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

Chapter 85 Writing Spring Festival Couplets

inside the car.

Lu Yuan leaned back in the passenger seat, his eyes half-closed, the alcohol making his thoughts somewhat hazy.

"Little seedling".

"Ok?"

Chen Xiaomiao kept her eyes straight ahead, her hands firmly gripping the steering wheel with meticulous care.

"I've been cooped up at home for over a month now, wouldn't you like to go out for a bit?"

Chen Xiaomiao shook her head decisively and advised kindly, "It's already the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month, why are you running around like this?"

"Anywhere is fine."

Lu Yuan chuckled, his enthusiasm undiminished: "It's warmer in the south, shall we go see the sea? Or perhaps travel abroad?"

Chen Xiaomiao still shook her head: "Wouldn't it be better to spend more time with Grandpa and Grandma instead?"

Lu Yuan's smile faltered, then he gave a bitter laugh and sighed.

This girl is even more filial than his own grandson...

The atmosphere inside the car became quiet for a moment, with only the steady low hum of the engine remaining.

After a while, Lu Yuan asked again, "So, Xiao Miao, what are your plans for the New Year?"

"Me?"

Chen Xiaomiao pouted: "I'm not from around here, what plans could I possibly have? I'd like to ask you, how did you manage in previous years?"

"me……"

Lu Yuan described it lazily: "On New Year's Eve, we had a reunion dinner at my grandparents' house, and then watched the Spring Festival Gala with the two of them."

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, we'll visit all our relatives to exchange New Year's greetings and catch up.

What is the Spring Festival Gala?

"Spring Festival Gala!"

Lu Yuan shifted to a more comfortable position and explained, "You can think of it as... the largest opera troupe in the country, which performs on television on New Year's Eve, singing, reciting, acting, and fighting, and putting on shows for people all over the country. This has been going on for over forty years."

"The largest opera troupe in the country!?"

Chen Xiaomiao immediately became interested: "Then... how big must it be? Bigger than the Pear Garden Spring Troupe that you see in Luoyang?"

In her time, it was considered a remarkable achievement for a county town to have a decent opera troupe that could put on a grand show for a few days during festivals.

The largest opera troupe in the country... how tall and big must that stage be?

"That's way too big."

Lu Yuan chuckled: "The performers on the Spring Festival Gala are all the most famous in the country."

Chen Xiaomiao smacked her lips, feeling a surge of excitement just thinking about it, and filled with unprecedented anticipation for the upcoming "New Year".

……

With less than a week left until Lunar New Year's Eve, Lu Yuan was in his study having a video conference with Lü Lei's team, while Chen Xiaomiao was also busy.

She fumbled for flour in the kitchen, mixed it with water to make a paste, and, standing on a stool, huffed and puffed as she pasted the paper-cut window decorations she had made onto the door and wall.

She cut out the simplest "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character, with rough edges, but she was extremely satisfied with it.

When Lu Yuan came out of the meeting, he saw the glaring red at the entrance and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Xiao Miao, there are ready-made tapes and anti-static stickers in the store, why are you arguing with the flour?"

Chen Xiaomiao jumped off the stool, patted the flour dust off her hands, and said confidently, "Isn't this cheaper? We all stick them up like this in my hometown for the New Year. They're very secure, and they come off easily in the spring after we soak them in water."

She pointed to her masterpiece with a proud expression.

"Look at it, isn't it festive?"

"Festive, so festive!"

Lu Yuan looked at the few stains on the white wall caused by the paste and smiled helplessly.

Oh well, as long as the girl is happy.

"Just you wait!"

Chen Xiaomiao seemed oblivious to the perfunctory tone in Lu Yuan's words. She then took out several rolls of red paper from her room and carefully spread them out on the living room floor.

These were Spring Festival couplets she had written long ago.

The handwriting is vigorous and flowing, with each stroke exuding strength.

Besides earning money by writing for Boss Dong, Chen Xiaomiao also learned his skills, and her calligraphy has improved significantly compared to a few months ago.

"Lu Yuan, you pick one, we'll put it on the front door!"

The three couplets were largely the same, all containing auspicious phrases to welcome spring and bring good fortune.

Lu Yuan crouched down, his gaze sweeping across the room, pointing to the far left.

"May Heaven add years to your life and may spring fill the universe with blessings for your home. Horizontal scroll: Peace and Prosperity in All Seasons. Hmm, this is good."

Chen Xiaomiao's smile faded slightly, and she gave a lukewarm "Oh." Lu Yuan's finger slid to the middle again: "Harmony brings a hundred blessings, peace is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Horizontal scroll: All things are renewed. This one isn't bad either."

Chen Xiaomiao smiled and nodded vigorously.

Lu Yuan continued moving to the far right: "May your journey be smooth sailing year after year, and may all your wishes come true step by step. Horizontal scroll: May good fortune shine upon you. This..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Xiaomiao's smile vanished instantly, and her face tightened.

Lu Yuan sighed inwardly.

You've already picked them out yourself, why are you asking me?
He withdrew his hand, pretended to ponder for a moment, and finally made the final decision: "Let's go with the middle one. It has the meaning of 'peace' and 'harmony,' and it's the most suitable one to put on our front door."

"middle!"

Chen Xiaomiao chuckled sheepishly: "I knew it! We'd be thinking the same thing!"

She deftly rolled up the selected couplets, placed them aside like treasures, and then put away the remaining two.

Looking at her beautiful handwriting, Lu Yuan had an idea: "Xiao Miao, write a few more pieces, and I'll give them away as gifts."

"It's working!"

Chen Xiaomiao agreed readily, turned around and went back into the house to take out the Four Treasures of the Study, which she then laid out on the dining table.

As she ground the ink, she reported to Lu Yuan, "Lu Yuan, I have something to tell you."

"Ok?"

"It's almost Chinese New Year, and Boss Dong asked me to write a lot of couplets and the character '福' (Fu, meaning good fortune). Guess how much money I made?"

"How many?"

"Two thousand eight hundred yuan! I'll pay for it when we go to the supermarket to buy New Year's goods tomorrow!"

Chen Xiaomiao stood tall and proud, looking quite smug!

"Boss Dong said that my calligraphy is now quite famous in Jiangcheng, and many people specifically ask him for it!"

Over the past few months, Chen Xiaomiao and Boss Dong have maintained their cooperative relationship; after all, even a small fly is still meat.

More importantly, this was earned by Chen Xiaomiao through her own abilities, which makes it completely different.

ding dong...

Suddenly, the doorbell rang abruptly.

Chen Xiaomiao paused in her writing, and Lu Yuan got up and went to open the door.

Outside the door, Lü Xin was dressed in a thick cotton-padded coat and carrying two exquisite brocade boxes.

"Uncle Lü? Please come in!"

Lu Yuan quickly welcomed Lü Xin in and poured him a cup of hot tea.

Lu Xin smiled憨厚ly, changed into slippers, and looked down at the coffee table in the living room. He saw Chen Xiaomiao writing and greeted her politely.

"Boss, are you and Miss Chen busy?"

"Uncle Lü, is there something you need?"

"It's nothing major. I have to go back to Huangya Village for the New Year early tomorrow morning. I just wanted to say goodbye to you before I leave, and also bring some New Year's goods for you and Miss Chen."

As he spoke, Lü Xin placed a pair of long, rectangular gift boxes on the coffee table.

"These are Spring Festival couplets that I specially requested through someone. They are the work of a famous master, and a single piece of calligraphy is worth tens of thousands!"

Lu Xin opened the box, his tone full of the simple enthusiasm of presenting a treasure.

When giving a gift to your boss, you have to give something tasteful and prestigious!
Inside the box was a bright yellow silk lining, with a rolled-up Spring Festival couplet lying quietly inside. Lu Yuan took it out and slowly unfurled it, his smile gradually stiffening.

The characters are good.

Flowing like clouds and water, powerful and elegant strokes.

But... this handwriting looks so familiar.

Lu Xin enthusiastically added, "Boss, what do you think? This master doesn't make a move easily; I went to great lengths to get his hands on him!"

"It's...it's good..."

Lu Yuan forced a smile, momentarily at a loss for words.

Seeing his strange expression, Lü Xin tentatively asked, "Boss? What's wrong? This handwriting... you don't like it?"

"No, no..."

Just as Lu Yuan was racking his brains, trying to figure out how to explain this misunderstanding in a tactful way, Chen Xiaomiao suddenly came over and curiously peeked in.

"what?"

She stretched out her ink-stained finger, pointed at the Spring Festival couplet in Lu Yuan's hand, and murmured to herself.

"Didn't I write this?!"

　Four chapters and 4 words today, and I should continue tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)