Feast of Flowers

Chapter 31: The Police Car

"I know you're making a valid point, but I..."

"You can't even pretend to make the elders happy?"

Yang Shao had nothing more to say. He nodded heavily, "You're right. My grandmother's birthday is coming up, so I should at least make an effort to please her."

Pei Yan nodded in satisfaction. A person who had things to do couldn't just wander around and chase after beauties all day.

Perhaps because she was feeling a bit excited, Hua Jin didn't sleep well that night. When she woke up the next morning, she yawned repeatedly and had to splash cold water on her face to fully wake up.

She patted her face in front of the mirror, making her complexion look a bit rosier. Hua Jin took out her toothbrush and squeezed toothpaste onto it when she suddenly heard Qin Jie scream next door. She dropped her toothbrush and ran to the next room, asking, "Qin Jie, what's wrong?"

"Xiao Hai is missing," Qin Jie, wearing a faded nightgown, with a swollen face full of anxiety, said, "He wouldn't go out alone without making a sound!"

Xiao Hai was Qin Jie's son's nickname. In Hua Jin's impression, he was a very obedient child who never did anything to worry Qin Jie. Now that he suddenly disappeared, there must be something wrong.

"Qin Jie, calm down for now," Hua Jin comforted Qin Jie while leaning over the balcony and calling Xiao Hai's name, but there was no response.

"Qin Jie, call the police," Hua Jin reached out to pat Qin Jie's back, "Try not to panic."

"Yes, yes, call the police..." Qin Jie hurried back into the room to look for her phone, muttering, "Where's my phone? Where's my phone?" She found her phone on the messy coffee table and tremblingly dialed the emergency number.

The commotion on the fourth floor caught the attention of the entire building. People leaned over their balconies, looking upward. "What's happening upstairs?"

"Qin Jie's child, Xiao Hai, is missing. Has anyone seen him?" Hua Jin didn't have time to fix her own hair. She quickly explained the situation, tied her hair up with a hairband, grabbed her phone and keys, closed the door, and shouted to Qin Jie, who was desperately calling for Xiao Hai, "Qin Jie, don't worry. Xiao Hai is a sensible child. Maybe he just went out to buy breakfast and will be back soon."

Other residents from downstairs rushed up as well, offering advice to Qin Jie. Those who had cars already grabbed their car keys and got in their vehicles to help Qin Jie search for her child. Even Chen, the elderly lady who had an argument with Qin Jie a few days ago, was shouting and searching around the front and back yards. She had a loud voice and was familiar with the surroundings, directing a few young people to search the areas with water drains.

"Qin Jie, do you have a photo of your child? Send us one so we can show it to people on the street," Hua Jin took out her phone, "Keep looking inside the house and see if any clothes are missing, so we can figure out what Xiao Hai was wearing when he left. It will make our search easier." Qin Jie wasn't financially well-off, and Xiao Hai only had a few sets of clothes, making it easier to identify.

Qin Jie, who had become frantic, listened to Hua Jin's words like a machine that had finally been awakened. She started searching through the house. Hua Jin noticed that her mental state was off, but there was no use in trying to console her at this moment unless they could find the child.

"Xiao Hua, you still need to go to the shop. I'll stay here and keep an eye out," said a woman from the third floor. She and her husband worked here and had a decent income, but they lived frugally and sent most of their money back to their hometown. Today happened to be their day off, and they had planned to sleep in a bit longer, but they were unexpectedly awakened.