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

Chapter 110 Little Cicada and the Class Monitor Joined the 901 Activity Group Chat
Whether he goes to bed early or late doesn't affect Chen Shi'an much.

On holiday mornings, he still gets up at five o'clock as usual.

After doing parkour outside, he was planning to go home and cook noodles, but he turned at the intersection and ran towards Wen Zhixia's house.

I've drunk so much of Xiaozhi's soy milk, but I haven't tried her steamed buns yet.

I eat noodles every day, so let's try something different today.

At six o'clock in the morning, [Zhengyue Steamed Bun Shop] has already opened for business.

This entire self-built house is a family business. I heard Wen Zhixia mention it when I gave her wild mushrooms last time. The steamed bun shop is run by her aunt, the small shop next door is run by her aunt and uncle, and the chess and card room on the second floor is run by her uncle.

Chen Shi'an looked up at the fourth floor and saw two sets of school uniforms outside the balcony. One set was white and black, which was probably Wen Zhixia's younger cousin's school uniform. The other set was blue and white, which he recognized as Wen Zhixia's school uniform.

Apart from clothes drying on the balcony and some potted plants, there was no one else around, so the girl was probably still asleep.

Chen Shi'an withdrew his gaze and walked forward to the steamed bun shop.

The couple working at the steamed bun shop were busy. They looked to be in their thirties or forties, and it was easy to guess that they must be Wen Zhixia's aunt and uncle.

Early this morning, before the chess and card room opened, the steamed bun shop and the small shop next door were already open. There weren't many people buying breakfast at this time of day on the weekend, and the couple were busy working together in an orderly manner.

"Hello, aunt."

"Good morning, what would you like... oh!"

Li Yimei looked at the young man in front of her, paused for a moment, and said, "You're the classmate who gave Zhizhi the wild mushrooms that day, right?"

"Does your aunt know me?"

"I know, I was sitting at the shop next door that day. I saw you bringing over a lot of wild mushrooms. Auntie remembers you!"

Although they had only met once, Li Yimei was deeply impressed by her niece's classmate, who was both refined and elegant, and who had also sent so many high-quality wild mushrooms to the family.

When she saw him come over to buy breakfast, she immediately gave him a warm smile.

"Zhizhi said you're her best friend, and you two usually go to and from school together, right?"

"Yes, Auntie, did you eat the wild mushrooms the other day? How did they taste?"

“Very good! My whole family loves wild mushrooms, but where can we find so many to pick around here? Zhizhi said you picked them on Shuiche Mountain?”

"Yes, I went to Shuiche Mountain that day."

"Young man, you're really amazing! You managed to gather so many wild mushrooms and even thoughtfully brought them all over. I heard from Zhizhi that you're a Taoist priest?"

"Yes, I've been practicing Taoism on the mountain with my master since I was little, and I only started studying at No. 1 Middle School this month."

"It's really hard to get into No. 1 High School. I was hoping my daughter could be like her cousin and get into No. 1 High School. That's why Zhizhi tutors her every day, but her score still looks uncertain. You guys have better grades; you can get into No. 1 High School just like that..."

Chen Shi'an now understood where Xiao Zhi's talkative nature came from; it seemed to be inherited from her. Her aunt in front of her also never stopped talking when she started chatting.

Fortunately, there were no other guests at the moment. Chen Shi'an liked to chat with people, so she kept her aunt company.

"Aren't you supposed to be off today? Why are you up so early, young man?"

"Let's go for a run, see if she's still awake?"

"No, those two sisters probably sleep until 10 or 11 o'clock since they don't have classes. Are you looking for Zhizhi? I'll call her!"

"It's okay, Auntie. I just came to buy breakfast. I made an appointment with her to come over to your house this afternoon."

"Great! Welcome to our home! What would you like for breakfast? I have steamed buns, homemade... How about I pick some out for you?"

"Okay, thank you, auntie."

The woman was very hospitable. She took a large bag and, without asking how many people were eating, took two of each type of bun from each steamer. In the blink of an eye, she had filled the bag to the brim.

Not content with that, I gave him two more cups of soy milk.

"Young man, is that enough? If not, Auntie will get you some more."

"That's enough, thank you Auntie. How much?"

Chen Shi'an took out his phone to scan the QR code to pay, but Li Yimei quickly waved her hand and forced the large bag of more than ten buns into his hand.

"Don't be so polite with Auntie. These are all homemade buns. Just take them and eat them. You were so thoughtful to send so many wild mushrooms to our family the other day. They weren't cheap! These buns are nothing."

"One thing at a time, Auntie."

"Hey, here you go, Auntie's busy now, I can't talk to you anymore! If you come over this afternoon, let's have dinner together at home tonight!"

"Thank you, Auntie."

Chen Shi'an had no choice but to accept the steamed buns.

She then took a picture of the steamed buns in her hand and the steamed bun shop, and sent it to Wen Zhixia, who was still asleep.

I don't know what time she saw the message.

……

When they got home, it was still early. Li Wanyin had gone to bed late the night before and was still asleep.

Chen Shi'an placed the steamed buns on the dining table. This bag of steamed buns was so big that even if they weren't finished, they could be stored in the refrigerator and used for breakfast for two or three days.

Although there was soy milk, Chen Shian still preferred to eat steamed buns with plain congee.

He immediately went to the kitchen, but instead of using the rice cooker to cook porridge, he washed a pot and cooked it over an open flame.

After all, cooking porridge and rice in a rice cooker is just a standardized method, while cooking over an open flame allows Chen Shi'an to better control the heat and time.

Making porridge may seem simple, but to make it fragrant, you need to have a high degree of control over the heat. If the time is too short, the rice will not be fragrant enough; if the time is too long, the rice will become mushy. Only by mastering the appropriate heat and time can you make a white rice porridge with a mellow taste and rich aroma.

When the porridge foam in the pot was about to overflow the lid, Chen Shi'an turned the heat down to the lowest setting, opened the lid a little, and let the porridge simmer slowly in the pot.

Here's a little trick: add a few drops of cooking oil when cooking porridge. It won't make it greasy, and it will greatly enhance the aroma of the porridge.

It's a pity that firewood can't be used in the city. Otherwise, if you use firewood and a clay pot to cook it, first quickly boiling it over an open flame, and then slowly simmering it over charcoal fire after the firewood has burned out, the porridge would taste the best.

While waiting for the porridge to cook, Chen Shi'an played on his phone. Unlike his peers who played games or watched short videos, he browsed the web like a middle-aged or elderly person, mainly reading current events news or articles on humanities and social sciences. He wanted to learn more about the development and current situation of the times, which not only broadened his knowledge but also helped him with his daily Chinese reading comprehension and modern writing.

The black cat had just gone out for a stroll and was now back, squatting at the kitchen doorway watching the fire for Chen Shi'an.

The porridge in the pot was bubbling, causing the pot to vibrate slightly. Occasionally, the lid that Chen Shi'an had deliberately lifted a little would be shaken and forced back onto the pot. Just as the porridge was about to overflow, the cat would jump onto the countertop and push the lid with its little paws, allowing the steam inside to escape through a gap.

"Meow."

"It's okay, just let it cook. Don't get too close, or the fire will burn your hair."

The black cat jumped down, and Fatty, who was hungry, paced back and forth restlessly.

As Chen Shi'an was browsing the web, Wen Zhixia's message popped up in the preview window at the top of his phone, much to his surprise.

He checked the time; it was only a little past seven.

Open WeChat.

Zhizhi: [You came to my house and stole my steamed buns!]
Chen Shi'an: [What are you saying? Your aunt gave it to me.]
Zhizhi: [I gave you so much, what did you two talk about?]
Chen Shi'an: [Let's chat about going to your house this afternoon. You woke up so early?]
Zhizhi: [No, I'm still sleeping.]
Chen Shi'an: [Who's talking to me?]
Zhizhi: [I'm talking to you while I'm sleeping]
Whenever there's a holiday, Wen Zhixia always stays in bed until 10 or 11 o'clock before getting up. However, her biological clock, which she's used to during class, always wakes her up occasionally in the middle of the day.

Sometimes I'm half asleep and wake up to find it's already past seven o'clock on my phone. I'm startled and rush to get up for school, but then I suddenly realize it's a holiday and lie back down.

Waking up in the middle of the night during a holiday is not a troublesome thing, but a very happy thing. Every time I wake up, the thought that I don't have to go to class today and can continue to sleep makes me feel so happy that I feel dizzy. If it is raining outside the window and there is the sound of thunder, then I feel even more happy and at ease staying in bed.

At this moment, Wen Zhixia was happily lazing in bed.

She stretched one small hand out from under the covers, lying on her side playing on her phone, while tucking the blanket around her neck with her other hand, enjoying this warm and lazy half-awake moment.

I also took a picture of the blanket and showed it to him.

Zhizhi: [Photo]
Chen Shi'an clicked on the photo, which was dim and blurry, and he could only vaguely make out the shape of a bed or a quilt.

Chen Shi'an: [What?]
Zhizhi: [Me sleeping, you silly thing!]
Chen Shi'an: [I don't see you]
Zhizhi: [Photo]
In this photo, Chen Shi'an saw a young girl. She had switched to selfie mode. In the same dimly lit environment, her face was exposed in the blanket, and she was lying on her side.

Before Chen Shi'an could even see it clearly, she deleted the photo. Chen Shi'an: [Where's the photo?]
Zhizhi: [I won't let you see it!]
Chen Shi'an: [You're awake, why aren't you getting up?]
Zhizhi: [Not awake yet. I'm going to take a nap later. You know how valuable a nap is, right?]
Chen Shi'an: [I don't understand]
Zhizhi: [So what are you going to do later? If you're coming to my house, I'll get up.]
Chen Shi'an: [I'm going cycling with Sister Wanyin at Mangrove Lake, do you want to come?]
Zhizhi: [Just the two of you?]
Chen Shi'an: [And two of Wan Yin's friends]
Zhizhi: [Male or female?]
Chen Shi'an: [Both older sisters were Wan Yin's college roommates]
Zhizhi: [What time do we meet?]
Chen Shi'an: [Let's meet at the entrance of Mangrove Lake Park at 9:00 AM. If you're coming, just wait for us at the bus stop at the intersection, and we'll go together. Are you coming?]
Such a group outing is far too formal. To say you're going cycling so early in the morning... If it were any other classmate inviting you, Wen Zhixia would rather go back to sleep.

But since that stinky Taoist priest rarely takes the initiative to invite us, let's give him face!

I'd like to join the group chat!

Zhizhi: [Go!]
Chen Shi'an: [Then hurry up, we should leave around 8:30.]
The girl didn't reply; she's probably already gotten up.

The porridge in the kitchen was almost ready. Chen Shi'an got up to turn off the heat, lifted the lid to take a look, and saw that it was cooked just right, neither too thick nor too thin.

From across the kitchen, Chen Shi'an could hear the sound of Li Wanyin's door opening. Seeing that Sister Wanyin had just woken up, he took two bowls and started serving porridge, not forgetting to serve a bowl to Fei Mo, who was helping to watch the fire.

Last time I went to the market, I bought some small salted dried fish for Fei Mo. I took out a few, rinsed them with water to remove the excess salt, and put them in hot porridge to soak without cooking. Fei Mo loves to eat them.

"Meow--"

"It's hot, try eating it if you dare."

Fei Mo tried to blow on it like a human would, but unfortunately his mouth was leaky and he couldn't get any cool air out, so he had to patiently wait.

Chen Shi'an brought out two bowls of hot porridge, placed them on the dining table, and opened the bag full of steamed buns.

"Sister Wanyin—"

"Well?"

Are you in the bathroom?

"Well, what's wrong?"

"Auntie Xiaozhi brought over a big bag of steamed buns, and I also cooked some porridge. Come out and eat after you've washed up."

"Okay! Soon! Shi'an, you eat first, no need to wait for me."

"Row."

The siblings were already quite familiar with each other, so Chen Shi'an didn't bother waiting for her. He took out a steamed bun and started eating it slowly with hot porridge and soy milk.

Just as I was about to take out my phone to message Lin Mengqiu to ask if she had woken up and if she wanted to go cycling, Lin Mengqiu's message popped up first.

The girl's messages, like her public persona, are direct and concise:

Ling: [Want to play badminton?]
Chen Shi'an: [The class monitor woke up so early]
Ling: [Want to play badminton?]
Chen Shi'an: [Uncle Lin is back?]
Ling: [Just got home]
Ling: [Want to play badminton?]
Chen Shi'an: [Just the two of us?]
Ling: [Me and my dad]
Chen Shi'an: [You and Uncle Lin can play. I'm going to go cycling at Mangrove Lake with my roommate later. I was thinking of asking you if you wanted to come.]
Ling: [Just the two of you?]
Chen Shi'an: [Two of my roommate's friends are also going, and Xiao Zhi is going too. Class monitor, are you going?]
Ling: [Okay]
Lin Mengqiu had already lost interest when she heard that he was going cycling with his roommate and two other strangers, but when she saw that annoying cicada was going too, before she could even think straight, she had already tapped "OK" and sent the message.

Ling: [What time?]
Chen Shi'an: [We'll meet at the entrance of Mangrove Lake Park at 9:00 AM. Class monitor, are you going directly there, or do you want to come with me?]
Ling: [I'm coming to your place]
Chen Shi'an: [If it's a bit of a walk from your house, you can just meet at the park entrance.]
Ling: [I'm coming to your place]
Chen Shi'an: [Okay, class monitor, do you know where the bus stop is at the entrance of my neighborhood?]
Ling: [I know]
Chen Shi'an: [We'll meet there at 8:30.]
……

Lin Ming was studying in a neighboring city yesterday, and he attended a dinner party and drank alcohol last night. He drove back early this morning and saw that his daughter was already awake. So he thought he would take advantage of the free time and take her to play badminton.

The badminton courts were booked, and the father and daughter had changed into their sportswear. After breakfast, they were preparing to set off in a little while.

Unexpectedly, Lin Mengqiu started changing her shoes so quickly, as if she was in a hurry to leave.

"Mengqiu, have you asked Shi'an if he's coming to play ball? Dad's free today, so we can cook lunch after we play ball."

Lin Ming took out a bucket of balls and then checked the rackets.

"He won't fight."

"Oh? Okay then, we'll invite Shi'an over for dinner later. Let's go first..."

"Dad, I'm leaving now. We're going to ride bikes at Mangrove Lake."

"Oh, riding a bike? Oh... Oh? You're not playing ball anymore?"

"next time."

After saying that, Lin Mengqiu changed her shoes, closed the door, and left in a hurry.

……

"Mmm! It smells so good! Shi'an, how did you make this porridge? It's so delicious!"

At home, after washing up, Li Wanyin and Chen Shi'an sat together at the dining table, drinking porridge and eating steamed buns. After a warm mouthful of porridge, they felt refreshed and full of energy.

"By the way, Sister Wanyin."

While eating, Chen Shi'an said to Li Wanyin, "Xiao Zhi and the class monitor just agreed to go cycling at Mangrove Lake together. Is it convenient for you and the other two sisters? If not, let's split into two groups."

"It's convenient! What's inconvenient about it? It's an outdoor activity, and it's more lively with more people!"

Originally, there were four people playing together, but now there are six. It doesn't make much difference. Li Wanyin is enthusiastic and likes a lively atmosphere, so she readily agreed when Chen Shi'an suggested it.

Not to mention that she's currently eating the steamed buns that Aunt Wen Zhixia sent over and living in Lin Mengqiu's house.

Upon seeing the two of them arrive, the older sister warmly welcomed them.

"So, will Zhixia and the others go to Mangrove Lake Park by themselves, or will we go together?"

"I asked them to meet at the bus stop at the entrance of the community, and we'll go there together."

"Okay, let's finish eating quickly and then head out. There's a barbecue buffet at Mangrove Lake. With so many people, let's have a barbecue buffet together at noon!"

"can."

Unlike last time when I went hiking, I don't have much to bring if I'm going to go cycling today.

Li Wanyin changed into cycling shoes and shorts. She rarely wears shorts except when she is at home. Although the shorts are not tight, they still accentuate her rounded hips and long, shapely legs, which are characteristic of a mature woman, and make her look taller.

Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and with her backpack slung over her shoulders, the straps tightened around the sleeves of her shirt, further accentuating the shapely curves of her chest.

"Are you alright, Shi'an?"

"All right."

Chen Shi'an didn't have much to prepare. He didn't even bring a backpack. He just carried his phone and keys and wore a short-sleeved martial arts uniform that was more convenient for regular outings.

"You're heading out already?"

"Yes, is there anything else we need to bring?"

"At least bring a towel, so you can wipe yourself off if you get sweaty later."

"It's okay, it shouldn't make me sweat."

Did you bring your keys?

"Bring it."

"Then you can put your keys in my backpack. We'll carry them together anyway, so you won't have to worry about them falling out."

"it is good."

Li Wanyin took his keys and put them into her backpack.

"What did Sister Wanyin bring? So much of it!"

"A few bottles of water? I bought a case yesterday, so I'm bringing you a few extra bottles so you don't need to buy any more. There are also tissues, towels, mosquito repellent spray, safflower oil, power banks, chargers... Haha, it's not a lot, the water is the main thing."

"How about I carry it?"

"It's okay, I'll just come."

My thoughtful older sister is meticulous in every aspect, even taking care of things that a group of people might need when traveling together.

The siblings took the household trash with them and went out together.

When they arrived at the building, the black cat that had come down from the balcony was already waiting for them.

"Shimo, you're going too!"

"Meow."

(End of this chapter)