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

Chapter 131 You guys are all very capable

When Lin Mengqiu finally returned from the bathroom, Chen Shi'an had already packed his things.

She put the two rackets back into the bag, smoothed out the usable balls and put them back into the tube, slung her backpack over one shoulder, and held her thermos in her hand.

"Nothing should have leaked, right?" Chen Shi'an asked, handing the thermos back to her.

No. Thank you.

The girl, who was just in a state of feverish heat, has now successfully cooled down and returned to normal, although her eyes and tone are still much softer than usual.

Lin Mengqiu was very thirsty, so she unscrewed the bottle cap and gulped down the water.

"Shall we leave then?"

"Ah."

After finishing her water, Lin Mengqiu reached out and took back the bag that Chen Shi'an had been carrying for her.

She put the thermos back in her bag and then took out her phone from the inner compartment.

Look at the time, it's only 10:30.

Ignoring my commute, I played for just over an hour, but the amount of exercise I got was already at its limit.

There's still one unread message on my phone.

This was sent by my dad.

Dad: [Dad might be back to cook a little later. If you're free, around 11:30, could you cook the rice first? I'll finish cooking when I get back.]
The girl frowned.

Didn't we agree that I wouldn't come back to cook lunch? Why am I back again?

After hesitating for a moment, I replied:
Ling: [I'm going to Chen Shi'an's house to eat, Dad, you eat by yourself]
Dad: [That's fine then, I'll eat with Director Chen and the others. Are you guys still playing ball?]
Ling: [Finished playing]
After replying, Lin Mengqiu put her phone back in her backpack.

Her phone seemed to vibrate again in her backpack, but she was too lazy to take it out and check.

Chen Shi'an, who was standing nearby, also took out his phone and sent a message to Li Wanyin.

Chen Shi'an: [Has Sister Wanyin finished buying groceries? If not, I'll go buy them now.]
Little Echo: [You guys finished playing ball so quickly?]
Chen Shi'an: [Yeah, let's go back now.]
Little Echo: [I've already bought the groceries, you can just come back directly.]
Chen Shi'an: [Okay]
Stepping out of the stadium, the bright sunshine outdoors was intense, and the temperature felt like summer.

Chen Shi'an had already helped Lin Mengqiu pack her trousers and coat into her backpack.

She only regretted not winning a point against him; otherwise, Lin Mengqiu would have let him take her trousers and jacket to wash...

She secretly glanced at Chen Shi'an beside her, her gaze falling on the Taoist robe he was wearing.

If nothing unexpected happens, she'll be the one washing the short-sleeved Taoist uniform Chen Shi'an is currently wearing...

I wonder if it smells bad...

It shouldn't smell bad, after all, she just smelled it when she got close to him, and after an hour of exercise... you didn't even break a sweat?
She had never washed clothes for anyone before, and the thought of having to wash Chen Shi'an's clothes later made her feel very uncomfortable.

But inexplicably, I didn't feel much resistance...

Seeing that Chen Shi'an didn't bring it up, as if he had forgotten about it, Lin Mengqiu felt she should be relieved, but her mouth still couldn't help but remind her:
When are you going to give me my clothes to wash?

"It seems the class monitor is very trustworthy."

"..."

"No rush, I'll take it to you after I take a shower later, during evening self-study."

"...Can't you wash it now?"

"I can't just change my clothes just because I'm going to wash your clothes, class monitor."

"..."

Sure enough, losers don't even have the right to choose when to do their laundry...

"Shall we go buy groceries now?"

"No need, we can just go back. Sister Wanyin has already bought the groceries."

"Ah."

The girl looked slightly disappointed.

She also wanted to learn more from him how to buy groceries.

"Is Sister Wanyin a good cook?" Lin Mengqiu asked.

"Yes, the cooking is quite good."

"I think she treats you quite well."

Lin Mengqiu said something casually, then subtly observed Chen Shi'an's reaction.

Even when talking about Li Wanyin, Chen Shi'an remained quite composed, nodding in deep agreement and saying:

"It's really great. Apart from my master and Fei Mo, I've never had any family, but Sister Wanyin really gives me a sense of family."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu agreed with Chen Shi'an's words. She wasn't very familiar with Li Wanyin, but judging from her current behavior, she really did look like Chen Shi'an's sister. If the two looked even a little more alike, she probably wouldn't doubt that the other person was his biological sister.

But the problem is... can an older woman who shares an apartment really treat a younger high school student living under the same roof as a real sister?
She was not even as old as Li Wanyin, and couldn't understand what the other person was thinking. Perhaps it really was just a pure sibling relationship?

Lin Mengqiu could tell what was on someone's mind at a glance, like Wen Zhixia, who was the same age as her... After all, they were all the same age. Apart from the stinky Taoist priest who really treated Fanren Chan as a friend, she didn't believe for a second that Fanren Chan was like the stinky Taoist priest and only treated him as a friend!

As for Li Wanyin...

Lin Mengqiu was really confused and couldn't figure out what this older sister was thinking.

However, taking Wen Zhixia as an example, Lin Mengqiu did not believe that Sister Wanyin could not see Wen Zhixia's feelings for Chen Shi'an. Even so, Li Wanyin was a very warm, friendly and tolerant older sister, whether towards Wen Zhixia or towards her.

Lin Mengqiu even felt that her suspicions had tainted the pure sibling relationship between them...

But no matter what, Lin Mengqiu could see that Chen Shi'an truly regarded Fanren Chan as a friend and Li Wanyin as an older sister, and that was enough.

Lin Mengqiu felt relieved...

She dared not think too deeply about what she truly felt for Chen Shi'an.

She just felt good being with him and wanted to stay a little longer...

……

After walking for more than 20 minutes, the two returned to Jiahe Residential Area.

Lin Mengqiu knew that her family owned an apartment in Jiahe Community, but this was her first time visiting the community.

Not as a landlord, but as a guest.

Exhausted after playing basketball, Lin Mengqiu just wanted to find a quiet place to lie down after climbing nine flights of stairs...

She stood half a step behind Chen Shi'an, panting slightly as she followed him up the stairs, her long legs trembling slightly beneath her shorts.

If it were Wen Zhixia, Lin Mengqiu would have no doubt that the annoying cicada would dare to cry out, "Oh, I'm so tired!" and then casually put its arm around Chen Shi'an's arm.

She definitely would! It's even possible she's already done it!

Lin Mengqiu thought that things like "I'm so sleepy, can I lean on your shoulder, Taoist priest?" or "My skin is so sore, could you massage it for me, Taoist priest?" were things that Wen Zhixia would definitely do.

God knows how she dared to do that?

Lin Mengqiu blushed with embarrassment just thinking about herself like that...

No, we're all friends, so why can Wen Zhixia do this but I can't?

As if possessed, Lin Mengqiu reached out her hand to Chen Shi'an...

She tried hard to be natural, to appear casual, but her outstretched hand was as stiff as a piece of wood. Before she could even place her hand on Chen Shi'an's shoulder, Chen Shi'an turned around, looking at her with a puzzled expression:
"What's wrong, class monitor?"

"……fine."

Lin Mengqiu's pretty face tightened, and she raised her outstretched hand in a circle, pretending to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ahhhhh!

Why is it so difficult?

Why is even hiding your embarrassment so stiff?
"Hang in there, just one more floor and you'll be there."

"..."

After much effort, I finally made it to the ninth floor.

Looking at the old house, which clearly resembled a rental apartment, Lin Mengqiu couldn't help but wonder why her father hadn't just let Chen Shi'an move in with them. It's not like they didn't have spare rooms...

Of course, given her father's personality, if he really wanted Chen Shi'an to live at home, he would definitely have asked for her opinion beforehand, and she would have refused without a doubt, since they had never met before... Not to mention that Chen Shi'an would most likely not have agreed either; she had heard her father say that he didn't want rent from him, but Chen Shi'an insisted on paying...

Even though it was her own house, Lin Mengqiu still felt a little awkward standing at the door. The atmosphere inside was completely different from her own home; she rarely visited other people's homes.

"Would you like to change your shoes?"

“No business, no use.”

The two walked into the house. The cat, who was watching TV on the sofa, turned its head and glanced at them before continuing to press the remote control to change channels.

There was the sound of chopping vegetables coming from the kitchen.

Chen Shi'an called out softly, "Sister Wanyin."

The tapping sound stopped.

Then Li Wanyin, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen.

His smile was warm and natural.

“Mengqiu is here. Shian said he’s going to cook lunch, so I’m preparing the ingredients for him.”

"Sister Wanyin."

When a third person was present, Lin Mengqiu's expression instantly shifted from the relaxed state she had when the two of them were alone to her usual aloof demeanor.

Chen Shi'an blinked so quickly that he couldn't even see the process of the girl's expression changing. It was as if there was no process at all, or perhaps her expression didn't change at all, but her temperament suddenly changed.

Of course, because he had a very good impression of Li Wanyin, Chen Shi'an could tell that Lin Mengqiu's aloofness was much less pronounced than it was in front of ordinary outsiders.

If Wen Zhixia had walked out of the kitchen, Chen Shi'an had no doubt that he, standing next to her, would have been instantly frozen solid...

"Mengqiu, come in and sit down. You guys play so fast, I thought you were going to play until after eleven o'clock."

"Um……"

Lin Mengqiu took off her backpack and didn't know where to put it. She glanced at Chen Shi'an, who then took the backpack from her and casually found a chair to put it down.

"Squad leader, please sit on the sofa."

"..."

She felt more comfortable chatting with Chen Shi'an; she could be quite impolite and not reply. She habitually sat down in the far corner of the sofa, unaware that this was Chen Shi'an's usual spot.

"Squad leader, where's your thermos?"

"It's in my bag."

Remembering that her phone was also in her bag, Lin Mengqiu simply took her backpack and brought it to the sofa. While taking out her phone, she also took out her thermos and placed it on the coffee table.

Chen Shi'an picked up her thermos, opened it, and saw that the water inside was gone, leaving only the stomach-soothing tea bag he had given her.

The stomach-soothing tea he gave her could be brewed twice. Lin Mengqiu had already finished the first brew, so he took her thermos and added some hot water to brew the second brew.

"Here you go, class monitor. If you already have a cup, then I won't get you one."

"..."

Chen Shi'an was rude to her, and Lin Mengqiu felt very comfortable. She picked up the thermos cup with both hands, and the cup was warm. She sat on the sofa, warming her hands with the cup, and watched TV with the cat.

The TV screen was constantly changing channels, making my eyes dizzy.

Lin Mengqiu glanced at the black cat on the sofa, and Shi Mo warily used his little paws to move the remote control to the other side, preventing her from taking it.

Lin Mengqiu had no intention of snatching it.

The two of them, a human and a cat, watched the dazzling array of channels on TV, and surprisingly, they were in perfect harmony.

"Then, squad leader, please sit down first. I'll go to the kitchen to prepare lunch."

"Ah."

Chen Shi'an walked into the kitchen, where Li Wanyin was cutting a pineapple.

"Did Sister Wanyin buy pineapples?"

"Hmm, I didn't know what you guys wanted to eat, so I bought some pineapple, ribs, chicken wings, chicken, pork, tofu, mushrooms, eggplant... Shi'an, what do you want to eat for lunch? If we don't make anything else, we can eat it for dinner too."

"How about making pineapple braised pork ribs, garlic chicken wings, and some minced meat braised with tofu?"

"Sure, why don't you go play with Mengqiu, Shi'an? I'll take care of the cooking."

"It's okay, I'll do it."

"Okay. I've already cut the pineapple and washed the ribs. I bought fresh chicken wings from the stall; frozen ones always taste fishy. Let me peel some garlic for you."

"It's alright, just tap it with the knife."

If it were the class monitor, Chen Shi'an wouldn't mind finding her some chores to do, but there's no need for Sister Wanyin...

"Then I'll peel the scallions for you."

The older sister, always ready to help, has work to do everywhere she goes.

Chen Shi'an was going to cook today, and Li Wanyin was also busy, helping him with whatever she could.

Seeing Chen Shi'an and Li Wanyin chatting and laughing while busy in the kitchen, Lin Mengqiu, who was sitting on the sofa with the cat waiting for food, felt a little uncomfortable.

Shi Mo could sit still, but she couldn't.

So Lin Mengqiu got up and walked to the kitchen door.

"How can I help?"

Chen Shi'an, who was about to chop garlic, paused. Seeing that the class monitor was "working hard" again, he spared the garlic and handed her a few cloves.

"Squad leader, could you peel some garlic for me?"

"..."

Lin Mengqiu was not happy.

"anything else?"

"That's all, only garlic is left."

"Then Mengqiu, let's go outside and peel them slowly together."

Li Wanyin, who had just finished tidying up the scallions, took the initiative to speak.

Seeing that even her formidable older sister couldn't escape the fate of peeling garlic and onions in front of Chen Shi'an, Lin Mengqiu finally agreed to go to the living room with Li Wanyin to peel garlic while watching TV.

When I have something to do, I feel much more comfortable than just sitting around chatting.

"Mengqiu, press the garlic cloves down on the table like this... that way the skin will be easy to peel without hurting your nails."

"Um……"

"Shi'an said you have excellent grades, you're first in the grade in science, and then he even tutored him in math."

"good……"

"Were your legs sore after your last bike ride?"

"Mmm, it's sour."

"Me too, it's been sour for two or three days."

The two girls chatted while peeling garlic, and soon a bowl of white garlic was peeled, looking quite accomplished.

Li Wanyin brought over a trash can, swept the scattered garlic peels on the coffee table into the can, and then handed the bowl of garlic to Lin Mengqiu.

"Mengqiu, take this inside and give it to Shi'an."

"it is good."

Lin Mengqiu carried the bowl and walked quickly into the kitchen. She put the bowl on the counter and looked at Chen Shi'an with an expectant gaze.

"You finished peeling them so quickly? The class monitor is really amazing."

"It's because Sister Wanyin peeled them so quickly."

"Then you are all very capable."

"~~~"

(End of this chapter)