Maybe even violent. But instead she was crouching in front of her daughter, giving her drinks, letting her blow on her hand, and speaking softly to her. It was hard to reconcile that with the rumors people had thrown around yesterday. Yan Laojin’s heart was still uneasy, but now there was also a little bit of genuine curiosity mixed in. Was this really the same person as the one they had all been talking about?

Yan Laojin had seen Bai Li’s performance just now. Was this really the same person as described in the group chat?

"Grandma, I’m here~" The little dumpling opened her arms and asked Yan Laojin for a hug.

Yan Laojin picked up the little girl. "Okay, watch your cartoons."

"Mmm, this is so delicious." The little girl said, taking another big gulp of Wahaha.

The scene was so ordinary and warm now that it was hard to believe a few minutes ago everyone had been tense at the door. Lili curled herself into Yan Laojin’s arms again and settled down, happily drinking her beverage and watching cartoons like the world had never gone wrong. Yan Laojin sat holding her with a small, helpless smile on her face, still keeping one eye on Bai Li and Yan Cijin at the same time. Bai Li had now turned back toward the dressing, and Yan Cijin was preparing the medicine carefully, her expression calm and focused. The whole room had finally fallen into a sort of gentle domestic rhythm.

Yan Cijin looked at Bai Li. "Come on, give me your hand. It might hurt a little when you take off the gauze."

"It’s okay, just do it. I’m not afraid of pain." Bai Li said calmly.

Yan Cijin frowned slightly and looked at Bai Li with a cold gaze.

That was enough to remind Bai Li of the hospital and the moment when Yan Cijin had nearly been frightened to tears by everything that had happened. Bai Li caught the change in her expression and immediately realized she had probably sounded a little too careless just now. So she adjusted at once, because the last thing she wanted was to make Yan Cijin think she was being reckless again. Bai Li knew how the other woman worked by now. Yan Cijin was strong, but she also worried easily when it came to the people around her. If Bai Li kept acting like pain did not matter, Yan Cijin would only get more serious and upset. That was not what she wanted.

Bai Li remembered that she had made Yan Cijin cry at the hospital, and quickly changed her words. "I mean, I will be careful next time and try not to get hurt again."

"That’s more like it." Yan Cijin snorted and went to get the first aid kit.

She removed the gauze from Bai Li’s right hand. The yellow gauze strip was still stuck to the flesh, just like last time. Yan Cijin put some of the yellow gauze’s antiseptic on a cotton swab and gently moistened it on Bai Li’s hand. Unlike alcohol, the yellow gauze’s antiseptic wouldn’t sting when applied to the wound.

Yan Cijin was gentle and tried a few times before finally removing the gauze.

She used a cotton swab dipped in iodine to disinfect the wound and instructed, "Remember to use your hands less these few days, and don’t get the wound wet, otherwise it will fester. Also, have you taken your anti inflammatory medication on time?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Yes," Bai Li replied obediently.

Yan Cijin nodded in satisfaction. "It might take a few more days for the wound to scab over. You need to change the dressing properly these few days. I can come over, or you can come over."

"Okay, I’ve got it." Bai Li quickly replied.

Seeing Bai Li being so obedient, Yan Cijin even had the urge to pat Bai Li’s head, but she suppressed it. She only had the chance to touch Bai Li’s head last time because she was washing Bai Li’s hair; it would be too abrupt to do so now.

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"Extend your left hand," Yan Cijin reminded her. Bai Li obediently extended her left hand. Yan Cijin continued to carefully treat Bai Li’s wound, changing the dressing on both hands taking nearly twenty minutes. The apartment stayed very quiet while she worked, only broken now and then by the soft rustle of gauze, the faint tap of the medicine bottle, and the little girl’s light breathing from the living room. Bai Li sat very still and let Yan Cijin handle the wound, because even though her expression looked calm, she could feel that Yan Cijin was being extra careful on purpose. The antiseptic felt cool at first, then warm in a very mild way, and Yan Cijin’s fingers moved with such steady concentration that Bai Li found herself watching her more than the bandage. Yan Cijin had that kind of serious face people only made when they were really focused on taking care of someone. It was not cold at all. It was the kind of serious that made Bai Li feel strangely safe. The hands that had been cleaning her wound were gentle, and the way Yan Cijin kept checking the gauze and pressing lightly to make sure it was neat made it obvious she did not want to hurt her even a little. Bai Li had met plenty of people who acted caring in words, but Yan Cijin was the sort who showed it in the way her fingers moved and the way her voice dropped softer when she said, "Hold still a little." Bai Li stayed quiet and listened, and the whole time the little girl in the room kept looking over with bright eyes, clearly curious about what was happening and also a little concerned in her own childlike way.

Yan Cijin’s movements stayed slow and careful the whole time, like she was afraid even a tiny bit of pressure would make Bai Li wince.

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TO BE CONTINUED.