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

Chapter 8 Lu Yuan Wants to Sell Me?
The car remained quiet for a long time until it was almost dark. Lu Yuan, who had been driving for a long time, began to feel his eyelids getting heavy. He forced himself to stay awake, slowed down, and drove toward the flashing toll station.

"Hello, please show your access card."

Inside the manual service window, a young woman in uniform greeted customers politely.

Although the young lady spoke Mandarin, her familiar accent still woke up Chen Xiaomiao, who was dozing off in the passenger seat.

"Lu Yuan!"

She whispered excitedly, "Where are we? Are we...?"

Lu Yuan nodded: "We've just entered the provincial capital of Yuzhou. Let's rest for the night and leave tomorrow morning."

"We've arrived in Yuzhou!?"

Chen Xiaomiao peered intently out the car window, probably trying to find a familiar trace in the neon lights of the unfamiliar city. Occasionally, she would steal glances back at Lu Yuan, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

It's easy to guess what a little girl is thinking.

Lu Yuan sighed softly and said apologetically, "Xiao Miao, we have to continue our journey tomorrow morning. Time is tight, and I'm afraid we won't have time to detour to your hometown."

The light on Chen Xiaomiao's face froze instantly, and she put on a forced, even exaggerated smile: "Oh, what are you saying!"
Eighty years have passed, and my hometown must have changed drastically. I might not even recognize the way there myself.

"No, no, it's not worth seeing!"

To hide her emotions, she quickly steered the conversation back to the present.

"Hey Lu Yuan, I just saw that big sign with the words 'Zhengcheng' on it. Is it Zheng County?"

"Yes."

"How come Zheng County is the provincial capital? What about Kaifeng? What about Luoyang?"

"Well, do you know what a train is?"

"I've heard of it, but I've never ridden in it."

"Those things all cluster in Zhengcheng, so Zhengcheng is now a major thoroughfare in the Central Plains. More roads mean more people, and more people mean more business..."

Lu Yuan patiently explained some words that Chen Xiaomiao could understand.

Chen Xiaomiao responded with "oh, oh," looking like she was listening attentively.

But Lu Yuan soon realized that Chen Xiaomiao's mind was not on that at all. Instead, she kept looking into the depths of the southwest night sky, trying to make out the location in her memory.

Calculating the time, she has been away from home for over a year since fleeing the famine...

"Lu Yuan."

"how?"

"You just described Zhengcheng as so great, so our Yuzhou must be very wealthy and doing very well now, right?"

Chen Xiaomiao remembered her master telling her that, since ancient times, "whoever controls the Central Plains controls the world."

Their Yuzhou is located in the heart of the Central Plains, a fertile land with abundant resources. Now that they have caught up with a peaceful and prosperous era, how can the people's lives not be wonderful?

There will definitely be plenty of white flour buns for every meal!
"Um... that..."

Lu Yuan cleared his throat strategically and looked ahead: "Hey Xiao Miao, are you hungry? Let's go eat."

Chen Xiaomiao was a little confused by Lu Yuan's abrupt change of topic, but fortunately, the word "eating" was overwhelmingly attractive to her.

"I'm starving! Where should we eat?"

"bathhouse."

"A bathhouse! Can you eat there?"

While they were talking, Lu Yuan had already parked his car and turned off the engine in front of a bathhouse.

Chen Xiaomiao doesn't have an ID card, so checking into a hotel is a big problem.

Although it's possible to exploit a bug, such as using Lu Yuan's ID card to book a room for two people.

But one can't be too afraid of the unexpected. Chen Xiaomiao's background is too special, and Lu Yuan doesn't dare to take the risk.

Spending the night in the car is fine, but it's sticky and uncomfortable in the summer, and it's really hard not to take a shower.

After much thought, a comprehensive bathhouse is currently the best place to go.

You can take a shower, eat, and even take a nap at night. You don't need to register your ID card if you leave before 2 a.m.

"Lu Yuan, this...this is a public bathhouse?"

Chen Xiaomiao stared in amazement at the brightly lit, ornately decorated "mansion" in front of her. This "bathhouse" was even more impressive than the ancestral hall of Master Zhao's family!
"A comprehensive bathhouse, also known as a high-class bathhouse."

Lu Yuan unbuckled his seatbelt: "Let's rest here tonight. We can take a shower and eat inside."

"Eating in the bathhouse?"

Although Chen Xiaomiao was full of questions, she obediently followed Lu Yuan out of the car.

As soon as we arrived at the door, the hostesses bowed in unison, their voices sweet and cloying.

Welcome to Yunding Hot Spring!

Chen Xiaomiao was startled by the scene and instinctively shrank behind Lu Yuan. Then, after looking around, she was dumbfounded!
The hostess wore a cheongsam with a very high slit, revealing a large expanse of her fair thighs. The tight fabric accentuated her full curves, and her makeup was exquisite, with her eyes sparkling with smiles.

This scene instantly overlapped with a terrifying image deep in Chen Xiaomiao's memory.

When she was six years old, she was sold to a brothel. The prostitutes who leaned against the door, smiling and soliciting customers, were dressed in similar ways.

I just upset Lu Yuan on the way here, could it be...?

"Lu Yuan! Lu Yuan!"

Chen Xiaomiao's face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled, and she grabbed Lu Yuan's clothes and pulled him back. She didn't dare to struggle or question him loudly, but just raised her head and looked at Lu Yuan with her foxy eyes filled with panic, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Where did I go wrong? I can change... Don't sell me out! I... I promise I'll eat less and work more from now on, I'll do any kind of work!"
Washing clothes, cooking, sweeping, warming the bed... I can do it all! I... I promise I'll be a good girl and do whatever you ask... Please don't sell me to a brothel..."

Chen Xiaomiao's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, until she was almost sobbing, her thin shoulders hunched over and trembling uncontrollably.

She didn't even dare to look at those prostitutes, fearing that one more glance would confirm her fate.

The incident was completely unexpected, and Lu Yuan gasped, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He quickly grasped Chen Xiaomiao's cold, trembling hand, and explained in a low voice, both anxious and helpless, "Xiaomiao, didn't I tell you? This is a bathhouse. What are you thinking!"

"You're trying to fool me! What kind of bathhouse looks like this? And what are they wearing...?"

Chen Xiaomiao became more and more frightened as she spoke, recalling the day Wang Jia Daya was sold, when Grandpa Wang tricked her into going to the county town to buy a new dress.

Lu Yuan knew that explaining was useless, so he pointed and said, "Look, who comes to a brothel with their family?"

Chen Xiaomiao looked up and saw a family of five, young and old, gathered in front of the elevator, the atmosphere peaceful and harmonious.

"Is...it really not a brothel?"

"No, but if you keep crying, you might attract the police."

As soon as Lu Yuan mentioned "police," Chen Xiaomiao immediately stopped sobbing, biting her lower lip hard to suppress her cries, leaving only her shoulders twitching uncontrollably.

"I...I won't make a fuss anymore...I believe you...I'll do whatever you say..."

Chen Xiaomiao nodded in assurance, though there was still a hint of unease and resigned obedience in her eyes.

Even if Lu Yuan really sold her out now, what could she do...?

Seeing her pitiful and submissive appearance, Lu Yuan felt inexplicably choked up, and his earlier annoyance turned into helplessness and heartache.

He helped the terrified girl, who thought she was about to be sold, to the front desk to complete the formalities, then handed her over to the female clerk and gave her careful instructions.

"Someone will guide you inside. Keep your wristband and locker key safe. Put your clothes in the locker and lock it. Take a shower first and then wait for someone to scrub your back."

After you've finished your shower and changed your clothes, wait for me in the lounge. Don't wander off!
Don't worry, no one's selling you!

"Oh……"

Chen Xiaomiao hugged the bag, nodded blankly, and kept looking back as she left, her eyes filled with fear of the unknown "work process".

She followed behind the waiter who was leading the way, her foxy eyes darting around furtively.

Once inside the bathing area, the air was filled with steam and the sound of rushing water.

A dozen or so fair-skinned women were soaking in the pool, while others lay on the jade slabs, letting the older women in short jackets rub and knead their bodies, making comfortable moans of "hissing and laughing".

Chen Xiaomiao's face turned bright red instantly.

She followed the example of others, found an empty showerhead, and carefully turned on the switch.

The warm water washed away my fatigue and fear of the unfamiliar.

After taking a shower, she followed the waiter's instructions, found a jade slab to lie down on, and a burly middle-aged woman slowly walked over.

"Girl, lie down properly!"

The woman's loud voice and strong Yuzhou accent made Chen Xiaomiao feel familiar and at ease.

"Is this your first time getting a body scrub?"

"Uh-huh……"

"Don't worry, the auntie knows what she's doing... Oh my goodness!"

The woman let out an exaggerated gasp, stopped what she was doing, and looked incredulous.

She looked at the thick, grayish-black layer of grime on the bath towel, then at Chen Xiaomiao's thin, bony back, her tone filled with surprise and undisguised frankness.

"Girl! Which coal mine did you crawl out of? Or were you just dug out of the ground? The 'old mud' all over you is enough for me to roll into a little figure, look at this!"

Chen Xiaomiao was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground. She buried her face in her arms and spoke in a muffled voice.

"I took a shower last night..."

"You still managed to scrub off so much after taking a shower last night?!"

The older woman clicked her tongue in disapproval, but her hands deftly replaced the old towel with a new one.

"Alright, girl, you've hit the jackpot today! I promise I'll scrub you until you're as smooth as a freshly peeled egg!"

The time that followed was a rollercoaster of emotions for Chen Xiaomiao.

The older woman had a lot of strength in her hands, and she rubbed Chen Xiaomiao until she grimaced, feeling as if a layer of her skin had been peeled off.

Wherever the bath towel touched, large patches of grayish-black, greasy grime fell off, piling up in alarming little mounds on the plastic sheet.

The older woman kept marveling as she rubbed the food, and even shared her amazement with her colleagues.

"Sister Liu, look at this girl! Look at all this mud! Good heavens, even fleeing famine wouldn't be this bad! How many years has it been since she's had a proper wash?... Girl, bear with it, the armpits and the backs of your knees are where the mud hides the most, let me clean them for you... Oh dear, her heels are all cracked and raw, poor thing, she must have done a lot of work..."

Chen Xiaomiao was so embarrassed that her whole body was burning up, and she could only close her eyes and grit her teeth to endure it.

As the older woman continued her efforts, the heavy filth that had covered Chen Xiaomiao for over a year and was almost ingrained in her skin was completely removed.

The older woman then used a large ladle of warm water to rinse Chen Xiaomiao thoroughly from head to toe, and patted her smooth, fair back with satisfaction.

"Wow! Look at her, what a fair-skinned girl!"

Chen Xiaomiao opened her eyes and got out of bed, feeling a lightness and cleanliness she had never experienced before, as if she had been reborn.

(End of this chapter)