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

Chapter 75 is a bonus.

[Face verification in progress - please follow the prompts - turn your head to the left - open your mouth...]
Following the system prompts, Chen Shi'an took Lin Mengqiu's phone and began recording her face.

"All right."

After recording the face, Chen Shi'an handed the phone back to Lin Mengqiu.

As expected, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. He didn't think his phone was laggy at first, but after using Lin Mengqiu's phone, he suddenly found his own phone to be really laggy.

"Squad leader, your phone is really useful. How much would one like this cost?"

"Seven thousand."

"..."

Chen Shi'an suddenly realized that his phone wasn't so laggy after all.

After helping him register the access control information, Lin Mengqiu continued reading.

Chen Shi'an glanced at the book in her hand; it was an extracurricular book, probably for leisure reading.

The only time I see her doing things unrelated to studying is when she's at home.

Uncle Lin was preparing dinner in the kitchen, while Lin Mengqiu was reading a book by herself.

Expecting the class monitor to come and greet him was obviously unrealistic, so Chen Shi'an was quite at ease. He went to the tea table, poured himself a cup of tea, and then asked her:

"Squad leader, would you like some tea?"

"Don't drink."

"It's very delicious."

"Don't drink."

"This is tea that we grow and pick ourselves in our own village."

"……Fine."

Chen Shi'an brought a teacup, poured her a cup of tea, and placed it on the coffee table in front of her sofa.

Lin Mengqiu looked up from the book, glanced at the tea on the table, but didn't drink it.

Chen Shi'an could tell that the girl's demeanor was different at home and at school; she was noticeably easier to talk to at home.

In the classroom, her sharp edge, which seemed like a protective shield, completely disappeared at home. Although her expression remained calm, the emotions in her eyes were clearly much richer.

After pouring her a cup of tea, Chen Shi'an left the living room.

Lin Mengqiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, secretly followed his back with her gaze.

Chen Shi'an went to the kitchen.

"Uncle Lin."

"Shi'an! Are you hungry? The soup is ready, why don't you have a bowl of soup first! I'll make a couple of dishes soon!"

"No rush, I'll come in and learn from Uncle Lin, and see if there's anything I can do to help."

"Hey, my skills are only so-so, I just need to cook it properly, so please don't complain that my cooking isn't good!"

"How could that be? I can smell the fragrance."

On the way back, Lin Mengqiu told him the menu for tonight: four dishes and a soup.

The soup was chicken stewed with ginkgo nuts, and the dishes included spiced pork ribs, fish head with chopped chili peppers, fried eggs with silver fish, and shredded pork with green peppers. It was quite a hearty home-style meal.

Since he had nothing else to do that evening, Lin Ming didn't prepare too early. The soup was already cooked, and he had prepared all the ingredients and side dishes. There were two pots in the kitchen, so he could quickly cook a few dishes.

"Uncle Lin, this fish head is so big?"

"Yes, I picked out the biggest one at the market this afternoon. Big fish heads taste better."

"Does Uncle Lin always cook at home?"

"Yes, Uncle is a stay-at-home dad, haha. Shi'an can cook, right?"

"Yes, I do it when we're in the mountains."

"Then Shi'an, you must be a master chef. Mengqiu can't even cook!"

"It's probably because Uncle Lin doesn't want the squad leader to cook. She's so smart, cooking is definitely not a difficult task for her."

"Haha, that's true."

The two men were chatting animatedly in the kitchen, and Lin Mengqiu, sitting on the sofa, couldn't hear what they were saying. She just peeked around curiously.

Just as Lin Ming was about to take the pot off the stove, his cell phone rang.

He wiped his hands, took out his phone, and frowned slightly when he saw the caller ID.

"What's wrong, Uncle Lin?"

"It's a call from the boss. I'll go answer it first. Shi'an, could you check the heat of the ribs? They're almost done."

"Okay, Uncle Lin, you go ahead and do your work. I'll keep an eye on the fire."

Lin Ming then took his phone and left the kitchen, walking to the balcony to answer the call.

Lin Mengqiu had no interest in this business phone call, which involved a long exchange of pleasantries before getting down to business and then another long exchange of pleasantries before it ended.

She glanced into the kitchen again, but didn't see Chen Shi'an come out.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he finally closed the book, picked up the cup of tea, and took a sip.

She blinked as she tasted the tea.

Take a closer look at the tea in the cup.

Delicious.

Although she wasn't as discerning about tea as her father, nor did she particularly enjoy drinking it, she genuinely found this cup of tea quite delicious.

After finishing her tea and putting down her teacup, Lin Mengqiu went to the kitchen door.

In the kitchen, Chen Shi'an was opening the pot lid, and as white steam rose, the aroma of the five-spice stewed pork ribs wafted out.

"You were secretly eating?"

"What are you talking about? Uncle Lin told me to watch the fire."

Seeing that the sauce in the pot had reduced to almost the desired consistency, Chen Shi'an turned off the gas stove, held a plate in one hand and a spatula in the other, and skillfully ladled out the stewed spiced pork ribs.

"Has Uncle Lin finished his phone call yet?"

"It takes at least half an hour to finish."

"Um……"

Chen Shi'an felt embarrassed to just wait for Uncle Lin to finish his work and come back to cook, so he took off the apron hanging on the wall and put it on.

Lin Mengqiu was stunned.

"What are you doing."

"Cook the rest of the dishes. We can't wait for Uncle Lin to finish his work before cooking for us."

"...You do it?"

"Why don't you cook, class monitor? I'm a guest, so you can show me your skills."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu didn't reply, but just rolled her eyes at him, thinking that if she, who only knew how to cook rice and boil water, were to be left out, then the three of them wouldn't need to eat tonight.

Chen Shi'an was obviously joking. Fortunately, there weren't many dishes left, just shredded pork with green peppers and fried eggs with silver fish, both of which could be prepared quickly.

He took the pork tenderloin out of the bag and washed it clean.

Seeing that he was really going to cook for himself, Lin Mengqiu looked surprised.

I wanted to tell him to stop working so hard, but I couldn't resist my curiosity to taste what his cooking was like. After all these years, I'm tired of my dad's cooking.

Lin Mengqiu really wanted to try the dishes that the stinky Taoist priest had cooked himself.

After all, it was her own home, and Lin Mengqiu felt embarrassed to just watch him work so hard.

"Do you need any help?"

"Then you can prepare the green peppers."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu was too embarrassed to admit that she had never processed green peppers before. Thinking it was just washing them, she silently walked past Chen Shi'an to the sink, took the green peppers from the bag, and turned on the tap to wash them clean. "All done."

"..."

Chen Shi'an stared into thought as she handed him the green peppers.

No, you think you've dealt with it by just washing it like that?

"Remove the stem."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu took back the green pepper in her hand, twisted off the stem, and then handed it to Chen Shi'an.

"..."

Chen Shi'an remained silent. Rather than teaching her how to do it step by step, it would be faster to do it himself.

"Let it go first."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"...Could you peel some garlic for me?"

Lin Mengqiu raised an eyebrow. "You look down on me?"

"Squad leader, I didn't. Peeling garlic is really important."

"..."

I think you have it!
Lin Mengqiu stopped interfering and obediently peeled garlic on the side. She wanted to see just how capable Chen Shi'an was.

The light from the kitchen ceiling light fell on Chen Shi'an's well-defined hands. He picked up a cleaver and, with effortless ease, sliced ​​open several green peppers.

"Processing green peppers isn't just about washing them. See those white veins inside? That's the source of the bitterness. To prevent the green peppers from having a bitter or spicy taste, you have to remove those white veins."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu blinked, unsure if Chen Shi'an was right. She didn't recall ever seeing her father remove any white fibers when cooking green peppers...

After processing the green peppers, Chen Shi'an began to cut them into strips.

Lin Mengqiu witnessed firsthand tonight the kind of knife skills she had only seen on food shows before.

The cleaver, which was somewhat heavy for her, felt like an extension of his body in Chen Shi'an's hands. With a series of tapping sounds, the cleaver in his hand moved so fast that it seemed to leave afterimages. In the blink of an eye, a green pepper was turned into a bunch of evenly sized green pepper strips under his knife.

"Be careful, don't cut your hand while you're cutting so fast," Lin Mengqiu couldn't help but say.

"When chopping vegetables, pull your fingers in and press the back of your fingers against the blade, and you won't cut your hand."

While talking to her, Chen Shi'an chopped green peppers. By the time he finished chopping all the green peppers, the girl had also finished peeling the garlic in her hand.

"The squad leader is quite good at peeling garlic. He peels it so quickly. It seems he has been peeling garlic a lot."

"..."

That's sarcastic and unfriendly! I'm deducting one point from your score!
Before Chen Shi'an could ask her for it, Lin Mengqiu quickly placed the garlic cloves on his cutting board.

Snapped--

After being slapped, Lin Mengqiu shrank her neck.

Chen Shi'an put the garlic in a bowl and set it aside, then took a plate.

"Toss the green bell pepper strips with a little salt to draw out the moisture, maintain their crispness, and allow them to absorb the flavor beforehand. Be careful not to add too much salt."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu didn't respond to his words, but she listened very attentively.

After slicing the green bell peppers, cut the meat.

"First, slice the meat, then shred it. It's best to cut it to the same size as the shredded green peppers so that you can enjoy both the tenderness of the meat and the flavor of the green peppers when you put it in your mouth with chopsticks."

"Add some light soy sauce, cooking wine, pepper, and cornstarch, mix well to coat, then drizzle with oil to seal in the moisture..."

Chen Shi'an was talking to himself as he worked, and Lin Mengqiu listened in a daze.

She didn't know where the seasonings he mentioned, such as cooking wine, pepper, and starch, were located in the kitchen, but Chen Shi'an knew them as if they were his own home. He would reach out and grab them without hesitation, and he even knew where some of them were kept in the cupboards.

Moreover, he uses the correct amount of soy sauce with almost no hesitation or pause. He uses exactly the right amount with each spoonful, as if he has even the exact number of drops of soy sauce in his control.

He heated the wok until it smoked, then poured in the oil. Once the oil was hot, he added the shredded meat. The meat changed color under the high temperature, and he quickly separated it with a spatula. The aroma of the meat was already in the air.

"How long do you need to cook it?" Lin Mengqiu couldn't help but ask.

"Stir-fry over high heat until the edges are slightly browned. This will help lock in the juices and prevent the meat from becoming overcooked."

"...A few minutes?"

"Adapt to the situation based on the heat and the amount of food."

Lin Mengqiu could understand what he was saying, but she couldn't grasp it. She couldn't figure out how he judged the 'cooking time' and 'maturity'. This thing, which had no fixed quantifiers, left her feeling as if she were listening to gibberish.

Can you just tell me directly how many minutes it needs to be cooked?

Chi-

The minced garlic was sautéed in the remaining oil in the pan until fragrant. When the aroma was released, Chen Shi'an turned the heat to the highest setting and added the shredded green peppers to stir-fry. The shredded green peppers gradually softened under the high temperature, and tiger-skin patterns appeared on the edges.

Chen Shi'an poured in the stir-fried shredded meat, added a few drops of light soy sauce to enhance the flavor, and half a spoonful of sugar to neutralize the spiciness. He quickly stirred to coat the ingredients with the seasonings evenly.

Finally, drizzle a little oil along the edge of the pan to brighten the color, and sprinkle with some chopped green onions to enhance the aroma.

Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the pan.

"All right."

"..."

The vibrant green bell peppers, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside shredded pork, and golden minced garlic intertwine in the steam, creating an enticing aroma.

Served on a white porcelain plate, it looks so appetizing that it makes your mouth water.

Lin Mengqiu was speechless. Her mind hadn't even processed how he made the dish yet, but the aroma of green peppers mixed with the smell of meat had already filled her nostrils.

The girl swallowed unconsciously.

She's a picky eater.

She often gets tired of the food after just a few bites, and even the most appetizing dish, shredded pork with green peppers, doesn't whet her appetite much. She usually only picks out the shredded pork to eat.

And now, Chen Shi'an's freshly cooked shredded pork with green peppers is right in front of me.

She watched how he made it and smelled the rich, fragrant aroma. At that moment, she couldn't resist setting aside her manners and taking a bite.

As if sensing her thoughts, Chen Shi'an asked with a smile:

"Squad leader, do you want to give it a try?"

"Need not."

"Let's see if it suits your taste."

"Oh……"

Lin Mengqiu finally couldn't resist the temptation. She took a pair of chopsticks and, looking rather solemn, picked up a piece from the plate he was holding.

She blew on it to cool it down slightly, trying her best to maintain her composure, and then put the shredded green pepper and pork into her mouth...

“~~~~~!”

The girl's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her originally droopy eyelids slowly lifted, revealing a bright color in her pupils.

The crisp spiciness of green peppers meets the rich flavor of shredded meat on the tip of the tongue.

The two flavors danced a light, graceful waltz, with the spiciness enhancing the layers of meaty aroma, while the meat juice neutralized the astringency of the green peppers, creating a wonderful balance in her mouth.

“~~~~~!”

It's really delicious!
What was that green pepper and shredded pork I was eating before?!
How can someone make shredded pork with green peppers so perfectly?!
"How is it? Does it taste good?"

"Ah."

Lin Mengqiu responded calmly.

But my heart is screaming—

It tastes a million times better than my dad's!
Add one...no! Add two points!!
(End of this chapter)