The news of our marriage was delivered to Old Zhao and Mom by Mi Cai, which naturally sounded more convincing. They exchanged glances, and the smiles on their faces were genuine. Finally, Mom said, “This is great news. It’s rare that you two are planning to get married, and your father and I will definitely support you wholeheartedly… In the future, you two can just live peacefully in Xuzhou. Nothing is better than having the whole family together!”
Mi Cai nodded heavily, “Yes, thank you, Auntie and Uncle, for supporting my and Zhaoyang’s decision to get married.”
Mom smiled at Mi Cai, then turned to Old Zhao and said, “Lao Zhao, later on, go find your fortune-telling friend and check if there are any auspicious dates recently. Also, take the two kids’ birth dates and times with you to have them calculated.”
“There’s no need to be so superstitious!” After saying this, Old Zhao turned seriously to Mi Cai and asked, “Xiao Mi, have you informed your own family about your decision to marry Zhaoyang? What do they think of it?”
Mi Cai’s expression turned somber, a somberness rooted in her inner pain. After all, which woman wouldn’t wish for the blessing of her own parents on such a significant turning point in her life? But for Mi Cai, this was a luxury. Finally, she replied softly, “Uncle, Auntie… I have lived in a broken family since childhood, living only with my father. But five years ago, my father also passed away in a car accident. The only immediate family I have left in this world is Uncle’s family…” At this point, Mi Cai was already choked up.
While speaking, Mom complained about Old Zhao, “Why are you asking the child about such things? This isn’t the feudal era anymore. Young people’s marriages should be based on free will. As parents, we must respect our children’s wishes. So, I really don’t think Xiaomi’s family would have any objections to this matter. Otherwise, Xiaomi wouldn’t have had the chance to come and live in Xuzhou, right?”
Old Zhao was silent. I knew that my father, who had always been rigorous, still wanted to find out about Mi Cai’s family background and their attitude towards her marriage to me. Of course, it was reasonable for my father to ask such a question, but Mi Cai’s situation was too special.
Mi Cai finally calmed her emotions and said to my father and mother again, “I hope Uncle and Auntie won’t look down on my family background. I have lived like an orphan for so many years, and I was very lonely. Until I met Zhaoyang, being able to integrate into this family made me feel that my life was truly happy! Therefore, I cherish everything I have now even more…”
Mom wiped away her tears, patted Mi Cai’s back, and softly comforted her, “You poor child, how could your uncle and I ever look down on you? We love you so much!… As long as you and Zhaoyang can live well together and quickly give us a healthy grandson or granddaughter, your uncle and I can feel at ease for the rest of our lives!”
Mi Cai finally smiled. She looked at me, and the gloom in my heart disappeared because of her smile. I handed her a hot pancake, indicating she should eat quickly so the chicken soup wouldn’t get cold. Knowing she didn’t like chopped green onions, I scooped them out of her bowl separately… The whole morning, none of us mentioned anything sad again. I knew that maybe later, Mom would drag Dad to the fortune teller to pick a good day for us, and probably calculate our birth dates and times as well.
…
That morning, I first drove Mi Cai to Aosen Advertising, then went to the coffee shop alone. Today, I would successively receive the soft decorations I had ordered online a couple of days ago. Because there were a lot, it would be a very labor-intensive and mentally demanding task to integrate them seamlessly into the current layout. This was destined to be another busy day.
Today, two more photography studios came with customers for photo shoots, but unlike yesterday, I wasn’t overwhelmed. Because today, the barista I had hired, Qin Yan, specially came to the shop to help with the renovation. When customers who came for photo shoots wanted coffee, he easily met their needs with his professional skills, and his coffee received consistent praise from the customers. This was something I was very happy about because I had chosen a key person for this coffee shop with my own judgment.
Before we knew it, we had reached the evening and finally had some free time. Qin Yan made a cup of coffee for both of us to keep us alert. We sat by the window with the best view, chatting about the future development plan of the coffee shop.
As we chatted, we began to talk about his private life. In fact, Qin Yan was slightly younger than me. This year was his zodiac year, and he was from Zhenjiang. He had clear eyebrows and bright eyes, looking very scholarly. When I asked him why he had settled in Xuzhou, he clearly looked a bit down, even pained. Finally, he bitterly smiled and said to me, “Brother Yang, actually staying in Xuzhou was a helpless decision for me… If it wasn’t for your phone call asking me to come for an interview, I might have already returned to Zhenjiang by now!”
I was curious about his situation and said, “Tell me your story. From what I know, people who choose to become baristas are idealists at heart! Pursuing freedom and equality is a belief deeply rooted in your bones!”
Qin Yan nodded and said, “I’m not sure about others who choose this profession, but I am like that… Do you know that I graduated from the Mining University here in Xuzhou? I had a girlfriend for four years. This year, she successfully got into graduate school and ended our relationship because she thought my job wasn’t decent or stable enough… Her family introduced her to a department manager at a state-owned enterprise, and she finally chose him instead of me… Brother Yang, I was really hurt. Are women really all that pragmatic?”
I didn’t immediately answer this question but asked, “Actually, I’m more curious why you, a top graduate from a prestigious university, chose this profession? You could have had many other options, and this job really doesn’t give women a sense of stability!”
Qin Yan smiled with a complex expression and said, “There must be one or two eccentrics in this world, and I am one of them… I really like the relaxed and pleasant lifestyle in a coffee shop. Coffee is not just a drink; it’s a way of life… Of course, those who don’t have the patience to truly feel it won’t understand this state. It’s something that can only be understood intuitively, not easily expressed in words!”
I nodded and replied, “You’re absolutely right. You’re someone who really understands coffee culture, which can be seen from the coffee you brew. But life always has to return to reality… On this matter, I don’t think your girlfriend is necessarily wrong. It’s just a matter of choosing a way of life, especially since you two weren’t even married yet. This is a right she has reserved.”
Qin Yan sighed, and after another moment of silence, he said, “Brother Yang, actually, my family background is quite good. Although I can’t compare with rich second-generation kids like Cao Jinfu from Beijing, my family does own a self-operated 4S store and a sand and gravel factory in Zhenjiang, making us somewhat well-known locally. Precisely because of these, I had the capital to be reckless—to do things I like before I needed to take on major responsibilities… However, I never told my ex-girlfriend any of this, not even at the time of our breakup. I always felt that our love wasn’t based on money in the first place… Yet, she ended up caring about it!… Sigh! There are so many memories of her and me in this city, so even though it’s almost a year since our breakup, I haven’t been able to leave because of habit… I don’t regret hiding the truth from her. If she had come back because of that, then this relationship would have already become meaningless. But… Are all women in this world this pragmatic? There are just too many examples like mine around me… I’m starting to doubt this world, and women!”
I took a sip of coffee, watching the sun gradually disappear behind the distant mountains. After a long while, I shook my head and replied, “You don’t need to doubt the world and women too much. Just like you said yourself, there will always be one or two eccentrics…”
“Is that really true?”
I nodded, “Let me tell you a story about my friend. Coincidentally, your names even share a homophonic character. You’re Qin Yan, and she’s Yan Yan… We were classmates in university, and we had a relationship like siblings… She loved a man for seven years. His family background was very ordinary, and even became impoverished after his father’s business failure, but Yan Yan never looked down on him… After graduation, they still lived together, with Yan Yan taking care of his daily needs. Despite her own job not being easy, she still gave him enough space to focus on his career… Later, they bought a house and a car in Suzhou, with part of the down payment coming from Yan Yan and another part from her family. Of course, the house and car were preparations for their marriage, and they did get married, even having a child… However, men can also be as pragmatic as women when given the opportunity. This man eventually abandoned Yan Yan, the woman who had stayed by his side for seven years, and married the daughter of a corporate chairman… Fortunately, he still had some guilt and gave Yan Yan a divorce settlement of 20 million… But Yan Yan didn’t keep the money. She donated it all to charity… Therefore, not all women necessarily value material possessions the most. When they value emotions, they can be even more emotional than men… Yan Yan is such a woman!”
Qin Yan listened in disbelief. After a long while, he came back to his senses and asked, “Brother Yang, you’re not making this story up for me, right? If it’s true, this woman is truly admirable!”
“It’s absolutely true. Even in their hardest times, she never thought of abandoning that man… In fact, she herself is a very outstanding woman, always having many admirers around her.”
“Brother Yang, do you have her photo? I wonder if I could have the honor of seeing what this woman looks like!”
Without thinking much, I took out my phone from my pocket, found a photo of Yan Yan, and handed it to him to see…
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