[Today, you had a brief encounter with the Demon Sect Witch. She mentioned that you might meet again in the future. Who knows what kind of opportunity this will bring you.]
"Demon Sect Witch... That title really does suit her vibe," Lin Zhengran thought.
Later, the kitten's owner frantically arrived at the bus stop. Lin Zhengran and Han Wenwen handed the kitten over to him. The owner was incredibly grateful, and the two of them parted ways.
After winter passed, another spring arrived.
It was the final semester of elementary school. Ever since the New Year, Xiao Heqing had been asking her mother, "Mom, when can I go to junior high with Lin Zhengran?"
Mrs. He replied, "Probably in September. You two can see each other when junior high starts then. I'll register you in August during your summer vacation."
"What day in September?"
"That's not set in stone yet. It's usually at the beginning of the month, but it varies a little every year."
Xiao Heqing smiled and agreed, then ran to her bedroom. She opened her newly bought notebook and started calculating how many days were left until September 1st. Every time a day passed, she would cross it out, marking that she was one day closer to seeing Lin Zhengran.
Mrs. He stood at the bedroom door, watching her daughter lie on her stomach on the bed. The girl's chin was propped up on one hand, and she happily kicked her little legs in the air as she counted the days. Four years had passed. Mrs. He truly hadn't expected that her daughter would still want to return to that small northern town. She had originally thought that their separation would sever the bond between the two children, but looking at it now, it had only grown stronger.
Having experienced a failed marriage herself, Mrs. He reminded her daughter, "Qingqing, once you meet Ranran this time, remember to keep a close eye on him. Don't let him slip away again."
Hearing this, Xiao Heqing's face flushed bright red. She stammered, "Mom... what are you talking about?"
Mrs. He offered her heartfelt advice. "I mean exactly what I said. I genuinely hope that my Qingqing can be with the person she likes and never be apart for the rest of her life." With that, she headed to the kitchen to cook, completely ignoring He Qing's tomato-red face.
The final half-year passed with He Qing crossing out dates in her notebook day by day, counting down on her fingers. Xiao Heqing watched eagerly as the number of days in her notebook dwindled from over a hundred down to fifty, and then from fifty down to the final ten.
The start of the semester, midterms, the end of the term, final exams, and finally, summer vacation.
The smile on He Qing's face grew brighter and brighter. "Ten more days... Just ten more days until I can see him!"
Two days later.
Lin Zhengran was at home watching TV with his parents. The whole family was sprawled comfortably across the sofa. Lin Yingjun had his arms around his wife, Lin Xiaoli. She leaned against her husband's chest while gently patting her son's thigh.
She asked Lin Zhengran, "There are only five days left until junior high registration. Are you nervous, Ranran? Once you start junior high, you won't be able to come home every day, you know. You'll have to live on campus."
Lin Zhengran chuckled. "What's there to be nervous about?" he replied. "It'll perfectly free up the house for the two of you anyway, saving me from having to watch you be all lovey-dovey."
The phone rang. Lin Xiaoli checked the caller ID, sat up straight, and handed the phone to her son with a pleasant surprise. "It's Qingqing calling! Hurry up and answer it. Ask her if she's coming back soon."
Lin Zhengran answered the phone, but before he could say a word, he heard a burst of crying from the other end.
"Lin... Lin Zhengran... Are you there? I have some bad news to tell you," she choked out, sniffling. "I might not be able to see you when school starts."
Lin Zhengran's heart skipped a beat. He knew exactly how long this girl had been looking forward to this day; every time she called, she would remind him of how many days were left until they met. He walked into his bedroom and carefully asked what was going on before He Qing finally explained.
"Mom said there's a bit of a problem with my enrollment procedures. My transfer might be delayed for a month before I can go to school with you. We won't be able to see each other when the semester starts."
Hearing this, Lin Zhengran breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me. Seeing how hard you were crying, I thought you weren't coming at all."
On the other end of the line, Xiao Heqing was sitting on her bed, curled up into a ball, hugging her legs and wiping her tears. "How could I not come? I'd crawl back just to go to school with you if I had to! We made a promise, and neither of us is allowed to back out."
Lin Zhengran chuckled. After a few years apart, even she had learned how to make jokes.
He Qing sniffled and continued, "I had already calculated the exact date, and I even asked my mom what day I could go to the town to see you. But now that this accident happened, I have to wait a whole month before I can go over..."
"A month is just a month. What's there to cry about? We haven't seen each other for years, so does one more month really make a difference?"
"It does..." Xiao Heqing buried her face in her knees. "A month is a very long time! Plus, I already finished making your welcome gift. I spent a long time learning how to make it and several days putting it together. It's a dessert... chocolate-flavored." As she spoke, she grew aggrieved again. "In a month, the dessert will go bad. If I make it again, it might not turn out as well as this one did. I made several, but this one was the prettiest."
Lin Zhengran hummed in acknowledgment. "I get it now. So after all that crying, you're just feeling sorry for your chocolate?"
Xiao Heqing was instantly amused, her tears giving way to a smile. "No, that's not what I meant. Stop teasing me." Blushing, she traced Lin Zhengran's name on her bedsheets with her finger. Word by word, she said to the person on the phone, "I just miss you, Lin Zhengran. I want to see you..." She stopped tracing. "So, I just discussed it with Wenwen and came up with an idea. I don't know if you'll agree to it?"
Curious, Lin Zhengran asked, "What idea?"
Xiao Heqing timidly shared her idea with Lin Zhengran, and he was absolutely shocked after hearing it. He couldn't help but wonder if this was still the same cowardly He Qing.
She actually wanted them to both take a train at the exact same time and meet up in the middle region between the North and the South.
His eyes widened, and he frowned. "Are you crazy? Do you know how far apart we are? Even if we took the high-speed rail, we wouldn't be able to make a round trip in a single day, let alone on other trains. Besides, where would we even stay? You're being way too reckless. There's no way I'm agreeing to this."
A trace of determination cut through Xiao Heqing's aggrieved voice. "I'm not afraid... Besides, it's only halfway. There will definitely be somewhere to stay." She tried her best to persuade Lin Zhengran. "Just... just promise me, okay? I'm begging you."
She stopped crying and spent ages pleading with Lin Zhengran. She relentlessly wore him down, constantly insisting that she was grown up now, that she was a teenager with her own ID card, and that she wasn't the same as before. She swore everything would be fine.
She even lied to Lin Zhengran: "I've already taken a car and left the house..."
Lin Zhengran really didn't understand why young girls these days were so outrageous. Did they just do things without using their brains?
Hanging up the phone, Lin Zhengran told his mom that he was going to find He Qing.
Lin Yingjun and Lin Xiaoli, who were sitting on the sofa watching TV, were dumbfounded. Their jaws dropped, rendering them completely speechless.
Lin Zhengran gave them a half-truthful explanation of the situation. The couple exchanged glances, sighing over how different kids were nowadays.
Lin Yingjun handed his spare phone to his son. "Take this phone. Make sure you keep us updated and let us know you're safe on the way."
"Thanks, Dad. I'm heading out."
And so, Lin Zhengran boarded a train heading to the South.
After buying his ticket and sitting down on the train, he stared out the window. Exhaustion washed over his face as he muttered to himself, finally realizing what he was doing. "What the hell am I doing? I could have just slept in for another two days at home, but instead I'm wasting my time and energy on this pointless trip. If I don't give that stupid girl a good scolding later, my last name isn't Lin."
On the other side, Xiao Heqing was overjoyed after getting Lin Zhengran's agreement. She quickly packed a few things, carefully placed the dessert she had made into her backpack, and said to her mother with an incredibly guilty conscience, "Mom, I'm going out to hang out with Wenwen. I'm going to sleep over at her place tonight."
Mrs. He, who was on the sofa taking care of Grandma, asked curiously, "Huh? You're not coming back tonight?"
Xiao Heqing looked toward the door guiltily. "Yeah, I'm sleeping over at Wenwen's. I'm leaving now!"
"Slow down! What's the rush?"
She also bought a ticket and, holding the phone Han Wenwen had lent her, boarded a train heading to the North, eagerly anticipating her reunion with Lin Zhengran in just a few hours.
Of course, since Xiao Heqing had never traveled far away from home by herself, she stayed on the phone with Lin Zhengran the entire time, following his every instruction.