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

Chapter 234 The Person Before My Eyes is Like a Painting

We're here!

Looking at the ancient town in front of her, Li Wanyin couldn't help but exclaim with joy.

It's crazy to think that the siblings actually rode their bicycles all the way here from so far away from the city center.

The key is Chen Shi'an's skill; the stamina of male high school students is indeed a mystery.

Despite riding such a long distance so fast, this brat seems perfectly fine, showing no signs of fatigue and appearing quite energetic.

Li Wanyin took out her phone and checked the time. It was 1:40 PM. The navigation had estimated that the journey would take more than two hours, but it only took about an hour and twenty minutes.

Actually, what my sister didn't know was that if Chen Shi'an rode it himself, he could be even faster...

"Sister Wanyin shouldn't be tired, right?"

"You're the one riding the bike. I haven't moved an inch, so I'm definitely not tired. Shi'an, have some water."

"Ah."

The cat on Chen Shi'an's shoulder jumped down, landed on the bluestone pavement, stretched, and curiously looked around.

Chen Shi'an took the water Li Wanyin handed him, drank some to moisten his throat, and looked around.

Contrary to expectations of excessive commercialization, this ancient town seems to have retained its original pace of life.

The bluestone path winds forward, flanked by old-style houses with white walls, black tiles, wooden doors, and carved windows. Occasionally, you can see elderly people sitting at their doorways, basking in the sun and chatting. Time seems to slow down here.

As a niche tourist attraction, Quetou Town has always been a place where the town's residents live and work, rather than simply a tourist destination.

Chen Shi'an found a place to park and lock his bicycle, and then he and Li Wanyin strolled around the small town.

The town is situated on the banks of the Qingtong River and was first built during the Northern Song Dynasty. It is divided into two parts: the 'new town' and the 'old town'.

There is no clear distinction between the old and the new; both are inhabited by local residents. The only difference is probably the road beneath our feet.

As you walk into the old street, the bluestone pavement under your feet has long been worn smooth by thousands of years of trampling.

The town is small, but its layout of three main streets and thirteen alleys is well preserved.

A faded wooden sign hangs on the mottled wooden door, with words like "Centennial Teahouse" and "Old Vinegar Workshop" still faintly discernible.

The horse-head gable walls with upturned eaves and the withered grass sprouting from the cracks in the walls complement the potted plants on the windowsill.

Looking around, there were mostly middle-aged and elderly people, as well as some young backpackers like Chen Shi'an and Li Wanyin, who wandered around, looked around, and occasionally took out their cameras to take a couple of pictures.

The tea master in the teahouse was still brewing tea with rough pottery teaware, and although it was clearly a shop selling miscellaneous goods, a persimmon cake stall had been set up at the entrance...

It was no longer market time, but Chen Shi'an still saw quite a few vendors along the way. Some were selling homegrown vegetables, some were selling bamboo baskets, sieves, and winnowing baskets, and there was the banging sound of homemade popcorn ovens. Some were also selling all sorts of strange and unusual trinkets...

Although the ancient town has also started cultural tourism development in recent years, it has deliberately preserved its original, rustic atmosphere.

"Here, Shi'an, try the persimmon cakes made by that old lady."

"Hmm, does Sister Wanyin like dried persimmons?"

"like!"

Chen Shi'an can also make persimmon cakes himself.

There is a persimmon tree in the courtyard of the Taoist temple. When I went back last time, the persimmons were not ripe yet, but they are probably ripe by now.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to go back right now, so the birds on the mountain get to enjoy it.

Every year when the persimmons ripen, he and Fei Mo would pick them to eat fresh or make into dried persimmons. Making dried persimmons is not complicated: select the fruit, peel it, dry it in the sun, knead it, and dry it again... eventually turning it into dried persimmons covered with white frost.

Looking at the persimmon cakes made by that old lady, the texture is quite good. The outer layer is covered with a thin layer of white frost, which is the sugar frost that comes out of the persimmon itself. It feels light and sandy to the touch, but it is not sticky.

Tear it open a little, and the amber-colored flesh inside is revealed. Before even taking a bite, you can smell a sweet fruity aroma, mixed with the warmth of the winter sun, which is especially in season.

Li Wanyin pinched a persimmon cake, took a small bite, and the soft, sweet flesh slowly spread on her tongue. If you savored it carefully, you could also taste a faint fruity fragrance and a sweet aftertaste.

"Mmm—! So sweet! Delicious!"

"It's really good, no wonder it's called Persimmon Village."

Chen Shi'an also tasted the persimmon and nodded repeatedly.

This time, the fat cat wasn't reserved anymore. Seeing the two of them secretly eating, it quickly meowed and came over to rub against their legs.

There happened to be a teahouse nearby, so Chen Shi'an invited Li Wanyin to sit down at the tea stall and ordered a pot of chrysanthemum tea.

Chrysanthemum tea paired with dried persimmons is like eating the sunshine of autumn.

The fragrance of the tea soup balances the sweetness of the persimmon cake. A sip of tea, a bite of persimmon cake, and a serving of millet cake—it's simply divine!
"Shi'an, you really know how to enjoy life! Did we ride all that way just to have afternoon tea?"

"Meow."

Fei Mo doesn't like eating persimmon cakes and millet cakes because he finds them sticky, but if they eat them, the cat has to eat them too—that's the principle!
Apart from the durian last time.

Even now, Fei Mo still admires Chen Shi'an for actually being able to taste it.

"This is amazing! This is the first time I've ever gone out to play like this."

Li Wanyin couldn't help but sigh. Sitting here, drinking tea and eating persimmon cakes, doing nothing but watching the pedestrians on the stone-paved road, listening to the hawkers' cries in the alley, and basking in the warm sun, time seemed to slow down and become sweet.

"Ah? That's what resting is all about," Chen Shi'an said with a smile.

"It's probably because they came out with you. When I come out with Jiayun and Feifei, they can't sit still."

"Yeah, I couldn't sit still either, so I rode such a long way."

"Haha, it's different now~"

Actually, Li Wanyin isn't someone who can sit still for long, otherwise she wouldn't be such good friends with Jiayun and Feifei. But strangely enough, she can sit still a lot when she's with Chen Shian.

People are always chasing something, and it's hard for them to stop for even a moment. Perhaps it's because they already have what they want to chase, so they can sit still for a while?
After resting for a while at the tea stall, the two people and the cat continued to stroll leisurely.

"Shi'an, shall I take your picture?"

"Okay, where should we stand?"

"Right here."

In front of a stone archway covered with withered vines, Li Wanyin excitedly took out her phone.

Seeing this, Fat Cat quickly jumped onto Chen Shi'an's shoulder and looked at the camera with him.

[Click]
"Well, he's very handsome!"

Li Wanyin looked at the finished product and nodded in satisfaction.

In the photo, the warm sunlight shines through the gaps in the vines, casting dappled light and shadow on Chen Shi'an, whose handsome face bears a faint smile.

Reaching the rustic wooden door of a corridor, Chen Shi'an had an idea and took out his phone to say:

"Sister Wanyin, stand here, let me take a picture of you."

"Ah... it's good that you took the picture secretly, I don't know how to pose like this..."

"Then Sister Wanyin should just lean against the door and pretend to peek at me, hiding and dodging."

"what……"

Li Wanyin seemed a little embarrassed when the camera was on her, but she still walked to the wooden door as instructed, gently placing her hands on it as if she was unsure whether to close or open it. The winter sunlight softly outlined her profile, her skirt swaying slightly, and she smiled gently.

Fat Cat quickly ran behind the door, hiding as Chen Shi'an had just said, only peeking out from beside the door.

Chen Shi'an found a good angle and pressed the shutter several times in succession.

"alright--"

"I'll see, I'll see."

Li Wanyin jogged over, brushed her hair aside, and turned her head to look at the photos on his phone.

Wow... Shi'an, you took such a beautiful photo!

In the photo, she exudes a natural shyness and evasiveness, and the rustic wooden door becomes her best adornment, giving her the air of a demure and demure young lady from a respectable family.

"Does Sister Wanyin know what I just thought of?"

"what?"

"A poem by Li Qingzhao: 'Seeing someone coming, she slips off her socks and her hairpin falls. Shyly she runs away, leaning against the door, turning back to smell the green plums.'"

“…Huh!”

"How about it? Doesn't this photo give you that feeling? The girl's peeping gaze is vividly portrayed."

"Haha, what? You're the one who told me to hide and pretend to peek at you, okay?"

"Really? I think Sister Wanyin is playing herself quite well."

Li Wanyin playfully hit him.

With a 'great photographer' like Chen Shi'an around, Li Wanyin felt like she had really struck gold.

No boy has ever made me feel so happy and relaxed when I'm with him, like Chen Shi'an.

Passing by a stall selling handmade sugar paintings, Li Wanyin was captivated like a child, watching the stall owner scoop up the melted sugar syrup with a spoon, and with a flick of his wrist, a butterfly with outstretched wings took shape. "So amazing..."

"Miss, would you like some sugar painting?" the shopkeeper greeted the customer naturally.

"Then, boss, can you draw him?"

Li Wanyin smiled and pointed to Chen Shi'an beside her.

"Ok?"

Chen Shi'an was stunned for a moment: "Sister Wanyin, are you going to eat me?"

"certainly not……"

The shop owner glanced at Chen Shi'an and smiled somewhat awkwardly, "Is this your younger brother? The young man is really handsome; I'm afraid I can't capture even a fraction of his good looks in a drawing..."

Li Wanyin smiled and said, "Boss, you're so good with words."

Unexpectedly, Chen Shi'an spoke up and said, "Boss, can I use your candy and tools to draw one myself? I'll pay you the price."

"Young man, you can also do sugar painting?"

"I know a little about it; I played with it when I was a kid."

The boss laughed when he heard this. He had played with this as a child... It sounds like playing in the mud!

There were no other customers at the moment, so he gave up his seat to Chen Shi'an, wanting to see just how much this young man knew.

"Alright, young man, come here, I'll learn from you."

"Boss is joking."

Chen Shi'an said this, but he unceremoniously sat down on the chair and took the long-handled copper spoon handed to him by the boss.

"Be careful not to get burned, I'm not responsible for that," the owner said with a smile.

"Don't worry, boss."

As they were talking, Chen Shi'an had already begun preparing to paint.

Sugar painting is a traditional folk art, but these days, there aren't many people who know how to do it anymore.

The owner has all the necessary tools. A small brass pot sits on a charcoal fire, inside which amber-colored syrup is bubbling gently.

The only tools I had were a spoon, a spatula, a brush, and a marble slab to use as a canvas.

Chen Shi'an was very experienced. While making the syrup, he first brushed a thin layer of oil on the marble slab to prevent the syrup from sticking later.

Seeing that the young man seemed to understand the steps quite well, the boss, who was watching from the side, also became interested.

Needless to say, Li Wanyin was already looking forward to it when Chen Shi'an said he would come and paint sugar paintings.

The syrup in the brass pot was made by the owner himself. Chen Shi'an stirred it with a long-handled copper spoon and readjusted the ratio of water to sugar.

As the temperature of the sugar syrup rose, large bubbles began to form. Chen Shi'an continued to boil and stir until the consistency was right, the color turned yellow, and the large bubbles turned into small bubbles.

The boss was quite surprised to see that Chen Shi'an had such precise control over the heat.

"Young man, you've studied this before?"

"I've never really studied it properly, I've just played around with it."

"You've got the heat under control pretty well."

"You flatter me, boss."

The syrup was almost ready. Chen Shi'an took a long-handled copper spoon, quickly scooped out a spoonful of syrup, glanced at Li Wanyin in front of him, and began to paint almost without pausing.

This glance startled Li Wanyin, who then asked, "Shi'an, are you going to draw me?"

"Yes, I draw Sister Wanyin. I don't look in the mirror often, so I can't draw myself well."

Seeing that Chen Shi'an was really going to draw her, Li Wanyin smiled and said, "Then you'd better draw me pretty, okay?"

"Of course, Sister Wanyin, don't worry."

The shop owner was even more surprised to see that the young man was really going to paint the person in front of him.

People who make sugar paintings don't have any drafts; the designs are all in their minds. To make a sugar painting, you must have a clear vision and complete it in one go while it's still hot, leaving no room for error correction.

Classic designs like the twelve zodiac animals, flowers, birds, insects, and fish are all sketches that sugar painters have practiced countless times and can draw with ease. If you want to draw a portrait on the spot like this, you can't do it without a solid foundation.

Of course, one can certainly draw, but whether the drawing is realistic or good is another matter entirely.

Chen Shi'an's wrist sank slightly. Despite his young age, his hand was as steady as a doctor who had performed countless surgeries. He tilted the long-handled copper spoon slightly, and the syrup inside slowly flowed out.

Chen Shi'an first outlined Li Wanyin's features, starting from the top of her head, with fine sugar threads curving into rounded arcs. Even the stray hairs hanging down her cheeks were drawn with extremely light strokes, as if they would really be blown by the wind.

Next came the face. He deliberately slowed down and used slightly thicker sugar threads to draw his sister's smiling eyebrows and eyes, with the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, giving her a lively look.

Further down, there's a delicate nose and lips pursed in a smile; the sugar strands paused lightly at the lip line, as if holding unspoken tenderness.

Sunlight streamed through the bamboo shed of the sugar painting stall, falling on Chen Shi'an's focused profile. His brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes serious and focused, and even the hand holding the copper spoon was steady without the slightest tremor.

Li Wanyin looked at him, and at the painting under his long-handled copper spoon, and her heart inexplicably quickened.

It was only then that she suddenly remembered and quickly took out her phone to record a video.

The boss standing to the side was completely stunned!

Previously, he was only surprised that Chen Shi'an knew this, but now, seeing his painting process and the display of his paintings, he was truly stunned!

This craftsmanship...!
To cause trouble?
No, no, no... Someone with this skill wouldn't stoop to messing with his business!

I've given myself a free lesson!

Before they knew it, other passersby had also come to watch.

Sugar painting can't be as realistic as sketching, but passersby, looking at the sugar painting in the hands of the boy in the school uniform and then at the pretty girl in front of them, still recognized it at a glance:
"Girl, is this a painting of you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Li Wanyin responded with a smile, her expression somewhat proud.

"Young man, you're really skilled! The drawing is so lifelike! The eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth... it's so similar! Is it your younger brother?"

"yes……"

Chen Shi'an paid no attention to the commotion. He gently turned his wrist, making the sugar threads even finer. Below the already drawn half of the body, he began to draw Li Wanyin's flared skirt, as if it were being blown by the wind. The left hem of the skirt was slightly raised, while the right hem hung down. He even used sugar threads to outline the skirt with tiny white cherry blossoms, making it delicate and exquisite.

Finally, Chen Shi'an added a small sugar flower to Li Wanyin's hair, with petals drawn layer upon layer with light amber sugar threads, making it look like it was really pinned in her hair.

While it's still hot, stick a long bamboo skewer on it. After the syrup has completely cooled and solidified, Chen Shi'an gently lifts the sugar painting from the marble with a small spatula along the edge. This sugar painting belonging to Li Wanyin is now complete.

"Here——"

Chen Shi'an smiled and handed the sugar painting in his hand to Li Wanyin: "Sister Wanyin, this is for you. Please don't mind if it doesn't look like the real thing."

"How could this be! Shi'an! Your drawing is amazing!!"

Li Wanyin was extremely excited and overjoyed, like a child, and couldn't help but raise the sugar painting in her hand high.

When you gaze at it in the sunlight, it is so crystal clear and lifelike.

The older sister's smile was clearly visible as she pointed to the sugar flower in the little girl's hair and said with a smile:

"Shi'an, you gave me a sugar painting, and then you even gave me a sugar flower!"

"Does Sister Wanyin like it?"

"like!"

"Then quickly try it and see if it tastes good."

"……what?"

When Li Wanyin heard Chen Shi'an say he wanted to eat it, she was stunned and immediately protected the sugar painting in her hand like a precious treasure.

"This can't be eaten; I need to put it away."

Other passersby, unaware of what was going on, saw that Chen Shi'an had finished his work and quickly placed orders with him as well:
"Hey buddy, can you draw one for me too?"

"Boss, I want one too!"

"I'm not the boss..."

Chen Shi'an smiled and stood up to make way for him.

"Boss, you've got a customer."

"..."

The boss looked bitter...

Can I handle this business?!

(End of this chapter)