Chapter 53 Birthday (Part 1)
This was Mary's first birthday after John left her. Early in the morning, the florist delivered the holiday flowers that John had ordered every ten years during his lifetime, including Valentine's Day, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, etc.
Although the greeting card on the flowers made Mary sad, it also seemed to tell Mary that John had never left her, and this gift brought her a sense of happiness that her mind could not understand.
Liang Xi went to Mary's house early in the morning to prepare breakfast, but in fact he just wanted to have breakfast for free, because Mary couldn't eat the food Liang Xi prepared. Liang Xi served tea and snacks, and sat in the front yard with Mary to remember John. Mary began to talk about the past between her and John, which Liang Xi had heard many times, or heard for the first time. There were tears in her smile, and the memories were full of happiness.
A van stopped at Mary's door. It was the pet store that brought Poppy's birthday present: a golden lapdog. Mary liked the golden lapdog as soon as she saw it. The trained golden lapdog was very smart and knew that the old lady was its new owner. It was very friendly to Mary. The pet store staff explained and explained some things, mainly the time for the regular physical examination of the golden lapdog.
At Mary's insistence, the doghouse was placed in the living room. While the staff were busy installing the doghouse, Mary couldn't wait to take Jinladuo for a walk. Liang Xi asked about the price, and the staff told Liang Xi that the dog was sent to London by a special plane from a dog training school in Northern Ireland, and they didn't know how much it cost. They only knew that the price of the doghouse was three thousand pounds.
In addition to the dog and the kennel, they also brought a small refrigerator specifically for storing Jinlado's food. Jinlado ate more pounds in one meal than Liang Xi ate in three days. That's not all, Jinlado even has accident insurance and medical insurance. Liang Xi didn't want to hear the fact that people are not as good as dogs anymore, so he let the staff go about their business and focused on making the birthday cake.
Under Mary's guidance, Liang Xi is quite good at making pastries. Unfortunately, Liang Xi lacks the delicacy and patience that a pastry chef must have, and the products he makes look rough in appearance, and the taste is often a matter of luck. For example, today's three-layer birthday cake, it is obvious to the naked eye that the layers are uneven and the thickness is different. Liang Xi thinks that it will be fine if the cream is applied so that it cannot be seen. However, the cream seems to be over-whipped, so he can only pour it out and beat it again. Liang Xi really doesn't want to stand in front of the egg beater and watch and wait boringly.
So the cream has to be whipped again.
After making the birthday cake, it was already lunchtime when Mary took Jinladuo home. Mary came back because she was worried about Liang Xi's steak-frying skills. She and Jinladuo had so much fun playing that she didn't want to eat.
While chatting over lunch, Mary told Liang Xi, "The community wants to open a baking course, and the tuition fees will be used as charity after deducting expenses to help those in need. Do you think I can go?"
Liang Xi replied: "It depends on the time of the course."
Mary said, "It's from 7:30 to 9:30 on Friday night, next to the community supermarket 200 meters away. The community came to me a few days ago and told me about this matter, but I was worried that I was not capable enough, so I didn't agree to it."
Liang Xi said: "You are definitely . Baking classes should be very popular. For many people, it is not only a way to learn something, but also an opportunity for leisure and socializing. I think there will be a lot of people who sign up. I support you."
Mary said, "Then I agree."
Liang Xi nodded.
Mary chatted, "I'm planning to get a new phone. My old one keeps interrupting."
"Oh?" Liang Xi reached out and took Mary's phone, pointed it at Mary, and Mary smiled and successfully unlocked it. Liang Xi smiled and said, "We still work so well together."
Liang Xi checked his phone and found no background programs running. "If you don't like it, change it. I'll save the pet store's phone number first, and then transfer it to the card. Next time I change my phone, I can transfer the contacts from the card back to the phone."
Liang Xi opened the address book, which was filled with Mary's acquaintances and friends, as well as people related to her business, such as banks and insurance companies. While operating, Liang Xi casually asked, "Who is this Manda?" Mary was not very good at using a smartphone. Even when John was alive, Liang Xi often helped Mary operate her phone, install and uninstall software, register accounts, etc. Because Mary always had trouble clicking the English letters and numbers on the small keyboard, even the address book was entered one by one by Liang Xi.
Mary paused and asked, "What Manda?"
Liang Xi didn't seem to care and changed the subject by asking, "I've used this phone for two years. Do you know how to use it now?"
Mary was a little annoyed: "There are too many functions, too complicated. I don't use this function, and there are always people who are eager to teach me how to use it. I still like the original flip phone."
Liang Xi took a photo of Mary's phone screen with his own phone and returned the phone to Mary: "OK, the address book is saved. I will check the phone brands online in the next few days."
It was difficult for Mary to record her phone contacts, and she didn't know who Manda was. Combined with the freezing situation Mary described, Liang Xi believed that Mary's phone was likely monitored. This monitoring was not official, and the authorities could directly obtain user information through the service provider without leaving Manda's phone contacts.
When an unfamiliar phone number appears in your address book and your phone freezes, it is possible that your phone is being monitored. Not only can they eavesdrop on your phone calls, but they can also obtain all text messages and social software communications. In addition, the monitor can also use your mobile phone number to make calls, and you will be responsible for the call charges.
Mary did not report hearing any electric current or her phone freezing , which indicated that the monitoring person was quite skilled. Why would someone monitor an old lady? Liang Xi thought it was related to John's death. However, Liang Xi did not know much about mobile phone communications, computer hacking, etc. He could not determine the real situation, nor did he know who was monitoring Mary's phone.
Ask Liu Zhen for help? Liu Zhen has technicians, but they are general technicians for work, not Liu Zhen's own technicians. As a police officer, Liu Zhen has basic curiosity, but Liang Xi doesn't want too many people to know about this. There is only one way, which is to ask Helen. Helen is a female police officer Liang Xi met during the hostage incident at Maria Hospital. She is secretly investigating the case of John's death. Helen is also the only ally Liang Xi can trust in investigating the truth of John's death.
However, Helen is an agent of the crisis response team, and her authority and resources are limited. Asking Helen to find a way to track down Manda's call may cause trouble for Helen. It's not that I look down on Helen, but Helen doesn't seem to have too many clever tricks and ideas. Doing bad things must be done in an evil way, and open theft is robbery.
I can only think of other ways, but unfortunately the resources I can use are too limited.
