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

Chapter 154 Why Did You Lock the Door?

Chen Shi'an never had the habit of visiting empty-handed. Carrying this eight-pound mandarin fish, he went with Wen Zhixia to her grandparents' house in the village for a meal.

Chen Shi'an was very familiar with rural life. Compared to the small mountain village at the foot of Daoguan Mountain, Chongming Village seemed much richer.

Most of the village roads are paved with cement, barely qualifying as two lanes. When there are oncoming vehicles, both cars can move to the side to pass smoothly.

Many families have built two-story or more houses with a yard in front of them. Compared to the crowded spaces in the city, the self-built houses in the countryside are obviously much more spacious.

Wen Zhixia's grandparents' house is also a self-built house. Their children are quite successful, and the house is quite beautiful. During festivals, Wen Zhixue and his siblings would bring their families back to the village to stay with the old folks for a few days.

Today is the day of the family gathering, and more than ten members of the family have gathered together, making it a very lively occasion.

At a family gathering like this, the most eye-catching person was the 'classmate' that Wen Zhixia brought back.

It was a male classmate!

The elders were hospitable and welcomed Chen Shi'an warmly.

The younger generation consists of Wen Zhixia's cousins; the eldest cousin is twenty years old, and the youngest cousin is only five years old.

When Chen Shi'an arrived at Wen Zhixia's house for her family gathering, which was attended by so many people, he remained calm and composed, chatting and laughing with everyone in a gentle and polite manner.

For him, this was a very novel experience. After all, he had grown up in the mountains since he was a child, and this kind of 'big family' was really far from his life, but it was a topic that people in the secular world could not avoid.

When there are many people, the kitchen at home becomes insufficient.

Grandpa Wen brought over two outdoor stoves, set up a large pot on them, added firewood to the stoves, and cooked a grand feast using this large pot over a wood fire, just like preparing a grand banquet.

Wen Zhixue and Wen Zhicheng carried a large round table out of the house and placed it in the open center of the courtyard, where everyone would eat together that evening.

The cooks were prepared by Wen Zhixia's mother, grandmother, and aunt.

I bought a lot of vegetables today, including chicken, duck, goose, lamb, seafood, and more.

"Wow! Xiao Chen, you caught such a big fish?! Zhizhi's dad has been fishing for so many years, and I've never seen him catch such a big one!"

The mandarin fish has a slender body. A wild mandarin fish weighing over eight pounds can be eighty or ninety centimeters long and is known as a "meter-sized mandarin fish". It looks quite impressive.

Hearing Li Yilan's words, Chen Shian laughed and said, "I'm lucky. This is the first time I've caught such a big mandarin fish. There are a lot of people here today, so we'll cook it together."

"Alright, alright, Xiao Chen, you've really given us a big meal! These wild ones aren't cheap outside! Xiao Chen, how would you like to eat them? Tell Aunt Lan, and Aunt Lan will make them for you!"

"Mom! Let the Taoist priest cook this fish! He said his fish has no bones, so let him cook it!" Wen Zhixia said hurriedly.

"There's no reason to let guests cook."

"I'll help him do it."

"You're always causing trouble."

Listening to the mother and daughter's conversation, Chen Shi'an found it amusing. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and started processing the fish. He felt that it would be better for him to handle such a fine fish...

Usually, it's the elders who cook, and the younger generation in the family is used to it. When they saw that the male classmate that Sister Zhizhi brought back was going to cook, the younger generation curiously gathered around to watch him kill the fish.

Chen Shi'an held the fish body with his left hand and gripped a sharp cleaver in his right. The blade gleamed coldly, yet it moved steadily along the fish bones. With a slight twist of his wrist, the blade seemed to come alive, gently slicing along the fish's spine. In no time, he had completely peeled off the fish meat from both sides. Then, he deftly deboned and sliced ​​the fish.

The skillful and fluid technique left not only the younger generation in awe, but even the elders were full of praise.

"Xiao Chen's cooking skills are impressive!"

"Zhizhi, look at your classmate. Just by deboning the meat, you can tell that her cooking must be delicious. Shouldn't you learn from her?"

"I'm learning—"

Even though the elders were praising Chen Shi'an, Wen Zhixia felt extremely proud and honored.

She couldn't help with killing or cooking the fish, but she was unusually proactive in helping him peel garlic, dig ginger, and pick scallions.

Even after deboning, there is still a lot of meat in this big mandarin fish. Chen Shi'an plans to cook it two ways: one is steamed and the other is pan-fried. The fish fillets, bones, and head that are removed will not be wasted. They can be used to make a simple plating when steaming, so that a plate of meat slices will not look monotonous.

A perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste is Chen Shi'an's highest standard for evaluating a dish, and having him cook it himself is the greatest respect he can show to this big, upturned beak.

With such a top-notch chef around, Li Yilan stopped taking on extra work and specially arranged for a wood-fired pot to cook fish for Chen Shi'an.

Before long, a rich, delicious aroma wafted from the pot, filling the courtyard and making the younger generation gathered around swallow hard.

My five-year-old cousin clutched Wen Zhixia's clothes, tilted her little face up, and whispered, "Sister Zhixia, it smells so good! When can we eat it?"

"Almost there, almost there, just a little longer."

Wen Zhixia smiled and patted her cousin's head, her own stomach rumbling...

The fish was cooked quickly. As Li Yilan placed the other cooked dishes on the table, Chen Shi'an's fish was also ready.

Wen Zhixia took the lead and came over to help him serve the dishes, carefully placing them on the turntable of the large round table in the courtyard.

"Xiao Chen, dinner's ready! Don't be shy! Sit down, sit down, make yourself at home!"

"it is good."

Chen Shi'an casually found a seat and sat down, waiting for the meal to be served.

Wen Zhixia helped serve rice and soup to everyone, while her two cousins ​​helped pour drinks from large bottles and disposable cups.

After Wen Zhixia served the rice, her two cousins ​​brought the bowls over and placed them in front of everyone at the table.

"Grandpa, time to eat."

"Grandma, time to eat."

……

"Brother, time to eat."

The younger cousin held up a bowl of rice with both hands and presented it to Chen Shi'an.

"Okay, thank you. What's your name?"

"My name is Panpan."

"That's amazing, they even help serve the rice."

"..."

Chen Shi'an took the rice bowl from the little girl's hand and thought the little brat was quite cute.

The little cousin blushed after being praised by her strange older brother who barged into the house, and ran away to hide behind her uncle.

The large round table was quite big, but it was still a bit crowded with about ten people sitting there. However, they still didn't sit at separate tables; everyone sat close together.

Wen Zhixia naturally sat next to Chen Shi'an.

"Taoist priest, don't be shy, help yourself to whatever you want to eat."

Do I look like a shy person?

Would you like a drink?

"There's already one cup."

……

The sky has darkened.

Unlike cities, on clear nights like today, you can see the moon and stars overhead.

Wen Zhixue turned on the outdoor lights in the courtyard, illuminating the large round table in the center of the yard.

Grandpa's big yellow dog wagged its tail and stood guard beside the family, watching them eat and occasionally managing to snag a piece of meat.

The black cat was also sitting on a stone table not far away. In front of it was a disposable bowl containing various dishes that Wen Zhixia had promised to put on its plate. The fat cat was eating with great relish.

With this kind of treatment, I wouldn't mind giving her the back seat next time...

Occasionally, that silly big yellow dog would run over from the dining table to it.

Fei Mo stared at it, slowly eating what was in its bowl while making low warning noises in its throat.

The big yellow dog didn't try to take it from it; it just squatted down in front of it and watched it eat.

Fei Mo thought for a moment, then picked up a piece of meat and tossed it to it.

The big yellow dog immediately stood up, walked over, and picked up the piece of meat from the ground.

Then it sat down in front of it again, and this time it wagged its tail, like a windshield wiper, sweeping the ground left and right with a whooshing sound...

"Wang!"

"..."

……

After dinner, the elders sat around the tea table in the courtyard chatting, while the younger generation took out their phones and played games together.

Chen Shi'an felt he should sit with the adults, but Wen Zhixia wouldn't listen and dragged him to play games with his brothers and sisters.

Five people formed a team, and they were playing some kind of 'holy game'.

Chen Shi'an couldn't use his phone, but luckily his cousin Wen Zhixia brought back a tablet. Seeing that Chen Shi'an didn't know how to use it, the four of them generously offered to teach this newbie.

"How do you play?" Chen Shi'an was playing this kind of game for the first time and found it quite novel. He had often heard Zihan and the others talk about games in the classroom.

"It's very simple! This is the hero you choose, and this is the hero's skills... You need to farm gold, kill the enemy heroes, buy equipment... You need to look at the minimap and pay attention to the enemy's position..."

Wen Zhixia herself was a complete novice, but that didn't stop her from teaching Chen Shi'an, a total newbie, to the point that Chen Shi'an thought she was some kind of expert.

"Then how do we determine a win?"

"Just push the towers! Destroy their crystal and you win!"

"Oh--"

Chen Shi'an had a general idea.

To push towers, you can't afford to die too many times. To push towers, you have to kill enemy heroes. To kill enemy heroes, you have to acquire more resources to improve your combat power. This is the core logic of the entire game.

Although it was his first time playing this game, Chen Shi'an's learning talent and reaction speed were unparalleled.

After giving away three kills, he gradually got a feel for the hero and began to use the minimap to predict the enemy's movements and location.

After dying four times, Chen Shi'an became increasingly familiar with the game.

So he transformed into a tower-stealing maniac.

While Wen Zhixia and his cousins ​​were fighting, he went to lead the minion wave to steal the tower.

He kept a close eye on the enemy's movements on the minimap, as if he had full map vision. When the enemy came to catch him, Chen Shi'an could escape faster than anyone else.

The group consisted of noobs, and the person they were matched with was also a noob. Noobs love to fight, so who would have thought there would be such a dirty tower-stealing maniac!

Is winning even fun?!
The opposing team is getting increasingly annoyed by Chen Shi'an's antics. One person trying to gank him, who was easily outmaneuvering him just moments ago, is now struggling! Two people trying to gank him, and with some skillful maneuvering, they manage a double kill?!
When the notification sound of a double kill rang out, Wen Zhixia and her cousins ​​were all stunned!
While the others were busy fighting everywhere, they realized that Chen Shi'an hadn't died since the beginning, and his equipment had unknowingly become the best in the entire arena.

"Quick, quick, Taoist, watch out! The entire enemy team is after you! Let's go take down the Dragon! If you don't die, we'll win!" "Holy crap!! That reaction?! You can dodge that ultimate move?!"

Seeing Wen Zhixia's cousin's shocked expression, Chen Shi'an was stunned. Isn't this something that can be done with just hands?

Five people came to catch him, but Chen Shi'an still managed to escape, and in the end, he even lost the 'Big Dragon'...

The previously one-sided situation began to reverse. With the added boost to the minion waves, Chen Shi'an became even more unrestrained in his tower-stealing and lane-pushing. He was already fully equipped, while the opponent's equipment was still in disarray.

Now, Chen Shi'an has found his rhythm. In situations like this where three people are trying to catch him, he doesn't run anymore. After pinpointing the location of the other two, he goes straight for them.

With overwhelming equipment and superhuman reflexes, he single-handedly turned the tables on three opponents, securing victory with four noobs who could only shout "666" (a Chinese internet slang for "awesome").

……

It was already past nine o'clock at night before I knew it.

Tomorrow, Wen Zhixia's family will be going on a road trip, so they won't be staying at Grandpa's house anymore. Wen Zhixue got up and called his wife, daughter, and Chen Shi'an to go back together.

"Shi'an, is this your new car?"

"Correct."

"It doesn't seem like it will fit in the trunk..."

"It's alright, Uncle Wen, you guys drive back, I'll just ride my bike back."

Upon hearing Chen Shi'an's words, Wen Zhixia decided not to take the car back and instead shoved the electric scooter key that her uncle had helped her ride over into her mother's hand.

"Mom, you ride the electric bike back. Dad, you can drive back yourself. I'll ride the bike back with the Taoist priest. It's dark and he won't know the way, so I'll guide him!"

"...Alright then, be careful."

"rest assured!"

The black cat jumped onto Chen Shi'an's shoulder, and Wen Zhixia sat on the back of his bicycle. The two of them then rode back together.

Streetlights were installed along both sides of the country roads, and the temperature became cool after nightfall, making the night sky above seem even more brilliant in the dim darkness.

The girl wrapped her arms around his waist, humming a tune softly, looking very comfortable and at ease.

"Taoist priest."

"Ok?"

"Do you want to join us for a road trip tomorrow?"

"You've asked this three times this afternoon."

"...Who knows if you'll change your mind? What if you want to go but are too embarrassed to say so? Then I'll have to ask you again."

"No, I have to go back to the mountains tomorrow."

"Oh……"

Wen Zhixia stopped humming the song. By now, she knew that Chen Shi'an's decision was irreversible.

You stinky Taoist priest! I hate Taoist priests! Everyone says you have to change your fortune, so why doesn't your fortune change at all?

"So what time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Around five o'clock."

"...Could we not go so early? My parents aren't awake yet. How about 7:00? We can have breakfast together, then go on a road trip. You can go back to the mountains, and we can go out together. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Well, yes."

"Okay!! But don't run away as soon as I wake up!"

"That won't happen."

……

Wen Zhixia was sleepy after playing all day and not even taking a lunch break.

After returning home, Wen Zhixia went upstairs to her room to take a shower, while Chen Shi'an chatted and drank tea with Wen Zhixue and Li Yilan downstairs.

By the time he went upstairs to take a shower and rest, the girl had already finished.

Wearing cute pajamas, she didn't stay in her own room, but came to Chen Shi'an's room, sat on the edge of his bed and talked to him.

Her little feet were curled up, swaying like a roly-poly toy, watching Chen Shi'an pack his backpack and luggage.

"Taoist priest, how many days are you going to stay in the mountains?"

"Two days, I'll go back on the morning of the 4th. When are you planning to go back?"

"I'm on the 5th, my holiday ends on the 5th, why are you going back so early..."

"Sister Wanyin is planning to sell milk tea. Since I have some free time during the holidays, I'll see if I can help in any way."

Unlike selling sweet soup, where he gets a dollar commission for every cup of milk tea sold, Chen Shi'an didn't care about that. But since Li Wanyin insisted on giving it to him, Chen Shi'an felt he should help her out, since he had nothing else to do anyway.

Now that he has a bicycle, he wants to take advantage of the holidays to travel around the city. It's just a pity that the holidays are too short for a high school student, otherwise he would ride to a very far place to explore.

"Okay~ then go take a shower."

Where is the bathroom?

"That's the one outside! Oh... it seems they're out of shower gel and shampoo over there. Why don't you go to the bathroom in my room to shower?"

"Then just bring the shower gel and shampoo over."

"...Oh right! How come I didn't think of that!"

The lights downstairs were already off, and Chen Shi'an took his change of clothes to the bathroom.

The girl ran into the room first and grabbed her shower gel and shampoo.

"After you change your clothes, hang them up for now, and I'll take them to the washing machine to wash them together. The washing machine has a dryer, so you can wear them tomorrow."

"It's okay, I won't wash it. I'll take it back to the Taoist temple to wash it."

"wash!!"

"...Okay, then you can help me wash them later."

"Humph……"

"I'm going to take a shower."

"Then go ahead and wash it."

"Aren't you going out?"

"...Who cares about you!"

The girl blushed and then closed the bathroom door.

Before long, she heard the sound of water coming from inside.

"What are you doing standing at the door?" Chen Shi'an's voice came from inside.

"...!!"

That stinky Taoist priest has such sharp ears!

"I'm replying to a message!"

The girl who had been eavesdropping by the door blushed and quickly ran away...

Chen Shi'an took a quick shower, and when he came out with his changed martial arts uniform, Wen Zhixia immediately came over to take it from him.

She put the clothes into the washer-dryer along with her own clothes, started the washing program, and watched as the clothes churned and tangled inside. The girl was very satisfied.

When Wen Zhixia smelled the exact same shampoo and shower gel scent on Chen Shi'an, she was even more satisfied.

Chen Shi'an gave her a strange look.

The cicadas seem to be even more obsequious than the class monitor... I'll have to lock the door at night.

After saying goodnight to each other, the two went back to their respective rooms.

Chen Shi'an locked the door behind him.

I picked up my phone from the bedside table; it was fully charged.

It was already past 10 p.m.

There is an unread WeChat message from 'Ling'.

Before Chen Shi'an could even check the message, the door lock clicked.

Coming so soon?

"Taoist priest--"

"what happened?"

Chen Shi'an got up and opened the door.

Wen Zhixia, who was quite adept at surfing the internet, looked at the door lock with a strange expression, then at Chen Shi'an.

"...Why did you lock the door? Are you planning something bad...?"

"To sleep more peacefully."

"What else could you possibly worry about in my family!"

"what happened?"

"Do you want some mosquito coils? I'm worried about mosquitoes."

"It's okay, Fei Mo can catch mosquitoes."

"Alright~ I'll leave the mosquito coil here with you. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight, Taoist."

"Okay. Little cicada, get some rest."

Wen Zhixia went back to her room, and Chen Shi'an closed the door and picked up his phone again.

Ling: [Have you gone back to the mountains?]
Chen Shi'an: [Not yet]
Ling: [Didn't we say we were going back to the mountains?]
Chen Shi'an: [Returning tomorrow morning]
Ling: [Where are you?]
Chen Shi'an: [Where's Little Cicada's home?]
Ling: [Are you staying at her house?]
Chen Shi'an: [Yes]
……

South China Sea.

Lin Mengqiu, who was lying on the king-size bed in the single room of the resort hotel playing on her phone, suddenly jumped up from the bed.

really!

really! !
No wonder my eyelids have been twitching all day.

She brought a male classmate all the way home to stay with her—how dare this annoying cicada!
(End of this chapter)