Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 428 An unexpected encounter
The warm winter sun shines on the sofa seat by the window. Mrs. Wanzhi leans on the sofa seat, wrapped in a beige blanket. The coffee on the table is steaming. Yan Jiekuang sits opposite, and the melodious piano sounds in his ears. Mrs. Wanzhi said, "Time flies. Only today do I feel what it means to be at peace."

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said, "You are a person who likes sunshine. Every time the sunshine comes in, whether it is the morning light or the afternoon sun, you always stop and enjoy the sunshine."

Mrs. Wanzhi said, "You are right. I really like the sun, as long as it is not too glaring."

The wind chimes at the door rang, and Yan Jiekuang stood up. Two young girls came in. They looked to be about the same age as Shi Li. Yan Jiekuang said, "Welcome, please sit anywhere."

The two girls sat on a sofa on the right side of the entrance, and Yan Jiekuang brought the menu and put it on the round table.

"Uncle, your partition is so special, won't the fish die?" said a girl with a ponytail.

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said, "It seems that they are quite tenacious at the moment."

Another girl with long hair looked at the menu and said, "I want a cappuccino and a tiramisu. What about you, Xiaofang?"

The girl with the ponytail said, "Like you, I'm going to go read some books. There are so many books here, comparable to those in our school."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Two cups of cappuccino and two tiramisu. Please wait a moment. By the way, there is a bookshelf on the second floor. If you don't find anything you like here, you can go to the second floor and have a look."

Yan Jiekuang returned to the workbench and began to prepare coffee. The cakes were ready.

After a while, the two girls each took a book and started reading. Yan Jiekuang served them coffee and dessert, and also gave them a fruit plate. Both girls said "Thank you!".

Yan Jiekuang was about to return to Mrs. Wanzhi when the girl with shoulder-length hair asked, "Boss, do you have a 'Painting of Destiny'?"

"Yes, there happens to be a record of Liszt, but you have to listen to it from the beginning," said Yan Jiekuang.

Yan Jiekuang went to the stereo to change the record, and then returned to Mrs. Wanzhi. Mrs. Wanzhi said, "How come I didn't know you had Liszt's record? I haven't heard you play it."

"I still like Chopin and Mozart, so I rarely put anything else in." Yan Jiekuang said, then picked up his coffee and took a sip.

"Well, I also like Chopin, he is more romantic," said Mrs. Wanzhi.

Yan Jiekuang had just sat down when he heard the wind chimes at the door ring again. The door opened and five people came in. Yan Jiekuang was quite curious, as it was the first time a group of people came into a coffee shop together.

Yan Jiekuang stood up and said, "Welcome, please sit down."

There were several young guys, all with long hair, two of them carrying guitar cases, and they chose a booth near the inside because only that kind of booth could seat five people.

Yan Jiekuang walked over with the order and put it on their table. One of them, who seemed to be their leader, said, "Boss, is this the only coffee you have?"

Yan Jiekuang was stunned for a moment and said, "Yes, besides coffee, there is only water."

The man flipped through the menu and said, "Then give us a cup of American coffee each. Oh, and we can add the sugar and milk ourselves. Also, give us five matcha cakes and a plate of waffles."

Yan Jiekuang said: "Okay, wait a moment."

Yan Jiekuang went to prepare the food. Five people were chatting there. One of them suddenly noticed two girls sitting by the window at the door. He patted the people next to him and nodded in the direction of the girls, meaning to let them see the sharp fruits.

The five people gathered together and muttered. Yan Jiekuang filled a glass jug of milk and a can of soup for each of them. Yan Jiekuang put the food on the table for them and said, "Please enjoy your meal." Then he returned to Mrs. Wanzhi, who said, "You are restless."

Yan Jiekuang was stunned. While he was preparing the food, he did not hear what those people said or did, but Mrs. Wanzhi saw it all. Following Mrs. Wanzhi's gaze, Yan Jiekuang realized that Mrs. Wanzhi was talking about those boys.

After a while, one of them stood up and walked towards where the two girls were sitting. "Hey, girls, it's just the two of you. Can you get to know each other?"

The two girls were stunned at first. The girl with the ponytail said, "Have your hair grown out yet? Are you imitating others to pat their wives?"

This sentence stunned the young man, who said, "Little girl, how can you talk like that? I just want to get to know you."

The girl with ponytail said: "Who do I know you? You say I know you, so you know me. What's wrong with you? Is your face too big?" "Oh my god, you are so arrogant and domineering." The young man stood up and got angry.

Yan Jiekuang quickly stood up, walked over, stood between the two people and said, "Calm down, both of you. Calm down. Fate is a bridge. Since we can't meet in the middle of the bridge, just get off the bridge separately."

The girl with shoulder-length hair laughed when she heard this and said, "Boss, this is a weird theory. Xiaofang, stop talking. My friend, we just want to read quietly. Please don't disturb us. I apologize to you on behalf of Xiaofang."

The young man's anger instantly subsided and he said, "I just wanted to get to know you. Since you don't mean to, I'm sorry." The young man returned to his seat and the other four people laughed.

Seeing that the problem was solved, Yan Jiekuang wanted to return to his seat. The girl with shoulder-length hair said, "Does that mean if I keep standing on the bridge, I will eventually meet my destiny?"

Yan Jiekuang chuckled and said, "The only people standing on the bridge are those collecting the toll." After saying that, he turned around and left. The girl with ponytail laughed so hard that she rolled around on the sofa. The girl with shawl hair glared at her and also chuckled.

Not only were they laughing, the five young men not far away also heard what Yan Jiekuang said and couldn't stop laughing.

When Yan Jiekuang returned to his seat, Mrs. Wanzhi smiled and said, "You are really funny."

"It's so nice to be happy, so as to avoid the dull atmosphere, which is bad for the body and mind." Yan Jiekuang said.

When it was almost noon, the five young people paid the bill and left. Yan Jiekuang asked Mrs. Wanzhi what she wanted to eat. Mrs. Wanzhi said, "How about noodles? We can't cook here, and I don't want to go back now."

"Okay, I'll make you a bowl of plain noodles and see if it's authentic." After Yan Jiekuang said this, he stood up and went to the workbench.

The two girls were about to leave, but when they saw the boss making noodles, the girl with the ponytail ran over to watch. When she smelled Yan Jiekuang's hot soup, she swallowed and said coquettishly, "Boss, can you give us a bowl too? Please, we are starving."

Yan Jiekuang shuddered and said, "Okay, just this once. This is a coffee shop, not a restaurant."

The girl with the ponytail happily went back to report. Yan Jiekuang chuckled and said to himself, "I can't escape the fate of being a chef."

After a while, Yan Jiekuang finished preparing four bowls of plain noodles. He first served one bowl to Mrs. Wanzhi, and then served two bowls to the two girls. Then he took his own bowl and sat down opposite Mrs. Wanzhi. The entire coffee shop was filled with the sound of people eating noodles except for the music.

After finishing their noodles, the two girls looked at Yan Jiekuang's back with satisfaction. Wanzhi nodded in the direction of the girls. Yan Jiekuang also felt the gaze from behind, turned his head and said, "No need to look at me. That's all. I don't have the face to do anything else."

The two girls laughed and said, "Boss, let's pay the bill. Your noodles are more than twice as good as your coffee."

Yan Jiekuang stood up and walked over, saying, "Forty in total, the noodles are free."

The girl with long hair said, "How can that be possible? This is not appropriate. How much is it? You decide."

Yan Jiekuang said: "This is a coffee shop. Noodles are beyond the scope of our business. It's really free."

The girl with shawl hair took out forty yuan and handed it to Yan Jiekuang, then stood up. The girl with ponytail also stood up. As the two of them walked to the door, the girl with shawl hair turned around and said, "Boss, thank you for the noodles. They are really delicious."

The girl with the ponytail nodded and said, "Uncle, it's a pity that you don't open a restaurant. Bye."

After that, the two girls left. Yan Jiekuang began to clean up the table. Mrs. Wanzhi said, "You better be careful. This will attract peach blossoms."

Yan Jiekuang smiled bitterly and said, "Grandma, how can you say that about your grandson? What have I done to offend anyone? I'm already so old, and I'm still having affairs with women?"

Mrs. Wanzhi said happily, "You are now at your most attractive age, so you better be careful."

Yan Jiekuang said helplessly, "I understand," and then continued to clean the table.

In the afternoon, his wife went upstairs to rest, and Yan Jiekuang sat at the door smoking and watching the people coming and going.

(End of this chapter)