158: Chapter 158 Lin Feng Learns Latte Art

Lin Feng had been brewing coffee for several days, and his technique was becoming increasingly steady. From grinding the beans for one hundred and twenty turns to one hundred and fifty, and pouring water from three minutes to four, the taste of every cup was nearly the same—not bitter, not sour, but with a hint of sweetness. Molly said he was ready to graduate, but Lin Feng said not yet. When Molly asked why, Lin Feng pointed to the latte on the counter. "There's no flower in the milk foam." Molly smiled. "You want to learn latte art?" Lin Feng said, "Yes." Molly handed him the milk pitcher. "Froth the milk first. Insert the steam wand, and when you hear a chirping sound, pull it down to let air in. Only after the milk foam is ready can you do latte art."

Lin Feng took the milk pitcher, poured in half the milk, and inserted the steam wand. He turned on the steam switch. Screeech—the sound was very high-pitched, and the pitcher became hot to the touch. He quickly turned it off and looked at the milk; a layer of large bubbles floated on top, looking like soapy water. Molly laughed. "Too shallow. You need to insert the steam wand a bit deeper; the sound shouldn't be that shrill." Lin Feng poured out the milk, refilled it, and tried again. This time he inserted the steam wand deeper, and the sound became muffled, a low whoosh. The milk pitcher gradually warmed up. He turned off the steam and looked at the milk. The foam was very fine, like cream, and it glistened. Molly nodded. "That's it. Pour the milk foam into the coffee. Start from a bit higher up to let the foam sink in, then lower it and draw slowly."

Lin Feng picked up the milk pitcher, aimed at the coffee cup, and began to pour. The foam rushed down and burst onto the surface of the coffee, turning into a white blob. He lowered the pitcher and tried to draw a heart shape, but the foam wouldn't cooperate, flowing into a crooked line. He finished pouring and looked down. The surface of the coffee was a mess, with a blob of white, a streak of white, and a few white spots. The cat jumped onto the counter, leaned in to look, sniffed with its nose, and sneezed. Lin Feng looked at the cat. "You think it's ugly too." The cat didn't answer; it stuck out its tongue, licked the foam, then squinted its eyes, a purring sound coming from its throat. It seemed to think the taste was good, regardless of whether the shape was pretty.

Lin Feng poured another cup of coffee and frothed the milk again. This time he poured even slower and held the pitcher even lower. The milk foam flowed out, drawing a circle on the surface of the coffee. He tried to pull the circle into a heart, but his hand shook, and the circle became an oval; the heart shape didn't appear. He handed that cup of coffee to Molly. "You drink it." Molly took it and took a sip. "The foam is well-frothed, and the taste isn't bad. You can practice the art slowly." Lin Feng nodded, poured another cup of coffee, and continued to practice. He practiced all morning, pouring out over a dozen cups of coffee. The cat took a dozen sips of foam until its belly was bulging, and it lay on the counter with its belly up. Chen Xiaoyuan looked at the cat. "It's full." Lin Feng said, "It drank the foam, not the coffee." Chen Xiaoyuan smiled. "Foam is still milk. Cats like milk." Lin Feng reached out and rubbed the cat's belly; the cat's limbs stretched out, and the tip of its tail flicked gently. He lowered his head and looked at the cat. "Do you want more?" The cat didn't answer; it rolled over, buried its face in its tail, and ignored him.

In the afternoon, Margaret came to the Coffee Shop. She pushed open the door and saw Lin Feng standing behind the counter, milk pitcher in hand, pouring coffee. She walked over and crouched in front of the counter. Lin Feng finished a cup and looked down. This time he had drawn a heart shape; although it was a bit lopsided, it was clearly a heart. Margaret smiled. "You know how to do latte art now?" Lin Feng said, "I just learned. I'm not very good yet." He handed that cup of coffee to Margaret. "Taste it." Margaret took it and had a sip. "It's delicious." Lin Feng poured another cup of coffee, frothed the milk, and did the art. This time he did even better; the heart was symmetrical, and there was a smaller one next to it, like an adult holding a child's hand. He placed the cup on the counter, and the cat jumped up, licked the foam, then sat beside the cup, the tip of its tail flicking gently. Margaret looked at the cat. "It likes it too." Lin Feng said, "It only licks the foam, it doesn't drink the coffee." Margaret laughed. "Are you doing the art for the cat to see?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "No. For myself. When it's done well, I feel happy looking at it." Margaret took another sip of coffee and set the cup down. "Will you do it every day from now on?" Lin Feng said, "Every day. The more I do it, the better I'll get. Once I'm good at it, I won't want to stop."

At dusk, Old Zhou returned from delivering mail and parked his bike in front of the Coffee Shop. He walked into the shop and saw Lin Feng doing latte art, with Molly, Chen Xiaoyuan, Margaret, and the cat standing by the counter. He crouched in front of the counter, watching Lin Feng pour the milk foam. Lin Feng poured very slowly, and the foam drew a flower on the surface of the coffee, its petals unfolding one by one. Old Zhou was stunned. "You can do this too?" Lin Feng said, "I just learned." He handed the cup of coffee to Old Zhou. "Taste it." Old Zhou took it and had a sip. "It's good. The flower is pretty, too." Lin Feng poured another cup, drew a flower, and placed it on the counter. The cat jumped up, licked the foam, then sat beside the flower, the tip of its tail flicking gently. Old Zhou looked at the cat. "It appreciates it too." Lin Feng said, "It only licks; it doesn't appreciate." Old Zhou laughed. "If it licks it, it's appreciating it."

That night, Lin Feng sat on the steps in front of the Restaurant. Not crouching, but sitting. Margaret came out carrying a plate of mushrooms and sat beside him. The two of them sat there, looking at the sky. The stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday. The cat crawled out from the tree hollow, walked to their feet, sat down, and looked up at the stars. It watched for a long time, then closed its eyes, curled into a ball, and began to purr. Margaret looked at the cat. "It drank a lot of milk foam today." Lin Feng said, "A dozen sips or so." Margaret asked, "Doesn't it get tired of it?" Lin Feng said, "No. Cats like milk. They won't eat sweet things, sour things, or bitter things. But they'll have milk. Foam is still milk." Margaret smiled. "You understand cats better than a cat does." Lin Feng said, "You understand them after crouching for a long time."

The wind blew, carrying the aroma from the Coffee Shop, the rustle of stationery from the church, and the fresh sweetness of mushrooms from the farm. Lin Feng closed his eyes and inhaled. He opened his eyes, stood up, and brushed off his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret stood up too. "Will you still do latte art tomorrow?" Lin Feng nodded. "Yes." Margaret asked, "For how long?" Lin Feng said, "Until I've mastered it." Margaret smiled. "Haven't you already mastered it?" Lin Feng said, "I can do it, but it's not good enough yet. A good flower looks like the real thing. What I draw looks fake. I still need to practice." Margaret looked at him. "When did you become so strict with yourself?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "When brewing coffee. When brewing, one extra turn of the stir and the taste is different. Pouring for one second longer is also different. A little bit off makes a big difference. So it can't be off." Margaret smiled. "Then continue practicing tomorrow." Lin Feng nodded. "Mm." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, with Margaret following behind him. The door closed, and the lights went out. The cat jumped down from the steps, walked back to the tree hollow, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its shadow on the ground—small and round, like a ball of yarn. The wind blew, and the shadow wavered, but it didn't dissipate. Lin Feng stood in the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the cat's shadow, the tree's shadow, and the moon's shadow. He watched for a long time, then drew the curtains and went to sleep.

[End of Chapter 158]