New customers come to the new store to enjoy unique experiences, and old customers come back to meet old friends.
This cafe stands out from the crowd the moment you enter. A set of lockers and a roll-up sign at the entrance remind customers to store all electronic devices, watches, and other time-keeping items.
Qian Jianjun wasn't surprised by the store's electronic gadgets, but the idea of watches had him puzzled when he first entered the shop yesterday. When his puzzled gaze met the various clocks and watches that could be seen everywhere in the cafe, he thought he had found his answer.
Among these clocks, there are antique-like table clocks that are obviously worth a lot of money; there are clocks that are soft and sagging like wet pancakes and are made according to Dali's paintings; there are electronic clocks embedded in the wall, and there are various pocket watches hanging from the ceiling as decorations... The whole cafe is more like a clock museum, with clocks everywhere.
But soon, Qian Jianjun carefully discovered that these silently rotating clocks were running at different speeds, clockwise and counterclockwise, with no repeating or accurate time. Even the giant electronic clock displayed on the large screen composed of the LCD screens that served as the locker doors was clearly seriously inconsistent with the actual time.
Yesterday, the same girl with the sweet smile who had welcomed him into the store just now told Qian Jianjun, who was in a daze, in a sweet voice, "If you have a set time schedule, you can tell us and we will remind you then. If not, please ignore the time and follow your feelings."
"Yes, follow your feeling and go." When he savors this sentence now, Qian Jianjun still feels that the candy-like voice and the words are very appropriate. He followed his feeling and walked out yesterday, and followed his feeling and walked back in today.
Besides the gentle reminder at the door, Qian Jianjun also remembered that there seemed to be a hint beneath the nameplate on the table in front of him. He remembered the girl's introduction yesterday, but that sweet voice hadn't stirred his swirling thoughts. Curiosity now drove him lazily to the side, reaching for the nameplate to examine it more closely.
Qian Jianjun was amazed by the message conveyed by the words. To avoid disturbing others, the cafe requires patrons to keep their noise levels below a certain threshold. Exceeding the threshold once will result in a reduction in their discount. Exceeding the threshold three times will result in full price and immediate departure. If the noise level exceeds a certain threshold, guests will be asked to leave immediately. Embedded beneath the table sign is a decibel meter that displays the level of noise generated by patrons.
"Interesting!" Qian Jianjun secretly marveled, sitting up and glancing around to see if there were any other customers. He began whispering tests. With a crescendo of "Hello," Qian Jianjun arrived at his answer: the restaurant's prescribed level was just enough for two tables of people sitting across from each other to converse smoothly. Since the rather large restaurant only had a few dozen rectangular tables comfortably arranged, with love sofas placed across from each other, the quiet chatter wouldn't disturb the neighbors.
The plane to Qiuting City was about to take off, and the flight attendant had already reminded everyone to turn off their phones. Mei Rugu glanced down at her quiet phone once more before turning it off. All that disappeared from the screen was the message interface and the unsent message in the input box below.
Intrigued, Qian Jianjun stood up and paced around, taking in the entire cafe's layout. On the right, at the end of the entrance, was the bar. On either side of the bar were full-height display cases displaying light snacks like bread and desserts. Further inside, there was a door that led to what was presumably the kitchen. A large LCD screen displayed the neat and tidy scene above the bar. Unlike other cafes, the coffee machine was probably also in the kitchen, perhaps to prevent noise from disturbing customers.
On the left side of the entrance, straight ahead, is a row of large floor-to-ceiling windows. Beyond them, two rows of tall trees and a wide flowerbed flank the street, creating a tranquil retreat amidst the bustle of the city. A pair of double curtains hang a few meters inside the windows, presumably allowing guests to choose how to block out the light.
In the center of the room sat an oval bar, offering customers a selection of sugar packets, paper towels, coffee stirrers, glasses, and a pitcher of lemonade. As you approached, you'd notice a hollow recess in the center of the bar top, its top sealed with glass and flush with the surface. Inside, a watch—not expensive and seemingly secondhand—was on display. However, it was more accurate than any other clock in the shop, at least twice a day—because it was stopped!
The wall directly opposite the main entrance was also half-full of floor-to-ceiling windows, connecting to the one on the left. The other half led across to a small room. The outer wall of the room was lined with a bookcase, filled with magazines, the day's newspapers, a casket of assorted pens, and a sheaf of white paper for guests to help themselves to. Next to the bookcase was the door to the room, with the words "Clear Blue Sky" (碧天如清) hung above the lintel.
Qian Jianjun pushed open the door and entered, only to find the interior completely different from the exterior. First, there was a small round table surrounded by a circle of sofas. Further in, there were also play equipment like a human-shaped punching bag, a screaming machine, and a whack-a-mole game. A closer look revealed that the walls of the cabin were covered in thick, soft soundproofing. Only then did Qian Jianjun understand the true meaning of the words on the door.
Walk out the door and turn left to where you were sitting. Go further in to the end and there is a sink with a door on each side, which should be the restroom.
After looking at the entire display, Qian Jianjun first took a newspaper, then huddled back in the sofa, savoring the long-lost reading time.
"A short absence is like a new marriage." Qian Jianjun was so engrossed in reading the newspaper from page one to page three, not even missing a beat. Even Zhou Ying's coffee couldn't distract him from the pages. He finished reading it in one breath, then put it down, still unsatisfied. He habitually raised his left hand to check the time, but the sight of his wrist empty made him smile. Then he looked out the window to ease his optic nerves.
The sunlight had already dragged the shadows of the trees across a large area of the coffee shop. "It shouldn't be too early, why are there still no customers?" Qian Jianjun thought to himself.
As if answering his question, a customer soon walked in. He was a middle-aged man, thin and dark-skinned, wearing a brown-blue plaid shirt and camouflage pants. A worn brown leather bag, cuffed and frayed, slung across his body, evoked his artistic aura, just like his long, unkempt hair.
Qian Jianjun looked at the visitor curiously until the other person walked into the blind spot of his sight.
Before Qian Jianjun could gather any more information, an elderly man entered the room, catching his eye. His pale yellow polo shirt and beige slacks made him appear energetic. A closer look beneath the brim of his baseball cap revealed a face carved like a mask, not intimidating but still somewhat stiff.
Following closely behind the old man was his wife, dressed in a pale pink tracksuit. Her short, wavy dark brown hair and gold-rimmed glasses accentuated her already fair skin. Judging by her appearance, she looked to be in her forties, but Qian Jianjun knew she was already over sixty.
The couple who came here not only had a close relationship with Qian Jianjun, but was also known as the Condor Heroes in the entire Xialin business community. Too many business elites had benefited from the two to varying degrees, so everyone respectfully called them "Mr. Qiu" and "Mrs. Qiu."
The couple must have been familiar with the restaurant, so they walked straight to a window seat, but it wasn't the "reserved seat" Qian Jianjun had suspected. Since Qian Jianjun was sitting in the far corner, he wasn't noticed. After the two sat down, Qian Jianjun quickly picked up his coffee and walked over.
As soon as he entered the room, Qiu Nian was distracted by Ke Yike, who was practicing hard. When the last rose bud appeared out of thin air, Qiu Nian's eyes lit up. "Alright, ahem, you have a trick! Teach me."
"No problem! Leave it to me." Ke Yike was delighted by the praise and readily agreed. However, he quickly came back to his senses and looked at Qiu Nian, coughing awkwardly twice, "Ahem... Lin'er has already seen it once and figured it out."
"Oh, I see..." The regret of not getting what he wanted only lasted a moment, and Qiu Nian continued, "It's okay. Many skills are always a burden. I'll ask you for advice when I have time. Don't be shy! I'll go see if Yiyi needs my help with chores."
"Okay!"
As soon as Qian Jianjun entered Mr. Qiu's sight, he gave the old man a big surprise. Mr. Qiu greeted him with a smile and motioned him to come and sit.
"Hello, Mr. Qiu, hello, Mrs. Qiu!" Qian Jianjun greeted them softly as he sat down on the sofa opposite the couple.
"Jianjun'er, how do you know this place?" Unlike his wife who just nodded with a smile, Mr. Qiu asked cheerfully.
"Gu Quyu recommended it to me yesterday. You know her. I sent you information last time. She's called 'Female Gongjin'."
"Oh, that girl, she is very capable at work, and I didn't expect that she has good taste too! You have found a treasure! Haha..." Speaking of Gu Quyu, Mr. Qiu was also very sure.
Qian Jianjun felt proud that his vision was recognized. "She must be overjoyed to receive your affirmation. I'll ask her to offer you a few more cups of tea next time."
"Why tea? Just coffee. The coffee here is good! Haha..." Mr. Qiu joked, sparing no effort in promoting the shop. This made Qian Jianjun very confused, and he couldn't help but ask, "You really love this shop?! It seems like you two come here often?"
"It's been over a year, almost two years. As long as we're in Xialin, we come here almost every day!" Mr. Qiu gave the answer, and further added: "It's not just us who come here. Look behind the bar."
Qian Jianjun looked back as he was told and was surprised to find that Qiu Nian, the only son of the old couple Qiu, was busy behind the bar.
As if sensing the curious gaze, Qiu Nian raised his head and happened to see Qian Jianjun in the distance, so he smiled and nodded to greet him.
"What are you doing?" Lin Yiyi's low voice was like a bolt from the blue, causing Qiu Nian to shudder before he could speak incoherently: "Jun, Jun brother, p-friend..."
"Come over and sit for a while," Lin Yiyi said in a calm tone.
"Okay!" Qiu Nian finally returned to normal, but then changed his mind again, "Let's finish this little work first."
"It's up to you." Lin Yiyi said without comment and then lowered her head to read the magazine again.
Qian Jianjun looked at Old Qiu with suspicion. Old Qiu smiled, raised a finger, and whispered an answer to Qian Jianjun's unasked question: "First, this isn't my business, and I don't have any shares. My wife and I are just ordinary customers." Then Old Qiu raised another finger, leaned his head forward, and continued, "Second, our Xiao Nian likes the girl in the white T-shirt behind the bar. This..."
Before the old man could continue, Mrs. Qiu began to complain: "You're already making a fuss about something that's not even close to happening. If Yiyi doesn't like our Xiaonian, you and your father will be so embarrassed."
"There are no outsiders here, and I like Yiyi from the bottom of my heart. It won't be shameful if she and our Xiaonian are not destined to be together! Everyone has been young, right, Jianjun'er?" Old Qiu immediately changed the subject.
Qian Jianjun echoed, "Yes, we were all young once. I remember a poem that goes like this: 'Having thrown away the rose, what can you use to impress the spring?' Young people should be brave and move forward when it comes to love." He then looked at Mrs. Qiu and continued, "Besides, Xiao Nian is so outstanding. He must be well-educated, have a wealthy family, be handsome, and have a gentle and elegant character. He is a rare and precious son-in-law, and he will definitely win the heart of a beautiful woman."
The mother in front of him felt very comfortable listening to these words. She just smiled modestly and said nothing more. However, Mr. Qiu picked up the topic that had been interrupted just now, "Even if Xiao Nian didn't have such thoughts, my wife and I would like to sit here when we have nothing to do. This cafe is really nice."
Qian Jianjun also nodded in praise. "I just came here yesterday and I do find it interesting, but I haven't had time to savor it in detail. To have received your favor, it must have something special about it. Could you tell me more about it?"
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