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

Chapter 44 Watching a Movie

"Okay, put it in my room."

Lu Yuan took the fox plush toy and casually tucked it under his arm: "Also, don't worry about cooking, I'm taking you out to eat today."

"Eating out?"

Chen Xiaomiao's pain was clearly written on her face.

"Just once in a while...?"

Lu Yuan took the first step: "Let's go, what do you want to eat?"

Chen Xiaomiao jogged a few steps to catch up, swallowing back all the words she wanted to say.

Compared to half a month ago, she has gradually learned what it means to not spoil the fun.

After wandering aimlessly in the mall for about ten minutes, Chen Xiaomiao finally couldn't help but look up at him, puzzled, and asked, "Lu Yuan, is there anything you want to buy?"

"No," Lu Yuan answered crisply.

"Then... what are we doing wandering around here?"

Chen Xiaomiao was even more confused, her dark eyes filled with question marks.

"Yeah, what are you doing?"

Lu Yuan subconsciously felt that if he brought a girl to the shopping district, he should accompany her to "shop around," which seemed to be a default mode of interaction between modern men and women.

But the girl in front of him was not a "modern person" at all.

For her, aimless wandering was no different from wasting her life.

As for going into the store to buy something? Absolutely not!

The prices in the city center shopping district would scare Chen Xiaomiao to death...

Lu Yuan glanced at his phone; it was just past four in the afternoon, still a long time before dinner, and he felt a little lost for a moment.

What can a man and a woman do at this inconvenient time?
"or……"

Lu Yuan's gaze swept over the huge movie poster not far away: "Shall we go to the cinema to watch a movie?"

"See a movie?"

Chen Xiaomiao blinked, still puzzled: "Why don't you go back and watch it? You can watch it on your phone or on TV."

In the past, movie theaters were a rarity in the city. After traveling to the modern era, Chen Xiaomiao thought that movie theaters had disappeared.

After all, everyone has a mobile phone these days, and you can watch anything you want online, so what's the point of having a movie theater?

"Uh……"

Lu Yuan was speechless for a moment.

A bigger screen? Louder sound? Better atmosphere in the dark? And the ability to watch new movies that can't be found online?

A bunch of reasons popped into his head, but he felt that none of them could explain that subtle difference in experience.

Finally, he simply gave up and made a decision: "Never mind that, I'll show you what it's like today!"

September is an awkward time for movie releases, sandwiched between the summer and National Day holidays, with very few new films to watch.

Lu Yuan swiped the screen in front of the self-service ticket machine, looking around before finally choosing a well-received animated film for the summer. At least the visuals were beautiful, the plot was lighthearted, and it was perfect for passing the time.

"Two Cokes and a bucket of popcorn," Lu Yuan gestured to the counter.

"You're buying all of these?"

Looking at the oily paper tube and the two large cups of bubbling black water, Chen Xiaomiao felt a pang of heartache again.

With more than twenty minutes to go before the movie started, the two sat down on the soft chairs in the waiting area.

Chen Xiaomiao picked up a grain of popcorn and put it in her mouth, looking around with a curious expression.

The walls were covered with colorful posters, and a huge screen played various clips, with interplay of light and shadow and a cacophony of sounds.

"Lu Yuan."

She suddenly called out softly and pointed to one of the posters, which depicted a man and woman in ancient costumes embracing each other affectionately in the rain.

"What is this?"

"Talking about how men and women dated in ancient times."

Chen Xiaomiao then pointed to another poster, which showed flames shooting into the sky, and a tough guy and a beautiful policewoman staring at each other with guns raised.

"And what about this one?"

"Police officers and bad guys dating."

"Then this..." "Two students dating."

"Well... I know, humans and ghosts can be partners!"

"Not bad, they're even answering first!"

"hey-hey!"

Chen Xiaomiao smiled smugly, then suddenly turned her gaze to a poster with a gloomy tone.

"Lu Yuan... why does this thing look so creepy? It's all dark and ominous, what's it saying?"

Lu Yuan looked in the direction Chen Xiaomiao pointed.

The poster design is extremely oppressive, with a large area of ​​cold, metallic background, and several figures wearing old-fashioned protective suits with blurred faces appearing eerie in the dim light.

Lu Yuan's expression hardened, and his brows furrowed.

He turned around almost immediately, changing the subject in a flat tone: "It's nothing, let's go, the movie is about to start."

After saying that, he stood up and patted Chen Xiaomiao on the back, signaling her to go through the ticket check together.

Holding a pink fox plush toy, Chen Xiaomiao followed Lu Yuan into the theater entrance, glancing back at the poster halfway through.

The enormous number "731" inexplicably made her heart tighten.

The two arrived at the screening room, the lights dimmed, and the giant screen lit up.

Lu Yuan held the popcorn bucket, glancing at his side out of the corner of his eye.

Chen Xiaomiao sat up straight, tightly hugging the fox doll in her arms.

Whenever there was laughter around her, she would grin along, but most of the time she would just watch quietly, her fingers unconsciously twirling the fur on the fox's ears, her eyes vacant.

Lu Yuan had no idea whether his actions were correct.

Unlike military "thrillers" like "Bright Sword," Lu Yuan could imagine how cruel and oppressive the film's content must be.

Chen Xiaomiao was a victim of that war, so even if the content of the film had little to do with her, the oppression it brought would be multiplied in her life.

Perhaps one day, when she has truly integrated into modern society, Lu Yuan will accompany her to see things again.

After an hour and a half of fun, the lights came on, and the crowd dispersed, still feeling the excitement. Chen Xiaomiao followed Lu Yuan to a nearby Cantonese restaurant.

After they sat down and ordered, Lu Yuan looked at the somewhat listless girl across from him and asked, "What's wrong? Did you not like the movie?"

Chen Xiaomiao shook her head, picking at the plastic eyes of the fox doll with her fingers. After a few seconds of silence, she asked, "Lu Yuan, was that dark poster from earlier related to the Japanese?"

"Did you look it up online?"

"No... I can sense it, and I know you're worried I'll feel bad if I see it, right?"

Lu Yuan was speechless for a moment. He thought he had protected her well, but he did not expect that this girl's mind was more delicate than a needle tip.

The waiter brought over a steaming bowl of broth, breaking the silence between the two.

Lu Yuan pushed the soup bowl in front of Chen Xiaomiao, picked up a spoon, stirred it, and blew away some of the steam.

"If you really want to see it, we can go back after we finish eating."

In the end, Lu Yuan returned the choice to Chen Xiaomiao herself.

"I'm not watching."

Chen Xiaomiao answered quickly this time, and then picked up a spoon, muttering to herself as she drank the soup.

"Now, sometimes I hear gunshots in my dreams at night, and I dream of Japanese soldiers in yellow leather uniforms holding bayonets..."

My master used to say that life is like the mountain stream, flowing forward with a rushing sound, unstoppable.

A stone in the stream poked my foot, and it really hurt. But I couldn't keep staring at that stone; I had to wait for it to sink and be washed away by the water.

Looking back, the stone was still there, but it no longer bothered me; instead, it had become a marker.

She paused, gazing at the dazzling city lights outside the window, her expression lost.

"I feel like the stone in my heart hasn't sunk to the bottom yet. Only when it sinks completely and the water washes it away will I be able to look back with a calm mind..."

Finally, she looked at Lu Yuan again, pursed her lips, and looked at him with clear and serious eyes.

"Will you come with me then? I'm a bit timid, I'll always be a little scared..."

"middle!"

Lu Yuan answered decisively.

(End of this chapter)