Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Meng Yufei enters...
Meng Yufei entered the room and called the two children, "Qinqin, Yannan, do you want to go to the cafeteria together?"
"Yes!" Xia Qinqin raised her hand and responded crisply. She jumped off the chair with a bang and said with a smile, "I want to go to the cafeteria together."
"Brother Yanan, you should come with us." Xia Qinqin turned her head and said to the person beside her.
Lu Yannan slowly put down the last stroke and nodded, "Okay."
Because they just came back last night, most people in the family compound didn't know about it yet. On the way to the cafeteria, they met many acquaintances who came up to them and greeted them in surprise.
It's not even the 15th yet, which means the Chinese New Year isn't over yet, so everyone is still saying "Happy New Year" backwards and saying auspicious words with a smile along the way.
There are many people from all over the country in the family compound. Not to mention that military personnel have few holidays, even if they do have holidays, it is very troublesome to go back home in this era of inconvenient transportation. Therefore, in the entire family compound, only a few families go back to their hometowns during the Spring Festival.
The cafeteria was the same as usual. It was lunchtime and there were many people coming and going.
As soon as they entered the door, they heard a sharp female voice, "Damn human trafficker! He snatched the child away from me in a flash! I shouted at the top of my lungs but he didn't even turn back... My poor daughter..."
Meng Yufei frowned and looked over. It was indeed Tong Caifeng. She was standing in the queue in the front, surrounded by a circle of people listening to her.
"You two are so bold to do this in broad daylight!"
Someone watching asked, "Did you call the police?"
"I did, of course I didn't," Tong Cai replied immediately with her eyes wide open, "My husband Fang went to the police station today, and he was anxious to find out whether the trafficker had been caught."
Xia Qinqin tugged at the corner of Meng Yufei's clothes and whispered, "Mom, it was that bad aunt."
Meng Yufei lowered her head and said, "Well, let's ignore her." Then she took her daughter's hand and went to line up at the back of the line.
Tong Caifeng was still shouting the same words in the crowd, which she had said countless times. Her sharp voice filled the empty cafeteria. As Lu Yannan listened, his expression became increasingly gloomy.
He suddenly grabbed Xia Junshan, looked up and asked, "Uncle, that person," he pointed at Tong Caifeng, "her child might not have been taken away by a trafficker, but she lost it herself."
Xia Junshan looked around. Everyone's attention was on Tong Caifeng. No one paid attention to the child.
He squatted down and whispered, "Yan Nan, without evidence, we can't jump to conclusions about this matter."
Lu Yannan continued, "Uncle, don't you remember what happened on the bus last time? We saw it with our own eyes. She lost the child." He paused and said firmly, "We should call the police."
Xia Junshan looked at the serious expression on the boy's face, patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's not convenient to talk here. I'll explain it to you when we get back."
Lu Yannan nodded.
Over there, Tong Caifeng didn't leave after getting her meal and continued to talk to people. Some people left the cafeteria without interest after getting their meal, while some people, who had obviously heard it several times before, were still listening with great interest.
Soon it was Meng Yufei's turn. The dishes in the cafeteria were pretty ordinary, except that after eating Haishi cuisine for several days, I felt nostalgic at first glance.
"Mom, I want to eat the crispy squid." Xia Qinqin lay in her father's arms and pointed her little hand toward the window, "I also want to eat the thing with the shell."
Xia Junshan laughed and said, "That one is called Razor Clam, have you forgotten it?"
Xia Qinqin slapped her forehead and said, "Oh, yeah, I remember now, it's called razor clam."
Meng Yufei smiled as she passed the lunch box over and said to the person serving the food, "Sister-in-law, please give me one portion of fried squid with garlic sprouts and one portion of stir-fried razor clams."
Then she lowered her head and asked, "Yannan, what do you want to eat?"
Lu Yannan said: “It’s all right.”
Meng Yufei said, "Then order another portion of stir-fried pork with lettuce and a dish of seaweed soup."
The sister-in-law at the window said with a smile: "Well, Director Meng, you haven't come to the cafeteria to get food for half a month. I heard that you went back to your hometown."
Meng Yufei smiled and said, "Yes, I'm going back to celebrate the New Year. I'll have to continue to trouble my sister-in-law in the future."
"Hey, Director Meng, what are you talking about? Serving food and dishes is my job. It's not a hassle." She smiled and handed the full lunch box over. "Our monthly salary is calculated by Director Meng."
Meng Yufei took the lunch box with a smile: "This is also my job. Sister-in-law, we're leaving first. See you later."
"Oh, okay, see you later."
They walked around the crowd in front of them and left the cafeteria carrying their lunch boxes.
After arriving home, Xia Junshan put the lunch box on the table, Meng Yufei went to the kitchen to get the dishes and chopsticks, while Lu Yannan looked up and stared at Xia Junshan.
Xia Junshan smiled and explained to him what happened at the station that day and the whereabouts of the child.
"The child has now been registered at my comrade's home, and her name has been changed from Fang Zhaodi to Zheng Anping. I can take you to see her next time. Believe me, it will definitely be better for the child to be at my comrade's home than at Fang's."
Lu Yannan said seriously: "I believe in uncle."
Meng Yufei had already set the table, and Xia Junshan took the bowls and served everyone some rice.
"Okay, let's eat." Meng Yufei picked up a piece of squid for each of the two children with her chopsticks, "I haven't eaten this for a long time, come and try it."
The family was eating when a horn rang in the courtyard.
"Please note that tomorrow is the student registration day. Parents of middle and primary schools are requested to take their children to the schools in town to register. Parents of kindergartens are requested to take their children to the kindergartens in the family home to register. School will start the day after tomorrow."
Repeated three times.
Meng Yufei said: "Qinqin, Yannan, did you hear the announcement on the loudspeaker? Let's go to the kindergarten together to register tomorrow, and we can go to school the day after tomorrow. It just so happens that I also go to work the day after tomorrow."
Xia Qinqin put down her chopsticks, her puffy cheeks moved like a little kitten, and after swallowing the rice in her mouth, she turned her big round eyes and looked at Xia Junshan.
"Dad, when do you go to work?"
Xia Junshan smiled and said, "I will go to work tomorrow."
"Ah...it's so early."
Meng Yufei smiled and said, "It's still early. Mom and Dad have asked for leave. Normally, we have to go back to work on the seventh day of the New Year, which is a week in advance. Last year when I was in Hai City, I went to work a few days after the New Year. Don't you remember?"
Xia Qinqin thought about it and it seemed to be true, but at that time her mother took her out to play every day at home, and when she came back she just happened to get home from get off work at the same time as Meng Yufei, so she didn't feel much.
Meng Yufei said: "When school starts, you will be able to see your good friends, Fangfang, Xiaoming, Daya..."
Xia Qinqin's eyes lit up and she said, "Mom, I want to go play with Sister Fangfang this afternoon. I brought a new doll."
Meng Yufei said: "Okay, you eat first, and I'll take you there after you take a nap."
"Yeah." Xia Qinqin nodded happily and continued to eat happily.
…
In the afternoon, Captain Fang took the ferry back to the island.
As soon as I entered the family compound, I was stopped by Captain Cao's family, "Captain Fang, you're back! How is everything? Did the police catch the human traffickers? Is the child back?"
Captain Fang was stunned, wondering how she knew about his visit to the Public Security Bureau today. Faced with these questions one after another, Captain Fang's face was gloomy.
"The police told us to come back and wait for news. They are doing their best to investigate."
Captain Cao's family sighed and said, "Oh... what a sin! How could such a good child be snatched away by a trafficker..."
Captain Fang returned home with a gloomy face. Along the way, he was stopped by several people to ask about this matter, and his answers were all the same.
Pushing open the gate, he saw his eldest daughter Lai Di and second daughter Xiang Di brushing their shoes at the faucet. He asked, "It's almost dark, why are you brushing your shoes at this time? Where is your mother?"
Fang Lai Di raised her head and said, "We have to go to school to register tomorrow. My sister and I have old and dirty shoes. We need to brush them to make them clean." She pointed to the room and said, "She is sitting on the sofa in the room."
Head Fang frowned, took out a ten-yuan note from his pocket, and handed it to his eldest daughter. "The supply and marketing cooperative sells shoes, right? Take Xiangdi to buy shoes tomorrow. You two sisters can each buy a pair."
"Oh, okay." Fang Lai Di took the money with a slight smile on her face. The Liberation shoes at the supply and marketing cooperative were four yuan a pair, two pairs were eight yuan, and she could still save two yuan.
Fang Xiangdi was also very happy because she had new shoes to wear!
She looked at Fang Lai Di next to her with admiration, thinking that her sister was really amazing. She let her lie down at the door and watched, and then ran over to brush her father's shoes when she saw him coming back. As expected, she had money to buy new shoes!
When Captain Fang entered the room, he saw Tong Caifeng sitting paralyzed on the sofa. The coffee table was filled with melon seed biscuits and dried candies, and the floor was covered with melon seed shells.
Tong Caifeng glanced at Captain Fang, spat out a mouthful of melon seed shells and said, "I'm back, Nuo. The lunch box is on the dining table. Go get some dinner tonight."
Head Fang pointed at the ground and said angrily, "Can't you just put the melon seed shells in the dustpan?"
Tong Caifeng rolled her eyes and said, "What's the matter? Do you think I'm not clean enough? Didn't your family members spit on the ground? Why don't you go and tell your parents?"
"You..." Team Leader Fang took a breath and gritted his teeth, "Did you go out and talk nonsense again today? How come everyone knows that I went to the Public Security Bureau today! I have told you so many times not to spread family matters outside!"
Tong Caifeng sat up and shouted, "Who is talking nonsense? I am telling the truth! My child was missing and you were going to the police station that day. Why can't you tell me? I am telling the truth..."
Leader Fang said angrily, "How dare you say that? You lost the child, and you're not ashamed. How dare you tell everyone about it? Do you know how others see us?"
"Why should I care what they think? How can you say I lost the child? It was obviously stolen by traffickers!" After saying this, Tong Caifeng sat on the sofa and wailed, "Oh my God! I can't live like this anymore... I didn't lose the child, why are you blaming me!"
She wiped away her nonexistent tears and pointed at Captain Fang, saying, "If you really valued the child, why didn't you hold her? I'm a woman, how could I snatch such a large sum of money? It's all your fault. Humph, don't throw everything on me."
Captain Fang was choked by her and turned back into the room angrily, closing the door with a bang.
Tong Caifeng pouted and continued to lie on the sofa eating melon seeds.
Outside the house, the two girls seemed not to hear the quarrel inside. They cleaned their shoes and put them in the corner to dry.