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

Chapter 136 Chen Xiaomiao's Determination
In the days that followed, Lu Yuan's large single-level house became a "women and children's activity center".

Lu Jiaxin and her daughter were already permanent residents, and Song Jia would occasionally come over. Now, whenever Qi Lili had free time, she would always bring her daughter over for a visit.

The sun was shining brightly that afternoon.

A soft crawling mat was laid on the carpet in the living room. Chen Xiaomiao and Qi Lili sat cross-legged, while Zhao Moli, lying in swaddling clothes, was waving her little fists and making cooing noises in the middle.

The little girl has big, bright eyes that are very endearing.

"Come here, Jasmine, look at your godmother here..."

Chen Xiaomiao held a rattle drum and gently shook it in front of the little guy. The sequins embedded on the drum surface shimmered in the sunlight.

Attracted by the light, Zhao Moli reached out her chubby little hand to grab it, making "ah-woo ah-woo" sounds, and drool dripped down her chin, wetting her bib.

Qi Lili, standing to the side, couldn't hide her smile. The gentleness that came with motherhood washed away all the fierceness that had once lingered in her eyes.

Inside, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious, but from the ceiling upstairs, a few suppressed arguments could be faintly heard, even through the thick concrete floorboards.

Chen Xiaomiao paused in her hand as she shook the rattle drum, then subconsciously looked up at the ceiling and whispered to Qi Lili, "It's started again. Ever since she came back from her postpartum period, she can't live without making a fuss three to five times a day."

Qi Lili scoffed, her eyes filled with disdain.

She reached out and pinched her daughter's chubby cheeks, saying casually, "Believe it or not, these two will get divorced sooner or later, and it will be the kind of divorce that will tear the roof off and make them fight to the death."

"Really?" Chen Xiaomiao asked in surprise, "They just had a baby, how come they're already talking about divorce?"

In her simple view, once you get married and have children, it's a lifelong commitment.

Even if there are arguments and disagreements, we still have to make do and get by.

"How could it not be... Let me tell you, to see if a couple can stay together for a long time, it's not about how affectionate they are when they're happy, it's about whether they still have that nerve when they argue."

Qi Lili pursed her lips, giving off an expression that said, "You're still too young."

“Take Zhao Qiang and me for example. We also argue. When he gets angry, he can say things that are really offensive. I'm not a good-tempered person either. If I get really angry, I'll scratch him.”

But we both knew in our hearts that we couldn't say or do anything too extreme, and we had to leave each other a way out.

Because we both knew we wanted to continue living together.

As Qi Lili spoke, she gestured with her chin towards the upstairs.

“But Miss Gao upstairs, listen to that noise. Is that arguing? That’s called one-sided pressure.”

She never intended to leave Zheng Zhifeng any room for maneuver; every word she uttered was like a knife to his heart, and every single thing she did was aimed at crushing his manly pride.

Zheng Zhifeng is able to endure it now because he just had a child and still feels a sense of responsibility and guilt.

But human patience has its limits. Just like a rubber band, if you keep stretching it so hard, it will eventually break.

"We'll see if he blows it up then."

Chen Xiaomiao nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

She recalled the complex expression on Zheng Zhifeng's face at the postpartum care center that day, a mixture of joy and heavy exhaustion. Comparing it to Zhao Qiang's silly, pure, and bubbly happiness, she seemed to understand something.

"Alright, don't worry about other people's petty squabbles." Qi Lili changed the subject and said easily, "Anyway, you and Lu Yuan will move out sooner or later, so out of sight, out of mind."

"Moving?" Chen Xiaomiao was taken aback, stopped shaking the rattle, and looked up at her: "Why do you want to move? We're living here just fine."

She liked the house very much; it was big and bright, and in a good location.

Qi Lili couldn't help but laugh out loud, without offering any further explanation.

Sometimes when she looked at Chen Xiaomiao, she really felt that this girl was so naive that it left her speechless.

Chen Xiaomiao wanted to ask more, but Zhao Moli suddenly opened her mouth and stretched out her two little arms towards Chen Xiaomiao while humming and hawing.

Qi Lili clicked her tongue twice: "Hey, look at her, Jasmine really likes you as her godmother."

Chen Xiaomiao felt a warmth spread through her heart and gently pulled Zhao Moli into her arms.

The little one immediately grabbed her shirt with his tiny hands, staring at her with his big, dark eyes, while making little "ee-yah-yah" sounds and blowing bubbles. He was incredibly affectionate.

This feeling is completely different from when I hugged Zheng Qingtong that day.

The child cried his heart out as soon as he was in her arms, as if she were some kind of monster.

Zhao Moli was a soft and cuddly little ball with a pleasant milky scent, which made her like her from the bottom of her heart.

"It seems I'm destined to meet this girl."

Chen Xiaomiao lowered her head and gently rubbed her nose against Zhao Moli's cheek, making the little girl giggle.

Qi Lili nudged Chen Xiaomiao with her elbow, winked, and brought up the old topic again.

"So you and Lu Yuan should hurry up too, while you're young and healthy, you'll recover quickly. Look at me, it hasn't been long and I've already gained all the weight back."

In a while, I reckon we'll be able to have a second child with Zhao Qiang.

Before Chen Xiaomiao could respond with a flushed face, the commotion upstairs suddenly intensified.

The previously suppressed argument turned into clear shouting and cursing, followed by a loud "bang," like a large piece of porcelain being smashed to the ground, the sound of it shattering sharp and piercing.

"Ah—Zheng Zhifeng, you dare to lay a hand on me! I'll fight you to the death!"

Gao Rong's shrill scream pierced through the floorboards, carrying a hysterical madness.

Zhao Moli, who was in his arms, was startled by the sudden loud noise. Her little body trembled violently, her smiling face instantly crumpled up, her mouth turned up, and she burst into tears.

"Oh, my little darling, don't be afraid, Mommy's here..."

Seeing that Chen Xiaomiao couldn't soothe the child, Qi Lili quickly took her daughter from her arms.

But the commotion upstairs continued, with the sounds of things being smashed and a woman crying and cursing mixed together, like a theatrical performance.

"What the hell is this bad luck!"

Qi Lili muttered a curse under her breath, then stood up with her daughter in her arms: "Xiao Miao, Jasmine can't be coaxed, I might as well go back first."

"I'll see you off, sister-in-law."

Chen Xiaomiao also quickly got up.

The two arrived at the underground parking garage. Qi Lili put her sobbing daughter into the car seat, turned to Chen Xiaomiao and said, "Alright, Xiaomiao, you can go up now. See you tomorrow."

Chen Xiaomiao nodded, watched Qi Lili's car leave, and then turned to walk towards the elevator.

Just as I was waiting, the elevator doors slid open with a "ding".

Zheng Zhifeng was standing inside.

He hung his head, looking dejected, his hair hanging messily over his forehead, obscuring his eyes.

Hearing the noise, he subconsciously looked up, and Chen Xiaomiao then saw that there were three and a half finger-length blood marks on his left cheek, as if they had been scratched hard by a woman's fingernails.

"Brother Zheng..."

"Sister-in-law, you...you go upstairs?"

"Ah."

"Oh."

The two exchanged a perfunctory greeting and said nothing more.

Zheng Zhifeng stepped out of the elevator, his back hunched, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

…………

When Lu Yuan returned home that evening, Chen Xiaomiao was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, staring blankly at a junior high school math workbook on the coffee table.

"You're back?"

Hearing the door open, Chen Xiaomiao turned around. "Hmm."

Lu Yuan changed his shoes and walked in. He sat down next to Chen Xiaomiao, picked up the workbook and flipped through it, noticing a lot of bright red crosses on it.

It seems that Xiao Miao's academic performance is not ideal...

Chen Xiaomiao continued working on her homework, and in the process, she told Lu Yuan about the argument upstairs during the day, Qi Lili bringing her child over to play, and her encounter with the injured Zheng Zhifeng at the elevator entrance.

"Sister-in-law, you guessed right. Not long after I said those two, they almost ripped the roof off." Chen Xiaomiao clicked her tongue, still shaken: "The noise was like a war."

Lu Yuan's reaction after hearing this was exactly the same as Qi Lili's; his face showed no extra expression.

"Never mind them, just live your own life."

He tossed the workbook back onto the coffee table and changed the subject: "Stop worrying about other people's business. Tell me about yourself, have you been getting into the swing of things lately?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaomiao's face fell even more.

"English is alright, you can just memorize it. I can already memorize quite a few words, but math..."

She pointed to the math workbook, her face full of despair: "I'm staring at it, and it's staring at me, but we don't recognize each other. All these circles and lines are harder to understand than the talismans my master drew."

Lu Yuan was amused by her and reached out to pull her into his arms.

Don't worry.

He spoke slowly, "I talked to Uncle Lü today, and he said he has a way to get you into university directly in September. Do you want to go?"

"Going to university! So fast?"

"Universities are run by people, so there's always a solution."

"Where should I go to university?"

"The simplest and most convenient place to go is Jiangcheng Academy of Fine Arts."

Lu Yuan patiently explained: "Uncle Lü suggested that you submit your calligraphy to a national calligraphy competition."

With your skill level, you could easily win a gold or silver medal with a little effort.

With awards to their name, and through the art talent admission program, they can directly enter the Chinese painting department of Jiangcheng Academy of Fine Arts to study painting.

He paused, then added, "Of course, if you want to go to a better place, that's fine too... Art academies in the capital, art academies in Shanghai, Uncle Lü can find a way."

Chen Xiaomiao was stunned.

"Just because I can write a few words, I can go to university?"

"Yes." Lu Yuan nodded firmly.

"Then...what will you study in college, or will you still learn to write?"

"Yes, the main focus is on calligraphy theory, calligraphy history, seal carving, and the study of calligraphy techniques throughout history."

Chen Xiaomiao was even more confused.

"But my handwriting is already good enough."

In her simple understanding, learning is about acquiring a skill you don't know.

If you already know it, wouldn't it be a waste of time to learn it again?
Lu Yuan was speechless for a long time, and finally could only laugh helplessly.

"This is different..."

"Why is it different?"

Chen Xiaomiao pressed on relentlessly, "Lu Yuan, let me ask you, if you can get into university just by writing nicely, then why have I been getting up early and working late for the past two months to memorize English and do math?"

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and her little mouth pursed up.

She had already prepared herself to study diligently and assiduously, hoping to take the so-called "college entrance examination" next June and get into university based on her own abilities.

In the end, Lu Yuan told her that a bright and prosperous road had already been paved, and all her previous hard work in digging and building the road was in vain.

This feeling made her feel suffocated.

"Of course it works."

Lu Yuan grasped Chen Xiaomiao's hand and explained, "Xiaomiao, the purpose of introducing you to basic education is not just for exams, but more importantly, to lay a foundation for you so that you won't stand out too much among your university classmates and can integrate into this era more quickly, understand?"

Chen Xiaomiao fell silent.

She understood the reasoning, but she just couldn't get over the impulse in her heart.

She fled from the Republic of China era, and in this completely new world, she was like a rootless duckweed. So in the past, she tried to prove her worth by doing good housework.

After more than two months of dedicated study, she is enjoying the feeling of gradually understanding the world through her own efforts.

Now, Lu Yuan wants to skip this process entirely, leaving her feeling empty inside.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Lu Yuan assumed she had accepted the proposal.

Finally, Chen Xiaomiao raised her head and gently shook her head.

"Lu Yuan, I don't want to do that."

Her eyes were clear and firm, without the slightest hesitation: "I still want to try the college entrance exam you mentioned."

Lu Yuan was completely stunned, even doubting that he had heard correctly.

"What did you say, the college entrance exam!?"

Lu Yuan was both amused and exasperated.

His original plan was to let Chen Xiaomiao take the adult college entrance examination at most, but he never expected that she would actually take the college entrance examination.

"My silly girl, do you even know what that means?"
Others have spent twelve years from elementary school to university, and you plan to compare yourself to them in less than a year?

You don't even understand what a function is!

"I know it's difficult."

Chen Xiaomiao's voice wasn't loud, but her tone was unusually stubborn: "But I just want to try. I want to know how far I can go with my own abilities."

If I pass the exam, it's my own ability; if I don't, I'll accept it.

Ultimately, it's a path I've walked step by step myself, so I feel at ease.

"I'll go to the university that corresponds to my score, no matter how low it is, it's still a place I got into through my own efforts."

Lu Yuan stared at her intently.

I wanted to call her silly, I wanted to call her naive, I wanted to tell her that there are many shortcuts in this world, and there is no need to choose the most difficult path.

But as someone who took the college entrance exam twice, he couldn't utter a single word when the words were on the tip of his tongue.

"alright."

Lu Yuan sighed deeply and reached out to pull the girl into his arms again.

"It's all up to you."

　As for Gao Rong, she won't have many scenes later on. After completing her mission, she will definitely be written out of the story, and her ending won't be good.

　　The main reason is that her daughter, Zheng Qingtong, will have a significant role later on, requiring character background and family development.

　　I've written enough about daily life, and recently I've been hesitating about whether to speed up the pace, and also about some supporting characters, such as Lü Jiaxin, having some interactions with characters from previous stories.

　　Or is it that everyone just wants to see the male and female leads fall in love...?

　　I only wrote 6000 words today. Let me think about it. I'll resume normal updates tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)