heard the comment clearly, but not enough to make it obvious that the comment had reached her in any deeper way. Then she kept walking as if nothing had happened. Her face barely changed. She was still calm, still composed, still looking like she had not been bothered at all, but the little pause was there, and Yan Laojin absolutely noticed it. She smiled to herself, pleased by that tiny reaction, because her daughter was usually far too hard to shake. Any small sign of awkwardness was worth enjoying.

"What are you talking about?" Yan Cijin said lightly, still carrying Lili. Her tone was flat enough to sound normal, but not so flat that it turned rude. "I just went to help Bai Li with her dressing. That’s all."

Yan Laojin laughed from the kitchen doorway. "Of course, just the dressing. That’s always how it starts."

Yan Cijin stopped by the room door and turned her head slightly, giving her mother a very quiet look. It was not an angry look. Not even really a warning one. It was more like the kind of look that said she had heard the joke, knew exactly what her mother was doing, and was not going to give her the satisfaction of a bigger reaction. That, of course, only made Yan Laojin even more entertained. She set a pot down in the kitchen and called back, "You came home looking this calm, but I’m guessing Bai Li was the one who didn’t stay calm, right?"

Yan Cijin, still holding the little dumpling, finally gave a tiny sigh. "Mom."

Just that one word. Nothing more. No explanation. No denial. But the way she said it was enough to make Yan Laojin grin. Yan Cijin’s expression stayed mostly unchanged, yet the faint shift in her ears, and the very slight lift in her brows, gave away more than she probably wanted. She had that kind of face. Even when she was trying to keep things hidden, her little reactions had a way of slipping through.

The little dumpling, who was lying contentedly in her mother’s arms, looked up and asked in a very serious voice, "Mommy, who is Bai Li?"

Yan Cijin lowered her gaze to the child, and her face softened completely this time. "She’s Mommy’s friend."

Yan Laojin, who was already busy in the kitchen, snorted softly at that answer. "Friend, she says. Very serious friend. Very special friend. The kind of friend that makes you come home looking like you’ve been thinking about her all the way back."

Yan Cijin walked into the room and gently set the child down on the bed, then adjusted the blanket around her little shoulders. "Mom, you should cook instead of gossiping."

"I am cooking," Yan Laojin said at once, sounding offended in a very fake way. "I can do two things at once. I’m a mother, remember?"

Yan Cijin gave a small hum, then sat down beside the little dumpling for a moment. The child immediately climbed a little closer and tugged at her sleeve. Yan Cijin looked down at her and asked, "Are you being good for Grandma?"

The little dumpling nodded hard. "I was good. I waited for Mommy."

"That’s right." Yan Cijin reached out and smoothed the child’s hair. "You did well."

The praise made the little one beam. She curled up next to her mother like a tiny warm loaf of bread, visibly very happy just to have her back. Yan Cijin leaned down and kissed the top of her head. The child let out a tiny happy sound and then immediately tried to climb into her lap again, which made Yan Cijin laugh under her breath. Even that small laugh sounded warm. It was one of those rare, quiet moments where the whole room felt soft.

Yan Laojin called from the kitchen again, "You know, Bai Li better not be the reason you came home looking all distracted."

Yan Cijin slowly looked toward the kitchen. "She’s not."

"That was too fast."

"Because it’s obvious."

"Is it?" Yan Laojin’s voice carried a clear smile. "Then why do you look like you’re thinking about her even now?"

Yan Cijin did not answer that directly. She simply lifted one hand and touched the child’s cheek, as if the whole topic had become less important than the warm little face in front of her. The child, sensing that she was being included, rubbed her cheek into her mother’s palm and said in a small voice, "Mommy, are you sleepy?"

"A little," Yan Cijin answered.

"Then sleep with me."

Yan Cijin smiled, this time more visibly, and nodded. "Okay. I’ll sleep with you in a bit."

Yan Laojin, hearing that, chuckled from the kitchen. "See, at least your daughter knows where her mother belongs. Unlike some people."

Yan Cijin closed her eyes for half a second like she was gathering patience. "Mom."

"What? I said nothing."

"You said plenty."

Yan Laojin walked out just enough to look at her daughter properly, wiping her hands on a towel. "So how bad was it really? You look tired, but not injured. That means Bai Li probably took care of you properly."

Yan Cijin’s expression barely shifted, but there was still a small pause before she answered. "It was fine. She helped me a lot."

"Oh?" Yan Laojin’s eyes immediately lit up with interest. "Helped you a lot, huh?"

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To be continued.