Eating Melons in the Police Station

“Chief Zhong, the nitrite causing the poisoning in the children has been detected in their bodies. The residual liquid in the beverage bottles found under the kitchen wall of the daycare also tested positive for the same concentration of nitrite. It’s basically certain that the children were poisoned by drinking this beverage. The nitrite concentration in the beverage isn’t very high—about 0.3g per 100g of liquid. According to the amount ingested, the hospital has determined that the effect on the children’s bodies won’t be too severe.”

“Additionally, among the 12 poisoned children, 11 have relatively mild symptoms and are almost recovered after treatment. The child who drank the most is named Luo Jiahao, who is still in a coma. According to the other children’s accounts, it was Luo Jiahao who distributed the beverage to them.”

“Hmm, have the origins of the beverage been traced?” Zhong Jin inquired.

Little Wang shook his head. “Gu Le checked the daycare’s surveillance footage from yesterday and the previous few days but didn’t find any evidence of Luo Jiahao bringing two bottles of the beverage into the daycare. Moreover, with two such large bottles, it’s unlikely he could have smuggled them in without the teachers noticing.”

Zhong Jin mused, “It’s probably not something the child brought in themselves. It’s more likely someone placed it there or tossed it over the fence.”@@novelbin@@

After returning from the hospital the previous day, Zhong Jin made another trip to the daycare to inspect the scene where the two beverage bottles were found. The area was a blind spot for the daycare’s surveillance cameras and was close to the fence.

All the daycare’s staff members had been individually questioned, and the possibility of inside involvement had been ruled out, essentially eliminating internal perpetration possibilities. The current theory is that the beverage was likely thrown over the fence from outside, and the children happened to find and drink it.

Zhong Jin sought out Gu Le from the technical department to get an update on the surveillance situation.

Gu Le was in charge of surveillance footage retrieval and was a seasoned detective with eight years of police experience, highly skilled at his job. However, he was somewhat introverted and awkward, a typical personality type for those in technical fields—quiet and reserved.

After returning the previous day, Gu Le had already reviewed all nearby surveillance cameras. The closest camera to the scene was at an intersection with heavy foot traffic. It was highly unlikely that a suspect would brazenly carry two bottles of beverage and stroll around in public, making it difficult to use surveillance footage to identify the suspect.

While Zhong Jin was conversing with Gu Le, Rao Shishi came running over. “Chief Zhong, the child nicknamed ‘Momo’ has woken up.”

“...Momo?”

Rao Shishi awkwardly recalled how she had found it amusing to call the child “Momo” and had shared it with her colleagues. Now, she had accidentally blurted it out in front of the chief.

“His nickname is Mantou (Steamed Bun), and his full name is Luo Jiahao, the one who drank the nitrite-contaminated beverage.”

“It’s Zhong Yuntong who gave him that name, right?” Zhong Jin nodded, already seeing through it. He quickly headed outside, saying, “Rao Shishi, come with me to the hospital.”

Rao Shishi hurriedly followed.

Earlier that morning, Zhong Yuntong had watched cartoons for half an hour before her father confiscated her tablet. Now, the little girl was cruising around on her scooter, which was adorned with colorful snacks and heading toward every juicy gossip spot.

As Zhong Jin approached the entrance of the police station, he noticed the child peeking through the door of the mediation room. He called her name several times before she finally turned around.

“Bye.” Recognizing that her father was leaving, she waved perfunctorily and immediately turned back to observe the commotion.

There were multiple relationship conflicts that day, including cases of puppy love, marital infidelity, and emotional breakdowns. Zhong Jin didn’t want his daughter to be exposed to such matters at a young age, so he beckoned her over, “Come on, let’s go out and play.”

Zhong Yuntong was torn between the captivating drama unfolding inside the mediation room and her father’s invitation. After a moment of indecision, her love for her father won out. She quickly grabbed a handful of snacks from the scooter handle and stuffed them into her small backpack, then happily trotted along.

At the maternal and child health hospital, the twelve children who had been admitted the previous day had all been transferred to the inpatient department. Doctor Cao, the head pediatrician, accompanied them on their visit.

Holding his daughter in his arms, Zhong Jin walked alongside Doctor Cao toward the inpatient department, asking, “How are the children doing now?”

Doctor Cao replied, “They’re mostly fine. The dosage of nitrite wasn’t large, and it didn’t damage their internal organs. After vomiting and passing out for a bit, they’ll be fine. Unlike fragile adults who take months to recover from minor injuries, these four or five-year-olds are at their prime with strong vitality—they’ll recover quickly.”

As they approached the ward, Doctor Cao reached into his pocket and pulled out a Sun Wukong mask, explaining with a smile, “This is to entertain the children. They usually cooperate much better when they see Sun Wukong saving them.”

“For example, like this,” he said in a Sun Wukong voice to the child in Zhong Jin’s arms, “Little friend, let me, Old Sun, see where you’re feeling unwell.”

Zhong Yuntong shuddered and quickly waved her hands, “No, no, I’m feeling very good!”

Zhong Jin looked down at his daughter and asked, “So, you don’t believe he’s Sun Wukong?”

Zhong Yuntong waved again, “Nope. Sun Wukong is busy fighting demons—he wouldn’t have time to be this idle.”

Zhong Jin chuckled and gently bounced his daughter, then introduced her to Doctor Cao, “This is my daughter.” His tone was filled with pride, as if to say, Aren’t my daughter extremely clever?

Doctor Cao, who was wearing the Sun Wukong mask, was speechless. He had seen enough of this kind of parental bragging—it was as if they couldn’t even take a toilet break without boasting about it.

As they entered the pediatric ward, the environment was vastly different from what Zhong Jin had experienced in his youth. The walls were colorfully decorated with cartoon animals, and there were even small children's cars parked in the corridor, creating an atmosphere more akin to a kindergarten. And, of course, there was the chief doctor wearing a cartoon mask.

Doctor Cao opened the door, and the group entered the ward.

Luo Jiahao had woken up not long ago but was still quite weak, lying in his mother’s embrace with his eyes closed. When he heard people entering, he opened his eyes and took a glance.

This glance almost terrified him—Uncle Police and Sun Wukong were here to arrest him.

Luo Jiahao burst into uncontrollable tears, struggling to get up and kneel, “Police Uncle, Sun Wukong, I’m sorry, please forgive me!”

Everyone in the room was caught off guard, but Doctor Cao, with his experience, quickly rushed over to support Luo Jiahao’s arms to prevent him from accidentally tugging on the IV needle.

“Kiddo, don’t be nervous. I’m just here to ask you a few questions, not to arrest you,” Zhong Jin said softly, trying not to frighten the child.

But Luo Jiahao still couldn’t calm down. “Then why is Sun Wukong here? Is he going to hit me with his Ruyi Jingu Bang?”

Doctor Cao quickly pulled off the mask, forcing a laugh. “Haha, I’m actually a doctor, Doctor Uncle just wanted to play with you.”

Eventually, Luo Jiahao’s emotions settled down a bit. Zhong Yuntong, reaching into her hoodie pocket, took out a yogurt-flavored cereal snack and offered it to him, “Momo, want to eat?”

Luo Jiahao, still in a croaky voice, cried out, “Police Uncle, take her away! She always gives me mean nicknames!”

Zhong Jin sternly reproached Zhong Yuntong for her habit of giving others nicknames and even threatened, “Zhong Yuntong, if you keep giving kids nicknames, I’ll take you back to the police station.”

Zhong Yuntong, unfazed, smirked confidently, “I actually like going to the police station, hehe.”

Zhong Jin, “...In any case, you can’t give other kids nasty names. Or else I’ll...” He considered confiscating her snacks but felt that punishment might be too harsh. Hesitating for a moment, he settled on, “In any case, it’s not allowed.”

Zhong Yuntong had grown impatient, “Okay, okay, stop talking.”

Zhong Jin, “...” The familiar tone sounded exactly like his rebellious youth when he’d talked to his own father.

Meanwhile, Luo Jiahao, seeing that even the police couldn’t control Zhong Yuntong, felt utterly defeated.

Zhong Jin turned back to Luo Jiahao, “Zhong Yuntong’s habit of giving you nicknames, I’ll apologize to you on her behalf, and I’ll definitely reprimand her when we get back. Now, I have some questions for you, and I need you to answer honestly, okay?”

Luo Jiahao, still confused, asked, “What does ‘honestly’ mean, Police Uncle?”

History always repeats itself, and Rao Shishi sighed again just after experiencing the scene yesterday. "Answer seriously, no lying."

"Oh, okay," Luo Jiahao understood.

"Where did you get the two bottles of drinks?" Zhong Jin asked.

Luo Jiahao's pale little face was filled with earnestness. "I found them. Just in the corner behind the kitchen."

"Did you see who put the drinks there?"

"No, I didn't see."

After a few more questions, the interrogation results were more or less in line with Zhong Jin and the others' speculations. "These drinks might have been placed there by a bad person, aiming to lure kids. You can't do this again next time. Anything you pick up or receive from strangers can't be eaten, got it?"

Luo Jiahao lowered his head. "Sorry, Officer Zhong, I won’t do it again."

"Alright, get some rest. We'll handle catching the bad guys. Remember, don't eat anything with uncertain origins... Do you understand what uncertain origins mean?"

"No, I don't."

Zhong Jin waved his hand. "...Parents, make sure to educate him properly."

Zhong Yuntong, with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie, stood by the sickbed, mimicking his father's tone as he lectured Luo Jiahao. "If you find something, you should share it."

Zhong Jin felt his head spinning. His voice unconsciously grew louder, almost yelling. "When you find something, you should hand it over to your teacher or parents. Who told you to share what you find? Are you deliberately causing trouble?"

Doctor Cao patted Zhong Jin's shoulder, his laughter causing his shoulders to shake. "Parents, make sure to educate him properly."

Worried that Zhong Yuntong might say something else to corrupt the child, Zhong Jin quickly took the child away after the interrogation.

When they left, the ward returned to silence. Luo Jiahao's mother gently placed him back on the bed and tucked him in.

She didn't mention the drinks poisoning incident, as those matters could be dealt with later. For her, the most important thing now was for her child to recover quickly.

"Mom, did other kids get poisoned too?" Luo Jiahao asked.

"Yes, but the doctors have treated them. You drank the most, so you're the most severely affected. Don’t worry about it, just focus on getting better."

Luo Jiahao nodded and closed his eyes.

After a while, he opened them again.

"What is it?" his mother asked.

Luo Jiahao's hand emerged from under the blanket, holding a handful of cheese sticks. "There's something under the blanket."

His mother lifted the blanket and found a stash of snacks hidden beneath it.

"This ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍must be from Zhong Yuntong," Luo Jiahao recalled. "When the adults were talking earlier, Zhong Yuntong stood right here."

Satisfied Mother carefully collected the snacks and placed them on the bedside table. "You can't eat them now since you're sick, but you can have them after you recover."

"Is the pretty girl from earlier your classmate? She secretly hid snacks for you, so you must be good friends, right? Her father is the director, so you should spend more time with her and keep your friendship strong. Got it?"

Luo Jiahao blinked, wanting to tell his mother that he wasn't really friends with Zhong Yuntong, but realizing that saying so would lead to more questions, he merely closed his eyes and remained silent.