Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 388 - 363: Lost

With these three chefs, the house was constantly whipping up a variety of dishes; the children were especially thrilled.

In Hong Kong, the diet is generally sweeter, particularly the desserts which combine the best of Eastern and Western delicacies, irresistibly delicious.

On the 27th day of the year, the house needed a thorough cleaning. Li Xianglu and her two children, along with the elders, sat warmly in the conservatory, which usually wasn’t heated. Suddenly, with the fire lit, it was still a bit chilly, but luckily the cleaning was done quickly, and within an hour the living room and Mr. Li’s part of the house were all tidied up.

Then everyone returned to the living room. Ba Yibao, now over three years old, could already undress by themselves. As soon as they entered the room, without needing any adult supervision, they took off their outer jackets and put them aside. Meanwhile, Chef Chen from Hong Kong brought over a freshly baked plate of flaky egg tarts.

Li Xianglu and the children’s eyes lit up; this was their recent favorite snack. The flaky pastry was hand-rolled, crispy and overwhelmingly fragrant with a rich buttery taste, delicious enough to make one want to devour their own tongue.

Li Xianglu put one tart in each of the children’s small bowls, letting them blow on it while she joyfully took one and nibbled gently at the edge, it was hot, but oh, so delicious.

The children mimicked her, their eager expressions almost a carbon copy of Li Xianglu’s, making Mr. Li and Su Yan watching nearby shake their heads.

At that moment, however, the telephone rang, bringing an inexplicable sense of urgency to Li Xianglu, causing her to frown.

Su Yan quickly answered the phone, and whatever she heard made her frown too. Even Mr. Li, standing nearby, walked over with a worried look.

After hanging up, Su Yan said to everyone looking her way: "Minmin is lost!"

What? Li Xianglu, with her mouth still full of egg tart, choked in her rush to speak, coughing violently a few times before asking, "Minmin is lost? How can that be, she’s not even four years old!"

Su Yan nodded gravely, "It’s true. Today is the 27th, Anna and her mother took Minmin and Xinxin to the Overseas Chinese Store to buy some clothes. When they finished shopping, they realized Minmin was missing."

Li Xianglu couldn’t imagine what Anna had been doing; Minmin was so young, how could she lose the child just by going to a store? She quickly got up to find her coat, ready to go look for the child.

Su Yan was worried about Li Xianglu’s legs, but Minmin was Qin Zhen’s daughter, Qin Xi’s own younger sister. As her sister-in-law, Li Xianglu felt she must go out and help search.

So, without further ado, Su Yan settled Old Geng to drive them, and as Li Xianglu was getting dressed, she spotted the flaky egg tarts on the plate and decided to take four with her.

Minmin was lost at the Overseas Chinese Store. She was wearing a red coat with a little bear pattern and a red knitted hat, all items that Su Yan had bought for her from Hong Kong, which she remembered clearly.

They first went to the Overseas Chinese Store, met a security guard employed by the Lu Family who was keeping watch, and after a brief exchange, Li Xianglu got in the car and instructed Old Geng to drive along the curb while she started questioning every store with a color photo of Minmin in hand.

After an unknown distance and two hours later, Old Geng called Li Xianglu back to the car.

But it was strange, throughout their search, no one had seen the child or anyone taking her away. Could they rule out child traffickers?

Thinking this, Li Xianglu asked Old Geng to return to the Overseas Chinese Store and questioned Men Ying again, who indeed confirmed that he hadn’t seen the little girl leaving.

That suggested that Minmin might still be inside the Overseas Chinese Store.

However, the Lu Family’s security guard said they, along with the store’s security and staff, had searched the three-floor store inside and out two or three times without finding anyone, hence their suspicion that the child could have walked out.

Li Xianglu refused to believe this, feeling that Minmin was still here, perhaps hidden somewhere the adults hadn’t thought to look.

So, Li Xianglu went to the top floor, which sold watches, home appliances, furniture, cameras, and other expensive items.

After reaching the top floor, Li Xianglu didn’t start searching immediately but stood in the central area to survey the place.

To the west were all the home appliances: fridges, washing machines, televisions, fans, rice cookers, irons, etc. The center displayed large pieces of furniture, each model unique, and to the east were the watch and camera counters.

By now it was noon, and there were fewer people. Having surveyed the area, Li Xianglu walked towards the appliances.

Inquiring with a sales associate if they’d seen a little girl in a red coat, who had already been asked the same question several times but was still patient, understanding that any parent would be concerned.

Hearing a negative response, Li Xianglu wasn’t surprised; the Lu Family had already searched three times, how could they miss this place? Thus, she politely asked, "May I look around here?"

The sales associate hesitated but nodded, "Yes, but please be careful, we would have to pay for any damages to electronics."

Li Xianglu smiled and nodded, starting her search through the appliance section.

The TVs were displayed in groups of seven or eight, featuring both imported and domestically manufactured originals. The fans were the most numerous because, being cheap and not requiring coupons, they were popular among working-class families.

Reaching the washing machines, Li Xianglu brightened upon seeing the tubs of the machines, wondering if Minmin could be hiding inside.

She always felt that Minmin had wandered off because she felt that her mother and grandmother only loved her little sister Xinxin, so she wanted to hide.

Thus, Li Xianglu began opening the lids of the row of washing machines one by one, followed by a somewhat helpless sales associate who thought it unlikely for a child to be inside them.

But as Li Xianglu opened the last lid, even the sales associate was stunned to find a child actually hiding there.

Seeing Minmin asleep inside the washing machine tub, Li Xianglu’s heart tightened; the child had actually fallen asleep here. She glanced at the little stool placed next to the washing machine, and couldn’t help but smile; such a clever kid, she had even managed to move a stool to climb in.