The salty life in Life of Pi

Chapter 96: Your way of celebrating birthday is quite special

After the three of them finished their meal, they didn't stay outside for long. It was already ten o'clock in the evening, and they estimated that Wang Shengnan would call soon.

When Lin Miaomiao and Tang Jiaojiao opened the door, Wang Shengnan's phone rang. Wang Shengnan, who had the phone to her ear, saw the two children pushing the door open and immediately pressed the hang-up button on her phone.

Slightly complaining tone

"Why are you playing so late? Have you eaten?"

"I watched a movie, it took a little while, and I've already had dinner."

Wang Shengnan took Tang Jiaojiao to wash up first, and came out of the bathroom after arranging everything. She carefully looked at Lin Miaomiao's eyebrows and eyes, which made Lin Miaomiao feel scared.

"Mom, what are you looking at?"

"It's okay, I'm just taking a look"

Wang Shengnan waved her hand and looked away. After all, they were bringing a child with them. No matter what they did, they couldn't possibly bring a child with them. Besides, it was not uncommon for Miaomiao to go to Xiaoyu's house later than this time. If something was going to happen, it would have happened long ago.

Thinking about all sorts of random things, Wang Shengnan found Tang Jiaojiao's pajamas, put them at the bathroom door, casually told Lin Miaomiao to go to bed early, and went into the bathroom again to help Tang Jiaojiao take a bath. It was okay for a child to brush his teeth and wash his face by himself, but he was a little worried about letting him take a bath by himself. It would be bad if he slipped.

Lin Miaomiao shrugged her shoulders and ignored Wang Shengnan's inexplicable behavior. She sat on the sofa, playing with her phone and waiting for Tang Jiaojiao to come out.

After Lin Miaomiao finished her shower and dried her hair, she returned to bed and slept with Tang Jiaojiao. It was almost 12 o'clock. Just as she was lying on the bed and saying a few words to Tang Jiaojiao, the doorbell rang suddenly.

Lin Miaomiao didn't wait for Wang Shengnan to open the door. She came to the door in her slippers. Just a few seconds later, the doorbell was pressed again, and it seemed quite urgent.

Thinking that Xianyu had some urgent matter, Lin Miaomiao shouted "I'm coming, I'm coming" and ran to open the door.

"What's going on so late at night? Uh, who are you, Auntie?"

The unexpected person outside the door was not Wu Xianyu, but Qian Sanyi's mother, Pei Yin.

Seeing Lin Miaomiao, Pei Yin calmed down a little and his voice trembled slightly.

"Um, you're Lin Miaomiao, right? I'm Qian Sanyi's mother. I want to ask if you've seen Qian Sanyi. He hasn't come back yet so late. I heard him say that there are his classmates in this building, so I came here specifically to ask."

Wang Shengnan and Lin Dawei, who heard the noise, also came out in their pajamas. After hearing Pei Yin's words, they looked at each other. Lin Miaomiao shook her head.
"I returned home around 10pm, and on the way from the subway station to the community, I didn't see anyone from Youqian Sanyi."

"Can't get through on the phone?"

Wang Shengnan raised a very constructive question. Pei Yin shook her head and her face turned paler. She had been discussing divorce with Qian Yukun these days and they had just reached an agreement when her son disappeared. This made her think a lot more.

Pulling out his cell phone, Pei Yin saw that there was no incoming call. With trembling hands, he dialed Qian Sanyi's number again. Listening to the voice waiting to be connected, Pei Yin explained Wang Shengnan's problem.

"I have been trying to contact him since nine o'clock, but I haven't been able to get through."

As expected, no one answered the call this time.

Seeing Pei Yin's eyes reddened and beginning to glow, Wang Shengnan remembered that when she first came to this community, Pei Yin told her all about the situation in this community without reservation. She thought for a moment and spoke.

"How about this, you call the police first and see if they will accept the case. But I don't think the police will respond to your case at this time. We will pack up and go out with you to look for the child. You can also ask the child's father to see if he has any news."

"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you for bothering you."

Pei Yin agreed hurriedly. Although he had lived in this community for quite a while, he had an average relationship with the old men and women here and had no common topics with them.

While she was talking to Qian Yukun downstairs, Lin Miaomiao and her family were also getting dressed. After changing, Lin Miaomiao reluctantly opened the door and looked at Wang Shengnan beside her.
"Mom, are we really going to help find Qian Sanyi?"

"Okay, stop complaining. There's no deep hatred between you kids. You can ignore the small matters, but you still have to help with the big ones."

Leaving Lin Dawei at home to look after Tang Jiaojiao, Wang Shengnan took Lin Miaomiao downstairs.

When passing by Wu Xianyu's house, Lin Miaomiao rolled her eyes, took out her phone and sent a message to Wu Xianyu.
Meow Meow doesn’t eat fish: Salted fish, are you asleep?

Miaomiao doesn't eat fish: I don't know where Qian Sanyi went. Her mother came to look for us. Now my mother is taking me to look for her. If you haven't slept yet, let's come out together.
Xianyu: Come on, put on your clothes now

After seeing Wu Xianyu's reply, Lin Miaomiao's mood, which had originally been not so good, improved a lot.

Walking downstairs, Lin Miaomiao heard Pei Yin's voice sounding broken as she was on the phone.
"How should I know? He's already grown up. I can't possibly watch him all the time if he wants to go out. Besides, that person is right downstairs from our house. Who knows if she took Sanyi away?"

Seeing Wang Shengnan and Lin Miaomiao coming down the stairs, Pei Yin lowered his voice slightly.
"Let's not talk about it for now. You should think of a solution. I'm going to go out and find someone."

After saying that, he hung up the phone, wiped his eyes, and Pei Yin tried his best to maintain his decency. He turned around and looked at Wang Shengnan and her daughter.

Just as she was about to speak, Wu Xianyu also came down. Pei Yin was a little surprised to see him, so Lin Miaomiao explained.

"Xianyu also knows Qian Sanyi, so I'll call him out to help."

"Oh, ok, thank you."

Pei Yin didn't say much, just kept thanking him. Wang Shengnan was not surprised to see Wu Xianyu. She also saw the message Lin Miaomiao sent just now and waved to Pei Yin.
"Don't waste time. Thank them after you find them. Let's discuss how to find them first."

Seeing Pei Yin's bewildered face, Wang Shengnan had to speak again.

"I think we should split up. Miaomiao and I will go to the west of the community, and you go to the east. Xiaoyu, you have an electric bike, so ride it directly to the back door of the community and look along the street. If there is any situation, feel free to contact us. That's it."

Wang Shengnan pulled Pei Yin, who was about to leave the community in a hurry, and asked for her contact information before letting her go.

Wu Xianyu and Lin Miaomiao waved their hands. They were not in a good mood. This was not a date. If they were not together, then they were not together. Besides, Wang Shengnan was there, so they could not do anything.

Riding on the electric scooter, Wu Xianyu drove all the way to the back door of the community. The back door of the community was a small door for pedestrians only. If you want to ride out, you have to say hello to the security guard at the door.

Wu Xianyu went straight to the security booth, parked the car, walked towards the security guard, and took out his mobile phone at the same time. The security guard saw Wu Xianyu's action, knew something was wrong, and came out.

"Uncle, I have a classmate who hasn't come home yet so late. I don't know if you saw him today. This is what he looks like."

As he spoke, Wu Xianyu took out Qian Sanyi's photo and showed it to the security guard.

The uncle stroked his chin and looked for a long time before answering vaguely.
"Yes, I have an impression. Does he also live in this community?"

“Yes, I live in Building 3.”

"That's hard to say. People who live here will have some impression of him, and we don't know when he saw him. How about I help you check the surveillance. Do you know when he left the house?"

Wu Xianyu thought about it. Pei Yin himself didn't know when Qian Sanyi left the house, so he could only guess a time.

"It was probably around seven o'clock when it got dark."

The security guard said as he walked towards the security booth.
"It's hard to find a place at this time, as it's the busiest time. I'm on night shift tonight and don't have anything to do, so I'll help you check it out." "Okay, thank you, uncle. I'll be back soon."

The security guard nodded. As a security guard, it was his job to help the owner find people. The night shift was quite leisurely anyway, so he might as well kill some time by watching the surveillance.

Walking out of the community, Wu Xianyu looked at the street opposite the back door. Many stores were closed at this time, and the ones with lights on were basically barbecue restaurants, bars, or hotels.

Seeing the hotel, Wu Xianyu had some guesses. Although Pei Yin didn't say it, Qian Sanyi should have gone out with Deng Xiaoqi. It was easy to guess where a single man and woman could have gone if they didn't go home so late at night.

Wu Xianyu rode his bike slowly along the street, looking around. He had no way of going into the store to ask. The hotel would definitely not disclose the privacy of its guests. He could only try his luck.

“It shouldn’t be a hotel near the community.”

Taking into account the tendency of people to stay away from home when they do bad things, Wu Xianyu increased the speed slightly and drove towards a hotel farther away.

After walking through two streets, Wu Xianyu looked at the commercial street not far away. The lights there were brightly lit, forming a sharp contrast with the scattered lights in the residential area behind him.

After thinking for a while, Wu Xianyu gave up on going into the commercial street. There were people there at all times of the day and night. It would be a waste of time to go there to look for someone.

He turned around and prepared to look in the other direction of the community.

But not long after walking, Wu Xianyu stepped on the brakes of the electric scooter, squinted his eyes and looked carefully at the two people on the dim sidewalk in front of him.

"Qian Sanyi!"

After shouting tentatively, the man in front seemed to be frightened and suddenly turned his head. Now Wu Xianyu was really sure that it was Qian Sanyi.

Wu Xianyu rode his bike up to the two of them and took out his phone while speaking to Qian Sanyi, who looked defensive.

"Why don't you check the time and how many missed calls you have on your phone?"

Qian Sanyi stared at Wu Xianyu vigilantly and took out his cell phone. He was still wondering why Wu Xianyu came to see him specifically, but when he saw the bunch of missed calls on his phone, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Ha, see, your mom is so worried that she called us out to look for you. Didn't you even leave a message for your family when you went out to play?"

As he spoke, Wu Xianyu glanced at the innocent Deng Xiaoqi, then looked at the hotel not far behind them, and his voice became more restrained.

"You guys go forward, there are barbecues and other things ahead, it looks nice, I need to contact your mother Qian Sanyi"

"okay"

Qian Sanyi was still in a panic, looking at the dozens of missed calls on his mobile phone, his palms and back were sweaty. When he heard Wu Xianyu's words, he took a step forward.

I don’t know if it was because he was scared or because he was overworked, but when he raised his foot, he almost knelt down on the spot.

Deng Xiaoqi helped to support him. Wu Xianyu had been sitting on the electric car and watching. He couldn't help but speak.

"You should be more restrained, it may affect your development."

Perhaps he felt a little embarrassed, so Qian Sanyi said

"I just became an adult today, so it won't affect my development."

"Wow, your way of celebrating birthdays is quite unique."

As a result, Wu Xianyu's attention was diverted. He shook his head and called Wang Shengnan.

"Hey, Auntie, I found him. He's eating at the barbecue stall at the back door of the community. Please contact Qian Sanyi's mother immediately. I'll be waiting here. Walk west from the back door of the community and you'll see him after two intersections."

After hanging up the phone, Qian Sanyi and Deng Xiaoqi had already arrived at the door of the barbecue restaurant. They pretended to order a few dishes and sat down at the small table at the door.

Wu Xianyu did not chat with the two of them anymore, but sent messages to Lin Miaomiao.
Xianyu: Oh my goodness, he is with Deng Xiaoqi
Miaomiao doesn't eat fish: I guessed it. It's impossible for him to come out alone at this time of night. He must be accompanied by someone. By the way, did he really find it in a barbecue restaurant? It doesn't seem that simple.

Xianyu: You should give Qian Sanyi's mother some face. Just think of it as something you found in a barbecue restaurant. You can't come over later.
Meow Meow Doesn't Eat Fish: Come! He must come. He stays up late at night because he is busy. Can't I watch the fun?
Xianyu: OK, do you want to eat something? I think they sell wontons, they taste pretty good.

Meow Meow doesn't eat fish: Yes

Meow Meow doesn’t eat fish: Two portions, my mom is a little hungry too.

Salted fish: Good
After turning off the phone, the boss just placed the grilled skewers in front of Qian Sanyi and Deng Xiaoqi, and Wu Xianyu took the opportunity to speak.

"Boss, three servings of wontons, eat here"

"Good Le"

After parking the electric bike, Wu Xianyu sat at a small table a little distance away from Qian Sanyi, playing with his mobile phone, waiting for Lin Miaomiao and Wang Shengnan.

Lin Miaomiao and Wang Shengnan arrived faster. They both headed west to look for Wu Xianyu, and found him after turning a corner.

Seeing Qian Sanyi and Deng Xiaoqi, Lin Miaomiao did not go up to say hello, but sat down directly opposite Wu Xianyu, stirred the wontons in the bowl, took a bite, and closed her eyes in satisfaction.
"Phew, it feels so good."

Wang Shengnan still said a few words to Qian Sanyi
"Qian Sanyi, you should at least say hello to your family before you go out to play. Your mother has been looking for you all night and she was so anxious that she almost cried. You can explain it to your family when she comes."

Qian Sanyi and Deng Xiaoqi could only stand up and listen to Wang Shengnan's nagging. Wang Shengnan simply didn't say much. As an elder, it was okay for her to say a few words, but if she said too much, she would be annoying.

Sitting next to Lin Miaomiao, Wang Shengnan took a break, rubbed her eyes, and sighed

"Alas, I am getting old. I can hardly open my eyes now. Hmm..."

After saying that, Wang Shengnan yawned, took a bite of the wonton, and said critically
"These are frozen wontons. They don't look that fresh anymore. You should eat less."

"Yeah, I know, I know, isn't this just because you're tired from walking so much?"

Lin Miaomiao ate very quickly and her bowl was almost empty.

Wu Xianyu casually spoke up

"If it's still early, I won't eat here. I'll ask Auntie to make some dumplings for me. I haven't eaten them for a long time and I miss them."

"Haha, then I'll do it tomorrow. Xiaoyu, come over for lunch tomorrow."

Wang Shengnan was very happy, while Lin Miaomiao glanced at Wu Xianyu, who was smiling a little flatteringly, and silently said in her heart, "You are such a flatterer."

But I'm in a good mood.

(End of this chapter)