Chapter 466: Eternity 27.

The table, the chairs, the little indoor garden, the

carefully organized shelves, and the repaired kitchen cabinet had become

familiar parts of their life. They were not valuable because they were

expensive or impressive. They mattered because the family had made them

into something reliable in a world where reliability had almost

disappeared.

Lili seemed excited about the journey during dinner, but the excitement

faded when she realized they would not simply drive out and return

before bedtime. She asked whether they would be sleeping in the caravan,

whether the road would be bumpy, and whether Shanghai would be loud. Yan

answered as honestly as she could without frightening her. Bai explained

that they would stop when they needed to, and that everybody would stay

together unless they had a clear reason to separate for a short time.

"What if I get scared?" Lili asked.

Mother Yan reached across the table and took her hand. "Then you tell

You don’t have to pretend you’re brave all the time."

Bai nodded. "Being brave doesn’t mean you never get scared. It means you

tell someone when you need help, and you listen when we tell you what to

do."

Lili seemed to think about that. "Can I hold Yan-jiejie’s hand if I get

scared?"

"Of course," Yan said.

"And Bai Li’s?"

Bai’s expression softened. "You can hold both if you can reach."

Lili looked satisfied with this answer and returned to eating. Later,

she packed her toy toolbox and storybook with Mother Yan’s help, then

placed the bag by the door so she would not forget it in the morning.

Bai checked the strap on the bag and shortened it so it would not slip

off the child’s shoulder.

After dinner, the adults sat together in the living room while Lili read

quietly. Mother Yan asked Bai and Yan to tell her once more what they

knew about the first part of the route. They reviewed the planned road,

the likely stopping places, and the points where they would need to

assess the situation before going on. They agreed not to rely on the

radio alone and not to approach a safe zone merely because an

announcement promised help. If they encountered survivors who needed

immediate assistance, they would stop to assess the situation, but they

would not allow every encounter to turn into an endless detour that put

the family at unnecessary risk.

Mother Yan listened carefully. When they finished, she thanked them for

taking the journey seriously. Yan answered that Aunt Lan mattered to her

too. Mother Yan looked at her daughter for a long moment, then reached

over and squeezed her hand.

"I know," she said.

Bai watched their exchange quietly. She wondered what Aunt Lan’s voice

would sound like when they found her, if they found her. She wondered

whether Mother Yan would be able to speak openly to her friend after so

many years of hidden feelings and missed chances. Bai did not know the

full history, but she had heard enough in the phone call to suspect that

the relationship mattered more deeply than ordinary friendship. She had

no intention of asking questions before Mother Yan chose to answer them.

Yan seemed to be thinking along similar lines. She remained close to Bai

throughout the evening, sometimes leaning her shoulder against hers

while they reviewed the route. When Mother Yan took Lili to brush her

teeth, Yan stayed in the living room and watched Bai fold the map

carefully.

"Are you worried?" Yan asked.

Bai looked up. "About the road? Yes."

"Only the road?"

The question held more meaning than its simple wording suggested. Bai

understood that Yan was asking about the people waiting at the other

end, about the risk of failing, and perhaps about how much it mattered

to her that Yan was part of the journey.

"No," Bai said. "Not only the road. But worrying doesn’t tell me what

will happen. It tells me to prepare."

Yan gave a faint smile. "You really do have an answer for everything."

"You keep asking questions."

"Maybe I like hearing your answers."

Bai’s fingers paused on the folded map. Yan seemed to realize what she

had said only after the words were already out. She looked away,

pretending to study the route notes beside them. Bai felt the familiar

warmth rise behind her ribs, but she did not tease Yan or make her

explain. She simply set the map down and said, "Then I’ll make sure

they’re good answers."

Yan looked back at her. There was a moment when neither knew what to do

with the quiet that followed. Then Mother Yan returned from the bedroom

and asked where they wanted to store the emergency lights. The moment

passed, but it did not disappear from either woman’s mind.

Later, after Lili was asleep and Mother Yan had gone to her room, Bai

and Yan checked the final packing list one last time. They stood beside

the front door with the list between them, each holding a pen. Bai

ticked off the last few items. Yan checked that the keys and

identification papers were in the correct pouch. Their shoulders

touched, and neither seemed inclined to move away.

"Ready?" Yan asked.

Bai looked at the list, then at her. "Almost."

"What else?"

Bai hesitated, then reached out and straightened the collar of Yan’s

shirt. It did not need much adjusting. She simply found an excuse to

touch the fabric and make sure Yan was looking at her.

"Now we’re ready," Bai said.

Yan’s breath caught in the smallest possible way. She smiled, then

lowered her gaze to the list so Bai would not see how strongly the

gesture had affected her.

They went to bed shortly afterward, though neither fell asleep

immediately. The next morning would take them away from the apartment

and into a road they could not predict. They had chosen to go, and the

choice felt right. But the place they were leaving had become important

to them, and each of them understood that the journey might change what

they returned to.

TO BE CONTINUED.