I'm back in 1990

Chapter 1021: Unable to Get In

Yang Rui continued her commentary: "If it were someone else, they might have locked these beans away in a cabinet as collectibles. It's only because you took them out to drink that, in my opinion, you showed the greatest respect for this coffee. No matter how good the beans are, they are ultimately meant to be enjoyed by people, don't you think?"

These words made Tang Ruixuan feel a little more favorably toward Yang Rui.

"That's right, coffee is meant to be drunk."

Seeing that Tang Ruixuan agreed with her ideas, Yang Rui happily patted the table.

"That's right! Many people pursue expensive beans just to show off, not to actually taste them. The beans you brought today, and your kind gesture of treating me to a drink, are far more valuable than these beans." It has to be said that Yang Rui's words were very eloquent.

Most people in this world like to hear nice things said about them, and Tang Ruixuan was no exception. Although she didn't show it on her face when she heard Yang Rui's words, she was still very happy and her impression of Yang Rui improved even more.

As the two were chatting, Chen Yue and Lin Weiwei walked hand in hand from the school towards them, and they soon spotted Tang Ruixuan sitting in the coffee shop drinking coffee.

"Tang Ruixuan" Lin Weiwei waved her hand.

Sitting by the window, Tang Ruixuan naturally saw her two roommates. She waved in response and gestured for them to come in for coffee.

A moment later, the two of them came in from outside.

As soon as Lin Weiwei entered, she exclaimed, "Xuanxuan, where have you been? So you were just being bourgeois here?"

Yang Rui stood up and asked with a smile, "What would you two like to drink? It's on me today."

Lin Weiwei and Chen Yue immediately looked at Tang Ruixuan with suspicion, hoping she would give an explanation.

Tang Ruixuan stood up and introduced, "Sister Yang, I just met the owner of this coffee shop today."

"Hello, Sister Yang!" Upon hearing Tang Ruixuan's words, the two quickly greeted Yang Rui.

"Hello, please have a seat. What would you like to drink?"

Chen Yue said to Yang Rui, "I'd like an Americano, please!"

Lin Weiwei added, "I'm the same as her."

Yang Rui said to Tang Ruixuan, "Then you two chat, I'll go make you some coffee." After saying that, she went to the bar.

After Yang Rui left, Lin Weiwei excitedly told Tang Ruixuan, "Xuanxuan, my parents called me this morning and said that when I have my vacation, our whole family will go to Sanya. Yay! Finally, we can have a hot winter."

At this moment, Chen Yue poured cold water on the idea, saying, "Come on! Back then, Sanya was only around 20 degrees Celsius at most, not scorching hot like you described. I'm curious, who taught you geography?"

"Hmph!" Lin Weiwei ignored Chen Yue and turned to ask Tang Ruixuan, "Xuanxuan, what are your plans for winter break?"

Tang Ruixuan smiled and said, "I don't have any plans. I'm going home, the whole family will be together, and we'll have a lively and festive Spring Festival."

Taking the opportunity, Chen Yue asked curiously, "Xuanxuan, judging from your tone, it seems like you have quite a lot of people in your family?"

Tang Ruixuan rarely showed such pride: "Of course, we have a whole family, and my family spans four generations."

"Four generations under one roof?" Lin Weiwei asked, somewhat puzzled.

"My mother's grandmother, my great-grandmother, is in good health! Then there are my maternal grandparents, my great-aunt and great-uncle, my parents, three uncles, one aunt, and a whole bunch of younger brothers and sisters. Isn't that four generations under one roof?"

Lin Weiwei exclaimed enviously, "Wow! Xuanxuan, your family has so many people!"

Just then, the waiter brought over two Americanos, along with some good books and stories to accompany them every day. He also gave Lin Weiwei and Chen Yue each a cookie, which looked fresh from the oven and had a sweet aroma.

Lin Weiwei picked up the cup and took a sip, then pretended to purse her lips and said, "It's bitter!"

She then became interested in the cup of coffee in front of Tang Ruixuan. She sniffed it and leaned closer to Tang Ruixuan.

"Xuanxuan, why does your drink smell so good?"

"This is Geisha, it has a rather unique flavor, would you like to try some?" Tang Ruixuan planned to ask Yang Rui to grind two more cups.

Chen Yue immediately waved her hand: "I won't drink it. I've heard that good coffee is all about technique. My tongue is too thick, so it would be a waste for me to drink it."

After hearing what Chen Yue said, Lin Weiwei felt embarrassed to ask for more.

"Actually, I only started to like coffee when I was in high school. At that time, I had a lot of studies, so my uncle gave me some coffee beans, as well as a coffee machine and a pour-over kettle. That's when I started drinking coffee while learning to make it."

Lin Weiwei said with envy, "Your uncle is so lucky. It's a pity that my grandmother only gave birth to my mother. I don't have an uncle or an aunt."

Tang Ruixuan smiled and said, "My mom said that my uncle raised me since I was little, and that's probably why he cares about me so much."

Chen Yue asked curiously, "So what does your uncle do?"

"Yes, Xuanxuan, what does your uncle do?" Lin Weiwei asked with a curious expression.

"He used to be a teacher, but he resigned and now he does some business, and it's not bad," Tang Ruixuan said after thinking for a long time.

She then changed the subject: "Weiwei, you said you're going to Sanya during winter break, have you booked your plane ticket yet? That's peak season, tickets might be hard to get, right?"

"It's okay, my dad has already made the reservations. We'll be leaving from Nanjing. They'll pick me up by car and take me directly to Nanjing Airport for a flight to Sanya."

Lin Weiwei excitedly counted on her fingers: "I want to go to the ends of the earth, and I want to eat seafood. I heard that the mangoes there are especially cheap, and they are big and sweet." As she spoke, she licked her lips.

"You glutton!" Chen Yue glared at Lin Weiwei.

Then she looked at Tang Ruixuan: "Xuanxuan, your family must be very lively during the Chinese New Year, right? Four generations under one roof! You'd need at least two or three tables to sit down."

Tang Ruixuan smiled and nodded: "Yes!" She told her two roommates how her family usually spends the Spring Festival, but she omitted a lot of things, such as the private garden "Huyin Garden". Even so, Chen Yue and Lin Weiwei listened with great interest.

"It's so much better when there are lots of people, it's so lively!" Lin Weiwei said with a look of envy.

As the three chatted, Lin Weiwei brought up another matter.

"Xuanxuan, is your hometown Suzhou Academy?"

"Yes! What's wrong?" Tang Ruixuan nodded.

"Your hometown is located near Taihu Lake to the east. Is there a private garden there?"

Tang Ruixuan looked at Lin Weiwei with a puzzled expression: "Yes! How did you know?" In Tang Ruixuan's memory, not many people knew about Lake Hidden Garden, so she was a little surprised.

Lin Weiwei said proudly, "I heard it from my dad. He works for the Garden Bureau. He discovered this garden while organizing the archives of Suzhou gardens. It's said to be very beautiful, even more beautiful than the Lingering Garden."

But she added dejectedly, "I wanted my dad to take me there, but he couldn't get in either. He said it's a private garden and not open to the public."

Chen Yue, however, scoffed: "Look at you, so pathetic. It's just a garden. Suzhou has so many, haven't you seen enough?"

Tang Ruixuan smiled but didn't say anything.