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

Chapter 79 Chen Xiaomiao's ID Card

After a short rest, Lu Yuan got a slightly worn motorcycle from Lü Lei.

Lu Lei wanted to drive him there himself, but Lu Yuan declined, saying he wanted to "want to explore on his own."

Leaving the bustling village center, the surroundings instantly quieted down, and the outlines of the distant mountains gradually became clear, revealing a tranquil rural scene.

In Chen Xiaomiao's memory, the road leading to the back mountain was a narrow, bumpy path.

But what lay before me was a smooth and clean asphalt road, with hardy holly bushes planted along the roadside, clearly having been carefully tended.

The motorcycle came to a stop at the foot of the mountain. Looking up, a winding stone path disappeared into the woods, quiet and elegant.

The two walked up the steps, one in front of the other.

The mountain air was fresh, and Chen Xiaomiao's pace slowed down as she walked, her heart beating faster and faster.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, we rounded a mountain wall, and suddenly the view ahead opened up.

A Taoist temple stands quietly on the flat ground in the mountain valley.

The vermilion gate, the brand-new blue tiles, and the black lacquered plaque with gold lettering hanging high above the gate, bearing three powerful characters: Qizhen Temple.

Chen Xiaomiao tilted her head back, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

In fact, when she saw the prosperous Huangya Village, she had a vague guess in her heart.

Brother Xiaoshu is so sentimental; he'll always make sure to repair the temple.

Guessing is one thing, seeing it with your own eyes is another.

Looking back, the master always liked to sit on the threshold, basking in the sun while complaining that there were too few worshippers at the temple.

Her biggest wish was to save enough money to patch up the hole in the roof of the main hall, so that the Three Pure Ones wouldn't have to "suffer" every time it rained.

The dilapidated, leaky, and peeling-walled Taoist temple that I remember now looks utterly unfamiliar...

Upon arriving at the temple gate, a copper lock was hanging on the gate.

Just as Chen Xiaomiao was worrying about how to get in, Lu Yuan silently took out two keys from his pocket.

"Click."

With a crisp click, the brass lock opened, and as the heavy vermilion door was pushed open, a musty sandalwood scent wafted out.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go in."

Lu Yuan raised his hand and gently tapped Chen Xiaomiao on the head, who was in a daze.

Chen Xiaomiao seemed to wake from a dream, and stepped over the high threshold.

"Good heavens! My dear mother..."

Chen Xiaomiao muttered to herself, unsure where to look: "Back then, I never dared to dream that Qizhen Temple would one day be so magnificent..."

She walked around the incense burner, reached out and touched the cool bronze surface, her tone tinged with uncertainty.

"It's just... I don't know if Master likes such a flamboyant style. He's been used to a simple life all his life, so I'm afraid he won't be used to it."

Whether he likes it or not, it's not up to him now.

Lu Yuan joked, "Now you are the sole successor of Qizhen Temple, so this is your responsibility! Even if it is converted into a Buddhist temple in the future, it will still be up to you."

Chen Xiaomiao burst out laughing at Lu Yuan's joke, which eased the myriad thoughts in her mind.

The two walked side by side toward the main hall, and their expressions froze the moment they saw what was inside.

The hall does not contain tall and solemn statues of the Three Pure Ones, but rather densely packed and neatly arranged memorial tablets.

Extending from the entrance of the hall to its deepest part, there are roughly over a hundred statues, all with largely the same content.

For example, Wang Tiezhu, machine gun squad member of the 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, XX Regiment, XX Division.

There is also a stone tablet embedded on the left side of the wall, with a long and detailed inscription on it.

The handwriting was in regular script penmanship, and it was indeed the work of Lu Yuan's maternal grandfather, Chen Shu.

In the autumn of the year Xin Si, more than a hundred soldiers were ordered to defend against a powerful enemy. The entire company fought a bloody battle for eight days and nights, and less than ten survived.

The mountains and rivers grieve, the grass and trees weep. Today, as the Taoist temple is rebuilt, these more than one hundred memorial tablets have been specially erected to be worshipped day and night, to comfort the spirits of the fallen heroes and to commemorate the national tragedy.

These more than one hundred memorial tablets are all for Chen Shu's comrades who sacrificed their lives.

At the very front, three different memorial tablets are arranged in a "品" (pin) shape.

They belong to Chen Qingfeng, Chen Xiaogu, Chen Xiaozhi, etc.

Chen Xiaomiao took a deep breath, walked to the prayer mat in front of the hall, and slowly knelt down.

"Boom, boom, boom."

He kowtowed three times, each time firmly and completely.

She didn't get up, but remained kneeling upright, staring blankly at her master's memorial tablet, like a frozen sculpture.

Lu Yuan stood quietly to the side, not uttering a sound to disturb them, while a huge question exploded in his mind: Why wasn't Chen Xiaomiao there?

Logically speaking, in Chen Shu's mind, Chen Xiaomiao should also have died in the famine and war.

Could it be... that Grandpa knows Chen Xiaomiao is still alive?

The thought caused Lu Yuan's heart to pound uncontrollably, and he instinctively reached for his pocket.

My grandfather left behind two keys, and one of them is still unused.

Lu Yuan didn't linger any longer, turned around and strode quickly toward the back of the main hall.

There was a side room in the backyard, and the door was also locked.

Lu Yuan stepped forward and inserted the second key, which fit perfectly.

"Click."

The door lock opened with a click.

A pungent, musty, and dusty smell wafted over, causing Lu Yuan to cough.

Behind the door was a small, quiet room, furnished extremely simply with only a table, a chair, and a bed.

On the table was an envelope with four large characters on it: "To be opened by Lu Yuan."

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Lu Yuan stiffly moved his feet, walked to the table, opened the envelope, and took out the letter.

[Xiao Yuan, it's like seeing you in person after reading this.]

Don't be surprised, and don't blame Grandpa for going to such lengths; it's just that this matter couldn't be handled by outsiders.

Since your parents passed away, I, your grandfather, have been quite depressed, like a boat without a rudder, adrift and helpless.

Logically speaking, I should have lived to 120, meaning I had more than ten years to live.

But living like this is worse than death; it's probably God's punishment for me prying into the secrets of heaven too much.

Some time ago, I painstakingly performed a final divination, and the result was completely unexpected. The divination showed that the ancient saying "rotten axe handle" was now being used in the present day...

According to your novel way of speaking, young people, it should be called "time travel".

Shocked and delighted, I pondered this matter again and again, and thus wrote this letter to explain to you.

When I was in trouble, I was fortunate to be taken in by the Taoist priest. Although the people in the temple were not related by blood, they were like family to me.

When you see the letter, she should already be by your side, hoping you will take good care of her and treat her like family.

I have made all the necessary arrangements for your affairs after your death. Your inheritance will be more than enough for you to live comfortably, and I have instructed the Lü brothers to help manage it.

As for the talk of divine retribution, I'm an old man, but I can still make one last stand. You don't need to worry about it.

I, Chen Shusheng, was born in a chaotic era. In my youth, I fought for my country against foreign enemies and shed my blood. In my middle age, I devoted myself to educating people, hoping to cultivate pillars of the nation.

In the end, however, his selfishness led to the tragic deaths of his wife and daughter...

With time running out, we should always plan for a better tomorrow for future generations.

Even if it defies the will of Heaven, I will bear all the divine retribution alone.

"boom--"

Lu Yuan's mind went blank, and the letter in his hand fluttered to the ground.

He never expected that his grandfather's last divination would reveal that Chen Xiaomiao would arrive eighty years in the future.

What was even more unexpected was that the old man used the last ten years of his life and the suffering he endured from dementia in his later years to withstand the so-called "divine retribution" for going against the will of Heaven.

Lu Yuan stood frozen at the table for a long time until the numbness in his limbs gradually subsided, before slowly bending down to pick up the letter from the ground.

I carefully folded the envelope and was about to put it back in when a card slipped out and fell onto the bluestone bricks in front of me with a "thud".

It was a brand new ID card, with a photo of Chen Xiaomiao that had been digitally altered from an old photo.

Name: Chen Xiaomiao.

Ethnicity: Han.

Date of birth: xxxx year x month x day.

Address: Huangya Village, Tangyin County, Yuzhou Province.

……

　I hope everyone will be understanding about the changes to the settings!

　　Also, the villages in the book are purely fictional, so please don't take them too seriously!

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　　They kowtowed, thud! thud! thud!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)