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

Chapter 114 Husband!

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Become!

Chen Xiaomiao breathed a sigh of relief and even started planning how to brag to Lu Yuan if she really won the bonus.

In a private message, "President Wang" sent another message, praising her decisiveness and saying that once he received her work, he would definitely put in a good word for her in front of the final judges.

Chen Xiaomiao smiled broadly, filled with gratitude and respect for Chairman Wang, whom she had never met before.

Afterwards, she carefully rolled up "Ode to the Red Cliff," put it into a cardboard tube, and excitedly ran to the courier station to send it to the address given by Chairman Wang.

After everything was done, all that remained was the hopeful anticipation of the competition's outcome.

Time flies, and it's already May.

That day, Chen Xiaomiao spent a long time tinkering in the kitchen. The dried goods and grains she had stocked up during the Spring Festival were almost all used up.

She poked her head out and called out to the living room, "Lu Yuan, we need to go to the supermarket."

"Row."

Lu Yuan responded, got up from the sofa, and casually picked up his car keys.

Now, when they go to the supermarket, Chen Xiaomiao has completely taken control.

Pushing her shopping cart between the shelves, Chen Xiaomiao looked every bit the part of a successful housewife.

Even when buying soy sauce, they'll compare a dozen brands one by one on the shelf, muttering to themselves.

“Lu Yuan, look at this. It says that the ingredient list contains ‘monosodium glutamate,’ which is MSG. That’s not good.”

"This is brewed, but the amino acid nitrogen content is not high enough, so it lacks umami flavor."

"Hey! This one's good! It's made from pure grains, with no additives. It's two yuan more expensive, but it's a good deal!"

She tirelessly recounts all sorts of "little-known facts" she learned from short videos, from condiments to fresh vegetables to daily necessities, every single item must undergo her rigorous "inspection".

Lu Yuan followed behind with his hands in his pockets, not urging her on, just smiling and watching her.

The two shopped for over an hour, filling their shopping cart to the brim.

When it was time to pay, the cashier announced the total: "Hello, that's 761 yuan in total."

"Give."

Chen Xiaomiao skillfully took out her phone, opened the QR code, and handed it over.

"drop--"

The cash register machine emitted a short beep, and Chen Xiaomiao's phone displayed a message indicating insufficient funds.

Insufficient balance?

Chen Xiaomiao was taken aback.

She has nearly 100,000 yuan in her bank account, how could it not be enough to pay a few hundred yuan?

"Is there a mistake? Can you scan it again and try?"

Chen Xiaomiao checked the bank card she had chosen for payment; she hadn't made a mistake.

"Ok."

The cashier scanned the code again.

"drop--"

The same notification sounded again, and my phone popped up another message saying my balance was low.

Chen Xiaomiao stood there, holding her phone, looking dazed, while the people in line behind her began to cast impatient glances at her.

Lu Yuan quickly stepped forward and pulled her behind him, taking out his phone: "Use mine to pay."

He quickly paid the bill, then took the still dazed Chen Xiaomiao's hand and left the supermarket.

"Here, give me your phone."

Lu Yuan put the shopping bag into the trunk, took the phone from Chen Xiaomiao, opened the bank's app, and entered the balance inquiry page.

Balance displayed: 672.

Chen Xiaomiao stared at the glaring numbers on the screen, feeling as if she had been hit over the head with a club, her ears ringing.

The next second, everything went black.

……

five days later

Chen Xiaomiao lay on the bed wrapped in a thin blanket, her face sallow and her eyes red and swollen like two walnuts.

Five days after returning, Chen Xiaomiao seemed to have lost her soul and fell seriously ill.

I felt weak all over, couldn't eat anything, and looked as wilted as a frostbitten cabbage.

"Here, have some soup."

Lu Yuan helped Chen Xiaomiao sit up, scooped up a spoonful of clear soup, blew on it, and brought it to her lips.

Chen Xiaomiao opened her mouth blankly, the soup slid down her throat, warming her stomach a little, but the huge hole in her heart could never be filled.

After feeding her half a bowl of soup, Lu Yuan put down the bowl, touched her forehead, and asked softly, "Are you feeling better?"

"I..."

Chen Xiaomiao's lips trembled as she tried to say something, but her throat felt tight.

He stammered, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Okay, don't think about it."

Lu Yuan comforted him, saying, "The money is gone, but our family doesn't need those tens of thousands of yuan now."

The police officer said they have opened a case and will handle it as soon as possible.

"Once that swindler is caught, the money will be returned."

Chen Xiaomiao sniffed, buried her face in Lu Yuan's arms, and forced herself not to cry out.

"Ding-dong-ding-dong-"

The doorbell rang suddenly.

"I'll go open the door. You just rest and don't think about anything."

Lu Yuan got up and left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Lü Xin and Zhou Qin arrived.

Lu Xin was dressed in an inconspicuous black tracksuit, his expression as cold and hard as ever; Zhou Qin, on the other hand, carried a briefcase and wore a sharp suit, looking shrewd and capable.

"boss."

They both greeted in unison.

Lu Yuan was afraid that Chen Xiaomiao inside would hear, so he made a "shush" gesture to them and pointed downstairs.

"Go out and talk."

The three of them arrived at the community property management office one after the other.

Lu Xin entered and waved, and the people inside immediately bowed and retreated, closing the door behind them. Lu Yuan sat down on the sofa and looked at Zhou Qin: "What did the police say?"

Zhou Qin pushed up his glasses and said succinctly, "It's the same official rhetoric: these kinds of cases involve cross-border operations, complex fund flows, and are difficult to solve. They tell us to wait for news."

In short, the chances of recovering it through official channels are slim.

As Lu Yuan expected, he nodded and turned his gaze to Lü Xin beside him.

"Have you found it?"

"I found it."

Lü Xin nodded: "The other party is a team, mainly targeting middle-aged and elderly people in China who have so-called artistic pursuits."

They will pretend to be experts, giving their targets enough recognition and praise to make them lower their guard.

Then, under the guise of participating in competitions or having their works selected for exhibitions, they defraud people of registration fees and personal information, and then launder the money from the accounts.

I guess at first they mistook Ms. Chen for one of those pretentious old men who loved to show off their calligraphy.

Lu Yuan continued, "Can we find the person?"

"It's not difficult."

Lü Xin smiled easily, thinking it was no big deal.

“We have industrial investments in the area and have always had a good relationship with the government. We have already identified the person, but it would be very troublesome to extradite him back to China through formal channels.”

Lu Yuan waved his hand and said nothing more.

"Understood, boss."

Lü Xin understood immediately.

Money is a small matter, but the cost of Chen Xiaomiao's five-day serious illness needs to be settled.

After seeing Lü Xin and Zhou Qin off, Lu Yuan didn't rush upstairs.

He waited for the evening breeze to dispel the hostility on his body before taking a deep breath and putting on a gentle smile again.

Pushing open the bedroom door, Lu Yuan strode over, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy.

"Xiao Miao, I have good news for you!"

Chen Xiaomiao raised her red and swollen eyes and looked at him weakly.

"What good news?"

"The scammer has been caught!"

"Is it...really?"

"Can I still lie to you?"

Lu Yuan sat down by her bedside and vividly recounted what he had just heard from Lü Xin, cutting out the beginning and ending and turning it into a heroic story of the police's swift and decisive action in solving the case.

Chen Xiaomiao listened in a daze, but by the end, her focus had shifted.

"So, they initially mistook me for an old man?"

"Is not it?"

"You're such an old man!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaomiao was furious, and half of her sickly spirit vanished instantly.

She raised her little fist and gently punched Lu Yuan: "I'm only eighteen!"

"Okay, okay, yes, yes."

Lu Yuan was overjoyed and grabbed her hand: "You're not old at all. You were born in 1924, so you're only about a hundred years old at most."

"How annoying!"

Chen Xiaomiao was really angry now, and she grabbed the pillow behind her and threw it at him.

Lu Yuan caught her steadily, and with a smile, pulled her and the pillow into his arms, coaxing her gently for a few moments.

Smelling the familiar and reassuring scent emanating from the man, Chen Xiaomiao's anger dissipated.

She leaned against Lu Yuan's chest and asked in a muffled voice, "Now that the man has been caught, will I get my money back?"

"Why don't you just open your phone and see for yourself?"

Lu Yuan rubbed her head.

Chen Xiaomiao touched her phone with some skepticism and shakily opened the bank's app.

When she saw the long, familiar string of numbers in the balance, her eyes widened in surprise.

Not a penny less!

"ah--!"

She exclaimed with ecstatic joy, as if she had been injected with adrenaline, and jumped out of bed. The illness and grievances of the past few days vanished instantly, and she was fully revitalized.

Lu Yuan raised his hand and tapped her forehead hard, then asked sternly, "Have you learned your lesson yet?"

Chen Xiaomiao knelt obediently on the bed, her hands flat on her thighs, nodding like a chick pecking at rice.

"I've learned my lesson! I'll never chat with strangers online again, no matter who praises me!"

"Sure?"

"I swear, by the Three Pure Ones above!"

Chen Xiaomiao raised three fingers to her ears with a solemn expression.

"I, Chen Xiaomiao, swear to God that if I ever trust someone online again, I will... I will be punished by serving Lu Yuan like a slave for the rest of my life!"

Lu Yuan was taken aback by the amusement. He took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Chen Xiaomiao.

What is this?

Lu Yuan simply opened the envelope, took out a piece of paper with large gold characters printed on it, cleared his throat, and read it aloud in a melodious tone.

"Dear Chen Xiaomiao: Hello! After rigorous review by the Calligraphers Association's judging committee, your calligraphy work 'Returning Home' has stood out from numerous entries and won the National Youth Group Calligraphy Gold Award."

This is to inform you and to cordially invite you to attend the awards ceremony in the capital on May 10th…

Putting away the letter, Lu Yuanchong shrugged and blinked at Chen Xiaomiao.

"These past few days, some people have been looking quite downcast, and I felt sorry for them, so I casually sent one of their calligraphy pieces to the capital to participate in a competition. And guess what? They actually won a gold medal..."

Before he could finish speaking, a soft, fragrant figure suddenly pounced on him.

Chen Xiaomiao jumped off the bed, leaped onto Lu Yuan, wrapped her legs around his waist, and tightly hugged his neck.

"Come on!"

A kiss, moist and joyful, was firmly imprinted on Lu Yuan's face.

The girl buried her face in the crook of his neck, her hot breath tickling the man's ears.

"Thank you, Lu..."

Chen Xiaomiao suddenly stopped, then murmured shyly.

"Thank you...husband."

(End of this chapter)