Xiangzi probably wasn't making things up. The teddy bears changing here in Huixiang was within the scope of what I'd expected. If they didn't take any action at all, that would be what worried me.
Lü Qiaolan thought completely differently. She was more concerned about her teddy bear. Chen Xiaoqiu and the other missing people were just a bunch of strangers to her. She'd never even met them, couldn't remember their names, and didn't care much about them.
I wasn't criticizing Lü Qiaolan, and she hadn't asked me to stop looking for people and help her find her bear first.
Xiangzi didn't dare speak, and the security guard was even less willing to say anything. The four of us silently followed Xiangzi as he led the way.
Xiangzi's relative's convenience store was not far from the mahjong parlor.
Xiangzi pointed it out to us. The store was no different from the little shops we'd passed on the way. It was about ten square meters, with shelves lining the walls and another shelf in the middle, leaving the place completely packed.
The store spilled out onto the sidewalk. Two ice cream freezers and a drinks cooler had been dragged outside, all three covered with old, brightly colored posters.
Xiangzi poked his head inside and forced a smile at the woman there. "Auntie, where's my uncle?"
The woman shot him a sidelong glance, then turned back to the video on her tablet with a blank expression. She didn't say a word.
Xiangzi looked back at us. With no other choice, he steeled himself and went inside. "Auntie, I need to talk to my uncle."
The woman said impatiently, "Why don't you just call him yourself?"
Xiangzi answered obediently, "I did. He didn't pick up."
"What am I supposed to do about that?