Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Little He Qing found a post she had bookmarked about an old local tradition and showed it to Lin Zhengran.

After scrolling through it, Lin Zhengran immediately understood what she was thinking.

The post said that in the Linshan region, there was an old tradition among the older generation:

Every year, when a girl celebrated her birthday, if the person she loved washed her hair and face for her, it would bless their relationship with longevity and, if they wished for children, it would also help them have kids.

It was said to have been passed down from the war-torn era centuries ago — washing the hair and face symbolized the girl's pure devotion to her beloved, and that they would remain true to each other forever.

“No wonder that old couple was washing each other’s hair under the tree the other night,” Lin Zhengran said.

He thought traditions like this were pretty common across the country — every region seemed to have some sort of love ritual.

“So your birthday wish this year is for me to wash your hair and face?”

He Qing nodded firmly.

Finally, he said, “The thing is, we’re already lying in bed. Washing just your hair and face seems kinda weird... How about I just give you a bath instead?”

Little He Qing froze for a moment before her face turned bright red. “Huh? A bath...?”

“Yeah. You’re a bit sweaty too,” he said, brushing the hair off her forehead. Little He Qing’s heart pounded wildly at his touch. “Might as well take a bath — it’s more convenient.”

“You mean... together?” she asked softly.

“Of course.”

Scenes from novels she’d read flashed through her mind. She knew exactly what taking a bath together meant.

Her little head bobbed expectantly. “O-Okay then... let’s take a bath together later.”

When the clock struck midnight, Lin Zhengran unwrapped the beautifully packaged cake.

Little He Qing watched from his arms, not daring to help — two people working on it would risk ruining the cake’s shape.

“Lin Zhengran, what kind of cake did you buy? Is it classic cream? Fruit?”

“Neither. I had them design a special birthday cake based on you.”

“Based on me?”

He lifted off the cover, and what was revealed made Little He Qing’s eyes light up. Her mouth opened in surprise and delight.

On the smooth cake surface, chocolate and cookie crumbs created a "soil" effect. A dozen adorable snow-white little bunnies made of cream gathered together, with grass and flowers scattered around — it looked just like a meadow scene.

The little bunnies were posed differently — some looking up, some nuzzling each other — each full of life.

Under her stunned gaze, Lin Zhengran took a colorful candle shaped like the number eighteen from the extra box and placed it right in the clearing among the rabbits.

With that candle, the whole cake had a perfect centerpiece —

It really looked like a group of little rabbits gathering to celebrate someone’s eighteenth birthday.

“How is it?” Lin Zhengran asked.

Little He Qing, who really seemed like a bunny spirit reborn, perked up her invisible bunny ears and nodded rapidly like a pecking chick. “It’s beautiful! I love it! A bunny cake! I’ve never seen a cake like this before! Was it custom-made?”

Lin Zhengran hummed in agreement. “Yeah, this cake shop is really good with custom designs. That’s why it’s so expensive. I drew a picture of the bunny scene a few days ago and gave it to them. They recreated it one-to-one.”

Staring at the cake that looked almost like a 3D painting, he said, “Turns out they’re really skilled. They made it super cute.”

When Little He Qing heard he had personally drawn it,

she was completely overwhelmed with emotion, tears welling up in her eyes.

She kissed his cheek hard: “Thank you! Thank you so much, Lin Zhengran!”

Lin Zhengran rubbed her head affectionately and teased, “It’s not that big of a deal. I just drew a picture. It’s not like I made the cake myself.”

Little He Qing, on the verge of tears, stared at him. “Of course it’s a big deal. No one’s ever done anything like this for my birthday before.”

Lin Zhengran chuckled, “You say that every year though. Even the year I pranked you by pretending to gift you a bunch of dead leaves, you said the same thing.”

Little He Qing got even more emotional: “But no one else ever gave me leaves either! No matter what you give me, I’ll love it. Even if it’s just leaves, I know you must’ve picked them carefully from a lot of trees! How could I not be touched?”

Lin Zhengran sighed, “Alright, alright. Enough of that. Let’s blow out the candles and eat cake.”

“Mm!”

Little He Qing clasped her hands together in front of her chest and blew out the candle with all her might.

In a sweet voice, she said, “My wish is to take a bath together!”

Then she turned around and asked, “Can we eat now? I wanna taste the bunny cake!”

“Go ahead.”

Lin Zhengran cut her a piece. Little He Qing, using the plastic knife that came with it, carefully scooped up one of the little cream bunnies.

The more she looked at it, the cuter it seemed. She held it up to Lin Zhengran’s mouth: “You eat first!”

Lin Zhengran was used to this — if he didn’t eat first, she wouldn’t eat.

Once he had a bite, Little He Qing happily started eating too. The rich, wonderful flavor of the cream instantly filled her with joy.

“So good!”

“Happy birthday, He Qing.”

Little He Qing paused mid-bite, her eyes shimmering as she stared at Lin Zhengran and smiled brightly.

The cake wasn’t small, but even though they had already eaten dinner, Little He Qing’s athletic body and massive sweet tooth — not to mention a few hours of "exercise" — meant that the two of them managed to demolish nearly half the cake in no time.

Finishing the last bite, Little He Qing noticed her fingers had cake on them too.

She popped her finger into her mouth,

carefully licking it clean.

But as she sucked on her finger, her little brain wandered into some rather yellow territory.

Her rosy lips trembled slightly,

and she sneaked a glance at Lin Zhengran, who was also finishing up his cake.

“Lin Zhengran...”

“Hmm?”

Biting her finger, Little He Qing slowly pulled it out of her mouth, lowered her head, and shyly whispered,

“Well... I read that there are a lot of ways for couples to be intimate... I...”

She pursed her lips.

“I want to try them all... You... do you get what I mean?”

Curling her finger against her lips, she peeked up at him timidly, afraid he might reject her.

“I mean, I’ll... I’ll do my best to take care of you, Lin Zhengran...”

Lin Zhengran let out a small chuckle, making the already-blushing girl even more shy.

The two got off the bed, and Lin Zhengran kept holding her hand the entire time.

“Then we’ll try while we’re taking a bath,” he said.

Little He Qing nodded immediately.

Hand in hand, the two of them slipped into the bathroom.

The door locked behind them.

Since the decision was already made, Lin Zhengran truly gave Little He Qing an unforgettable, sleepless night.

They stayed close and affectionate until after seven in the morning.

The sun was already high in the sky, but Little He Qing finally drifted off,

her face still pink as she cuddled against Lin Zhengran in bed:

“The cake... the cake you gave me was so yummy... Cake and cake taste the same...”

Mumbling in her sleep, she giggled sweetly:

“I really, really love you... When it’s your birthday this year, I’ll prepare something amazing too...”

Lin Zhengran hugged his silly girl tightly, feeling her soft breathing against his chest.

“Sleep,” he whispered.