After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

"The coffee is ready!"

Xiao Qi quickly brought over the coffee, coaxing it with a smile:

"Brother Qiang, try my cooking and see how it tastes!"

"I could tell from the moment you walked in that you're a true coffee lover."

The burly man, who had been dozing off while sitting there, straightened up instantly upon hearing this and cleared his throat.

"Cough, cough!"

"It's just so-so."

After saying that, he picked up the coffee pot in a serious manner and poured himself a full small cup, just like pouring wine.

After pouring, Li Qiang seemed to realize that something was still missing.

So he looked up and around, glanced at Xiao Qi behind the bar, and then at the blogger sitting next to him "playing on his phone," and immediately greeted him.

"Come on, you two, bring your cups over here too!"

"Such good coffee, it's no fun drinking it all by myself! Good things should be shared!"

The blogger next to him was a bit confused and quickly waved his hand, looking at the coffee with a pained expression.

"Brother, thank you so much!"

"But I've been drinking all day, and I finally managed to stop for a bit, but I really can't drink anymore."

As he spoke, he pointed to the coffee pot in front of Li Qiang and said sincerely:

"I also ordered a pot of this coffee this morning, and it's really delicious!"

"Take your time drinking, I won't disturb you."

After saying that, the blogger quickly picked up his things and found a corner to sit down.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Li Qiang stopped trying and turned his attention to Xiao Qi.

"Come on, give me some face, how about we have a drink together?"

Xiao Qi took one look and waved his hands repeatedly, saying with a wry smile:

"Brother, to be honest, I drank way more than him today, the day the store opened."

"Now I can't even drink water, let alone coffee."

Li Qiang, who had been in high spirits just moments before, suddenly felt utterly disheartened when he saw that one after another had rejected him.

Lan Yujuan, who was not far away, saw everything.

Seeing this, he smiled and walked over, offering his own coffee cup:

"May I have a drink?"

Li Qiang, who had been listless just moments before, suddenly brightened up and perked up when he saw Lan Yujuan approaching him.

"Yes, yes!"

So, just like pouring wine, he poured Lan Yujuan a full glass.

The coffee has excellent surface tension, and Li Qiang's pouring technique is clearly also quite good.

The steaming coffee rose slightly above the rim of the cup, yet not a single drop spilled.

"Come on, cheers!"

Li Qiang generously picked up his coffee cup, offered a toast from afar, and then inhaled the aroma:

"Great, this coffee smells wonderful!"

"Indeed, the price is justified; it smells delicious!"

After saying that, he blew on his coffee and downed the small cup in one gulp.

Before he could even swallow his coffee, Li Qiang's expression changed.

He was still clutching the cup in his hand when he froze, his eyes shifting from initial relaxation and joy to shock and disbelief.

A few seconds later, he suddenly turned his head and spat directly into the trash can.

"puff!"

"Ugh, ugh!"

Lan Yujuan was startled and quickly picked up a tissue and handed it over.

After wiping his mouth, Li Qiang quickly rinsed it with plain water, and it took him a while to realize what had happened.

When I sat down again, my eyes were wet.

"Why is this expensive coffee bitter?"

"It costs five thousand yuan a pot! You can't even bear to add milk, let alone sugar?"

Xiao Qi stood behind the bar, looking at the half-empty pot of coffee on the table, feeling so embarrassed he could practically dig his toes out of a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment.

But this is a big customer who just recharged 20,000 yuan. The customer is king, so what can he do? He can only appease him!

"Brother, I'm so sorry, I forgot to remind you."

"We have sugar cubes here. If you prefer it sweeter, you can add sugar yourself."

After saying that, Xiao Qi quickly pushed over a large jar of sugar cubes that was prominently placed next to him.

Next to the sugar jar, there is a small pair of tweezers, which is used specifically to pick up sugar cubes.

Li Qiang rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Then, as he added sugar to the coffee pot, he muttered to himself:

"When I took a sip just now, I felt something was missing; it didn't feel quite authentic."

"So, you forgot to add sugar!"

"Let me tell you, I always keep coffee in my thermos at work!"

"Coffee is great. Drinking it while driving not only replenishes your energy but also keeps you alert!"

Lan Yujuan sat next to him and saw Li Qiang keep adding sugar to the pot.

Basically, there was almost half sugar left, which made her gasp inwardly.

Seeing that she was staring at him, Li Qiang picked up a piece of candy, turned around, and said:

"Hey girl, do you want some sugar?"

Lan Yujuan quickly waved her hand and forced a smile, "Thank you, brother, but I'm on a diet."

Li Qiang was rejected, but he didn't try to persuade him further. Instead, he threw the sugar back into his coffee pot.

After shaking it to dissolve it evenly, I poured myself another small half cup and tentatively tasted it.

After finishing it, his expression instantly relaxed. "Hmm~, not bad!"

"This is the taste!"

"Oh dear, there's a reason why this coffee is so expensive."

"With sugar added, it's definitely much more fragrant and smooth than the instant coffee that costs one dollar a packet that I usually drink!"

"Hey girl, how about you try just a tiny bit of this sweetened one?"

"Let me tell you, this is good stuff, it tastes really good!"

Lan Yujuan covered the cup, waved her hand, and declined again with a smile.

However, she was now very curious about who this man in front of her was.

Based on his description, he seemed like a driver, but his appearance didn't quite match.

More importantly, what kind of driver would come to her store for no reason on the day of her opening to recharge 20,000 yuan to become a member?

She was puzzled, so she asked him on the spot.

"Hey bro, what made you suddenly decide to come here for coffee and get a membership?"

"Recharging 20,000 yuan at once is no small sum."

Li Qiang truthfully replied, "I don't know either!"

"My boss specifically asked me to come here today to top up my account and make purchases."

As he spoke, Li Qiang picked up his cup and took another sip.

Perhaps the "nightmare" just now was too unforgettable, because now when I pick up the cup, I can't help but frown first, and I am a little cautious.

After taking a sip, he smacked his lips and continued leisurely:

This morning, our team leader asked in the group chat: "Who usually likes to drink coffee?"

"Everyone was a bit confused, and the guys don't usually drink coffee."

"I usually drink coffee to avoid getting sleepy while driving, so I just casually replied."

"And then, I was transferred here today to have paid coffee."

Li Qiang was clearly pleased when he mentioned this.

Lan Yujuan guessed that the other party might receive some other benefits if they accepted the job.

She thought for a moment and then asked:

"Brother, I'd like to ask you, what's your employer's surname?"

"Did you come alone this afternoon?"

Li Qiang didn't hide anything and said directly:

"My employer's surname is Qin, and I came here with the old lady today."

"It was the old lady from the Qin family who specifically asked me to come here to recharge and spend money. My job is to do my job well, and I won't ask any questions that I shouldn't ask."

Lan Yujuan was surprised; she hadn't expected that the old lady had sent him.

Now everything makes sense.

After hearing this, she immediately stood up and looked outside the store, her expression clearly showing her anxiety.

"What about the old lady?"

"Why isn't she coming in? Has she been sitting in the car all this time?"

After hearing this, Li Qiang shook his head repeatedly, "Did you get it?"

"The old lady loves tea and doesn't drink coffee much."

"There just happens to be a teahouse nearby that serves Junshan Silver Needle tea, and the ambiance is quite nice."

"The old lady happened to have some free time today, so she invited a friend to the teahouse over there to sit, drink tea, and listen to music."

Lan Yujuan was surprised; she hadn't expected the old lady to actually come to the store's opening day.

Today, the shop happened to have pre-ordered many desserts from a partner dessert studio that would pair well with coffee.

Coffee and tea, in some ways, are quite similar.

These snacks not only pair well with coffee, but they're also great as tea snacks!

So, before Li Qiang left, she prepared a small gift for him separately.

She also specially packed a small dessert and asked Li Qiang to help deliver it to the old lady.

At this moment, Li Qiang finally understood that the "girl" in front of him was the owner of this coffee shop.

Li Qiang glanced at the dessert and hesitated slightly.

"Boss Lan, how about we just forget about it?"

"The old lady of the Qin family has eaten all kinds of good food, she might not even like the pastries you sent."

"I'll just throw it away later, what a waste."

"You might as well keep it for yourself and save on costs."

Actually, Li Qiang's way of saying this was quite tactful.

He had personally witnessed the old lady more than once casually throwing away gifts given to her by others, which were then picked up by the cleaning staff.

The old lady's daily food and drinks are sourced through special channels and prepared by dedicated personnel.

The old lady basically doesn't eat anything from outside.

However, Lan Yujuan wasn't thinking about any of that; she simply smiled faintly and said:

"It's okay, just deliver it for me."

"This is just a small token of my appreciation; it's fine whether the old lady eats it or not!"

In the end, Li Qiang couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he sighed and left with his things.