Nostalgia Bean Bread

The next‌⁠‌⁠​​​​‌⁠​‌‍⁠‌​​‍​‍‍‌‍‌ day.

On a typical afternoon in the Main City, a small wooden signboard was hung at the entrance of the old bakery in the central commercial district. The sign had a few crookedly written words: “Corner Bakery.”

An older man hurriedly rushed out of the tech company building across the street. He tried to push open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Looking up, he saw the sign on the door: “New menu in preparation, reopening in three days.”

He pressed his face against the glass to peer inside.

The interior decor hadn’t changed much, but the bread racks were empty. Behind the counter, the store manager was still the same young woman, but the lady boss was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a young man with white hair and white clothes was leaning on the counter, frowning at a tablet. The store manager also looked more serious than usual.

“That’s strange,” the man muttered before reluctantly heading towards the convenience store next door. After taking a few steps, he turned back and quickly snapped a photo of the bakery door to post in his work group chat.

– Bad news! The bakery has a new owner, and he’s some white-haired antisocial guy.

The group, which usually only responded with “Got it” or “Understood,” exploded instantly, with a flurry of crying and confused emojis.

Inside the bakery, An Yu rested his chin in his hand and sighed, “Do I really have to choose B?”

Xu Shuangshuang slowly looked up and rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

“Boss, if you trust me, then just go with it. If not, find someone else.” She grumbled, “With the little money you have—fifty-five million—it wouldn’t even be enough to make the bottom tier among my clients. Why would I scam you?”

An Yu hesitated, “It’s my first investment. Let me think about it.”

His financial goal was to turn fifty-five million into ninety million within a year to pay off his debt to the Commander. Xu Shuangshuang mentioned that the market was volatile this year, and achieving a 60%+ annual return would require choosing the high-risk option B, which carried a risk of losses. An Yu, with his cautious nature, was more inclined to choose option A, which offered an annual return between 5% and 10% with minimal risk.

Xu Shuangshuang took a deep breath, “Let me put it this way—if you choose B, even if you lose 10% this year, there’s still a chance to double your money next year. But if you choose A, even if you max out at 10% every year, it’ll take six years to reach your target. Six years! By then, my kid will be in the top primary school in the Main City.”

Xu Shuangshuang was planning to marry her fiancé this year and was constantly thinking about scientific ways to conceive, with every conversation leading back to children.

An Yu sighed, “Alright then.”

Xu Shuangshuang’s eyes immediately lit up with a smile, “That’s the spirit! Trust me with your money, I swear you won’t lose.”

An Yu was momentarily stunned by her words and instinctively glanced at the photo of Ling Qiu on the wall.

Before Ling Qiu died, he told An Yu he asked him to remind himself—those who dare to bet their last hope will never lose.

It was bizarre because An Yu had said this phrase to Ling Qiu, and he never heard it before, leaving him slightly shaken when he first heard it.

The curtain behind him lifted, and the rich aroma of freshly baked bread wafted in from the baking tray. Maddie smiled and said, “It’s ready! Two types of whole grain bread, come and try them.”

The Corner Bakery’s menu was about to undergo a major revamp, all according to the new owner’s ideas. The only old product to be retained was Maddie’s specialty, a multi-cheese sourdough, because according to the previous owner’s records—“That new recruit named Ling Qiu really liked the cheese sourdough. He pre-ordered half a dozen, saying he’d take them back home for his younger brother after the training was over.”

After reading that order record, An Yu immediately decided to keep that bread on the menu.

“Originally, the coarse whole wheat bread used a higher-quality yeast. When baked in a convection oven, it produced excellent air pockets, preserving the chewy texture of the wheat kernels, while the air pockets made it easier to chew and prevented it from becoming increasingly dry as you chewed,” Maddie explained. “The upgraded version replaces the coarse wheat with oats and oat bran, and adds a bit of honey and milk, making the texture softer and more elastic, which is perfect for office workers who are so exhausted they can barely lift a finger.”

An Yu carefully tasted both versions and his eyes lit up. “Both are great. We can put them on the shelves.”

Xu Shuangshuang took photos of the new bread. “I’ll post these on our official account. Boss, what should we name the new bread?”

After thinking for a moment, An Yu said, “The original version will be called ‘Corner Bread’ as our signature bread. The upgraded version will be ‘Honey Soft Oats.”

“Got it!”

Maddie was a bit concerned. “Coarse whole wheat bread is certainly filling, but it might not suit the tastes of the people in the Main City. If we make it our signature bread, I’m worried about the sales.”

An Yu shook his head. “That’s okay.”

He didn’t have any ambitions of making a fortune. Once the investment returns were enough to pay off the mortgage, all he needed was enough to support his two employees.

The only reason he bought this store was because of the photo of Ling Qiu on the wall—Ling Qiu and bread had been the most tangible sources of comfort in his old world. Now the world had already changed yet he still wanted to hold on to those two things.

Xu Shuangshuang chuckled. “I actually think that people in the Main City, who are used to fancy pastries, might find our post-apocalyptic-style bread refreshing. With big risks comes big rewards.”

“Post-apocalyptic style…” Maddie’s expression grew more complicated. She sighed as she removed her apron. “Alright then, the other bread you designed is cooling inside. You can try it in five minutes. I have something to take care of at home, so I’ll head out now.”

“I’m leaving too. I need to drop this off at the bank.” Xu Shuangshuang waved the investment agent contract she had just signed in front of An Yu. “No regrets, right?”

An Yu took a deep breath. “None.”

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He leaned on the counter, chewing on bread while browsing his terminal. Since Xu Shuangshuang was handling the bakery’s social media account, An Yu had started checking it out in his spare time.

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—The Koi Fish Religion claimed that if you prayed to them, your child’s genetic entropy would never fall below the lower level of either parent.

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“As expected, you’re at the store,” Yan Xi said as he entered, pulling a small suitcase behind him. “Law is going on a mission tomorrow. Aren’t you going back to the Spire today?”

At this moment, Yan Xi had mandarin duck eyes.

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An Yu looked up. “I’m going back. Starting tomorrow, I’ll also be taking physical training classes at the Spire.”

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“What’s this?”

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“His teammates said it contains luggage, clothes, some unfinished energy bars, and a few weird diaries. They seem to be full of… well, full of…”

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“Yeah.” An Yu pulled the suitcase closer. “Thanks.”

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An Yu called out to him and went into the back kitchen. After a moment, he returned with a long, rectangular lunch box wrapped in a cloth printed with red bean patterns and tied with a knot.

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The man’s breath suddenly became quick.

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“This is our store’s new product, ‘Nostalgia Bean Bread.’ Please help me taste it.”

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After a long pause, Yan Xi finally pulled out the product description card from the bow.

Nostalgia Bean Bread

“Bait City’s coarse bread was reprocessed and baked into fragrant bean breads with some added beans. The smell of flour mixed with the aroma of beans is a comforting scent. The child who traveled to the Main City once complained that the bean bread wasn’t sweet enough, so his mother made a small improvement to it.”

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A tear fell from Yan Xi’s left eye, soaking into the description card.

“An… An… I…”

An Yu gently took his thin hand.

“Although it will never taste the same, it’s very close.”

An Yu said softly, “You’re always welcome to visit us.”

Author’s Note:

[An Yu’s Bread Diary] 01: Bread Confidence

The change of ownership of the old bakery in the Central Business District has become a hot topic among high-level professionals.

“They’re opening tomorrow, but there’s no special offers!”

“How could that be? Has the new owner ever run a business?”

“I heard the soft and fragrant milk buns are off the menu. 5555”

“How am I supposed to pull an all-nighter coding without the triple chocolate black forest?!”

“My heart aches. I love this place, but I feel like it’s going downhill…”

In the dark dormitory at the Spire, An Yu lay under the covers, messaging his two employees.

-Xu Shuangshuang: Boss, why don’t we just issue some coupons? Even a small gesture would work. If you don’t want to offer a 10% discount, how about 5%? 2%?

-An Yu: You get what you pay for. Our bread is good enough; we don’t need to offer discounts.

-Maddie: Is our bread really that good…

-Xu Shuangshuang: Boss, when I said post-apocalyptic style would be a hit in the Main City, I was just joking. Compared to other bakeries, our bread is like a dumb dog in the ruins!

-An Yu: That just makes me more confident. Haven’t you heard the saying? It’s always the dumb dogs that lead the world.

-Maddie: …No.

-Xu Shuangshuang: …You’re the dumb dog, don’t drag us into this.

An Yu turned off his terminal, rolled over, and peacefully fell asleep.

No matter how anxious his employees were, he always had a feeling that they were about to sell out.

M1zushi: one of my favorite things about this novel are these lil tidbits and omakes that you get, they give so much life to this story
and only now that i’m re-reading it that i’m connecting the dots that I hadn’t seen in my first read, so brace yourself for when it ends bcs it has so many foreshadowings :blobsmilehappyeyes::blobsmilehappyeyes:

also also!!! new arc coming soon!!!