Eating Melons in the Police Station

Little Tong currently doesn’t have a proper ID, but she does have a temporary identification certificate issued by the local police station, so the process of enrolling her into the daycare center went quite smoothly. However, Little Tong didn’t seem too keen on being there. She kept covering her head and protesting,

“I don’t want to be here.”

“I want to go to the police station.”

“I want to go home.”

After a few protests, she realized that her dad wasn’t going to leave her there and instead picked her up again. Little Tong, with her big round eyes, looked confused, “Huh?” She couldn’t quite figure out what was going on.

Then she heard her dad say to the teacher, “I’ll bring her back on Monday.”

“Alright,” replied Teacher Zhuang with a smile, patting Little Tong’s bowl-cut hair. “Don’t forget to prepare her water bottle, name tags, two sets of spare clothes, and the health check report. I’ll add you to the parents’ group chat later. Please keep an eye on the announcements.”

Little Tong clung to Zhong Jin’s neck, turned her head, and shouted loudly, “Don’t pay attention! I’m not coming on Monday. Goodbye!”

Teacher Zhuang remained unfazed, her smile radiating a sense of calm and experience. “See you on Monday, Zhong Yuntong.”

Realizing she couldn’t sway the teacher, Little Tong cupped Zhong Jin’s face and whispered into his ear, “I really don’t want to come here. I saw the teacher knock a kid out and put them on the little bed.”

Zhong Jin, carrying Little Tong toward the parking lot, corrected her expressionlessly, “That’s called naptime.”

Mao Feixue, who had accompanied them, walked a few steps ahead. She turned back and gave Little Tong a sympathetic look, saying to the sulky child,

“Tong, next time before you make up stories, remember your dad’s expertise. He graduated in criminal investigation, you know.”

Little Tong had no idea what criminal investigation meant. She was placed in the child seat in the back, her little brain working overtime to come up with a solution.

“If you force me to go to school, I’ll jump into the sea. I’m really good at drawing,” she declared.

The poor child had latched onto the idea that if she said she would jump into the sea and was good at drawing, she wouldn’t have to go to school. What a mess.

Zhong Jin ignored her and drove out of the parking lot. He turned to Mao Feixue and asked, “Thanks for your help today. How about we have lunch together?”

“No need. Just drop me off at the residential building. I promised my son I’d have lunch with him.”

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Little Tong raised her voice again, “I’m really going to jump into the sea, you know.”

Zhong Jin replied, “Alright, but before you jump, do you want to eat a crispy fried chicken?”

“Yes,” Little Tong was successfully distracted.

Zhong Jin then turned to Mao Feixue, “Let’s pick up your son too. My treat.”

Mao Feixue’s son, Xiang Zimo, was five years old and already in kindergarten. Although he was only two years older than Little Tong, he seemed much more mature.

Xiang Zimo had fair skin, gentle brown eyes, and dark brown hair. His delicate features made him look like a polite little prince.

Mao Feixue had already told her son that they would be meeting her colleague, Uncle Zhong, and his daughter, Little Tong. So, as soon as they sat down at McDonald’s, Xiang Zimo politely greeted them.

“Hello, Uncle Zhong. Hello, Little Tong.”

“Hello,” Zhong Jin responded with a slight smile, trying to appear friendly.

Meanwhile, Little Tong was still sulking over the thought of going to daycare. She kept her head down, pouting, and didn’t even notice Xiang Zimo greeting her.

When the fried chicken, burgers, and Coke arrived, Xiang Zimo’s face lit up with a hint of excitement, but he cautiously asked, “Mom, what are we celebrating today?”

“Hmm, we’re celebrating Little Tong starting daycare,” Mao Feixue answered her son and then explained to Zhong Jin,

“His grandparents are in the education system, and they’re quite strict with him. He’s only allowed to eat this kind of food on special occasions.”

Zhong Jin glanced at Xiang Zimo, who was neatly tearing his fried chicken into pieces and eating it gracefully, then looked back at his own daughter, who was holding a drumstick with both hands, her face smeared with grease.

At least my daughter has a good appetite, Zhong Jin consoled himself.

Xiang Zimo, wearing disposable gloves, carefully placed his fried chicken on the tray, tore off small pieces, and ate them delicately.

“Mom, I never went to daycare,” Xiang Zimo suddenly said.

Little Tong, who had been slurping her Coke, immediately stopped and asked, “Why not?”

This was the first time the pretty little girl had spoken to him, and Xiang Zimo felt a bit nervous but answered clearly, “Because my grandma took care of me before I started kindergarten, so I didn’t need to go to daycare.”

Little Tong thought for a moment and then asked, “Then can you be my grandma?”

Xiang Zimo was so shocked he stuttered, “N-no... that’s not possible... because... I’m a boy.”

Mao Feixue grabbed a napkin and covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

Zhong Jin sighed and rubbed his forehead. Is my daughter just young or just not very bright? Should I get her IQ checked during her daycare health check?

“He can’t be your grandma. You’re going to daycare, and that’s final,” Zhong Jin said firmly.

Little Tong, still holding her chicken leg, bumped her forehead against Zhong Jin’s arm, “Then give me a grandma.”

Zhong Jin grabbed her hood and pulled her away slightly, “You’re really turning everything upside down.”

Mao Feixue wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, still laughing, “Kids say the darndest things, hahaha.”

The health check went smoothly, and Zhong Jin was relieved to find that his daughter, though a bit mischievous, was healthy and well-nourished, with her height and weight within the normal range. Her good health and cheerful spirit were the only comforts in his otherwise chaotic life.

On Monday morning, Little Tong, with her little backpack and water bottle slung across her body, clung to the gate of the Little Sun Daycare Center, yelling, “I’m not going to daycare!”

Zhong Jin, with a stern face, tried to pry her off the gate but was afraid of hurting her. He coaxed her, “Let go of the gate first.”

Little Tong only held on tighter.

A few parents gathered around to watch the scene, pointing and whispering. Zhong Jin felt his scalp tighten. Managing a child was so much harder than managing criminals.

Mao Feixue didn’t usually pass by the Little Sun Daycare Center on her way to work, but today she made a detour to see how Little Tong’s first day was going. From a distance, she could see the poor child clinging to the gate and Zhong Jin looking utterly helpless.

Seems like it’s not going well.@@novelbin@@

Mao Feixue found a parking spot, got out of the car, and walked over. She stood there for a moment, arms crossed, then nudged Zhong Jin and said, “Maybe just let it go. If she doesn’t want to go, it’s fine. It’s not a big deal for kids not to go to daycare.”

Zhong Jin looked at her in surprise, and she winked at him.

Understanding her hint, Zhong Jin said, “Alright, since you said so, she doesn’t have to go.”

He waved at Little Tong, “Come down. You don’t have to go to daycare.”

Little Tong, still skeptical, let go of the gate but stayed close to it, ready to grab hold again if they tried to take her. After a moment, when no one made a move, she confidently closed her eyes and jumped off the steps.

Zhong Jin lunged forward, catching her swiftly with one hand under her bottom and the other protecting her back. He sprinted into the daycare center with such speed that his long legs seemed to blur.

By the time Little Tong realized what had happened, she was already in Teacher Zhuang’s arms.

Her deceitful father stood outside the gate, waving at her, “Be good and listen to the teacher. I’ll pick you up after work.”

As Zhong Jin drove to the station, he thought that having settled his daughter, he would feel relieved. Instead, he felt an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

He gripped the steering wheel, his lips pressed into a tight line, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He couldn’t help but think about Little Tong’s origins. She was so small, and to find him, she must have gone through so much fear and helplessness. And now, he was pushing her away again, leaving her to face a strange environment, unfamiliar people, and new smells all on her own.

Thinking about this, Zhong Jin felt like a terrible person. For a moment, he had the urge to turn the car around and go back to the daycare center to pick her up. But what would he do then? Take her to work every day? How would that look?

When he walked into the station, Rao Shishi greeted him as usual and instinctively looked behind him, expecting to see the little girl with her bucket hat.

Seeing the obvious disappointment on Rao Shishi's face, Zhong Jin didn’t say anything and quickly walked through the office hall.

Rao Shishi remembered what Mao Feixue had mentioned—Little Tong was going to be sent to the daycare center today. Although she had mentally prepared herself, the absence of children sitting on the long bench watching cartoons on tablets or munching snacks while wandering around and curiously peeking into various mediation scenes left her feeling strangely empty.

Rao Shishi had never felt this emotionally attached, not even when she was in a romantic relationship.

Zhong Jin felt that the atmosphere in the office was a bit off today. Everyone seemed to be looking at him with a hint of resentment, which made him feel under a lot of pressure. So, when a minor case came up in the morning, he immediately decided to handle it himself.

Teacher Zhuang had initially thought that Little Tong would cry after Zhong Jin left, but she didn’t. She didn’t make a fuss either.

With a small tuft of hair sticking up at the back of her head, Little Tong lay on the floor, her tiny hands tucked under her belly, her bottom slightly raised, and her chin resting on the ground. She stayed in this peculiar position by the door, her big eyes fixed on the entrance.

Little Tong’s unusual posture attracted a group of children, who all imitated her, lying down in a neat row on the floor. Soon, more than a dozen kids were sprawled out in an orderly fashion.

The weather was hot today, and even the wooden floor in the classroom wasn’t particularly cool. Teacher Zhuang didn’t intervene, letting them play in their own way.

However, after a while, some of the children got bored and got up to play elsewhere, while others fell asleep while lying there and were carried to their little beds by the teachers.

As people came and went, Little Tong was left alone again, still in the same position, her dark eyes fixed on the door.

Teacher Zhuang crouched down beside her and gently asked, “Tongtong, how about playing with toys with the other kids?”

Little Tong didn’t respond or move. The door was locked, and she couldn’t go out to find her father. She also remembered what her father had told her—unless it was a matter of life or death, she couldn’t use her ability to return to the Demon Palace. So, in this unfamiliar place, she could only wait quietly for her father to appear.