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

The snow outside the glass curtain wall fell silently, dyeing the night sky of Beijing into a soft silver-white.

Shen Xiaoxia stood in front of the glass curtain wall on the third floor of "Banxia Book Cafe", gently wiped the mist off the glass with her fingertips, and looked at the pedestrians hurriedly passing by on the street.

Snowflakes swirled and fell in the twilight, dyed a warm yellow by the street lights, like countless tiny stars falling to the earth.

On the old boat-wood tea table, the hot cocoa in the cup had already cooled down completely, with a thin layer of milk skin condensing on the surface.

The sounds of Lin Wen and Master Zhou packing up utensils could be faintly heard downstairs, occasionally interspersed with a joke or two.

After a few years, Chef Zhou's desserts have become the signature dish of "Banxia Book Cafe". A foreign food magazine even made a special trip to interview him. The once taciturn master chef would now hum Peking Opera while giving Mu Sheng a freshly baked biscuit on a busy afternoon.

This is the New Year's Eve of the fifth year of the opening of "Banxia Book Cafe", and the employees have just finished their year-end dinner.

Behind him, Jiang Yan was squatting on the ground, helping Jiang Musheng adjust his bow tie.

He was wearing the same navy blue suit as his father, with his hair combed meticulously, but he couldn't help reaching out to pull at his tight collar.

"Don't move," Jiang Yan gently patted his son's hand away. "Xingyao from Aunt Han's family will come later. If he sees you acting like a little monkey, he'll laugh at you again."

Jiang Musheng straightened his back immediately, but his eyes glanced towards his "secret base", where he hid the New Year's gift he was going to give to He Xingyao, a set of "Journey to the West" comic books bought from a flea market.

Shen Xiaoxia looked back at the father and son, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.

The three-year-old child who was ignorant back then can now read "100,000 Whys" with great interest, and the little hands that once could only use building blocks to build "Mom's Big House" can now draw the floor plan of a cafe on the blackboard and solemnly mark "This is where fairy tale books are placed."

jingle--

The doorbell rang softly, and Han Zhuxin and her family rushed in amidst the cold wind.

"I'm freezing to death!" Han Zhuxin stomped the snow off her feet. There were still some unmelted snowflakes on her burgundy cashmere coat.

As soon as He Xingyao saw Jiang Musheng, he ran to his side, and the two little guys instantly gathered together and chattered.

"Where's Qin Song?" Jiang Yan looked outside the door. "Didn't he say he'd come with you?"

"I'm going to pick up Xie Yunheng," He Tingyuan said as he took off his woolen coat, revealing the gray turtleneck sweater underneath. "Old Xie just came back from Italy. I heard he brought a lot of goodies with him."

When night fell, the cafe was already filled with warmth.

Lin Wen left work early and went home to celebrate the holiday, so Shen Xiaoxia stood behind the bar and made coffee herself.

A few years later, the espresso machines have been updated, but she did not throw away the first batch of machines. Instead, she displayed them in a glass cabinet as exhibits, with a photo of Lin Wen pulling out the swan pattern for the first time hanging next to it.

"Mom, Xingyao said he wanted to watch "The Monkey King"!" Jiang Musheng ran over, holding onto the edge of the bar with his little hands, and his coat was gone.

Shen Xiaoxia wiped her hands and took out the key from under the counter. "Go to the rare book section on the second floor, the third cabinet on the left."

"I know!" Jiang Musheng's eyes sparkled as he dragged He Xingyao towards the spiral staircase. The footsteps of the two little guys struck a string of cheerful notes on the stairs.

"It's hard to imagine," Han Zhuxin leaned against the bar at some point, holding a glass of red wine. She looked at Shen Xiaoxia and sighed, "They're so big now..."

Shen Xiaoxia looked towards the second floor and through the glass fence, she could see Jiang Musheng carefully taking out the book.

Over the past few years, the child who once only knew how to scribble with crayons has grown into a young boy who now understands how to inherit and cherish.

"By the way," Han Zhuxin took out a flat gift box from her handbag, "New Year's gift."

Inside the box was a leather-covered photo album. Shen Xiaoxia opened the first page and her breath paused slightly. It turned out to be a photo taken when Banxia Book Cafe opened.

There was her nervous pursed lips as she cut the ribbon, her smiling face as she looked at the crowd, and her sparkling eyes as she looked at the camera...

"There's more to come," Han Zhuxin reminded.

Shen Xiaoxia continued to flip backwards. Mu Sheng and Xing Yao were building a castle with blocks in the children's area. Jiang Yan peered through the crowd at Shen Xiaoxia's back. Xie Yunheng showed reporters around the glass curtain wall. Last winter, she and Jiang Yan had built a rickety snowman in front of the cafe...

The last few pages were blank, and on the blank title page Han Zhuxin wrote in pen: For the next five years.

Shen Xiaoxia stroked the photo album and looked at Han Zhuxin with the same eyes as before, "Thank you, I like it very much."

She smiled and handed the gift she had prepared to Han Zhuxin, "Your New Year's gift."

After a while, the doorbell rang again.

Qin Song and Xie Yunheng walked in with a cold look on their faces, and everyone exchanged greetings again.

The rooftop on the third floor was converted into a temporary banquet hall. Snowflakes were flying outside the glass dome, while the room was warm and heated.

Shen Xiaoxia and Jiang Yan had set up a long wooden table in advance, covered it with a crimson tablecloth, and filled it with all kinds of food.

Chef Zhou’s specially made modified version of the “Eight Beijing Desserts” is neatly arranged on a blue and white porcelain plate. The donkey roll mousse is sprinkled with gold foil, and the candied haws cake is bright red.

A large plate of Northeastern sauerkraut and pork hotpot was steaming, and next to it were pork and cabbage dumplings made by Jiang Yan and Shen Xiaoxia. The skin was thin, the filling was large, and the folds were neatly pinched.

Han Zhuxin brought slices of Russian sausage arranged in the shape of a flower, while Xie Yunheng contributed two bottles of Italian red wine. The deep red wine swayed in the glass, reflecting the light.

"This is much better than the New Year's Eve dinner we had back when we were educated youth," Xie Yunheng said, picking up a piece of pickled cabbage, the heat blurring his glasses. "Back then, if we could have a bowl of rice with lard, we would have been happy for half the night."

"Come on," Han Zhuxin took a sip of red wine and laughed, pointing it out. "We don't talk about it normally, but in those years, was there ever a year where our New Year's Eve dinner was bad?"

Everyone laughed.

Jiang Yan put a dumpling in Shen Xiaoxia's bowl and asked, "What did you have for New Year's Eve dinner?"

Shen Xiaoxia smiled and described it to Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan sighed twice and looked at Xie Yunheng with accusatory eyes. "With what you ate, you still have the guts to complain? If this had been known back then, it would have definitely become famous in the village!"

Xie Yunheng also laughed after hearing this, "Do you understand the exaggeration technique?"

He Tingyuan poked him on the arm and said with a smile, "Brother, you're exaggerating too much!"

"Come to think of it," Qin Song poured wine for everyone, "who could have imagined that we would be where we are today? Old He is a high-ranking official, Old Xie is successful in his career, Boss Han's clothing is sold overseas, and Boss Shen's book club is also well-known far and wide." He raised his glass to Jiang Yan, "The most amazing thing is Jiang Yan. Now one-third of the real estate projects in Beijing have to rely on him."

"Old Qin is right," Xie Yunheng raised his glass, "I think it's worth a drink!"

"Come on, let's go!"

"cheers…"

"drink!"

For a moment, a group of people fell into reminiscing and discussing the past years.

"Dad, what is queue-jumping?"

Jiang Musheng woke up at some point, rubbing his eyes and lying on Jiang Yan's lap.

He Xingyao also came over in a daze. The two little guys were wrapped in the same blanket, like two furry little animals.

The adults smiled at each other, and Han Zhuxin took the two children to her side. "It's just... a group of city kids going to the countryside to work."

"Is it like summer camp?" He Xingyao asked innocently.

"It's much harder than summer camp," He Tingyuan fed his son a spoonful of cake. "The ice on the windows in winter is this thick—" he gestured exaggeratedly, "and when I woke up in the morning, my towels were frozen into popsicles."

Jiang Musheng's eyes widened. "Then how do I wash my face?"

"Grab some snow and rub it," Shen Xiaoxia touched her son's soft hair and teased him.

"Will Mom miss home then?" Jiang Musheng raised her little face.

“Yes,” she said softly, “but then…it became home, too.”

Jiang Yan held her hand tightly under the table.

While chatting and laughing, Shen Xiaoxia looked out the window. Snowflakes were still flying, and the scene inside was reflected on the glass curtain wall - red wine, candlelight, friends chatting and laughing, gradually overlapping with the silhouettes under the kerosene lamp at the educated youth site many years ago.

As the midnight bell rang, fireworks bloomed from the clock tower in the distance and everyone raised their glasses.

"Happy New Year!" He Tingyuan raised his glass first.

"Respect friendship." Han Zhuxin added.

"Cheers to my dreams..." Xie Yunheng's wine glass clinked with each other, making a crisp sound.

Shen Xiaoxia leaned on Jiang Yan's shoulder, her eyes sweeping over every face illuminated by the fireworks. Here were her husband who had shared joys and sorrows with her, and like-minded friends.

Downstairs is the dream place that she has nurtured over the past five years. It is a warm harbor where countless people have come and gone.

As the glasses clinked, Shen Xiaoxia whispered in Jiang Yan's ear, "Do you remember what I said on the opening day?"

Jiang Yan looked at the glass curtain wall - their cuddling figures were reflected there, with the sleeping city and falling snow behind them, and in the distance, fireworks filled the sky.

"You said, 'This is just the beginning.'

Shen Xiaoxia smiled and looked at Jiang Yan, her eyes shining brightly, "I was wrong."

She pointed to the sign downstairs that had just been hung today. The ancient words glowed slightly under the reflection of the fireworks.

“Some stories have already begun.”

【End of full text】