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

Chapter 112 The Troubles of Qingming

Outside the car window, the sky had darkened without anyone noticing, and a light drizzle tapped against the window, leaving fine streaks of water.

Chen Xiaomiao stretched out her finger to touch the cold raindrops: "Lu Yuan, Qingming Festival is coming soon."

"Yes, it's the day after tomorrow." Lu Yuan gripped the steering wheel and asked, "Do you want to go back to Huangya Village for a visit?"

Chen Xiaomiao shook her head, her tone matter-of-fact: "Let's go pay respects to your parents first. If we have time, I'll go back and take a look."

In her old-fashioned way of thinking, the man should always come first.

The matter at Lu Yuan's home is of utmost importance.

"it is good."

The rain outside the window intensified, with raindrops pattering against the car roof. Lu Yuan responded and silently rolled up the car window.

The Qingming Festival is just around the corner.

The sky was overcast, and a light drizzle fell continuously, as if the whole world was immersed in a silent mourning.

In the western suburbs cemetery of Jiangcheng, rows of gray-white tombstones stand silently in the rain and mist.

Chen Xiaomiao and Lu Yuan stood side by side in front of two adjacent tombstones, each bearing a black-and-white photograph of a middle-aged man and woman.

Lu Yuan squatted down and gently put down the white chrysanthemums he had brought, muttering about his recent situation.

Chen Xiaomiao quietly squatted beside Lu Yuan, holding an umbrella, without saying a word.

The raindrops slanted against the umbrella, making a dull sound.

After a long while, Lu Yuan stood up.

"Let's go."

He took the umbrella from Chen Xiaomiao and left the cemetery with the girl in his arms.

As Lu Yuan got into the car and started the engine, he was about to drive away when he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye.

He was a middle-aged man, wearing a dark jacket and a baseball cap pulled low over his head, which almost covered most of his face.

Lu Yuan subconsciously glanced at the person a few more times, feeling that the person's outline looked somewhat familiar.

"Lu Yuan, why aren't you leaving yet?"

"Oh……"

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze, stopped thinking about it, and stepped on the gas to leave.

The next day, the two returned to Huangya Village, and by the time they got back to Jiangcheng, it was already April 10th.

Song Jia's written test results are out, and she entered the interview without any suspense, scoring first in the written test.

The night the interview ended, she went straight to Lu Yuan's house.

"Come on, let's have hot pot! It's on me today!"

Song Jia, full of confidence, kicked her shoes off in the entryway and rushed in carrying bags of hot pot ingredients, her face beaming with undisguised pride.

The induction cooker bubbled and steamed, and the room was soon filled with the spicy aroma of hot pot.

"I'm telling you..."

Song Jia picked up a piece of tripe and dipped it in the boiling red oil, exaggerating its deliciousness.

"I've got the job! I've heard all the guys who got in with me, and they're all either dullards or bookworms. They can't even speak properly. What do they have to compete with me?"

She gulped down a large mouthful of beer, let out a loud burp, and continued bragging.

"Don't worry, once I officially start working and climb the ladder step by step, I'll definitely take care of you two!"

Chen Xiaomiao silently cooked the vegetables, listening in a daze.

Looking at Song Jia's beaming face, she felt as if the "official hat" was already securely in her pocket.

While happy for Song Jia, Chen Xiaomiao also had some ulterior motives.

After all, my master used to say that having connections in government offices makes things easier.

Given her relationship with Sister Song Jia... well, no need to say more!
Lu Yuan smiled calmly, picked up a piece of beef, and reminded her, "The final result isn't out yet, don't get too excited, or you might regret it." "Hey, you're such a jinx, can't you say something positive?" Song Jia rolled her eyes at him and waved her hand dismissively, "Don't worry, it's absolutely a sure thing!"

After a lively hot pot meal, and seeing off the radiant Song Jia, Chen Xiaomiao was clearing away the dishes when she asked Lu Yuan a question out of curiosity.

"Lu Yuan, do you think this matter with Sister Song Jia is a safe bet?"

Lu Yuan was leaning back on the sofa picking his teeth when he heard this, so he threw the toothpick away and shook his head.

"That's enough."

"Why?" Chen Xiaomiao asked, puzzled. "I think she's pretty confident."

Lu Yuan sighed softly, "There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. What she sees is only what she wants to see."

Chen Xiaomiao gave a vague "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions.

She felt that Lu Yuan sometimes spoke in a very profound way, like her master chanting scriptures, and she couldn't understand him.

Sure enough, a few days later, Song Jia came to visit again.

This time, there were no large bags of ingredients, nor that commanding air.

She was carrying two bottles of Niulanshan Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and her face was so gloomy it looked like you could wring water out of it.

"Please add another bowl and chopsticks, and have a drink with me!"

She slammed the bottle onto the table with a bang, unscrewed it, and without even using a glass, took a big gulp straight from the bottle opening.

The spicy liquor dripped down her chin, but she didn't care and just wiped it off haphazardly with the back of her hand.

Lu Yuan and Chen Xiaomiao exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.

After a few sips of strong liquor, Song Jia couldn't stop talking.

"Damn it! Why?!"

Her eyes were bloodshot, and she slammed her fist on the table, making the bowls and chopsticks clatter.

"Why? What good is getting first place in the written exam! I studied so hard for so long, stayed up so many nights, why..."

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her words so intense and her language so vulgar that Chen Xiaomiao, who was standing nearby, was terrified and her heart pounded.

In Chen Xiaomiao's memory, Song Jia has always been a glamorous, intelligent, capable, and well-mannered girl.

She never imagined that Song Jia would have such a volatile side, like a wild beast with nowhere to run, both frantic and desperate.

Lu Yuan didn't try to stop her; he just let her vent and occasionally had a couple of drinks with her.

The cursing eventually turned into suppressed sobs. Song Jia got completely drunk and finally fell into a deep sleep on the sofa, clutching the bottle.

Chen Xiaomiao brought a blanket and carefully covered her with it. Then she went to the kitchen and cooked a bowl of hangover soup, which she placed on the coffee table.

Late at night.

After washing up, the two lay in bed, and a light rain began to fall outside the window.

Chen Xiaomiao suddenly spoke up in a low voice: "Lu Yuan, is what Sister Song Jia said true or false? Is it really possible for someone to be chosen in advance, leaving others to work for nothing?"

"It might be true."

There was no hint of favoritism or emotion in Lu Yuan's tone.

"But it's also possible that she's not as capable as others, but she's resentful and just looking for an excuse."

A decent job attracts thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of applicants. Those who make it to the end are all exceptional individuals; it's not like it's going to be her so easily.

Chen Xiaomiao pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.

They thought that after surviving war and famine, they had arrived at this "prosperous age" where everyone had clothes to wear and food to eat, and everything should be good.

But Song Jia's red eyes and the curses mixed with the smell of alcohol were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.

It turns out that even in such a good world, there are still grievances that leave people powerless and forced to swallow their anger.

This "prosperous age" doesn't seem to be as perfect as she imagined.

(End of this chapter)