Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

After finishing the call with Lin Zhengran, Little He Qing, still buzzing with excitement, climbed out of bed in her pink strawberry-patterned pajamas.

She carefully cracked open her bedroom door, peeking out. The living room was quiet, but from the kitchen, she could hear her mother making breakfast—boiling noodles.

Swallowing nervously, He Qing tiptoed out, moving so silently that her mother jumped when she appeared.

"Ah! You scared me! Why are you walking without making a sound?!"

He Qing blinked innocently.

Her mother sighed. "You’re up? No need to help with breakfast. What’s there to help with? We’re having ribs for lunch—help me then. Go wash up and get ready to eat."

He Qing hesitated.

"What? Something else?" her mother asked, eyeing her daughter suspiciously.

He Qing gave a sheepish grin, fidgeting with her fingers. "Just… a little thing…"

These days, many parents worried about their daughters not finding a boyfriend after graduation. Especially if their daughters were introverted and not fond of socializing.

But He Qing’s mother never had that concern.

She had known for years that her daughter’s heart had already been stolen—by a certain boy.

Despite being shy and not making many friends, He Qing had always been devoted to someone since childhood.

Her daughter fluttered her innocent apricot eyes and said softly, "Mom… I want to take the train today to see Lin Zhengran. Is that okay?"

"That’s a ‘little thing’ to you? I knew it—you want to go north again." Her mother frowned slightly. "Can’t you be apart from him for even a moment?"

He Qing bit her lip, murmuring under her breath, "I really can’t… I just can’t."

"Listen to yourself!" Her mother rolled her eyes. "You talk like you’re already married to him."

He Qing stuck out her tongue playfully.

What’s the difference? she thought to herself. I belong to Lin Zhengran no matter what. Married or not, I’m still his.

Her mother exhaled, used to this by now.

"Fine, fine. But aren’t you supposed to go on a trip with him next week? You’ll need to pack for that. Why not leave tomorrow instead? We can buy some gifts for Lin Auntie before you go."

"No way!" He Qing protested immediately. "One day is already too long! And I packed everything last night, so I don’t need to pack anymore. I’ll buy gifts for Auntie after I arrive."

"Wait—you already packed?"

He Qing’s mother turned off the stove and walked into her daughter’s room.

Sure enough, when He Qing pulled out her suitcase, it was stuffed full.

Her mother bent down, patting the overfilled luggage. "When did you do this? I didn’t even notice."

"Last night," He Qing admitted in a small voice. "I packed my clothes and everything else. It took all night."

Her mother could only sigh, exasperated.

Even though He Qing was timid, her expression was unwavering, full of determination.

"So… can I go, Mom?"

Hands on her hips, her mother locked eyes with her daughter for a moment before relenting.

"Go tell your grandma first."

He Qing lit up. "Thank you, Mom! I’ll be back after the trip! I won’t stay in the North forever! I’ll miss you and Grandma while I’m there!"

She even kissed her mother’s cheek before pulling out an outfit she had picked out the night before—a gray pleated skirt and a white long-sleeved top.

Her mother chuckled and shook her head before heading back to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, He Qing quickly changed into her outfit, combing her freshly washed hair into a neat ponytail. She always liked swishing her head after tying it up, making the ponytail bounce.

Slipping on her shoes, she peeked out again. Seeing her mom busy serving noodles, He Qing quickly closed her bedroom door.

Blushing, she hurried to her wardrobe and opened a hidden box in the corner.

Inside were two pairs of white stockings.

She had never worn stockings before but had seen an ad while online shopping two days ago.

Would Lin Zhengran like them?

Curious, she had asked the customer service chat:

"How’s the quality of these stockings? Are they easy to rip?"

The customer service rep, clearly used to such questions, responded, "Stockings are naturally easy to tear, dear. But if you're looking for a special kind, I can recommend something else!"

Then, they sent her a link… to a very different type of stockings.

He Qing’s face had gone bright red.

"No, no! I don’t need those! Thank you!"

And yet… after thinking for a moment, she had switched stores and secretly ordered one pair of those "special" stockings—just in case.

Now, in her hands were two pairs: one normal, one… not-so-normal.

She had deliberately not packed them last night in case her mother checked her suitcase. That would have been way too embarrassing.

Now, she carefully tucked them into the hidden corners of her luggage.

Once that was done, she headed to her grandmother’s room and knocked.

"Grandma, I’m going to the North for a trip. I’ll be back in a few days."

Her grandmother, already up and getting dressed, looked at her in surprise.

"Leaving again, Little Qingqing? Weren’t you just back?"

"Yeah, but I have something to do. Don’t worry, I’ll call you and Mom while I’m there!"

She ran over and gave her grandma a quick kiss before rushing out with her suitcase.

"Mom! I’m leaving!"

Her mother, setting a bowl of noodles on the table, sighed.

"You’re not even having breakfast? Is it that urgent?"

He Qing blinked. "I’ll grab something on the way. If I eat breakfast now, I’ll be late!"

Her mother had no choice but to walk her to the door.

As He Qing waved and smiled, pulling her suitcase along, her mother couldn’t help but ask,

"Qingqing… is Lin Zhengran still as good to you in high school as he was when you were kids?"

He Qing grinned. "Mhm! Just as good as before—he treats me really well!"

Even if he’s a little bit of a flirt…

Her mother, reading her daughter’s expression, wasn’t entirely convinced. But she just patted He Qing’s head.

"When you get there, buy something nice for Lin Auntie and Lin Uncle. After you graduate college, you’ll be marrying into their family. You’ll be spending a long time with them. And bring Lin Zhengran here to visit sometime—I’ll cook something nice for him."

Blushing, He Qing nodded.

After saying goodbye, she walked off with her suitcase, sending a message to Lin Zhengran.