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

Chapter 147 Dad! He is Chen Shi'an

The small county town is not as bustling as the city center, but during holidays, it is just as lively as the city center.

As soon as Chen Shi'an stepped off the long-distance bus and his feet touched the ground, he felt the unique atmosphere of this county town.

The aroma of scallion oil wafted from the nearby food stalls, and a supermarket loudspeaker nearby was playing "National Day Special Offers" on repeat. Several electric tricycles were parked by the railing near the station entrance, with faded blue tarpaulins on their cargo beds, and the drivers were shouting in the local dialect to solicit customers.

Looking into the distance, the towering buildings are gone. Walking along the main street in front of the station, the shops on both sides are open for business. Fruit shops are displaying their fruit on the street, and clothing stores have folding clothes racks full of discounted autumn clothes. Residents are riding electric bikes through the streets and alleys everywhere.

Returning to the place where she grew up, Wen Zhixia felt incredibly at ease, chattering excitedly as she introduced the small town before her to Chen Shi'an.

"Taoist priest, do you see that middle school?"

"Shangping County No. 1 Middle School? Did Xiaozhi go to this middle school before?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Then he must be the number one student in the school, right?"

"Hehe~"

What do school uniforms look like?

"I'll show it to you when I get home!"

Where do you live?

"It's very close. I used to walk to school. It only takes about ten minutes. And it's easy to find. After getting off at the station, walk along the main street. When you get to the middle school, turn right onto the next street, and then keep walking straight."

Is it located within the residential complex?

"No, many of the houses here are self-built. Our house is also self-built. It has four floors and lots of rooms."

"Oh, I see. Is it similar to your aunt's house?"

"Yes, but only the first floor of our house is rented out to someone who sells fruit. My parents live on the second floor, and I live on the third floor. When guests or relatives come, there are plenty of rooms on the third and fourth floors that we can accommodate."

As Wen Zhixia was speaking, she slipped up and blurted out unconsciously, "Taoist, you can stay with me on the third floor tonight."

"Um... Ah? I'm not staying here."

"Oh dear, since you're already here, there's no rush for you to go back to the mountains. Wouldn't it be more convenient to stay overnight and head back tomorrow morning?"

"Your parents are here, it might be inconvenient for them to stay here."

"No, they'd love to have you! If you want to stay, they'd definitely be happy to! Besides, aren't you going to buy a bicycle? I'll go with you after we finish eating. It'll be quite late by then, so why not just stay the night? That way we'll have plenty of time. It's a rare trip to our county, don't you want to do some sightseeing? I can show you around."

"Hmm, I'll think about it."

"Okay, okay, you don't want to play with me? Just stay one night, it's only one night. It's a rare holiday, I want to play with you..."

Heaven knows how the girl could be so persistent. Whenever Chen Shi'an had the thought of refusing, she would tug at his clothes, staring at him with her big eyes, making no attempt to hide her desire to play with him.

Wen Zhixia had also used all her strength. She knew that once Chen Shi'an made a decision, it would be difficult to change it. This was her only chance before he made a decision.

Seeing that Chen Shi'an was thinking, the girl stopped talking, but pouted and held onto his clothes with her small hands, looking into his eyes.

If it were my parents, they would have already agreed when she said "okay, okay." Heaven knows why Chen Shi'an is so difficult to persuade. She has been looking at him pitifully for a long time, but this stinky Taoist priest still won't give in.

Wen Zhixia didn't speak, but just looked into his eyes, tugged at his clothes, and tugged at his clothes again.

"Staying here isn't a bad option, but I didn't bring any toiletries like a toothbrush or towel."

Seeing that Chen Shi'an finally relented, Wen Zhixia was so excited that she almost jumped up!
"It's okay!! I have plenty of spares at home!! I have disposable toothbrushes and new towels. If you don't like them, I'll go to the supermarket to buy you some in a bit!!"

"You don't need to buy this separately. Your parents shouldn't mind, right?"

"Won't!!"

"Okay, then I'll stay at your place for the night. I'll go back to the mountains tomorrow morning."

"it is good!!!"

Wen Zhixia beamed with joy. Her pitiful look had vanished, and now her hair seemed to be dancing with happiness.

Chen Shi'an was on guard, with a constant feeling that the girl was about to jump up and hug him, giving him a kiss...

"Okay, okay, stop pulling. You're making the clothes too long."

"Humph~"

Wen Zhixia then loosened her grip on his clothes, and her gait became lighter. It was clearly just a small matter, but the moment Chen Shi'an agreed, she felt incredibly sweet inside, as if she were being spoiled.

Before I knew it, I was home.

"Got home!"

"So this is it."

Chen Shi'an looked up at the house in front of him. Just as Wen Zhixia had said, it was a self-built house, four stories high. The first floor was a fruit shop, and next to it was an electric gate, which was the garage where the family kept their cars.

From the exterior of the building, it doesn't look much different from the surrounding self-built houses. Later, I learned from Wen Zhixia that her family also has a house in their rural hometown and three commercial apartments, which are used for rent.

Although she lived in a small county town, Wen Zhixia's family was indeed quite well-off.

The family's main source of income is the furniture factory owned by my father, and my mother is a full-time housewife.

Moreover, it's a large family, with grandparents, an uncle, and an aunt. During holidays and festivals, the whole family gathers together for meals.

Wen Zhixia herself was intelligent and hardworking from a young age. She came from a wealthy family with a good relationship with her parents and relatives. Her elders also doted on her. She grew up in such a family atmosphere since she could remember.

"Oh, Zhizhi's back?"

Seeing the young woman walking over, a woman who was arranging fruit greeted her with a smile.

"Yes, Aunt Cheng!"

Why didn't you come back last night?

"Uh, school got out late, I'm going home this morning!"

How many days off does your school give you?

"Five days. What about Xiao Jie and the others? They should be on vacation for seven days, right?"

"correct."

The woman's gaze then fell on Chen Shi'an, who was standing next to Wen Zhixia.

Seeing that the boy was about the same age as Wen Zhixia, but was wearing a Taoist uniform, she blinked and was a little surprised.

"Did this young monk come back with you, Zhizhi?"

"Yes, he's my classmate."

"Oh! Classmate, I thought you were a Taoist priest..."

"He's a Taoist priest too!"

"what?"

"Aunt Cheng, we're going upstairs now, bye-bye."

"well."

Walking past the fruit shop, Wen Zhixia arrived at the main door at the stairwell and swiped her access card to open the door.

"Is that lady the owner of the fruit shop?" Chen Shi'an asked curiously.

"Yes, Aunt Cheng has been renting the first floor of our house to run a fruit shop for almost ten years. Everyone knows her well."

"I see."

"Taoist priest, please come in—"

Wen Zhixia opened the door, and Chen Shi'an walked in.

This is still the stairwell, but it's quite spacious. There's an electric scooter parked next to it, and the hallway in front of it is clean and tidy. Since the house is all occupied except for the shops on the first floor, this is considered Wen Zhixia's private space.

Originally, Wen Zhixia was very excited to bring Chen Shi'an home, but as they were about to enter the house, Chen Shi'an seemed quite calm, while Wen Zhixia herself suddenly became inexplicably a little nervous.

"Shall we go up the stairs?" "Yes, yes."

"Let's go then?"

"etc……!"

"what happened?"

Just as Chen Shi'an was about to leave, Wen Zhixia stopped him and stuffed all the bags and suitcases she was carrying into his hands. Only when her hands were empty and Chen Shi'an's hands were full did the girl feel satisfied.

We went upstairs together, and the entrance to the second floor was beautifully decorated.

When Wen Zhixia opened the heavy door with the smart lock, a spacious and bright living room came into view.

My family makes solid wood furniture; almost everything in sight is made of mahogany.

Chen Shi'an was quite surprised. From the outside, the self-built house looked simple and unadorned, but he didn't expect it to be so beautifully decorated inside.

Of course, Chen Shi'an's opinion, being a senior member of the family, doesn't count. In Wen Zhixia's opinion, this kind of mahogany furniture and Chinese-style decoration looks so tacky! She prefers things like creamy or natural wood styles.

Upon seeing someone open the door and enter the house, the middle-aged man on the sofa turned his head to look over.

Before he could speak, the girl who entered the room shouted:
"dad!"

"Zhizhi's back? So early today? And who is this...?"

As they were talking, Wen Zhixue got up from the sofa and walked over with a hearty laugh.

"He is Chen Shi'an, the classmate I told you about, the classmate who gave my mother the wood carving last time."

When introducing Chen Shi'an, Wen Zhixia's voice was softer than usual, and her fingertips held a hint of barely perceptible tension as she secretly glanced at her father's reaction.

Most other young people would have felt nervous and awkward in this situation, but Chen Shi'an remained calm and composed under Wen Zhixue's scrutinizing gaze. He simply nodded slightly, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and greeted him politely in a calm and composed tone, neither too loud nor too soft.
"Hello Uncle Wen, I am Chen Shi'an."

"Hello Shi'an, Zhizhi often talks about you. The wood carving of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums that you gave me last time was really nice. I heard from Zhizhi that you carved it yourself?"

"Yes, we happen to be friends. When I heard it was Auntie's birthday, I sent her a small gift as a token of my appreciation."

"You put a lot of thought into it. The carving is really excellent. I didn't expect you to have such skills at such a young age. I was just telling Zhizhi last time that none of the experienced craftsmen in our factory can compare to you."

"Uncle Wen, you flatter me."

"Shi'an, come inside and sit down. You should have some tea, right? I'll make you some."

"Thank you, Uncle Wen. I'm sorry to have disturbed you with this unexpected visit."

"Oh, Zhizhi brought her classmates and friends to visit us. We're so happy to welcome them!"

My daughter has brought many friends and classmates to our house since she was little, but this is the first time she has brought a boy home.

Strangely enough, when Wen Zhixue looked at his own daughter, he always felt that she was a child, and the classmates who looked at her also treated her with the same eyes that looked at a child.

Chen Shi'an was different. Although he and Zhizhi were classmates and the same age, Wen Zhixue simply couldn't treat him like a little girl. Chen Shi'an's maturity, composure, and calm demeanor were something that many adults couldn't match...

I've never seen my daughter talk about someone so often before, especially since he's a boy, and she even brought him home today...

How could the elderly parents not be on guard?

Inevitably, when Wen Zhixue and Chen Shi'an communicated, they always started with a degree of scrutiny and evaluation.

It's hard to say about other things, but just from this first meeting, the young man's appearance and demeanor were so striking that even if Wen Zhixue examined him with a magnifying glass, he couldn't find any fault with him...

No one knows a father better than his daughter. Wen Zhixia's big eyes darted around, and seeing how satisfied her father was with Chen Shi'an, the girl felt relieved.

"Dad, where is my mother?"

"She went out to buy groceries, she should be back soon... Come, Shi'an, have some tea."

"Thank you, Uncle Wen."

Chen Shi'an took the tea, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then picked up his backpack, opened it, and prepared to take out the gift.

Fatty Mo popped out of the backpack, curiously looking around at this unfamiliar place.

"Is this black cat yours? It's huge!"

"Yes, it's been living with me and my master in the Taoist temple for over ten years."

"Wow, then she's considered part of your Taoist temple now. Zhizhi just loves these little cats and dogs."

Although Wen Zhixue is middle-aged, he has an open-minded personality and a youthful mindset. He tries to understand the things that young people like, which is why his daughter doesn't have much of a generation gap with her father.

When Zhizhi first told Wen Zhixue that Chen Shi'an was a Taoist priest, he didn't quite believe it.

Later, Zhizhi shared with them the Douyin videos of "Chen Shi'an lecturing on traditional Chinese culture on the street" filmed by passersby. He also came across these videos and even followed Chen Shi'an on Douyin.

Now that we've met, I can personally feel the unique charisma of this young man.

But... the more outstanding someone is, the more careful you must be!
Wen Zhixue wasn't stupid; he could obviously see through his daughter's little scheme. If she brought home some hot-tempered, arrogant guy, the old man would be lucky if he didn't break the guy's legs...

But what they brought back was a handsome young man who was flawless.

This left Wen Zhixue unsure of his place.

Fortunately, Wen Zhixue could also see that Chen Shi'an didn't seem to have any inappropriate feelings for Zhizhi...

After all, if something were really wrong, Wen Zhixue would never believe that this young man could remain so calm. Back when he first visited his future father-in-law's house, he was so nervous that his legs went weak...

Maybe it's really like Zhizhi said? We're just classmates and good friends! You're overthinking it!
If I believed you, I wouldn't be your father!
Just as we were about to refill Chen Shi'an's tea, Chen Shi'an took out the handmade incense he had prepared from his bag.

"Uncle Wen, this is a gift I brought for you and Auntie. It's handmade incense that I made myself. It has the effect of soothing emotions and creating an elegant and refreshing atmosphere. Uncle Wen, you can light one up when you have nothing to do to pass the time."

Upon hearing this, both Wen Zhixue and Wen Zhixia were stunned.

Wen Zhixue was surprised that Chen Shian had brought a gift, and it was even a handmade incense stick that he had made himself. He had been following Chen Shian on Douyin and had seen his incense-making videos before. He was very curious about what his incense sticks looked like, and now it was delivered to him.

As a businessman, one inevitably has business standards when judging people. Chen Shi'an, at such a young age, has such a way of dealing with people, which makes Wen Zhixue increasingly satisfied.

"Shi'an, you're too kind! It's just a simple meal at my home, there's no need to prepare anything special!"

"Yes, I'll take it. It's fine if it's bought from outside, but I make it myself in my spare time. It's nothing expensive, so please don't look down on it, Uncle Wen."

"I also saw a video of you making incense the other day, is this the incense you made?"

"Yes, Uncle Wen is still paying attention to me?"

"Hehe, Zhizhi shared some of your Douyin videos with me, Shian. She said that when you set up a stall last time, all the things you sold were snapped up at high prices. Shian, you're so thoughtful. Please take the gift back. You're Zhizhi's classmate and friend, so please don't be shy when you come to visit."

Before Chen Shi'an could speak, Wen Zhixia chimed in:

"Oh, Dad! The Taoist priest brought you this gift specially, please accept it! This incense is really, really good!"

Seeing that his daughter had said so, Wen Zhixue had no choice but to force a smile and say, "Then thank you very much, Shi'an."

Wen Zhixue took the incense tube from Chen Shi'an, opened it and took a sniff. Before he could even smell anything, Wen Zhixia snatched the incense tube from his hand.

"Taoist priest, what kind of incense is this? It smells a little different from the incense you gave me last time to refresh myself?"

"Let's call her Huan Yixiang."

"Can I try one?"

"sure."

"Then I'll light one up and try it!"

Wen Zhixue wanted to scold her but felt helpless. Compared to the mature young man in front of him, his daughter really seemed like a child.

As Wen Zhixia lit a stick of incense, a faint fragrance filled the living room.

The natural fragrance, like the flowing water of a peach brook, gradually soothes the emotions and mood, as if one is in a secluded and tranquil mountain forest, bringing a sense of freshness and openness, as if even the air in the room becomes more vibrant.

Wen Zhixue remained silent for a long time, quietly savoring the aroma.

Until the old father's eyes grew brighter as he looked at Chen Shi'an—

"Shi'an, your handmade incense is amazing!!"

(End of this chapter)