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

Chapter 115 Sweeter than candied hawthorn
Including the first time she transmigrated here, this is Chen Xiaomiao's third time in the capital.

The hotel arranged by Lü Lei was a courtyard-style hotel located within the Second Ring Road, a quiet oasis amidst the bustling city.

Open the window and you can see the gray-tiled roof and the old locust tree with its lush branches in the yard.

As soon as she entered the hotel room, Chen Xiaomiao collapsed onto the bed, rolled around comfortably a couple of times, and the gloom of the past few days was thrown to the winds.

"Lu Yuan, come and try it! This bed is softer than ours!"

She leaned over the edge of the bed and waved to Lu Yuan, who was putting away his luggage.

Lu Yuan sat down by the bed and reached out to pinch her rosy cheeks.

"Exit."

Chen Xiaomiao chuckled and rolled into his arms, nuzzling her head against his chest like a spoiled kitten.

The two didn't rush out; they rested in the hotel for half a day to recover.

Once the sun wasn't so strong, Lu Yuan took Chen Xiaomiao out for a stroll.

The hotel was not far from Houhai, so the two of them strolled slowly down the alley towards it.

Gray walls and gray tiles, stone lions crouching at the entrance, and lush green ivy peeking out from the top of the wall.

Chen Xiaomiao looked at the alley and thought it was similar to the wealthy houses she had seen in town when she was a child, and couldn't help but sigh.

“Back then, my master often said that after the war was over, he would take me to Beiping to visit the temple fair and eat candied hawthorns.”

Lu Yuan didn't reply, but tightened his grip on her hand.

As I walked, a sweet, caramel aroma wafted over.

"Candied hawthorn berries—rock candied hawthorn berries—"

The old man pushing the bicycle had a huge straw target stuck on the back of the bicycle, on which were dozens of strings of bright red, shiny candied hawthorns, which looked tempting in the sunlight.

Chen Xiaomiao's eyes were instantly glued to it, and her feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Seeing her greedy look, Lu Yuan was secretly amused and led her over: "Master, give me a string of hawthorns."

"okay!"

The experienced vendor deftly pulled out a string of skewers and handed it over; Lu Yuan scanned the code and paid.

Holding the candied hawthorn skewer that was longer than her forearm, Chen Xiaomiao first carefully stuck out the tip of her tongue to lick the outer sugar coating, which made her eyes squint from the sweetness.

Then, with a "crunch," he took a bite out of half a hawthorn.

The sweet, sour, and icy flavor exploded in her mouth, and she let out a satisfied sigh, mumbling to Lu Yuan, "Delicious! It's much bigger than the ones I've seen at temple fairs when I was a kid!"

She ate intently, like a little squirrel hoarding food, her cheeks puffing out.

"You eat it too?"

Chen Xiaomiao held up the candied hawthorn and offered it to Lu Yuan's mouth.

"You eat it, I don't like sour food."

"It's not sour at all, it's very sweet!"

Chen Xiaomiao persisted, her big eyes blinking as she stared at him.

Lu Yuan couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to open his mouth and take a bite.

The sugar coating is crisp, the hawthorn flesh is soft, and the sweet taste is mixed with a hint of sourness.

"How's it going?"

"Yeah, not bad."

Chen Xiaomiao withdrew her hand with satisfaction and continued to gnaw on it like a precious treasure.

She ate a string of candied hawthorns for more than ten minutes, scraping off even the bits of fruit stuck to the hawthorn seeds with her front teeth, before finally throwing the bamboo skewer into the roadside trash can with a lingering sense of satisfaction.

After passing through several alleys, a shimmering lake suddenly appeared before me, with willows swaying along the shore and signs for bars and cafes lined up one after another.

Tourists thronged the area, and the sounds of noise and music mingled together, assaulting the senses.

"Wow...why are there so many people? It's like a market."

"This is a tourist attraction, so of course there are a lot of people."

Lu Yuan protected her as they walked forward through the crowded streets.

There are many stalls along the shore selling all sorts of trinkets.

Clay figurines painted with Peking Opera masks, T-shirts printed with "China's Capital", and various sparkling trinkets.

Chen Xiaomiao looked at everything with interest, touching and looking at it, but as soon as she asked the price, she immediately put it down.

A tiny windmill, no bigger than the palm of your hand, costs twenty yuan. "Robbery!"

She pulled Lu Yuan away, muttering under her breath, "I could make this thing myself with sorghum stalks, it's not worth that much money."

Lu Yuan complained, "There's nothing I can do. In Beijing, even a dog's pee is precious."

The two strolled along the lake and saw many people on boats, those old-fashioned rowboats, slowly swaying in the middle of the lake.

Chen Xiaomiao stared at the lake, somewhat tempted.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan pulled her to the boat rental area, scanned the code to pay the deposit, and picked out the most common little blue boat.

The boat slowly sailed away from the shore.

Chen Xiaomiao suddenly spoke up: "Lu Yuan, I have a question for you."

"explain."

Lu Yuan leaned against the stern, leisurely steering the ship.

"Am I really going to go on stage to receive an award the day after tomorrow?"

Chen Xiaomiao picked at her fingers, her little face full of struggle: "If I were to speak, what should I say? There are so many people watching, I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing and embarrass you."

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

Lu Yuan smiled nonchalantly: "Say whatever you want, even if you just go up and say 'thank you,' no one will care."

He paused, then added, half-jokingly.

"If you really don't know what to say, just imitate those celebrities on TV."

Thank God, thank Earth, thank the judges, thank the calligraphy association, and finally, I want to especially thank your family member, your husband, me.

"You're so improper!"

Chen Xiaomiao was amused by Lu Yuan, and her tension dissipated considerably.

But she still couldn't figure it out, and muttered in confusion, "Lu Yuan, why did they suddenly take a liking to my handwriting?"

"Then you still need to ask?"

Lu Yuan said confidently, "Of course it's because you write well. Gold shines wherever it is!"

He couldn't very well tell Chen Xiaomiao that the registration deadline had been a month ago.

But there's nothing she can do; what can she do when her husband is a "sponsor"?

Lu Lei made a phone call and sponsored a "Youth Talent Development Fund" for the Capital Calligraphers Association in the name of his company. The association immediately added a "special recommendation" spot.

Of course, given the quality of Chen Xiaomiao's "Returning Home", winning an award in the youth group would be more than enough.

Chen Xiaomiao chuckled and patted his chest, saying, "When I get the bonus the day after tomorrow, I'll treat you to Quanjude!"

“I don’t care about that duck, let’s get something practical.”

"Isn't eating duck practical?"

The boat reached the center of the lake, and Lu Yuan leaned closer, lowering his voice.

"Say it again and let me hear it."

"What...what should I call you?"

Chen Xiaomiao vaguely guessed what was going on, and her face turned as red as if she had just eaten that string of candied hawthorns.

"Those two words, you've forgotten them?"

“I…I was…” Chen Xiaomiao stammered, “That’s not the same thing! I was just…excited at the time.”

"We'll have to call you that from now on, so let's get used to it in advance."

Lu Yuan reached out to pinch her cheek, but she turned her head away.

"Aren't you...aren't you ashamed!"

Chen Xiaomiao's eyes widened in embarrassment and anger.

Lu Yuan wasn't annoyed. He stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his arms, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

"Should I call out to you...? After we get off the boat, I'll take you to eat candied hawthorns, two skewers, please."

The man's warm breath brushed against her earlobe, and Chen Xiaomiao's whole body went limp. Finally, she managed to squeeze out two words from her throat in a barely audible whisper.

"husband."

(End of this chapter)