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

Chapter 59 Wanyin, look! Your favorite boys' high school!

The old residential area has a relaxed daily management system. The main gate is open during the day and will not be closed until around 10 p.m. You need to swipe a key card to enter and exit.

When security guard Uncle Zheng was closing the gate, he happened to see Chen Shi'an returning, so he waited for him for a bit. Having worked as a security guard here for so many years, apart from arguing with the residents, he rarely chatted with Chen Shi'an like a fellow villager.

"Is Xiao Chen out of class?"

"Yes, Uncle Zheng is also getting ready to leave work."

"Hey! I've only been working here a short time, how can I leave so early? These days I'm on the night shift, from 8 pm to 8 am."

"That must be tough."

“What’s so hard about it? I just sit in the security room, enjoying the air conditioning, playing on my phone, and waiting to get off work. I think you students work harder than me. I remember you left at six o’clock, right? What time are you back now? I’m practically living a retired life early. I can’t compare to you guys.”

"Good."

Chen Shi'an smiled and said, "Uncle Zheng has avoided taking many detours."

"Haha, that's true!"

After entering the residential area, Chen Shi'an returned to Building No. 2 and walked up the stairs.

The motion-activated lights in the stairwell lit up one by one with the sound of footsteps, casting a warm yellow glow across the steps, before slowly dimming during the pauses.

When you're in the mountains, it's hard to imagine what it's like for dozens of families to live together in the same building.

Many houses retain the same old-fashioned decoration style as Lin Xiao's house, with the liver-colored doors wide open and only the swing-style security doors closed. While allowing air to pass through, the smells, sounds, and scattered images inside the house also seep out into the corridor.

The aroma of stir-fried scallions and ginger wafted from the corner on the third floor, mixed with the buzzing of the range hood. It was hard to tell whether they were making dinner or a late-night snack.

The sound of the television on the fifth floor was mixed with the clear, noisy voices of children, followed by the gentle coaxing of a woman.

The motion-activated light on the seventh floor had a faulty connection, and there was always a buzzing sound of electricity when it was turned on. Chen Shi'an looked up and saw a moth attracted to the light bulb frantically flying around it...

Once he had firmly stepped onto the last step, Chen Shi'an returned to the ninth floor. As he walked toward the door of 901, he fumbled for the key in his pocket.

The door opened, and the room was bright and airy.

A faint, sweet aroma wafted in the air, and Chen Shi'an recognized it as white fungus and lily bulb sweet soup.

The TV was on, and the lazy black cat on the sofa glanced at him, then stretched out its little paw and pressed the remote control repeatedly to change the channel, making the TV screen dizzying. It was unclear what program it wanted to watch.

"Is that how you watch TV? You'll break it in a minute."

"Meow."

Fei Mo rolled her eyes at him, thinking to herself, who exactly broke the only TV on the mountain back then? The kitten was just changing the TV programs, how could that have broken it?

Are there that many shows?

Chen Shi'an walked over, picked up the remote control in front of the black cat, looked at it, and pressed it.

Then I went to the TV and looked at the cables behind it.

"Meow?"

Fei Mo stared at him warily.

Fortunately, Chen Shi'an did not do anything reckless.

Compared to the days when we used a pot lid-like device to search for TV programs on mountains, cable TV now offers a much wider selection.

I remember when he and Fei Mo were watching TV together, whenever there was a screen flickering issue, the two of them would quickly run out and turn the "satellite lid" (the TV's name) around. Turning it a little to the left would result in static, and turning it a little to the right would produce streaks of rainbow. It really took precise adjustments to get a clear picture...

Back then, the only TV in the Taoist temple didn't have a remote control; it used very retro buttons on the body and was a gift to the master around the turn of the millennium.

However, all of this disappeared after he used lightning to strike the television.

The black cat snatched the remote control back from Chen Shi'an and continued to use its little paws to change the channel.

After switching between TV programs, I suddenly couldn't find any more.

"Meow?"

Fei Mo looked puzzled and pressed the button again, but the TV screen remained motionless.

"Meow."

The black cat looked at Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an: "..."

What kind of look is that? Do you suspect I broke it? You fat cat, weren't you the one pressing the remote control the whole time?!

Fortunately, the little Taoist priest wasn't as foolish as the fat cat; he knew more about technology than the cat. Chen Shi'an picked up the remote control and pressed some buttons, only to find that the indicator light on the remote control wasn't lit up compared to before.

"It's probably out of power..."

"Meow……"

The black cat came closer to look, unsure of what to do.

Chen Shi'an turned the remote control to the back, examined it for a moment, and rubbed open the cover to reveal two thin batteries inside.

"Number Seven..."

Chen Shi'an opened the TV cabinet drawer and looked around, but couldn't find a battery of that size.

"Sister Wanyin—"

"Sister Wanyin—"

Chen Shi'an called out twice to the tightly closed bathroom door.

The sound of the shower water stopped, and a woman's gentle voice replied:
"Oh? Shi'an, you're back?"

"Yes, Sister Wanyin, are you taking a shower so late tonight?"

"Yeah, I went out for dinner with friends tonight, and then we took a walk together. I'm almost done washing up, wait a minute! Oh, by the way, I made some white fungus and lily bulb sweet soup in the kitchen, you can have some first!" "No problem, no rush. I wanted to ask if you have any AAA batteries at home? Fei Mo ran out of power on the remote control."

Fei Mo: "?"

I've only been here a short time! How come it's the one who drained the battery?!
"Those tiny batteries?"

"Correct."

"I think I have it in my room."

"Okay, then let's get it after Sister Wanyin finishes her shower."

Although the bathroom door was closed, Chen Shi'an was too embarrassed to get too close to talk to her, since her older sister was still taking a shower inside.

He put down the remote and went to the kitchen, where he found a pot of sweet soup made with white fungus and lily bulbs that had just been cooked.

The pot lid was open, letting it cool; no wonder he smelled a sweet, cloying aroma as soon as he entered the room.

Chen Shi'an has made a lot of sweet soup with white fungus and lily bulbs. It is not only delicious, but also has the effects of moisturizing the lungs, relieving cough, promoting body fluid production and nourishing yin. It is especially good to drink now in late summer and early autumn when the weather is hot and dry.

Having just finished eating grilled sausages with Xiao Zhi, Chen Shi'an's throat was parched. He took a bowl, scooped up some to taste, and found it quite delicious.

It's clear that Li Wanyin is quite experienced; the white fungus and lily bulbs were soaked beforehand, otherwise they would have turned sour when cooked. In addition to the white fungus and lily bulbs, there were also a few red dates, which added a refreshing and nourishing flavor to the sweet soup.

Chen Shi'an served two bowls, and when he brought them out, Li Wanyin also came out of the bathroom.

My sister, who had just taken a shower, was as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water.

She walked to the balcony in her slippers, hung up the towel and her hand-washed underwear, and, not forgetting what Chen Shi'an had just said, walked back to her room while pondering it.

"A size 7 battery... should be available."

"No rush, Sister Wanyin, have some sugar water first. I've already served it for you."

"Thank you~ You drink first."

"I should thank Sister Wanyin. I get sweet soup every day when I come home. Sister Wanyin has gone to so much trouble."

“These are all very cheap. Buying a little will allow you to cook many times. Before, I wanted to drink them by myself, but if I cooked too much, I couldn't finish them and it would be a waste. If I cooked too little, it would be difficult to cook. Now that you are here to help us finish them off, it's perfect.”

Li Wanyin rummaged through the drawers in her room and found two AAA batteries.

Although she can't do things like changing light bulbs or fixing plumbing and electrical work, she's a pro at changing batteries in remote controls.

Under the admiring gaze of the black cat, she replaced the batteries in the remote control, and it finally worked properly.

"Alright~ It should be usable now."

"Meow."

Li Wanyin placed the remote control in front of Fei Mo, and the little fat cat could happily change the channel again.

She took the opportunity to pet it, and Fei Mo didn't dodge, but just rolled its eyes at her.

"Shimo really likes watching TV, as if it really understands what it's watching."

Li Wanyin was very happy to pet the cat and asked Chen Shi'an, "How old is Shimo this year?"

"I must be at least eighteen. My master found me and Fei Mo at the same time."

"Ten, eighteen?!"

Li Wanyin was astonished; she couldn't believe it at all. If someone were really that old, such understanding of human nature would be quite plausible...

"The oldest tabby cat my family ever owned was only sixteen years old."

As she spoke, Li Wanyin also sat down at the dining table, and the two siblings drank sweet soup together, chatting as they drank.

"Did Sister Wanyin go out for dinner with friends tonight?"

"Yeah, my old college roommate is leaving Yunqi to go back to her hometown, so she treated us to hot pot one night. After we ate, we took a walk outside, and it got quite late when we got back. How was your study today?"

"It's alright, I'm still brushing up on my junior high school math and English foundations."

After saying that, Chen Shi'an asked her with a smile, "How were Wanyin's grades in junior high school? Can I ask you for help if I don't understand something?"

"My grades were pretty good in junior high, but I've forgotten them all over the years. I can't understand the questions now."

"What a pity. Wanyin said she went for an interview this morning. Has she found a new job yet?"

Whether it was because the sugar water was sweet enough or because the interview went smoothly, Li Wanyin looked much more cheerful.

"Hmm, I'm not sure yet. They said I should wait for a notification, but I think I have a chance. It's okay if I don't pass; I have another interview tomorrow."

"Looks like things are going smoothly?"

"No, it's just that I lowered my job requirements, so I have more options. I need to find a stable job first, and it's not good to keep doing part-time jobs as a temporary measure."

"Don't worry, Sister Wanyin. You have the appearance of great wealth and honor. The biggest setbacks and changes in your life have already passed. There's no need to rush."

Hearing you say that makes me very happy!

While they were chatting, a group message popped up on Li Wanyin's phone, which was on the table, tagging her.

Li Wanyin clicked in out of curiosity to take a look.

It's a video.

[Wanyin, look! Your favorite male high school boy! When I get rich, I'll find a boy based on the standard of this one in the video! [Drooling][Drooling] @Xiaohuiyin]
[Holy crap! Jiayun, where did you find this video? These male high school boys are so handsome! Are they practicing martial arts? They look so powerful! [Drooling]]
[Found this on Douyin (TikTok), seems to be from Yunqi No. 1 Middle School. It says it's the Eight-Section Brocade exercise, isn't it cool!]
Seeing her friends chatting enthusiastically, Li Wanyin also clicked on the video out of curiosity.

She was stunned when she saw the male high school student practicing Baduanjin in the video.

Shi-Shi An?!

(End of this chapter)