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

Chapter 16 Li Wanyin (Thanks to Cucumber Nougat for being the patron)

The neighborhood is old, the stairwells are old, and even the doors of the houses have a sense of antiquity.

Much of the plaster on the exterior walls has peeled off, and traces of Spring Festival couplets left by the previous tenants remain on both sides of the main entrance.

The door was a style popular twenty years ago—a swing-style security door with a liver-colored interior door. Nowadays, newly renovated homes no longer use this combination; they've all replaced it with a single, heavy front door that balances security, privacy, and aesthetics.

As Chen Shi'an was looking around, he heard the sound of a doorknob turning from inside.

Soon, the inner door was opened first, and through the gap in the security door's bars, the image of a young woman came into his view.

The motion-activated light in the doorway turned on with the soft sound of the door opening, casting a warm yellow glow on her slippers. In her other hand, she was clutching a cleaning cloth. Her pretty face was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and a few strands of her bangs were damp with sweat, clinging to her smooth forehead.

Her face was bare of makeup, her jawline gently sculpted, and her almond-shaped eyes held a hint of haste amidst their moisture. She didn't even have time to notice the young Taoist priest standing behind Principal Lin; after opening the door, she hurried to open the security door.

"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet you here again." Upon seeing the woman's face, Chen Shi'an greeted her with a smile.

No wonder the voice sounded so familiar. The woman in front of him, who looked to be in her early twenties, was the girl handing out flyers he had met near the mall when he came to register for school that morning.

Chen Shi'an has an excellent memory. He can remember the appearance and voice of anyone he has met even once for a long time, let alone her whom he met just this morning.

"what?"

Chen Shi'an's words made the woman raise her head, her gaze passing over Principal Lin and landing on him: "You, you're that little Taoist priest from this morning?"

"It's me. I didn't expect you to remember."

"It really is you!" The girl's surprise was undisguised. "I've been handing out flyers all day and only ran into one Taoist priest like you. I just didn't expect to meet you here. What a coincidence..."

After the initial surprise, she realized what was happening and asked, "Then what is this...?"

"Uncle Lin arranged for me to stay here temporarily, so I'm sorry to bother you any longer."

"Ah, you're that high school student! But aren't you a Taoist priest...?"

"Yes, I am also a Taoist priest, and I just started my studies today."

"..."

The woman fell silent, looking deep in thought, clearly still caught up in the transition between her roles as a Taoist priest and a student.

Listening to their conversation, Principal Lin was also a little confused: "Shi'an, do you know Xiao Li?"

"I don't really know her. I saw this lady handing out flyers when I came to register this morning. We met once before."

"Oh! What a coincidence!"

As the saying goes, "If you are destined to meet, you will meet again." Although Chen Shi'an does not believe in fate, he does believe in destiny.

The relationship between people is nothing more than a process of meeting, getting to know each other, and becoming familiar with each other. But the meeting itself is beyond human control. Even with his profound understanding, he still cannot predict who he will meet or become in the future.

It is a rare and precious thing to meet someone by chance in a crowd and then walk the same path together.

It may seem like fate, but isn't it actually something that can be traced?

Thinking about it this way, Chen Shi'an remembered the talkative girl he met on the road. Judging from her school uniform, he was certain that she was a student at Yunqi No.1 Middle School. He just didn't know when or where they would meet again.

Chen Shi'an doesn't force things or seek them out; he enjoys the unknown and interesting aspects of life.

"Since you're not very familiar with each other yet, let me give you a brief introduction."

Principal Lin laughed heartily, "This is Xiao Li, Li Wanyin, a student who just graduated and started working this year. Xiao Li is twenty-two years old this year, right? Shi'an, you can call her 'sister' without worry."

"This is Chen Shi'an, a second-year student at our school, and also a proper Taoist priest. He has excellent character and personality. Although there are many inconveniences for men and women to share a room, Xiao Li, don't worry, Shi'an knows how to behave and won't make things difficult for you."

"It's okay, thank you Uncle Lin for helping me find a roommate, otherwise renting alone would be a huge financial burden..."

Li Wanyin knew that she was able to rent such a cheap house in such a location thanks to Lin Ming's help. She was very grateful that she could not find a better place for the same price elsewhere.

"That's how it is right after graduation. Work hard, and you'll eventually save up some money."

"Okay. Uncle Lin, Shi'an, please come inside. I'll get you some water."

At Li Wanyin's invitation, Chen Shi'an and Lin Xiao entered the house.

"Is Xiao Li getting off work so early today?" Principal Lin asked.

"Well, part-time jobs are more flexible. I'm thinking of leaving get off work early to clean the house since I have a new roommate coming over."

"Still haven't found a job?"

"Well... since I only graduated from a junior college and have no experience, I've had several interviews but haven't received any offers... so I'll have to work part-time for now. As for the rent... don't worry, Uncle Lin, I'll definitely get it for you by the 10th!"

"Hey, no rush, let's take it slow." Chen Shi'an listened quietly to Lin Ming and Li Wanyin as they spoke.

The girl brought over two cups and poured two cups of cooled boiled water from the kettle.

The weather was hot and humid. She didn't turn on the air conditioner until someone came into the house. Before that, when she was cleaning the house alone, she was sweating profusely but couldn't bear to turn it on.

There were still flyers she hadn't finished handing out on the coffee table. She honestly handed them out to passersby one by one, never thinking of secretly throwing the ones she couldn't finish into the trash can when the boss wasn't looking...

Chen Shi'an picked up the flyer and looked at it. It was exactly the same as the one he had seen that morning. It was for a newly opened restaurant in the mall.

"Will Sister Wanyin continue handing out these flyers tomorrow?" Chen Shi'an asked.

The title "Sister Wanyin" made Li Wanyin pause for a moment, then she nodded: "Yes, I need to work part-time for a week for the restaurant's opening event. The pay is okay, 100 yuan a day, and meals are provided. I need to work for another five days."

"I thought this store was in a shopping mall, so why didn't you distribute the goods there?" Chen Shi'an asked curiously. He had met her that morning on a street near the mall.

“There are other part-time workers in the mall, but they only make eighty yuan a day there…”

Chen Shi'an nodded.

It turns out that a difference of just twenty yuan can make a young woman who has just graduated and is not well-off give up the comfort of air conditioning in a shopping mall and choose to work outdoors under the scorching sun.

While we were chatting, the black cat crawled out of the bag and curiously looked around at its new home.

"Sister Wanyin, I also brought a cat with me. I wonder if you mind?"

"I don't mind. I also really like cats. My family used to have one, and it was really good at catching mice."

Upon seeing the black coal ball, Li Wanyin's eyes lit up, and she reached out to touch it.

The black cat didn't scratch her; it simply nimbly dodged, glanced back at her, and then quickly hopped away to continue patrolling its new territory.

Chen Shi'an and Principal Lin also got up from the coffee table to take a quick look at the house.

Just like the environment outside, the interior decoration and furnishings were very old, but Li Wanyin was diligent and kept the house clean.

"That room on the east side, isn't that where you, Xiao Li, are staying?" Principal Lin asked, pointing to the closed room.

"Yes, I live in the east-facing room. The room by the balcony used to be Xiaorui's, but it became available after she moved out. I just cleaned it, so Shi'an, you can stay in this room. You can also stay in the west-facing room, but it's cluttered and hasn't been tidied up yet, and it'll be quite hot in the summer due to the afternoon sun..."

"Thank you for helping me tidy up, Sister Wanyin. I'll stay in the room by the balcony then."

Chen Shi'an didn't care which room he stayed in. Just as Li Wanyin said, the room on the west side was indeed warmer, and the other two rooms were about the same size.

That's how it is with shared accommodation. Apart from your own room, the rest is common space. Each person takes care of their own room, and the common space depends entirely on self-discipline. If you end up with a messy roommate, shared accommodation is mostly a nightmare.

It is obvious that Li Wanyin is not that kind of person.

She has lived here for a while now, and the house is even cleaner and tidier than when she moved in. She has even cleaned up the stubborn stains left by the previous tenant in the kitchen and bathroom.

When she saw that a new roommate had moved in, she even helped tidy up the room.

"Shi'an, take a look and see if there's anything you're missing, or anything you'd like to change. Tell your uncle, and I'll arrange it for you in the next couple of days," Principal Lin asked.

"No need, Uncle Lin, this place is already very good, much better than the conditions in our Taoist temple."

"Haha, alright then, just tell me if you need anything, don't be shy."

To be honest, aside from the location and rent, the furnishings inside are really outdated. Any other landlord would have already replaced them with cheap and nice new furniture and appliances to command a higher rent.

However, Lin Ming wasn't concerned about how much the rent was; he just wanted to help young people within a reasonable range. If the house was too nice, it might attract people who didn't need the help. It's like adding sand to porridge!

"I have a dinner engagement later, so I won't stay any longer. Shi'an, Xiao Li, you two can discuss the roommate arrangement yourselves. I'll be going now."

"Take care, Uncle Lin."

After Principal Lin left, only Chen Shi'an and Li Wanyin remained in the room.

"Shi'an, go back to your room and pack your luggage first. I'll clean the living room again."

"No rush, I'll help Sister Wanyin."

Chen Shi'an picked up the rag that Li Wanyin had draped over the bucket and started cleaning with her.

He can hardly be considered a guest.

Anyway, for a long time to come, this will be his home...

(Thanks to Cucumber Nougat for being the patron! The boss is so generous! Thank you so much for supporting my new book!)
(End of this chapter)