Chapter 59 Discovering My Wife’s Whereabouts Gogogo!!!
The Fang family’s New Year’s Eve dinner lasted from the morning until about one in the afternoon. They had a quick bite to eat at noon and were busy again until two in the afternoon before they finished.
Father Fang set up the only large round table in the house, which was only used during festivals. Dishes were brought up from the kitchen one after another, and the table was almost full.
While helping to serve the dishes, Qi Yu asked Fang Kaize in surprise, "There are only four of us. Won't it be a waste if we can't finish all this?"
Fang Kaize glanced at him, clearly used to it. "Any food left over from today will be saved until the first, second, and third days of the new year. We'll be able to finish it one day."
Qi Yu: “…”
Thanks to the Fang family, Qi Yu was able to have a rare New Year's Eve dinner.
In the past, Qi Yu would choose to stay overnight during the winter break to save money on round-trip tickets. The cafeteria was closed and takeout was not available, so he would add an egg and sausage to his instant noodles and that would be his New Year's Eve dinner.
His living conditions have improved after he started working, but every year he goes out alone and just orders takeout. Although there were some unexpected problems with his plans this year, the New Year's Eve dinner he had was no worse than those in high-end private restaurants in Beijing.
There were no rules at the Fang family's New Year's Eve dinner table. Unlike other families, they were not forced by the elders to toast one by one. They just closed the door, ate and talked with the New Year programs on TV as background music.
"Xiao Yu, this is our specialty fried lotus root box. It's delicious. Try it."
"Xiao Yu, sweet and sour fish, this is Auntie's specialty. We don't have any rules here about not eating fish. Just eat it. We'll still have fish every year."
"Xiao Yu, here's some more. The seafood is all blanched. Your uncle Fang went to the market early in the morning to grab them. They're all super fresh. Dip them in the sauce and they're delicious."
Qi Yu was soft-hearted, and Fang's mother was too enthusiastic. Facing his elders, he couldn't think of any words to refuse. He was so full while eating that his throat was full. Helplessly, he could only look to Fang Kaize for help.
How can I not help my brother when he is in trouble?
Fang Kaize suddenly slammed the table, instantly drawing everyone's attention to himself. With all his might, he shouted, "I have a big stomach. Bring me whatever dishes you have!"
Fang's mother came over with a shudder when she saw this. "How dare you slam the table at me? Do you want to die?"
Fang Kaize: "Ouch! Ouch!"
Father Fang didn't say anything. While Mother Fang was scolding Fang Kaize, he secretly poured himself another glass of wine and drank it to his heart's content.
He thought he was being beaten without anyone noticing, but while Fang Kaize was being beaten, he caught a glimpse of his father's dog's sneaky movements and immediately shifted the focus of the fight, "Mom! I want to report it! My dad is drinking secretly!!!"
Fang's mother suddenly turned around and saw Fang's father's increasingly stiff expression and the remaining wine in his glass. She flew into a rage: "You have high blood pressure and you're still drinking! Are you really going to get angry?"
Mr. Fang was also hit on the head with chopsticks several times.
From then on, Fang Kaize's method of diverting the flames of war was a complete victory. He quickly turned his head and winked at Qi Yu.
Qi Yu made an OK gesture, holding the hot bottle of Wangzai milk scalded by boiling water in one hand, and quietly put his dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen with the other hand.
In the second half of the New Year's Eve dinner, everyone had almost finished eating. Fang's father and mother talked about the plans for the orchard in the coming year, occasionally interspersed with gossip among relatives, and they were having a great time. Fang Kaize selectively interrupted, but most of the time he lowered his head and secretly played with the golden shovel.
The atmosphere inside the house was lively and bustling, and outside was not quiet either.
Qi Yu tilted his head and looked out the window.
When I closed the door, it was still snowing lightly outside, but now it has turned into heavy snow falling like goose feathers. In a blink of an eye, a thick layer of snow has covered the icy eaves, and it seems that the snow is going to get thicker.
Small county towns do not have as strict regulations as big cities. Around the New Year, you can hear the sound of fireworks exploding in the distance from morning to night. Today is New Year's Eve, so the frequency of fireworks is even higher.
Someone outside had just set off firecrackers, and the crackling sound could be heard throughout the street. Fang's mother nudged Fang's father's shoulder and said, "After dinner, go and light up those money trees we bought. May the God of Wealth continue to bless our family this year, and may our business prosper and make a fortune."
Mr. Fang agreed readily and put a piece of tempting shrimp dipped in sauce into his mouth.
Fang Kaize poked Qi Yu and whispered, "It's a pity it's snowing so heavily outside, otherwise we could go out and play with fairy wands after dinner."
"It's the same if we wait until the snow stops." Qi Yu responded, glanced at the time on his phone, stood up and said, "You guys eat slowly, I'm going to call Grandma Wang."
Fang Kaize: "OK, go ahead."
Qi Yu got up and went back to the bedroom prepared for him by the Fang family. He closed the door, leaving the noise of firecrackers outside, and stood by the window to dial the familiar number.
The phone rang many times until it was about to be hung up before someone picked it up.
However, the person speaking on the other end was not Grandma Wang, but Grandma Wang's daughter, Sister Tong.
"Hello, is this Xiaoyu?"
Qi Yu was stunned for a moment, then replied, "It's me. Are you... Sister Tong?"
"It's me, it's me. Happy New Year, Xiaoyu. Long time no see. Are you spending the New Year in Beijing this year?" Sister Tong greeted him with a smile.
Qi Yu replied, "Happy New Year, Sister Tong. My plans changed suddenly, so I'm not in Beijing this year. I'm spending the New Year at my classmate's house in Qilu."
After answering, she quickly asked, "Why did you answer the phone? Where's Grandma Wang?"
Sister Tong hesitated for a moment, then said, "You know my mom, she can't stay idle during the New Year. I was at home preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, and she went out for a walk with the old lady next door. She didn't bring her phone, so I answered it for her."
Qi Yu: "Oh...Is that so? Then..."
Sister Tong didn't wait for him to finish before continuing, "Xiao Yu, tell Sister Tong what you want to say. I'll pass it on for you when my mother comes back."
Qi Yu: "Nothing much, it's just Chinese New Year and I wanted to say hello to Grandma Wang. Since she's not at home, I'll call next time."
"Okay." Sister Tong was noisy on the other end, as if someone was urging her. She said anxiously, "Then I won't talk to you anymore. I still have to cook. Xiaoyu, I'm hanging up first. Bye."
After saying that, he hung up the phone in a hurry, leaving Qi Yu staring at the phone that had returned to the lock screen in a daze.
The winter in Hangzhou is not warm, but it is not as cold as here with heavy snow. But since Grandma Wang still has the energy to go out for a walk with her neighbors in this weather, her illness must have been completely cured.
Qi Yu felt relieved, opened the door and walked out, and saw that the Fang family's New Year's Eve dinner was about to end. Fang's mother and Fang Kaize were cleaning the table, and Fang's father was sent to the warehouse to move fireworks.
Seeing this, Qi rushed forward to help, but was firmly rejected by Fang's mother. He had no choice but to sit back on the sofa and scroll through messages boredly.
Fengshi's new series of mobile phones has been officially announced to be launched after the New Year. The new series launch conference was broadcast live on various platforms yesterday, showcasing the new series' technological innovations and appearance upgrades. The performance of the phone has almost doubled, and the appearance has also abandoned the ugly camera that has been criticized, and added a variety of color options.
Judging from the appearance alone, it is suitable for men, women, young and old.
After the press conference, as expected, several hot searches became popular, and the new series was all over the major platforms. It was pre-ordered before it was even launched on the official website and offline stores.
Qi Yu has followed the new series of projects from beginning to end, so he naturally knows how much benefit it will bring to the company after it is officially launched.
But now that the new series has just been announced, he has resigned from Fengshi.
Feng Ji would not deduct his project bonus because of his resignation, but Qi Yu could not be happy at all.
As soon as I turned on my phone, from Weibo hot searches to short video hot searches, from the Xiaolvshu platform homepage push to WeChat Moments ads, almost all positions were flooded with Feng's new series of mobile phones overnight.
During this year when he deliberately stayed away from Feng Ji, although he could not see Feng Ji, the other party seemed to be following him like a shadow, and in this way, he once again occupied Qi Yu's entire mind.
He couldn't help but think, this year, he had left Beijing without a word and come to Fang Kaize's hometown, unilaterally cutting off all contact with Feng Ji. Today, would Feng Ji go to a random restaurant for dinner with Zhou Jiacheng, or would he choose to spend this Spring Festival alone?
Qi Yu felt as if he had been in a daze for a long time. No matter how hard he tried, he could not completely expel Feng Ji's face from his mind.
It was not until he heard the sound of huge fireworks soaring into the sky that he raised his head as if waking up from a dream.
Father Fang moved an enlarged money tree from the warehouse and placed it in the small courtyard at the door. As the fuse was lit, a cluster of fireworks shot up into the sky from the fire barrel.
The fireworks crackled, and the flames rising up were almost as high as the wall, shaped like a big golden tree.
Fang Kaize ran over to pull him, excitedly saying, "Don't be in a daze, Yuzi, come and see the fireworks. My dad bought a bunch! We can have a great time tonight!"
Qi Yu didn't struggle, and let him pull him to the door, watching the brilliant "money tree" go from sparks flying to dimming light, leaving only a blackened base burned by the fire.
In his ears were the excited laughter of the Fang family and the crackling sound of the second money tree flying into the air. Qi Yu stood there, but a huge sense of sadness suddenly surged in his heart.
He is in Beijing, alone. Can he see such beautiful fireworks?
…
…
"Ladies and gentlemen, the train is arriving at Suishan County Station. Passengers who are getting off at this station please prepare in advance."
After an eight-hour hard seat ride, when Feng Ji got off the bus with his luggage, he felt as if his legs, waist, back, and even his entire body were not his own.
As soon as I got off the car, the cold winter wind blew in my face.
Suishan County Station was as deserted as ever. Apart from him, there were few people getting off the train there.
It's hard to get a taxi in a big city during the Lunar New Year holiday, let alone in a small, underdeveloped county like this. Feng Ji waited at the station for a long time before finally hailing an online ride-hailing vehicle after paying a higher fare.
He got in the car and told the driver the last digit of his cell phone number. The driver didn't say anything and drove to the located destination according to the navigation instructions.
There were almost no pedestrians on the road on New Year's Eve, let alone cars. Except for waiting for a while at a few red lights, the online car-hailing service took Feng Ji to the gate of the old community where Qi Yu had sent him the specific location without any obstruction.
The community was not as deserted as the streets. Most of the people here were elderly, and most of their children were too busy to come back for the New Year holiday. So a group of old neighbors cooked a meal and chatted downstairs with their bowls in hand.
Feng Ji walked along with his suitcase and saw more than one such group of elderly people.
As the sky gradually darkened, the street lights in the old neighborhood flickered. The dim light could only illuminate the outline of the man's body, making it difficult to see his face.
The old people could hear the sound of suitcase wheels rolling on the cobblestone road, and saw a tall and strong stranger wearing a long windbreaker.
"Whose child is back for the New Year and there's no one to pick him up."
"I don't know him. I haven't seen him in the past few years. No one has a son this tall."
"Do you know Lao Li?"
"I don't know him. He's so tall. If I had seen him once, I would definitely remember him."
"Why are you coming here? Do you live in our building?"
The discussion stopped abruptly when the man stood still.
Feng Ji stopped in front of a few old men and asked, "Excuse me, how far is Unit 8 from here?"
One of the old men, carrying noodles, raised his finger and pointed at the low-rise apartment building next door. He said, "Building 8 is over there. It's just a few steps away. Whose child are you? Why haven't I seen you before?"
Feng Ji glanced at the door to the apartment building, which looked particularly dim even under the streetlight. Although he was eager to go over, he still politely replied, "I'm here to look for someone."
"Looking for someone?" The old man looked puzzled. "Who are you looking for? There are only a few households living in Unit 8. The couple on the second floor and Old Mrs. Wang on the fourth floor are both away to spend the New Year with their children in other places. The caregiver hired by Xiao Yuwa for Old Mrs. Wang across the street has also gone home for the New Year. Old Chen on the third floor was just cremated in the second half of the year. I'm the only one left in this building now. You can't be looking for me, right?"
Feng Ji immediately extracted the key words from his words, "Master, the Xiaoyu you mentioned, is his real name Qiyu?"
The old man nodded in the air with his chopsticks in his hand. "Yes, yes, you came to see Xiaoyu? Who are you to him?"
Feng Ji spoke reflexively, "I'm his boyfriend... I'm his friend in Beijing."
"You're from the capital?" The old man surveyed his expensive-looking attire from head to toe. "You do look like you're from a big city. But Xiaoyu didn't come back for the Lunar New Year this year. Did you find the wrong place?"
Feng Ji's chest, which had just heated up when he heard that, suddenly felt cold. He asked, "He didn't come back? Could it be that he came back but stayed in the hotel and didn't come back to this neighborhood?"
The old man waved his hands and said firmly, "Impossible, impossible. I have watched Xiaoyu grow up. He is a polite child. Even if he stays in a hotel, he will definitely come to see me when he returns to Suishan, and then burn paper for his parents. If he doesn't come, then he hasn't come back. You've missed the opportunity, young man."
It ran away.
In an instant, an indescribable feeling of panic surged up from the soles of his feet. Feng Ji stood there in a daze, as if he had lost his goal, staring blankly into the void.
Qi Yu didn’t return to his hometown, so where could he go?
Is it because I was so disappointed in him that I went to a place without him?
If Qi Yu never intended to forgive him in this lifetime, and was unwilling to even return to Jing City, then even if he was wealthy, the world was so vast that searching for someone who could run and hide would be like looking for a needle in a haystack...
Seeing that the young man in front of him was in a bad state after listening to what he said, as if his soul had been sucked out, the old man suddenly became a little anxious and said quickly: "What's the matter, young man? If you have anything, tell me. I will definitely help you if I can."
Hearing the old man's concern, Feng Ji gradually regained some of his sanity. He glanced at the 8th apartment building, where only one light was on, and suddenly, as if remembering something, asked, "Uncle, do you have the contact information for Grandma Wang on the fourth floor?"
"Yes, yes." The old man clamped the chopsticks on the fingers holding the bowl, took out a black old-fashioned mobile phone from his pocket, and handed it to Feng Ji. "You young people have good eyesight. You can find it yourself. I have Mrs. Wang's phone number saved. Just call her when you find it."
Feng Ji pressed the buttons a few times and soon found Old Lady Wang in the address book and dialed her number.
The old phone was loud, and the beeping sound while waiting to be connected was particularly abrupt in this quiet downstairs apartment. The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering. It was clearly the coldest time of the year, but Feng Ji was so nervous that he was sweating.
Time passed minute by minute, and the electronic voice broadcast "No one answered the call" sounded in the receiver, and then the call was automatically hung up.
The old man was surprised and said, "What's going on? Old Lady Wang used to answer the phone very quickly. Did she forget to bring her phone when she went out?"
While he was still talking, Feng Ji quickly made another call.
This time the phone rang halfway before the other end finally picked up.
"Hello?" A slightly tired female voice came from the receiver.
The old man was very surprised. "Hello? Xiao Tong? Why is it you who answered the phone when your mother called? Where's your mother? Someone is looking for her."
"My mom is in the hospital. She just fell asleep." Xiao Tong's voice was even more tired. Perhaps it was because she heard the familiar voice of her neighbor uncle. When she spoke again, she could still hear a hint of tears. "Uncle, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer and is now in the hospital. The doctor said that it was discovered a little too late. The disease has already progressed to the middle stage. We don't know if it can be cured yet. We can only raise money for treatment first..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the neighbors who were still eating their meals were suddenly furious.
"Why did she suddenly get lung cancer? Mrs. Wang usually looked in good health."
"She had been coughing before the New Year. She went to the hospital several times but couldn't be cured. She was still coughing when she left for Xiao Tong's place."
"I have a cough every year. The doctors at our county hospital aren't very good, so a simple cold takes a long time to heal. I thought Hangzhou is a big city and I'd definitely be able to get it cured there, but how come they diagnosed me with lung cancer?"
"What a sin! How could such a kind old lady like Wang get this disease?"
"What's going on?" The old man was also anxious after hearing this. "Does your brother know about this? Why is it so sudden?"
"My brother knows." Listening to the noisy voices on the other end, Xiao Tong hurriedly said, "My younger brother and I have pooled some money. I don't know if it's enough. If not, we have to find another way."
She wiped her tears and asked, "Let's not talk about this for now, uncle, who is looking for my mother?"
"Oh, oh, someone is looking for him." The old man hurriedly pushed the phone over. "Xiaoyu's friend came to our community to look for him, but Xiaoyu didn't come back. So he wanted to call your mother and ask if she knew where Xiaoyu was."
"Xiao Yu's friend?" Xiao Tong didn't take it seriously, thinking it was Qi Yu's former classmate from his hometown. He said casually, "I just called Xiao Yu today. He said he was spending the New Year at a classmate's house this year. I think it's in Qilu, but I don't know exactly where."
The old man asked curiously, "You've called Xiaoyu, but did you tell him about Old Lady Wang's illness? Xiaoyu is promising. If you tell him, he'll definitely be able to help with the medical expenses."
Xiao Tong sighed, "I wanted to tell her, but my mother wouldn't let me. She didn't want to disturb Xiaoyu during the New Year. After all, no matter how close Xiaoyu is to me, she's not my biological child. This disease is a bottomless pit, and it may not be curable. Xiaoyu is an orphan who has finally gotten into a good university and got a good job. I can't let her be a burden... If my younger brother and I hadn't insisted on treating her, she wouldn't have wanted to."
After saying that, he sighed heavily again: "This is all our fault. We rarely go home and didn't even know my mom was sick. We didn't find out until it was so serious. Okay, uncle, I won't talk to you anymore. I haven't had dinner yet. I'm going to eat first. I have to stay by her bed tonight. Hang up."
The old man said: "Okay, go and eat. Your mother is sick. You can't collapse. Your health is important."
Several neighbors nearby also spoke a few words of concern.
The phone hung up with a "beep beep". The old man looked at Feng Ji beside him and said helplessly: "Young man, you can see that Old Lady Wang is sick, and there is no way to contact Xiao Yu. If you can't, you should go back first."
Feng Ji's eyes flickered as he looked at the old phone in the old man's hand and said, "Got it, thank you, sir. I'll write down Grandma Wang's phone number and leave right after I'm done."
The old man handed the phone over again, "Take note of it. Oh my, it's the New Year and you're sick like this, how pitiful..."
Feng Ji saved the number in his address book, thanked the old man, turned around and dragged his suitcase towards the entrance of the community.
He paid a higher price and took a taxi, his destination being the hotel Qi Yu had stayed at when he returned. The hotel was relatively empty during the Spring Festival, so Feng Ji took the room card from the front desk and decided to stay there for the night.
According to Xiao Tong, Qi Yu is now in Qilu. If he remembers correctly, one of Qi Yu's roommates once gave him cherries from his own orchard. He was the one who carried the box of cherries upstairs, and it was written on it that it was Qilu Cherries.
So, Qi Yu went to his roommate's house to celebrate the New Year this year.
Although I didn't find Qi Yu this time, I didn't come back empty-handed either.
It's just that Qilu is so vast that he doesn't know the exact location...
After thinking for a moment, Feng Ji picked up his phone and called Zhou Jiacheng.
The line rang twice, and I picked up immediately. "Hello, bro, is everything going well? Did you find Qi Yu?"
"Qi Yu didn't come back, so I ran away in vain. But I know he went to his roommate's hometown to celebrate the New Year. Now I only know the province, not the specific location."
Feng Ji said as he turned on the hands-free mode on his phone, returned to the address book interface, copied a number and sent it to Zhou Jiacheng, "Grandma Wang from Qiyu's hometown has been diagnosed with lung cancer. It's not in the late stage yet and is likely curable. Please help me contact Dean Zeng and have him arrange for the transfer and subsequent treatment procedures."
"I just sent you a number. Have Dean Zeng contact the person on that number in the hospital's name. The condition cannot wait. Have the hospital do its best to treat the patient. I will cover all subsequent treatment costs. The sooner the better."
Zhou Jiacheng listened to his serious tone and became serious too, "Okay, okay, okay, I saw the number, I'll arrange it right away, you can go chase your wife peacefully while I'm here."
After the call ended, Zhou Jiacheng sent a message about ten minutes later: "You're so considerate! Dean Zeng is having his New Year's Eve dinner right now. He immediately went to do what you told him to do. After coordinating with the family, he'll arrange for the patient's transfer to another hospital. Don't worry."
Feng Ji: [OK]
After replying, the dialog box became silent. Just when Feng Ji thought Zhou Jiacheng was going to continue his old custom of going out for drinks on New Year's Eve, the dialog box between the two suddenly exploded.
Zhou Jiacheng: [Oh my god! ! ! ! !]
Zhou Jiacheng: [bro! ! Bro! ! ! ]
Zhou Jiacheng: [Luckily, I have the habit of checking my Moments!! Ahh ...
Zhou Jiacheng: [(screenshot of WeChat Moments.jpg)]
Zhou Jiacheng: [Qi Yu forgot to block me!!! I saw his new Moments post!! It even had his location!!!]
Zhou Jiacheng: [You just said he was in Qi and Lu, but we didn't know his exact location. Now I know!!! God is really helping you!!!]
Zhou Jiacheng: [gogogo! ! ! ]
The good news came unexpectedly. Feng Ji was stunned for a moment, and then his heart began to beat violently.
With trembling hands, he clicked on the screenshot of Zhou Jiacheng's Moments, and when he saw the content clearly, he stood up suddenly.
The screenshot shows a nine-grid photo posted by Qi Yu, eight of which are of snow scenes, New Year's Eve dinner, and fireworks in the sky. The one in the middle is a solo photo of Qi Yu wearing a light blue cotton coat, standing next to an ugly snowman and holding a fairy wand.
Below the photo, a location is clearly displayed.
[Cangchuan County]
I opened the ticket booking software and saw that there was exactly one first-class seat left for the evening ticket from Suishan County to Cangchuan County, which had just been refunded.
The right time, the right place, and the right people.
Feng Ji was extremely grateful at this moment. He did not open the suitcase before arriving at the hotel, so he could just drag it away.
So the front desk clerk downstairs discovered that the guest who had just checked into Room 0302 had not checked in for an hour, but he hurried downstairs to check out with his suitcase and left in an online taxi.
At 21:38 that evening, Feng Ji boarded the high-speed train from Suishan County to Cangchuan County.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: If nothing unexpected happens, the young couple should meet in the next chapter [glasses]
This time, Mr. Zhou has to sit at the main table for the wedding [hug]
It's the end of the month, collect the white liquid [please] and drop a small red envelope in the comment area~~~
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