Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 157 - 153 So strange in the dead of night

Chapter 157: 153 So strange in the dead of night

Li Xianglu was woken up in the morning by a wake-up call. It was from Qin Xi. Li Xianglu, in a drowsy voice, said she would get up in five more minutes and went back to sleep after hanging up, only to be woken again by the phone half an hour later.

Li Xianglu helplessly picked up the phone and said she would get up right away, then she did climb out of bed, tossed her face mask and pajamas into the Storage Ring, washed her face, changed into a sleeveless floral long dress, tied her hair into two cute braids, and put on the diamond bracelet her grandfather gave her, as well as a pair of cloth sandals mailed to her by Qu Yeyu, which even flaunted some embroidered flowers.

This was originally a design drawn by Li Xianglu herself, but because both of them were preparing for college entrance exams, they ran out of time and just had to set it aside.

Who knew that not long after school started, Qu Yeyu mailed her two pairs, and even lined them with a layer of white dacron.

Li Xianglu didn’t know how many cloth sandals she had like these, but Qu Yeyu didn’t have any, so she must have gone through a lot to send the cloth. That’s why after receiving it, Li Xianglu mailed back two pieces of darker colored cloth to make her two ’denim skirts’ and in her reply told her they were made big and she didn’t like the color, hoping Qu Yeyu would wear them for her. Qu Yeyu naively accepted them, and even reprimanded Li Xianglu in her letter, saying her good tailor was unreliable and couldn’t even measure clothes properly.

Qin Xi saw that the girl was wearing a floral long dress that was a different style from yesterday’s cheongsam; every outfit she wore was beautiful, and Qin Xi couldn’t help but affectionately touch her braids.

The restaurant was on the second floor; they took the elevator down and showed their room card to enter for an English breakfast. After eating boat meals for more than a day, Li Xianglu was somewhat missing the fried dough sticks with millet porridge from the capital, and wondered if her grandfather slept well last night.

Seeing Li Xianglu’s somewhat downcast mood, Qin Xi smiled slightly and said, "What, missing your grandpa after just one day out? Didn’t you just call last night?"

Li Xianglu’s plump lips pouted slightly as she sniffled and stubbornly said, "I just miss him."

Qin Xi indulgently said, "Alright, if you miss him, we can make another call."

Li Xianglu gave it some thought but decided against it. She had just called last night, and calling again today might make her grandfather worry. Both of them ordered fried eggs, bread, and milk. While eating, Qin Xi mentioned, "Mr. Xu called this morning, saying Miss Su won’t be available to meet us today."

Li Xianglu raised her eyebrows, swallowed the food in her mouth, wiped her lips, and then said, "That Grandma Su is really strange. She went to so much trouble to arrange a meeting with us, and now she’s saying she’s not available. Is she just playing around?"

Seeing that Li Xianglu was becoming emotional, Qin Xi soothed her, saying, "Alright, we will meet her sooner or later, don’t worry. Since she doesn’t have time, it’s a good chance for us to go out and take a stroll and exchange some pounds to buy stuff."

Li Xianglu nodded and replied, "That’s fine too, we’re here anyway."

After finishing their meal, the two greeted the front desk and went out.

Li Xianglu slung a small white leather bag with a chain strap over her long sleeveless floral dress, just the size of an adult man’s palm and very delicate. In fact, it wasn’t bought but taken out from her Storage Ring. She had seen that the Overseas Chinese Store was already selling bags, so she decided to use it. After checking it over, she found it to be slightly different in style, but nothing else that would draw undue attention.

In early August, Hong Kong was humid and hot. The two walked out of the hotel and followed along Victoria Harbour for a loop until they felt tired and then took a minibus to Tsim Sha Tsui, a busier area.

It was almost noon, and Li Xianglu was already starving. Early Hong Kong wasn’t very developed and the streets were chaotic. People were not that wealthy, but they knew how to enjoy life. Quite a few Hong Kong-style tea restaurants had opened along the streets.

The two found a place that sold wonton noodles, ordered two bowls of wonton noodles, a plate of blanched vegetables, a plate of stir-fried pork mix, and two glasses of herbal tea. They had with them the one thousand Hong Kong dollars Mr. Xu had given them before he left yesterday. The meal cost fourteen dollars, which was much more expensive than back in the mainland.

As the food arrived, Li Xianglu glanced over and thought it wasn’t bad. The noodles were thin yet had a good texture, the wontons were also nice, and the meat was fresh. After tasting the vegetables, she knew Qin Xi loved meat so she picked some pig’s head meat for him.

While they were eating, a child suddenly started crying loudly. Li Xianglu paused and turned her head to look. She saw a grandma, around sixty years old, comforting a one-year-old child. The child was sobbing and calling for mommy. Speaking Mandarin with a Minnan accent, the grandmother cooed, "Be a good boy, your mom has gone to work. You need to behave, and when your mom comes back from work she will buy you tasty food. Come, eat some noodles."

The child calmed down a little with the grandma’s coaxing, sniffling for quite a bit before he began eating.

Just as Li Xianglu was about to turn back, she noticed the grandma, wearing a floral short-sleeved shirt, was sporting a Vacheron Constantin watch on her wrist, its twelve diamonds almost blinding her. She turned her head and blinked. Are the people of Hong Kong all so understated in their luxury now? A Vacheron Constantin, and with twelve diamonds at that—money might not even be able to buy one.

Qin Xi noticed Li Xianglu’s expression and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Shaking her head, Li Xianglu picked up a piece of pig’s stomach for him: "Eat up. In the future, when you get old, I’ll take care of you and not let you eat too much meat and offal."

Qin Xi laughed upon hearing this, responding obediently like a good baby: "Okay, I’ll listen to you."

After finishing the meal, Li Xianglu thought of the shampoo she currently used. The Overseas Chinese Store did have some, but it wasn’t very good, expensive and in small quantities. She decided to look around, and if she found good and affordable options, she would buy more. Qin Zhen should be back home too, so she could buy some for him to take to school.

The two wandered the streets, watching the hustle and bustle of cars and horses, the clanging of the tram as it passed by stations, and American Buicks driving through the streets, which were quite amusing when put together.

For a moment, Li Xianglu felt as if she had arrived in a different space, as if everything around her was disconnected from her. She was just a visitor, quietly observing the changes in time and space.

Suddenly, a child’s cry and a woman’s shrill scream shattered the calm. Just as Li Xianglu was about to turn around, she was bumped into by a woman, almost stumbling over. If it weren’t for Qin Xi’s quick reflexes, Mrs. Ma would have been knocked over. Then, a familiar-looking grandmother came running up from behind, panting and crying out, "Hurry, hurry, my grandson, someone’s kidnapping a child!"

Although Li Xianglu felt something was off about the situation, she broke into a run, furiously chasing after them.

Qin Xi didn’t have time to say he would go after the kidnapper and saw her charging forward like a small cannonball.

Without another word, Qin Xi hurriedly chased after her as well.

The woman ahead was a bit strange. She had initially diverged from Li Xianglu at a turn, but when Li Xianglu reached the bend, she found the woman slowly running with the child in her arms.

Li Xianglu didn’t have time to think and sped up, while Qin Xi’s long legs also caught up.

In just three or four steps, Li Xianglu caught up to the woman in front, firmly grabbing her arm and refusing to let go.

ps: The group now has 58 people. Two-thirds of the subscribers can join; full subscription isn’t required, as some people like to skip around. If you’re skipping too much, I really don’t know how you’re following along, that’s quite the mental gymnastics.