After traveling through the book, I realized my wish in my previous life

As the sky began to turn pale, Shen Xiaoxia was already standing in front of the glass door of the cafe.

The moment you push open the door, a rich aroma mixed with wooden furniture and coffee beans hits you in the face.

With a soft "click", warm yellow light poured down from the third-floor patio, reflecting fine golden light from the copper handrails of the spiral staircase, and finally fell on the marble countertop of the bar on the first floor, forming a shimmering spot of light.

Shen Xiaoxia walked straight towards the bar. Lin Wen had arrived at the store early and was debugging the imported coffee machine. The hissing sound of the steam was particularly clear in the quiet morning light.

"Boss Shen!" Lin Wen looked up, her ponytail swaying slightly as she moved. "The first batch of beans is ready. Would you like to try some?"

Shen Xiaoxia took the small espresso cup. The black and gold coffee liquid was covered with a circle of delicate oil on the edge of the cup. She took a sip, and the bitterness with a citrus-like sweetness instantly bloomed on the tip of her tongue.

"Perfect!" She smiled, her eyes sweeping over the neatly arranged ceramic cups on the bar. They were specially customized by her, and the seal of "Pinellia" in seal script was burned on the bottom of each one.

"Xia Xia," Jiang Yan's voice came from behind him. He was holding the half-asleep Jiang Musheng in his arms. "The little guy insisted on coming to find his mother after waking up."

Shen Xiaoxia took her son in, and the little guy immediately climbed on her like a koala, with his milky face pressed against her neck.

"Shengsheng, do you want to watch your mother make coffee?" she asked softly.

Jiang Musheng rubbed his eyes and nodded. Shen Xiaoxia operated the bean grinder with one hand and poured the mixed beans that she had carefully prepared yesterday into it. When the grinding sound rang out, Jiang Yan had already tacitly prepared the latte art pitcher and thermometer.

"Try it," Shen Xiaoxia handed the coffee to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan took a sip and raised his eyebrows, "Not bad, Boss Shen's cooking skills are ready to be mastered..."

Shen Xiaoxia blinked mischievously and smiled slyly, "Yeah, I think my cooking skills are pretty good too!"

The morning light shines through the glass curtain wall on the east side, making the bronze sign of "Banxia Book Cafe" sparkle.

Shen Xiaoxia stood at the door, watching the employees making final preparations. Lin Wen was wiping the coffee cups, Chef Zhou was placing freshly baked croissants in front of the dessert cabinet, others were arranging the tables and chairs, and Aunt Wang and Chen Mo were adjusting the spacing between the bookshelves on the second floor.

"Mom, balloons!" Jiang Musheng pulled the corner of her clothes and pointed to a bundle of colorful balloons on the ground.

Shen Xiaoxia squatted down and tied the balloon to the door handle with her son.

She noticed that the little guy wore the little suit she bought today and combed his hair like a little adult.

"So handsome!" She kissed her son's forehead, and suddenly heard a car horn coming from the corner of the street. A black car slowly drove over and stopped on the side of the road.

"Xia Xia, good luck with your grand opening!" Han Zhuxin walked over quickly in high heels, holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand.

She was wearing a suit of her own design today. The crystal brooch on her shoulder pads sparkled in the sun. He Tingyuan followed behind her, holding two-year-old He Xingyao in his arms. As soon as the little boy saw Jiang Musheng, he struggled to get down to the ground.

"Slow down, slow down," He Tingyuan put his son down helplessly. The two little guys immediately ran to the spiral staircase hand in hand and touched the copper handrails curiously.

"This design is amazing!" He Tingyuan looked around, his eyes fixed on the glass curtain wall. "The lighting is so good, will it be in winter..."

"Double-layer insulating glass, a foreign craft," Jiang Yan appeared beside Shen Xiaoxia at some point and naturally took over the conversation, "The thermal insulation performance is better than a brick wall!"

Han Zhuxin leaned close to Shen Xiaoxia's ear and said, "My husband He deliberately turned down a work meeting last night and said he had to come and support you." She blinked, "He brought a few friends with him and they will be here soon."

Many guests had already gathered at the door, and at 8 o'clock in the morning, the red ribbon was cut.

Shen Xiaoxia held the golden scissors, with Jiang Yan and Jiang Musheng standing on tiptoe beside her. The moment the ribbon fell to the ground, applause and camera shutter sounds rang out simultaneously.

Amidst the applause, Shen Xiaoxia pushed open the glass door and said, "Welcome everyone to Banxia Book Cafe!"

The crowd filed in, instantly filling the space on the first floor. Lin Wen and Master Zhou immediately got into the groove, the hum of the coffee machine and the hissing sound of milk frothing intertwined.

Shen Xiaoxia noticed that a lady wearing gold-rimmed glasses was concentrating on observing Lin Wen's latte art skills, so she took the initiative to step forward and introduce her.

"This is our chief barista, Lin Wen, who used to work at the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Hotel." Shen Xiaoxia handed over the menu. "Today we have a special opening drink, the 'Jingyun Latte,' with osmanthus syrup."

The woman with glasses raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Osmanthus and coffee? This combination..."

"You can try it first," Shen Xiaoxia smiled and gestured. Lin Wen immediately understood and started to operate. After a while, a cup of latte with an osmanthus pattern on the top was pushed in front of the customer.

After taking the first sip, the glasses-wearing lady's eyes lit up. "This taste... surprisingly harmonious! The sweet scent of osmanthus perfectly balances the bitterness of the coffee."

She took out her business card and said, "I'm the editor-in-chief of Food Culture magazine. Can we arrange an interview sometime?"

Before Shen Xiaoxia could respond, Aunt Wang's anxious voice suddenly came from the second floor, "Boss Shen! Can you come up for a moment?"

Shen Xiaoxia looked at the lady with glasses embarrassedly. The lady with glasses smiled understandingly and said, "You go ahead and do your work. We'll make an appointment later."

The situation on the second floor made Shen Xiaoxia laugh and cry. The revolving bookshelf was crowded with people. Several young men who looked like college students were sitting cross-legged on the ground copying sentences from "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

"This book is not for sale..." Aunt Wang explained awkwardly, "but this student insisted on reading it right there."

The boy with glasses raised his head and said, "Sister, I've been trying to reserve this book at the library for three months and haven't been able to get a reservation yet. Just let me finish this chapter..."

Shen Xiaoxia exchanged glances with Aunt Wang. "How about this? We've set up a reading area over there. Popular books can be read live for two hours," she pointed to a long table by the window. "But you must remain quiet and not disturb other guests."

The boy was overjoyed and immediately ran to the designated area with the book in his arms. Shen Xiaoxia noticed that he had taken out his notebook and started taking notes, his pen tip making rapid rustling sounds on the paper.

Shen Xiaoxia looked at the glass bookcase in the corner, where several stylishly dressed young people were standing, taking photos of Faulkner's original novels. She thought for a moment and said, "Tell them that foreign books can be reserved for reading, but a deposit and ID registration are required."

When he turned around, Jiang Yan led Qin Song up. Qin Song was rarely seen wearing a casual suit today, and he was holding a half-drunk cup of espresso in his hand.

"Business is good," Qin Song looked around. "Even the second floor is almost full!" He pointed out the window. "It seems we need to expand the outdoor area."

Shen Xiaoxia followed his gaze and found that the small garden outside the store was full of people. Several customers who had no seats were even standing under the trees drinking coffee.