Autumn on the island is very short, it seems to pass in the blink of an eye, and there is occasional light snow in winter.
The female protagonist recalled the first time she saw snow as a child. She was so surprised that she ran around the yard. Even after being coaxed to sleep, she kept thinking about building a snowman after waking up. But when she woke up, the thin layer of snowflakes was gone.
She burst into tears in the yard, refusing to go back inside the warm house no matter who tried to persuade her. Only when she smelled the cola ginger tea her grandmother had made did she reluctantly agree. On the surface, she stubbornly said, "I only came in because of you," but inwardly she was already regretting not trying to persuade her.
Wrapped in a blanket, holding a steaming cup of ginger cola, and warming myself around the stove, my stiff body gradually relaxed.
Back then, the only shop on the island was a grocery store run by Sister Mei's parents. On such a cold day, she was crying loudly in the yard, while her grandmother braved the wind and snow to go out and buy Coke.
Looking back on it now that she's older, the female protagonist feels a little guilty, but mostly she feels a warm sense of being favored.
After her parents divorced, her mother found a job outside the island. To earn money, she was left with her grandmother at a young age. She longed to be with her mother and even cried incessantly when her mother left. However, within two days, she was playing with the island's children and returning home covered in dirt every day.
So much so that when she reached school age and left the small fishing village with her mother, she didn't even want to leave.
So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Now, the island has kindergartens, primary schools, and middle schools built by Feiyang Entertainment. The children on the island no longer have to leave their parents and relatives so early.
The female protagonist, wrapped in a wool shawl, warms herself by the stove, where firewood crackles and burns, and she has specially put in sweet potatoes. In her hand is a steaming cup of brown sugar, red date, and ginger tea.
When the snow stopped, she went out to buy a bottle of Coke. She hadn't had it in a long time and really missed it.
Ono developed a new product and invited everyone to try it. The female protagonist also went to Ono's coffee shop.
The shop has been decorated with many autumn and winter themes, and the seashell wind chimes still hang on the door, creating a soft tinkling sound as you enter. The café's windows have been adorned with hand-painted stickers depicting interwoven waves and ginkgo leaves, which cast dappled shadows on the floor when the winter sun shines through, as if blending the autumn sunshine and the waves of an island into the space.
Upon entering, the first thing that catches the eye is the background wall behind the bar. Next to the blue ocean-themed painting that originally hung there, a warm yellow photograph of reeds has been added.
A few bunches of dried eucalyptus and wheat ears are scattered next to the decorative conch shells piled in the corner, echoing the newly installed hanging rattan chandelier above the bar.
On the bar counter, in addition to the regular coffee machine, there are several rough earthenware jars filled with dried lotus pods and foxtail grass. The mouths of the jars are adorned with strings of seashells strung together with hemp rope, hanging loosely like a belt, as if drawing a waistline for the jars, blending the island scenery with the wild charm of autumn.
The window seating area has also been decorated with a small glass jar on each table, filled with fine sand, pebbles and a dried maple leaf, as if the beach and the autumn scenery in the mountains have been captured in a transparent glass jar.
The blue and white cushions on the seats have been replaced with striped throw pillows in ginger yellow and dark brown, which feel soft and cozy to the touch, like being wrapped in autumn sunshine.
A long string of conch shells is strung on the wooden railing outside, with small pumpkin ornaments tied with hemp rope hanging below. Occasionally, seagulls fly overhead or stop. Soothing music plays from the deep speakers inside the shop, giving people an unconscious feeling of warmth and comfort, like a cozy cabin in a snow-capped mountain.
In addition to the original sailing magazines, the magazine rack under the bar has been updated with travel books and several picture books about autumn food.
The female protagonist then picked it up and flipped through it, discovering dried starfish and maple leaf specimens tucked between the pages. She couldn't help but think how meticulous Ono had been in arranging the book.
The fishing nets hanging from the ceiling had been rearranged, with a few mini pumpkins and small strings of corn added on top. With the door open, the pumpkins, corn, and fishing nets swayed gently in the sea breeze, as if whispering secrets about the island and autumn.
The entire coffee shop is like a beach warmed by the autumn sun, with both the crispness of the sea and the gentle warmth of autumn, making you want to order a hot latte here and slowly savor the beauty of autumn in the interplay of light and shadow.
Ono's new product is hot apple cinnamon coffee. The female protagonist looks at the layered coffee in the cup. On top of it is a layer of dense milk foam, and around the edge is a light caramel color that naturally spreads out after the apple juice and coffee liquid blend together.
The rim of the cup was decorated with a thin slice of apple, and the white and yellow flesh was sprinkled with some scattered brown cinnamon powder. Some of it fell onto the milk foam next to it, leaving a few shallow marks, like the footprints left by an unknown little animal on the white snow.
The warm sensation traveled through the cup to her palm, and she couldn't wait to take a sip.
The first bite is an explosion of apple sweetness on the tongue, like a sugar apple, basking in the warm autumn sun, swaying happily on a branch. The tongue can almost taste the subtle fragrance of the apple peel, the gentle and mild flavor brought by the high temperature.
The spiciness of cinnamon follows closely behind, emerging gently, not sharp, and swirling on the tongue along with the roasted aroma of finely ground coffee. The warmth of the spices makes the slightly bitter coffee beans almost negligible, while the aroma of the coffee is enhanced by the fruit and spices, making the layers even more distinct.
She stirred it gently and could see some apple pieces that had sunk to the bottom, coated in coffee liquid. In the amber liquid, they looked soft and fluffy, just like freshly steamed apples. They had a slightly grainy texture when chewed, and drinking them felt like putting the essence of the whole apple into a hot drink.
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