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

Chapter 158 The Child's Mother Goes to College (Part 2)

Jiangcheng Wenshuo College is located in the old city, where parking is already scarce. Chen Xiaomiao drove around the school twice but couldn't find a place to park.

In the end, I had no choice but to park the car in the underground parking garage of a shopping mall 200 meters away.

Emerging from the sweltering garage, holding her brand-new textbooks, Chen Xiaomiao took a deep breath and followed a few students toward the somewhat old-looking school gate.

The university looked a little different from what she had expected.

It doesn't have the high walls of Lu Yuan School, nor the imposing gate tower; it looks more like a garden that people can stroll in at any time.

She asked around and walked along the school path lined with camphor trees before finally finding the "Humanities Building".

When Chen Xiaomiao reached the door, the room was already mostly full of people, noisy and bustling like a vegetable market.

As soon as she stood at the door, the previously noisy classroom visibly quieted down.

Dozens of eyes turned to her simultaneously.

More than half a month of military training was enough for these young people, who had just been released from the cage of high school, to get to know each other.

Everyone had a general idea of ​​who the top students were, who the social elites were, who came from wealthy families, and who the troublemakers were.

I've seen quite a few beautiful girls, some pure and lovely, others bright and flamboyant.

But Chen Xiaomiao at the door was still too special.

She wore a moon-white shirt, a sky-blue horse-face skirt, and her black hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin. Her face was unadorned, but her skin was as white as the finest mutton-fat jade.

What's most striking is her demeanor. Despite her young age, her eyes seem to hold a pool of autumn water, calm and gentle, making her stand out from the impetuous students at a glance.

Chen Xiaomiao felt a little intimidated by their stares, instinctively clutching the book in her arms and giving a demure nod to the crowd as a greeting.

Then I found an empty seat by the window in the front row and sat down along the wall.

She had barely settled into her seat when the chair next to her was pulled out with a "whoosh," and a lively girl with a high ponytail sat down next to her as if they were old friends.

"Hi, classmate, my name is Tang Wen, what's your name?"

"I..."

Chen Xiaomiao turned her head away, and just as Zhongyuan Yayin was about to blurt out her words, she suddenly remembered Lu Yuan's reminder. Finally, she turned back and politely responded in Mandarin.

"My name is Chen Xiaomiao."

Although the accent is still the same and sounds awkward, it's still within an acceptable range overall.

Tang Wen continued, "Chen Xiaomiao...aren't you the only one in our class group who didn't come to military training?"

This matter had already spread throughout the class.

On the day of school registration, everyone introduced themselves, but Chen Xiaomiao was the only one who didn't come.

The counselor explained that she had taken a long leave due to family matters, and even skipped military training.

Chen Xiaomiao nodded and explained vaguely, "Um... I was in the hospital at that time, something came up."

More than half a month ago, she was added to the class group, and so far she has only said one sentence - "Hello everyone, my name is Chen Xiaomiao".

"You were hospitalized for more than half a month... Are you feeling alright now?"

"So many!"

"I'm so envious of you... Military training is absolutely unbearable, we're all so sunburnt we're practically peeling off!"

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arms, which were distinctly black and white, in stark contrast to Chen Xiaomiao's fair wrists.

"Xiao Miao, your skin is amazing! What skincare products do you use? And your outfit is so beautiful, is it Hanfu? Where did you buy it?"

Tang Wen was like a machine gun, bombarding Chen Xiaomiao with questions one after another, leaving her overwhelmed.

"By the way, Xiao Miao, judging from your accent, you're not from Jiangcheng, are you?"

"Yes and no."

"A woman should follow her husband wherever he goes," as the saying goes. Chen Xiaomiao felt that since she had married Lu Yuan, she was at least half a Jiangcheng resident.

"There's an empty bed in our 302 dorm room. Could it be yours, Xiao Miao?"

"I don't live on campus."

"Not living on campus?" Tang Wen became even more enthusiastic: "Can freshmen rent apartments off-campus? Are you living alone?"

Before Chen Xiaomiao could answer, a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses and looking refined walked onto the podium, and the classroom instantly fell silent.

"Class is starting."

Tang Wen stuck out her tongue and quickly sat up straight: "Let's talk after class!"

Chen Xiaomiao felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly opened the book.

There were two long lectures in the morning, which discussed the origin and evolution of writing.

The teacher spoke passionately on the podium, from oracle bone script to bronze script, and then to seal script.

Although it sounds complicated, it is at least much simpler than math, physics, and chemistry.

Master had taught Chen Xiaomiao these things before, but Master taught her how to identify the cloud script on talismans, which is different from what is being taught in class now, but the underlying principles are the same.

Chen Xiaomiao originally thought that since she had memorized the Four Books and Five Classics so well, learning this should be a piece of cake, but little did she know that it was not the same thing at all.

Chen Xiaomiao's mind was completely blank when the bell rang, finally making it to the end of get out of class.

"Come on, let's go eat!" Tang Wen grabbed Chen Xiaomiao's arm. "Xiaomiao, come with us! Let me tell you, even dogs wouldn't eat the food in our school cafeteria!"

Without saying a word, she grabbed Chen Xiaomiao and waved to two girls in the back row who had been peeking at them.

"Li Tong, Zhang Yufei, hurry up!"

The two girls immediately got up and followed.

The girls walked together, chattering away, with Tang Wen being the loudest.

She held Chen Xiaomiao's arm with one hand, while gesturing wildly with the other, spitting as she spoke.

"That's the downside of our school. It's located in the old town, and there isn't even a decent shopping mall nearby. If you want to eat something good, you have to go a long way away."

Tang Wen complained, but her steps were light as she led the three of them through an old alley lined with clotheslines.

"This is the place!"

Tang Wen stopped in front of a small Sichuan-style grilled fish shop: "Don't let the small size of the shop fool you, the taste is amazing! I checked it out when I was in military training. It's about 50 yuan per person, and you can eat your fill!"

The shop was already filled with students, bustling with activity and lively conversation.

The rich, spicy aroma hit her face, making Chen Xiaomiao want to sneeze.

The four of them found a booth by the window and squeezed in to sit down.

Tang Wen readily took the menu from the waiter and immediately ordered: "A three-pound Qingjiang fish, spicy! Plus a serving of luncheon meat, a serving of enoki mushrooms, a serving of wide rice noodles... Oh, and do you guys want some cilantro?"

Li Tong and Zhang Yufei nodded repeatedly, and Chen Xiaomiao, who didn't care much about such things, also nodded.

While waiting for the food, everyone started chatting non-stop.

Zhang Yufei started the conversation: "Hey, have you heard? Professor Wang, who teaches our ancient literature, the one with glasses this morning, is supposedly super strict. I heard the failure rate for the final exam is 30%!"

Li Tong was a little skeptical: "Really? I thought his lectures this morning were quite interesting."

Zhang Yufei said confidently, "Why would I lie to you? My senior from high school graduated from this school, and she said so!"

Tang Wen waved her hand dismissively: "What's there to be afraid of? As long as I don't skip class and hand in my homework properly, I won't fail you, right? That new counselor, on the other hand, is quite handsome, but he looks a bit fierce." The topic naturally shifted from the teacher to the boys.

"The boys in our class aren't very good-looking. I observed them during military training, and there weren't many decent-looking ones."

"Is Liu Yang alright? He's quite tall, and I heard he was a key player on the basketball team as soon as he entered the school."

"Him? No, no, his skin is too dark, and I heard he already has a girlfriend."

"Surely not? He's only a freshman, how could he be so fast?"

"A sports student, that's normal..."

The three girls took turns commenting on the few boys in the class from head to toe.

Chen Xiaomiao listened from the side, feeling like she was listening to a storyteller, completely confused and unable to match a single name to the story.

Unable to get a word in edgewise, she could only sip the free tea on the table, her mind already preoccupied with Lu Yang at home.

I wonder if my son is awake yet, if he's crying, or if he's drinking his milk properly.

Just as she was lost in thought, Tang Wen suddenly nudged her with her elbow: "Hey, Xiao Miao, what are you daydreaming about? I'm asking you a question!"

Chen Xiaomiao exclaimed "Huh?" and looked up blankly.

Tang Wen leaned closer to her, winking and saying, "You be the judge! Tell me, which boy in our class is the most handsome?"

This question stumped Chen Xiaomiao.

She mentally reviewed the blurry faces from the classroom that morning, but couldn't really recall them.

He simply answered honestly, "I...I just arrived, and I haven't gotten to know everyone yet."

She paused, feeling that saying that might be out of place, and then added quietly.

"Mainly, I have a man."

"Wow! Xiao Miao, you have a boyfriend?"

At their age, talking about "boyfriend" is common, but the word "man" that Chen Xiaomiao uttered always sounded strange.

Chen Xiaomiao was a little embarrassed by everyone's exaggerated reaction and nodded.

"Oh my god!" Tang Wen's gossip fire was burning brightly: "When did this happen? High school classmates? Then aren't you in a long-distance relationship now?"

"What does he look like? What does he do? Is he good to you?"

Li Tong and Zhang Yufei also gathered around, bombarding them with questions.

Chen Xiaomiao and her group were taken aback by the sight of the crowd, and their minds were a little blank.

How do you explain that?
They say my husband is three years older than me, and we already have two kids?

If this gets out, it'll probably scare them.

She stammered for a long time before finally giving the safest answer: "We're not from the same school... He, he's a good guy."

"Wow, a long-distance relationship? That must be tough," Tang Wen exclaimed sympathetically, then curiously asked, "Where's the photo? Let us see what your boyfriend looks like!"

"No...no photos."

Chen Xiaomiao quickly shook her head.

She did have photos of Lu Yuan on her phone, as well as a family photo of the three of them, but she didn't want to show them.

"Tch, so stingy." Tang Wen pouted.

Just then, a waiter came over carrying a large, sizzling metal plate.

"Hello, spicy grilled fish, be careful, it's hot!"

The grilled fish, glistening with red oil, was served, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

The fish skin was roasted until crispy and fragrant, covered with chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, and the aroma was so strong that it filled the nostrils.

"Eat quickly! It won't taste good when it gets cold!"

Tang Wen was the first to pick up her chopsticks, taking a large piece of fish into her bowl.

Chen Xiaomiao felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and quickly picked up her chopsticks, lowering her head to silently deal with the rice and fish in her bowl.

This grilled fish is indeed delicious. The fish is tender and juicy, and it's both numbing and spicy, making you sweat and your lips burn.

But Chen Xiaomiao had no appetite.

The conversation at the dinner table returned to celebrity gossip, new TV dramas, and which cosmetic brands are good.

To Chen Xiaomiao, all of this was like listening to gibberish.

She became completely invisible, simply sitting quietly in the corner, listening to their enthusiastic discussions about a world she understood nothing about. Occasionally, when asked a question, she would only vaguely respond with "um" or "oh".

The meal took more than an hour.

The afternoon class was about modern and contemporary literature.

The teacher was an elderly female professor who spoke slowly and deliberately.

Chen Xiaomiao tried hard to focus on the lesson, but her mind was a jumbled mess.

After finally enduring until the bell rang, Tang Wen came over enthusiastically to greet her: "Xiao Miao, do you want to go to the night market together tonight?"

"I...I have something to do at home, so I have to go back first."

Chen Xiaomiao resolutely refused, grabbed the books on the table, and hurriedly said, "I'm leaving first," forgetting even to speak Mandarin.

The moment I sat in the driver's seat and closed the car door, the whole world finally quieted down.

She leaned on the steering wheel, let out a long sigh, and felt a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

The car sped all the way back to the familiar neighborhood.

Chen Xiaomiao parked the car and rushed into the house.

In the living room, Aunt Wang was mopping the floor, while Lu Yuan, holding little Lu Yang, slowly strolled in front of the French windows.

Hearing the door open, Lu Yuan turned around, but before he could say anything, Chen Xiaomiao rushed over like a gust of wind.

She took the soft little baby from Lu Yuan's arms and held him tightly in her embrace.

The milky scent of a baby instantly filled her nostrils, calming her restless heart.

Little Lu Yang seemed to sense his mother's return, wriggling his little body in his swaddling clothes and making contented humming sounds.

Lu Yuan reached out and gently tidied the stray hairs that had gotten out of her hair.

"Honey, how's your first day of university?"

Chen Xiaomiao raised her head, looked at Lu Yuan's gentle face, and her lips moved.

She wanted to say that her classmates were all nice and the food was alright.

She also wanted to say that she couldn't understand many things, and often felt like a stranger in a foreign land, which made her very anxious.

But a thousand words stuck in my throat, and in the end, they all came down to a single, light sentence.

"Let's... leave it like that..."

(End of this chapter)