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

Chapter 97 already started cheating
Because it was a rainy day.

The windowsills outside the classroom corridor were covered with colorful umbrellas.

Water droplets dripped from the umbrella, leaving a wet residue on the section of wall and floor that was touching the wall.

Wet umbrellas are hung outside; dry umbrellas are naturally not used.

Chen Shi'an shook the water droplets off the umbrella, then folded it up and prepared to take it into the classroom.

"Damn! Daoist, your umbrella is so cool! Can I borrow it to take a look?"

"can."

Zou Xiaokun, who had just finished hanging up his umbrella, couldn't help but pick up the Taoist priest's umbrella and examine it.

It feels very high-quality. There is no manufacturer's logo on the umbrella. The umbrella surface is made of ordinary polyester material, and the eight ribs supporting the umbrella surface are ordinary stainless steel strips. However, the handle and main frame are made of solid wood. You can tell that it has been used for many years. The wood of the handle is smooth and rounded, and you can clearly see the wood grain. The strap for storing the umbrella is not the common easy-to-stick strap, but a simple knotted rope tied by hand.

"Master Dao, how long have you been using this umbrella?"

"It depends on which part."

Chen Shi'an said, "The umbrella canopy was replaced five years ago, but the handle and ribs must have been used for decades. My master is still using them now."

"Changing the appearance but not the essence?"

"Correct."

"Wow! No wonder I said the wood on this umbrella handle is smoother than the walnuts my grandpa used to make. Did someone replace the canopy?"

"I replaced it myself. I just bought the materials, cut them up, and installed it."

"Wow, Daoist Master is awesome! He can ride mountains, make candy, and even make umbrellas!"

"Xiaokun, you also follow me on Douyin?"

"Of course! I've been your fan for ten years, Daoist Master!"

Such a big black umbrella is really cool for a boy. Holding it in his hand is like holding a sword. Zou Xiaokun didn't know if it was his imagination, but this seemingly round umbrella really did have a sharp edge like a sword.

No, I need to buy a big black umbrella another day!
Holding the Taoist priest's umbrella, Zou Xiaokun felt like a chivalrous swordsman wandering the world.

Suddenly, a detail came to my attention—

"Master Dao, wasn't it raining when you came? How come your umbrella is dry?"

"Just shake it and it'll be clean."

"...Huh? It can be cleaned with just a shake of the water droplets? This umbrella-shaped fruit is extraordinary!"

"..."

Chen Shi'an took an umbrella and soy milk to his seat.

"Thank you for the milk, class monitor."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

Unlike the boys, she wasn't interested in the large black umbrella that resembled a sword.

What intrigued her even more was the bag and pack of unknown things that Chen Shi'an took out when he opened his backpack.

I feel something in my heart.

The clever girl seemed to have guessed what it was.

So he quickly looked away, pretending he hadn't seen it.

Chen Shi'an placed the bag on her desk.

She paused, her pen, which she hadn't been using to write, suddenly stopped.

"What's this."

"Here's the stomach-soothing tea I promised you. There are thirty packets in total, which should be enough for you to drink for a month."

"Need not……"

"Take this, squad leader. It's already been prepared, and it was specially made for you to treat your symptoms."

"..."

"Take it, hold it."

"Thank you."

She was naturally happy, and she actually wanted to say more words of thanks, but she was really not good at expressing gratitude. After thinking for a long time, she could only say two words: thank you.

Lin Mengqiu put down her pen, glanced around unconsciously, and then quickly put the stomach-soothing tea he had given her into the table.

"~~~~~~"

"Simply storing it without drinking it won't have any effect."

"..."

Chen Shi'an picked up the water glass that Lin Mengqiu had given him and reached out his hand to her again.

Lin Mengqiu turned her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Did the squad leader get water? I'll go get some water myself. Could you bring out a packet of stomach-soothing tea? I'll brew it for you."

"Need not."

"That's fine."

Chen Shi'an got up and left his seat.

After he left, Lin Mengqiu reached into the drawer of the table and pulled out a small packet of stomach-soothing tea, then brought it to her nose and took a gentle sniff.

It has a distinct Chinese herbal smell.

Before she even took a sip, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

It must have been very tough...

If her father had gotten this Chinese medicine prescribed by a doctor, and it was thirty packets in total, the girl would definitely feel like the sky had fallen.

But since it was given to her by Chen Shi'an and he prepared it himself, she, who had always been averse to traditional Chinese medicine, was very willing to give it a try.

Without asking Chen Shi'an to help brew the tea, Lin Mengqiu got up with the cup and tea bag herself and followed him to get the water.

As Chen Shi'an bent down to fetch water, he caught a glimpse of the little white shoes standing to the side waiting. His gaze moved upwards and fell upon the ever-present, aloof face of the class monitor.

"Use boiling water, don't brew too much at once, brew one packet a day, and each packet can be brewed twice."

"Ah."

Chen Shi'an filled the water with cold water, and the hot water button next to him was empty. Lin Mengqiu didn't come over to fill the water with him either.

After he stood up and moved aside, the girl stepped forward and placed the cup under the hot water button.

The steaming hot water flowed out and poured onto the tea bag in the cup. The tea bag first floated slowly, and then slowly sank to the bottom after the air inside was expelled.

As hot water is poured in, the tea gradually releases its color, and a faint aroma of traditional Chinese medicine lingers in the air.

"That's about enough, don't rinse it with too much water."

"..."

When Chen Shi'an's voice came through, Lin Mengqiu released the hot water button.

"From now on, just make about this much each time, and drink it warm after the water cools down."

"……Um."

Holding a warm thermos, Lin Mengqiu returned to her seat first, followed by Chen Shi'an, who sat down and locked her inside.

Lin Mengqiu did not put the lid on the thermos, allowing the herbal tea inside to cool down naturally.

Halfway through the morning reading session, she couldn't resist picking up her cup, blowing on the tea to cool it down, and taking a sip politely.

It was indeed a bit bitter.

Chen Shi'an noticed her subtle expression.

Of the health-preserving tea, stomach-soothing tea, and calming tea he prepared today, only Lin Mengqiu's stomach-soothing tea was bitter.

However, there's nothing that can be done about it; most Chinese medicines for regulating the stomach and intestines taste bitter and unpleasant.

To his slight surprise, Lin Mengqiu only frowned slightly, but did not stop drinking the stomach-soothing tea, stubbornly sipping it one sip at a time.

The girl could clearly feel a warm sensation in her stomach as the tea entered her body.

She was certain it wasn't because the tea was still hot, since the comfortable warmth in her stomach had been lingering even when she stopped to drink.

The initial bitterness in her mouth gradually turned sweet, giving her a feeling of bittersweet relief.

Lin Mengqiu blinked, finding it hard to believe that this was actually a stomach-nourishing tea prepared by Chen Shi'an himself. Although it was called a stomach-nourishing tea, the experience she had with it was much better than drinking specially prepared Chinese medicine directly.

The girl couldn't help but speak to him first:

"What did you add to the medicine? Why do I feel hot after drinking it?"

"Ginger and Sichuan peppercorns."

"Ginger and Sichuan peppercorns?"

"Yes, they all have a certain effect of warming the stomach and dispelling cold." Lin Mengqiu picked up her water glass and took another sip. She hadn't paid much attention before, but this time she tasted it carefully and found that it did indeed have a bit of ginger and Sichuan peppercorn flavor.

She had naturally eaten quite a few of these two 'Chinese medicines' that were often used as seasonings, and she didn't know how Chen Shi'an had managed to remove the strong spiciness while retaining the stomach-warming effect.

"This stomach-soothing tea seems to be very effective."

"It's too early to say it's effective. Stomach problems are the hardest to cure completely. The medicine is to help you replenish your qi and improve your digestive system. The key is still your daily care. Don't think that your stomach seems to be better during this period and then you stop taking care of it. Otherwise, your stomach problems will worsen after you stop taking the medicine. Take advantage of this time with the help of the medicine to take good care of your stomach, understand?"

"……Um."

The girl dared not disobey Dr. Chen's words, and her imposing manner softened as she obediently nodded.

Chen Shi'an pressed his advantage and asked, "Has the class monitor been following my Douyin (TikTok) activity?"

"Have."

"How much is your Douyin account? Let's add each other as friends."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu's reaction was more direct than Wen Zhixia's; she acted as if she had suddenly gone deaf, pretending not to hear anything.

joke!

If you knew my Douyin ID, how could I possibly leave a comment in your comment section happily?

Don't even think about it!

……

No need for morning exercises on rainy days.

The long break between classes lasted a full twenty-five minutes, and the classroom was noisy and chaotic.

The math class representative went to the office to get the math test papers from last night, and the liveliness in the class reached a new level.

"Master Dao, you're amazing! Master Dao is awesome! This is the first time I've ever seen someone dare to hand in a blank paper!"

"..."

Chen Shi'an can still take out his weekly Chinese test papers to review and fill in any gaps in his knowledge.

There's no need for a weekly math quiz for now.

Chen Shi'an glanced at the blank test paper. Unlike the other students, Teacher Zhang didn't write the marks for each question; instead, she simply wrote "[Keep it up!]" by hand.
To save time grading papers, teachers usually only assign points and don't calculate the total score. Out of 60 students in the class, only two students' scores are easily distinguishable.

One was Chen Shi'an's zero score;

One is Lin Mengqiu's score of 150;

And to make matters worse, these two were deskmates... Look at the mess this has made! When Teacher Zhang was grading the papers, he looked at their papers and started to question his own existence.

Because Lin Mengqiu was sitting on the inside, against the wall, her perfect answer sheet was placed on Chen Shi'an's desk by the group leader.

Without any hesitation, Chen Shi'an picked up Lin Mengqiu's exam paper and began to admire it.

Lin Mengqiu didn't take her own exam paper back, and just let him look at it.

"Class monitor, you got a perfect score again."

"Weekly testing is not difficult."

"I find it quite difficult; I can't do a single question."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu rolled her eyes at him. Seeing Chen Shi'an's expression of 'saying it's difficult, but not caring at all,' she really wanted to grab his ear like a teacher and ask, 'Even if you don't know the answer to a multiple-choice question, you could at least pick any answer. Leaving it blank will get you points!' 'Knowing you can't do a single question, why don't you try harder?' 'Running off as soon as school's over every day!'

Indeed, I am a conscientious and responsible class monitor, and I really can't stand seeing my classmates' grades being poor.

Given that Chen Shi'an is currently only at the junior high school level in math, it is perfectly normal for him to get a zero on this weekly test. At this rate of learning, he should be able to learn some high school material by the end of the month, right?

If he still gets a zero on the test, he won't be able to drink her milk anymore!
Lin Mengqiu wouldn't inquire about other people's scores, and Chen Shi'an didn't mind.

During this break, he walked around the classroom. Most of the students had good math scores, and even Xu Zihan scored 118 points, which seemed to be the second worst score in the class this week.

"Master Dao, Class Five can't function without you. We're all counting on you to cover for us..."

Xu Zihan held Dao Ye's hand, deeply moved.

The highest score was undoubtedly Lin Mengqiu's perfect score. Several students also scored above 140, but most people's scores were concentrated in the range of 120 to 140.

It was still drizzling outside, so Chen Shi'an didn't wander around the campus. Instead, he returned to his seat and stood there.

Zheng Yining and Xie Mengxuan at the table in front of him were playing Gomoku with their geometry notebooks, and he stood to the side watching curiously.

At first I thought they were playing Go, but it turned out to be Gomoku.

Chen Shi'an knows how to play Go. Almost everyone who is learning Go has played Gomoku (Five in a Row) on a Go board.

When he was learning chess from his master, his master taught him this more popular and simple game.

Seeing Chen Shi'an watching from the side, Zheng Yining, who had just finished a game of Gomoku, also extended an invitation.

"Chen Shi'an, do you want to play a few rounds together?"

"Okay, are there any restrictions on movement?"

"……what?"

Seeing Zheng Yining's stunned expression, Chen Shi'an knew that they were playing Gomoku, a game with no restrictions on moves.

Having not played Gomoku since childhood, Chen Shi'an, feeling playful, accepted Zheng Yining's invitation.

With his skill level, it would be pure bullying for him to play a game of Gomoku without any restrictions with them. So he should just follow their own rules and keep Chen Shi'an from making any moves he wanted.

Even when facing a team with no forbidden moves against a team with forbidden moves, Zheng Yining looked serious. She clearly saw that Chen Shi'an had many moves that could have won, but he just wouldn't make them. Was he letting Chen Shi'an win...?

Even so, Zheng Yining quickly lost the first game.

In the second game, Xie Mengxuan, who was watching from the sidelines, began to comment, and the two girls played against Chen Shi'an together.

"You go down here, go down here... He's going down there in a bit!"

"Can't you let me think about it? I'll go down here."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu looked up.

Watching the three of them playing chess so enthusiastically, the girl felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

I was trying to do my math problems, but they kept interrupting me, so I stopped writing and silently stared at the chessboard situation on their geometry books, holding my warm cup of soothing tea.

Compared to the two girls sitting in front of her, Lin Mengqiu knew the rules of Gomoku much better. She had played it many times with her father before and knew that Chen Shi'an was not letting them win on purpose, but rather was using a 'forbidden move'... Of course, using a forbidden move against a player with no forbidden moves is definitely considered letting them win.

This stinky Taoist priest shaved her head while playing badminton, and he showed no mercy to Zheng Yining and Xie Mengxuan either, resulting in two girls suffering crushing defeats in several games.

"You guys still need to practice."

Chen Shi'an smiled, losing interest in continuing to dominate the weaker opponents. He turned his head and met Lin Mengqiu's gaze.

"Does the class monitor know how to play Connect Four? Want to play a couple of rounds?"

"Come."

Chen Shi'an was stunned. He had only asked casually, but he didn't expect Lin Mengqiu to actually agree.

He then took the geometry book and placed it between the two of them at the table, turning to a blank page to use as a new chessboard.

Seeing that he was holding a black pen, Lin Mengqiu picked up a red pen.

"The class monitor goes first."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu drew a circle with a red pen, and Chen Shi'an followed with a move using a black pen.

After making a few moves, Chen Shi'an blinked:
"Class monitor, you don't need to restrict your movements. Just play normally."

"..."

Lin Mengqiu ignored him and continued playing her chess pieces.

Seeing that the girl didn't need him to offer her any, Chen Shi'an didn't stand on ceremony.

After a dozen or so rounds, Lin Mengqiu's moves stalled. She hesitated to make a move, her big eyes fixed on the chessboard, clearly having been cornered by Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an was already leisurely drinking water.

He loves opponents with a strong competitive spirit. Even though they're easy prey, they're still stubborn opponents, making it fun to beat them.

Just as Chen Shi'an was about to persuade Lin Mengqiu to admit defeat, the girl placed a piece with her red pen in a forbidden area, forming a four-four long chain that would be a checkmate.

"Hey, that's a foul!"

"You yourself said I could not use the hand restraint."

"?"

Why didn't you say so earlier or respond later? Are you saving it for last to cheat on me?

"Anyway, you lost."

Lin Mengqiu blushed, threw the notebook at him, and vowed to never play chess with him again.

(End of this chapter)