Chapter 201: A Longing Journey North

Heqing on the other end excitedly finished her call with Lin Zheng Ran and climbed out of bed in her pink strawberry-patterned pajamas.

She opened her bedroom door and peeked out quietly, checking if the living room was silent.

But in the kitchen, her mom was already preparing breakfast—cooking noodles.

Heqing swallowed hard and tiptoed over quietly; after all, she was leaving just three days after coming home, so she wanted to sweet-talk her mom. “Mom, you’re making breakfast? Let me help you.”

“What are you doing? You scared me! How do you walk without making a sound?!”

Heqing blinked innocently.

Her mom said, “You’re up? No need to help. What help in the morning? We’ll have ribs at noon; you can assist then. Go wash up and get ready for breakfast.”

Heqing stayed quiet.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Something else?” Her mom looked at her daughter.

Heqing grinned and fidgeted with her hands. “Just a little thing…”

Her mom eyed her daughter suspiciously; after all, she was her own flesh and blood and knew that smile meant trouble brewing.

In this era, many parents hoped their daughters would graduate and marry quickly, worried they’d never find a boyfriend.

Especially if the girl was a bit of a homebody who didn’t like socializing—it was a real headache.

But Heqing’s mom wasn’t worried at all. She knew her daughter’s heart had been stolen by a boy when she was young. Though her daughter was honest and didn’t make friends easily, she always had that one in mind.

Heqing blinked her pure, almond-shaped eyes and said softly, “Mom, I want to take a trip to the north to see Lin Zheng Ran… is that okay?”

“Is that all? I knew you’d want to go north again.” Her mom frowned slightly. “Can’t you stay away from Lin Zheng Ran?”

Heqing pressed her lips together.

She muttered to herself, “I can’t stay away; I’m stuck on him.”

“Listen to that!” Her mom rolled her eyes at Heqing. “Don’t you feel embarrassed? It’s like you’re already married to him.”

Heqing stuck out her tongue.

She thought to herself, what’s the difference? Her life was tied to Lin Zheng Ran anyway—married or not, she was his.

Her mom sighed, used to it by now, and thought for a moment:

“Fine, fine. But didn’t you say you’d go on a trip with him next week? If you’re traveling, you need to pack. Why not go tomorrow? Pack properly today, and I’ll go with you to buy some things for Lin’s Aunt.”

“No, it’s too long! Even a day feels forever, and I already packed my luggage last night. I don’t need to pack more—I’ll buy stuff for the aunt when I get to the north.”

“Wait, you already packed?”

Her mom turned off the stove and went to Heqing’s bedroom to check, grabbing the suitcase.

She bent down and patted the stuffed suitcase; sure enough, it was all ready.

“When did you pack this? How did I not know?”

Heqing whispered, “I did it last night. I put clothes and all sorts of daily stuff in there—it took the whole evening.”

Her mom felt helpless.

Though Heqing was timid, she had this confident air about her expression.

“Can I go, Mom?”

Her mom stood with hands on hips, staring at her daughter.

After a moment of eye contact, her mom said:

“Go tell your grandma too.”

Heqing lit up with joy. “Thanks, Mom! I’ll be back after the trip! I won’t stay in the north forever! I’ll miss you and Grandma there!”

She kissed her mom’s cheek, then pulled out the clothes she’d picked last night from the closet.

A gray pleated skirt paired with a white long-sleeve top.

Her mom shook her head with a smile and went back to cooking.

Heqing changed into the clothes, gathered her freshly washed hair, and tied it into a neat ponytail.

Once done, she shook her head, making the ponytail sway—it felt great.

She slipped on her shoes and peeked around the bedroom doorframe again, seeing her mom serving noodles in the kitchen.

Heqing’s face flushed as she quickly shut the bedroom door and rummaged in the closet corner for a box, pulling out two pairs of white silk stockings.

These white silk stockings were from an ad she stumbled upon while shopping online the day before yesterday.

Heqing had never worn silk stockings before, so she was curious about how they’d look—especially if Lin Zheng Ran would like them.

She’d picked a pair of white ones and even asked the customer service about them.

Recalling the stories Wen Wen had shown her, she asked, “How’s the quality of these stockings? Can they tear easily?”

The customer service replied casually, “Stockings tear easily, dear. But ours are for everyday wear. If you need something else, I can recommend a product.”

They sent a link for sensual stockings.

Heqing’s face turned red as she quickly messaged back, “No, no! I don’t need those. Thanks!”

Then, looking at the link, she switched stores and bought a pair of sensual ones just in case.

So, the two pairs of white silk stockings she had were one for everyday and one sensual—the styles were slightly different.

She hadn’t packed them last night because she was afraid her mom might check the suitcase and find them—that would be mortifying.

Now, she tucked both pairs into a hidden corner of the suitcase.

Heqing went to her grandma’s bedroom and knocked before entering. “Grandma, I’m heading to the north for a trip and will be back soon.”

Her grandma was already up and getting dressed.

“Little Heqing’s leaving again? Weren’t you just back?”

“Yeah, I have some things to do. I won’t be long—I’ll be back in a few days. I’ll still call you and Mom from there.” She ran over and kissed her grandma’s cheek.

Grabbing her suitcase, she called from the bedroom, “Mom, I’m off!”

Her mom set the bowls on the table. “Not even eating breakfast? At least have something—do you have to rush this much?”

Heqing blinked. “I’ll grab something on the way. If I eat now, I’ll be late.”

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

Heqing pulled her suitcase along.

She smiled and waved at her mom. “Okay, I’m going?”

Her mom watched her daughter’s lovesick expression. If it were just a passing crush, she’d get it, but this had gone on for years—Heqing’s feelings for Lin Zheng Ran only seemed to grow stronger.

“Heqing, is Lin Zheng Ran as good to you in high school as he was when you were kids?” she asked suddenly.

Heqing looked at her mom and grinned. “Yeah, just like back then—he’s really kind to me!”

Well, maybe a tad flirtatious…

From her daughter’s face, her mom could tell if it was true or not. She patted Heqing’s head and said warmly,

“When you get there, remember to buy something for Lin’s Aunt and Lin’s Uncle. Once you graduate and marry him, you’ll have plenty of time together. Bring him over sometime, and I’ll cook him something nice.”

Heqing nodded, her face flushing.

After saying goodbye, she pulled her suitcase out the door.

As she left, she sent a message to Lin Zheng Ran.