When the owner of the fried skewers shop heard Sun Aimin mention the noodle shop next door, he curled his lips and said, "The noodles there are extremely expensive, and the taste isn't very good. They just take advantage of being located next to the train station, with lots of passengers passing through, and they try to rip off every passenger they can. Not many locals go there to eat, so they're just there to take advantage of them. Otherwise, with so little business, how would they pay the rent?"
Sun Aimin caught something unusual from his boss's words. He didn't know if it was because Yuan Jie's description of those somewhat fantastical yet very real things had made him extra sensitive.
He then asked the boss, "That store is quite big. The rent must be much more expensive than your small store, right?"
The boss replied, "Needless to say? Compared to that store, mine is just a stall! But don't underestimate my small size. My capital is also small, and I make as much money as some restaurants in a day. There are a lot of people like me who are greedy these days, especially young people and students from the neighborhood. They like to come here after get off work or school to buy some to satisfy their cravings."
Sun Aimin responded, "People's living conditions are better now than before, and there's more to eat. People are more willing to put in the effort to satisfy their appetites. This can be considered a spice of happiness, isn't it, boss?"
"Yes, yes, that's absolutely right. As a senior foodie, I have the most say. I want to eat when I'm happy, and I want to eat even more when I'm unhappy. As long as I can satisfy my cravings, any bad mood can be driven away, hahaha!" The boss said, and laughed heartily.
While Sun Aimin was chatting with the boss, his eyes were not idle. He was always paying attention to the movements of the store with the sign "Zhanqian Restaurant".
After a while, a man in a hurry was seen pulling a black suitcase. He walked to the steps, grabbed the handle of the suitcase, and with some effort, moved the suitcase up three steps, and then entered the noodle shop.
The owner of the fried skewers shop also saw it and said casually, "See? Another victim has come through. He's pulling a big suitcase and looks like he just got off the train and doesn't know what's going on."
Sun Aimin had unknowingly finished the fried skewers in front of him and said to the boss, "Brother, I see your business is not too busy right now. I'll sit here and rest for a while."
At this time, a new customer came to the store. The boss asked Sun Aimin to do as he pleased and went back to making money.
About twenty minutes later, the man who had entered the noodle shop earlier came out again with a suitcase. Judging from the time, it was enough for him to finish a bowl of noodles.
However, Sun Aimin noticed a detail: when the man had previously carried the suitcase up the stairs, it seemed to have some weight. But now, he simply pulled the suitcase down the stairs, and the suitcase even tipped over. He then easily straightened the suitcase with his hands, making it look like it was empty.
This is a bit strange. After eating a meal, the box is empty. Could it be that the owner didn't notice it at all? Or is there something fishy going on?
Once this thought flashed through Sun Aimin's mind, he couldn't suppress it any longer. What was in that box? Was he already acquainted with the restaurant staff, a close relationship, rather than just an ordinary customer?
The more Sun Aimin thought about it, the more he felt certain it was the case. He even had a bolder guess: If this restaurant was the one where Zhan Jinhua and Qian Jindou ran, then could the box contain a child?
This thought made Sun Aimin shudder. If it was really as he suspected, then these people's sins were truly enormous.
At this moment, Sun Aimin had a strong urge to find out what was going on. He went from a nearby alley to the street behind and observed the movements at the back door.
After waiting at the corner for an hour, with no sign of the back door opening, Sun Aimin pretended to be a passerby and approached the back door of the noodle shop. When there were no people on the street, he quietly lay down beside the door and listened carefully to the movements inside.
I don’t know if it’s because the door’s sound insulation is so good, but I can’t hear any sound.
He had other things to do, and it wouldn't be right to just stand there and watch over it based on a suspicion. He decided to find a spot nearby and observe for another half an hour. If he still didn't find anything, he would check out the other two communities.
If his child has not disappeared yet, he should be in the home of Zhan Jinhua and Qian Jindou.
As for when the two divorced, Yuan Jie wasn't entirely clear. She only knew that Qian Jindou later had another child with another woman. As for Zhan Jinhua, she had three children who had always lived with her, and with her son, that would make four children.
After a while, without finding anything new, Sun Aimin went to Zhanqian Street to hailed a tricycle and went to Renminli Community first.
The family planning policy was very strict in that era, and it was rare to see families with more than one child in cities.
There is a residential activity area at the entrance of the community, and some elderly people are playing with their children in this small square.
Sun Aimin went over to an old lady and asked for directions: "Excuse me, which way is Building 8?"
The old lady looked at Sun Aimin and pointed to the road that turned left after entering the community. "Go this way, walk to the end of the building next to it, then turn right. Keep going straight and you will arrive. Take note of the building number."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie!" After thanking the old lady, Sun Aimin followed that road to find the way.
The buildings in this community are now all four stories high. The lower houses are in the front of the building. They are two rows of small bungalows, one for each family, and they are all the same size.
Based on her recollection, Yuan Jie gave the address as 2nd Floor, Unit 4, Building 8, Renminli.
Sun Aimin entered Unit 4 and went to the second floor to listen through the doors to the east and west rooms. In the east room, he could hear a child crying and a teenager trying to comfort the child.
"Brother, stop crying. If you keep crying, mom and dad will beat me again when they come back." The boy said to his crying brother in an almost pleading tone.
Unexpectedly, the child got even more excited when he heard the boy say that: "I'm going to cry, I'm going to cry. If you don't take me out to play, my parents will beat you to death when they come back!"
At this time, the child's crying stopped, but it was the boy's turn to cry anxiously, and he said with a sob: "Mom and Dad said that we can't take you out, it's not that I don't want to take you out. Big sister will be back soon, can I take you out to play later?"
It seems that this is a large family, which is somewhat consistent with the situation of Zhan Jinhua and Qian Jindou. However, I don’t know how old the young boy is or what he looks like.
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