My Taoist nun girlfriend is from the Republic of China era, 1942.

Chapter 10 Lu Yuan's Hometown in Jiangcheng
At 1:50 a.m., Lu Yuan's phone alarm vibrated on time, and he opened his eyes with a start. There was still a trace of warm fragrance on his shoulder.

"Xiao Miao, get up, it's time to go."

"Well……"

Awakened, Chen Xiaomiao whimpered in dissatisfaction, curled up in a ball on the recliner like a cat seeking warmth, and mumbled sleepily as she opened her eyes.

"So early... Go back to sleep a little longer."

"If you don't leave now, they're going to check your ID!"

"Oh……"

Chen Xiaomiao rubbed her eyes, feeling dizzy, and followed Lu Yuan to change her clothes. It wasn't until she got into the car and was blown by the cool morning breeze that she became a little more awake.

Lu Yuan gulped down two mouthfuls of Red Bull, the spicy liquid sliding down his throat, barely dispelling the deep sense of fatigue.

Chen Xiaomiao, in the passenger seat, fell asleep again, her head resting against the car window, her breathing even and deep.

The sky changed from deep black to dark blue, and then to grayish-white.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Lu Yuan drove out of the highway toll station in Jiangcheng. The familiar city outline appeared in the thin mist, and the traffic on the overpass gradually increased, with the atmosphere of the morning rush hour coming to him.

Lu Yuan was born and raised in Jiangcheng.

I had hoped to visit other cities after the college entrance exam, but reality forced me to compromise with my score and major.

Unlike others, Lu Yuan had repeated a year of high school and was unwilling to waste even a single point.

In addition, my parents passed away that year when I took the college entrance examination, which severely impacted my family's financial situation. Studying locally would save me some expenses.

"call……"

Lu Yuan exhaled a breath of stale air and was about to slow down when the accelerator suddenly went sluggish.

Several strange noises came from under the hood, followed by a sudden drop in speed. The car finally stalled completely on the side of the road not far from the tollbooth exit and remained motionless.

The 06 A8 couldn't withstand the wear and tear of over a thousand kilometers...

"what happened?"

The immense inertia startled Chen Xiaomiao awake from her deep sleep.

"The car broke down."

"Then...what should we do?"

"Someone will come to help you in a bit, don't panic."

Lu Yuan tried to light the fire, and casually reminded her, "Remember, if anyone asks, just say she's my cousin, a tourist from the capital. Don't answer anything else."

"oh oh……"

"Also, try to act a bit aloof."

"High...high aloof?" Chen Xiaomiao looked blankly at her: "What does 'high aloof' mean?"

Lu Yuan pondered and asked, "Have you ever seen one of those rich young ladies from the city?"

"Seen it!"

Women are generally gossipy by nature, and Chen Xiaomiao immediately perked up: "I remember one year, Master Zhao accompanied his relatives to the temple to pray for blessings. There was a young lady there who had studied at a Western-style school in the city."

Oh my... that attitude, so arrogant, like everyone owes her hundreds of dollars, always looking down on people.

She even said in front of my master that we Taoists are all ignorant and superstitious, disrespectful of science, and harmful to the country and its people! Sister Xiaozhi was so angry she almost grabbed a broom and beat her up!

At this point, Chen Xiaomiao paused slightly, a strange look appearing on her face.

"But later..."

"What happened next?"

Lu Yuan's curiosity was piqued.

"Later, she kept running up the mountain, and every time she saw Brother Xiaoshu, her eyes would light up like stars! After Brother Xiaoshu went to the west, she insisted on following him, and I heard that she stole a full ten gold bars from the house!"

Lu Yuan almost burst out laughing when he heard this. He never expected that his maternal grandfather had such a love story from the Republican era.

Whether the two ended up together or not is completely unimportant.

That was a full ten gold bars in "initial investment." If you were lucky enough to go to the west, it would probably have multiplied a thousandfold or even ten thousandfold...

While chatting, Lu Yuan confirmed that the car was completely broken down, so he took out his phone, dialed a number, and quickly gave a few instructions to the person on the other end.

A dozen minutes later, a yellow roadside assistance tow truck sputtered up, followed by a blue BYD vehicle with a "DD Travel" logo.

The BYD's door opened, and a young man in cargo pants and a trendy T-shirt jumped out. He was a little shorter than Lu Yuan, but with a more robust frame, dark skin, and a neat buzz cut. His childhood friend Zhao Qiang chuckled and teased, "Hey! Young Master Lu, you're driving an A8 now that you're back from Beijing?"

When Lu Yuan went to see his grandfather off, rumors circulated among his friends and classmates that he would inherit a large fortune and rise to great heights.

Lu Yuan said irritably, "Stop talking nonsense! The car is broken, hurry up."

Zhao Qiang circled the broken-down A8 once, then turned to give instructions to the tow truck driver. His gaze swept around casually, and he noticed Chen Xiaomiao was also there.

Zhao Qiang's eyes widened in surprise: "Wow! Lu Yuan, and... who is this?"

Lu Yuan remained expressionless: "Oh, this is my cousin Chen Xiaomiao. She's a relative from my maternal grandfather's side... Xiaomiao, this is my childhood friend, Zhao Qiang."

Remembering Lu Yuan's instructions, Chen Xiaomiao tried her best to imitate the young lady's mannerisms from her memory. She slightly raised her chin, looked into the distance, and softly hummed in greeting.

Zhao Qiang was about to enthusiastically approach her and try to get closer to her when Chen Xiaomiao's "aloof" demeanor stopped him in his tracks.

A relative of Lu Yuan's maternal grandfather?

Isn't that the young lady from the capital?

Zhao Qiang, a ride-hailing driver, dared not approach, lest he make a fool of himself.

"Uh... Hello! Welcome to Jiangcheng."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Qiang immediately changed the subject: "Lu Yuan, take the car to Old Li's repair shop. Don't worry, I'll make sure it's fixed properly! It's so hot today, why don't you two take my car back and rest?"

The three got into the car. Chen Xiaomiao sat in the back seat, while Lu Yuan got into the passenger seat and started chatting with Zhao Qiang.

How's the ride-hailing business during the summer vacation?

"That's how it is, just trying to make a living. It's not like you, a college graduate from a prestigious university, who can earn money by sitting in front of a computer and clicking a mouse."

"You know my situation."

"I'm still living in my Versailles. As long as I inherit your grandfather's fortune, that mortgage is nothing..."

Lu Yuan didn't reply.

Fifteen years ago, his mother had a decent income and, having grown accustomed to the life of a pampered young lady, took out a loan to buy a large, 300-square-meter river-view apartment.

Including the renovation, I took out a loan of five million from the bank.

After his parents passed away, Lu Yuan inherited the property and now still has a monthly mortgage payment of over 20,000 yuan.

The savings and inheritance left by his parents were gradually poured into this bottomless pit. As of last month, Lu Yuan had begun to use his own income to repay the loan.

Lu Yuan had considered selling the house, but after all, he had lived there for fifteen years, and it was one of the few mementos his parents had left him...

He had hoped that his grandfather's inheritance would allow him to soar to great heights, but his mother had always told him not to use a single penny of his grandfather's money.

Now, after being frightened by Chen Xiaomiao's "disaster will affect future generations" argument, most of the idea has been abandoned.

Seeing that Lu Yuan remained silent, Zhao Qiang assumed that Lu Yuan had tacitly agreed and continued, "If you ask me, the money left by the old man should be used as it should be. It would be foolish to be poor while guarding a mountain of gold!"

The car drove into a somewhat old residential area. After it came to a stop, Lu Yuan and Chen Xiaomiao were about to get out when Zhao Qiang suddenly grabbed Lu Yuan's arm and gestured towards the back seat.

"Xiao Miao, get out of the car and wait for me."

After seeing Chen Xiaomiao off, Lu Yuan frowned and asked, "What's all the mystery about?"

Zhao Qiang lowered his voice: "Lu Yuan, tell me the truth, is she really your cousin?"

"nonsense!"

"Why did she come to Jiangcheng with you?"

"Isn't it okay for people to come as tourists?"

"Don't give me that. I'm not stupid. Why would I travel thousands of kilometers on the highway with you when I don't take planes or high-speed trains?"

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Zhao Qiang was incredibly stupid when he was in school, so how come his mind is working so fast now?

"Then tell me, what's she here for?"

"If you want me to say..."

Zhao Qiang leaned closer and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Is she the fiancée your grandfather arranged for you?"

　The signing will take place next Monday.

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(End of this chapter)