This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 102 Shi An, Do You Want to Invest? (Long Chapter, Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Li Wanyin was convinced.

No wonder those two ran so fast; they didn't dare to act crazy in front of Chen Shi'an, so they ran to the group chat to act crazy instead...

I must develop the habit of regularly deleting group messages, otherwise, if the messages get leaked one day, it could truly be a sign of social death...

[Where is Wanyin? Did she rush in to help take a bath? @Xiaohuiyin]
[Why don't you ask your high school boys if they're free this weekend? How about we go cycling together at Mangrove Lake on Sunday morning?]
[Your sister is creating opportunities for you! Wanyin, stand up straight!]
[Oh no, Wanyin hasn't posted anything, she's probably busy.]
[What are you busy with? Ugh, it's so hard to guess]
Little Echo: [Strangle him! Strangle him! Strangle him!]
Seeing that they were about to spout some nonsense again, Li Wanyin quickly sent out a bunch of funny face emojis.

When she looked up again, she found that Chen Shi'an had come out of the bathroom and was staring at her with a curious look.

Li Wanyin acted quickly, pressing the power button to turn off the phone screen and then hiding the phone behind her back.

"You finished showering so quickly?"

"Ah."

Chen Shi'an looked away, took the clean clothes and walked past the TV to the balcony to hang them out to dry.

"Sister Wanyin's friend went back so soon?" he asked, turning his head as he hung the clothes to dry.

"Haha... Yeah, it's already ten o'clock. I'm afraid I'll miss the bus if I'm late." Li Wanyin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"The way my two older sisters looked at me just now was as if they had seen me before, but I don't remember them at all."

"Oh! This? Didn't you practice Baduanjin on Douyin? They sent me that video back then."

"So that's how it is. They knew I was living with Sister Wanyin from back then?"

This brat's eyes are so sharp they're unsettling, and he loves to pry. Li Wanyin is exhausted. She definitely can't say, "They shared it with me because they think the male high school boys in the video are handsome!"

"...No, that's not it! It's just that they thought you practiced Baduanjin really well, so they shared it with me. When I told them we were roommates, they didn't believe me."

"I see. I didn't realize you two sisters were interested in Baduanjin."

Chen Shi'an smiled and finally skipped the topic.

After hanging up the clothes, he went back inside and put the school uniform that Li Wanyin had helped him take in into his room. He then came out to the living room sofa and sat down with Li Wanyin.

"Was that watermelon next to the coffee table bought by Sister Wanyin?"

"No, they just brought it over. We were so busy chatting that we forgot to cut it up and eat it... Shi'an, do you want some? I'll cut it up for you."

"It's okay, the watermelon can last for a few more days. Let's finish off these fruits quickly."

Apples, pears, dragon fruit, strawberries, grapes, oranges, guavas, mangoes... Uncle Lin gave us a huge pile of fruit that day. Chen Shi'an usually had to go to class, and Li Wanyin was too embarrassed to eat too much. It had been almost a week and they still hadn't finished all the fruit.

Chen Shi'an picked up an orange, weighed it in his hand, and then began to peel it with his bare hands. This orange with its relatively hard skin was as easy to peel as a tangerine in his hands.

After peeling the orange, he slowly tore it in half. The orange flesh was firm, and when he tore it open by hand, not a single drop of juice spilled out.

Li Wanyin was stunned.

"Give."

"Thank you."

Li Wanyin took it and tore it into small segments to eat. Sure enough, oranges peeled with someone's help tasted extra sweet.

Chen Shi'an turned to look at her and asked, "Hasn't Sister Wanyin taken a shower yet?"

"Well, not yet."

"You're getting off work so late today?"

"No, I just went for a walk along the Xijiang River after get off work, and then when I got home I ran into them coming over, so I didn't take a shower first."

"The West Riverbank? Sister Wanyin went to check out setting up a stall?"

"Yes, let's go and take a look."

"Have you decided what to do?"

"I do have some ideas."

As Li Wanyin ate her orange, she noticed that Chen Shi'an seemed quite interested, so she briefly explained her plan.

"I'm thinking of selling sweet soup first. It's easy to do. All you need is two big pots, a folding cart, and some disposable bowls and chopsticks. You can cook it at home and take it to sell. Once I've saved up some money and gained some experience in street vending, I plan to buy a street vendor cart, some equipment, and then make milk tea to sell."

"milk tea?"

"Hmm, like bubble tea series, fruit tea series, milkshake series, grass jelly series, herbal tea lemon tea series, and fruit juice, what do you think?"

"Good."

Chen Shi'an nodded. "I haven't tried the milk tea sold in the market, but I have tried traditional handmade milk tea and juice, and I've even made them myself."

Li Wanyin exclaimed in surprise, "You can also make traditional handmade milk tea and juice! How do you do it?"

"Yes, it's not complicated at all. It's just boiling tea, scooping tea, brewing tea, steeping tea, and mixing tea. It's just about stirring the tea back and forth between two teapots. The medium-sized tea leaves are used for color, and the fine tea leaves are used for flavor. Finally, you stir the tea and milk together to mix the tea and milk evenly. Fruit juice is even simpler. It's just like making fragrance. You just need to match the flavor with different fruits."

Chen Shi'an made it sound simple, but Li Wanyin, who has made milk tea before, knows that this kind of traditional handmade milk tea still requires a lot of experience and skill, unlike the technological milk tea on the market, which is like alchemy where you just mix a bunch of strong ingredients like flavorings and creamer together and that's it.

As for mixing fruit juice, it's easy to make pure single-variety juice, but it's not so easy to make mixed juice taste good.
There just happened to be a lot of fruit at home that we couldn't finish, and it looked like it would spoil if left any longer. Chen Shi'an thought for a moment and smiled:
"Sister Wanyin didn't make any sweet soup tonight, did she?"

"No... Shi'an, do you want to drink it? Then I'll go and make it for you now."

"No need. You've had so much sweet soup with Wanyin. We have plenty of fruit at home, so let me make you a glass of juice."

"Eh?"

Li Wanyin was pleasantly surprised, but then she remembered something and said, "But we don't have a high-speed blender at home..."

What is a high-speed blender?

"It's for juicing."

"It's okay."

Chen Shi'an went to the kitchen and brought out a few bowls and a pair of disposable gloves. Li Wanyin didn't know what he was going to do, so she watched curiously from the side.

Chen Shi'an first gathered some apples, pears, dragon fruit, strawberries, grapes, oranges, and mangoes. He deftly peeled them, leaving only the flesh. Then, he put on disposable gloves, used different bowls to collect the juice, and squeezed the flesh out with his hands.

"You're too strong!"

Li Wanyin was dumbfounded. Strawberries, grapes, oranges, and dragon fruit were one thing, but even hard fruits like apple chunks and pear chunks were easily crushed in his palm!
What kind of human-shaped juicer is this?!

She knew he had tremendous strength when she peeled pine nuts last time, so much so that now that she's seen it so often, Li Wanyin feels like she's almost used to it...

With Chen Shi'an's immense grip and precise control, the juice from the fruit seeped out from between his fingers, dripping into different bowls depending on the type of fruit.

Soon, Chen Shi'an finished juicing. The juicy fruit pulp had all become shriveled after the juice was squeezed out.

Li Wanyin picked up a piece of 'apple crumb' and squeezed it hard, just like he had, and sure enough, not a single drop was left...

The different bowls contained juices of different colors and flavors, which could actually be drunk directly, but Chen Shi'an clearly hadn't finished mixing his juices yet.

Apple, pear, dragon fruit, strawberry, grape, orange, mango... a total of seven different flavored juices. If she only chose two or three of them to flavor, Li Wanyin felt she could probably imagine what they would taste like.

Chen Shi'an, however, simply mixed all seven ingredients together for seasoning.

For the first time, Li Wanyin felt the lack of her imagination. She really couldn't imagine what the different juices would taste like when mixed together.

After all, it's not a simple mixture of seven ingredients, but rather a blend based on different proportions of each. The resulting flavor variations are countless; adding or subtracting even a fraction of each juice will produce a different outcome.

What was unimaginable for Li Wanyin was actually not difficult for Chen Shi'an. After all, when he was blending perfumes, he had tried using more than thirty kinds of materials. These seven were nothing compared to that...

Chen Shi'an took seven toothpicks and tasted the seven kinds of juice in the seven bowls one by one. He then picked up the bowls and smelled each one carefully. Although he had eaten the fresh fruit before, the juice tasted different from the fresh fruit because the pulp was no longer mixed with its own flavor.

Li Wanyin really wanted to ask him a question, but seeing his serious and earnest expression, she held back and didn't dare to disturb him.

She could tell that Chen Shi'an was tasting, but... could anyone really have such a high level of taste and imagination? Did he really intend to flavor these seven seemingly unrelated fruit juices?

The tuning of music, the mixing of colors in paints, the blending of flavors in spices, and the seasoning in food—each corresponds to the ultimate auditory, visual, olfactory, and gustatory perceptions, as well as an extraordinary level of imagination.

After thinking for a while, Chen Shi'an started to move.

He took a small disposable cup and, without using a measuring cup, relied on his precise sense of weight by hand to pick up the bowl and, as if conducting a chemistry experiment, poured a little juice into each cup in different proportions.

He mixed it all together, then picked up the cup and took a taste.

Frown slightly.

Pour it out.

The second time, he modified the proportions again, adding some cooled boiled water.

I mixed them together and tasted them.

Then pour it out.

By the third adjustment, he was full of confidence. He took Li Wanyin's personal cup, poured the seven bowls of juice into her cup in different proportions, added some cooled boiled water, and finally added some white sugar. He then stirred it well with a spoon.

He didn't try it himself, but instead handed it to Li Wanyin and said with a smile, "Sister Wanyin, please try it."

"Is it... all done?"

Li Wanyin was still in a daze. She was really curious about what this unexpectedly mixed fruit juice would taste like.

First, I was amazed by its color. The glass was filled with a translucent liquid that was light orange with a hint of pink. It seemed to have a warm base of mango and orange colors, and was then dyed with a wonderful gradient of magenta from dragon fruit.

Bringing it close to your nose, the first scent is the sweet aroma of oranges and mangoes, with a warm, sun-kissed feel. Then, as you take a deeper sniff, the refreshing sweetness of apples and pears wafts up, mixed with the slightly tart scent of strawberries and the fruity aroma of grapes. The various scents blend together without being chaotic, giving you the feeling of being in an orchard.

"The color is so beautiful...and the scent is so unique...I don't know how to describe it!"

Li Wanyin looked at the fruit drink in her glass, then at Chen Shi'an beside her, her face full of surprise. She really didn't expect that he would take into account the color and aroma when making the fruit juice.

"Since it's a beverage, let's see how it tastes. Sister Wanyin, please try it."

"Uh-huh!"

Li Wanyin then solemnly picked up the cup, tilted her chin slightly, and took a small sip.

She didn't swallow it in a hurry; her expression was quite interesting, and her eyes became even brighter.

She finally swallowed it, and then hurriedly took a second sip.

This time, her feelings were much clearer.

Upon first sip, the sweet and sour orange bursts on the tongue, followed by the creamy sweetness of mango and the refreshing crispness of apple, spreading throughout the mouth. The sweetness is just right, not cloying. As you swallow slowly, you can feel the smooth and juicy texture of the pear, leaving a sweet aftertaste in your throat. The tiny particles of strawberry, grape, and dragon fruit mixed in the juice add a layer of richness to the flavor, making the texture incredibly captivating. Even after finishing, the mixed fruity aroma lingers in your mouth, truly something to savor and enjoy for a long time.

"Drink it well!"

Li Wanyin was astonished. In all her life, she had never tasted a fruit juice with such a rich and complex flavor. This was not the result of seven plus seven, but clearly seven to the power of seven!

The older sister looked on in disbelief, unable to imagine how Chen Shi'an had managed to create such an ingenious concoction. This "Seven Fruit Drink" was truly the most unique and delicious beverage she had ever tasted in her life.

Thankfully, Jiayun and Feifei ran away; they almost ended up eating chaff!

"Shi'an, if you put this juice outside, it would definitely sell out! It's so unique! Did you really come up with this on the spur of the moment...?"

"Hmm, anything will do."

"..."

Li Wanyin was completely stunned. This was a flavor that many people might spend their entire lives trying to recreate, and Chen Shi'an really just used whatever ingredients were available and mixed it up haphazardly? If word got out, countless people would be incredibly frustrated...

"Then, do you still remember the proportions and method used to mix it just now?"

It would be such a heartbreaking loss if the recipe for this amazing fruit drink were lost.

"I remember, but when it comes to proportions, you have to be flexible. Different fruits have individual differences, so I rarely set a fixed proportion. I adjust the proportions according to these individual differences and the taste."

This is the fundamental reason why Chen Shi'an's incense, fruit drinks, and dishes are so difficult to replicate. No one else possesses such exceptional five senses as him, and can adapt to different ingredients. Even with the same seven kinds of fruit, there are differences between individuals, so how can ordinary people replicate them?

Chen Shi'an blinked, looking at his sister's hesitant expression, and asked with a smile, "Sister Wanyin wants to learn?"

"……think!"

Li Wanyin was taken aback for a moment, but still generously admitted that she wanted to learn.

"Are you thinking of selling this when you set up a stall in the future?"

"……Um!"

"Hmm, it might be a bit difficult for Sister Wanyin to recreate this flavor. How about this, I'll summarize it and teach you a more universal ratio recipe. The taste shouldn't be too bad. It would be great if we had some ice. Adding some ice to this fruit drink would have made it taste even better."

Chen Shi'an's generosity and easygoing nature left Li Wanyin speechless. He might not know the value of this fruit drink, but she knew it all too well. Even if it wasn't a wildly popular item, it was definitely a signature drink for any beverage shop.

"Shi'an, this recipe is too valuable. I... I certainly won't take it for nothing!"

"This is valuable?"

Chen Shi'an found it amusing; to him, it was just something he made casually. Let alone "Seven Fruit Drink," he could come up with more than a dozen different milk tea and fruit tea combinations in one night if he wanted to.

"Definitely! It's really delicious! It would sell out like hotcakes if it were sold outside!"

"That's great! Now Wanyin will have something to sell at her stall."

"How much are you planning to sell Shi'an for, or what do you want me to do? Just tell me! If I can't afford it, I can try to find someone to help you!"

"No need for this, Sister Wanyin can take it and sell it."

"No way!"

"Don't you want it, Sister Wanyin?"

"Yes I do."

"Then take it."

"No way!"

Li Wanyin was convinced. She tried her best to explain the value of the formula to Chen Shi'an with her own insights and experience, but Chen Shi'an listened without any change in expression, looking indifferent.

It's really hard to imagine what he pursues in life, that he really has no interest in money?
I used to just think of "I'm not interested in money" as a joke, but who would have thought that there are actually people who don't care about money at all...

"Don't worry, Sister Wanyin, if you want to learn, just go ahead and learn. If my little favor can really help you, it will be a good thing for me, and I will be happy."

Li Wanyin was very moved, truly moved, but this was Chen Shi'an's worldview and values, not hers. In any case, no matter what Chen Shi'an said, she would rather not learn it than take his recipe for nothing.

"So if someone else tells you they want to learn this from you, would you just give it away for free like that?"

"Of course not. I don't care about the value of the gift, I only care about the connection. If Sister Wanyin hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have made this fruit drink. It's Sister Wanyin's doing, so I'm giving it to you."

"No."

"Really?"

"...You're going to drive me crazy."

Li Wanyin really couldn't describe her feelings at this moment. She was touched, happy, and melancholy all at the same time. It was true that Chen Shi'an wanted what was best for her, but she also wanted what was best for him. How could she really accept such a valuable gift from him for nothing?

After a while, Li Wanyin finally came up with a compromise.

"How about this, Shi'an, you can become a shareholder!"

"Invest in shares? Invest in what kind of shares?"

"When we sell this 'Seven Fruit Drink' in the future, it will be considered as a partnership between us. Well, you'll be contributing your expertise as equity, and when we make money, I'll give you a share."

"Even street vendors can have shares?"

"...Well, that's roughly the gist of it."

"Um...okay."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Shi'an finally nodded in agreement.

Li Wanyin finally breathed a sigh of relief: "So what percentage do you want?"

"I don't quite understand how much is appropriate to take."

"How about this, we'll split all the profits between us!"

"...Sister Wanyin, is this how you do business?"

"Then, you get six and I get four!"

"Hey, I think it's too much. It's just something I made casually, and it's worth taking half of what Sister Wanyin worked so hard to earn. I don't think it's worth it."

"I think so!"

The two individuals' differing values ​​and willingness to make concessions led to another stalemate in the negotiations...

After a while, Chen Shi'an said helplessly, "If Sister Wanyin really doesn't want to take it for free, how about you give me one yuan for every cup you sell in the future?"

"Too little..."

"It's settled then. I won't give this recipe to anyone else. If Sister Wanyin really doesn't want it, then forget it."

“Shi An…”

"Do you still want it?"

My brother, who was just being very easy to talk to, suddenly became tough.

Li Wanyin hesitated for a moment, but seeing Chen Shi'an's undeniable gaze, she finally nodded gently.

Ugh...!
Your sister owes you so much!

One yuan a cup, how many cups would it take to repay this sentiment?!

A benefactor, a benefactor… Only now has Li Wanyin finally realized who her benefactor is.

Even though her life is still impoverished, Li Wanyin now has an unprecedented determination and confidence.

……

Looking at the time, it was already past eleven o'clock without me realizing it.

"Sister Wanyin, I'll go back to my room to sleep now. I'll write down the recipe proportions for you when I have time tomorrow."

"Uh-huh."

Li Wanyin then realized that she hadn't taken a shower yet.

"By the way, Shi'an."

"Ok?"

"My roommates... those two from earlier, they said they're going cycling at Mangrove Lake this weekend morning, do you want to come along?"

Li Wanyin secretly turned on her phone and checked the chat. There were several more messages tagging "Fengdian" in the group chat.

"Wanyin is having a friend's gathering, is it convenient for me to go?"

"It's okay! We're all friends!"

"Okay."

Chen Shi'an readily agreed. He would have dinner at the class monitor's house tomorrow night, go cycling at Hongshu Lake the day after tomorrow morning, and watch a movie at Xiao Zhi's house the afternoon after that. His day off would be fully booked.

Seeing that he agreed, Li Wanyin's tense shoulders quietly relaxed.

"So after you finish your classes tomorrow, you won't have to attend evening self-study? I'll go to the market to buy some groceries and cook you something nice for dinner."

"Well, I'm going to Uncle Lin's house for dinner tomorrow night. I promised our class monitor."

"That's it..."

Li Wanyin nodded and said, "Then I'll cook lunch. Anyway, your school is very close. I'll cook and bring some food for you to eat over. I can't finish it all by myself. What time do you finish class at noon?"

"get out of class ends at 12 o'clock. But I always have lunch with my friends."

"It's okay, I'll cook extra and bring some for your partner too. You can buy rice at your cafeteria, right? I'll just bring you some vegetables, okay?"

"Well, thank you, Sister Wanyin."

"It's okay, we have to do it anyway."

Li Wanyin smiled and said, "Then I'll make it and deliver it to your school gate. You can come and pick it up after school."

"it is good."

"Okay, I'm going to take a shower. Goodnight."

"Sister Wanyin, get some rest."

……

Chen Shi'an and the black cat went back to their room to sleep.

After taking a shower, Li Wanyin lay in bed, not in a hurry to sleep, but instead took out her phone.

The light from the phone reflected on her face.

She looked at the post she had made on WeChat Moments earlier.

I opened the photo and stared at it for a long time, not knowing what I was thinking.

It was displayed for one night in a group visible only to colleagues, and now there are no new likes or comments. Basically, everyone who was supposed to see it has already seen it.

Her finger hesitated for a long time on the delete button.

In the end, I didn't delete it.

Anyway, it will be gone in three days...

Let it hang there...

How embarrassing!!
Like an ostrich, she buried her head in the covers...

(Thank you again, Qiuqiu, for the generous donation of 100,000! You're so generous, boss! May you make a fortune! Thank you so much for your support!)

(End of this chapter)