My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 114 Coming Out
"Why?" Lin Ying asked curiously. "You have such a good skill, and I heard that you grew up in your family's coffee shop. You've been familiar with these things since you were little. Things are different now. More and more people are doing private business, and the policies are becoming more and more relaxed. Don't you want to give it a try?"

"Try it? Hehe, it's not that I don't want to, but..." Xie Xiangrong sighed and shook his head. "You're right. I grew up in my family's coffee shop, surrounded by the smell of coffee. I've been dealing with coffee my whole life. Even now, sometimes I dream about what my family's coffee shop looked like, as if it were right in front of me."

"But all of that is in the past. More than 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye. My family's coffee shop is long gone, and even my parents have been gone for many years. What's past is past, and we can never get it back. Why bother trying to force it?"

At this point, Xie Xiangrong pointed to his room: "Actually, I'm quite good like this. I don't have to worry about food or shelter, and I have enough money. I entertain myself in my daily life, so why bother with other troubles? What do you think?"

Xie Xiangrong had said the same thing to Zhou Jiye before. He wasn't without feelings about the matter, but he had given up on the idea long ago because of previous reasons. Moreover, Xie Xiangrong was not young anymore. He was only a few years younger than Fang Manxia and had long passed the age of knowing one's destiny. At this age, he had already seen through everything.

"Uncle, what if I said..." Lin Ying asked with a smile, "Grandma would like to drink your coffee again?"

"That's easy!" Xie Xiangrong said happily. "If my sister wants coffee, she can just call out to me. Even if it's raining knives, I can just go over and make it for her. It's not far, so it's very convenient."

"But Grandma doesn't want to stay home; she'd rather have a drink at your coffee shop."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangrong abruptly stopped in his tracks, nearly dropping the unfinished moka pot. He looked up at Lin Ying with surprise in his eyes.

"What did you say? Sister... what did she say?"

Lin Ying nodded slightly: "Although it's a little hard to say, it was actually Grandma who asked me to come to see you today, Uncle. She asked me to tell you that after so many years, some things should be let go. It's such a pity that your coffee-making skills have been buried like this. She's craving coffee and wants to have coffee at your coffee shop. I wonder if you would be willing to come out of retirement, Uncle?"

"This...this..."

The usually composed Xie Xiangrong could hardly believe her ears, and her expression instantly became extremely agitated: "You little girl, are you talking nonsense? How could my older sister say such a thing?"

"Uncle, you can ask Grandma yourself. You'll know if it's true or not once you ask. I have no reason to lie to you."

Xie Xiangrong suddenly realized that Lin Ying's words must be Fang Manxia's meaning, and he couldn't be fooled at all. Otherwise, he would just ask Fang Manxia and expose her.
Thinking of this, Xie Xiangrong couldn't help but recall the scene of Fang Manxia drinking coffee in her own coffee shop when she was young.

It was a sunny afternoon. Fang Manxia, ​​dressed in a cheongsam, was elegant and beautiful. She sat by the window with a cup of coffee he had made himself and a small cake in front of her, enjoying everything in a graceful manner.

Meanwhile, Xie Xiangrong was not far away, a smile playing on his lips as he secretly gazed at his goddess. When Fang Manxia's gaze inadvertently drifted in his direction, he pretended to be busy, lowered his head, and deliberately avoided her gaze, though he was secretly delighted.

This scene, like an oil painting, had long been deeply etched in Xie Xiangrong's memory, and had appeared countless times in his dreams. He had originally thought he would never have the chance to see this scene again, but Lin Ying's words today suddenly shattered the dryness in Xie Xiangrong's heart, and he couldn't help but feel excited.

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself down, Xie Xiangrong pressed Lin Ying for an explanation of why Fang Manxia had suddenly asked her to deliver such a message and how she had changed her mind so quickly.
Lin Ying did not hide anything from Xie Xiangrong and told him the truth about the issue.

She told Xie Xiangrong that she planned to open a coffee shop, which she and her two younger sisters would manage. She did this so that her two younger sisters could start their own businesses and become truly independent in Shanghai in the future.

No one in the entire city understands coffee shop management and coffee making better than Xie Xiangrong. That's why Fang Manxia suggested that Lin Ying do this, and told her to go find Xie Xiangrong, hoping that he could cooperate with Lin Ying to open this coffee shop.

If Xie Xiangrong agrees, this coffee shop will become a joint venture between Lin Ying and him. In addition, Xie Xiangrong will also be the mentor of Lin Wen and Lin Xi. Fang Manxia hopes that Xie Xiangrong's skills can be passed down to future generations, instead of being wasted like this. This would be a perfect ending to her life and make up for the regrets of the past.

"Grandma said she asked me to tell you that she would come here often after this coffee shop opens."

That last sentence completely made Xie Xiangrong give up his insistence. His long-lost thoughts were suddenly ignited, and he was so excited that he couldn't sit still and stood up and spun around in the room.

Xie Xiangrong grabbed a cigarette from the table, lit it with slightly trembling hands, and took a deep drag. He suddenly turned to Lin Ying and asked, "Is this true? Is it true?" "Of course it's true!" Lin Ying replied firmly.

"Okay! I agree!" Lin Ying had originally planned to use some words to persuade Xie Xiangrong, but when she told Xie Xiangrong that what she said was true, Xie Xiangrong agreed without hesitation.

This 180-degree turn surprised Lin Ying, but thinking about it, it made sense. Xie Xiangrong and Fang Manxia had known each other for decades, and in his heart, Fang Manxia was like a white moonlight, always occupying the most important position.

In later terms, Xie Xiangrong could be described as a complete "simp," but he differed from later simps in that his feelings couldn't be simply described with that word; perhaps it represented his generation's persistence and yearning for love.

Moreover, Xie Xiangrong knew in his heart that Fang Manxia was a woman unlike any other. From the day he first met Fang Manxia in college, Xie Xiangrong had fallen deeply in love. For so many years, he had remained unmarried, and Fang Manxia was his only spiritual support. Not to mention such a small thing, even if Fang Manxia asked him to go to the sky to pick stars, Xie Xiangrong would not hesitate.

Besides, Fang Manxia had never asked Xie Xiangrong to do anything in all these years; this was practically the first time she had asked. Thinking of this, how could Xie Xiangrong sit still? He couldn't wait to open the coffee shop immediately.

Xie Xiangrong's attitude changed drastically, which made Lin Ying very happy. With this old master of coffee making around, the coffee shop had a solid foundation.

However, opening a coffee shop is not so easy. Although it has been opened up now, there are no real individual businesses yet, and the relevant policies have not been implemented. Setting up a stall on the street is fine, but opening a coffee shop is a big deal. How do you get the permits? And where should the coffee shop be located? These are all extremely important questions.

"I'll take care of this!" When Lin Ying asked these questions, Xie Xiangrong took the job without hesitation. He knew many people outside and had many connections. What might be difficult for others was nothing to him.

However, opening a coffee shop requires a lot of investment. Although Xie Xiangrong has money, his savings are not enough to support the opening of the shop. So he asked Lin Ying how much money she could contribute and how much work she could do with her money. This was something he needed to figure out first.

Lin Ying had anticipated this and immediately told Xie Xiangrong that she could come up with five thousand, and if that wasn't enough, she could have more.

Upon hearing the number, Xie Xiangrong looked at Lin Ying with some surprise, but quickly smiled again.

"Wow, you're a big spender! You can take so much money all at once? Looks like you and Xiao Zhou made a lot of money on your business!"

"They went to Lingnan to buy goods these past few days, and most of their money is tied up in payments for those goods. They're short on cash right now, so this is all they can afford..." Lin Ying said with a smile.

"Since this business is so profitable, why open a coffee shop? Coffee shops don't make much money," Xie Xiangrong asked, puzzled.

Lin Ying thought for a moment and told Xie Xiangrong about Fang Manxia's conversation with her. After listening, Xie Xiangrong finally understood and nodded, saying, "That makes sense. Doing business like reselling and moving bricks won't last long. Besides, you and your two younger sisters are all young girls. It's really not suitable for young girls to set up stalls. A coffee shop is much better. It's more upscale, and the people coming and going are all well-mannered. It will also be easier to switch to other businesses later."

Is this enough money?

"It should be about right. I can take out three thousand here, which makes eight thousand in total. That's quite a lot of money. We'll calculate the rest after I've done my research. Just get the money ready. I'll go out and inquire around in the next couple of days."

"Alright, then I'll leave this to you, Uncle." Lin Ying happily stood up to thank him. Seeing that she was about to leave, Xie Xiangrong didn't try to stop her. Right now, he was preoccupied with the coffee shop, wishing he could open it immediately and wait for Fang Manxia to patronize it.

When Xie Xiangrong saw Lin Ying off, he couldn't help but secretly ask her if Fang Manxia's claim that she would come to the coffee shop often after it opened was reliable. Seeing that he was old but still acted like a young boy, Lin Ying suppressed a laugh and nodded repeatedly, telling him to rest assured that she would take care of it and that she would get Fang Manxia to the coffee shop no matter what.

Lin Ying originally thought that Xie Xiangrong would take several days to find out the information, but unexpectedly, Xie Xiangrong came in a hurry the next day at noon. He knocked on the door of the small building, saw Lin Ying, and said that he had found a place and asked Lin Ying to come with him to take a look immediately.

(End of this chapter)