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

Chapter 19 The Price of a Cup of Milk Tea (Part 1)

The snow-white fish slices were tender and flavorful, with just the right amount of numbing and spicy flavor. Lu Yuan ate several bowls of rice, and only put down his chopsticks when he was so full that he burped.

It must be said that Chen Xiaomiao has a strong learning ability; she can make a dish look quite decent after watching just one video.

Seeing Lu Yuan eating with gusto, Chen Xiaomiao's dimples never disappeared, and she began to chatter about what she had seen and heard during the day.

“Lu Yuan, when I went out today I saw rows of cars parked on the side of the road, some yellow and some blue. You can just take a picture with your phone and ride away. I wanted to ride one too, but I don’t know how to do it.”

I also spotted a shop that was sparkling and hung with lots of gold and silver jewelry, even more extravagant than what the empresses in operas wore!

There was another stall selling sweet drinks, with a really long line. I wanted to try it, but one cup cost over ten yuan, more expensive than meat…

Lu Yuan listened with great interest, then suddenly realized something and asked curiously, "Xiao Miao, can you ride a bicycle?"

"That's not the case!"

Chen Xiaomiao raised her chin and vividly described her experience of learning to drive to Lu Yuan, emphasizing key points.

"I'm the best rider in the whole temple!"

Lu Yuan's mind stirred slightly, and he gestured, "Then hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, I'll play something fun for you."

Chen Xiaomiao's pupils brightened slightly: "What's fun?"

"Eat quickly, you'll see in a moment."

"oh oh……"

Chen Xiaomiao immediately sped up her eating, quickly finishing the last grains of rice in her bowl. Then she tidied up the kitchen, changed her shoes, and hopped around at the door like a little sparrow.

After going downstairs, Lu Yuan told Chen Xiaomiao to wait at the entrance of the community, while he went into the underground parking garage.

A short while later, accompanied by a slight "buzzing" sound, Lu Yuan rode a slightly old blue electric scooter and slowly glided up to Chen Xiaomiao.

Chen Xiaomiao's eyes lit up immediately, and she looked at it curiously, asking, "What is this? A bicycle that doesn't require pedaling?"

"This thing is called an electric bicycle. It has electricity, so you don't need to pedal."

Lu Yuan began to explain to Chen Xiaomiao.

"As long as there is electricity, it is much less strenuous than a bicycle. Twist this handle called 'throttle' and it will move by itself. Squeeze these two to brake. Steering is the same as a bicycle, controlled by turning the handlebars."

After saying that, Lu Yuan gestured for Chen Xiaomiao to sit down.

"Don't twist the accelerator yet, sit down and feel it..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Xiaomiao had already nimbly climbed onto the seat and, imitating Lu Yuan, tentatively gripped the handlebars with her little hands.

She seemed to have an innate, almost magical, sense of control over wheeled vehicles. She briefly felt the steering and weight of the handlebars, and then…

"Huh! Is this how you twist it?"

Chen Xiaomiao subconsciously twisted the right-hand "accelerator" handle.

"Om-!"

The electric scooter suddenly lurched forward!
"I go!"

Caught off guard, Lu Yuan instinctively gasped in surprise.

Chen Xiaomiao only made a small shout, but her body seemed glued to the seat. She quickly regained her balance and instead of letting go, she continued to twist the accelerator, speeding away on the road at the entrance of the community!
Lu Yuan's heart was in his throat. He was about to shout "Slow down!" when he saw Chen Xiaomiao already maneuvering the handlebars, skillfully weaving past several pedestrians at a steady pace.

Finally, Chen Xiaomiao tilted the car slightly, gliding in an extremely smooth and elegant arc at the turn, and came to a steady stop in front of Lu Yuan.

The whole process was so smooth that Lu Yuan was dumbfounded.

"Is it a hit or not?"

Chen Xiaomiao tilted her head up, her foxy eyes clearly saying three big words—Praise me!

"Brilliant!"

Lu Yuan gave a thumbs up, momentarily speechless.

If she had been born eighty years later, she would have been a street racer, so fast that even the traffic police couldn't catch her!
Chen Xiaomiao chuckled twice and got out of the car: "So... what's next? Can I drive this car from now on?"

"Let me teach you the rules of the road first."

Lu Yuan got back on the bike and gestured for Chen Xiaomiao to sit down in the back: "Remember, the road isn't our backyard, we have to follow the rules. Stop at red lights, go at green lights, keep to the right, and don't dart around..."

As he slowly rode his bike into the non-motorized vehicle lane, he kept lecturing Chen Xiaomiao about traffic rules. The evening breeze, carrying the coolness of late summer, brushed against their cheeks, dispelling the daytime heat. The city's neon lights illuminated the night, and cars whizzed past them.

Chen Xiaomiao sat in the back seat, gently gripping the fabric of Lu Yuan's clothes at his waist with both hands, her mood gradually relaxing as the car's speed stabilized.

Through the thin T-shirt, Chen Xiaomiao could feel the warmth emanating from Lu Yuan's body and the lean, muscular build characteristic of a young man.

The evening breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead, making her feel a little itchy, and the tips of her ears felt slightly hot.

"You've been riding this bike for quite a while now, haven't you?"

Chen Xiaomiao tried to start a conversation to dispel her inexplicable shyness.

"Yeah, I bought it back in high school."

Lu Yuan's voice came through the wind, tinged with nostalgia: "Back then, I didn't want my parents to pick me up and drop me off, so they bought this car for me to use for commuting to and from school."

After I went to university, the car just sat at home collecting dust. Now it's perfect for you to use for grocery shopping and commuting.

As they chatted, Lu Yuan stopped in front of a milk tea shop.

"Wait for me first."

Lu Yuan got out of the car and went straight to the counter.

Chen Xiaomiao only saw Lu Yuan briefly talk to the shop assistant, hand over a QR code on his phone, and then quickly return with two glasses of "sweet water".

Black pearls were floating in the pinkish-white liquid, which was topped with a thick layer of milky-white foam. Even the smell of it was sweet.

Lu Yuan handed a cup to Chen Xiaomiao: "Here you go."

Chen Xiaomiao didn't take it, looking at Lu Yuan suspiciously: "Didn't you say you'd teach me to drive? Why are you buying this sweet drink?"

"Suddenly feeling craving a drink? Why don't you try some?"

"I don't want to drink it, can I get a refund?"

"It's buy one get one free, it would be a waste not to drink it."

Buy one get one free?

Chen Xiaomiao stared at Lu Yuan with her foxy eyes filled with resentment, her cheeks puffed out in anger, looking just like a child who had seen through an adult's clumsy excuse.

"Lu Yuan, do you think I'm a three-year-old child who's easy to fool?"

I just told you that this sweet drink is expensive and I can't afford it, and you just happened to want to drink it tonight, and it's "just right" that it's buy one get one free?

If you keep doing this, I won't talk to you about anything anymore!

"Okay, okay, I can't fool you."

Having been exposed, Lu Yuan sighed and chuckled, then directly handed the milk tea cup to Chen Xiaomiao's lips: "But the money's already spent, and we can't get a refund. We can't just throw it away, can we?"

Chen Xiaomiao pursed her lips. Seeing Lu Yuan's sincere attitude, the little bit of awkwardness in her heart dissipated like a punctured balloon.

In the end, she took the cup and took a sip, her expression suddenly changing.

The cool, silky liquid instantly flooded my mouth, with a rich tea aroma accompanied by a mellow and sweet milk flavor, and the dark little balls were chewy and bouncy.

Several distinct textures blend and collide in a wonderful way, creating a delightful and complex flavor.

For an eighteen-year-old girl in 1942, the impact on her taste buds was simply indescribable!
Lu Yuan then began to persuade her: "Xiao Miao, this is not eighty years ago. You don't have to make yourself suffer in everything. Eat and drink as you please. It's just a cup of milk tea. It won't bankrupt me."

"Lu Yuan, how much is one of these?"

Chen Xiaomiao was still preoccupied with the price.

"twelve."

Lu Yuan gave the answer naturally, no longer treating Chen Xiaomiao like a child.

"twelve……"

Chen Xiaomiao gently bit her straw, silently calculating in her mind.

Twelve yuan, a cup of sweet water is enough to exchange for four jin of wheat flour.

This world is becoming increasingly incomprehensible...

(End of this chapter)