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

I almost didn't recognize him in Chapter 19 (Seeking monthly votes~)

When Chen Shi'an came out of the barbershop, he looked completely different.

It's often said that hairstyle is a man's second face, and that's certainly true. Chen Shi'an already has regular features and an outstanding appearance, and after changing to a refreshing, youthful short bob, he looks even more energetic.

The young Taoist priest was still getting used to it. The most noticeable feeling after his hair was cut short was that his scalp felt cool. He touched the back of his head, where the short stubble felt stiff and prickly against his hand, which was quite interesting...

Chen Shi'an took out his phone and checked the time; it was already 8:30 p.m.

In the mountains, the sky would already be filled with stars and all would be quiet by now, but in the city, the nightlife seems to be just beginning, and the bustling streets and alleys are reaching their peak.

Next, it's time to buy daily necessities.

Chen Shi'an doesn't have high demands for material life; when buying things, he always prioritizes sturdiness and durability.

Arriving at the department store near the entrance of the residential area, he bought a bamboo mat, a pillow, a set of navy blue bedding, a pair of slippers, a red plastic bucket, a washbasin, a water cup, a mouthwash cup, a toothbrush, a towel, a bag of laundry detergent... and a bundle of twenty clothes hangers.

This department store is quite large, and you can buy almost all the daily necessities you need here. So Chen Shi'an didn't go shopping anywhere else. He was a Taoist priest and a man, and men always value efficiency when shopping.

He didn't buy shampoo or shower gel, but he did buy two bars of soap.

He has always used bar soap for showering because it's cheap and easy to use. Bar soap makes it less likely for him to get pimples on his back, and unlike shower gel, it doesn't leave a slippery residue that takes a long time to rinse off.

Perhaps the manufacturers specifically developed this slippery effect, but for men, slippery means unclean, and they have to rinse until it's no longer slippery.

He didn't buy any facial cleanser or anything like that. It was only when he saw it on the shelf that Chen Shi'an realized there were special cleansers for washing faces, with very detailed categories like oil-controlling, moisturizing, and skin-softening. He usually just washed his face with water or soap and never got pimples...

Even when washing his hair, he uses soap.

Whether it's due to changes in living environment and eating habits, or the effects of shampoo, modern people generally have less hair than those of the 1980s and 90s. Looking at old photos of our parents' generation, you can see that back then, whether ordinary people or celebrities, everyone had thick, black hair like a bird's nest. Now, with technological advancements and a plethora of shampoos offering various functions, the problem of thinning hair persists.

However, Chen Shi'an doesn't need to worry about this. When he gets a haircut, people always praise him for having a lot of hair and good hair quality.

Of course, he was young, so that doesn't count. But his old master still had a fairly thick head of hair until his death, it was just completely white.

After buying household items, Chen Shi'an went to buy some kitchenware, such as pots, pans, oil, rice, soy sauce, and vinegar.

He had seen the kitchen before. Li Wanyin kept it very clean, with a gas stove and a wok, and all the necessary oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were prepared. It was fine for her to use by herself, but if two people used it, there wouldn't be enough bowls, chopsticks, and plates.

Although Sister Wanyin generously offered to let him use the food, Chen Shi'an was unwilling to shamelessly ask for a free meal. He could tell that this sister was really short of money, and even if they had the chance to cook together in the future, he would feel more at ease contributing himself to the meal.

This was Chen Shi'an's first time sharing an apartment, but the same principle applies to all interpersonal relationships: you can't always take other people's politeness for granted; you have to be more sensible yourself.

"Young master, is there anything else you'd like to buy?" The proprietress smiled and helped carry the items to the counter.

"Okay, that's all for now. Boss lady, could you please calculate the total? I'm a Taoist priest, could you give me a discount?"

A Taoist priest... a Taoist priest is fine, but a student is not. She makes her little business by selling things to students.

"Let me calculate first... 38 + 20 + 148 + 15 + ... a total of four hundred and seventy-five yuan. Little master, can you give me four hundred and sixty? Then I'll give you the slippers for free."

"Yes, thank you, ma'am."

"Okay, then I'll help you pack everything. Do you have a car, little master? Can you carry all this stuff?"

"It's okay, I should be able to get it."

Small items were packed into buckets, and bedding and similar items already had packaging and handles, making them easy to pick up.

With the help of the proprietress, the purchased items were quickly organized.

"By the way, ma'am, do you have any fabric here? Could you spare me a piece?"

"Yes, little master, how long do you need?"

Before leaving, Chen Shi'an bought a roll of fabric and some needles and thread. These things would probably be useless to many young people, but he would need them quite often.

For example, if this pillow isn't comfortable to sleep on, he plans to buy some buckwheat later and make his own buckwheat pillow.

Carrying large and small bags of daily necessities, Chen Shi'an walked back.

Passing by a pet supply store, he thought for a moment, then went in and bought a bag of chicken-flavored cat food.

I don't know if Feimo likes to eat it, but since I've come all the way to the city, I'll buy some for it to try.

There are people selling watermelons near the entrance of the residential area; you can buy them whole or cut up.

Chen Shi'an saw that the watermelon was of good quality, so he picked one and asked the shopkeeper to weigh half of it.

He hadn't eaten watermelon this year, so this was just to satisfy his craving. He didn't know if Li Wanyin liked it, but he figured no one disliked watermelon. He'd ask her to eat with him when he got back.

I did a quick calculation: today's two long-distance bus rides cost 20 yuan, a haircut cost 40 yuan, and the shopping I did right now cost around 550 yuan.

The card his master left him before his death contained more than 24,600 yuan. Today, he spent the small change and still has 24,000 yuan left.

Once I officially enroll in school, there shouldn't be many expenses, right?

Chen Shi'an pondered that the main expense should be the monthly rent, which he estimated would be around 700 yuan after splitting it with Li Wanyin.

Twenty-four thousand yuan is enough for him to live on for a while. If there are no other major expenses, his extremely simple lifestyle can support him for two years until the end of the college entrance examination. But that's when the college entrance examination ends.

As for his future university tuition and living expenses, as well as the money he owes to his creditors, he will have to find other ways to make those up.

As Chen Shi'an pondered, his expression turned strange... Master, could this also be something you had planned?
It seems that learning how to make money is a lesson he must learn in this new world.

Fortunately, there is still a two-year buffer period, during which he can take his time to consider things. Right now, the most important thing is to make up for the academic foundation and grades he has fallen behind in.

Carrying his hands full of things, Chen Shi'an walked up to the ninth floor as if nothing had happened, without even breaking a sweat.

He put his things on the ground for now and took out his keys from his pocket to open the door.

There were two keys in total, one for the security door and one for the room door. They were left behind by the previous tenant who moved out, and Li Wanyin handed them over to him.

As for the keys to the Taoist temple, there was a large bunch of them with an even older design, which he put in his bag.

Upon opening the door to the rented room, one could see Li Wanyin, dressed in casual shorts and a T-shirt, hanging clothes to dry on the balcony.

She must have just finished showering; her hair was still slightly damp, and the washing machine in the bathroom was still humming. She was hanging out her hand-washed underwear to dry.

Hearing the door open, Li Wanyin, who was used to living alone, immediately turned around to look.

Upon seeing the newcomer's face clearly, the initial wariness vanished, replaced by an incredulous gleam in their eyes:

"Shi-Shi'an?"

"Yeah, I was only gone for a short while, and Sister Wanyin doesn't recognize me?"

"It really is you!! You've changed so much!! If you weren't still wearing your Taoist robe, I almost wouldn't have recognized you!!"

"..."

I just got a haircut, don't be surprised as if I had plastic surgery.

(Starting tomorrow, each chapter will be increased to around 3,000 words!)

(End of this chapter)