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

Chapter 106 Fighting Fire with Fire
The early autumn sunset dyed the blue and white school uniforms a warm orange, with the lingering warmth of late summer still clinging to the hem.

Lin Mengqiu had no interest in appreciating the scenery; she was so angry with Wen Zhixia that she lost her composure.

Her jawline had lost its previous sharpness, and her cheeks had puffed out slightly. The faint redness on the tips of her ears had also spread to the tip of her nose, but her expression remained cold, making her look just like a little dumpling that had been frozen red.

She walked beside Chen Shi'an, seemingly unwilling to say a word.

Chen Shi'an would steal glances at her from time to time, and seeing her looking so defeated and disoriented, he felt a pang of unease, wanting to laugh but having to hold it in.

See? I kindly told you to leave early, but you wouldn't go!
Why do you have to drag your feet and wait for Xiaozhi to finish? You're not good with words and you don't even know it. Do you think you can beat Xiaozhi in a verbal battle?

Lin Mengqiu never wears her emotions on her sleeve, but when she's with Wen Zhixia, she can easily break down her guard.

The little cicada is amazing!
But... if you make the class monitor angry, who's going to smooth things over later?
It's better to compliment her, saying, "Hey, class monitor, you're much cuter when you're angry than your usual icy face."

Or are you saying, 'Forget it, you can't beat her'?

Chen Shi'an was certain that if that were the case, once they got to her house, the cleaver wouldn't be chopping vegetables, but him.

Chen Shi'an glanced at her secretly and, seeing the girl still looking sullen and frustrated, finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"?"

Lin Mengqiu slowly turned her head, her gaze fixed on his face.

Chen Shi'an's smile vanished instantly.

"why are you laughing."

"It's nothing..."

"You can also do wood carving?"

"Ah."

Chen Shi'an nodded, turned to look at her and smiled, "Next time I'll give the class monitor a wood carving."

"Sculpt what?"

"How's the little rabbit?"

"..."

Looking at Chen Shi'an's ambiguous smile, and recalling the little rabbit cartoon he found in her junior high school workbook that day, Lin Mengqiu finally realized that she had broken her composure.

In no time, her previously angry little face instantly transformed back into her eternally cold and aloof expression.

That weird, smelly Taoist priest!
You're no better than that annoying cicada!

Lin Mengqiu ignored him. Just then, the road turned in his direction. Like a little calf, she turned straight towards him, nudged him with her slender shoulder, and then stepped on his foot.

Who knows how this damned Taoist priest could be so hard? Lin Mengqiu felt like she'd bumped into a wall, and the faint scent of pine resin from his sleeve brushed against her nose. She stomped hard on his black canvas shoes with her white sneakers, but instead of leaving a mark, the hard sole made her lose her balance. Like a kite whose strength had been drained, she stumbled and was about to fall to the ground…

In her panic, she didn't have time to think. Her fingertips found support first and she tightly gripped Chen Shi'an's hand.

Chen Shi'an reacted quickly, grasping her small hand with his right hand while his left hand went around to the other side, his palm resting firmly on her delicate shoulder.

The fabric of the summer school uniform was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the warmth of his palms almost immediately seeped in, creeping up the skin of her shoulders and down her neck. Even the stray hairs by her ears seemed to be tinged with heat, mingling with the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat, buzzing in Lin Mengqiu's ears.

Almost instantly, the girl's ears and cheeks flushed red. Her heart pounded uncontrollably, like a wildly beating rabbit, making her chest feel tight and her breathing become rapid.

The warmth of his palm continued to emanate from their clasped hands, as if her icy little hand would melt if he held it a little longer.

It took Lin Mengqiu a while to come to her senses after regaining her balance. Then, blushing and with her head down, she hurriedly let go of his hand...

That's right, he let go—because Chen Shi'an had long since let go of her shoulder and loosened his grip, while she had been holding on tightly for quite some time…

"Watch out, class monitor! Why are you in such a hurry?"

Why are you in such a hurry?
This was something she had said to Chen Shi'an after school, and she never expected it to become a boomerang at this moment.

"..."

Ugh! You weird, stinky Taoist priest! Will you die if you don't talk?!

The girl was filled with shame, anger, anxiety, and embarrassment. Heaven knows why there were such annoying cicadas and smelly Taoist priests around her who could always break her spells.

Deduct... never mind.

……

Chen Shi'an didn't try to appease Lin Mengqiu; instead, he made her lose her composure once again.

Once, he lost his composure because he was angered by Wen Zhixia, and another time, he lost his composure because he was embarrassed by Chen Shi'an.

But after two consecutive breakdowns, as if fighting fire with fire, the class monitor suddenly returned to normal.

Chen Shi'an was still a little curious. It was clear that Uncle Lin's understanding of his daughter was limited. The "Mengqiu User Manual" that Uncle Lin gave him was becoming less and less useful. It seemed that he would have to think more about how to make good use of the class monitor in the future.

After walking for a while, the two arrived outside the residential area.

Outside is a well-established commercial street with everything from supermarkets and fresh food stores to restaurants, clothing stores, beauty salons, hair salons, and pet shops.

Although shopping is conveniently located downstairs, Lin Mengqiu rarely buys anything there. Apart from occasionally playing badminton or going for a run with her father, she mostly stays at home and buys most things online. Her father doesn't need her to buy household necessities.

"Squad leader, aren't we going to the market to buy groceries?" Chen Shi'an asked.

Although Lin Mengqiu's home and his current rented apartment are on opposite sides of the school, they are not too far apart. Chen Shi'an goes out every morning to explore the map and has long since figured out the situation around her neighborhood.

"Why not just buy it at the supermarket?"

"also."

Following Lin Mengqiu, the two entered a supermarket.

Chen Shi'an had never bought vegetables in a supermarket before. Unlike buying vegetables in a market, most of these vegetables were already packaged, weighed, and priced, and they were sealed with a layer of plastic wrap. Vegetables were okay, but because the meat was sealed with plastic wrap, Chen Shi'an couldn't judge the quality very well and could only make a rough judgment based on its appearance.

"Does the squad leader want stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork tonight?"

"……Um."

"The green peppers are alright, but I think the flesh here isn't fresh enough."

"..."

The two stood together in the fresh produce section, selecting groceries. With such a dazzling array of items, Lin Mengqiu didn't know how to choose. She just pretended to pick up one item, look at it, and put it down, trying to appear as if she were very experienced.

She turned to look at Chen Shi'an again. It was obvious that Chen Shi'an was much better at picking things out than she was. He would pick up each of the fruits and vegetables to check their appearance and weigh them, and even smell them. He would smell or squeeze the packaged meat through the plastic wrap.

How do you know it's not fresh enough?

"I could tell. Of course, it's not necessarily bad; it depends on how fresh you perceive it."

Chen Shi'an spent a long time looking around but didn't choose anything. He looked back at Lin Mengqiu, who also hadn't chosen anything.

He didn't believe that the class monitor was picky about food like he was; the class monitor was just picky about what he ate.

As for why I didn't choose it, it's definitely because I don't understand it.

"Is the squad leader hungry?"

"Not hungry."

"How about we go to the farmers market and see what we can buy there?"

"Why not just buy it here?"

"It's not quite there yet, it doesn't meet my requirements. Let's go to the market and I'll pick out some good stuff to cook for you."

"~~~"

Although Lin Mengqiu was too lazy to walk, since Chen Shi'an had said so, she figured she might as well walk around a bit more...

The vegetable market was an even stranger place to Lin Mengqiu. She knew where the vegetable market was, but she really only went there twice a year. Only when her father thought she had stayed at home for too long and insisted that she go for a walk when he went to buy groceries would she reluctantly go along.

As Lin Mengqiu was leaving the supermarket and heading towards the main road, Chen Shi'an asked her to walk together through a nearby alley.

"Aren't we going to the farmers' market?"

"Yes, it's faster this way. If you take the main road, it will take at least fifteen minutes, but it only takes about seven or eight minutes to cross from here."

"...?"

Lin Mengqiu looked at him in surprise.

no,

Is this my house or your house? How come you know the neighborhood better than I do?
"you've been to?"

"Yes, I've run near your neighborhood before when I went for a morning run."

"You went for a run this morning?"

"Yes." "What time?"

"Get up at five o'clock."

"..."

Sure enough, that stinky Taoist priest has so much free time every day; he does everything except study.

"What time do you usually go to bed at night?"

"Around eleven o'clock, I should be able to go back, take a shower, do some laundry, and that should be about it. What time does the class monitor go to sleep?"

"Twelve o'clock."

"so late?"

"Read a book."

"The class monitor is really hardworking. I want to learn from you."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu rolled her eyes at him.

We were chatting and didn't notice anything until we came to our senses and realized that we had wandered into the depths of the alley.

The densely packed self-built houses around the house completely block out the sky. Air conditioner water makes the ground wet everywhere. It's evening, and the setting sun can't penetrate the ground. The whole environment is like a rainy day.

If it were her, she would never have ventured into such a deep alley. After walking around like this, she was almost completely disoriented.

She wasn't sure if Chen Shi'an really knew the way, but she subconsciously moved closer to him and stayed even closer to him.

Soon, after emerging from the alley, her view suddenly opened up, and the vegetable market was right across the street. She was finally back in the familiar street environment.

"There are ten seconds left on the green light, hurry up and go."

Chen Shi'an quickened his pace. Lin Mengqiu snapped out of her daze, put one hand on her schoolbag, and then jogged quickly beside him.

The light turned from green to red, and the two of them had just reached the other side of the road.

Lin Mengqiu released her small hand from her backpack, and casually lifted it to tidy the stray strands of hair beside her cheek. She looked up at the sign not far in front of her:

[SM Market - South Gate]
"Let's go in and see what's inside."

"Ah."

With the changing times, there are more people buying groceries in the city in the evening than in the morning. In the morning, it's mostly retired elderly people or housewives, while in the evening, it's mostly young and middle-aged people, who have just finished get off work or happen to have free time.

Arriving in such an unfamiliar field and environment, Lin Mengqiu found that she couldn't be assertive and could only obediently listen to Chen Shi'an.

The market was bustling with people. Even though she knew the way, she couldn't help but unconsciously stick close to him, as if she would get lost if she lost him.

Chen Shi'an glanced at Lin Mengqiu, who was quietly following beside him.

The class monitor's expression at this moment wasn't angry or embarrassed, nor even her usual aloofness. Instead, it was a more natural and homely demeanor, completely non-aggressive. Compared to her usual cold and sharp demeanor, she seemed somewhat soft and dazed at this moment.

Lin Mengqiu followed him slowly, her eyes scanning the dishes on each meat and vegetable stall.

After gradually becoming familiar with her surroundings, she took the initiative to speak:
"Do you buy groceries when you're in the mountains?"

"Occasionally, it's a bit troublesome to buy groceries in the mountains; I need to go to town."

Is it close?

"It takes two hours to go down the mountain and one hour to walk to the town. You have to get there early, because the market in town is usually quite deserted in the afternoon. Market days are in the morning, when you can buy the most things."

"...Walk three hours to buy groceries?"

"Yeah, so I don't go there very often. Most of the time I just eat whatever's available in the mountains, or buy it from the villagers."

"What's in those mountains?"

"There are plenty of seasonal foods to eat. There are fish in the streams and pools, wild vegetables, wild fruits and mushrooms, and the Taoist temple also raises chickens and ducks and grows vegetables. There are always things to eat."

Lin Mengqiu nodded, but was somewhat shocked.

I never imagined that there were actually people around me who lived off the land.

Thinking about it this way, she suddenly felt guilty about being a picky eater...

She had heard Chen Shi'an mention before that the servants at the Taoist temple had to feed the chickens, so she asked curiously, "What will you do with your chickens now that you've come down the mountain?"

"They've all been sold to the villagers. The old hens are kept to lay eggs for them, and the chicks are being raised."

"And what about the vegetables you grew?"

"It was also sold to the villagers."

"What's left of that Taoist temple?"

"If you're interested, class monitor, I'll take you to see it another day."

Are there mosquitoes?

"Have."

"...Didn't you say last time that you wouldn't have any problems if you followed me?"

"Yes, there isn't any with me."

Lin Mengqiu remained silent, neither saying she would go nor saying she wouldn't.

But I couldn't help but think about the Taoist temple.

"How about we make shredded pork with green peppers, fish head stew, and stir-fried shredded lettuce tonight?"

"it is good."

Lin Mengqiu nodded; they were all her favorite foods.

The market was bustling with people, but only two of them were wearing school uniforms.

Chen Shi'an stopped at a meat stall.

After all, it was already afternoon, and even at the farmers' market, most of the meat and vegetables weren't considered fresh.

Since they're all in business, the stall owners certainly won't tell customers which meat was leftover from the morning and which was just brought out in the afternoon; it's all up to the customers to choose.

Others might pick out stale meat, but for Chen Shi'an, it's as clear as if the meat is labeled as fresh or not.

"Boss, how much is the pork loin here?"

"twenty five."

Looking at the dazzling array of pork categories on the stall, Lin Mengqiu knew that apart from ribs, pig's feet, and pork belly, which were easy to identify, she really didn't know what the rest were called, how to identify them, or how to cook them to make them taste good.

Seeing her looking at him curiously, Chen Shi'an introduced the meat to her, saying, "This is the tenderloin, located inside the pig's spine, one on each side. A pig's tenderloin only weighs a little over a pound. This is the large tenderloin, located on top of the pork chop, with the connective tissue at the bottom. It does have more lean meat than the tenderloin, but it's not as tender. If you're making stir-fries, it's best to use the tenderloin."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu listened for a while, but only understood that the smaller tenderloin was tastier than the larger tenderloin.

"Boss, I'll have this tenderloin."

The boss skillfully weighed the items and calculated the price.

"Eighteen yuan and fifty cents."

Chen Shi'an knew exactly what kind of meat was delicious and what kind of meat was fresh, but he wasn't very familiar with the prices. After all, it was a matter of people's livelihood, and meat and vegetable prices changed all the time, and were different in every place.

It was his first time buying groceries at this market, and he didn't know if it was expensive or cheap, but he didn't care anyway, and would just casually say:
"Boss, can you give me a discount? I'm a Taoist priest."

"Huh? Aren't you a student?"

"I'm a student too."

The shopkeeper was amused by him, "If you were a Taoist priest, I could give you a discount, but not for a student."

"He really is a Taoist priest."

Chen Shi'an spoke with a smile, and for some reason, the boss blinked and suddenly felt that he was somewhat credible. After all, even though he was wearing a school uniform, his unique temperament was different from that of ordinary students.

"Let's round it down to eighteen, it's a small business."

"Thank you, boss."

Just as Chen Shi'an was about to take out his phone, Lin Mengqiu, who was standing next to him, had already paid the bill first.

It was only then that Lin Mengqiu noticed the message her father had sent on WeChat:
[We still have plenty of food in the fridge, and dumplings in the freezer. What would you like to eat?]
[oh]
[Have you and Shi'an arrived home yet?]
[Arrived home]
Lin Mengqiu put her phone in her pocket, too lazy to reply, and continued shopping for groceries with Chen Shi'an.

(End of this chapter)