My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 113 Cafe

"What do you think is the best way to arrange this?" Fang Manxia asked.

Lin Ying shook her head: "I haven't thought about it yet. You know the personalities of my third and fourth sisters. The third sister is sensible but soft-hearted in front of others, and the fourth sister is a straightforward person. If I keep an eye on them, they might be okay, but I'm really worried about letting them take charge on their own."

"Originally, I was thinking of finding a place to get some goods and let them learn how to do business, but after thinking about it, I was worried that they wouldn't be able to do it well. I haven't thought of anything suitable for them yet, so I'll leave it for now and see. I'm free these days anyway, so I'll take them out more often and see what they think..."

Before Lin Ying could finish speaking, Fang Manxia was both amused and exasperated. She waved her hand and said to her, "It's true that you, as the older sister, are very thoughtful, but how can you be so sure that your two younger sisters can't stand on their own? I've been with them day and night these past few days, and I know their personalities best. They are both good children, and they are still young with a lot of potential for growth. How will you know if you don't let them try?"

"You mean...?" Lin Ying asked hesitantly. Fang Manxia's words made sense, but could it really work?
"You," Fang Manxia sighed, "You're a woman too. Does that mean we women are inferior to men? That's not true! The key for women is to be independent. Only independent women can earn respect. They're still young and have countless opportunities to try and fail. Besides, what's wrong with making mistakes? With you as their older sister to help them, are they afraid of taking a few detours?"

"That's right!" Lin Ying suddenly realized that she had really been overthinking things. She had only considered the concerns but hadn't taken into account what Fang Manxia had said. Flowers grown in a greenhouse can't withstand the frost and snow after all. What's wrong with giving it a try? With her backing her up, why should she be afraid of them?
"Thank you, I know what to do now," Lin Ying said happily.

Fang Manxia smiled and asked Lin Ying, "So what do you plan to do? Arrange for your two younger sisters to sell goods, just like you did?"

"Pretty much. After Jiye comes back, I'll give them some goods and let them go out and try it out on their own."

Upon hearing this, Fang Manxia expressed her disapproval, saying that Lin Ying and the others could do this kind of work, but it was not suitable for Lin Wen and Lin Xi. After all, Lin Ying and the others were a team of four, with three grown men and Lin Ying being the only woman. Zhou Jiye and the others were the main force.

Moreover, it's ultimately inappropriate for women to show their faces in public like this. Besides, setting up a street stall involves dealing with all sorts of people, and even if you make money from such interactions, it's not a good thing for the woman herself.

Women should be independent and self-reliant, but they also need inner strength and temperament, unless Lin Ying plans to let her two younger sisters become small-time vendors and spend their whole lives busy with meager earnings.

Especially since Lin Wen and Lin Xi are only sixteen or seventeen years old, they are very malleable and have unlimited potential. Even if they want to do some business to support their families, there is no need for them to do these things.

"Let me give you an idea," Fang Manxia suddenly said. "Go find Xiao Xie. His family owns a coffee shop, and when it comes to making coffee, no one in Shanghai can compare to him. Setting up a stall is too low-level a business. Don't even mention your sister, I wouldn't recommend it for long, even for you. Why not have Xiao Xie help you find a place to open a coffee shop? That way, you can solve your problems and also take this opportunity to make some changes."

"Grandma, this...?" Lin Ying was stunned for a moment, never expecting that Fang Manxia would come up with such an idea.

She suddenly remembered what Fang Manxia had once reminded her and Zhou Jiye, advising them not to put all their energy into reselling goods. Although this kind of business could make money, it was ultimately not the right way, and the subsequent risks were very high.

However, they were short of money at the time, and apart from this job, they didn't have any other good business options that could make money. So, although Lin Ying and Zhou Jiye were grateful for Fang Manxia's advice, they didn't take it to heart.

Even today, when Lin Ying was planning to have her two younger sisters also set up stalls, Fang Manxia made this suggestion, not only finding another way for her two younger sisters to become independent, but also pointing out a new path for herself.

Fang Manxia was right. Street vending can indeed make money. Just like them, they have accumulated a lot of wealth in a short period of time by simply being resellers. This amount of money is more than an ordinary person could earn in many years.

If Zhou Jiye and his team can bring back another large batch of goods from Lingnan this time, they will earn even more money. The rapid accumulation of wealth is a fact, but their future achievements will also be fixed because of this business. In addition, there are different levels of business. Street vending is the least technical and the lowest level, and its achievements will ultimately be limited. In addition, due to the customer base, even a rough gem will become an ordinary stubborn stone if things continue like this.

These days, Fang Manxia has been carefully teaching Lin Wen and Lin Xi. The knowledge she teaches them, including the ideas she instills in them, is not intended to make them just small vendors to support their families in the future.

"Will this really work? What about Uncle...?"

“Why not?” Fang Manxia said decisively, “Don’t worry about Xiao Xie. Tell him this is my idea. He’s been playing around for so many years. He’s getting old and doesn’t do anything productive every day. It’s time for him to do something worthwhile.”

“Go see him tomorrow and tell him what I mean. Also, tell him that once the coffee shop opens, I'll come over when I have time. He'll definitely agree.” As she said this, a smile appeared on Fang Manxia's lips, a hint of reminiscence in her expression. That night, Lin Ying thought a lot and ultimately felt that Fang Manxia was right.

Lin Wen and Lin Xi are not Lin Ying. Lin Ying possesses memories from her later life, and her personality and knowledge were formed long ago. However, these two young women are different. Lin Ying is currently engaged in this business for the initial accumulation of wealth; to be honest, she has never considered continuing this business indefinitely.

Right now, she was just planning to make her first fortune quickly before switching to another path. But now, Fang Manxia has pointed her in a different direction: opening a coffee shop.

Coffee shops are a long-standing tradition in Shanghai, and since the beginning of the 21st century, Shanghai has become the city with the most coffee shops in the world. Statistics from 2024 show that Shanghai had a staggering 9115 coffee shops, and this number continues to rise, ranking first globally.

Although it was only 1980, a long time before Starbucks entered the Chinese market and the coffee shop boom hadn't even begun, it still couldn't stop many Shanghainese from yearning for coffee. In addition, there were international friends and overseas Chinese visiting Shanghai who also had this need. The investment in a coffee shop wasn't large; Lin Ying could easily open one with the money she had. Plus, she could sell some handmade pastries on the side, which was a perfectly normal business model. More importantly, the group that could afford to drink coffee at this time wasn't ordinary people; these groups represented a potential network of contacts for Lin Ying in the future.

The next day, Lin Ying went out as soon as she woke up. She rode her bike directly to Xie Xiangrong's house. When she arrived, Xie Xiangrong had just finished breakfast and was at home, idly playing with his treasures and entertaining himself.

"Hey, Xiao Lin, what brings you here today? Could it be your older sister...?" Upon seeing Lin Ying, Xie Xiangrong was first taken aback, then became nervous.

"Grandma is fine, she's doing well at home. She should be upstairs chatting and drinking tea with my two younger sisters right now," Lin Ying said with a smile, handing over the gift she had brought.

"It's alright, you scared me." Xie Xiangrong breathed a sigh of relief, took the gift, and smiled as soon as he smelled it: "Apricot slices from Harbin?"

"Uncle, you really have sharp eyes. I didn't believe Jiye when he told me last time, but you smelled it without even opening it. Your nose is simply amazing..."

"Haha, my nose is like a dog's." Xie Xiangrong winked playfully at Lin Ying, then chuckled and put the apricot slices she brought into an empty tin bucket.

Then he invited Lin Ying to sit down and asked her if she would like tea or coffee. Lin Ying's heart stirred slightly, and she said she wanted coffee. She had never tried Xie Xiangrong's coffee before, and today would be a good day to try it.

Xie Xiangrong's proudest achievement in life was his coffee-making skills. Hearing Lin Ying say that, he immediately smiled and happily took out his coffee-making tools. In front of Lin Ying, he began to grind the coffee and then brew it.

While making coffee, Xie Xiangrong didn't forget to explain to Lin Ying the origin of his coffee beans and how he roasted them. He gestured as he spoke, and also mentioned the differences between coffee beans from different regions and the differences in the processing methods used.

In addition, he talked about some details and precautions for brewing coffee. Lin Ying listened with great interest and occasionally asked questions. This question hit Xie Xiangrong's itch, and he talked on and on about these things with great enthusiasm and excitement.

Before long, the coffee was ready. Xie Xiangrong poured a cup for Lin Ying with the pot, smiling as he asked her to try it and experience how the coffee he had personally brewed was.

Lin Ying didn't add sugar or milk. Like Xie Xiangrong, she picked up the glass, smelled it first, and then took a small sip.

"This is really good! This must be the best coffee I've ever had." Lin Ying was slightly surprised. You know, given her family's financial situation in her previous life, she had drunk a lot of good coffee on the market, but the coffee that Xie Xiangrong made by hand was in no way inferior to those expensive coffee beans. Moreover, he used the most traditional method, and the tools he used to brew the coffee were just a Moka pot and an alcohol lamp. There was no fully automatic coffee machine, but this cup of coffee made her feel some unique flavors that even so-called coffee masters did not have.

"Hahaha!" Hearing this praise, Xie Xiangrong laughed triumphantly and couldn't help but boast a few more words about his coffee-making skills. He also said that due to his limited resources, his coffee beans were not the best, but he had put his heart into roasting and subsequent processing. He said that if he used the best coffee beans, he would definitely let her know what the best coffee in the world is.

"Uncle, it's such a waste that you don't open a shop with such good skills." Lin Ying couldn't help but say as she put down her cup.

"You two really are a couple, saying exactly the same things. Jiye said the same thing the first time he drank my coffee. But opening a shop and all that, hehe, let's just forget about it..." Xie Xiangrong smiled and shook his head, casually adding some more to Lin Ying's empty cup, and then began to clean the pot in his hands.

(End of this chapter)