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

Chapter 266 Mengqiu, look! This teacher looks just like you!

We didn't let Sister Wanyin, who was quietly making sacrifices, think too much.

After finishing their meal, while they were taking care of disposing of the leftovers, Chen Shi'an leaned close to Li Wanyin's ear and whispered something to her:
"I also have a gift for Sister Wanyin, I'll give it to you later."

Heaven knows how happy Li Wanyin was when she heard this whispered remark.

She whispered back, "I also prepared a New Year's gift for you."

"Hmm? What gift is Sister Wanyin going to give me?"

"Let's talk about it tonight~"

Li Wanyin didn't tell him that after hearing that she also had a gift, the older sister was already satisfied and went to wash her hands with her two younger sisters.

Chen Shi'an was quite curious, though; surely she couldn't just knit something else to give him?
In fact, more than half a month ago, Li Wanyin had already given him a sweater she had knitted herself, and Chen Shi'an was still wearing it.

When it comes to needlework, Sister Wanyin's skills are far superior to those of the two young girls.

My mother works in a garment factory and used to be a tailor, so I learned a few skills from her.

I wonder what kind of New Year's gift Wanyin is going to give him. Practical sisters always give gifts that are mostly practical, so I imagine New Year's gifts will also be mostly practical things.

At that moment, Chen Shi'an really couldn't think of anything he was lacking...

Um... a computer?
Chen Shi'an blinked. He had mentioned to Sister Wanyin before that he wanted to buy a computer. Would Sister Wanyin really give him a computer?

Well, in the end, it's up to Sister Wanyin to decide what to give. Since her sister is still being so mysterious, Chen Shi'an won't try to guess anymore. This feeling of anticipation for a gift is quite wonderful.

……

There are many alumni on campus who have been invited. In fact, even without an invitation, as long as you are a registered student from previous years, you are welcome to come and participate in the anniversary celebration.

With the students and teachers staying at the school, Yunqi No.1 Middle School was busier than ever before.

Since there were no classes in the afternoon, many students, including Chen Shi'an and his two companions, skipped their lunch break and strolled around the school with Li Wanyin.

First, I went to the school library. On the first floor of the library, there was a special exhibition showcasing the campus's unique features.

The exhibition displays various honor certificates the school has received over the years, outstanding works by students from previous years, old photos from long ago, group photos of students from different years, and so on.

"Wow! Textbooks from 1993!" Wen Zhixia exclaimed.

“An old-fashioned blackboard eraser!” Li Wanyin said nostalgically. “I remember when I was in elementary school in the countryside, we still used this kind of blackboard eraser…”

Lin Mengqiu looked at a yellowed lesson plan through the shop window.

Chen Shi'an took out his phone and took pictures of these old objects.

"Taoist priest! Come and look! Our class teacher, Ms. Wu, is in this graduation photo!" Wen Zhixia pointed to an old photo behind the glass.

"Wow, Little Cicada has such sharp eyes, it can even recognize this?" Chen Shi'an put down his phone and came over to take a look.

"Haha, Ms. Wu told me which year she graduated. I looked it up in her name and found it right away. It's amazing! Ms. Wu was so young when she was young!"

"So, Teacher Wu was a graduate of 1998."

"Yes, yes! Back then, the school was called Yunqi High School. Ms. Wu said she never imagined she would end up teaching at her alma mater!"

Looking at these old objects and old photos, everyone felt a unique kind of interest.

It is precisely because you are in the midst of it that you have a special feeling about these things.

In the past, Chen Shi'an only thought of Yunqi No.1 Middle School as a place where he went down the mountain to study, but he didn't know when it started, he also developed a different feeling for this school and a wonderful sense of belonging.

Lin Mengqiu was also looking at these old photos. She knew more about the school's history than the other students, after all, her father was the principal and a member of the school board.

Of course, she didn't really understand the specifics of how her father operated the school, such as educational institutions, shares, and collaborations. She only knew that her father had dedicated more than 20 years of his life to Yunqi No.1 Middle School, working there even before the school was restructured and renamed.

"Hey, isn't this Uncle Lin?"

Chen Shi'an stepped forward and looked at the slightly yellowed group photo of the school teachers in front of Lin Mengqiu, in which Lin Ming was present.

Wen Zhixia and Li Wanyin came over to see what was happening.

The annoying cicadas were crowding around, and Lin Mengqiu looked disgusted, so she had no choice but to make room for them.

Wow! Principal Lin was so young when he was young! He was quite handsome too!

"~~~"

Hmph, doesn't he even know whose father he is?

"They're just as handsome as my dad was when he was young!"

"..."

Having never seen what Uncle Wen looked like when he was young, Lin Mengqiu couldn't agree for the time being, but she had to admit that Fanren Chan was also very beautiful, so Uncle Wen must have been quite good-looking when he was young.

"2003... That's exactly twenty years ago! It has such a vintage feel!"

Li Wanyin looked on curiously, and as she looked, she suddenly looked at a female teacher in the photo with some surprise, and then turned to look at Lin Mengqiu beside her with some uncertainty.

"Mengqiu, look! This teacher looks just like you! Ling Yingzhi... Is this Teacher Ling still teaching at the school?"

“She is my mother,” Lin Mengqiu said.

Li Wanyin realized what was happening and quickly stopped talking.

Wen Zhixia understood what was going on, but she just looked at the photos and didn't ask any more questions.

Chen Shi'an, however, asked Lin Mengqiu curiously, "So Uncle Lin and Auntie met at school back then?"

"Um……"

"What did you teach back then, Auntie?"

"math."

"I see. The class monitor looks a lot like her mother, and she's just as good at math."

"~~~~~~"

"Yes, yes! Mengqiu, your mother is so beautiful!" Li Wanyin nodded in agreement.

"Teacher Ling is so beautiful!" Wen Zhixia exclaimed.

"~~~~~~"

The strange atmosphere that had just been there was now lively again.

Following the timeline, the group looked around and soon arrived at the most recent campus showcase. The newest exhibits were the photos taken at last month's school sports meet, and the two girls even spotted themselves in some of them.

It was during the three-legged race. Wen Zhixia and Xiaoyan were in one group, and Chen Shian and Lin Mengqiu were in another. They were binding their legs and arms around each other, and rushing forward with all their might.

If we hadn't seen these candid moments now, none of the three of them would have noticed how funny their expressions were back then.

"Ugh! You made me look so ugly in that photo!"

Wen Zhixia was almost dizzy, wondering to herself if her expression had looked that ferocious back then?
Look at Xiaoyan's expression, hahaha... she looks like she's given up on life.

"What was Xiaozhi thinking back then?" Chen Shi'an asked with a smile.

"I just want to win!"

Lin Mengqiu smiled and said, "She's the one who won!"

But before she could be happy for long, she saw a photo of the ball relay with her back to the camera. It was the moment when Chen Shi'an took a big step forward, grabbed her arm and was about to fly up. In the photo, she was both surprised and amused, her pretty face was flushed, and she had no trace of her usual aloof image.
Chen Shi'an pointed at the photo and couldn't help but laugh: "Squad leader, look at yourself..."

"×!"

Who took this picture?! Who took this picture?! Who uploaded this photo?!
……

The celebration officially began at 1:30 p.m.

Students began carrying chairs toward the playground, and the once empty football field and running track were soon filled with a group of youthful faces in blue and white school uniforms.

After gathering for a while, the four of them temporarily separated.

Li Wanyin had an invitation from an alumnus and sat in the alumni section at the very front of the playground.

The group was surrounded by alumni in their thirties and forties, most of whom are now accomplished individuals in their respective fields; otherwise, they wouldn't have been specially invited.

The young and pretty woman, holding an invitation she'd gotten through connections, was sitting inside, feeling incredibly nervous—like a husky among wolves…

"Young lady, which year did you graduate from our school? You look so young!"

"..."

woo woo woo...

I'm not even from your school!
The successful alumni around her were exchanging pleasantries, getting to know each other, and expanding their networks, while the woman still selling milk tea at her stall didn't dare utter a sound, afraid that someone would ask her for her business card...

Chen Shi'an and the two girls returned to their respective class meeting points, carried chairs, and sat on the playground to participate in the celebration.

Today's school anniversary celebration was truly grand, and it also coincided with the approaching New Year. As far as the eye could see, the school was decorated with colorful ribbons and balloons.

On the stage, a red curtain was embroidered with the school emblem and the words "20th Anniversary Celebration". Large LED screens erected on both sides played the school's development history and campus scenery. From the original few bungalows to today's modern teaching buildings, every frame was impressive.

First, Principal Lin Mingxian gave a speech.

Welcome alumni, blah blah blah...

Our school blah blah blah...

The future, blah blah blah...

The father's speech on stage made his daughter in the audience doze off.

Lin Mengqiu sat in the chair, never looking up, just quietly playing with her mountain spirit bead bracelet...

After an unknown amount of time, a burst of cannon fire suddenly rang out in the sky—

All the students, teachers, and alumni on the field looked up at the sound, and more than a dozen dazzling daytime fireworks rose into the sky from the open space on the east side of the playground, blooming with colorful sparks under the azure afternoon sky.

The colors, as brilliant as the morning light, were like a rainbow shattered in the air.

"Wow--!!"

"so beautiful!!"

"Oh my god!!"

"There really were daytime fireworks!!"

Students cheered, and alumni took out their phones to take pictures. Everyone was as excited as if it were Chinese New Year at the 20th anniversary celebration of Yunqi No.1 High School.

After the celebration ended, the campus became a sea of ​​joy.

Then everyone has free time.

The alumni of the basketball teams from previous years are playing a friendly match with the current junior basketball team, and the cheers from the sidelines are no less enthusiastic than they were back then.

There are also tree planting activities, exhibitions, and so on;
Principal Lin then invited several alumni who had made significant donations to his office for tea to discuss various donations, scholarship funds, and other matters…

Chen Shi'an and the others weren't idle either. They called Xiao Yan and Yu Fu to find an activity room for their final performance rehearsal.

After all, it's the last day of 2023. Tomorrow is the New Year's Day holiday. After school in the afternoon, students are free to leave the school.

Many students went home first, but many others stayed behind, planning to enjoy the evening's cultural performance and drone light show before leaving.

The school is also very generous, treating everyone to a free feast tonight.

In fact, it was free for everyone eating in the cafeteria tonight, but the food was quite plentiful, so many students, even if they were going home, simply decided to have a free meal before heading back.

Chen Shi'an and his three companions ate dinner in the cafeteria that evening.

Before you know it, night falls.

All the string lights on campus lit up, transforming the entire campus into a fairytale world.

At 7 p.m., students, teachers and alumni who were still on campus gathered in the auditorium.

The 20th anniversary celebration performance of Yunqi No.1 Middle School is about to begin.

"Taoist priest! Hurry, hurry!"

"Coming, coming, changing clothes."

"Isn't someone still missing? Where's Xu Zihan?"

"He needed to pee, so he went to the toilet!"

　Book Recommendation: On the last day of August, Lu Zhichen looked at the beautiful girl sitting on the sofa with a somewhat blank expression.

　　Her features were exquisite, her black hair flowed like a waterfall, and her red lips resembled a red plum blossom in the snow. She was as beautiful as the goddess of the Luo River.

　　"What? Don't you recognize your cute little childhood sweetheart?"

　　
　
(End of this chapter)