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

Chapter 108 Don’t leave

Lin Mengqiu ate two bowls of rice again tonight.

Although he made three dishes, Chen Shi'an was good at controlling the portions. The two of them finished all three dishes perfectly, and even the last piece of fish head meat was taken and eaten by Lin Mengqiu.

After eating and drinking his fill, the class monitor looked limp and listless, his face devoid of any of his usual sharpness.

Even after getting used to spending time alone with Chen Shi'an, she revealed her usual domestic demeanor in his presence—

Her stomach felt warm and full, and the warmth that started from her lower abdomen flowed to every part of her body. The girl's usually upright back slid down the back of the chair, and she lay back in the dining chair like that, her little legs unable to help but stretch forward...

Then he kicked Chen Shi'an's foot across the table.

Chen Shi'an looked down along the edge of the table and saw that pair of fair, delicate feet in slippers quickly retracted.

When I looked up again, Lin Mengqiu was already sitting up straight in her dining chair.

Unconsciously revealing a homely appearance that was unflattering, the girl felt a little embarrassed. Pretending that nothing had happened, she stood up and began to clear the dishes and utensils from the table.

The two of them used a tissue to cover their food scraps, making it easy to clean up. Lin Mengqiu picked up the tissue with both hands, lifted the food scraps on it, and put them into the plate. Just as she was about to take Chen Shi'an's food scraps, he had already picked them up and put them in.

Chen Shi'an ate very cleanly; there was almost no oil stain on his table, and not a single grain of rice remained in his bowl.

I only used two tissues in total: one to cover food scraps and the other to wipe my mouth after I finished eating.

Such details are rarely noticed by people on a daily basis, but to the person responsible for cleaning up after a meal, a person who eats cleanly always leaves a very good impression.

Lin Mengqiu stacked two empty plates together, placing her bowl on top. Without her having to reach for it, Chen Shi'an proactively placed his own bowl on top.

Since he was in charge of cooking, Lin Mengqiu felt that she should be responsible for washing the dishes... Even though there is a dishwasher at home, shouldn't the dishes be rinsed a little before being put in?

There was also a clay pot on the table, which Lin Mengqiu couldn't carry all at once. She took the plates and chopsticks into the kitchen first, and when she was about to come out to get more, Chen Shi'an had already brought the clay pot in.

Chen Shi'an didn't hand it to her before leaving. He proactively poured the remaining broth from the casserole dish—including scallions, ginger, and garlic—into the trash can, then rinsed it at the sink. Just as Lin Mengqiu saw him pick up a dish sponge and about to press the detergent to start washing the dishes, she realized what was happening and quickly said:
"I'll wash it."

"It's nothing, just a few plates and bowls."

"I wash."

"Okay, then the class monitor can wash the dishes."

The girl's tone left no room for refusal, so Chen Shi'an put down the dishwashing sponge, picked up a rag and washed it clean, then went over to wipe the kitchen counter and tidy up the used tableware and seasonings.

His movements were quite skillful, and his natural and proactive help in cleaning the kitchen made Lin Mengqiu feel especially touched.

As if to compete with him in the speed of doing housework, Lin Mengqiu looked away and quickly rinsed the plates and chopsticks in the sink with water.

When Chen Shi'an finished tidying up the kitchen counter and came back with a rag to wash the dishes, Lin Mengqiu had already washed the plates and bowls.

"...Class monitor, are you done washing up?"

"Ah."

"Is that all?"

"Put it in the dishwasher."

"Oh--"

"..."

You'll lose 0.5 points!

Lin Mengqiu rolled her eyes at him. This stinky Taoist's eyes were clearly saying, "So that's how you wash dishes," denying that she had made any effort!
The girl bent down, opened the dishwasher, and placed the used plates, bowls, and chopsticks upside down on the dishwasher's mesh.

Chen Shi'an watched curiously from the side; this was a very new household appliance for him.

"Can it be washed clean?"

"It's cleaner than washing by hand."

"That's amazing. How did you wash it?"

"...Just Google it yourself."

How do you use it?

"Just put it in, close the door, press here..."

With a beep, Chen Shi'an heard the machine start operating.

"Interesting, it does save some trouble."

"..."

"By the way, class monitor, didn't you say you have a robot at home? Where is it? Let me see it."

"Over on the balcony."

The two left the kitchen together. Chen Shi'an was more interested in the robot than the pretty girl beside him, and went to the balcony on his own.

He looked around for a while, but didn't see a 'robot' that matched his impression.

"Where?"

“…Hello, little housekeeper.” Lin Mengqiu suddenly called out.

Then, from the lower right corner of the laundry sink, an electronic voice suddenly came out:

[I am here]
"come out."

[Okay, exiting the base station. Please keep the ground in front of you clear.]
Then, with a creak, Chen Shi'an looked down and saw a round, disc-shaped thing emerge from the opening of the cabinet below. It even bumped his foot slightly, and Chen Shi'an quickly moved aside.

The robot spun around once, and after finding no obstacles in front of it, it moved to an open space and stopped.

"Squad leader, is this the robot you were talking about?"

"Ah."

"I thought it was one of those humanoid robots."

"...This is just for sweeping."

"interesting."

Chen Shi'an squatted down and curiously looked at the guy.

He reached out and picked up the robot to examine its chassis.

Unexpectedly, this guy shouted: "[The little housekeeper is dangling! Please put him back on the ground!]"
Seeing Chen Shi'an's slight surprise as if he had never seen the world before, Lin Mengqiu couldn't help but suppress a laugh.

Stupid Taoist priest!

"Does it understand speech?"

"Ah."

"Come and scan this area," Chen Shi'an said to the robot.

The guy didn't react at all.

"Hello, little housekeeper," Lin Mengqiu said.

[I am here]
"Come and scan this area."

[Okay, please don't move. The administrator is locating you.]
The round robot spun around once, and the red light from its front camera seemed to scan the location of Lin Mengqiu standing in the living room. Then it clumsily moved towards her, and when it reached her area, it started buzzing and began vacuuming.

"So it only understands when you call its commands?"

Chen Shi'an reacted quickly, his playful side kicking in, and he also called out to the robot, "Hello, little housekeeper."

The robot, as expected, responded to the call.
[I am here]
"what time is it now?"

[It is currently 7:22 PM Beijing time]
"Sing a song for me."

[I'm sorry, Master! I can't sing yet. Let me learn.]
"Then what do you know?"

……

The silly Taoist priest and the silly robot were chatting, while Lin Mengqiu sat on the sofa hugging a pillow and watching.

Heaven knows how Chen Shi'an could chat with a robot for so long.

Lin Mengqiu ignored them and turned on the TV.

Listening to the background noise of the TV and the chatter between Chen Shi'an and the robot, Lin Mengqiu felt a sense of leisure and comfort at home for some reason.

My dad is usually busy with work, and it's common for him to be away from home during holidays like this.

If Lin Mengqiu hadn't invited Chen Shi'an over for dinner tonight, she felt she would probably still be the same as before: go home, order takeout, leave a note asking the takeout to be left at the door, then lie on the sofa and scroll through her phone. When the takeout arrives, she'll go get it, eat while scrolling through her phone, and if the takeout isn't good, she'll probably only eat half and then throw it away. Then she'll take a shower, go back to her room to read until midnight, and then close her eyes and go to sleep.

I probably won't say a word to anyone all night, let alone like now, after a big meal, lounging on the sofa watching TV, with so much noise in the house.

……

After chatting with the robot for a while, Chen Shi'an got a general idea of ​​its level of intelligence.

It's definitely incomparable to humans. Like that reading comprehension question about 'artificial intelligence' on his entrance exam, his answer was, 'If a vessel lacks spirit and energy, how can it possess consciousness?'

However, as a 'puppet', it still broadened his horizons. If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, it would have been hard to imagine that technology had developed to this extent.

Taoist magic also includes "puppet magic," which is an extension of "using objects to convey intent." However, in practice, it is no different from a marionette. Every move requires the caster to control it. To achieve the level of intelligence, such as that of a robot, requires an extremely high level of Taoist cultivation.

Indeed, there are many aspects of modern technology that we can learn from and draw upon to improve our own shortcomings.

The knowledge taught in school is the foundation for entering this field. Chen Shi'an thought that after he finished his studies, he would take the opportunity to learn more about the field of science and technology.

Chen Shi'an stood up.

"Go clean the kitchen."

Okay, I'll go clean the kitchen now.
The stupid robot scurried away again.

Chen Shi'an followed the sound of the television to the screen. The screen was changing channels so fast it was dizzying, as if he had been possessed by Fei Mo. The girl on the sofa kept changing channels with the remote control, and it was unclear what she wanted to watch.

"Is the class monitor playing with the remote control?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the girl paused in her frantic pressing of the remote control, and the TV screen finally slowed down its channel switching.

Her eyes were fixed on the television, but her peripheral vision was watching Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an walked over and sat down on the sofa next to her.

The sofa was of good quality and didn't sink or lean in when he sat down, but the sudden proximity of the presence made Lin Mengqiu tense up slightly.

"Squad leader, your sofa is so much more comfortable than the sofa in the rented place."

"..."

"Squad leader, what program would you like to watch?"

"I don't know, let me look for it."

What do you usually do at home?

"Read a book."

"Oh oh."

Chen Shi'an sat or leaned back naturally, his legs not crossed, but simply hanging off the edge of the sofa;
Lin Mengqiu, on the other hand, was sitting cross-legged, with her small, white feet hidden in the crook of her legs. There was a cushion on her lap, and her arms were resting on the cushion.

We agreed to have dinner at my house, and that has now come to fruition.

But Chen Shi'an didn't seem to intend to leave after finishing his meal, and Lin Mengqiu didn't even seem to want him to leave—otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed in the living room, but would have gone back to her room to read. Last time Chen Shi'an came to their house, her father was there to entertain him, but this time her father wasn't there, and Lin Mengqiu didn't know his way of hosting guests. Chen Shi'an was her peer, and the first classmate she'd ever invited to their house. Lacking experience, she didn't know what to do with Chen Shi'an for a moment…

Seeing that Chen Shi'an was watching TV, Lin Mengqiu stopped changing the channel and put down the remote control.

After thinking for a moment, she put her legs down, slipped on her slippers and left the sofa. Then she took out drinks, fruit and snacks from the refrigerator and carried a large pile of them to the coffee table in front of him.

"you eat."

"Thank you monitor."

Without any hesitation, Chen Shi'an picked up a walnut, cracked it open like a peanut, and then popped the kernel into his mouth.

Lin Mengqiu sat back down cross-legged on the sofa. She grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, placed them in her left palm, and cracked them with her right fingers.

The two of them watched the boring TV program together, with only the sounds of peeling walnuts and cracking sunflower seeds filling the air.

The atmosphere seemed to be getting increasingly awkward...

Perhaps only the girl herself felt awkward. Lin Mengqiu secretly glanced at him and saw that Chen Shi'an was really engrossed in watching TV. Even though they were in a private space together, he didn't seem uncomfortable at all.

Lin Mengqiu looked away from the television, took out her phone, and quietly searched online:
[I brought a male classmate home, and it's just the two of us. What should we do?]
The answers online are varied and diverse.

The website is more serious, mentioning things like playing interactive mini-games, playing cards, playing chess, doing puzzles, etc.

The answers on the forum were completely off-topic, making Lin Mengqiu's eyes widen and her little ears, hidden in her hair, turn bright red... What are these people thinking!

Chen Shi'an was perfectly content watching TV quietly by himself, but when he saw Lin Mengqiu start playing on her phone, he tactfully brushed the walnut crumbs off his hands, swept the shells into the trash can, and casually said:
"It's almost time. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. Class monitor, you should go study."

"...??"

I was already researching how to entertain guests, and you're running away?

A wave of immense frustration washed over Lin Mengqiu, and suddenly, feeling a surge of resentment, she blurted out:
"Don't leave."

"……what?"

Chen Shi'an was also taken aback.

The girl realized what was happening and quickly tried to change the subject, stammering, "It's not even eight o'clock yet, let's sit a little longer... If you leave so early, my dad will think I didn't entertain you well."

"Oh, that's alright. We're already so familiar with each other. I'll sit here for a while longer. Class monitor, if you want to read, go ahead and read. Don't worry about me."

"..."

"Aren't you going to read a book?"

"Take a rest tonight."

"Okay, that works too. Work and rest should be balanced."

"..."

The atmosphere fell silent again.

However, seeing that Chen Shi'an was indeed not in a hurry to leave, Lin Mengqiu breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did she feel a little ashamed... Why didn't she want him to leave?

Normally, she'd be thrilled if no guests came to her house, so why doesn't she want them to leave...?

Lin Mengqiu, head slightly lowered, cracked sunflower seeds while looking at the television screen, and asked casually:

"Are you going to the movies with Wen Zhixia tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes."

"..."

Suppressing the inexplicable pangs of sadness and tightness in her chest, Lin Mengqiu still asked in a calm tone:

"What movie do you want to watch?"

"The Legend of 1900"

"...It's been so long since the movie was released. Is it still showing in theaters recently?"

"Movie theater? Oh, not to watch it at the movie theater."

Hearing that they weren't going to the movies—a place that immediately sounds suggestive—the girl breathed a sigh of relief, but…

"Then where do you go to look?"

"Xiao Zhi said to go to her house to watch it; she's already downloaded the movie on her computer."

"..."

Ah.

As expected, that annoying cicada had ulterior motives!
She invited a male classmate to her house to watch a movie on the weekend. How could she have the nerve to do that!
Do you like watching movies?

"Well, I rarely watch it; I mainly use it to learn English."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu reached out and picked up the remote control again, exiting the TV program.

Chen Shi'an, who was watching the program, was stunned for a moment and turned to look at her.

The girl said to herself, "I'll find a movie to watch. I have a TV subscription. What movie do you want to watch?"

"Class monitor, do you want to go to the movies with me?"

"..."

Yes.

But could you please not ask that so bluntly?

Lin Mengqiu didn't answer him, but instead asked again, "What movie do you want to watch?"

"I do not know."

"Is it 'The Legend of 1900'?"

"Yes, I made an appointment with Xiaozhi, I'll look at it tomorrow."

"...English movies, right?"

"can."

Lin Mengqiu searched around and finally found a movie she had seen before and thought was pretty good.

"Then let's look at this one."

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?"

"Ah."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell a story of life's journey against the flow of time."

The movie's synopsis page had already appeared on the TV screen. Looking at the plot summary and Lin Mengqiu's introduction, Chen Shi'an became interested.

"Reverse aging...that's quite interesting. How about we watch this?"

"it is good."

"I haven't seen a movie in years."

Chen Shi'an smiled with some reminiscence, "In the past, occasionally people would come to the village to show movies. They would set up a screen in the threshing ground at the entrance of the village and show those open-air movies. Each household would bring their own chairs to watch. Back then, my master would take me down the mountain with my chair to watch in the village. It was quite lively."

Lin Mengqiu blinked; she had never experienced the way Chen Shi'an described for watching movies.

She usually enjoys watching movies, and she has seen almost all the classic, highly-rated films, including "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

It's okay to watch a good movie again; she didn't believe Wen Zhixia hadn't seen "The Legend of 1900".

He's just promoting it, but he even dragged that stinky Taoist priest to watch it again with him. His intentions are obvious to everyone!
The television in Lin Mengqiu's home was very large, and as the movie began, the two people on the sofa fell silent.

Although the TV at home is large, the best viewing position is undoubtedly in the middle. Seeing Lin Mengqiu sitting on the armrest of the sofa, Chen Shi'an took the initiative to move aside a little and then patted the empty seat next to him:

"Squad leader, would you like to move over a bit?"

"……oh."

Lin Mengqiu meant to say no, but what came out of her mouth was "Oh."
Instead of shuffling over to sit down, she stood up and walked to the door.

Chen Shi'an looked at her curiously, wondering what she was up to.

The girl reached out her small hand and pressed the switch with a click. Immediately, the bright lights in the room went out, leaving only the light from the television screen illuminating the living room area, and the surrounding environment suddenly became dim.

"Watching it with the lights off creates a more immersive experience," Lin Mengqiu said calmly.

“Indeed, it feels a bit like watching movies outdoors at night back then.” Chen Shi’an nodded in agreement.

Although the lights in the house were off, the television was bright enough that even though the surrounding environment was dim, everyone's faces were clearly visible.

Lin Mengqiu sat down next to Chen Shi'an.

She felt a little uncomfortable when he put his legs off the sofa like that, so she crossed her legs again.

The two sat at the same distance as when they were sitting at the same table.

Perhaps it was because the lights were off, but to the girl, the distance felt so close that they seemed almost touching.

She felt a little nervous, a little excited, and a little ashamed.

But because the lights were off, the dim environment effectively concealed her strange emotions and subtle expressions at that moment.

Lin Mengqiu secretly glanced at Chen Shi'an beside her. The light reflected off his face, outlining the contours of his profile.

Chen Shi'an didn't say anything, nor did he eat snacks or sunflower seeds. He just watched the movie attentively and quietly.

Influenced by him, Lin Mengqiu gradually relaxed. Her slender back leaned against the soft sofa. Her legs, which had been crossed for a long time, got tired, so she gently loosened them. Just like when she was alone at home, her two white little feet stretched forward and stepped on the edge of the coffee table.

Clutching the pillow in her arms, she leaned back on the sofa at a wider angle.

So comfortable~~
So relaxing~~
This was the first time she had ever shown such a domestic side to someone who was used to managing her image in front of others.

While watching the movie, she secretly glanced at Chen Shi'an beside her, taking advantage of the dim lighting.

Occasionally, when she comes to her senses and realizes that she has been staring at him for a long time without realizing it, a blush will quietly spread across the girl's pretty face. She will tighten her embrace around the pillow and, just like him, focus her gaze on the movie.

My phone vibrated at an inopportune moment.

[Buzz—]
Chen Shi'an, who was focused on watching the movie, turned his head and saw the phone on the sofa, as well as the girl lying softly on the sofa.

"Squad leader, why are you lying down?"

"..."

Lin Mengqiu acted quickly, immediately putting down her little feet that were on the coffee table, and picked up her phone to switch to silent and vibration-free mode.

I turned on my phone screen, and there was a message from my dad.

The girl frowned.

My dad's gotten so annoying lately...

Have you finished eating?
[Finished eating]
What dishes did Shi An make? [Grinning face]
[Stewed Fish Head with Green Peppers and Shredded Pork, Stir-fried Lettuce]
[Hey, there's no fish head or lettuce in the fridge. Did you go grocery shopping?]
[Um]
Did Shi'an go back?
[Returned]
Lin Mengqiu turned off the screen, put her phone aside, and continued watching the movie with Chen Shi'an.

(End of this chapter)