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

Chapter 153 The College Entrance Examination Ends

In June, Wuhan is like a giant steamer just taken out of the oven, with sticky heat waves and noisy cicada chirping hitting you in the face.

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the last exam, like a clarion call for liberation, instantly igniting the previously dull exam room.

The students poured out of the school gate like a flood, their faces showing a variety of expressions: some were beaming with joy, some were dejected, and most were blank and empty after the exam.

Chen Xiaomiao, her pregnant belly protruding, walked slowly and steadily out of the crowd.

She was wearing a loose-fitting cotton and linen dress that Lu Yuan had specially commissioned to be made. It was light apricot-colored, looked simple and cool, and cleverly concealed her slightly protruding pregnant belly, which was already twenty-two weeks along.

After several days of exams, she looked like she was on a picnic. Except for the occasional yawn when she felt sleepy, there was no sign of tension on her face, and she had a very good mindset.

Anyway, I'm just a latecomer to the world of academics and a complete failure. How well I do on the exams depends entirely on God's will.

Besides, I have an even more precious child in my belly, so everything else has to wait.

She squeezed out of the school gate and saw her familiar car, and Lu Yuan waiting for her by the car door.

The man was dressed in a simple white T-shirt and casual pants. He was tall and had a clean-cut look, making him stand out among the anxiously waiting parents.

He wasn't holding any flowers or displaying any banners proclaiming "Success in the Imperial Examination," he simply stood there quietly, his eyes searching through the crowd.

The moment their eyes met, a gentle smile appeared on his face, and he strode forward to meet her.

"The exam is over."

Chen Xiaomiao grinned at Lu Yuan, fine beads of sweat glistening on her forehead in the sunlight.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Lu Yuan didn't ask how the exam went. He naturally took the transparent exam document bag from Chen Xiaomiao, then turned around, took a thermos from the car, unscrewed it, and handed it over.

"Freshly cooled mung bean soup, perfect for cooling down in the summer heat."

Chen Xiaomiao drank a few mouthfuls from his hand. The cool and sweet soup slid down her throat, and the heat in her body dissipated considerably.

"Come on, go home."

Lu Yuan opened the car door for her and carefully placed his hand on the top of the door to prevent her from bumping her head.

The air conditioning in the car was on full blast. Chen Xiaomiao sighed comfortably, slumped in the passenger seat, and gently patted her lower abdomen.

"Lu Yuan, do you think I'll be on TV if I take the college entrance exam while pregnant?"

Lu Yuan was amused by her peculiar way of thinking. He started the car and chuckled, "If you want to be on TV, I'll have Lü Lei arrange an interview for you."

"Forget it, it's too embarrassing."

The two chatted and joked all the way home.

Aunt Wang had already prepared dinner. When she saw the two of them return, she quickly brought out a bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup that had been warming up in the kitchen.

"You must be exhausted after your exams, madam. Have some soup to cool you down and relieve your internal heat."

Chen Xiaomiao changed back into her pajamas, lazily sinking into the sofa. Smelling the light aroma of the soup, she waved her hand listlessly.

"I don't want to drink it, I have no appetite."

For her, the college entrance examination was like completing a task she had set for herself.

Now that the mission is over, the tension in my heart has suddenly eased, but what follows is not relief, but rather a feeling of emptiness and bewilderment.

It seems like suddenly, I don't know what I should do anymore.

Lu Yuan sat down next to her, picked up the soup bowl, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and put it to her lips, like coaxing a child.

"Sweetie, drink a little. Aunt Wang stewed it all morning and added lots of tonics, it's good for the baby."

Chen Xiaomiao glanced at him, then at the spoonful of bland liquid, and finally opened her mouth and drank it.

In the days that followed, Chen Xiaomiao truly began her "retirement" life like a "pig."

Without the pressure of studying, she slept until she naturally woke up every day, ate after waking up, and then felt sleepy. She would lie on the sofa and watch TV, or clumsily knit small socks with the yarn she had bought before.

But when people have a lot of free time, they tend to overthink. That morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Xiaomiao opened her eyes.

Perhaps it was the little one in her belly making a fuss, because she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

So he quietly got up, groped his way into his clothes, and wandered out onto the balcony alone.

The dawn breeze was slightly cool, and it felt very comfortable on my skin.

The neighborhood was quiet, with only early birds chirping on the branches.

Chen Xiaomiao leaned on the railing, looking down at the lush greenery in the garden below. She took a deep breath and, mimicking her old posture at the Taoist temple, slowly began to assume a starting stance.

Back in the mountains, the master required them to get up at dawn every day to practice Tai Chi, a basic set of exercises with no harmful effects, purely for health and wellness.

Now she has a big, round belly, and it's difficult for her to even bend over, let alone lift her legs.

Her once fluid and graceful moves were rendered as clumsy as a penguin flapping its wings in place.

He almost blew himself off because he lost his balance while performing a "white crane spreads its wings" maneuver.

"Pfft."

A suppressed chuckle came from behind.

Chen Xiaomiao froze, blushing as she turned around. She saw that Lu Yuan had woken up at some point and was leaning against the door frame, looking at her with amusement.

"When did you wake up? Why are you walking so quietly?"

"I've been watching you for a while."

Lu Yuan walked over, pulled her into his arms, and watched with her as the sky gradually turned a pale white.

"If you want to exercise in the future, I'll go for a walk downstairs with you. Don't mess around on your own; it's dangerous."

"I know."

Chen Xiaomiao leaned her weight against him, feeling the warmth from the man's chest and the steady heartbeat.

The two embraced quietly, savoring the unique tranquility of the early morning.

In the distance, the horizon gradually turns from deep blue to grayish-white, and then reveals a faint golden hue.

Chen Xiaomiao rubbed her head against Lu Yuan's chest and suddenly let out a soft cry.

"Lu Yuan."

"Ok?"

"Tell me... can I be a good mother?"

She looked up, bewildered, and asked, "I don't even have a mother myself. When my master took me in, I didn't even remember what my mother looked like... I don't know anything. What if I raise the child wrong?"

Lu Yuan lowered his head and gently combed through her slightly messy hair with his fingers.

“No one is born knowing how to be a parent. Let’s learn together. I’ll have Lü Lei hire some childcare specialists so we can take classes together.”

"What kind of nanny...can they even work?"

Chen Xiaomiao pursed her lips, clearly not trusting people who only "talk the talk."

She recalled with emotion: "Back then, raising children in my village was like raising crops. It depended on the weather and the children's fate. If a family had a lot of land and could afford to raise them, they would have more children, hoping they would be successful."

"Didn't you say our child has a very good destiny?"

"Even with the best of luck, there's still the fear that he might go astray..."

Lu Yuan chuckled upon hearing this, pulled her even closer to his chest, gently rested his chin on the top of her head, and spoke with exceptional seriousness.

"Don't worry, with you as my mother, things won't go wrong."

(End of this chapter)