After school that evening, Xiao Heqing was picked up by her mother.
After returning home with her little backpack, she had planned to go ask Lin Zhengran immediately, but she accidentally caught a glimpse of a comb in the bathroom. Dragging a small plastic stool over to the vanity, Xiao Heqing stepped onto it. She used the comb to neatly smooth out her loose hairs and her ponytail in the mirror. Once she felt reasonably satisfied with her appearance, she went to the kitchen and said, "Mom, I have something I want to ask Lin Zhengran. I need to go find him."
Mrs. He was picking out vegetables from the refrigerator. She simply replied, "Alright, I'll call you when dinner is ready."
Just then, her phone rang. Mrs. He looked at the caller ID with some confusion but quickly answered, "Mom? Why are you calling me so suddenly this late at night? Is something wrong?"
A moment later, Mrs. He's expression turned frantic. "Are you okay? Do you want me to come back and take you to the hospital? Yes, yes, alright, I'll bring her along."
He Qing was just about to head out when Mrs. He, having hung up the phone, called out to her, "Qingqing, wait a minute!"
Confused, Xiao Heqing turned back. "What's wrong, Mom?"
Mrs. He closed the refrigerator door and untied her apron. "Don't go looking for Ranran right now. Your grandma seems to be sick. Pack a few things; we're going to see her tonight. I'll ask for a leave of absence from your school."
"Grandma is sick? Is it serious?" Xiao Heqing asked, panicking.
Mrs. He rushed into the bedroom to pack some clothes. "She just said she has no strength and can't get out of bed. Plus, she said she misses you very much and wants to see you."
Xiao Heqing was very good at reading people's expressions. Sensing her mother's pale face and the tense atmosphere, she didn't dare ask any more questions. She glanced helplessly in the direction of Lin Zhengran's house. She had no choice but to pack her things and go with her mother to check on her grandmother. She would just have to ask Lin Zhengran about the rumors after they returned.
On the drive back to their hometown, Xiao Heqing watched her mother make call after call, simultaneously requesting time off work and contacting the hospital.
Sitting in the passenger seat, the little girl turned to look out the window into the pitch-black night. Her innocent little eyes blinked rapidly as her young mind raced with countless complicated thoughts.
Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. The next morning, after a chaotic and exhausting night, Xiao Heqing saw her mother in the hospital with tears in her eyes but a smile on her face.
"There are no major issues, but she does have quite a few minor ailments," the nurse explained. "You children will likely need to take better care of her from now on. At the very least, you should visit her every week to prevent any accidents."
Mrs. He nodded. "Alright, I understand. Thank you, nurse."
"Let's keep her in the hospital for observation this week. If she recovers normally, she can be discharged. Her inability to get out of bed was likely because she accidentally fell a few days ago, and her injured leg just couldn't support her weight. Don't worry too much."
"Okay."
After the nurse left, Mrs. He let out a heavy sigh of relief and turned to look at her mother, who was resting happily on the hospital bed. The elderly woman was stroking her granddaughter's head.
With a look of pure bliss, she asked affectionately, "Qingqing? It's been another half a year since you last visited Grandma. Did you miss me?"
Standing by the bed, Xiao Heqing nodded vigorously. "I did!"
"I heard from your mom that you've been learning that... what's it called... Taekwondo recently? And that you're quite good at it? When you have time, will you show Grandma some of your moves?"
"Mhm! Once you're discharged from the hospital, I'll show you!"
Mrs. He asked, "Mom, why didn't you call me when you fell a few days ago? Why did you wait until you couldn't even get out of bed to finally call me?"
Grandma glanced at her daughter and smiled kindly. "I thought it was nothing serious. Who hasn't taken a tumble before? How was I supposed to know that a little injury at my age would land me in the hospital?"
Mrs. He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. A sudden wave of grievance washed over her, and she sniffled, her voice thick with tears. "Dad passed away so early, and Qingqing is still so young. You are the only family I have left now. I was scared to death on the drive back here."
The well-behaved Xiao Heqing tore off two pieces of tissue and handed them to her mother, comforting her adorably. "Don't cry, Mom."
Mrs. He smiled through her tears and rubbed her daughter's head. "Good girl, Qingqing."
Grandma, however, kept laughing. "What are you crying for? Didn't you hear the doctor say I don't have any major problems? I'm not even scared, yet you are? You're not even as strong as Qingqing."
Mrs. He turned back and glared playfully at her mother. Not knowing what else to say, the mother and daughter just looked at each other and smiled, just like they did when Mrs. He was a little girl.
Although Xiao Heqing's grandmother turned out to be fine this time, and the mother and daughter soon returned to their small town, the elderly woman's health was clearly declining day by day. She couldn't be left without someone to care for her.
Therefore, without needing much time to consider, Mrs. He decided to resign from her job, move back to her hometown in the South, find some remote part-time work, and take care of her mother full-time. As a result, Xiao Heqing would have to transfer schools.
Xiao Heqing was a sensible child. She knew her mother was taking her back to care for Grandma, so she didn't throw a tantrum or refuse. However, when she heard her mother call the school to arrange the transfer paperwork, she couldn't help but shed a few secret tears. She wasn't attached to her school here; she was attached to Lin Zhengran, the boy next door who had been bullying her ever since kindergarten.
Mrs. He knew that Lin Zhengran was her daughter's only friend. Hugging her softly, she said, "Qingqing, Mom knows you don't want to be separated from Ranran, but Grandma needs someone to take care of her. We have to go back."
Xiao Heqing buried her face in her mother's chest. "Mom... we'll come back, right?"
"Of course we will. If you want to come back, we can do it for junior high. Mom will enroll you in a school here so you can go to school with Ranran again. It's just that... you two will have to be apart for a while until then."
Xiao Heqing slightly loosened her tiny grip on her mother's clothes, her eyelashes trembling. "Mhm. Then when are we leaving..."
"In a month. We'll head back to Grandma's place in a month. Over these last few weeks, make sure you say a proper goodbye to Ranran. Tell him you'll see him again when you're older."
Mrs. He stroked her daughter's long hair. Gazing out the window at the small town where they had lived for so many years, her own heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.
"You can also video call Ranran and chat with him from time to time. That works too."
In truth, in the eyes of adults, childhood friendships were extremely fleeting. Separation usually meant parting ways for good. At most, years later, one might casually mention, "When I was little, there was a boy I used to play with a lot, but I can't remember what he looks like anymore."
But Xiao Heqing belonged to a very special category. Lin Zhengran held an indescribable weight in her heart. Whether Mrs. He would ever return was unknown, but Xiao Heqing definitely would.
Soon, it was Saturday again.
Lin Zhengran lay on his bed, reading a book. A system notification chimed during his cultivation. Upon reaching level twenty, a second skill had been revealed.
[Cultivation Doubler: Your mastery on the Path of Fortune has reached a high level of proficiency. From now on, any fairy you have formed a bond with will receive double the cultivation progress and learning speed when under your tutelage.]
[Note: The target will only possess double learning capacity when directly instructed by you. This ability cannot be activated automatically when they cultivate alone.]
He felt this ability was pushing him further and further down the path of founding his own sect. The disciples he taught would get a doubled rate, and then, thanks to the effects of his first ability, he would gain double their cultivation base after they trained. Wasn't this just compound interest compounding over and over again? A fourfold return!
[He Fairy has come to seek you out again today. Seeing her travel-worn appearance, it seems she has an urgent matter to discuss with you.]
The next moment, a knock on the door rang out right on cue.