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

Chapter 17 Lu Yuan's Old Flame

As summer vacation draws to a close, the Yellow Crane Tower Park remains crowded with people.

Lu Yuan accompanied Chen Xiaomiao for a stroll around the Yellow Crane Tower, but all he could hear was the noise of people around him and the crowds of people in front of him. He couldn't appreciate the poetic sentiment of "A lone sail disappears into the vast blue sky, only the Yangtze River flows to the horizon".

Chen Xiaomiao, on the other hand, was in high spirits, and tried her best to stand on tiptoe to look out over this modern city made of reinforced concrete, watching the mighty Yangtze River flow through it.

"Wow, the Yangtze River looks so different here!"

"I'll take you on a boat trip on the river when I have time another day."

Lu Yuan made a promise and followed the crowd downstairs. Just as he was about to turn back, a clear female voice came from behind him.

"Lu Yuan! Is that Lu Yuan?"

Lu Yuan turned around at the sound and saw a tall girl wearing huge sunglasses. She was slender and had a dashing temperament. She looked somewhat familiar.

Seeing Lu Yuan in a daze, the girl smiled and took off her sunglasses, revealing a pretty face with delicate makeup and curved eyebrows.

"It's me, Song Jia, the class monitor who collected your homework in high school. Don't you recognize me?"

"Sonja?"

Lu Yuan joked, "Oh my, seeing such a beautiful woman, how could I dare to mistake her for someone else?"

"Come on, you're just being cheeky."

Song Jia chuckled, rolled her eyes playfully, and turned to her gentle and elegant best friend beside her, introducing, "Look, this is Lu Yuan, the high school heartthrob I told you about. Isn't he handsome!"

The best friend extended her hand gracefully: "Hi, class heartthrob, my name is Shen Yi, Song Jia's college roommate. I'm here in Jiangcheng for a few days."

Lu Yuan shook hands and replied, "Don't listen to her nonsense. Back in high school, my face was covered in acne. She would avoid me like the plague."

Song Jia's gaze then fell on Chen Xiaomiao, who was standing next to Lu Yuan, and she looked her up and down with curiosity.

The young girl was dressed in simple sportswear, without makeup, yet she couldn't hide her delicate beauty and natural charm in her eyes.

Song Jia raised an eyebrow and nudged Lu Yuan with her elbow: "Wow, Lu Yuan, you've quietly taken your girlfriend back to Jiangcheng?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Stop pretending. If you're not a girlfriend, would you get that close?"

Lu Yuan was too lazy to argue, so he simply turned to Chen Xiaomiao and asked, "She said you're my wife, are you happy about that?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaomiao immediately shook her head vigorously, urgently clarifying, "No, no! I'm not his wife!"

Shen Yi quipped, "These days, cute girls are definitely more popular. Your girlfriend is from Yuzhou, too."

In Song Jia and her best friend's opinion, Lu Yuan's girlfriend was just being shy and trying to cover up her mistake.

Song Jia then suggested, "It's rare to run into an old classmate. It's lunchtime already, how about we grab some food together? It's on me!"

Lu Yuan wanted to refuse, but Song Jia cut him off first: "Don't worry, I'm just a poor recent graduate, I don't have money to treat you to a fancy meal. Let's find a noodle shop on the roadside and have something to eat."

Having come this far, Lu Yuan could no longer refuse.

He turned to look at Chen Xiaomiao, his eyes asking a question. Only when Chen Xiaomiao nodded slightly did he agree.

After leaving the park, the four of them found a nearby old noodle shop and each ordered a bowl of hot dry noodles.

As soon as the noodles were served, Song Jia couldn't wait to pick up a chopstick and put it in her mouth, squinting her eyes with satisfaction: "The taste of home is still the most comforting. I miss this every day when I'm in the capital."

Lu Yuan then asked, "You're back to work?"

He repeated a year of high school, while Song Jia, who was in the same year, had already graduated from university.

This girl was consistently among the top ten students in the entire school, and she went to study law in the capital.

"Don't mention it."

Song Jia pouted self-deprecatingly: "When I first graduated, I thought I was so capable. I was so ambitious. I thought that as a law graduate from a prestigious university, I could make something of myself in the capital."

After enduring several months of hard work, including working overtime every day, squeezing onto the subway, and renting a small, run-down room, my salary ended up going to the landlord.

In the end, he had no choice but to obediently follow his family's arrangements and prepare for the civil service exam and the postgraduate entrance exam. "Going home is good too, it's peaceful," Lu Yuan comforted him.

"What are your plans for next year after graduation? Are you going to be doing an internship soon, senior?"

"It's still uncertain."

Lu Yuan mumbled, "Let's take it one step at a time. I've got some ideas for the thesis, but I'm still worried about it."

Several young people chatted about their studies, work, and future prospects, while Chen Xiaomiao quietly ate her noodles.

She listened to words like "internship," "thesis," "civil service exam," and "campus recruitment" with a blank expression, unable to join the conversation.

As they chatted, Song Jia suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Lu Yuan, our high school classmates are having a small reunion at the beginning of next month. Why don't you come too? It's been so long since we've seen you."

Lu Yuan refused without hesitation: "I'm still a college student. I don't want to get involved in your social circles. There's a generation gap."

"Tch, making excuses."

Song Jiachao nudged Chen Xiaomiao with her lips: "Is it because your wife is strict and won't let you go?"

Lu Yuan laughed and didn't say anything more. He finished his noodles in a few bites, then got up to say goodbye to Song Jia and the others.

On the way home, Chen Xiaomiao obediently followed beside Lu Yuan, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Once inside and seated, Lu Yuan spoke first: "Just say what you have to say. Isn't it uncomfortable to keep it bottled up?"

Chen Xiaomiao then asked in a low voice, "Lu Yuan, was that girl your ex-girlfriend?"

Lu Yuan was drinking water when Chen Xiaomiao's question made him cough and choke: "Why would you think that?"

"You two are chatting so enthusiastically, it makes me so happy to see you like this..."

Chen Xiaomiao muttered something, then pretended to be nonchalant and began to comment.

"However, your old flame is quite handsome, speaks and acts with great poise, and has a kind face. He's more than capable of being your young mistress."

Lu Yuan raised his hand and gave Chen Xiaomiao a sharp rap on the head: "Don't overthink it, he's just an old classmate."

"Classmate, did you meet him at the private school?"

"A high school classmate!"

Lu Yuan then took the opportunity to explain the modern education system to Chen Xiaomiao, concisely outlining the process from primary school, junior high school, high school to university.

"So, I'm a college student now, and I have to go to school tomorrow. You'll be home alone during the day, and I won't be back until the evening."

After listening, Chen Xiaomiao nodded calmly: "Oh, I understand."

His calm demeanor surprised Lu Yuan: "Don't you have anything to say?"

What do I have to talk about?

In Chen Xiaomiao's view, it is only natural for men to go out and work to earn money during the day, while women stay at home to take care of housework.

Lu Yuan said he was going to school, which is a legitimate business, and it's pretty much true.

The thought of "household chores" made Chen Xiaomiao's cheeks inexplicably flush. She turned around and headed to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for dinner.

When she reached the kitchen door, Chen Xiaomiao couldn't help but turn back to check again.

"Really not your old flame?"

"no!"

"Oh……"

Before long, a light and pleasant tune from the Republican era drifted from the kitchen, mixed with the sound of water washing vegetables.

　There's a problem with one of the chapters, I'll wait until this afternoon.

　　Also, as usual, I urge everyone to keep reading, and it would be best to leave plenty of comments and feedback.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)