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

Chapter 91 I Want to Learn Standard Mandarin
The next day, the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Because he was afraid of getting stuck in traffic on the highway, Lu Yuan ultimately chose to take the high-speed rail.

It was Chen Xiaomiao's first time riding in this "metal dragon," and he was incredibly excited.

He was practically pressed against the glass, his eyes wide open, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Lu Yuan, which is faster, this thing or an airplane?"

"Then it will definitely fly faster..."

Lu Yuan casually replied to Chen Xiaomiao, but looking at the list of relatives sent by his grandmother on his phone, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Sun Yumei was overjoyed when her grandson suggested visiting his parents' home, and she gave him a long lecture...

In the past, the old lady would usually be on duty at the hospital during the New Year. The last time she went back to her hometown was the year she had just retired, so she inevitably felt homesick.

Four hours later, the train arrived at the border town of Gu County.

As soon as I stepped out of the station, a woman in her thirties, dressed in a well-fitting business suit, came to greet me.

"Happy New Year, Mr. Lu."

The woman, with a professional smile on her face, handed over the car keys: "The car is parked in parking lot B. It's a Volkswagen SUV. The license plate information has been sent to your phone."

My name is Li Li, and I'm in charge of work in Hunan Province. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything.

Efficient, efficient, and without a single wasted word.

Lu Yuan nodded and took the keys: "Thank you for your hard work."

The woman bowed slightly, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Chen Xiaomiao glanced at the woman's back, then at Lu Yuan, and muttered under her breath, "You're really putting on airs now."

Lu Yuan chuckled upon hearing this: "What airs? I'm just a hands-off manager."

After leaving the high-speed rail station, it took another two hours to finally reach Sun Yumei's hometown county.

On the way, Lu Yuan introduced to Chen Xiaomiao that this was a Miao Autonomous Prefecture, where the Tujia and Miao ethnic groups make up a large proportion of the population.

Chen Xiaomiao asked curiously, "Then is Grandma also from an ethnic minority?"

"Yes, Grandma's household registration book says she is of Miao ethnicity."

Lu Yuan nodded: "She was lucky to be born at a good time; she was among the first batch of college students in China to enjoy the college entrance examination policy for ethnic minorities."

"Bonus points for the college entrance examination?"

This was yet another unfamiliar term for Chen Xiaomiao.

Lu Yuan patiently explained to her what the college entrance examination was and what bonus points were.

Chen Xiaomiao was completely confused, but finally grasped one key point and asked in bewilderment, "Why do ethnic minorities get extra points?"

"This is quite complicated to explain..."

Lu Yuan then changed the subject: "In short, Xiao Yao and her sister are also Miao, but they have basically been assimilated into Han culture now. Apart from the part on their ID cards, they are no different from us."

As the navigation indicated that they were about to reach their destination, Lu Yuan slowed down and gave Chen Xiaomiao a heads-up.

"By the way, Xiao Miao."

He carefully chose his words: "Later... don't think about receiving big red envelopes. Grandma's relatives... well, their customs might be a little different."

He couldn't very well say directly that his relatives here were not well-off and couldn't afford such a generous red envelope.

Chen Xiaomiao didn't seem to care at all, waving her hand and saying, "It's nothing. I just wanted to come and see Xiaoyao. I don't want your money."

"is it?"

Lu Yuan grinned.

He vividly remembered the way Chen Xiaomiao's eyes lit up when she was counting money yesterday.

The sisters Sun Yao and Sun Yu live in a self-built house near the county bus station.

The house belongs to their uncle, Sun Kaiwang, who is Sun Yumei's nephew.

Because the sisters' parents passed away early, Sun Kaiwang, their uncle, rented out the second floor of his house to them, charging them only a few hundred yuan in rent each year, and also taking good care of them on a daily basis.

Lu Yuan had called ahead, and as soon as the car stopped downstairs, Sun Kaiwang led his wife and children, along with the two sisters Sun Yao and Sun Yu, a large group of people, to greet him.

"Hey, Xiao Yuan's here! Quick, stop the car, there's plenty of room here!"

Sun Kaiwang was a middle-aged man in his early forties. He was not tall, and his face was full of wrinkles when he smiled. He was a little too enthusiastic.

He rushed forward to open the car door for Lu Yuan, showering him with concern and attentiveness, which Lu Yuan found somewhat overwhelming.

The relatives on Grandma's side didn't know about the mess on Lu Yuan's maternal grandfather's side. The reason they were so polite to him was firstly because they were indeed related by blood.

Secondly, over the years, Sun Yumei is the only member of the Sun family who has managed to escape this poorest county in the province.

Everyone in the Sun family has received kindness from Sun Yumei.

"Uncle, Aunt, Happy New Year."

Lu Yuan greeted them with a smile, then stepped aside to introduce Chen Xiaomiao behind him to everyone.

Happy New Year, Uncle and Aunt!

Chen Xiaomiao has a sweet tongue and greets people politely.

Sun Kaiwang's wife was a typical rural woman, not very talkative, just smiling all the time, looking Chen Xiaomiao up and down.

"Come on, come on upstairs, dinner's ready!"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group escorted the two upstairs. Sun Kaiwang's family lived on the third floor; the house was simply furnished but kept clean.

At the dinner table, Sun Kaiwang was the one doing most of the talking, from Lu Yuan's job to Jiangcheng's housing prices, spitting as he spoke. Sun Yao and Sun Yu, the two sisters, sat to the side and couldn't get a word in edgewise.

As the only "distinguished guest" at the table, Lu Yuan naturally became the focus of everyone's toasts.

"Xiao Yuan, come on, let me toast you! I wish you academic success and that you'll be even more successful than your grandma in the future!"

"Xiao Yuan, this toast is for you, to thank your grandma for helping our second child get hospitalized last time..."

……

After several rounds of drinks, Lu Yuan was already slightly tipsy.

Seizing the opportunity, Sun Yao grabbed Chen Xiaomiao and slipped downstairs.

The two sisters lived on the second floor, which had poor natural light and was a simple two-bedroom, one-living room layout.

Besides a desk, a bed, and a few old wardrobes, there was hardly any other furniture in the room. The walls were simply painted white, giving it a somewhat cold and desolate feel.

Fearing that her younger sister might say something inappropriate in front of her sister-in-law, Sun Yu quickly followed her in.

She looked two or three years older than Sun Yao, and her features were exactly the same as her sister's, except that she was taller and had a more composed demeanor.

Sun Yu poured hot tea for Chen Xiaomiao and said politely, "Sister-in-law, your room is messy, please don't mind."

"No chaos, no chaos, it's fine."

Chen Xiaomiao sat on the edge of the bed, took Sun Yao's hand, and asked with concern, "Xiao Yao, are you feeling any better?"

"I'm much better, thank you for your concern, sister-in-law."

Perhaps because her older sister Sun Yu was present, Sun Yao was not as lively as she was in Jiangcheng, and she spoke cautiously.

The atmosphere became a little dull for a moment, so Chen Xiaomiao took the initiative to change the subject.

"By the way, how's that short video you mentioned last time coming along?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yao immediately perked up, took out her phone, and opened her account.

"Sister-in-law, look! This is my new video, and it's already got over 10,000 likes!"

In the video, Sun Yao is wearing a beautiful Miao ethnic costume and singing on the ridges of the mountains and fields.

She sang a popular song, and her voice was sweet and clear.

But halfway through the song, the style suddenly changed. Her voice suddenly deepened and turned into a rough and unrestrained local dialect. The originally sweet lyrics were sung by her in dialect, which revealed a strange sense of humor.

Chen Xiaomiao scratched his head: "Hey, does anyone actually watch this?"

"Sister-in-law, that's the power of contrast!"

Sun Yao explained proudly, "My recent videos have been doing exceptionally well, and some businesses have already started contacting me!"

Chen Xiaomiao didn't understand: "Why are you here?"

Sun Yu, standing to the side, explained for her sister, "It means taking commercial orders and advertising other people's products in videos, which can earn you money."

Chen Xiaomiao's eyes suddenly lit up: "Make money? How much can I make?"

"I don't have many followers yet, and the data is unstable. I earn about... a few thousand yuan per post."

"Several thousand dollars?!"

Chen Xiaomiao's voice suddenly rose, her face full of disbelief.

Can you earn thousands of dollars just by singing a song in your hometown dialect?

Her mind raced: "If I sing in my Yuzhou dialect, can I make money too?"

Sun Yao thought for a moment and nodded, "Maybe it's possible. There are all kinds of dialect bloggers online now. As long as it has its own unique features, people will watch it."

Chen Xiaomiao felt an intense itch in her heart, like being scratched by a cat.

Singing in Yuzhou dialect? That's easy!

Back in the day, when she was in the mountains, she loved to belt out a few lines of Henan opera whenever she had free time, and her master always praised her for singing well.

But then Chen Xiaomiao thought about it again and lost her spirit.

For her, the difficulty wasn't singing in Yuzhou dialect, but that she simply couldn't sing those "modern songs"!
They certainly don't speak "Mandarin"!
In fact, Lu Yuan had mentioned it before, suggesting that she learn Mandarin in her spare time to make living in the city easier.

But deep down, Chen Xiaomiao felt that she spoke the elegant Central Plains accent, so why should she learn another accent?
So I kept putting it off and didn't take it seriously.

But now, with piles of silver... no, red banknotes right in front of me, it's impossible not to be tempted.

Suddenly, footsteps came from the stairwell, and Lu Yuan, who had finished drinking, came downstairs.

"Xiao Miao, what are you talking about?"

The man's cheeks were slightly flushed from the alcohol.

Upon seeing him, Chen Xiaomiao suddenly stood up from the bedside, quickly walked to him, and tilted her head back to take a deep breath.

"Lu Yuan."

"Huh? What for?"

Lu Yuan was taken aback by her serious demeanor.

Chen Xiaomiao clenched her fists and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I want to learn Mandarin well!"

(End of this chapter)