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

Chapter 145 Children

Lu Yuan and Bai Jing had just finished discussing how to properly take care of the Huang siblings when Zhou Chunyan left two days later.

The old lady passed away peacefully in her sleep.

The funeral was simple, with no outsiders invited. Only Lu Yuan, Chen Xiaomiao, and a few people sent by Lü Xin helped with the arrangements.

In accordance with the old woman's last wishes, her ashes were sent back to her hometown and buried next to her husband's grave.

Lu Yuan also sent someone to inform Huang Wei in prison.

The man remained silent for a long time in front of the viewing window, and finally only said, "I understand."

Dust to dust, dust to dust.

Life goes on for the living.

That afternoon, Lu Yuan's car stopped in front of Bai Jing's villa.

Bai Jing and her daughter Lü Jiaxin waited at the door early in the morning.

"Mr. Lu, Xiao Miao."

Bai Jing was dressed in appropriate home clothes, with a gentle yet measured smile on her face.

She nodded to the two of them, then her gaze fell on the two children who got out of the back seat.

Niu Niu Huang Lingshu clung tightly to her brother's clothes, timidly hiding behind him, curiously and fearfully observing the beautiful house in front of her, which looked like something out of a TV show.

Thirteen-year-old Huang Jietao stood straight, his small body trying his best to be upright. Meeting Bai Jing's gaze, he took the initiative to call out "Auntie".

Bai Jing stepped forward, naturally took Niu Niu's hand, and smiled gently at Huang Jietao: "Are you hungry? Let's go inside and eat first."

The nanny had already prepared a sumptuous lunch.

At the round table, the adults were at one end and the children at the other.

Lü Jiaxin acted like a little mistress, sitting right next to Niu Niu.

In front of all the adults, she behaved exceptionally well: "Sister, your name is Huang Lingshu, right? My name is Lü Jiaxin, you can call me Jiaxin. What grade are you in?"

Niu Niu is a year older than Lü Jiaxin, but she is much more timid.

She held the chopsticks and answered softly, "My name is Huang Lingshu... I'm in second grade."

"That's great! Now my sister will accompany me to and from school!"

The two girls started chatting away, and the atmosphere finally became less awkward.

"That's probably what happened."

Lu Yuan explained succinctly: "They are descendants of my maternal grandfather's old friends. Their family suffered a misfortune, and now only these two children remain."

Neither of us has experience taking care of children, so we'll have to trouble you to put in the extra effort.

"Mr. Lu, you're too kind. Jiaxin's father has already told me. Don't worry, I will treat them as my own children."

Bai Jing spoke beautifully, and her attitude was impeccable.

Adults have their own formalities, and children have their own world.

Huang Jietao was caught in the middle, making him the most awkward one.

He couldn't understand the politeness in the adults' conversation, nor could he join in the two little girls' discussion about cartoons and dolls.

I could only sit silently, trying to minimize my presence.

This was the first time in his life that he had eaten in such a luxurious house. He didn't know where to put his hands and feet, and his whole body was filled with an indelible sense of restraint.

After arranging the dishes on the plate, the nanny casually placed a freshly steamed mantis shrimp into Huang Jietao's bowl.

Huang Jietao stared blankly at the shrimp with its hard shell in the bowl, completely bewildered.

How do you eat this?

He glanced furtively at the adults beside him, and seeing that they were all chatting and hadn't noticed him, he lowered his head even further and picked up his chopsticks to poke the shrimp.

Just as he was about to quietly move the shrimp aside, Lü Jiaxin suddenly leaned over and burst out laughing.

Huang Jietao's face turned red instantly.

"Brother Jietao, you don't eat this?"

Lü Jiaxin didn't mean any harm; she just found it novel.

She put down her chopsticks, picked up the mantis shrimp from her bowl, and began to teach like a little teacher.

"Look, we have to do it like this first, twist off its head."

She used both hands and snapped it with a crack.

"Then peel off the shells on both sides from the belly side, like this... Yes, a little harder, and finally pinch the tail and pull, and the whole piece of meat will come out!"

As she spoke, she dipped the peeled, translucent shrimp meat in the sauce and put it in her mouth.

Seeing that Huang Jietao still looked blank, she simply put on disposable gloves and peeled the shrimp in Huang Jietao's bowl, putting the peeled shrimp meat into his bowl.

Huang Jietao looked at the shrimp in the bowl and said softly, "Thank you."

"Hey, you're welcome."

With a "it's all settled" expression, Lü Jiaxin struck up a conversation: "Brother Jietao, you're in the second year of junior high, right? Our school's junior high section is huge, much more fun than the elementary section. Your school..."

……

After lunch, Bai Jing personally led them upstairs to see the rooms.

“Niu Niu, you’ll stay in this room, right next to Jia Xin’s. There’s a wall between us so you can visit each other. You can chat together in the evenings.”

Bai Jing pushed open the door to a pink-themed princess room, which was furnished with soft dolls and a brand-new desk.

Niu Niu's eyes lit up.

Then, Bai Jing led Huang Jietao through the long corridor to the other end. "Jietao, your room is over here. Do you like it?"

This is a blue and white room with a simple style. It is fully equipped with a desk and wardrobe, and the window overlooks the community garden.

Huang Jietao saw it all and understood.

He knew that Aunt Bai Jing's decision to separate his and his sister's rooms so far apart was not to exclude him, but rather a thoughtful gesture.

He's already in the second year of junior high school, a young boy. There's a difference between boys and girls, so keeping them at a distance is better for everyone.

"Thank you, Aunt Bai, the room is very nice," Huang Jietao said sincerely.

Just as Lu Yuan and Chen Xiaomiao were about to leave, Huang Jietao suddenly chased after them and grabbed Lu Yuan's clothes at the entrance.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Yuan stopped and looked down at him.

The boy mustered his courage and asked in a low voice, "Brother Lu Yuan, is Aunt Bai... a good person?"

"Yes."

Lu Yuan answered without the slightest hesitation.

Huang Jietao seemed relieved, then pressed on, "Then... will her daughter bully Niu Niu?"

This is what worries him most.

Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Jiaxin is my wife's apprentice, practically my daughter. If she dares to bully anyone, I'll be the first to deal with her."

Hearing Lu Yuan's assurance, Huang Jietao was completely relieved.

He was silent for a moment, then raised his head, his eyes resolute.

"Brother Lu Yuan, I want to live at school."

"Ok?"

"I want to go to the school dormitory and come back to see Niu Niu during the holidays."

The thirteen-year-old boy no longer wanted to live under someone else's roof every day.

"Row."

Lu Yuan nodded, without asking any further questions or offering any advice.

"You're the man of the house now. From now on, you'll make your own decisions. Just let me know if you need anything."

After saying that, he gestured for Huang Jietao to get in the car: "Come on, I'll take you to school to talk to your teacher."

The car drove to the key municipal junior high school where Huang Jietao studied.

Lu Yuan accompanied Huang Jietao to the homeroom teacher's office.

In the office, a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing glasses was leaning back in his chair, putting on airs in front of an uneasy couple.

"I'm not trying to be mean, but as parents, you really need to take your children's situation to heart!"
"I'm daydreaming in class and procrastinating on my homework. My grades have dropped to around 30th in the class this month. If this continues, I might not even get into high school!"

The couple kept nodding and bowing, their faces full of anxiety.

After the parents expressed their gratitude and presented red envelopes, Lu Yuan led Huang Jietao forward.

"Hello, Teacher Liu."

Lu Yuan spoke politely.

The homeroom teacher looked up and was stunned for a moment. His gaze swept over Lu Yuan, but when he saw Huang Jietao, his expression changed drastically.

That arrogant expression vanished without a trace. He jumped up from his chair with a "whoosh," his face beaming with a warm smile, even a hint of fawning.

"Oh, are you Huang Jietao's parent? Please have a seat, please have a seat!"

He hurriedly moved a chair over and then went to pour water himself: "Why are you here? Is something the matter?"

The homeroom teacher didn't even ask who Lu Yuan was or what his identity was.

"Huang Jietao wants to stay at the school and would like to ask you, teacher, to help him with the paperwork. He also wanted to ask how his child is doing at school."

"Good! Very good!"

Teacher Liu slapped her thigh and praised Huang Jietao highly: "Huang Jietao is a smart, hardworking child who is making remarkable progress! He ranked in the top ten in the class in this monthly exam!"
He's especially gifted in mathematics; he's a promising talent, someone who deserves focused nurturing!

His words were eloquent and persuasive, a stark contrast to his earlier assessment of the student in the thirties.

Huang Jietao stood to the side, listening silently without saying a word.

After finalizing the arrangements for boarding at the school and completing the necessary formalities, the two said goodbye and left.

As soon as he stepped out of the school gate, Huang Jietao suddenly stopped, turned around to face Lu Yuan, and solemnly thanked him.

"Brother Lu Yuan, thank you."

Since transferring to Jiangcheng, Huang Jietao has received a lot of care in his class.

The homeroom teacher was kind and gentle to him, and his classmates were even more proactive and enthusiastic.

Huang Jietao initially thought it was because the atmosphere in city schools was better, the students were of higher quality, and no one was xenophobic.

But he later realized that the atmosphere in schools in the city and schools in the town was actually no different.

In the town, the village bully's son was the king of the kids; no one dared to mess with him, and even the teachers treated him with respect.

The reason he received preferential treatment here was not because his name was Huang Jietao, but because he was a student whom the principal personally led into the classroom and instructed the teacher to "pay special attention to".

The teacher's attitude will in turn affect the attitude of all the students in the class.

The source of this "favor" is self-evident.

(End of this chapter)