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

Chapter 123 Tea and Water

Chen Xiaomiao's slight unease vanished with a single sentence from Lu Yuan.

She snuggled closer to Lu Yuan, finding a more secure position, feeling that there was no place in the world more reassuring than this.

Lu Yuan is so eloquent.

It soothed away that lingering resentment in her heart.

Actually, she didn't usually ask these kinds of questions. She knew where she came from, and that she was already incredibly fortunate to have the life she had today. She didn't dare to ask for too much.

But Lu Yuan's answers always managed to make her feel as sweet as if she had drunk honey.

Before long, she almost got addicted to it.

Every now and then, she would try to subtly probe, hoping to hear Lu Yuan speak sweet nothings in his unhurried tone that would make her blush and her heart race.

Was Lu Yuan destined to meet her?
Chen Xiaomiao wasn't sure.

But even without me, if Lu Yuan married a teacher or a rich girl, he would probably still be able to make her happy.

After all, he's so good at taking care of people...

The movie "Painted Skin" is playing on TV.

Looking at the man who was kept in the dark, and his devoted wife who had misplaced her affections, Chen Xiaomiao felt increasingly bitter.

It's as if she's a demon in disguise who stole someone else's man.

The more Chen Xiaomiao thought about it, the more upset she became. Silently, she said in her heart to a "person" she had never met and who might not even exist—"I'm sorry."

……

The next day, Sun Yumei called the two of them back to their old house for dinner.

The elderly couple's cold war had long ended, and they enjoyed a pleasant meal together.

Halfway through the meal, Sun Yumei put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and suddenly spoke.

"Xiao Yuan, you're rich now, and Grandma wants to ask you for a favor."

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

He knew his grandmother's temper; she would never easily ask him for help unless she was really in trouble.

He immediately put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Grandma, look at what you're saying. If you need anything, just let me know. Don't worry about it being a bother."

Sun Yumei sighed and said slowly, "Our department recently received a child from a county down below. He just turned one year old today. His parents are doing odd jobs in Jiangcheng and don't have much money. This illness... I'm afraid they can't afford it."

Hematology is one of the most expensive departments in a hospital.

For an ordinary family, a thin medical diagnosis is enough to bankrupt the entire family.

Lu Yuan nodded: "This isn't difficult. I'll call someone to contact the child's parents later, and we can use the foundation's funds. But Grandma, you've been a doctor for so many years..."

"I know."

Sun Yumei interrupted Lu Yuan.

She spent most of her life in the hematology department, witnessing too much human joy and sorrow, too many things beyond her control, and too many times when she felt powerless to change anything.

She knew better than anyone that she could save one person, but not everyone.

“But…” Sun Yumei paused, her voice hoarse, “This child’s situation is rather special.”

Lu Yuan asked, "What's so special about it?"

Sun Yumei took a deep breath, but couldn't say a word for a long time.

Lu Jianguo, who was eating silently to the side, spoke up for her: "That child's name is Lu Wenning, the same name as your father, and their birthdays are also today."

Lu Yuan's hand gripping the chopsticks tightened suddenly, and he froze.

"Just consider it... doing your dad a good deed."

After Sun Yumei finished speaking, she could no longer sit still, so she suddenly got up and quickly walked back to her room.

Just before entering the room, Lu Yuan saw the old lady quickly take off her glasses and vigorously wipe the corner of her eye.

In his aged and cloudy eyes, one could still faintly see glistening tears.

"Oh, you old woman, you just can't be mentioned..."

Lu Jianguo quickly put down his chopsticks and sighed as he chased after him.

A short while later, faint, suppressed, intermittent sobs could be heard coming from inside the tightly closed room.

At the dinner table, only Lu Yuan and Chen Xiaomiao remained, staring at each other in bewilderment.

A table full of carefully prepared food suddenly lost its flavor.

Chen Xiaomiao looked at Lu Yuan and knew that he was also feeling bad, so she reached out and gently held Lu Yuan's slightly cool hand, wanting to comfort him.

Lu Yuan felt the softness and warmth in his palm, slowly raised his head, smiled at the girl, and took a deep breath.

"I am fine."

……

On the drive home, Chen Xiaomiao looked at the street scene rushing past the window, hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Lu Yuan, what kind of person is your father?"

"My dad..."

Lu Yuan gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, and recalled, "He was just a taxi driver, not very successful, but he was good-looking and had a sweet tongue. He was good at making women happy, and he had my mother completely under his thumb."

Chen Xiaomiao said "Oh" and nodded.

Now she finally understood where Lu Yuan learned his skills in charming women.

Lu Yuan seemed to have started talking non-stop, muttering to himself.

"The day they had the accident, my grandmother received a phone call at the hospital and collapsed on the spot."

Later, my grandfather told me that from then on, my grandmother would secretly cry at home every time my father's birthday or death anniversary came around.

All these years, except for the day of the burial, she has never visited my parents' graves, nor has she ever stepped into our new house. She's afraid that seeing their belongings would remind her of them and she wouldn't be able to bear it.

His voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

"I never imagined that after so many years, a complete stranger would bring up all my sad memories."

……

The next day, Lü Lei arranged for Lin Ling to come to Jiangcheng.

At the hospital, Lin Ling met the young couple.

The two looked to be in their early twenties, wearing faded old clothes, their faces showing exhaustion from hard work and despair in the face of huge medical bills.

When Lin Ling explained her purpose and told them that a charitable foundation had heard about their experience and was willing to fully fund all the expenses for the child's treatment and rehabilitation, the couple was stunned.

After realizing what had happened, the man knelt down on the ground with a thud, sobbing uncontrollably and kowtowing repeatedly.

Things went very smoothly.

On the third day, however, Lu Yuan received news that Sun Yumei had been given a long leave by the hospital.

"Grandma, what's going on? Why are you on vacation all of a sudden?"

On the other end of the phone, Sun Yumei's voice sounded tired as she said with a wry smile, "It's nothing. I've been working for several months straight since I was rehired, so I'm a bit exhausted. The hospital is letting me rest for a while."

"That would be great!"

Lu Yuan followed her words and said, "You should take a break too. Why don't you let Grandpa accompany you on a trip, or go back to your hometown for a visit? I'll arrange it for the two of you."

"Okay, I see."

Sun Yumei smiled and agreed, but it was unclear whether she actually listened.

The relaxed smile on Lu Yuan's face vanished instantly after he hung up the phone.

He stared at the blacked-out phone screen, his brows furrowed tightly.

He knew his grandmother too well; she was a doctor who had dedicated her entire life to her work and valued it more than her own life.

Are you a little tired?

It's impossible for her to say such a thing.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Xiaomiao immediately came over and asked with concern, "How are you? Is Grandma alright?"

Lu Yuan tossed his phone onto the sofa, rubbed his temples, and looked rather unwell.

"The child's parents were so grateful for the help that they knelt down in the corridor of the department and told the grandmother that she had saved their whole family's lives."

This kneeling was seen by other patients' families.

"and then?"

"Then everyone thought that they could get help by begging Grandma. The word spread quickly, and patients' families from the entire hematology department, and even other departments, came to Grandma to beg her."

Lu Yuan sighed: "Some people blocked the office door with their children in their arms, while others knelt down in the hospital lobby. Grandma tried to explain to them that she couldn't make the decision, but nobody believed her."

One family member, after being refused, became enraged on the spot, pointing his finger at the grandmother and cursing her, saying that she had watched her die and had no conscience.

The hospital, firstly, fearing the situation would escalate and have a negative impact, and secondly... also to protect Grandma, simply let her go home to rest.

Chen Xiaomiao was furious when she heard this.

"How could they do this! Grandma clearly did a good deed, how can they be so unreasonable!"

"Sometimes, when people are driven to the brink, they can't be reasoned with."

Chen Xiaomiao pursed her lips, and after a long while, she managed to stammer out, "Then...then can't you help with everything?"

"Little seedling".

Lu Yuan explained very seriously: "Charity is a bottomless pit. It will never be filled with my own money."

My grandfather's charitable foundation, which he left behind, generates tens or even hundreds of millions of yuan in revenue annually, yet even so, it can only help a very small number of people.

Seeing that Chen Xiaomiao was still pouting and looking unhappy, Lu Yuan reached out and pinched her cheek.

"Alright, stop looking so gloomy. This has nothing to do with you."

"I just feel...uneasy."

Chen Xiaomiao said sullenly, "Sigh, if only I had lots and lots of money, I could help whoever I wanted."

Lu Yuan was amused by her naive idea and deliberately said, "Although you don't have a lot of money, you do have 81,325 yuan."

That was all the money in Chen Xiaomiao's bank account.

"..."

Chen Xiaomiao was instantly choked.

Ask her to donate all 80,000 yuan in her account?
Lu Yuan smiled as he looked at her conflicted expression and pulled her into his arms.

"That's how people are. If you ask them to donate ten million, anyone will say it without batting an eye. But if it comes to actually taking out a hundred dollars from their own pocket, they'll have to think twice."

So don't worry about it. This has absolutely nothing to do with you, so don't fret about it.

Chen Xiaomiao snuggled closer to him, feeling embarrassed, and muttered softly, "Was what I just said... kind of 'tsundere'?"

They spout lofty and righteous words, but when it comes to their own situation, they can't bear to part with it.

"Don't learn a word and then use it indiscriminately."

Looking into her clear, bright eyes, Lu Yuan couldn't resist and kissed her on the forehead.

"You are not tea."

"Then what am I?"

“You are water,” Lu Yuan’s voice was deep and gentle: “Quenching thirst and saving lives.”

(End of this chapter)