Their first meal as roommates

Li Wanyin already kept the apartment very tidy, and with Chen Shi'an helping, they soon finished cleaning the place.

Once the shared areas were clean, Chen Shi'an carried his luggage back to his room to unpack.

He had brought very little: aside from some ritual implements and tools commonly used by Taoist priests, he had only two T-shirts and two Taoist robes.

There were also a few books he had just brought back from school and four newly issued school uniforms.

He took the books out of his bag and placed them on the desk. The uniforms needed washing, since he would have to wear one to class tomorrow.

Unpacking his room was a private matter, so Li Wanyin did not offer to help. Seeing that he had left the door open, she stood in the doorway and took a curious look.

"You brought so little luggage..."

"Yes, I like to travel light. Mainly because it was a long journey, and bringing too much would have been inconvenient. I'll go downstairs later and buy whatever I'm missing."

As he spoke, Chen Shi'an turned to ask her, "Wanyin, do you know anywhere nearby that sells bedding, pillows, and toiletries?"

"Yes, the department store on the left outside the complex has all of those," Li Wanyin replied warmly. "And if you don't have things like laundry detergent or shampoo yet, you can use mine for now." Faced with this new roommate who would soon be living under the same roof, she instinctively offered her goodwill.

Chen Shi'an smiled. "Thank you, Wanyin."

"Chen, Shi, An... Is 'Shi' the character for ten, as in seven, eight, nine, ten, or the one for time?" she murmured, sounding out his name.

"It's the 'shi' meaning to pick something up, as in returning lost money rather than pocketing it."

After answering, Chen Shi'an asked her, "Then is the 'Wanyin' in your name the one meaning a sweet, melodious sound?"

"Yes! Are you really a Taoist priest? You look so young..."

Perhaps because Chen Shi'an was much younger than her, Li Wanyin did not feel particularly awkward around him despite him being a boy. More importantly, this young Taoist priest had made a very good impression on her when they first met that morning.

After handing out flyers all day to so many passersby, Li Wanyin had already forgotten everyone else, yet she remembered Chen Shi'an alone. Even without his Taoist robe, his politeness and composure would probably still have left a deep impression.

Of course, her ideal roommate would still have been a girl, which would have been more convenient. But she could hardly afford to be picky now, considering she was nearly unable to pay next month's rent...

"Yes, I'm really a Taoist priest." Chen Shi'an did not mind that she had already asked once and answered just as calmly. Things were better now that he was a little older; when he was younger, even more people had refused to believe he was a Taoist priest.

"That's amazing!"

Admiration appeared on Li Wanyin's pretty face, and she smiled. "That makes you the first Taoist priest I've ever met. I always felt that people who practiced Taoism were so far removed from my life, and nobody around me was interested in it either. When did you start practicing?"

"I've been studying Taoist arts with my master in the mountains for as long as I can remember."

"That young! Did your parents agree to it?"

"I was an abandoned baby my master found and brought back to the mountain."

"..."

Those words seemed to strike her speechless, and Li Wanyin fell silent.

Only after a long while did she say quietly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know, and I've brought up something painful..."

"It's all right, Wanyin. You don't need to blame yourself. I don't really have much of a sense of those things. My master raised me and taught me, so to me, he's no different from a parent or family."

Only then did Li Wanyin notice how often he wore a smile. Not only did it make him seem friendly and approachable, but it genuinely gave the impression that he had a very positive, optimistic outlook.

Emotions were contagious. Perhaps influenced by him, Li Wanyin gradually relaxed too.

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen. What about you, Wanyin?"

"Hehe, I'm quite a bit older than you. I'm already twenty-two."

"You made it sound like you were eight or ten years older than me, Wanyin. It turns out it's only four."

Chen Shi'an spoke casually, then asked with curiosity, "You have other siblings, don't you, Wanyin?"

"Huh! How did you know? I do have a younger sister. She's a little younger than you, fifteen this year." Li Wanyin was astonished that Chen Shi'an had guessed correctly.

"People who are older brothers or sisters tend to have a particular air about them. You have that air, Wanyin."

"Haha, I've never noticed it myself, but you're really good at reading people..."

Then Chen Shi'an asked playfully, "Don't tell me your sister's name is Wan Yue?"

"H-how did you know!"

"It really is? That was just a wild guess." This time, even Chen Shi'an was a little surprised.

"Then you definitely guessed the wrong character~~ Her name is Wan Yue, but it's the 'yue' meaning pleasant, as in pleasant to the ear."

"I see. I really thought it was the 'yue' meaning music."

After chatting for a while, the two had grown considerably more familiar with each other.

Just then, Li Wanyin's phone rang, and she answered it.

A voice came from the other end. "Your takeout's here. I left it at the pickup point by the entrance to your complex. Please come downstairs and get it."

"Can't you bring it upstairs...?" Li Wanyin asked.

"The security guard won't let me in."

"They wouldn't stop you from coming in..."

"Just come downstairs and get it yourself. There's not even an elevator. Who's going to climb nine floors to deliver a bargain group-order meal that costs a few yuan..."

His tone carried the indifference of someone saying, "I'm a crowdsourced courier. Leave a bad review if you want." With that, he hung up.

Helpless, Li Wanyin had no choice but to go downstairs to collect her takeout herself.

"Shi'an, have you eaten? How about I order you some takeout? I still have a coupon."

"It's all right. I brought some food back from the cafeteria."

"Okay, then. I'll go down and get my takeout."

With that, Li Wanyin changed her shoes, grabbed the trash to take out on the way, and pattered downstairs to collect her food.

Actually, Li Wanyin rarely ordered takeout. She usually either made something simple herself or ate the meals provided at her part-time jobs. Since a new roommate was moving in today, she had left work early to clean the apartment and missed the provided meal. She had no time to make dinner either, and happened to have a coupon, so she had ordered a bargain group-order meal.

Chen Shi'an had finished unpacking. He took his new uniforms out to the bathroom to wash them.

There was a washing machine in the bathroom. He knew what it was, but he had never used one and did not know how to operate it.

He studied it curiously and found that it was not particularly difficult to use-a five-year-old could manage it. At most, it might stump his master.

Still, he did not use the washing machine. The new uniforms were not dirty anyway, so he filled a bucket with clean water.

A quick rinse would do.

When it came to little everyday habits like this, eighteen-year-old Chen Shi'an could sometimes be positively middle-aged.

He had finished washing his clothes, but Li Wanyin still had not returned from collecting her takeout.

Just as Chen Shi'an was wondering about it, Li Wanyin finally came back.

There was no takeout in her hands, only a woeful expression on her face. "Oh no, someone stole my bargain meal..."

Chen Shi'an: "..."

Seeing this older girl looking so aggrieved, as though the sky had fallen, the young Taoist priest did not know what to say for a moment.

"Wasn't it left at the pickup point? How did someone steal it?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone took it by mistake..."

Li Wanyin sighed, feeling that when it rained, it poured. She already had very little money left, and payday was still several days away. For once, she had a coupon and ordered a bargain meal for a few yuan, only for someone to steal it!

With things as they were, she could only find another way to fill her stomach. She was not the sort of girl who blamed the world for her troubles. Knowing that complaining was useless, she would rather hurry up and decide what to eat.

"What are you going to do for dinner, then, Wanyin?"

"There are still some instant noodles in the fridge. I'm not that hungry, anyway. I'll cook some noodles to tide me over."

"..."

Are you really not that hungry? I could swear I heard your stomach growling!

Fortunately, there was always a way out. Just as she was about to make do with instant noodles, Chen Shi'an took out a boxed meal and offered it to her.

"This is from the school cafeteria. There's braised pork, shredded pork with dried tofu, shredded potatoes, and greens. If you don't mind, Wanyin, you can have this first."

How could Li Wanyin possibly mind? Through the translucent container, she could already see the generous helping of meat and vegetables piled over the rice!

Although her empty stomach had already begun to rumble, her hands showed no sign of reaching out to accept it.

Instead, she waved them in refusal!

"No, no! If I eat it, what will you have, Shi'an?"

"Don't worry, Wanyin. I have another one. I originally got an extra meal for Uncle Lin, but he had dinner plans, so there's one left over."

Li Wanyin followed the direction of his finger and only then noticed another boxed meal sitting inside the open plastic bag on the coffee table.

Seeing that she was still hesitating, too embarrassed to accept, Chen Shi'an simply placed the meal in her hands.

"Don't stand on ceremony, Wanyin. It's better than letting it go to waste."

"All right, then... Thank you, Shi'an. How much did it cost? I'll transfer the money to you!"

"It's fine. You can treat me to a boxed meal sometime." Chen Shi'an smiled, then asked, "Do you have any clothes hangers, Wanyin? I've washed my uniforms, but I haven't bought hangers yet. I'd like to borrow a few."

"Of course, of course! They're all hanging on the drying rail on the balcony. I'll get them for you..."

Li Wanyin finally accepted the generous boxed meal with an easy mind. She did not rush to eat it, either. Chen Shi'an was still hanging up his clothes, so she waited beside him.

"Did you wash your uniforms by hand? They still look really wet. They might not dry by tomorrow," Li Wanyin said, looking at the uniforms.

"Yes. They weren't dirty, so a quick rinse was enough. Don't worry, they'll be dry tomorrow." Chen Shi'an sounded very confident.

Li Wanyin was a little puzzled. She was hardly inexperienced in everyday matters. With the sun already about to set, could these freshly washed clothes really dry overnight?

"The sun's about to set, you know?" she reminded him gently.

"Yes." But Chen Shi'an was absorbed in watching the sunset.

The buildings in the old residential complex were not very tall. The ninth floor was already the top floor.

Dusk was settling all around them. Sunset clouds filled the western sky, bathing the entire city in a warm orange-red glow. Lights came on in one home after another, and through the windows, they could see families cooking or eating.

The birds were returning to their nests too, flying back from the distant sky to perch in the complex's great banyan tree, chirping away.

After hanging up his clothes, Chen Shi'an stood on the balcony for a while, watching the dusk so full of everyday life.

When he turned around again, the lights in their own apartment were on too.

Li Wanyin took two small plastic bottles of cola out of the fridge. They had come free with takeout she had ordered before, and now there was just enough for her and Chen Shi'an to have one each.

"Here, Shi'an. You're treating me to dinner, so I'll treat you to cola!"

"Thanks, Wanyin. Let's eat together."

"Meow."

Drawn by the smell, the cat jumped onto a chair too.

And so, two people and a cat shared their first meal as roommates.