My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 57 Bai Yueguang

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Xie Xiangrong pointed around and laughed, "I don't lack money, and I have a house too. This upstairs apartment is also mine, but the neighborhood committee helped me rent it out. The rent I get every month is enough for me to live on. Add to that my previous savings, and I'm not rich, but I'm not poor either. Why should I compromise myself for a pittance?"

"Besides, money might be useful to others, but it's just that to me. I actually feel more relaxed now. I can do whatever I want and tinker with things I enjoy in my spare time. Isn't that good?"

Xie Xiangrong's insightful understanding and profound insights into life were something Zhou Jiye had never imagined, but looking at his carefree demeanor, these words truly came from his heart and were absolutely genuine.

"You are so generous!"

"There's no such thing as magnanimity; it's just that with more experience and more sights, one naturally becomes more open-minded."

Xie Xiangrong said with a smile, picked up his coffee cup and drank the rest of his coffee in one gulp. Then he glanced at the coffee in Zhou Jiye's hand and reminded him that coffee should be drunk while it's hot, because even the best coffee will not taste good if it is left for too long.

Although Zhou Jiye had only just met Xie Xiangrong, he could tell from his demeanor that Xie was a very opinionated person with some obsessions. In particular, having spent his entire life working with coffee, he couldn't stand anyone ruining the coffee he brewed himself, even unintentionally.

Zhou Jiye readily complied and finished the rest of his coffee in one gulp. After he put down his cup, Xie Xiangrong asked him with a smile if he wanted another cup. Before Zhou Jiye could answer, he began cleaning the moka pot and restarted the coffee-making process.

When the second cup of coffee was ready, Xie Xiangrong didn't let Zhou Jiye drink it immediately like before. Instead, he pointed to the chestnut cake Zhou Jiye had brought and said with a smile that they could eat the cake and drink the coffee at the same time.

Zhou Jiye nodded in agreement, scooped out a piece of cake with a spoon and ate it, while the two continued chatting.

How did you meet the old lady?

"You mean my elder sister?"

"Yup!"

"Didn't your older sister tell you?" Xie Xiangrong asked back.

Zhou Jiye shook his head: "She just mentioned to me before that she had a friend who was an expert in coffee, and said that she would introduce me to you if she had the chance, saying that you are a very interesting person. Before I came today, I didn't know it was you, otherwise I would have asked her in advance."

Hearing Zhou Jiye's explanation, Xie Xiangrong couldn't help but laugh. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "That's just like my sister's personality. My sister and I have known each other for a long time. When I first entered St. John's, my sister taught classes at the school. She was like a half teacher to me."

"The old lady was a teacher at St. John's?" Zhou Jiye was very surprised.

"Actually, she wasn't exactly a teacher. My sister was among the first batch of female students enrolled at St. John's. Later, due to the outbreak of war, the school was closed for two years. After the victory, the school reopened, but there was a shortage of teachers. My sister was temporarily invited back to help out. If this were today, she would be like a counselor or teaching assistant in a university."

Zhou Jiye was surprised to find that Fang Manxia was also a graduate of St. John's University, and even one of the first female students admitted.

However, he also suddenly realized why the old lady was not only fluent in English but also spoke fluent French. Since she graduated from St. John's University, it was no surprise.

"I still remember the day I met my older sister..." Xie Xiangrong's eyes were filled with memories of the past, and a smile played on his lips.

"It was an autumn day. I remember my older sister wearing an indigo blue cheongsam, a white knitted lace shawl, a pearl necklace, and her long black hair was tied up as she walked into our classroom carrying her textbooks..."

Xie Xiangrong exclaimed, "Just before my sister entered, the students in the classroom were chatting excitedly, but the moment she came in, all the sounds stopped instantly. Everyone stared intently at my sister as she walked into the classroom. Her beauty, dignity, elegance, intelligence, and demeanor were unmatched. At that moment, I felt as if an angel had suddenly appeared on earth."

In Xie Xiangrong's heart, Fang Manxia was his ideal woman, and even after so many years, he still remembered her vividly and missed her dearly.

Xie Xiangrong told Zhou Jiye that Fang Manxia not only attracted their class of students, but was also the muse of all the boys in the school. Unfortunately, Fang Manxia did not teach at the school for long, leaving after only half a year.

Her departure cast a shadow over the entire campus, and some male students even spent a lot of money to inquire about her whereabouts.

Xie Xiangrong is lucky because his family's coffee shop is a famous coffee shop in Shanghai.

After leaving school, Fang Manxia went to his family's coffee shop several times. One day, she happened to run into Xie Xiangrong, who was helping out at the coffee shop after school. Because of their past teacher-student relationship and the coffee, they gradually started seeing each other and their relationship gradually evolved from teacher-student and senior-junior to close friends who could talk about anything.

In the decades that followed, their relationship never ended. Even during the most difficult years, Xie Xiangrong never forgot Fang Manxia and continued to take care of her with his meager resources, a commitment that continues to this day.

It was 3:30 pm when Zhou Jiye left Xie Xiangrong's house. He thanked him for his hospitality and made an appointment to meet again when he had time. On behalf of Fang Manxia, ​​he invited Xie Xiangrong to visit the villa when he had time. After that, Zhou Jiye rode his bicycle back home.

That evening, after he and Lin Ying finished preparing the tea eggs for their stall the next day in the kitchen, they returned to their room and couldn't help but tell Lin Ying about their visit to Xie Xiangrong's house that day.

"He is a person who has a clear understanding of life and also someone who values ​​the quality of life," Lin Ying commented after hearing Xie Xiangrong's story.

In her view, Xie Xiangrong's attitude towards life was incredibly carefree. Although outsiders might not understand it, Lin Ying understood it.

Before Lin Ying came to this era, she was also one of the people who had no shortage of food and clothing. Money didn't mean much to her; she cared more about the quality of life and her hobbies.

If she were still the same now, she might choose the same lifestyle as Xie Xiangrong, but in this parallel world, everything has changed.

As for Xie Xiangrong's account of Fang Manxia's past, it also cleared up some of Lin Ying's previous doubts. She couldn't help but sigh that it was a pity that two people who were originally the pride of heaven had spent their best years in such a way.

But life ultimately has to face reality. What Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying face is nothing but the mundane realities of daily life, the mundane things like firewood, oil, rice, and vinegar. Romantic tales and dreams of love are just the past, and as time goes by, they will eventually fade like old photographs.

In the days that followed, Xie Xiangrong visited twice: once a few days after Zhou Jiye's visit, and again in late December around Christmas time.

Fang Manxia was delighted by Xie Xiangrong's arrival and even invited Zhou Jiye to accompany her for afternoon tea.

Listening to their conversation and reminiscing about the past, Zhou Jiye, though unable to join in, still listened with great interest. Afterwards, he told Lin Ying about it, and Lin Ying was also very interested. Unfortunately, she didn't have time in the afternoon because she had to set up her stall, so she could only participate when she had the chance in the future.

Time flies, and it's already the end of the year. December 31st is the day before New Year's Day.

After tonight, the 1970s will be over, and the 1980s will be coming soon, which is something to look forward to.

On this day, Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying didn't set up their stall, wanting to spend the New Year at home. They specially prepared a big meal, working on it from morning until afternoon. After finishing up, they couldn't help but smile happily at the table full of dishes.

Go upstairs and invite Fang Manxia down to celebrate the New Year with her.

Fang Manxia happily agreed, and even brought a bottle of her treasured Changyu wine. She took three wine glasses, opened the wine and poured it for everyone. Fang Manxia stood up, raised her glass and suggested that everyone have a toast to celebrate the passing of the 1970s and the arrival of the new 1980s, and to express her joy that everyone could celebrate the New Year together today.

"Come on! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The three of them clinked glasses together. Zhou Jiye took a sip of the red wine in his glass. Fang Manxia's red wine was somewhat different from the wine he had drunk in his later years. The red wine was slightly sweet and had a rich aroma, which made him feel very good.

Today we're making some fancy dishes. Besides chicken and duck, there's also a large yellow croaker. Yellow croaker isn't as rare as it will be in the future, and the price isn't too high. Lin Ying specially went to buy this fish early this morning. According to her, if we don't take this opportunity to eat more now, it will be difficult to eat it again later.

In addition to these, there are also braised bamboo shoots, smoked fish, roasted gluten, stir-fried shrimp, braised pork, and two vegetable dishes, all of which are local specialties of Shanghai.

Fang Manxia, ​​being older, didn't eat much. Aside from some yellow croaker and a bowl of chicken soup, she only took a bite of each of the other dishes to taste. However, she praised Lin Ying's cooking skills highly, saying with a smile that with her skills, she could definitely open a small restaurant back in the day.

"I won't open a restaurant. This trade is too tiring. Selling tea eggs like this requires getting up early and working late every day. If I really opened a restaurant, wouldn't I be too busy to handle anything? With my skills, I'm better off staying home and cooking a few dishes for you from time to time, Grandma," Lin Ying said with a smile. She took Fang Manxia's bowl and added some more chicken soup for her, saying that chicken soup is nourishing and it's good for you to drink more.

“That’s true. Opening a restaurant may seem like a good idea, but it’s also very troublesome and tiring. It would be better to do something easier in the future. Especially for a girl like Xiaolin, it’s not appropriate for her to be constantly in the public eye.” Fang Manxia nodded slightly and added this casually.

Lin Ying smiled but didn't reply. In fact, she had worked hard selling tea eggs for the past few months. Although she had made money, she knew that this business had its limits and there was no future in doing it for too long.

(End of this chapter)