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

Chapter 148 The Reason for Chen Xiaomiao's Distress
It's already mid-December, and this winter is unusually cold.

The air conditioner was blowing loudly inside the room, and a thin layer of condensation hung on the glass windows.

Chen Xiaomiao, wearing the new blue light blocking glasses that Lu Yuan had gotten for her, lay on her desk with her brows furrowed.

On the table lay a book titled "Five Years of College Entrance Examination and Three Years of Simulation," its densely packed function graphs and formulas making her dizzy.

She chewed on her pen, muttering under her breath, "X-axis, Y-axis... summation here first..."

The idiot was lying at her feet, fast asleep, occasionally letting out a few sleep-like hums.

At the other end of the living room, Lu Yuan sat on the sofa with a laptop on his lap, his fingers tapping on the keyboard.

The room was quiet, with only the scratching of pens on paper and the crisp tapping of keyboards, creating a peaceful and reassuring home atmosphere.

"Om - hum -"

The phone lying on the corner of the table started vibrating, breaking the silence in the room.

Lu Yuan picked up his phone and swiped to answer: "Hello?"

"Boss, I'm downstairs."

On the other end of the phone, Ning Qian always maintained a calm and composed tone.

"understood."

Lu Yuan hung up the phone, walked to the desk, leaned down, and his warm breath brushed against Chen Xiaomiao's ear.

"I have to go away for a few days again."

Chen Xiaomiao was struggling with an auxiliary line when she heard this. She just grunted "hmm" without looking up until Lu Yuan gently brushed her cheek with his finger, at which point she finally reacted.

She turned her head, her glasses slipped down to the tip of her nose, and her eyes were still a little hazy.

She leaned forward and lightly touched Lu Yuan's cheek with her lips.

"come back earlier."

After saying that, Chen Xiaomiao quickly turned back, her attention once again firmly drawn to the damn geometry problem.

The idiot was more conscientious than her; he lifted his head from his sleep, wagging his tail at Lu Yuan with sleepy eyes as a farewell gesture.

"Sizzle—" The pen tip wrote the last number on the draft paper. Chen Xiaomiao let out a long sigh, threw the pen down, slumped into the chair, and looked up at the ceiling.

Become!

She actually solved that difficult function problem on her own!

Although it wasn't particularly difficult, after stumbling and making corrections for almost an hour, the moment I finally matched the answer, an unprecedented sense of satisfaction spread through my heart.

She stretched, and her joints made a series of soft cracking sounds.

I glanced at the wall clock; the hands were already pointing to twelve.

Lu Yuan wasn't home, so lunch was a simple affair.

Chen Xiaomiao got up and went to the kitchen, skillfully taking out two eggs and a bunch of greens from the refrigerator.

Boil water, cook the noodles, poach two eggs on top, and finally drizzle with a spoonful of fragrant scallion oil.

A steaming bowl of scallion oil noodles was quickly served.

But as I ate, the excitement of solving the problem gradually faded, and I felt a sense of emptiness and inexplicable irritability, as if something was blocking my heart.

I intended to continue studying in the afternoon, but as soon as I looked at the books, those formulas and graphs that I had just found somewhat endearing reverted to their repulsive appearance.

My mind is a jumbled mess; I just can't calm down.

I can't concentrate on studying...

Chen Xiaomiao simply pushed the book aside, changed into some clothes that were easier to move in, grabbed her car keys, and went to the racetrack.

The roar of engines echoed across the field, and the tires screeched as they rubbed against the ground.

Chen Xiaomiao gripped the steering wheel, floored the accelerator, and raced wildly on the track.

One lap, two laps... She drove incredibly fast, trying to use speed to shake off the nameless anger in her heart.

But even after she parked the car back in its original spot and took off her helmet, the feeling of irritation still lingered in her heart, unmoved.

What's going on?

She sat in the car for a while, then started the car again and slowly drove away from the track.

Chiayi Law Firm

Several large, gilded characters were crookedly pasted on the old glass door, with one of the characters "师" (teacher) missing half of its part.

Chen Xiaomiao pushed open the door and went in. Song Jia was lying on a peeling desk, carefully examining herself with a small mirror to see if she had developed another fine line at the corner of her eye.

Hearing the noise, she didn't even look up, and asked weakly, "Hello, is this a consultation or a request for assistance?"

After waiting for a long time without hearing a reply, I looked up and saw that it was Chen Xiaomiao.

Song Jia was taken aback at first, then immediately jumped up from her chair.

"Little Miao? Please sit down!"

What's wrong? Did you run into some trouble?
A contract dispute? Or... you've got your eye on some company and want Lu Yuan to acquire it, so you've asked me to be your legal counsel?"

Chen Xiaomiao was amused by Song Jia, shook her head, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"I don't have a case."

"No cases?"

Song Jia's smile vanished instantly, and she slumped back into her chair, reverting to her half-dead state: "What are you doing here if you don't have any cases? Inspecting the hardships of ordinary people?"

"I've come to chat with you."

"What are you chatting about during work hours?"

"You don't have any cases anyway."

Chen Xiaomiao shut her up with a single sentence.

Song Jia rolled her eyes, unable to find a rebuttal, and could only sigh and resign herself to her fate.

The two sat facing each other for a long time, staring at each other, with only the buzzing noise of the old air conditioner in the office.

Finally, Chen Xiaomiao spoke first, tentatively asking, "Sister Song Jia, what do you do when you're feeling down or really upset?"

"Irritated?"

Song Jia raised an eyebrow and gave the standard answer: "What else can you do? When most women are in this situation, they just say one word—buy!"

Buy bags, clothes, cosmetics, swipe your card until your hand is sore, treat the mall like your own backyard, and after a stroll, you'll be guaranteed to feel refreshed and all your worries will be gone.

Chen Xiaomiao shook her head as she listened, muttering under her breath, "What a spendthrift..."

Song Jia was amused and teased, "What kind of status do you have now? Isn't it normal for you to be extravagant?"

Chen Xiaomiao shook her head again, her face resolute.

Song Jia had no choice but to change her approach and asked curiously, "Seriously, why are you upset? Did you argue with Lu Yuan?"

"No... We were fine when he flew to the capital this morning."

“That’s it.” Song Jia slapped her thigh, with an expression that said, “I saw through everything long ago.” “Lu Yuan went on a long trip, and you were all alone at home, feeling lonely and cold.”

“No way.” Chen Xiaomiao immediately denied it: “Maybe in the past, but I’m used to it now.”

"Then I'm out of ideas." Song Jia spread her hands, leaned back in her chair, and gave up completely: "I'm a lawyer, not a psychologist. I can't cure your complicated case."

"How about I recommend a mental health clinic? It's run by my senior, and I can give you a 20% discount because of me."

Chen Xiaomiao didn't respond to her comment, but just looked at her quietly.

Song Jia felt uncomfortable under her gaze and asked irritably, "Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have the answer on my face?"

"Sister Song Jia, why do you insist on staying in this lousy place?"

"What do you mean by 'shabby place'?" Song Jia retorted, sticking her neck out. "I'm starting my own business! It may be small, but it has everything I need!"

"But you can barely afford to pay your rent, can you?" Chen Xiaomiao pointed to a stack of rent reminder notices piled up in the corner.

"Mind your own business! I'm happy to do it!"

"I just feel that... you graduated from a prestigious university, you're smart, and you're eloquent, you shouldn't be sitting here waiting to die."

"What do you mean by 'waiting to die'? I'm accumulating experience, preparing for a future breakthrough! What do you know!"

"How can you gain experience if you can't even get a single case?"

Chen Xiaomiao's words were more and more hurtful, and Song Jia completely broke down.

"My goodness, are you deliberately trying to provoke me today? Watch out, or I might try to extort money from you for emotional distress!"

Chen Xiaomiao ignored Song Jia's clamor. Having not taken a nap, she couldn't help but yawn, and a few tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

For some reason, she felt unusually sleepy today, her eyelids feeling as heavy as if they were made of iron.

She just sat there, resting her chin on her hand, staring at Song Jia.

In the end, Song Jia was the first to give in, raising her hands in surrender: "Hey, what exactly do you want?" Chen Xiaomiao blinked and finally spoke: "Sister Song Jia, you just said that if you feel down, you should go shopping... Then let's go shopping, it's on me."

Song Jia was so shocked she could hardly believe her ears: "Say it again, you're treating?"

The sun comes out in the west?

Even a miser can pluck feathers from a skinny rooster!

"Ah."

Chen Xiaomiao nodded solemnly: "I feel a tightness in my chest, like I can't breathe properly, it's uncomfortable... I won't feel at ease until I exhale this breath."

Song Jia slammed her laptop shut, grabbed her bag deftly, and made a quick decision.

"Let's go! Let's go right now!"

……

Half an hour later, the two stood at the entrance of Jiangcheng's largest farmers' market.

"Chen Xiaomiao, is this what you call shopping?"

Looking at the crowded scene before her, Song Jia couldn't help but twitch her lips: "Are you planning to buy a few pounds of cabbage, or just a couple of scallions?"

"Shopping doesn't mean you have to buy anything."

Chen Xiaomiao, looking completely at ease, was the first to squeeze into the crowd.

Song Jia sighed and resignedly followed.

The farmers' market was bustling with noise, with shouts of vendors and bargaining echoing throughout.

Chen Xiaomiao moved with ease, like a fish returning to water, flitting between the various stalls.

She squeezed the tomato, looked at the cucumber, and chatted familiarly with the vendors about today's vegetable prices.

But when it came to actually paying, they hesitated.

The refrigerator at home is packed full, and Lü Xin will send some local specialties every now and then, so there's really nothing we lack.

After walking around, she ended up with two fresh radishes and a bunch of scallions in her hand.

Song Jia followed behind, yawning listlessly. Her enthusiasm for shopping had long been extinguished by the strong smell of scallions, ginger, and garlic.

"I said, it's the middle of winter, can we go somewhere else? We could even go to a mall and enjoy the air conditioning..."

Before she could finish speaking, the two of them happened to pass by the seafood section.

The overwhelming smell of fish hit her face, causing Chen Xiaomiao to pause and turn pale instantly.

She felt a metallic sweetness rush to her throat, turned around, grabbed the stall stand next to her, and bent down to gag.

"vomit……"

"What's wrong?"

Song Jia quickly stepped forward and gently patted Chen Xiaomiao's back.

Chen Xiaomiao waved her hand, tears welling up in her eyes from vomiting, but she couldn't vomit anything except bile.

It took her a while to straighten up, her voice weak: "I...I'm fine."

Weird.

She usually works in the kitchen, killing fish, scaling fish, gutting fish, she's done everything.

She didn't even blink at the bloody scene, so why can't she stand the smell today?
"Let's go, let's get out of here quickly."

Seeing that her face looked really bad, Song Jia half-dragged and half-pulled her out.

The two hurriedly left the seafood section, intending to go around to the other end, but ended up plunging into the meat and poultry section.

Whole slabs of pork hung on the stalls, while chickens and ducks were being chopped on the cutting boards. The pungent smell of raw meat mixed with the gamey odor of poultry was even stronger than that of the seafood section.

Having just recovered, Chen Xiaomiao couldn't stand the smell any longer and turned to run out of the market.

Back in the car, Chen Xiaomiao leaned against the driver's seat, panting heavily, her face even paler than before.

Song Jia handed her a bottle of water, her brow furrowed. "What's wrong with you? Did you eat something bad? Should we go to the hospital?"

"No need, I'm fine."

Chen Xiaomiao waved her hand, unscrewed the bottle cap, took a couple of sips of water, and felt that the churning in her stomach had finally subsided a bit.

"I might be feeling a little dizzy because I didn't sleep well last night."

She started the car, intending to take Song Jia home first.

But the car had just merged into the traffic and hadn't gone very far.

"boom--"

There was a muffled sound.

The car jolted violently, a tremendous force coming from behind. Chen Xiaomiao instinctively slammed on the brakes, her entire body aching from the seatbelt.

"Ouch!"

Song Jia, who was in the passenger seat, wasn't so lucky. She had just started talking to Chen Xiaomiao and hadn't had time to fasten her seatbelt yet.

Caught off guard, his forehead slammed solidly into the storage box in front of him.

Chen Xiaomiao's mind went blank for a moment, and she quickly turned to look at Song Jia: "Sister Song Jia, are you alright?"

"hiss……"

Song Jia clutched her forehead, wincing in pain.

When she removed her hand, blood was already seeping between her fingers.

The driver of the black sedan behind quickly got out of the car; he was a young man who looked quite honest.

Upon seeing Song Jia injured, he apologized repeatedly without any attempt to shirk responsibility, and offered to take full charge.

After the traffic police arrived and quickly handled the scene, the young man insisted on accompanying them to the hospital for a check-up.

The group didn't go far; Jiangcheng Central Hospital was only about 200 meters away.

After entering the hospital, the young man ran around registering and paying fees, while Song Jia was led by a nurse to the surgical department to have her wound treated.

Chen Xiaomiao sat alone on the cold waiting bench. With nothing else to do, she pondered her unusual behavior today and then walked to the registration window.

"Make an appointment with an internal medicine doctor."

Inside the clinic sat an elderly traditional Chinese medicine doctor with gray hair, wearing reading glasses, and with a peaceful expression.

"Doctor, I'd like you to take a look at me."

"Where do you feel uncomfortable?"

The old Chinese medicine doctor pushed up his glasses and gestured for Chen Xiaomiao to sit down.

"I can't really explain it," Chen Xiaomiao explained simply. "I've just been feeling unwell these past few days, constantly sleepy, and very irritable. Today, the smell of fish even made me vomit."

The old Chinese medicine doctor nodded, asked no further questions, and placed three fingers on her wrist.

The consultation room was quiet, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall.

As Chen Xiaomiao watched the old doctor close his eyes and concentrate, his brows sometimes relaxing and sometimes furrowing, her heart was filled with unease.

Could I have contracted some strange disease?

A full minute passed before the old Chinese medicine doctor released her hand, opened his eyes, and looked at her calmly.

"Young lady, has your period started this month?"

Chen Xiaomiao was taken aback, then shook her head.

After thinking about it carefully, it seems... it has been delayed for almost ten days.

Her travels during the famine were not very accurate, but she didn't take it seriously.

The old Chinese medicine doctor nodded knowingly, picked up a pen, and wrote a few words on the medical record book, his tone calm and composed.

"Irritability, drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting are all normal reactions in early pregnancy, so don't be too nervous."

"What?"

Chen Xiaomiao's mind went blank for a moment, as if she had been hit on the head with a club, and she was unable to process the information in the old Chinese medicine doctor's words.

"Pregnant...?"

She repeated it unconsciously, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yes."

The old Chinese medicine doctor raised his eyelids and sighed deeply.

"you are pregnant!"

　There have been fewer updates in the last few days, but things should be back to normal tomorrow.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)