The happiest person during Mingxiu and Kangxi's stay in the capital was not the two of them, but their neighbor, Old Master Zhuang. Ever since their return, the old man would come over for a stroll every day, either playing chess with Kangxi or practicing calligraphy together. Of course, sometimes he would bring Mingxiu along, but Mingxiu felt that she was like a wild boar that couldn't eat fine food, so she politely declined. She simply couldn't settle down and sit there to practice calligraphy.
"Your chess skills have improved recently, sir. You seem to have become much more decisive." Kangxi looked at the pieces on the board and directly blocked a move.
Grandpa Zhuang sat opposite, looking at the chess pieces on the table. He glared at Kangxi and said, "It's not bad, but it's still not good. Look, you're going to eat them all."
"Look at you, young man, how come you've learned so many strange tricks at such a young age?"
Emperor Kangxi smiled silently and glanced at the guards standing beside him.
Over time, he realized that this old man was no ordinary person; there weren't many people who could always be accompanied by guards.
When Mingxiu finished cooking and came out, she saw the two of them still playing chess. She went over to take a look and saw that they had already finished one game and started another.
Mingxiu couldn't understand how there could be such a big secret: "Alright, you two, let's get ready to eat. I've already prepared everything. Xiao Zhang, quickly help your grandfather up. You'll eat here tonight."
As soon as Mingxiu finished speaking, the two people on the chairs stopped eating. Grandpa Zhuang looked up at Mingxiu with a smile and said, "Oh dear, then I'll have to trouble you, Mingxiu. This old man doesn't have any other hobbies now, but I just can't resist my appetite. The food you make is so delicious."
Mingxiu and Kangxi couldn't help but chuckle as they watched this grown man act silly in front of them.
"If you like it, then eat more. It's just a matter of adding another chopstick. It'll be more lively if we eat together," Mingxiu said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, that makes sense. You know, when I go there now, it's just me and Xiao Zhang eating. Xiao Zhang is such a quiet guy, I'm so bored." Old Master Zhuang said.
Xiao Zhang: .....Who was the person who said not to talk while eating or sleeping? How come it's his problem now? He feels wronged, but he won't say anything.
The remaining three had no idea what his grievances were, and the three of them, chatting and laughing, went to the dining table to eat.
When they got to the table and saw Xiao Zhang still standing behind them, Grandpa Zhuang said in an annoyed tone, "Xiao Zhang, what are you doing standing there? Hurry up and come eat! Do you expect us to wait for you?"
Xiao Zhang: ..... could only walk past silently.
The group finished their meal amidst laughter and chatter. When it was time to leave, Old Master Zhuang even took out a tube of tea that Emperor Kangxi had just brewed, with great satisfaction.
After relaxing in the capital for a few days, Mingxiu and Kangxi went straight back to Hengdian. Kangxi was short on time, as he had to go out and start filming as soon as he got back.
In the courtyard, Mingxiu looked at Kangxi with some reluctance: "Why don't I go with you? Anyway, I don't have anything to do at home."
Kangxi sighed, knowing that Mingxiu was reluctant to part with him. In fact, he was also reluctant to part with Mingxiu. They had not been separated for a long time since he abdicated, and it was indeed hard to accept that they were suddenly separated. Even Kangxi felt a little sad, but the environment there was really not good.
Kangxi shook his head: "No, the environment over there is really not good. You just stay at home and behave yourself. I'll be back in a while, understand?"
Mingxiu nodded: "Alright then, be careful over there, okay? If anything happens, just go into the space."
The visitor was quite annoyed, but in the end, Kangxi simply didn't have enough time and had to leave quickly.
Mingxiu watched Kangxi's departing figure with a touch of melancholy. She hadn't felt it when they first arrived and hadn't met, but this sudden separation was really hard to adjust to.
Mingxiu stayed home for a few days, looking exhausted, until she realized she couldn't accept herself anymore and started to pull herself together again.
Looking at the bright sunshine outside, Mingxiu tidied herself up from head to toe, and then began to do a thorough cleaning of the house.
Downstairs in the coffee shop, Mingxiu stood in the middle with her hands on her hips, looking at the results of her morning's work and nodding in satisfaction. The only downside to having a big house is that it's easy for dust to accumulate.
After tidying up, Mingxiu made herself a cup of coffee and placed it on the table. She slowly sipped the coffee, pondering what she planned to do during this time.
Her new book is still in the conceptual stage and she doesn't have any ideas yet, but there doesn't seem to be anything else she wants to do.
But staying at home eating and sleeping all day wouldn't work either; it would be a waste of such precious time. However, she was someone who really lacked self-control, so after thinking it over for a long time, Mingxiu finally decided to open a coffee shop.
Anyway, the decorations below are all ready-made, and she can also make some desserts herself, so isn't this just perfect? It doesn't keep her too busy. She makes a little each day and stops when she sells it all. If she doesn't sell it all, she just eats it herself.
Thinking about it this way, Mingxiu felt that her idea was very good, so she put it into practice immediately.
This afternoon, Mingxiu drove directly to the supermarket to buy some ingredients to make a cake herself.
Over the years, her space had accumulated a lot of things, especially fruits, which were simply too much for her and Emperor Kangxi to consume.
Mingxiu made a lot of jam and fruit wine. Now, some of the fruit is directly given to Lin Lin, the mother of Emperor Kangxi in this life. Lin Lin fell in love with Mingxiu's fruit after eating it once and often calls them to help her buy more.
So later Mingxiu started sending her gifts regularly, and she would even make sure the packaging was nice so she could use them as gifts. Now she's managed to consume quite a bit of it.
Now that she's making a cake, it's perfect timing; she can use all her jam and various fruits.
After returning, Mingxiu experimented by making several kinds of pastries, including sweet and savory ones, as well as some of her favorite pastries that she had learned to make in the Qing Dynasty. All of these could be paired with coffee.
So Mingxiu finished preparing everything in one afternoon. As for the name of the coffee shop, Mingxiu was quite casual and didn't have one. People will find it if they are lucky enough to see it.
As for those who didn't see or know there was a coffee shop there, Mingxiu thought that maybe they just weren't meant to be. (She absolutely refused to admit that she was just being lazy and didn't want so many people to come. Anyway, she wasn't short of money; it was just for fun, mainly to keep herself motivated. There was no need for her to be so tired.)
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