Chapter 31 Scallion Oil Noodles

Next up is passion fruit and lime tea.

Add scooped passion fruit pulp, a few slices of lime and tangerines to a glass, pour in an appropriate amount of honey, and gently crush it with a popsicle stick to release the juice and aroma of the fruit.

Then add plenty of ice, and finally pour in the cooled green tea broth, and gently stir with a stirring stick.

A beautifully colored, sweet and sour, refreshing summer drink with a perfect blend of fruit and tea aromas is ready.

Chocolate Basque cake can be taken directly from the refrigerator without any additional processing.

Its deliciousness lies in its firm and creamy texture after being chilled.

After preparing dinner, Su Xiaonuan placed it on a tray and took it into the bathroom.

She had prepared a tub of warm water beforehand, added a few drops of lavender essential oil, and cute bubbles floated on the surface.

I placed the tray on the shelf next to the bathtub, and propped up the tablet to play my favorite comedy show.

She soaked in the warm water, enjoying the soothing aroma of the essential oils and the relaxing feeling of the hot water enveloping her entire body.

Take a sip of the refreshing and sweet passion fruit tea, then cut off a large piece of roasted Orleans chicken thigh that is crispy, tender and juicy. Take a bite and your mouth will be filled with salty, savory and slightly spicy flavors, with the freshness of lemon. You'll feel an overwhelming sense of happiness!

Occasionally, take a small spoonful of the rich, full-bodied, bittersweet Basque chocolate; the delicate texture melts on your tongue…

The music started playing again, and cheerful laughter filled the variety show.

At this moment, all fatigue and doubt seemed to be dispelled, leaving only ultimate comfort and satisfaction.

However, in the middle of the night, Su Xiaonuan lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The note with the mysterious number on it was like a tiny feather, constantly scratching at her heart.

What does that string of numbers mean? Who made the call? Is it friend or foe? What's hidden behind all this?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

Finally, she got up, rummaged through her bag and pulled out the note. She looked at it under the lamp, and the symbols and numbers looked rather eerie.

After hesitating for a long time, she picked up her phone and opened Lu Zheng's WeChat chat window.

Typing, deleting, typing again...

Finally, she made a tough decision, took a clear photo of the note, and then edited a text message:

Officer Lu, I apologize for bothering you so late. I received a very strange phone call tonight. The caller didn't say anything, just quickly recited a string of numbers and hung up. I feel something is off, and I wanted to ask if you know what this might mean? [Image]

After checking twice to make sure the pictures were clear and the text descriptions were legible, she pressed the send button with a slight tremor in her fingertips.

A message indicating successful message delivery appeared.

As if she had accomplished something major, Su Xiaonuan breathed a long sigh of relief, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, inexplicably calmed down a lot.

She silenced her phone, put it back on the bedside table, lay down again, pulled up the air-conditioning blanket, and closed her eyes.

This time, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The moonlight streamed into the room through the window, creating a peaceful atmosphere, as if nothing had ever happened.

The message containing the mysterious number had already quietly reached someone else's phone.

On the other side of the city, a late-night meeting has just ended.

Back home, Lu Zheng put down his coat, rubbed his throbbing temples, and was about to wash up and rest when his phone screen on the coffee table suddenly lit up, showing that he had received a WeChat message.

He initially thought it was another urgent matter for the team, and picked up his phone somewhat wearily.

But when he saw that the sender was "Su Xiaonuan", he paused for a moment.

Why would she send a message so late? Did she discover something again?

He opened the chat window, and the first thing he saw was a casually taken photo of a note with a string of characters written on it:

##404##191519##

Just one glance! Only one glance!

Lu Zheng's pupils suddenly contracted, all his fatigue instantly vanished, replaced by a high degree of alertness and solemnity!

This string of code was extremely familiar to him!

This is not an ordinary numbers game at all; it is an internationally recognized distress signal hidden in what appears to be gibberish!

"##404##" usually means "cannot be found" or "error", but in a specific context, it can be understood as "needs help, but cannot say so".

Furthermore, "191519" directly corresponds to the alphabet—19=S, 15=O, 19=S!

Put them together and it says SOS! The most well-known distress signal!

Someone used this extremely covert method to send a distress signal through Su Xiaonuan's phone!

Lu Zheng's heart sank.

He immediately wanted to call Su Xiaonuan to ask her for details about the call—the caller ID, the other party's voice characteristics, background noise, etc., as these were all important clues.

However, just as his finger was about to press the dial button, his eyes caught sight of the time in the upper right corner of the screen—00:17.

It's already so late.

It seemed inappropriate to call Su Xiaonuan, a girl, who was home alone at this time.

Furthermore, judging from the fact that she sent a message instead of making a phone call, she probably didn't think it was an emergency that required immediate phone communication, and she may not have fully realized the meaning of the code.

Lu Zheng forced himself to calm down.

He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the worries and questions that were already on the tip of his tongue.

He stared at the string of code and the brief explanation Su Xiaonuan had provided, his brow furrowed, and paced back and forth in the room.

Was the other party's choice to use Su Xiaonuan to deliver the message random or intentional?

Is it a conspiracy targeting Su Xiaonuan, or is it simply because she happened to be the "chosen" number? What exactly is involved behind this?

Countless questions swirled in his mind.

But he knew that there was no use in rushing now.

He replied with a short message: "Received. I'll come to talk to you tomorrow morning. Lock the doors and windows tonight and be careful."

After sending the message, he memorized the code and carefully read Su Xiaonuan's description several times before putting his phone down.

But this night was destined to be sleepless for Lu Zheng. The mystery surrounding the case seemed to have taken a new turn, and Su Xiaonuan's safety added a heavy weight to his heart.

...

The next morning at seven o'clock.

Su Xiaonuan woke up feeling refreshed.

After sending the message last night, she felt much more at ease and slept exceptionally well.

She glanced at her phone, made up her mind, and after washing up, hummed a song as she walked into the kitchen to prepare a hearty breakfast for herself, ready to start her day full of energy.

I want to eat something Chinese today.

She decided to make scallion oil noodles with a soft-boiled egg and a cup of rich, original-flavored soy milk.

First, make scallion oil.

Wash the scallions, take only the green parts, and cut them into 1-inch sections.

Pour an appropriate amount of peanut oil and a little bit of lard into a cold pan to enhance the aroma. When the oil is slightly warm, add the scallion segments and simmer over the lowest heat.

Watching the scallion segments gradually turn golden brown and crispy in the oil, the rich aroma of scallions mixed with the fragrance of oil permeates the entire kitchen—this is the soul of the kitchen.

Simmer until the scallion strips turn dark brown, then turn off the heat, remove the fried scallions, and what remains is golden and translucent scallion oil.