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

Chapter 80 Coral Sea

In the past, when he was in the mountains, Chen Shi'an didn't have any concept of holidays.

It wasn't until he went down the mountain to study that he truly experienced his first 'vacation' in life.

Even on mornings when he didn't have to go to class, Chen Shi'an still woke up at five in the morning.

However, this morning, in addition to continuing to collect maps, he also went to look for a carrying basket, intending to buy one for use when hiking in the mountains.

It's very convenient to buy a bamboo basket at a rural market, but it's not so easy to buy one in a big city where supplies are plentiful.

Fortunately, the map collection he had done over the past few days had given him enough familiarity with the surrounding living environment. After wandering around for a while, he finally arrived at the vegetable market and bought a personal basket from an old man selling vegetables by the roadside.

For those hiking in the mountains, nothing is more convenient than a bamboo basket – it's lightweight, has ample storage space, and is sturdy and durable.

The basket cost 65 yuan, which was slightly more expensive than buying it at the town market, but since the old man gave it to him for free, it was worth the extra cost.

Seeing that the old man was selling vegetables he had grown himself and that the quality was quite good, Chen Shi'an bought a few more vegetables as well. The old man also gave him a cucumber and a bunch of scallions as a gift.

Chen Shi'an went to the market again and bought ten yuan's worth of meat, which he could use to make breakfast when he got back.

After buying the basket and vegetables, he went to the hardware store and bought a small hoe for twelve yuan, a small shovel for nine yuan, and a sickle for seven yuan.

In this way, I have basically all the tools I need for hiking, and this morning I spent exactly one hundred yuan.

If you want to do a good job, you must first have the right tools. You still have to spend the money you need to spend. Otherwise, if you just pack a bag and say you're going to climb mountains, what kind of mountains are you going to climb?
After shopping, I got home around 6 p.m.

Chen Shi'an first cleaned the basket he had used to carry vegetables. With a shake of his magic, the stains were gone.

After washing up, he went to the kitchen, took out the meat and vegetables he had just bought, and started cooking breakfast.

Ten yuan's worth of meat isn't much, but it's still six ounces. Chen Shi'an included Li Wanyin's share; otherwise, three ounces would have been enough for him.

Cut the meat into thin slices and marinate it in a large bowl. Chop some scallions and set aside. Tear off a few lettuce leaves and wash them. Put the rest in the refrigerator. Also, take out three eggs and three pancakes. Today's breakfast is still noodles, but a little more substantial.

To make the noodles fragrant, the eggs must be fried. When frying, Chen Shi'an will make a slit in the yolk with a spatula to let some of the yolk seep out and release its aroma in the hot oil. Then, hot water is added, and the aroma of the fried egg can be well infused into the soup.

Once the water boils, add the marinated meat slices. The meat slices are cut thin enough that they change color almost as soon as they hit the pot. Chen Shi'an uses chopsticks to separate the slices, paying close attention to the heat. Too little heat and they're raw; too long and they're overcooked. Finally, add a simple seasoning, blanch some lettuce leaves, and a touch of chopped scallions. And there you have it, a simple yet fragrant pot of meat and egg noodles.

Chen Shi'an brought over two large bowls and was putting noodles into them when Li Wanyin's voice rang out from the kitchen doorway.

"It smells so good!"

The older sister, who had just woken up and hadn't had time to wash up, came to Chen Shi'an's side by smelling the scent. Since she had just woken up, her voice still carried a unique languidness and softness.

"Shi'an, you've already cooked the noodles?"

"Yes, Sister Wanyin can eat after washing up. Why are you up so early today?"

"Well, you said you wanted to go hiking, but you didn't say what time it was. I was thinking of getting up early so as not to waste time."

"My original intention was to wait until you had enough sleep, but it made you wake up early instead."

"Haha, same here. I usually wake up around this time too, but you're already at school by then."

"That's perfect, Sister Wanyin, brush your teeth and we'll eat noodles together."

"Mmm, I was saying I'd cook breakfast for you today, but I didn't expect you to cook for me. I'll have to wait and see how good your cooking is."

It's amazing to wake up to find someone has already cooked breakfast.

First, I heard a noise from the kitchen, and when I went over to look, I saw his back as he busied himself making breakfast.

The boy's tall and upright figure, his skillful operation, the flickering flames, the aroma filling the air... these elements intertwined in the small kitchen, and in that instant, they gave her a feeling of happiness.

……

"So delicious!!"

At the dining table, Li Wanyin's eyes lit up. She really never thought that one day she would use the adjective 'delicious' to describe such a simple bowl of noodles.

The noodles were cooked to perfection. When you gently bite into them, you can feel their springy elasticity. They won't break easily or become hard and stubborn. The aroma of the fried egg and the freshness of the lean meat blend into the broth and are absorbed into the noodles. Combined with the wheat flavor of the noodles themselves, this bite truly gave her a rich and layered taste experience.

The simpler the dish, the more attention must be paid to the techniques and the details of cooking time and temperature to make it taste good.

"It's not that exaggerated, it's just simple noodles."

"It's really delicious! Shi'an, your cooking skills are much better than mine!"

Li Wanyin didn't know how Chen Shi'an did it. The ingredients were the same, and the seasonings were the same, but his cooking was just better.

Perhaps it's out of care? After all, for most people, eating noodles often means just having a quick bite, and they rarely study how to cook noodles to make them taste good.

Regardless, Li Wanyin felt that this was the most perfect bowl of noodles she had ever eaten. The bowl was so big, and she didn't leave a single drop of soup. She felt incredibly satisfied after finishing it, and her whole body felt warm.

Seeing that Chen Shi'an was about to clean up, Li Wanyin took the bowls and chopsticks from his hands and quickly tidied up the kitchen.

……

At 7:10 a.m., the siblings prepared to set off.

When did you buy a bamboo basket?!

"Just now, it would be more convenient to have a basket on your back."

"Hello, professional..."

Li Wanyin couldn't help but laugh, "Such a big basket can hold a lot of things, right? What if our air force collapses?"

"air force?"

"It's like a fisherman, setting off fully equipped and returning with a bucket of water."

Chen Shi'an understood what he meant and laughed, "It shouldn't be that bad. If you search in the mountains, you can always find something. Did Sister Wanyin go up the mountain?"

"Hehe, I've only ever dug up bamboo shoots and picked wild mushrooms."

"Not bad, you've gained some experience."

Chen Shi'an nodded. Little Zhi and the class monitor, who only know how to boil water and cook rice, probably don't understand these things.

Li Wanyin's equipment was simple. She carried a backpack containing water, mosquito repellent spray, tissues, and towels. She wasn't wearing a white T-shirt to avoid getting it dirty and difficult to wash. Instead, she wore casual, loose-fitting trousers and a floral long-sleeved shirt, which could protect her from mosquitoes and sunburn. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore a very ordinary baseball cap.

Li Wanyin is indeed quite experienced in mountain climbing. There are many mountains in Yunqi. When she was in college, she often went mountain climbing with her roommates because mountain climbing is the most economical and affordable activity that allows you to experience the beauty of nature.

Chen Shi'an wasn't wearing his school uniform today either, but instead wore a Taoist robe, though not the long robe he wore on the first day of school, but a more casual cotton and linen short jacket with a diagonal placket.

Long robes are generally worn only on altars, during religious ceremonies, or on important occasions. Most of the time, short jackets are preferred, which are more convenient for daily practice, chores, and travel.

Chen Shi'an and Li Wanyin were going to the mountains, and the fat cat naturally wanted to go with them. It lightly leaped from the floor and jumped into the basket on Chen Shi'an's back. With its paws on the side, it sat in the basket and went out with the two of them.

"Should we buy some dry food? If we don't have time to eat lunch, we can just grab something to eat on the mountain?" Li Wanyin asked.

"Okay, what would you like to eat, Sister Wanyin?"

How's the bread?

"Okay." "I'll buy it, I'll buy it."

There was a bakery right next to the entrance of the residential area, so Li Wanyin went to buy some bread and put it in her backpack.

As the older sister, Li Wanyin felt it was her responsibility to lead the way, so she took out her phone's map app to search for the route to Shuiche Mountain.

"Hmm, it's not too far, about a 50-minute bus ride. There's a direct bus; let's wait at that stop over there."

The two arrived at the bus stop near the residential area. Li Wanyin was still looking at the map when she switched to the real-view image and suddenly saw Chen Shi'an's figure on her phone.

In the map, Chen Shi'an is standing at the bus stop wearing a t-shirt, with a young man standing next to him. The young man is looking down at his phone, while Chen Shi'an is looking at the camera, so the real-life picture captures him perfectly.

As if she had found a treasure on a map, Li Wanyin was very surprised and brought her phone over to show him.

"Shi'an! How did you get photographed on the map?! That's amazing!"

"It really is……"

When was it filmed?

"I went for a run that morning and happened to see the map information collection vehicle."

Chen Shi'an found it amusing too. He took out his phone's map to take a look, and sure enough, the image of him was captured on the map and became part of the map information.

With the help of the software's bus information, you can even know roughly when the bus will arrive at the station, which is really convenient.

Shortly after, bus number 761 arrived at the station, and the two boarded together. Before Chen Shi'an could pay, Li Wanyin swiped her bus card twice.

"I've had enough appointments this month, so I'm giving you a discount. I'll treat you to the bus!"

"Thank you, Sister Wanyin."

Li Wanyin was very satisfied, though she couldn't explain why. Even though she was desperately poor, she was still very happy to spend a little money on him.

It's the weekend, and it's still early, so there are still plenty of empty seats on the bus.

The two found a seat in the middle or back row. Li Wanyin sat by the window, while Chen Shi'an sat by the aisle, taking the basket off his shoulder and placing it at his feet.

The journey was quite long, so Li Wanyin took out her earphones—a pair of wired earphones that cost twenty or thirty yuan. For earphone enthusiasts, earphones at this price point are barely enough to make any noise, but Li Wanyin thought the sound quality was pretty good.

"Shi'an, would you like to listen to a song?"

"Okay."

"Here, have an earphone."

Chen Shi'an had never used headphones before. He took them, looked at them, and then awkwardly put one on his left ear. Li Wanyin, who was next to him, put the other earphone on her right ear.

Since the headphone cord was of limited length, Li Wanyin sat a little closer to him.

Until their arms touched.

She felt the warmth from Chen Shi'an's arm, and her heart inexplicably raced.

It's a little embarrassing to admit.

She's already 22 years old (23 by Chinese reckoning), and in her mother's eyes, she'll be 25 soon—a grown woman—yet she's never been in a relationship, nor has she ever been this close to any boy.

Li Wanyin's body tensed slightly, her eyes looking at the song list on her phone screen, but her attention was entirely focused on the arms pressed tightly together between the two of them.

She usually listens to music on shuffle.

Perhaps to promote Chen Shian's songs, she specially selected more than ten of her favorite songs to add to the playlist.

The music started playing softly in their headphones.

She glanced at Chen Shi'an's reaction.

Chen Shi'an's expression didn't change much, but you could see his head swaying slightly rhythmically to the music, as if he was thinking, "Not bad."

How do you feel about this song?

"Not bad, the melody is quite nice."

"Shi An, can you sing?"

"Hmm... I haven't sung many songs, but I've sung a lot of sutras."

"through?"

“Yes, I know all the scriptures commonly used in rituals, such as the Three Views and the Northern Dipper True Scripture, the Supreme Mysterious Spirit, the Northern Dipper Scripture, the Supreme Mysterious Spirit Treasure Scripture for Saving from Suffering and Removing Sins, and the Purifying Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra. I need to chant these scriptures in a specific tone. In the past, when I went out to perform rituals with my master, I would help him chant scriptures and play instruments, such as gongs, bells, wooden fish, cymbals, bells, handbells, chimes, drums, gongs, as well as flutes, sheng, ruan, flutes, pipa, erhu, guzheng, and qin. I know all the instruments that can be used in Taoist rituals or fasting ceremonies.”

Li Wanyin was stunned; it was a completely unfamiliar area for her.

I thought that practicing meditation in the mountains would be a very leisurely thing, but I never expected that becoming a Taoist priest would require knowing so many things!

"Wouldn't that be incredibly difficult to learn..."

"It's not difficult. You'll get it after listening to it a couple of times."

"Then you must have a very good sense of pitch."

"Can Sister Wanyin sing?"

"His name reflects his character."

Li Wanyin was a little proud, "I think I sing alright, but I'm too embarrassed to sing when there are a lot of people around."

"Want me to sing a couple of lines?"

"..."

Li Wanyin looked around at the empty seats in the carriage, and, not knowing where she got the courage, she started humming softly to the melody in her headphones.

"...What expectations are hidden inside the seashell~" (Waiting for the flowers to bloom)

As she recited that lyric, Chen Shi'an's lips moved slightly, and a backing vocal that perfectly matched her melody rang in her ears.

Li Wanyin suddenly widened her eyes and turned to look at him.

She was certain that the voice she had just heard was not from her earphones, but sung by Chen Shi'an!
What a magnetic voice! What perfect backing vocals!
"(We've lost the will to guess anymore)"

"Facing the sea breeze~"

"Salty love~" (Salty love)

"..."

The two hummed softly, their voices blending together in the small space, their tacit understanding as if they had rehearsed countless times.

Li Wanyin's eyes shone even brighter as she looked at the young Taoist priest in front of her.

(End of this chapter)