Without even bothering to eat dinner, Gu Qi hurriedly rode his bicycle towards the North Gate.
Chen Xingling absentmindedly cooled the porridge and ate a few hot salted duck eggs one by one.
"Little Tiger, come and eat."
The little guy ran over, climbed onto the table and started gulping down the porridge.
"Mom, what did you and Dad say earlier?"
Chen Xingling said "Huh?" and explained, "Dad said that he went upstairs to look for grandma and aunt Miao last week, but found that they were not there. He went upstairs again the day before yesterday, but still no one was there."
Little Tiger asked curiously: "Where are grandma and the aunts?"
"I don't know." Chen Xingling urged: "Stop talking and eat quickly."
He must have left. The First Floor of Linjiang is close, and it will take only two or three minutes to get there at most. Why hasn't he returned for more than half an hour?
After the mother and son had eaten, Chen Xingling cleaned up the dishes and washed them in the kitchen, covered the porridge to keep it warm, and while playing with her son under the eaves, she waited anxiously.
Unexpectedly, Gu Qi still hadn't returned until it got dark.
The stew pot on the stove made a buzzing sound, emitting the tempting aroma of meat from time to time, but she was in no mood to enjoy the delicious food.
"Mom!" Little Tiger shouted, "Uncle Ma is here!"
Chen Xingling ran out quickly and opened the door.
——It’s Ma Dali indeed!
Ma Dali smiled and explained, "Earlier when you left, Uncle Liao sent us the interim payment. It's all here, please count it."
Chen Xingling smiled and said, "No need to be so anxious. Just leave it to me tomorrow. Why would you have to make a special trip to do anything?"
Ma Dali teased the little tiger and replied, "I'm full and have nothing to do, so I came out for a walk. The fence around the construction site has been built and the gate is locked, so there's nothing to worry about. I'm a poor old man and I'm not used to having so much money on me. It makes me feel weird."
"Habits are formed by habit!" Chen Xingling said: "When you become a big boss, this little money will not be worth your while."
Ma Dali laughed in silence: "You, stop teasing me. I am satisfied now that I can eat well and go to school."
"You have great ambitions. It's okay for you to cheat others, but don't try to fool us!" Chen Xingling quickly counted the money, turned around and went into the study to put it away.
At this moment, Zhao Xiaoxing's panicked voice came from outside the door!
"Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law! Open the door!"
Ma Dali helped open the door.
Zhao Xiaoxing thanked him hurriedly and asked, "Brother Dali, where is my sister-in-law?"
"Here!" Chen Xingling walked out quickly.
Zhao Xiaoxing was so anxious that she kept rubbing her hands and whispered, "Sister-in-law, big brother - big brother said that my sister-in-law she - she is missing. Big brother and Ayi went to the dock to look for her. What should we do? Let us help look for her. We don't know many roads, so we can only look for her together with you."
Chen Xingling frowned and asked, "When will Aqi come to see you?"
"About half an hour ago." Zhao Xiaoxing answered, "Big brother said that Gu Miao disappeared, and even her clothes and daily necessities were gone. Big brother couldn't find anyone nearby, so he came to the rental house and picked up A Yi, saying that he would go to various docks to look for her. Big brother also said that it seemed that Gu Xuan's sister-in-law scolded her, and she slammed the door in anger. I don't know what happened... She disappeared early in the morning, and mother-in-law and Gu Xuan thought she was at school, so they didn't pay much attention."
Chen Xingling shook his head: "Don't bother looking for her at night. She won't be back anytime soon."
Zhao Xiaoxing looked confused and asked, "Not coming back? Where is she going?"
"I don't know." Chen Xingling told her what Xiao Huzi had seen before, and guessed, "She probably eloped with Chen Erliuzi."
Zhao Xiaoxing: “…”!!!
Ma Dali, who was standing by, was slightly embarrassed and whispered, "Don't guess yet. How about - I'll watch over Xiao Huzi for you, and you guys can look for him quickly. If we get there in time, we might be able to persuade him to come back."
Chen Xingling secretly knew that it was impossible, because they would most likely leave by ship before noon. The sea had been calm for the past two days and the sea transportation had not stopped for a day or half a day. They were most likely already at sea by now.
"Okay." Chen Xingling said, "It's such a big baby, we still have to go back and take a look."
She had no feelings for Gu Miao at all and didn't want to care about her, and she also disdained to let others care.
But she and Xiao Xing were the daughters-in-law of the Gu family after all, and it was neither reasonable nor logical for them to sit idly by when such a terrible thing happened at home.
After a while, she rode her bicycle with Zhao Xiaoxing to Beimenqiao.
There were few street lights and the lights were dim. Fortunately, both of them brought flashlights so they could see farther.
I climbed up the stairs and found that the door of my house was locked tightly. There was no response when I knocked or called.
Chen Xingling guessed: "Most likely they have found someone, let's go look for them too."
At this time, someone walked up the stairs.
"Hey! Sister Aqi, long time no see!" Section Chief Sun came downstairs with a flashlight and greeted her with a smile: "I'm on night shift today and was just about to go to the office."
Two or three colleagues will be arranged to work night shifts in the administrative building and logistics department at night to prevent major mistakes from occurring if they cannot be handled in time.
Generally, single employees are arranged to live inside the factory or live in the factory while working the night shift, so it is more convenient for them to come at night.
Chen Xingling quickly greeted him and gave him a polite smile.
"I haven't been back to see my mother-in-law and sister-in-law for a while. It's winter now, so I plan to invite them to our place to have some chicken soup."
Don't air your dirty laundry in public. Before the truth is fully confirmed, don't let the neighbors know. After all, it's not a glorious thing to make a big fuss about it and let everyone know about it.
Section Chief Sun laughed and praised them for being filial, explaining: "Your mother-in-law loves playing mahjong. Sometimes she plays until the middle of the night. Last time, I was almost on duty at nine o'clock and she just came back. This old lady is really addicted!"
Chen Xingling frowned slightly and asked with a smile: "Chief Sun, do you know where my mother-in-law plays mahjong?"
"Where else!" Chief Sun replied, "Across the street from the main gate, turn left at the first building. There are several tables set up there every day. All the old ladies and old men in the neighborhood like to crowd in there."
Chen Xingling smiled bitterly to himself and asked, "Are you still gambling?"
"Some are, some aren't." Section Chief Sun lowered his voice, "They are all elderly people, and the patrol officers don't take them too seriously, they just turn a blind eye. Besides, the elderly don't have much money, so they usually don't gamble much, just a few cents at most."
Chen Xingling understood and thanked him with a smile.
"If we can't find my mother-in-law later, we'll go look for her there. Thank you!"
"You're welcome! Come back more often when you have time." Section Chief Sun left with a smile.
Chen Xingling was angry and helpless, and pounded on the door.
"It's their bad luck to have such a mother! Her daughter has disappeared, but she is still busy gambling and hasn't come home!
Zhao Xiaoxing was worried and asked, "Sister-in-law, what should we do?"
Chen Xingling thought about it calmly and said, "Chen Nantai said before that he works at the Chengnan Ferry. I am very familiar with that place. There are no boats running at the ferry after dark, but the boats will stop at the dock. There are usually one or two old boatmen guarding the boats. Let's go over and ask around."
"Oh oh." Zhao Xiaoxing had no idea at all, "I'll listen to you."
The two hurried downstairs and rode their bicycles towards the south of the city.
The ferry in the south of the city was far away, but fortunately there were few pedestrians and bicycles on the road at night. Chen Xingling rode very fast, and the two finally arrived at the ferry after more than half an hour.
Chen Xingling held a flashlight and walked forward to inquire.
Zhao Xiaoxing followed behind, holding the bicycle.
After a long while, Chen Xingling finally got news about Chen Nantai. After thanking him, he went back.
"Xing'er!" She raised her chin slightly: "Let's go back."
Zhao Xiaoxing asked nervously: "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Did you ask?"
Chen Xingling walked around the back seat with his long legs and got into the car, smiling bitterly: "I found out. Chen Nantai followed his distant cousin to go to Southeast Asia, and the ship set off at around 11 o'clock in the afternoon."
Zhao Xiaoxing secretly hoped and asked: "What about sister-in-law Gu Miao...she..."
"She followed him." Chen Xingling answered in a cold voice.
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