Wanyin, let me see your right hand

After finishing the sweet soup, the two of them and the cat all let out satisfied sighs.

Chen Shi'an took Li Wanyin's bowl and chopsticks to wash them.

"It's okay, it's okay. I can wash them myself."

"I'll do it. You made the sweet soup, Wanyin, so I'll clean up. That's fair."

There weren't many dishes between the two of them. Chen Shi'an bent over the sink to wash them, then brought over the pot and ladle she'd used and washed those too. Finally, he wiped down the counter with a cloth.

Li Wanyin watched from the doorway. The practiced ease with which he tidied the kitchen seemed completely at odds with the age suggested by his high school uniform.

"Shi'an, you can cook too, right?"

"Yes. Back on the mountain, I usually did the cooking."

"How old were you when you started?"

"Four or five, I think. I started as soon as I could reach the stove by standing on a stool."

"That young?!"

Chen Shi'an smiled. His master had been both lazy and good at pulling the wool over his eyes, claiming that he needed to learn cooking before studying alchemy to build a foundation. If he couldn't even cook rice properly, how could he refine pills?

"How old were you when you learned to cook, Wanyin?" Chen Shi'an asked over his shoulder.

"Hmm, thirteen or fourteen, probably. I started learning over summer break."

They had only chatted for a little while, yet Chen Shi'an had already finished tidying the entire kitchen. Li Wanyin was impressed by his speed, especially when he seemed so unhurried.

When Chen Shi'an came toward the door, she stepped aside. Having just eaten, she wasn't in any hurry to return to her room. Mostly, though, she found him easy to talk to and wanted to chat.

After graduating and leaving campus, she had somehow started feeling lonely. The people she dealt with at work were either colleagues or customers; there wasn't anyone she could talk to like an ordinary friend.

She had spent today handing out flyers at her part-time job again. She must have dealt with at least a hundred people, if not two hundred, and repeated the same lines until her mouth went dry. Yet at the end of the day, she still felt as though she hadn't spoken to anyone. Only now, sharing a roof with Chen Shi'an at night, did she truly feel she was talking and connecting with someone.

The television was on in the living room, its sound filling the home in the background.

There was no television on the mountain. They'd had one when he was little, but Chen Shi'an had struck it while practicing his Lightning-Calling Technique, and they had never had another since.

Chen Shi'an glanced at the television and asked curiously, "Were you watching TV just now, Wanyin?"

"Not really. I watched a little of a drama when I got home, then Shi Mo started watching. The cat wouldn't let me turn it off, so I left it on."

"Meow."

Actually, even when Shi Mo wasn't watching, Li Wanyin often switched the television on for background noise when she was home alone. It might waste a little electricity, but at least the silence wouldn't leave her feeling uneasy.

Li Wanyin sat down on the sofa. Black Cat wasn't quite so wary of her anymore. As long as she didn't reach out to stroke the cat, Black Cat didn't mind giving up a little territory.

She watched television for a while, then turned and saw Chen Shi'an heading toward the balcony to collect his laundry. She reminded him:

"I already brought in the clothes you washed yesterday. There's a lot of dew at night, and I washed some clothes too, so I was worried mine would get your dry ones wet. I brought them all in first. They're on the chair."

"Okay. Thanks, Wanyin."

Chen Shi'an looked where she pointed. She had neatly brought in the Taoist robe and school uniform he'd washed yesterday and placed them on the chair with the backrest. She hadn't folded them, but they weren't a mess.

"Did your uniform dry yesterday? I checked when I woke up this morning, and it was still damp. Aren't you worried you'll catch a cold wearing it like that?"

"It's fine. A few shakes and it was dry."

"As long as you don't catch a cold."

Li Wanyin smiled, naturally not believing his claim that a few shakes would dry it. The boys in her class had been the same back in school. They wouldn't change out of rain-soaked clothes or put on another layer even when they were shivering, yet they were surprisingly hardy! Unlike girls, who suffered all sorts of discomfort as soon as their periods arrived.

"Have you showered, Wanyin?"

"I have. Go ahead."

"Okay, I'll shower first."

Chen Shi'an could tell that Li Wanyin wanted to chat, but his classes had lasted until almost ten, and he still hadn't showered. With his steadfast Taoist resolve, he intended to finish what he needed to do first.

The bathroom door closed, and the apartment grew quiet, leaving only the sound of the television.

Li Wanyin had been planning to return to her room, but seeing Shi Mo still watching the television without blinking, she pulled a cushion into her arms and stayed to watch with the cat.

Occasionally, she picked up her phone to reply to messages from her close school friends. They asked how everyone was doing and complained about their companies or bosses.

Like her, most of her friends still hadn't found jobs. The few who had weren't particularly happy with theirs.

[Unbelievable. That asshole boss had all day to tell me, but he waited until ten at night to send me a file to organize because he needs it for tomorrow morning's meeting. Girls, should I reply or not?]

[Hell no! It's ten already. Isn't it perfectly normal for you to be asleep?]

[Where's Jia Yun? Don't tell me she actually got up to work on that file?]

[Aaah! He's calling me! Three calls in a row!]

[Okay, that's genuinely awful...]

[I'm done. I'm quitting tomorrow.]

[Maybe hang in there a bit longer. You're the only one of us who's found a job. If you quit, what about next month's rent?]

[Girls, I'm leaving Cloud Perch and going back home the day after tomorrow. Anyone free for a meal before I go?]

[Lu Qi, you're going home?]

[Yeah. Dad wants me to work at my uncle's factory for now. Office clerk, 2,800 a month. Let's find time for dinner. How about tomorrow night? Hot pot, my treat!]

[Absolutely. I'm free.]

[What about Wanyin? Have you been busy lately? You've barely said anything in the group. @Little Echo]

Li Wanyin had actually been reading all their messages. It was just that, since graduation, their chats were no longer as lighthearted and cheerful as before. Most of the conversation consisted of gloomy complaints.

Li Wanyin wasn't the sort of girl who blamed the world for her problems.

Ever since the year her family circumstances changed, she had known that complaining was useless. But with everyone talking about these things, she didn't know what to say. She couldn't help with their struggles, and she didn't want to tell anyone about her own. Gradually, she had gone from the group's most active chatterbox to a silent, barely noticed presence.

Little Echo: [I'm free.]

Li Wanyin finally spoke up.

[What have you been doing lately, Wanyin? Still in Cloud Perch? Found a job yet? @Little Echo]

Little Echo: [Not yet...]

Little Echo: [Doing some part-time work to tide me over.]

[Remember Senior Ou, who used to chase you? He's been asking me for your contact details again. His family's rich, and apparently he's already a junior manager.]

[Oh! Candle Bro? He's been out of school for a year and still can't forget our Wanyin?]

[Hahaha, Candle Bro...]

Little Echo: [Covers mouth, please stop] ×10

This was one of the few funny incidents the girls from their dorm could remember for the rest of their lives. They called Senior Ou Candle Bro because he'd foolishly arranged candles in a heart outside the girls' dorm to confess to Li Wanyin. She hadn't liked him in the first place, and liked that kind of spectacle even less. Who knew which of Candle Bro's advisers had suggested such a terrible idea? He had shouted downstairs for ages without getting Li Wanyin to come down, only to summon the dorm supervisor instead. Then he'd taken out his phone to message Li Wanyin and discovered she had blocked him long ago.

Even now, remembering it made Li Wanyin shudder with embarrassment.

Chen Shi'an had been right yesterday. She wasn't still single because nobody pursued her; she simply didn't want a relationship.

[Wanyin, you're not really planning to stay single forever, are you?]

[I used to think being single was great too, but now I'm considering finding someone. Not to spend his money or anything, but at least we could support each other.]

[Lu Qi, you've got something going on!]

[Mom introduced me to a guy for a blind date. That's partly why I'm going home this time... Kind of annoying.]

[Holy shit! You're going on a blind date too?!]

[Too? Jia Yun, you've got something going on as well!]

[What could I possibly have going on? I'm just surprised! What about Wanyin? Weren't we asking about her? @Little Echo]

[Nice deflection.]

[Wanyin, should I give Senior Ou your contact details or not? He's actually pretty nice, just a little clueless. @Little Echo]

Li Wanyin, who had been about to go back to lurking, hurriedly replied: [No. I'm serious, absolutely not. I'm not thinking about that right now.]

[Then what are you thinking about?]

[Money, money, money! Making loads and loads of money! Once I'm rich, why shouldn't I keep a handsome young high school boy? [Get rich] [Rake it in] [Panda smoking a Zhonghua]]

After Li Wanyin sent that message, the mood in the girls' chat finally shifted. Everyone started clamoring: [I want money] [I want to be rich] [I want to hire male models]

Li Wanyin quietly went back to lurking. When she looked up again, the bathroom door opened.

Fresh from his shower, Chen Shi'an walked out with a towel in one hand and his freshly hand-washed uniform, underwear, socks, and other clothes draped over his other arm. His hair was still slightly damp, casually swept back to reveal a clean, fresh-looking forehead.

Chen Shi'an had good skin. It wasn't especially pale, but it was clear, without a single pimple or mark. Especially now, just after his shower, there was something wonderfully fresh about him. Somehow, even the plain, old-fashioned undershirt he wore looked stylish, youthful, and rugged on him.

Sensing someone watching him, Chen Shi'an turned and found Li Wanyin looking at him.

Their eyes met. Li Wanyin calmly looked away and turned her gaze to the television, asking as though casually, "Finished your shower?"

"Yes. Do you need the bathroom, Wanyin?"

"No... You hand-washed your clothes again?"

"Yeah."

Chen Shi'an passed in front of the television and took his clean laundry out to hang on the balcony. "There isn't much anyway. It doesn't take long."

"Then I really should pay a bigger share of the utilities..."

"No need. We're living together, so there's no point fussing over that."

Chen Shi'an looked up. Only the underwear she had likewise washed by hand was hanging on the balcony, so he figured she probably saved up her other clothes for two or three days before putting them in the washing machine.

"You wash your clothes every two or three days, Wanyin, and I wash mine every day. We probably use about the same amount of water and electricity."

"All right, then..."

Chen Shi'an's generosity made Li Wanyin feel embarrassed about her penny-pinching, even if she was only penny-pinching with herself.

If only I had money... Like I'd bragged in the group just now, if I were rich, keeping him wouldn't be... Pfft, pfft, pfft! Why was I taking a throwaway remark seriously? Pfft, pfft, pfft!

Being broke made everything miserable, even for roommates!

Li Wanyin hurriedly changed the subject.

"Shi'an, how were classes today? Can you keep up after missing so much?"

"Aside from Chinese, I can't keep up with any of the classes. But the teachers and my classmates have helped me a lot. I'll start by slowly catching up on the middle school basics."

As he hung his clothes, Chen Shi'an said, "What about you, Wanyin? How was work today? When I cooked noodles this morning, I was going to make some for you too, but you weren't awake yet, so I only made enough for Fat Ink and me."

"It's fine, really. You have to hurry to class. I can take care of breakfast myself. As for work... Hmm, so-so. I've already been handing out flyers for two days, so they're gradually getting less effective. But I brought two customers into the restaurant today and earned an extra twenty yuan in commission!"

Chen Shi'an looked back and saw how happy she seemed.

"That's impressive! So you get commission too?"

"Yes, but it depends a lot on luck. It only counts if you bring them into the restaurant right then."

"My master said that nothing in the ordinary world is harder than making money. It's already impressive that you can earn money on your own, Wanyin. I've never earned any."

Li Wanyin laughed. "This hardly counts as making money. You're still in school. You'll definitely earn more than me after you graduate."

"They say monks are rich and Taoists are poor. I doubt I'll make much money."

Chen Shi'an spoke lightly. He didn't really have much concept of earning or spending money. Even without a cent in his pocket, he wouldn't feel anxious.

After all, his master had never stressed the importance of money while he was growing up. Still, studying in the city did cost money, and he had debts to repay, so he occasionally gave it some thought. Now that he was gaining experience in the mortal world, making a living was an unavoidable subject.

"Then how do you Taoists make money?" Li Wanyin asked curiously.

Chen Shi'an had finished hanging his clothes. He sat down on the sofa, picked up the lazy cat, and laid the cat across his lap, kneading away as though working dough. Pouring himself a glass of water, he answered unhurriedly:

"Usually through incense offerings. Then there's also

"Praying for clients, performing rites for the departed, reading faces, assessing feng shui, things like that. Or selling ritual artifacts and talismans we've made ourselves. My master isn't good at running things, so our temple is poor. It's nothing like the big temples that know how to manage their affairs."

"You can read faces too?"

"Yes."

Li Wanyin was surprised. She didn't believe in these things and would never spend money on a reading outside, but Chen Shi'an was her roommate and was sitting right beside her. Hearing this piqued her interest.

"Then, could you read mine?"

"Sure."

Chen Shi'an turned toward her. "What would you like me to look at, Wanyin?"

"Hmm... My financial luck!"

"Let me take a look, then."

They were both sitting on the sofa. Li Wanyin braced her hands on its edge and turned sideways to face Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an and Black Cat, sprawled across his lap, both directed their gazes toward her pretty face.

She was only in her early twenties. Her skin was as soft and dewy as warm jade steeped in mountain spring water, and her delicate features were so lovely he couldn't find a single flaw.

Her brows lifted slightly when she smiled, lending her a lively air. When her beautiful almond-shaped eyes met his, she seemed shyly inclined to look away, but held herself back and met Chen Shi'an's gaze head-on.

Chen Shi'an studied her with particular care.

The prolonged silence almost made Li Wanyin feel as though they were playing a game of statues.

In the end, she couldn't match the young Taoist's composure and burst into a giggle, covering her mouth.

"Well? Well? What did you see?"

"You have an auspicious face, Wanyin."

Chen Shi'an looked away and smiled as he offered the compliment, then studied her seriously again and continued, "Your forehead is full and clear, and your philtrum is distinct, deep, and long. Those indicate strong income from honest work. Your nose bridge is straight and high too. That's an auspicious wealth palace."

"Your jawline is rounded and smooth, which signifies stable financial fortune, generosity of spirit, and a tendency to receive help from benefactors..."

"Wanyin, let me see your right hand. I'll read your palm."

"Here."

Delighted by what she heard, Li Wanyin immediately smiled and held out her right hand.

"You can read palms too?"

"Yes. Combining palm reading with face reading makes it more accurate."

With that, Chen Shi'an gently held her fingertips, guiding her palm into the proper open position, and examined its lines closely.

Although Li Wanyin didn't live the pampered life of a rich girl, her hands were still soft and beautiful.

Her fingertips curved naturally, and her neatly trimmed nails had a faint pinkish-white sheen. Her knuckles were just rounded enough. Her fingers weren't excessively slender, but possessed an innate, gentle elegance. The thin, translucent skin at her wrist revealed faint blue-green veins, carrying the same natural warmth and softness as her temperament.

"Well? Well?" With him holding her fingertips, Li Wanyin inexplicably felt her heartbeat quicken, even though their hands barely touched.

"Your money line is clear and broad."

Chen Shi'an released her fingertips and looked up with a smile. "It seems you'll not only have a prosperous household, Wanyin, but also carve out a place for yourself through your own efforts. It's a rare sign of great wealth and success."

"Y-you're so young. How are you already so good at sweet-talking people?" Li Wanyin's cheeks flushed slightly, her voice full of laughter.

"Everything I said is true."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Hehe~"

Li Wanyin couldn't help laughing, her eyes sparkling as though shiny silver coins were dancing in them. Chen Shi'an's words made her so happy that the gloom she'd felt all day vanished without a trace.

High school boys really were the best! Handsome, considerate, and so sweet with their words!

Once she actually struck it rich, she'd keep a boy like Chen Shi'an...

Pfft, no, no, no!!

(An extra 5,000-word update! At this rate, I feel like I'll blow past the new-book word limit before long. I guess I was never destined to get rich anyway... Still, I hope you'll all keep supporting me. Please keep reading and send monthly votes!)