Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 64: The Innate Lady of the House

All of a sudden… she found herself looking forward to high school. Looking forward to growing up.

Little He Qing rested her forehead against Lin Zhengran’s back, her face growing increasingly flushed.

“You’re stabbing me in the back. What exactly have you been carrying since yesterday?” Lin Zhengran asked out of nowhere.

“Huh? Is it really that uncomfortable?” He Qing asked softly, adjusting the position of the box. “It’s a gift for you. I’ll show you once we get home.” After adjusting it, she asked, “Is it better now?”

“Yeah, a bit.”

As they neared home, He Qing nervously asked, “By the way… are Uncle and Auntie home?”

“They’re not. Just go take a shower when we get in.”

“Mm.”

At the door, He Qing took off her muddy shoes and slipped into a pair of women’s slippers. Even though her shoes were dirty, her socks were still pristine, and her little feet remained spotless.

She headed to the bathroom, ready to take off her puffer jacket—only to realize she was still hugging her gift.

Lin Zhengran also removed his mud-stained jacket and casually reminded her, “Just set it down. I won’t peek.”

He knew she had been preparing this gift for a long time. After all, she had been acting distracted for the past two weeks, clearly preoccupied with something. She had probably been busy with this the whole time. Lin Zhengran wasn’t about to ruin her efforts with something as petty as sneaking a look.

Hearing his reassurance, He Qing adorably placed the box on the floor. “I’ll show you after my shower.”

She took off her jacket, but as she did, some of the mud splattered onto her sweater.

Startled, she let out a small yelp. “Ah! My sweater’s dirty too! Now I have to wash it!”

She quickly removed the sweater, revealing a plain white undershirt beneath. But in her clumsy rush, she accidentally smeared mud onto that too.

She stared in horror at the dirty fabric, her face turning red.

“My undershirt is dirty too! Everything’s dirty!”

Lin Zhengran was speechless. How was she this clumsy?

“What are you doing? Trying to get every single piece of clothing covered in mud on purpose?”

He Qing shrank her head down, feeling wronged. She wasn’t doing it on purpose! Slowly, she started picking at the mud spots with her fingers.

Lin Zhengran sighed and turned toward his bedroom. “I’ll get you some pajamas. You can wear mine until your clothes are dry.”

He Qing mumbled her agreement, and soon, the sound of running water filled the bathroom as she locked the door behind her.

Sure enough, as she undressed, she discovered that after falling into the mud earlier, even the inner layer of her pants was dirty. Only her underwear… was still clean.

And her bra.

Frustrated, He Qing mimicked Lin Zhengran’s habit of knocking on her own forehead, scolding herself. “What are you doing?! Lin Zhengran just said he doesn’t like useless girls, and you’re out here being a complete airhead!”

She grabbed the shower gel and shampoo and lathered herself up, drenching herself in warm water.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhengran lay on his bed, listening to the sound of her shower.

Thinking back to yesterday, he couldn’t help but wonder—was Jiang Xueli about to say something like that to him, too? These two girls were too much.

Then, He Qing called from the bathroom, “Lin… Lin Zhengran! Which towel should I use? Which one is Auntie’s?”

Lin Zhengran raised his voice to answer, “My mom and dad use the same one. Just use mine—the white one with the blue border. I just washed it yesterday.”

“Wait… I-I’m using yours?” He Qing’s voice was barely above a whisper, but he could already hear the embarrassment in her tone.

“Yeah, just deal with it. There’s no other towel left.”

“Okay! Got it!”

Inside the bathroom, He Qing let the warm water run over her head. She turned to look at the blue-bordered towel hanging on the wall, her lips pressing together.

“That’s his towel…”

She stared at it, and before she knew it, a thought popped into her head. She hesitated, then slowly reached for it, inching it toward her nose.

But just as she was about to sniff it, her face turned bright red. Panicked, she snapped her eyes shut and quickly put it back. She turned the hot water up, washing her face vigorously to cool down.

In her mind, she chanted:

“I’m not a pervert. I’m not a pervert. I’m not a pervert. I can’t do that kind of thing.”

About ten minutes later, He Qing finished her shower. Her loose ponytail was undone, and her long hair draped over her shoulders. She put on Lin Zhengran’s pajamas and was shocked by how oversized they were.

Just the top alone reached halfway down her thighs.

And… the scent of him lingered on the fabric.

Peeking her head out of the bathroom, she checked if Lin Zhengran was in the living room. Seeing he wasn’t there, she carefully wrapped her towel around her hair.

Since long hair takes forever to dry, it was better to leave it wrapped for a while to prevent catching a cold.

Then, like a proper lady of the house, she grabbed her dirty clothes and went to the balcony to toss them into the washing machine. Having visited this house countless times, she knew where everything was.

Once she started the machine, she immediately grabbed a mop and returned to the bathroom to wipe the floor dry. Then, she placed the used towel into a basin to wash it by hand.

That’s when she noticed Lin Zhengran’s socks, which he had taken off earlier.

Hearing her bustling about, Lin Zhengran grew curious and stepped out of his room.

What he saw left him speechless.

She had made herself right at home. The washing machine was running, the mop was propped against the wall, and the little girl was busy at the sink, scrubbing a towel.

Not only that, but she was even washing the socks he had just taken off.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

He Qing turned around. “Washing the towel.” She held up his socks. “And your socks, too. They’re done.”

“Huh?” He was baffled. “You could’ve just thrown them in the washing machine. Besides, I only put those on this morning.”

“The machine is already washing our clothes, so I figured I might as well clean the towel by hand. And as for your socks, well, you wore them outside. A fresh pair would feel cleaner, and they’ll dry quickly.”

She wrung the socks out and said, “Go rest in your room. I’ll cut you some fruit. I saw apples and pears on the table—do you want one?”

Lin Zhengran: “……”

Lin Zhengran: “Apple.”

“Okay, I’ll cut it for you.”

After hanging the washed towel and socks out to dry, He Qing neatly placed the mop on the balcony.

She then let out a satisfied sigh. “All done.”

Sitting on the couch, she grabbed a small knife and expertly sliced the apple, poking a few toothpicks into the pieces. Then, she carried the plate into Lin Zhengran’s room and set it beside his bed.

“All done. Just eat.”

[Fairy He, after an intense battle with the Crimson Sky Demon Hound, was covered in blood. You brought her to your home. As a token of gratitude, she washed your clothes, cleaned the house, and even prepared you some fruit. These actions contained the essence of her True Spirit Qi—upon absorbing it, your Strength increased by 1, and your Charisma increased by 2.]

He Qing ran back to the bathroom and unwrapped her towel, ready to blow-dry her hair.

But when she picked up the hairdryer… she hesitated.

This was a new model. She had never used it before.

“Lin Zhengran, how do you use this? Teach me…”

Lin Zhengran let out a deep sigh and walked over. “Here. Like this.”

He showed her how to use it, and as he did, he suddenly realized—

When tied in a ponytail, her hair didn't seem that long. But now that it was down… it actually reached her waist.

Watching her struggle to dry it properly, he said, “Since you did so much work just now, I’ll help you. Give me the dryer and stand over here.”