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

Chapter 68 Chen Xiaogu's Letter (Part 2) (Combined)

Lu Yuan's arm ached from Chen Xiaomiao's grip, so he turned around and held her cold hand in his.

The television screen briefly displayed the end credits, contact information, and address.

“Lu Yuan…”

Chen Xiaomiao raised her head, her reddened eyes filled with pleading.

Looking at her like this, Lu Yuan couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.

He pulled out a few tissues and roughly wiped away the tears on Chen Xiaomiao's face. His movements were not gentle and were even a bit clumsy.

"What are you crying about? You can't let something as big as pee kill you. Wait here, I'll go get ready."

Chen Xiaomiao stared blankly at Lu Yuan's back, not reacting for a moment.

"You...you want to come with me?"

Lu Yuan glanced back at her and said irritably, "Nonsense, I'm not going with you. I'm afraid you'll get sold out and then happily help the seller count the money."

Chen Xiaomiao sat on the sofa, watching the frozen image on the TV screen, and her tightly clenched heart suddenly felt a little relieved.

She didn't say anything more, not even a sentimental "thank you".

Some things seem to no longer need to be confirmed with words.

She silently stood up, went into the kitchen, sealed the bowl of wontons that she had only eaten a few bites of with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Then she quickly washed all the dishes and chopsticks, arranged them neatly, and finally went back to her room to change her clothes.

After finishing everything, she returned to the living room and sat quietly on the sofa like a primary school student waiting for instructions from the teacher.

……

The old A8 drove smoothly on the highway.

The scenery outside the window rushed past, the city's outline gradually blurred, and in its place appeared vast expanses of gray-yellow fields and sparse villages.

The carriage was quiet. Chen Xiaomiao kept turning her head to look out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

Lu Yuan glanced at her and broke the silence: "Can you tell me about Chen Xiaogu?"

"His master named him Chen Xiaogu."

Chen Xiaomiao turned back and murmured, "His original name was Zhou Zhensheng, Zhen as in 'to invigorate' and Sheng as in 'sound.' On the day he came down the mountain, his master told him to change back to his real name, saying that he was born in a chaotic world and should have a voice that could awaken the people of the country."

"He...is married?" Lu Yuan asked again.

"Ah."

Chen Xiaomiao nodded, her gaze drifting into the distance as she lost in memories.

"Xiao Gu's family runs a pharmacy in town. They sent him up the mountain hoping he would learn some skills, absorb some divine energy, and pray for peace."

Later, his father married a prostitute, squandered the family fortune, and attracted enemies who hid in the temple. That's when his master changed his name..."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Brother Xiao Gu is tall and strong, and he's always the first to stand up for others in the village if anyone is bullied."

Later, when the country was in crisis, he couldn't sit still and urged others to go down the mountain together.

I remember that on the day he came down the mountain, his master didn't say anything, but gave him three sticks of incense and told him to kowtow to the ancestral master.

Before leaving, he told me that his parents had found him a wife a few years ago, but they hadn't consummated their marriage. He said he had to go back home first to ensure the family had an heir, otherwise he would be unfilial.

As Chen Xiaomiao spoke, her eyes began to redden again: "At that time, I felt that after they left, it was as if a large part of the mountains had been emptied out..."

I never imagined, I never imagined, that Brother Gu's descendants would now settle down near Jiangcheng.

Lu Yuan listened quietly without interrupting.

A vivid, flesh-and-blood image slowly began to take shape in his mind.

A young man of strong character resolutely went to the battlefield when his country was on the verge of collapse.

The only thing he could do before leaving was to leave behind a continuation of his bloodline in that woman he had never met.

After exiting the highway, the car bumped along the potholed country roads for nearly an hour before the navigation finally indicated "near the destination".

Anqiao Town.

The place was even more dilapidated than Lu Yuan had imagined.

The streets are narrow, and the buildings on both sides are mostly two- or three-story brick-and-mortar buildings with peeling paint, revealing the dark red bricks inside.

There were hardly any young people on the street. The few people gathered in twos and threes under the walls to bask in the sun were mostly elderly men and women with gray hair, cloudy eyes, and slow movements.

The whole town was permeated with an air of impending doom.

Lu Yuan parked his car in front of a convenience store with a sign that read "Jiajiafu Supermarket".

It's called a supermarket, but it's really just a large general store with a few dusty freezers at the entrance.

He got out of the car and said to Chen Xiaomiao in the passenger seat, "You sit in the car for a while, I'll go ask someone for directions."

"middle!"

Chen Xiaomiao nodded obediently.

The convenience store was dimly lit, and a strong smell of tobacco and cheap flavoring wafted through the air.

Behind the counter, a middle-aged man in a gray jacket with thinning hair was sitting with his legs crossed, watching short videos on his phone while eating sunflower seeds.

"Boss, two bottles of water, please."

Lu Yuan took two bottles of mineral water from the freezer and placed them on the counter.

The man didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, pointing to the QR code next to him: "Scan this, it'll be four yuan in total."

After paying, Lu Yuan didn't leave immediately. Instead, he casually struck up a conversation: "Boss, can I ask you something?"

"explain."

The man spat out the sunflower seed shells from his mouth, his gaze still glued to his phone screen.

"Is there a family surnamed Zhou in our town who recently appeared on TV?"

Upon hearing this, the boss finally reacted.

He raised his head, squinted, and looked Lu Yuan up and down, his eyes filled with scrutiny.

"What do you do? Are you a distant relative of hers?"

"No."

Lu Yuan smiled, unscrewed a bottle of water and took a sip: "I watched the program and was quite moved. The old man's father was a hero, and we, as his descendants, always think about whether we can help in any way."

Upon hearing that he was neither a relative nor a government official, the boss curled his lip, his tone full of disdain.

"Hey, her family's affairs are so trivial, she even went on TV. I find it embarrassing!"

He tossed his phone aside, leaned forward, and lowered his voice, looking every bit like an intelligence broker who had some earth-shattering secret.

"Young man, let me tell you, that old lady on TV looks so pitiful, but actually, it's all an act for you!"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and made a gesture of listening attentively.

The boss started talking: "Her son, Huang Wei, everyone in this town knows him, he's a complete scoundrel!"

"Oh? What do you say?"

"A gambling addict!"

The boss slapped his thigh: "When I was young, I worked in a factory and made some money. I don't know who I followed, but I got hooked on gambling. I lost my job, my wife divorced me, and I'm drowning in debt. I've squandered all the family's savings!"

Now, with her daughter and son, she wanders around town every day, practically begging for food.

He gestured towards the outside and continued, "A couple of years ago, I don't know where he found some old letters written by his maternal grandfather, and he treated them like treasures."

He keeps saying that his maternal grandfather was an anti-Japanese war hero and that the government should give him official recognition and a pension.

Tell me, how many years has it been? The person has long since turned to ashes, where are we supposed to find them?

I think this old lady was also instigated by her son.

The whole posthumous recognition of him as a martyr is a lie. They just want to get money from the government to pay off his son's gambling debts.

Otherwise, think about it. If he were truly filial, would he just stand by and watch his mother, so old, still living in that dilapidated tile-roofed house?

The boss got more and more excited as he spoke, and finally gave his concluding remarks.

"So, young man, let me give you some advice: don't fall for it. Helping this kind of person is just harming him. Give him money, and it'll be thrown onto the gambling table without a trace."

Lu Yuan listened with a smile the whole time, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

After the boss finished speaking, he nodded and said, "Thank you, boss. I was just asking casually. Do you know exactly where he lives?"

"Look, turn into this intersection, walk to the end, and you'll see a big locust tree. That's the most dilapidated courtyard next to it," the shopkeeper pointed casually.

"okay!"

Lu Yuan turned and walked out of the convenience store, his smile instantly vanishing.

Once back in the car, Chen Xiaomiao immediately leaned over and whispered, "Lu Yuan, did you get the answer?"

"You've got the question."

Lu Yuan started the car and slowly drove towards the intersection. ...

The vehicle stopped at the end of the alley.

Sure enough, there was a huge old locust tree in front of us, and under the tree was the "most dilapidated courtyard" that the boss had mentioned.

The courtyard wall was made of adobe bricks and had collapsed in many places. It was barely plugged up with some rotten wooden planks and snakeskin bags.

A dilapidated wooden door was ajar, its hinges askew, as if a gust of wind could blow it over.

The yard was quiet, with only a few old hens leisurely scratching at the ground.

Lu Yuan unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to Chen Xiaomiao, instructing, "Xiaomiao, when we go inside, don't get excited or rush to speak. Just follow my lead, understand?"

Chen Xiaomiao nodded vigorously, her two hands nervously clasped together.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and got out of the car.

He took a carton of milk and a bag of fruit from the trunk, carried them to the dilapidated wooden door, and gently knocked.

"Boom, boom, boom."

After waiting for a long time, there was finally some movement in the yard.

A man in his forties, wearing faded blue overalls and with messy hair, walked out of the main room. He was tall and thin, with sunken eyes and a sallow complexion, exuding a sense of dejection from long hours of staying up late and malnutrition.

Upon seeing Lu Yuan and Chen Xiaomiao standing at the door, the man's eyes immediately filled with vigilance and impatience.

"Who are you looking for?"

The man's voice was hoarse, as if he had a lump of phlegm stuck in his throat.

"Excuse me, is this the home of Zhou Yanchun?" Lu Yuan asked politely.

"What do you do?"

The man blocked the doorway, showing no intention of letting Lu Yuan and Chen Xiaomiao in, probably mistaking them for debt collectors.

"Hello, my name is Lu Yuan."

Lu Yuan handed over what he was holding, a warm smile on his face: "We are students from Jiangcheng University, and we are currently working on a social practice project about oral history of veterans of the War of Resistance Against Japan."

I saw Grandma Zhou's story on TV and was deeply moved, so I came to visit her. I hope to learn more details from her and see if there's anything I can do to help.

"A student from Jiangcheng University?"

The man, Huang Wei, looked Lu Yuan up and down suspiciously.

Lu Yuan was well-dressed and had a clean demeanor, unlike a thug or hooligan who was collecting debts.

Chen Xiaomiao, who was next to him, kept her head down, but the clothes she was wearing didn't look cheap.

Huang Wei's impatience lessened somewhat, but he remained vigilant.

"We have nothing to say. The TV station has already filmed it. You can just go back and watch it on TV." He still refused to give way.

"Uncle, we've come all this way with the utmost sincerity."

Lu Yuan remained calm and composed: "Our school attaches great importance to this project. If we can collect valuable historical materials, there will be project funding and rewards."

We also wanted to do our part in helping Grandma Zhou's father apply for martyr status.

"Funding?"

Upon hearing this word, a glimmer of light finally appeared in Huang Wei's eyes.

Just then, an old and weak voice came from inside the house.

"Who's here? Huang Wei, please let the guest in and have a seat."

Huang Wei glanced back, hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped aside to make way.

"come in."

Lu Yuan gave Chen Xiaomiao a wink, and the two walked into the courtyard one after the other.

The yard was small, the ground was uneven, and some scrap and debris were piled up in the corner.

The main house consists of three old-style tile-roofed rooms, with strings of dried chili peppers and garlic hanging under the eaves.

Upon entering the main room, a damp, musty smell mixed with the aroma of Chinese medicine hit you.

The room was dimly lit and sparsely furnished, with a square table, a few long benches, and a faded portrait of Chairman Mao on the wall. There was nothing else.

The old lady on TV, Zhou Yanchun, was sitting in a bamboo recliner, covered with a faded old blanket.

She was even thinner and smaller than she appeared on television, her face was full of wrinkles, her hair was completely white, and she was looking at them with a pair of cloudy eyes.

A little girl with a ponytail, who looked to be only ten years old, was carefully feeding her a bowl of dark, murky medicine.

"Grandma, it's time to take your medicine."

"Hello, Grandma Zhou."

Lu Yuan placed the items on the octagonal table and greeted them respectfully.

Zhou Yanchun glanced at the milk and fruit on the table, then at Lu Yuan and Chen Xiaomiao, and slowly began to speak: "Young men, you are..."

"Mom, they are students from Jiangcheng University. They came to ask about Grandpa."

Huang Wei chimed in from the side, pulled over a bench and sat down, took out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and lit one.

"Oh...a college student..."

Zhou Yanchun's eyes softened: "Sit down, sit down. Niu Niu, go pour water for your two older brothers and sisters."

The little girl named Niu Niu put down the medicine bowl, glanced at them timidly, and then turned and left with a thermos.

"Grandma, please don't be so polite."

Lu Yuan pulled Chen Xiaomiao to sit down on another bench, maintaining a polite distance: "We just want to hear you tell us about your father in person again."

Television broadcasts are too short, and many details cannot be explained clearly.

When Zhou Yanchun mentioned her father, her previously cloudy eyes seemed to light up again.

"My father..."

She sank into the recliner, her voice distant: "I never even met him. I was still in my mother's womb when he left, but my mother never blamed him. She said he was a man of steel, a hero..."

The old man's account was much the same as what was shown on television, inevitably revolving around his life of displacement and his deep love for his country.

She spoke slowly and repeated herself in many places, but her emotions were genuine.

Lu Yuan listened patiently, nodding occasionally and asking a question or two to guide her to recall more details.

Chen Xiaomiao kept her head down the whole time, with her hands on her knees, like a quiet sculpture.

But her clenched knuckles and slightly trembling shoulders betrayed her inner turmoil.

Huang Wei sat to the side smoking, looking somewhat absent-minded. He would glance at the gifts on the table from time to time, and then at Lu Yuan from time to time, his eyes full of calculation.

"...My mother relied on these few letters and cherished them her whole life."

As Zhou Yanchun spoke, she gestured to her granddaughter Niu Niu beside her: "Niu Niu, go and get your great-grandfather's letter so your older brother and sister can see it."

Niu Niu responded and brought out a wooden box wrapped in red cloth from the inner room.

The box was opened, revealing several letters that had turned yellow and brittle.

When those familiar words appeared before her eyes, Chen Xiaomiao's body stiffened abruptly.

Lu Yuan noticed her unusual behavior, gently took her cold hand, and comforted the girl with his own body heat.

Zhou Yanchun picked up the top letter, carefully unfolded it, and handed it to Lu Yuan.

Dear Qingmei:

Yesterday, we just arrived at the border of Hunan and Hubei provinces, and the troops set off immediately. We marched sixty li in one day, and both men and horses were exhausted. Tonight, I am staying in a dilapidated temple. My comrades are all snoring loudly, but I alone cannot sleep. Thinking of you and home, I lit a lamp to write this letter.

The army paid its wages the day before yesterday. Although it was meager, I have already sent it through the post station. I expect it will help supplement my family's income.

I received a letter from my father-in-law a month ago, informing me that you had given birth to a daughter, and I was overjoyed. I heard you were worried, but that's unnecessary. Times have changed; having a daughter is a blessing.

I, Zhou Zhensheng, have wandered for half my life and then entered the Taoist path. To have this bloodline is already a great blessing from Heaven. My daughter is wonderful, kind and understanding. I hope you will take good care of yourself and not let worldly thoughts burden you.

Thank you for your hard work with everything at home.

You've taken care of all the odds and ends, from managing the accounts to preparing medicine for Mother. All I have here is my physical strength and a simple "thank you."

The troops are about to set off again, I hear they're heading towards Xiangbei. The journey is long, so you don't need to reply, as I won't receive your letters. I will write back once the fighting has subsided.

Fu Zhensheng

Hastily written on the night of the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month...

　Before the product is officially released, I will guarantee at least 6,000 chapters per day, with 3 chapters per day.

　　More chapters will be released after the book goes live!
　　As always, I urge everyone to continue reading...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)