Chapter 201 The baby is missing
On this day, two brothers, Xiao Qi and Xiao Lin, suddenly had the idea to experience life in Xiao's Teahouse and work as waiters in the teahouse for a day.
Xiao's mother gave two sets of Xiao Xiao's old work clothes to Xiao Qi and Xiao Lin.
Wearing ancient costumes, Xiao Qi and Xiao Lin looked at each other curiously. They stretched their arms and raised their legs. They were very excited and looked like they were gearing up for a big fight.
As the temporary person in charge of the two brothers and sisters, Xiao Xiao randomly found a seat by the window of the teahouse. There was a plate of snacks and a pot of tea on the table. Xiao Xiao held a book in his hand and read it leisurely, and looked up from time to time. Is there something wrong with the two brothers and sisters?
……
The two brothers and sisters were full of interest and did well in their work.
In addition, the teahouse has many regular customers, many of whom know the brother and sister.
After all, twins, twins, etc. always attract attention and impress people.
Therefore, the unfamiliar actions of the two brothers and sisters will not cause dissatisfaction from the guests, but will instead be ridiculed and pointed out by them.
The two brothers and sisters were chatting and laughing with the guests, and they were quite happy.
There was a happy atmosphere in the teahouse.
Seeing this, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but laugh.
……
When Mr. Zhou walked into the teahouse, a familiar guest called out, "Hey, Mr. Zhou, why are you free today?"
"Lao Zhou, aren't you at home with your grandson?"
"Mr. Zhou, would you like a plate?"
……
After joking with the old acquaintance for a few times, I realized that something was wrong with Mr. Zhou's face.
"What's wrong, Lao Zhou? You look so bad?"
"What happened?"
"Old Zhou, what are you looking for?"
……
Mr. Zhou who came in didn't seem to hear what the others said at all. He just searched around the teahouse with an anxious face, obviously looking for something.
Everyone couldn't help but quiet down and looked at each other, but they didn't bother Mr. Zhou anymore.
……
Mr. Zhou's expression became worse and worse.
No? !
Not here either?
Mr. Zhou suddenly saw Xiao Xiao sitting at the table by the window. His eyes lit up and he strode over.
"Xiaoxiao, have you seen the baby?"
The baby likes brother Xiao Xiao very much, and he might come to see Xiao Xiao.
Mr. Zhou asked anxiously, with a trace of hope in his worried expression.
Xiao Xiao:?
"Baby, no."
"What's the matter, Grandpa Zhou? What happened?"
Xiao Xiao frowned and talked about his uneasy guess, "Is the baby missing?"
Mr. Zhou's performance was obvious, and it couldn't be easier to come to this conclusion.
"What, the baby is missing?!"
Before Mr. Zhou could answer, the regular customers who were paying attention here couldn't help but shout out.
"What's going on, Lao Zhou? OK, why is the baby missing?"
"Have you searched everywhere?"
"How did you find out that the baby was missing?"
……
Xiao Xiao's answer made Mr. Zhou feel very depressed.
"Grandpa Zhou, take a rest."
Xiao Xiao stood up and helped Mr. Zhou sit down on the stool. He was worried about the baby, but Grandpa Zhou's state was also worrying.
Zhou Lao was silent for a while, and then he spoke with some difficulty, his voice dry and hoarse, until the surrounding sounds gradually faded away.
"My wife and I took the baby to play in a nearby park. It started well and the baby also had a lot of fun playing with other children."
Xiao Xiao poured a cup of tea and handed it to Grandpa Zhou.
Mr. Zhou took it but did not drink it. He just held it in his hand. The back of his old hand was dull and the slightly rough fingertips were faintly white.
"We were chatting with the grandparents of other children, and we didn't pay attention for a moment." When he said this, Mr. Zhou's face was full of regret, his hands were shaking slightly, and the tea in the tea cup swayed violently, and even a few drops spilled out. Mr. Zhou’s hand.
Fortunately, this pot of tea has been sitting for a while.
Even if it's not cold, it's not hot either. It's warm and won't burn the old man.
……
"When we looked over again, all the other children were there, but the baby was missing."
"At first we thought he had gone somewhere else or to the toilet."
"After all, I have been to this park many times."
"But then we searched everywhere and there was no baby anywhere."
"Nowhere."
Mr. Zhou's voice was trembling, a trembling that was trying to stay calm but still couldn't help but feel uneasy inside.
"That's when we panicked."
"Others also searched everywhere for us, but found nothing."
"We immediately called the police."
"The police will come soon."
"But ours is an old community here, and the park is quite old. Several of the surveillance systems there have been broken for a long time."
“No trace of the baby was found in the several intact surveillance cameras.”
Mr. Zhou took a deep breath, his heavy eyebrows darkened.
"The police are conducting a search centered on the park."
“My wife and I couldn’t sit still and were looking everywhere.”
"We wondered if the baby would go home alone, but no."
"Then I thought, if the baby has a good relationship with Xiaoxiao, will he come to play with brother Xiaoxiao?"
"But no."
"Where else?"
"He hasn't been to kindergarten for more than half a year because of his previous hospitalization, and it's still so far away."
“But just in case, my wife went all the way to the kindergarten.”
“The kindergarten door is closed, and the shop owners along the way said they didn’t see any children passing by.”
……
"Originally, I thought the baby was most likely at Xiaoxiao's place, because I promised him to take him to play with brother Xiao Xiao in the afternoon."
Mr. Zhou lowered his head, the corners of his eyes were already red, and his voice was low and dry, so vague that it was almost impossible to hear what he said.
There was silence.
After a long time, the first person broke the stagnant atmosphere, and then the others also spoke to comfort Mr. Zhou.
"Lao Zhou, don't worry, the baby will be fine."
"Yes, maybe the child has been naughty and got into some nook and cranny."
"And the police have been called. The police will look for it, and we will help you find it together."
"Lao Zhou, relax, baby Jiren has his own destiny, everything will be fine."
……
In fact, everyone also understood how pale and empty their words of comfort were, so even though most people spoke optimistically, their brows could not help but frown.
It would be okay if the baby really walked away on his own, but if
Some people have already sighed deeply in their hearts.
His voice was so dry that it almost seemed to stick together. The word "Chuan" between Mr. Zhou's uncomfortable brows became even more profound. He picked up the tea cup in his hand and drank it all in one gulp.
The tea is already cold.
Bitter and astringent
The foam from the tea leaves stuck in his throat, making Mr. Zhou even more uncomfortable.
"Grandpa Zhou, tea."
Xiao Xiao handed another cup of tea to Mr. Zhou.
Zhou Lao was stunned for a moment, then took the tea cup and poured it down his throat again.
The right temperature moistened his sticky throat.
The much more comfortable throat made Mr. Zhou's brows relax a little.
But soon, Mr. Zhou frowned tightly again.
(End of chapter)