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

Chapter 21 Classmate Group

Life returned to normal in the following days.

Lu Yuan goes to school early and returns late every day, while Chen Xiaomiao stays at home and studies short video food tutorials, bringing out new dishes to the table every day.

Smooth steamed eggs, rich and flavorful braised pork, or perhaps the Henan-style Mapo Tofu...

Although I sometimes miss the mark in terms of saltiness, the progress is clearly visible.

Every time Lu Yuan came home, he was always greeted by that soft, sweet voice saying "You're back!" and the aroma of food filling the house.

Lu Yuan had made several phone calls to Zhao Qiang to subtly inquire about his situation.

But Zhao Qiang on the other end of the phone kept talking loudly and laughing, recounting the funny things that happened in the ride-hailing car, at most complaining that the platform's commission was too high, and never mentioning anything about his family.

Lu Yuan would invite him out for dinner, but he would always make excuses to decline, saying things like "I have too many orders to run today" or "I have something to do at home and can't get away."

Lu Yuan knew his childhood friend well, knowing that he was extremely competitive and had a stronger sense of self-respect than anyone else.

At this time, he is probably in great pain and struggle, and excessive concern from outsiders will only make him more embarrassed, so Lu Yuan had no choice but to not disturb him for the time being.

The weekend is here in the blink of an eye.

Lu Yuan thought about taking Chen Xiaomiao out for a stroll. He originally wanted to go to Happy Valley so that the little girl from the Republic of China era could experience some thrills. However, the red text on the ticket page that read "Please bring your ID card to enter the park" immediately dampened his enthusiasm.

He wanted to go to the provincial museum again, which would also be a good opportunity for Chen Xiaomiao to brush up on modern history, but the official website reservation system still couldn't get around that little ID card.

In such a large city like Wuhan, there are surprisingly few places to visit.

The issue of identity is ultimately an unavoidable hurdle...

After finishing breakfast, Lu Yuan remembered that his repaired old A8 was still parked at the auto repair shop, so he decided to go and pick it up first.

"Come on, come with me to get the car."

"It's working!"

Chen Xiaomiao was happy as long as she could go out with Lu Yuan.

Just as the car drove out of the auto repair shop, Lu Yuan's phone rang; it was his grandmother calling.

"Xiao Yuan, are you free this weekend? Come over for dinner."

Lu Yuan glanced at Chen Xiaomiao in the passenger seat and politely declined, "Grandma, I have some things to do here. I'll come see you another day."

"What are you busy with..."

Just as the old lady was about to mutter a few words, Chen Xiaomiao in the passenger seat suddenly felt an itch in her nose and sneezed without warning.

"Ah!"

There was an instant silence on the other end of the phone.

A few seconds later, Grandma's tone revealed a knowing smile: "Oh~~~ Something's wrong? Okay, okay, Grandma knows! You young people go about your business, just be careful, bye!"

"Beep...beep...beep..."

Lu Yuan gripped the steering wheel, listening to the busy signal, feeling both amused and exasperated.

He could almost guess what the old man had misunderstood, and given Zhao Qiang's big mouth, he had probably already exaggerated the matter.

But that's alright.

Since their parents passed away, there haven't been many things left for the elderly couple to look forward to. Now that there's a misunderstanding, it's good that it's making them laugh.

Besides... who knows if this whole thing is a misunderstanding in the future?
As the old A8 merged into the traffic, Lu Yuan was still racking his brains trying to figure out where to take Chen Xiaomiao.

Supermarket? Park? Nothing interesting...

In slightly more unusual places, identification is required.

Lu Yuan glanced at Chen Xiaomiao out of the corner of his eye. Over the past few days, Chen Xiaomiao had been wearing the same few outfits: sports T-shirts and casual pants. They were clean and neat, but lacked the girlish charm of her youth.

Lu Yuan tentatively asked, "Xiao Miao, how about I go with you to change into some new clothes?"

Chen Xiaomiao was watching a cooking tutorial on her phone when she heard this and looked puzzled: "Why do I need to buy new clothes? I've only worn this outfit for a few days, it's not even time to change the season yet."

"How about trying something new, like..."

Lu Yuan paused for a long time before forcing out two words through gritted teeth: "Skirt...?"

Chen Xiaomiao was not able to react for a moment. A few seconds later, a blush quickly spread from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears.

She lowered her head, her voice barely audible: "You...you want to see me in a skirt?"

"I didn't say that!"

Lu Yuan vehemently denied it.

"Oh……"

Chen Xiaomiao puffed out her cheeks, turned her face to the window, and gave Lu Yuan a bright red ear tip. Lu Yuan didn't force her. He did want to see what Chen Xiaomiao would look like in various modern clothes, but no matter what, she wasn't a doll for him to dress up as he pleased.

The car drove aimlessly around half the city before finally turning around and heading home.

As noon approached, Chen Xiaomiao tied on her pale yellow floral apron and began preparing lunch in the kitchen.

Lu Yuan sat in his study, staring at the red and green candlestick chart on his computer screen, but his mind was wandering.

Suddenly, my phone started vibrating continuously.

Lu Yuan picked it up and saw that he had been added to a WeChat group called "Class 569 Old Classmates".

Song Jia (@Lu Yuan): (smiling face) The missing person has finally returned! @All members, look who's here!
Lu Yuan didn't know how to respond, so he casually sent a [doge emoji for protection] emoji.

His comment caused an uproar in the group chat.

Li Wei (@Lu Yuan): Brother Yuan, it's been a long time!
Wang Qi (@Lu Yuan): Little Yuan Yuan! You're still alive! (Laughs while covering mouth) You vanished into thin air right after graduating high school!
Zhang Wei (@Lu Yuan): Lu Yuan (hehe)...

Liu Feifei: @Zhang Wei, what are you laughing at?! Who was it that secretly slipped love letters into Lu Yuan's desk back then and got caught by the class monitor? (Laughs)
Zhang Wei: @Liu Feifei Damn it! Don't bring up things you shouldn't talk about.

Song Jia: @Zhang Wei, give up! Lu Yuanren is taken now!
Looking at the rapidly scrolling comments and mentions of him on the screen, Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia.

When Song Jia said he was the most handsome guy in the class that day, it wasn't entirely a flattering compliment.

Back in high school, although he had acne for a while, he was tall and had a good posture. In addition, he was easygoing, had above-average grades, and came from a decent family.

So he's a central figure in the boys' circle, and he can joke around with girls from time to time without ever being shy.

She is the kind of person who, even years after graduation, is still clearly remembered by most of her classmates.

Then Lu Yuan glanced at the group member list; there were about 30 people, less than half the number of his class back then.

Looking at the names and profile pictures in the notes, they are either from prestigious universities, or have family businesses or respectable jobs.

Just a few years after graduating from high school, invisible social circles have already begun to quietly form.

Lu Yuan's appearance only caused a brief surge of excitement. Soon, the chat topics in the group returned to work, gossip, and trivial matters of life.

After setting the group chat to Do Not Disturb mode, Lu Yuan put down his phone and refocused his attention on the trading board.

Not long after, her phone vibrated again. This time, the person asking Song Jia to tag all the members was someone whose contact name was "Yu Hongkai".

Yu Hongkai: Hey everyone, I need help! My driver quit, so I urgently need a reliable long-term driver! If you have any connections, please contact me immediately! The pay will be excellent!
Li Wei: What kind of trouble did your driver cause?
Yu Hongkai immediately sent a voice message, his voice extremely loud, showing no regard for keeping family scandals private: Don't even mention it, that bastard slept with my sister! My dad caught him red-handed, and he's already out of here!

Zhou Pengfei: Holy crap, this is explosive?
Sun Feifei: Was it consensual or...?
Wang Hao: Holy crap! Is this for real? Brother Yu, how about me? I have a C1 driver's license and I'm a ten-year veteran driver!
Li Li: @Wang Hao's sister, I've met her. She looks to be at least 200 pounds. You need to think carefully, do you want this good fortune?
The group chat immediately erupted in laughter and teasing of Hong Kai.

In Lu Yuan's memory, Yu Hongkai was a nobody with very little presence during high school. His grades were average, his family background was ordinary, and he disappeared after graduation.

During the special period a few years ago, his family's business in medical devices took off.

Later, his father invested in several trending projects and made a fortune. Not long ago, he was even featured on local news and named "Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year".

Sudden wealth, coupled with Yu Hongkai's naturally carefree and impulsive nature, inevitably gives people the impression of a nouveau riche.

Lu Yuan's mind stirred slightly, and he proactively tagged Yu Hongkai: Hongkai, what kind of treatment do drivers receive? Could you be more specific about your requirements?
As soon as the message was sent, a voice message from Yu Hongkai popped up.

I clicked play, and an extremely exaggerated shout came through the receiver: "Holy crap! Brother Yuan! When did you join the group?"

Wang Hao: Lu Yuan, do you want to be a driver?
Yu Hongkai: Get lost! I wouldn't dare ride in Brother Yuan's car! I'd be more like his chauffeur!
Looking at the screen, Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

I was only nodding acquaintances with Yu Hongkai in high school, and we hadn't been in touch for several years. Whether his attitude was sincere or joking, it seemed a bit excessive.

A hint of doubt quietly rose in his mind.

Could it be that... Yu Hongkai also heard rumors about his grandfather's inheritance?
Lu Yuan typed a reply: "He's a childhood friend of mine. He's recently run into some family troubles and urgently needs a stable job."

He served as a truck driver for three years and has been driving for ride-hailing services since his discharge. He is highly skilled and trustworthy. Hong Kai, do you think you could give him a chance?

Yu Hongkai immediately replied: "No problem! Since you asked, Brother Yuan, we definitely have to! Name your salary!"

Before Lu Yuan could even reply with a "thank you," Yu Hongkai sent another message in the group.

Yu Hongkai: Brother Yuan, I suddenly have some urgent business to attend to. We can talk about it in person at the class reunion in a few days. Don't worry, I'll definitely reserve the driver's seat for your friend!

The next second, Song Jia sent a private message.

Song Jia: Lu Yuan, it seems you've set it to be unavailable for adding in groups. Yu Hongkai just asked me for your WeChat account, and I gave it to him.

Lu Yuan: Okay, I understand.

Almost simultaneously, a friend request popped up. The profile picture was of a man wearing sunglasses leaning against a sports car, and the nickname was "Hongfu Qitian-Kai".

Lu Yuan clicked "Accept".

Hongfu Qitian - Kai: Brother Yuan! You've finally been added! (Shakes hands)

Hongfu Qitian-Kai: Leave the driver's problem to me! You're my childhood friend, right? You've served in the military and driven for ride-hailing services, so it's absolutely no problem! Don't worry about the pay, it'll definitely be higher than the market rate!
Hongfu Qitian-Kai: By the way, Yuan-ge, there's a class reunion in a few nights. I'm hosting at 'Caiyun Pavilion', you absolutely have to come!
Looking at the string of messages, Lu Yuan politely replied: Okay, we'll drink until we drop.

(End of this chapter)