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

Chapter 83 The Class Monitor's Cup

Lin Mengqiu was studying in her room.

But after receiving the news that Chen Shi'an was going to send her wild mushrooms, she couldn't concentrate on reading.

It wasn't because she was particularly craving the wild mushroom; it was just that she had this habit: once she promised someone she would do something, it meant she couldn't concentrate on anything else while waiting for it to happen, and she had to wait until it was over before she could do anything else.

It would be better if the stinky Taoist priest told her the exact time to come, but he didn't, making it impossible for her to concentrate. She had to keep checking the doorbell or her phone for a while after writing some questions.

Why aren't we there yet! Why aren't we there yet! Are you lost?!
Lin Mengqiu picked up her phone, ready to send a message asking which corner he had run off to, when the doorbell rang outside the room.

The girl was very quick!

He put down his pen in a flash.

She walked briskly out of the room in her slippers.

As she approached the gate, she suddenly slowed her pace.

Using the electronic lock's monitoring screen, she bent down slightly and, sure enough, saw Chen Shi'an standing at the door waiting with his things on the screen.

She subconsciously held her breath, neither opening the door nor making a sound, secretly monitoring him through the screen, openly observing him.

He wasn't wearing his school uniform or long robe today, but a blue Taoist short jacket. While waiting for the door to open, he didn't look around; he just stood there straight, carrying his things.

The surveillance camera was right above the door lock, and for a moment, Chen Shi'an looked over.

She, inside the door, and he, outside the door, stared at each other through the screen.

Lin Mengqiu knew that Chen Shi'an couldn't possibly see her, but for a moment, her heart still started to race.

Just as the surveillance footage showed Chen Shi'an about to raise his hand to ring the doorbell again, Lin Mengqiu opened the door before he could.

Eyes facing each other.

The girl's aloofness remained unchanged for ages. Judging solely from the scene of opening the door, one would assume that she walked in unhurriedly and elegantly, having already anticipated who it was, and showing no surprise or emotion on her face.

But Chen Shi'an clearly knew more; a natural smile played on his lips, yet he uttered words that made Lin Mengqiu uncomfortable—

"The squad leader has been standing at the door for so long, I thought you had forgotten how to open it."

"...!!!!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mengqiu's expression changed instantly, a blush quietly replacing her usual coldness, and her ears even felt hot.

How did he know I was behind the door the whole time?!

The security camera is installed backwards!
Caught spying, the girl felt itchy and uncomfortable all over, but she still tried to remain calm and said, "I just arrived."

"Oh--"

"XXX!"

“I just heard footsteps approaching, and then suddenly there was no sound. I thought it was you, the class monitor, behind the door.”

"..."

With such good hearing, why don't you become a secret agent!

Today, since there were no classes and they weren't at school, Chen Shi'an finally saw Lin Mengqiu for the first time without her school uniform.

This was also the first time I had seen Lin Mengqiu wearing pajamas...

This must be pajamas, right?
The pajamas are a set, with a white base and cute cartoon rabbits printed on them, giving them a soft and fluffy feel.

Although the class monitor didn't manage to fill out her clothes as well as Xiao Zhiliao, her youthful curves still looked quite cute.

"come in."

Lin Mengqiu stepped aside to make way.

Chen Shi'an showed no intention of going in.

"I'm not sitting here anymore. I'll just come over and bring some wild mushrooms to the class monitor. Here you go."

"……Thanks."

Lin Mengqiu reached out and took the bag of wild mushrooms from his hand. She also noticed that he was carrying a bag of raw dumplings in a transparent box, and she didn't know if he had bought those.

She opened the bag and curiously looked at the wild mushrooms inside. Like Wen Zhixia, she knew that these were mushrooms and fungi, but she didn't know what kind of mushrooms and fungi they were.

Seemingly sensing what she was thinking, Chen Shi'an introduced:

"The black one is wood ear fungus."

"...Who doesn't know that?"

The girl rolled her eyes at him.

"The yellow one is an elm mushroom, which can be stir-fried with eggs. This one is a hazel mushroom, which can be dried and used to stew chicken or meat; it's very fragrant. It can also be stir-fried with meat when fresh. And these..."

Chen Shi'an gave her a brief introduction to the various wild mushrooms in the bag and how to eat them.

Seeing Lin Mengqiu's increasingly confused expression, Chen Shi'an added one last sentence: "Tell Uncle Lin what I said, and he'll know what to do."

Lin Mengqiu: "..."

She was certain that this stinky Taoist priest looked down on her.

"Did you really pick all of these from the mountains today?"

"correct."

"Where are the mountains?"

"Waterwheel Mountain".

"Have not heard."

"The scenery is quite nice and natural."

"go by yourself?"

"I'm going with my roommate."

"Are there many wild mushrooms in the mountains?"

"Fortunately, we went quite deep and were able to find some."

"Aren't there any mosquitoes?"

"No."

Lin Mengqiu didn't believe it.

There must be tons of mosquitoes in the mountains! A huge number of mosquitoes!
Only when she thought this way would she not regret not agreeing to go with him back then...

"If you don't know how to do it, don't try to do it yourself, so as not to waste it."

"...My dad might not be able to either."

"The preparation is very simple, just like with ordinary mushrooms. Is Uncle Lin not home today?"

"I'm going out. I'll be back to cook later."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Mengqiu added, "He knows you brought so many wild mushrooms, so he'll definitely want you to stay for dinner. If you don't have anything else to do, you can wait for him to come back and cook for you."

After saying that, she subconsciously avoided Chen Shi'an's eyes and looked down at the wild mushrooms in the bag.

Actually, she was more interested in tasting what these wild mushrooms tasted like when Chen Shi'an cooked them...

After eating his stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers and omelet with silverfish last night, she had a profound appreciation for his culinary skills. If her father's cooking were this good, she would eat at home every day.

"Maybe next time. I'm having dinner with my roommates tonight; my family is already preparing dinner."

"what ever."

"gone."

"You wait."

Chen Shi'an stopped in his tracks, unsure of what she was up to.

Lin Mengqiu carried the bag of wild mushrooms and walked quickly back into the house. When she came out, she was holding a brand new cup.

This is a sports water bottle suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. It is made of heat-resistant material, has a capacity of 1000 ml, is gray-black in color, and comes with a screw-on lid to prevent leaks, as well as a carrying strap for easy hanging.

Seeing Chen Shi'an's gaze fall on the cup in her hand, Lin Mengqiu's expression became slightly uncomfortable.

She bought the cup.

She ordered it online after he left last night, and Jin Dong delivered it to her home early this morning.

I originally only planned to buy him a cheap sports water bottle for 20 or 30 yuan to replace that annoying mineral water bottle, but as I looked through the product list, the cups became more and more expensive. In the end, I chose this sports water bottle for 89 yuan, which is of pretty good quality.

"Here, take this and wash it before using it for drinking."

Lin Mengqiu didn't say a word more than necessary, and simply reached out her small hand to hand the cup to him.

"You bought this for me, class monitor?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the girl's heart began to pound.

Her eyes glanced sideways behind Chen Shi'an as she casually said, "I bought it before, but it was too big, and I was too lazy to return it, so it's just been sitting there. If you want to use it, take it; if not, that's fine too."

Chen Shi'an blinked and looked at her with a slight smile.

Even though he hadn't said a word or made any expression, Lin Mengqiu felt inexplicably guilty, as if her clumsy lie had been exposed to his eyes.

Do you still want it or not?

He unconsciously raised his voice, which gave him more confidence.

"I'll definitely accept it if the class monitor gives it to me. The cup is of very good quality. I didn't expect the class monitor to go out of his way to buy me a new cup. I..."

"It wasn't bought; it was something we didn't use before."

Chen Shi'an was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"Since the class monitor doesn't need it, I'll accept it without hesitation. Thank you, class monitor."

"~~~"

"I am leaving."

"Ah."

Chen Shi'an turned around.

Lin Mengqiu also closed the door to her house.

After Chen Shi'an left, the girl secretly opened the door again and came out, looking at the thickness of the door and knocking on the soundproofing with a puzzled expression.

The soundproofing is pretty good... how did he know she was at the door?

……

After declining Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu's dinner invitation, Chen Shian chose to return home and have dinner with Li Wanyin.

As soon as I opened the door, I could clearly hear the clattering sounds of chopping vegetables and meat coming from the kitchen.

"Has Sister Wanyin started cooking yet?"

"Yeah, you're back so quickly after you finished delivering."

As Li Wanyin spoke, she skillfully used a cleaver to scoop the chopped mushrooms from the cutting board into a plate.

"There shouldn't be a rush to go to school, right? The soup is almost ready. Let me cook a few dishes, and we can eat in a little while."

"No rush, is there anything I can help you with, Sister Wanyin?"

"It's alright, no need. The kitchen is hot, you can go out and do your own thing. I can handle things here."

While Li Wanyin was talking, she didn't stop working. When she saw Chen Shi'an return, she even seemed to speed up her work.

The kitchen was already hot in late summer and early autumn, but it was also facing the setting sun, which made it even hotter. There were no fans or other cooling devices in the kitchen, only a range hood humming loudly.

Inside, Li Wanyin's smooth forehead and delicate neck soon began to bead with sweat.

She had already tied her hair up and was focused on housework. Occasionally, when beads of sweat were about to slide into her eyes, she would raise her hand and gently wipe the sweat from her cheeks with the back of her hand.

At this moment, the rice in the rice cooker has just finished cooking, and the soup in the soup pot is simmering over low heat, bubbling and releasing a rich aroma that gradually fills the air.

"The soup is monkey head mushroom and chicken soup, then I'll make some elm mushroom and egg stir-fry, wood ear mushroom and meat stir-fry, and then add a plate of stir-fried mixed mushrooms. So, Shi'an, is there anything else you'd like to eat? Would you like to add another dish?"

"No need, just the two of us and Fei Mo, this is enough for us. The soup smells so good, I can already smell it."

"Hehe, it smells like monkey head mushroom. Let me make this clear, my cooking skills are no match for yours, so don't complain about how bad my cooking is later."

"How could that be? I'm really craving it."

Although Li Wanyin didn't ask Chen Shi'an for help, Chen Shi'an didn't leave the kitchen either, but stood beside her and chatted with her.

Perhaps it was the casual conversation that relaxed her, but Li Wanyin inexplicably felt that the kitchen was not so hot anymore. Even the old range hood seemed to have suddenly become more efficient, and the steam rising from the pan while she was stir-frying was steadily drawn away before it could even reach her face.

Taking advantage of the comfortable atmosphere while cooking, and with her determination to showcase her culinary skills, Li Wanyin delivered an exceptional meal tonight.

At 5:30 pm, before the sun had even set, the family was already preparing dinner.

Although it was a bit early, the two of them had only eaten some dry food on the mountain at noon, and they were indeed hungry now.

Chen Shi'an brought three dishes and a pot of soup to the table, and then took out bowls and chopsticks to serve rice and soup.
Li Wanyin then twisted open a bottle of orange soda with a "hiss," took two water glasses from the coffee table, and poured one for each of them.

The black cat also sat down at the dining table.

"Meow."

"Hey, Shimo, you want a drink too?"

"Meow."

"Okay, here, pour some for you too."

Everyone took their seats, and Li Wanyin was the first to raise her glass.

"Cheers to our first formal meal together since we started living together!"

Chen Shi'an also raised his glass:

"Then I wish Sister Wanyin all the best in her new job next week."

knock--

Their cups gently clinked together.

"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!"