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

Chapter 13 The First Step to Adaptation

After buying household necessities, Chen Xiaomiao suddenly suggested that she would cook dinner and asked Lu Yuan where she could buy groceries. Lu Yuan simply accompanied her to the fresh produce section of the supermarket.

After wandering around the fresh produce section for half a day, Chen Xiaomiao's eyes gradually changed from excitement to confusion.

“Lu Yuan…”

"So, have you decided what groceries to buy?"

"I...I feel a little dizzy."

The variety of ingredients in the large supermarket far exceeded Chen Xiaomiao's expectations. She looked embarrassed and confessed, "In the temple, I usually just make some coarse grain buns, roll out some noodles, and stir-fry some green vegetables and radishes."

These are all unrefined, coarse foods, I'm afraid you won't be used to them.

"It's okay, I'm not picky about food. I'll eat whatever you make," Lu Yuan reassured him. "It's just cooking. There's plenty of time to learn later."

"Are you going to send me to work as an apprentice in a restaurant kitchen?"

In Chen Xiaomiao's time, a chef's skills were not easily passed on. She had only heard Liu, the cook from down the mountain, say that the kitchens of big restaurants in the city were full of fumes and had many rules, and that you would get scolded if you were slow in chopping vegetables.

"No need, you can learn online."

"Go online? What's that?"

"Hmm... I'll tell you when I get back."

Actually, Lu Yuan was quite unsure of himself.

Guiding Chen Xiaomiao to access the internet is key to helping her adapt to today's society.

On the other hand, there are so many things online nowadays that are both true and false, and this girl's vigilance is probably not even as good as that of a seventy or eighty-year-old lady.

I'm starting school the day after tomorrow, so I can't focus on her all the time.

After picking and choosing for a long time in the fresh food section, Chen Xiaomiao still only dared to eat the ingredients she was familiar with.

She took two rows of eggs, weighed out five pounds of loose flour, selected three plump ears of corn, and hesitated for a long time in front of the pork stall before pointing to the pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and asking the butcher to cut out about two and a half pounds of it.

Finally, she asked Lu Yuan to get her a small bottle of cooking wine, a bag of starch, and a jar of chili bean paste.

After paying the bill and carrying her bags, Chen Xiaomiao was planning her evening's itinerary when Lu Yuan, deciding to go all the way, led her into a mobile phone store on the side of the road.

It's only a matter of time before Chen Xiaomiao adapts to modern society, so let's start by teaching her how to use a mobile phone.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Xiaomiao walked out of the business hall carrying a brand new cardboard box with several foreign letters printed on it that she did not recognize.

She looked at the box, then at the small card with numbers written on it in Lu Yuan's hand, and asked in confusion, "Lu Yuan, why did you buy me this 'iron brick'?"

Lu Yuan waved his phone: "Weren't you always curious why I was holding this 'brick'? I'll teach you when we get back."

"Oh……"

Chen Xiaomiao showed little interest in learning how to use the "brick" (a type of sledgehammer), her mind only preoccupied with cooking dinner that evening.

After the two returned home, Chen Xiaomiao put her things away and then went straight into the kitchen, bustling about with activity.

First, scoop out some flour, add water, and knead it into a smooth dough. After letting it rest for a while, roll it out with that long rolling pin, and then cut it into noodles of uniform thickness.

Heat oil in a pan, and the chopped scallions sizzle and release their aroma.

Next, pour in the beaten egg mixture and scramble it into golden egg flowers. Add water and bring to a boil, then add the noodles.

Finally, sprinkle a pinch of salt and a few drops of sesame oil on top. The clear, glistening egg sauce is paired with the snow-white, chewy noodles stir-fried with scallions.

After cooking the noodles, Chen Xiaomiao immediately cut the pork belly into strips about the thickness of a finger, marinated it with cooking wine, a little salt and Sichuan peppercorn powder, then beat two eggs, added starch and water to make a paste.

Once the oil was heated again, Chen Xiaomiao carefully slid the batter-coated meat strips into the oil one by one. The sizzling sound accompanied by the aroma of oil filled the air. She turned the meat strips with long chopsticks from time to time until they were fried to a golden brown.

"Lu Yuan, time to eat!"

Chen Xiaomiao shouted, "The food is on the table!"

The broth of the noodles, seasoned with scallions, is clear and bright, with egg flowers floating on top.

The crispy fried pork pieces are piled on a small plate, golden and tempting, emitting the unique aroma of fried food.

The overall presentation was acceptable, but when Lu Yuan picked up his chopsticks and tasted it, he could still tell that something was off.

The noodles were on the softer side, the aroma of the scallion oil from the stir-fry was a bit weak, and the saltiness was also slightly bland.

The crispy outer skin of the pork belly is indeed crispy, but the meat inside is made from fatty pork belly, which releases excess oil after frying, resulting in a slightly dry texture and a salty taste that is only on the surface, leaving the inside bland.

This was a typical practice during an era of scarcity—people were reluctant to use much oil and salt, and the meat had to be fried thoroughly and dried out, so that everything could be used to its fullest potential and stored for longer.

Chen Xiaomiao didn't touch her chopsticks. Her foxy eyes were fixed nervously on Lu Yuan's face, carefully observing every subtle expression of the man. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

With each bite Lu Yuan took, her heart skipped a beat.

"Let's eat together."

Hearing Lu Yuan's reminder, Chen Xiaomiao picked up her chopsticks, but her gaze still kept glancing at Lu Yuan.

In those days, wasting even a little bit of food was a sin. As long as the food was edible, that was fine. There was basically no room for trial and error when it came to taste.

So these are already Chen Xiaomiao's two best dishes...

Lu Yuan ate quickly, finishing the large bowl of noodles completely, leaving not even a drop of soup.

Seeing this, Chen Xiaomiao finally felt relieved, and a simple smile returned to her face.

After dinner, the two sat down on the sofa in the living room and began their "first lesson in modern science and technology."

Do you know what a telephone is?

"I've heard of it, but it's a rare thing that only exists in the city."

"This thing is now called a cell phone. Its most basic function is similar to that of a crank telephone, except that it doesn't need to be connected by a wire or have a switchboard."

Lu Yuan pointed to the positions of the handset and microphone, explaining, then showed her how to unlock the screen, find the green phone icon, and dial her own number. "Hello, hello, can you hear me?"

"Can we rely on this to make a statement?"

"Yes, it works no matter how far apart we are!"

Chen Xiaomiao studied very diligently, her fingers clumsily and carefully tapping on the screen, afraid of breaking the thin glass.

After teaching Chen Xiaomiao the most basic skills of answering and making calls, Lu Yuan began to delve deeper into the subject.

"How should I explain this to you about the internet..."

Lu Yuan pondered for a while, trying to organize his thoughts.

“Look, this is like… well, a really, really big, invisible and intangible market!”
There are countless shops inside, selling all sorts of things.

There were storytellers, opera singers, people chatting, and vendors...

If you want to know something, buy something, or talk to someone, you can basically get it all by entering this 'market' and finding the right way.

This 'market' is called 'Net,' and going in to browse is called 'surfing the internet.'

Chen Xiaomiao listened with a vague understanding. After more than three hours of Lu Yuanlai's instruction, she could only barely learn how to use WeChat and input information by handwriting.

The key point is that she only knows traditional Chinese characters, and she writes very slowly, but her strokes are clear and she has a good foundation, so it is obvious that she has practiced calligraphy.

Lu Yuan

Once Chen Xiaomiao finished writing Lu Yuan's WeChat nickname, the teaching was temporarily suspended.

One must eat one bite at a time; Lu Yuan plans to teach him slowly later.

More importantly, he was just too sleepy today...

After washing up, Chen Xiaomiao lay on the soft and comfortable bed, covered with brand-new bedding with small pale yellow floral patterns, but she was wide awake.

The past three days have been something Chen Xiaomiao never dared to dream of.

Every meal included white noodles and meat, the room I slept in was spacious and clean, and there was that precious "air conditioner" blowing cool air, so I didn't feel the heat at all.

And all of this originated from Lu Yuan.

Although Lu Yuan always said it was nothing, there were many people outside who could offer better conditions.

But Chen Xiaomiao has a sense of justice; although she is simple-minded, she is not stupid.

When she was a child, everyone in the temple said she was simple-minded, but her master praised her for being insightful and clear-headed on important issues.

My master once said that the cycle of heaven turns and worldly affairs may change, but the human heart remains unchanged and its desires are insatiable.

Chen Xiaomiao knew exactly what her seductive charm meant to men. Those who could maintain their integrity were few and far between, let alone eighty years, or even eight hundred years from now.

Over the course of a few days, Lu Yuan not only didn't lay a hand on her, but even his gaze towards her remained completely innocent.

In addition, Lu Yuan is thoughtful. Although he sometimes speaks harshly, he never really makes things difficult for her and always considers her feelings.

Take dinner for example. Chen Xiaomiao knew that her cooking skills were not to Lu Yuan's liking, but Lu Yuan still ate it all without embarrassing her in the slightest.

As she pondered this, Chen Xiaomiao couldn't help but pull out her phone from beside her pillow and clumsily opened WeChat, following Lu Yuan's instructions.

There's only one lonely profile picture in my friends list.

She used her fingertips to carefully write two words and then clicked send.

Lu Yuan

A few seconds later, the phone vibrated.

"Um, is there something you need?"

Chen Xiaomiao stared at the screen, her heart pounding, and wrote again.

Are you asleep?

If you hadn't messaged me, I probably would have already fallen asleep.

【Oh……】

Chen Xiaomiao bit her lower lip and hesitated for a long time, as if she had finally found a reason.

Lu Yuan

【Um? 】

I'm making corn porridge tomorrow morning, do you want some?

【Can. 】

Alright...

The room fell silent again, with only the faint sound of the air conditioner blowing air.

Chen Xiaomiao, holding her phone, rolled over in bed and couldn't resist typing and sending the message again.

Lu Yuan

Is there anything else?

It's getting late, you should get some rest.

Suddenly, a dynamic icon popped up on Chen Xiaomiao's phone.

A chubby cartoon kitten curled up in the blankets, with three words appearing above its head: "Goodnight."

Chen Xiaomiao lay back down, staring blankly at the ceiling, her phone pressed tightly against her chest, her heart pounding faster and faster...

(End of this chapter)