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

Chapter 71 Chen Shi'an's Gift
The following day, Saturday.

The last day of classes this week.

Early in the morning, when Chen Shi'an met Wen Zhixia at the intersection, the girl looked like she was leaving on a long trip with lots of bags and packages.

"Ouch, this is so heavy! Taoist priest, you're strong, can you help me lift it?"

Now that the two are familiar with each other, Wen Zhixia doesn't stand on ceremony with him. Seeing that Chen Shi'an's hands are empty, she stuffs the things that her hands can barely carry into his hands.

If it were Lin Mengqiu, who has a strong sense of boundaries, she would probably rather break her own arm than ask for help.

"What's all this stuff?"

Chen Shi'an took some of the packages from her hands. In addition to the breakfasts he usually brought for his classmates, the other bags contained books, clothes, and other items.

"Aren't you going home after school this afternoon? Why are you carrying so much stuff?"

"That's why I brought so much stuff home."

"Are you going to stay at home for several days? I see you've brought one, two, three sets of clothes...?"

Chen Shi'an could see from the open bag that there were at least three sets of clothes inside.

Wen Zhixia's personal clothing was all hidden at the bottom of the bag, so she wasn't worried that he would see it. However, seeing the curious Taoist looking into the bag, the girl shyly took the bag of clothes from his hand and replaced it with a box-shaped bag for him to carry.

"Since you're going back anyway, bring a couple more sets of clothes, just in case you need to wear them."

Wen Zhixia herself didn't quite have the confidence to say this. In fact, whatever she brought back with her luggage was what she was used to. Now it was better. In the past, she would always bring a suitcase home, but after arriving home, the suitcase was never even opened...

Girls tend to be more thoughtful in everything they do, as if it's some kind of ritual they have to perform. Going back empty-handed always feels like something's missing.

"And what's in this box? It's so big!"

"These shoes are for my mom's birthday."

"So thoughtful."

"That's right~ I even ordered a cake for her!"

"Is the cake delicious? I've never had it before."

Wen Zhixia blinked and casually invited, "Would you like to come to my house for cake tomorrow? My mom loves a lively atmosphere, and she'd definitely welcome any classmates coming over to celebrate her birthday!"

"I have to go gather herbs tomorrow. I'll see if I'll have another chance later."

"Oh."

Wen Zhixia pouted.

You stinky Taoist priest! You agree to eat at Lin Mengqiu's house, but you cause trouble when you eat at my house!
"Come on, you mention it first."

As Chen Shi'an spoke, he took the bag he was carrying back into Wen Zhixia's hands.

The girl's cheeks puffed out. "That stinky Taoist priest! Not only does he refuse to eat at my house, but now he won't even help me carry my things!"

Just as Wen Zhixia was about to deduct all of his future soy milk, she saw Chen Shi'an free his hands, take off the backpack from his shoulder, unzip it, and rummage through something inside...

She looked at it curiously.

Then Chen Shi'an took out a small piece of wood from his backpack, about three or four centimeters wide, five or six centimeters long, and one centimeter thick.

“What is this…” Wen Zhixia blinked.

Before she could even see it clearly, Chen Shi'an took the bags and packages she was carrying and handed the piece of wood to her little hands.

“It’s a piece of plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum that I carved from boxwood before. Although I have a schedule and can’t go to celebrate your birthday, since you invited me, I’ll do my part and give this small wood carving to you.”

"Eh?"

Wen Zhixia was stunned. "Give it to my mom?"

"Yes, I don't know if Auntie will like it, but it's just a small token of my appreciation."

"You're so thoughtful!!"

Wen Zhixia was stunned. Her initial slight annoyance vanished. It was just a casual invitation, and she knew he probably wouldn't agree, but she didn't expect him to take it so seriously and even ask her to bring a small gift!

The girl picked up the small wooden plaque carved from boxwood and examined it.

She doesn't understand wood carving, but she has the most intuitive appreciation for beauty. The front of this 'wooden plaque' features a scene of 'plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum' carved in relief.

On such a small flat surface, plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are depicted lifelike, intertwined in a harmonious manner, blooming in competition. The details are so fine that even the texture of the bamboo leaves and petals can be clearly seen. When the fingertips run over the relief surface of the wooden plaque, there is a kind of texture that is both concave and convex.

Besides the carving itself, the composition and painting skills are also superb. The texture of the boxwood itself complements the plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums on the relief.

Even though things like plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums seem old-fashioned to young people, Wen Zhixia was unusually captivated by them. After all, there were just too many details, and the more she looked, the more fascinated she became.

The back is engraved with two characters, "[Qingya]", which not only demonstrates superb calligraphy skills but also excellent carving techniques.

Even a young person like her likes this wooden plaque, let alone her mother who uses orchids as her portrait, she would definitely like it 100%!

Oh no! Mom's eating bran now!
After admiring him for a while, Wen Zhixia finally realized what he had just said—

"Taoist priest...you're saying you carved this yourself?"

"Yeah, I just carve it for fun when I'm bored."

Chen Shi'an smiled and said, "It was a hasty and unprepared piece, so I hope Auntie won't mind. I'll prepare a more elaborate version next time."

Wen Zhixia was almost dumbfounded. Such a flawless wood carving was actually a casual creation? Carved for fun in his spare time?! You say you know a little about wood carving… like this?!
She didn't know what level Chen Shi'an's carving skills were considered in the wood carving world, but he was definitely a craftsman!
Take herself as an example. Let alone carving an intricate design of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums on such a hard piece of wood, she's even afraid of carving a single character on her own hand...

Wen Zhixia wondered if it was just her imagination, but when she held the wooden plaque in her hand and admired the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum paintings on it, she inexplicably felt a unique sensation, just like the two words on the back of the plaque: "[Refined and Elegant]".

In fact, it wasn't her imagination; Chen Shi'an had truly imbued the wooden plaque with a touch of elegance. Using objects to convey meaning was a skill he had practiced for many years.

However, this supernatural power is limited by his cultivation level, and he cannot currently imbue objects with meaning at will. Only when carving, writing, or painting can he infuse his intention into the object through such a process. Whenever others come into contact with this object that carries meaning, they can naturally sense his state of mind when he was carving it.

"My mom will definitely love it!"

After a long while, Wen Zhixia finally managed to utter this sentence.

Compared to the plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums that Chen Shi'an carved by hand, the girl suddenly felt that the pair of shoes she bought for more than 300 yuan were not presentable at all!
Whose mother is she anyway?! You stinky Taoist priest seem to care more about her than my own daughter?!
If it weren't for the fact that the invitation to Chen Shi'an was a last-minute decision, Wen Zhixia would have seriously suspected that he had put a lot of thought into preparing this birthday gift...

I suddenly feel a little jealous.

Wen Zhixia has never received such a thoughtful gift in her entire life!
“My mother is a rough person, she definitely doesn’t know how to appreciate things. Taoist priest, do you have any other pieces? I’ll reluctantly accept this piece, just find my mother any piece of wood.”

"...There are plenty in the Taoist temple. I can give you a whole box if you want. This is the only one I have right now. If you want it, I'll carve one for you next time."

"You said it!" The girl perked up upon hearing this.

"Yes, I always keep my word. When do you need it?"

It seems that the stinky Taoist priest wasn't just being polite! Usually, when people say "next time," it's just polite talk, but he was genuinely asking about the time.

"Then, will you give me a gift for my next birthday?"

"Sure, when is your birthday?"

"This year is over, it'll be June next year... June 16th!"

"Hmm." Chen Shi'an nodded. "What do you want to have engraved?"

"Anything is fine?"

"Anything I've ever seen, anything I can imagine."

"Hehe, I haven't decided yet... I'll tell you when I do!"

"it is good."

Wen Zhixia opened her schoolbag and carefully put away the wood carving of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums.

Embezzlement and all that... just kidding. She would never hide the gift Chen Shi'an gave her mother. On the contrary... she couldn't wait to show it off to her mother and tell her that the person who gave her such a thoughtful and exquisite gift was her good friend Chen Shi'an.

She actually wanted to see her mother's surprised and praising expression towards Chen Shi'an.

June, oh June...

It's only September now, and there's still so much time until June. Will we still be such good friends by then?

As a child, Wen Zhixia always believed that friendship would last forever. Now that she's grown up, she knows that no one can stay by her side forever... But...

"You said you wouldn't go back on your word! You have to remember to give me something for my birthday next year!"

"Okay, okay, I understand."

"Then I won't wait for you after school this afternoon, I'll go straight home."

"Well, pay attention to safety on the road."

"Okay. I'll be back Sunday afternoon. You know I have to attend evening self-study on Sunday night."

"know."

"Then we can go to school together."

"it is good."

"Here you go—your soy milk!"

……

Holding the soy milk given to him by Xiao Zhi, Chen Shi'an walked into the classroom, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Lin Mengqiu was already seated.

The two seemed to have developed a tacit habit—

Lin Mengqiu would glance at Chen Shi'an slightly as he bent down to hang his schoolbag;
When he straightens up, she will subtly look away, and during this brief moment, Chen Shi'an will curiously observe what the class monitor, who has arrived early again today, is doing.

On Saturdays when there's no strict requirement to wear school uniforms, Lin Mengqiu still wears her unchanging school uniform. Trying to capture a girl's daily emotions through clothing changes is futile.

Chen Shi'an could tell that Lin Mengqiu seemed to be in a good mood today, because during the pauses in her writing, she twirled the pen halfway around her delicate thumb.

Sitting next to the class monitor is a kind of training.

Chen Shi'an felt that it wouldn't be long before his ability to judge people's appearances would greatly improve.

Hmm... my ability to compliment people will definitely improve as well.

"Class monitor, is this bottle of milk for me?" Chen Shi'an asked her, picking up the bottle of milk on the table.

"Ah."

"Thank you, class monitor. Then I won't be polite."

Do you buy soy milk every day?

Lin Mengqiu couldn't help but ask.

I saw that cup of soy milk he brought into the classroom again.

The packaging is exactly the same as it was a few days ago. I told him yesterday that I would give him the milk, but he still bought soy milk. Does he like soy milk that much?
"I didn't buy it; Xiao Zhi gave it to me."

"...Did you come to school together?"

"Yes, it's on my way."

"..."

Ah.

Food buddy, travel buddy, study buddy...

Lin Mengqiu's pen stopped spinning.

She quietly continued working on her questions.

The handwriting is neat and beautiful.

The force penetrates through the paper.

……

With a soft "pop," the sound of something being poked rang in my ear—

Lin Mengqiu paused, her pen still twitching, but she couldn't resist stealing a glance out of the corner of her eye.

In her field of vision, Chen Shi'an first picked up her milk, pursed her cheeks, and took a big sip...

"It tastes so good. When I was in the mountains, I never dared to imagine that I could drink milk every day. Thanks to the squad leader, I can live such a good life now."

"~~~"

No! Stop!
"XXX!"

I almost fell for his trick!
The greedy Taoist priest wanted to flatter him?
Misdeed! One point deducted!
After craving someone else's soy milk, I've started craving my milk now.

Greedy! One point deducted from your score!
You can't try to trick me out of milk again! I'll deduct all your milk tomorrow!
……

Looking at Lin Mengqiu, who seemed not to have heard him and was still doing her homework with a blank expression, Chen Shi'an took a sip of milk and blinked.

broken……

Wasn't it supposed to be that he was easily angered but easy to appease? That's what Uncle Lin said in the instructions, so why is it suddenly not working anymore?
"Squad leader, that today..."

"Stop making noise."

"..."

Chen Shi'an retracted his words and obediently took out his English to prepare for morning reading.

"...Read Chinese on Saturday."

"Oh oh."

"XXX!"

(End of this chapter)