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

Chapter 36 It's alright, it's not serious.

As the campus gradually became noisy at midday, Chen Shi'an, who had been sitting quietly, also came out of his reverie and slowly opened his eyes.

He studied with high concentration for several classes in the morning, and it was inevitable that he would feel a little tired, but after sitting quietly and meditating for a while, he had already returned to his best state.

The main problem is that the school's teaching schedule is too tight. If it were longer, he could find a cool shady spot to take a nap.

Just like waking up from a normal afternoon nap, Chen Shi'an stretched with his fingers interlaced, picked up his water bottle and took a few sips of water.

When I turned around, I saw that the seven students who were studying in the classroom had already slumped down. The preparatory bell had just rung, and there were still ten minutes before class officially started. They had stayed up all noon without sleeping and couldn't hold on any longer, so they took advantage of the last ten minutes to lie down for a bit.

Unlike Chen Shi'an, other students could not quickly recover through meditation. They either took a nap or used instant coffee to boost their spirits.

As a high school student, besides not having enough to eat, I also don't get enough sleep.

After finishing the water in the bottle, Chen Shi'an got up and took the bottle to the water dispenser to refill it.

He used a regular mineral water bottle.

After filling a bottle with cold water, he noticed that the water dispenser was empty, so he took the empty bottle down.

In the morning, he watched other students change the water and knew how to do it.

First, peel off the seal on the mouth of the new water bucket, then turn it upside down and insert it.

However, his movements when changing the water were not as strenuous as those of the other students. The water bucket, weighing dozens of kilograms, was no different from the empty bucket in his hands. With a 'click', the new water bucket was firmly inserted into the water dispenser.

"Master Dao, you're incredibly strong!"

The speaker was Dong Wenyu, who had just woken up and also came to fetch water. In terms of height, he was about the same as Chen Shi'an, but his body was like a bamboo pole. He wore glasses on his nose, and apart from his large hands, he had thin arms and legs, as if a strong wind would blow him apart.

"It's alright, not too heavy."

"Isn't this heavy?"

Dong Wenyu, not believing in superstition, also squatted down, picked up the spare new bucket from the side and tried it. Chen Shi'an felt that when he lifted the bucket, his whole body was shaking like a butterfly flapping its wings.

Alright, alright, stop falling apart, buddy! Even with lotus root, I can't piece it back together for you!
"...Huh?"

Seeing that Dong Wenyu was about to fall, Chen Shi'an reacted quickly, taking the bucket from his hand with one hand and supporting his shoulder with the other.

A heavy, steady force came from his shoulder, and Dong Wenyu finally stood up. Just that sudden movement had made him break out in a cold sweat.

"Are you okay?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing... I squatted down and stood up too quickly, and suddenly everything went black..."

Chen Shi'an: "..."

We're still the same age! Even the seventy-year-old man from the village at the foot of the mountain, who squatted down and stood up, didn't say his vision went black!

Well, strictly speaking, they're not exactly 'the same age'. Chen Shi'an asked Wen Zhixia, and most of his classmates in the second year of high school were seventeen, about a year younger than him. Since they all call each other 'Dad' when they're the same age, it's not wrong for them to call him 'Daoist Master' on a regular basis...

Chen Shi'an glanced at him and knew that Dong Wenyu's body was actually not in any major condition. It was just that he was not active enough and lacked exercise, coupled with excessive mental exertion, lack of sleep, and excessive indulgence, which led to mental and physical weakness as well as kidney deficiency.

"You need to train harder," Chen Shi'an said earnestly.

"It's okay! I just don't have time usually. After the college entrance exam, I'll definitely adjust my schedule and exercise more!"

"..."

Chen Shi'an was skeptical. Based on his understanding of most people, the end of a stressful event usually leads to greater indulgence.

"Master Dao, would you like some coffee? I still have some left, can I get you a packet?"

"No, thanks."

While making coffee, Dong Wenyu exclaimed in surprise, "I just saw you sleeping sitting up, Daoist Master?"

"Not sleeping, but sitting in meditation."

"Awesome! Does it work?"

"Yes, you can try it another day."

After Chen Shi'an finished getting the water, he returned to his seat and put it away. Other students in the class gradually entered the classroom.

Before class started, Chen Shi'an went to the restroom.

Dong Wenyu from the other side also came over.

"Need to use the restroom, Daoist?"

"Yes, I just need to pee."

"Together."

"..."

……

When I came back from the restroom, most of my classmates had already arrived.

Besides Dong Wenyu, the other six students who had stayed in the classroom to study also woke up. They looked listless, with messy hair and vacant eyes. They had only slept for about ten minutes.

Those who slept for an hour back in the dorm weren't much better off; they were all yawning constantly and barely had the energy to speak. When they were in kindergarten, afternoon naps were torture; now in high school, they wish they could just sleep forever in bed during their naps. A bed doesn't ask questions, a bed doesn't criticize you, a bed is soft and warm, a bed is always there waiting for you—a bed is wonderful!

"When will these miserable days end?!" Someone shouted out of the blue again.

Chen Shi'an returned to his seat and sat down. The seat next to him was still empty; Lin Mengqiu had not yet arrived.

Just as he was wondering, he heard footsteps behind him, and the girl came in through the back door of the classroom.

Before she could speak, Chen Shi'an stood up and gave up his seat.

Lin Mengqiu took off her backpack to avoid bumping into the books on the desk of the student behind her. The backpack looked a bit heavy, and the straps were digging into her delicate fingers, making her skin faintly red and white.

The girl pulled out a chair and sat down, placing her backpack on the table with a distinct dull thud.

She didn't speak to Chen Shi'an, and went back to her seat to do her own thing.

First, I took out a pack of tissues and wiped the light sweat off my face and neck. After wiping, I threw the tissues into the trash bag hanging next to the table.

Chen Shi'an didn't have the strange hobby of collecting tissues used by pretty girls; his gaze fell on Lin Mengqiu's face.

From the moment she walked into the classroom, Chen Shi'an noticed that she seemed to be inexplicably resentful, including the way she put down her seat and her schoolbag, which were slightly more forceful than usual.

Chen Shi'an was also confused. It couldn't be that he had offended her, could it? He thought to himself that he had gotten up and offered his seat quite quickly.

The afternoon sun outside the window was intense. She looked like she had walked quite a distance; her fair face was slightly flushed, and a few strands of hair still clung to her delicate features, which she smoothed with her slender fingers.

As Lin Mengqiu was about to drink water and twisted the bottle cap, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Chen Shi'an was watching her.

So she turned her head and didn't say anything, but a question mark could be seen above her head.

Lin Mengqiu: "?"

"Are the teachers' dormitories far from the classrooms?" Chen Shi'an asked curiously.

"Not far."

"Why do you look like you've walked a long way?"

"I'm home."

"Oh--"

Oh again! That's sarcastic! One point deducted!
Chen Shi'an didn't ask her why she went home, so Lin Mengqiu didn't explain either.

She hadn't originally planned to go home. Although her home wasn't far away, only a ten-minute walk, going back and forth would mean she wouldn't have enough time for her lunch break.

It's all because I promised him this morning that I would lend him the workbooks and materials I used in junior high!
Although she said in the morning that she would bring it to him when she went back home for the weekend, she is the kind of person who, once she promises someone something, will keep thinking about it until she gets it done right away.

After packing her lunch from the cafeteria at noon, the girl thought for a moment and decided to just take it home.

Her father, who was having porridge at home, was taken aback when she suddenly returned. After asking why, he said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I happened to be free today. If you had told me earlier, I would have cooked a few dishes. You could have invited Shi'an over, and we could have had a meal together."

Lin Mengqiu's face twitched as she listened! She felt more and more that something was wrong with her father. If Chen Shi'an didn't look so much like her father, she would have suspected that Chen Shi'an was her half-brother!
She usually takes a half-hour nap in the teachers' dormitory during her lunch break, but she didn't nap today. After lunch, she spent the whole time in the study looking through math workbooks and tests she used in junior high school.

She spent the whole noon searching, and found a lot of things. It was impossible to take them all with her, so she only picked out the ones she thought were most useful. Even so, her backpack was still full.

Lin Mengqiu felt a little regretful for agreeing to his request, but now that the agreement was settled, she breathed a sigh of relief.

[Whoosh—]
The sound of a backpack zipper being pulled open.

Chen Shi'an turned his head to look at him curiously.

Lin Mengqiu took out nearly ten exercise books of varying thicknesses from her backpack, along with a bound roll of test papers.

With a soft snap, she placed the stack of exercise books and test papers in the middle of the two-person table. The backpack, which had been overburdened, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, collapsing loosely.

"I'd like to borrow your workbook."

Lin Mengqiu said expressionlessly, "These are all seventh-grade math materials, from both the first and second semesters. You should have a good grasp of them after you finish these. As for the rest... we'll talk about that later."

Chen Shi'an was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then his expression brightened with surprise. He moved the workbooks that were placed between their seats to his side, flipping through them while saying with emotion:

"So you went home specifically to get my workbook? Didn't we agree that you'd go back and get it when you had time this weekend... Class monitor, thank you so much!"

"...I just happened to pick it up on my way back."

"Thank you so much! I appreciate you remembering me all this time."

"~~~"

The girl's face was flushed with unease. She had just rested for a while and wasn't so hot anymore, but now she felt a burning sensation on her face again.

Chen Shi'an provided a lot of emotional value; his facial expressions and the words he uttered both tickled her heart.

She fanned herself with her small hand, but couldn't help glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Seeing him reading the books carefully, turning each page one by one, she suddenly felt that "it wasn't for nothing that I went through all that trouble to find and bring these books to borrow from you," and her original annoyance vanished.

"There are so many in seventh grade... How about this, I'll go and move them myself next time, so you don't have to work so hard, class monitor."

"It's okay, it's not serious."

(End of this chapter)