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

Chapter 18 Chen Xiaomiao's Wonderful Adventure
The next morning at eight o'clock, Lu Yuan prepared to go to school to register.

At the doorway, Chen Xiaomiao, who had just finished washing the dishes, was wearing a pale yellow floral apron, wiping the water off her hands, and looking longingly at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan found Chen Xiaomiao's forced composure amusing, but was also a little worried: "I'm leaving. You can take care of lunch by yourself, right? If you really don't want to cook, just call me and I'll order takeout for you."

"I know!"

Chen Xiaomiao puffed out her cheeks, feeling a little resentful that Lu Yuan was looking down on her: "I'm not a baby who only cries for milk when I'm hungry. Hurry up and go, don't be late for school!"

Hearing Chen Xiaomiao's assurance, Lu Yuan felt even more uneasy, always afraid that she would agree verbally but then cause some trouble later.

"Call me if you need anything. Don't try to figure things out on your own, and don't open the door to strangers."

"It's working!"

The door clicked shut, and the room fell silent instantly.

Chen Xiaomiao stood in the empty living room for a while, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.

She went to the balcony, leaned on the railing and looked down, just in time to see Lu Yuan walk out of the building and merge into the crowd of people hurrying by, quickly becoming a blurry black dot.

Turning her gaze away, Chen Xiaomiao picked up her phone, which was charging on the coffee table, ready to find a show to watch.

After thinking for a moment, I chose to open the account of a popular chef on Douyin.

Braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised prawns... Chen Xiaomiao was dazzled by the sight and her mouth watered.

Suddenly, a headline caught her attention.

[Effective for beginners! Homemade Sichuan-style boiled fish, spicy, addictive, and perfect with rice!]

The sight of the bubbling red oil paired with snow-white fish slices in the video is enough to make anyone's mouth water.

"This one will do..."

Chen Xiaomiao's eyes lit up. She remembered that Lu Yuan seemed to be able to eat spicy food quite well, but lately he had been accommodating his own taste.

Chen Xiaomiao opened the video and watched it while taking notes, muttering to herself.

"Fish fillets need a batter... Bean sprouts at the bottom... Hot oil poured over Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers... Wow, this is truly a master chef, his cooking is so skillful!"

While I was looking at it, a message suddenly popped up on WeChat.

Lu Yuan transferred 2000.00 yuan to you.

Note: Living expenses.

Chen Xiaomiao clicked to receive payment and felt the "iron brick" in her hand become heavy and hot.

She had been strolling around the supermarket with Lu Yuan a couple of days ago and had already gained a basic understanding of prices.

Wheat flour and millet are only a little over three yuan per pound, and decent pork belly is only twenty-something yuan...

Two thousand dollars, if converted into food in her time, would be enough for a family of five to eat for a year!

Putting away her phone, Chen Xiaomiao felt as if she were carrying a precious gold nugget in her pocket, and her heart was filled with unease.

She cleaned the house thoroughly again, inside and out, even cleaning the cracks in the sofa.

After finishing and taking a short rest, he immediately slung his canvas bag over his shoulder and went downstairs and out the door.

Chen Xiaomiao was extremely nervous about going out alone for the first time, and everything she saw was full of novelty.

As soon as I left the residential area, I saw a row of yellow and blue cars parked on the side of the road.

Chen Xiaomiao recognized that thing; it was called a bicycle.

One day, a rich young lady brought over a bicycle. Everyone else rode it crookedly, but Chen Xiaomiao, whom they always called clumsy, learned how to ride it right away and had a great time.

Seeing so many bicycles parked by the roadside, Chen Xiaomiao couldn't help but become interested. She walked over curiously, circled around one of them, and reached out to touch the seat.

Suddenly, someone next to me took out their phone and scanned a square behind the car seat. With a "click," the car lock opened.

Chen Xiaomiao suddenly realized what was going on and tried to copy the method by taking out her phone and pointing it at the QR code. Suddenly, a "Personal Information and Privacy..." agreement popped up on the screen, asking her to agree to obtain her location information.

She quickly put her phone away, stuck out her tongue, and muttered to herself, "Ugh... so many rules!"

As she walked, she passed by another jewelry store. The sparkling jewelry in the window dazzled Chen Xiaomiao.

Chen Xiaomiao subconsciously stopped and glanced inside a few times, when suddenly a strange impulse surged up within her.

"My dear mother, may the Three Pure Ones be above..."

She quickly began reciting Taoist scriptures, reminding herself not to be blinded by vain possessions.

Finally arriving at the entrance of the supermarket, Chen Xiaomiao saw another shop with a rich milky aroma in front of her, with a long queue outside, mostly young people.

The shop window displays colorful cups topped with cream and fruit.

Chen Xiaomiao swallowed hard, leaned forward to take a look at the price list, and found that the cheapest item was over ten yuan!

"Wow! Sweet water is so expensive?"

She smacked her lips and left decisively.

With this money, we should buy more meat to nourish Lu Yuan.

Upon entering the supermarket, Chen Xiaomiao precisely located the ingredients she needed in the fresh produce section.

A lively grass carp, a bag of bean sprouts, a small handful of green vegetables, a few scallions, a few pieces of ginger, and some Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers!

Without lingering, Chen Xiaomiao promptly paid the bill and left, afraid that she might end up spending more money unnecessarily.

On her way home, Chen Xiaomiao discovered another shop filled with all sorts of strange equipment. People inside were sweating profusely, and there was a discount promotion posted at the entrance, with a sign saying "Monthly card only 666".

"Isn't working hard enough? Why spend 666 to suffer for no reason?"

Chen Xiaomiao looked on in confusion.

The world is full of novelty and strangeness these days. I haven't figured things out yet, so it's best to avoid trouble.

Back home, Chen Xiaomiao immediately went into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients, and worked on it until noon, when she simply cooked a bowl of instant noodles to tide her over.

After taking a nice afternoon nap and watching a few episodes of "Bright Sword," Chen Xiaomiao put her apron back on and went into the kitchen when it was almost time.

She clumsily coated the fish fillets with batter, then boiled water to blanch the bean sprouts and greens, and fried the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns...

After the whole process, the scalding hot oil is poured over the fish fillets covered with chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. With a loud "sizzle," the red oil churns and the aroma, along with the intense spiciness, explodes instantly!
Chen Xiaomiao clutched her chest, her face flushed, half excited and half nervous.

"Good heavens, I did it!"

Around 6 p.m., as dusk was falling, Lu Yuan wearily pushed open the door to his home.

On the first day of school, a series of trivial matters came one after another, making him dizzy and confused. When he entered the room, he suddenly smelled an extremely domineering and spicy aroma, which abruptly pulled him back to his senses.

Upon arriving at the dining table, one sees snow-white fish topped with crispy fried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, garnished with vibrant green scallions, and accompanied by a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables and two bowls of glistening white rice.

Putting aside the taste, the visual impact is off the charts!

Beside her, Chen Xiaomiao had fine beads of sweat on her forehead, strands of hair stuck to her temples, and her little face was flushed, whether from excitement or from the smoke, it was hard to tell.

Seeing Lu Yuan return, her eyes lit up, and she asked with a mix of pride and nervousness, "You're back? Quickly wash your hands and eat! I learned this from my phone, can you smell it?"

The fragrant food instantly dispelled all of Lu Yuan's fatigue.

He stood there, stunned, looking at the elaborate dish on the table that went far beyond the "home-style" category, then at the speck of flour on Chen Xiaomiao's nose. His heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something, a warmth that swelled within him.

"It looks delicious, let me wash my hands first!"

Lu Yuan's satisfied attitude made Chen Xiaomiao secretly breathe a sigh of relief, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.

She took off her apron, picked up her phone again, and began to ponder.

What dish should I learn to cook tomorrow...?

(End of this chapter)