Eating Melons in the Police Station

While Little Tong was sleeping on the soft sofa, Rao Shishi and Little Wang had already arrived at the Maternity and Child Health Hospital.

After informing Director Cao of the police's intentions, he replied, "Luckily, you came early. If you had come two hours later, the child would have already been discharged."

The hospital was very cooperative and even specially arranged for Luo Jiahao to be transferred to a private ward to avoid the noisy environment of a general ward.

After settling things with the hospital, Rao Shishi and the others went to inform the Luo family.

Luo Jiahao's parents and grandmother were all at the hospital. Originally, they were told the child could be discharged, so the family came to prepare for his discharge. At this point, their belongings were already packed.@@novelbin@@

Rao Shishi sent the child out to the corridor to play with toy cars, explaining the police's arrangements to the parents, asking them to stay in the hospital for a few more days and not to leak any information to the outside. If anyone approached them privately during this period, they must inform the police immediately.

Luo Jiahao's grandmother was immediately displeased. "Why keep a perfectly healthy child in the hospital? Isn't that a waste of money? The hospital is full of bacteria and viruses. What if he gets infected? And it's your job as police to catch criminals. Why put us through this?"

Rao Shishi was so angry she wanted to roll her eyes. "So you're not cooperating, right? Fine, Director Cao, please arrange for them to be discharged."

She then spoke loudly to the Luo family, "We'll notify you about the compensation for the eleven children later, when you come to the police station."

"I've never heard of us needing to compensate," Luo Jiahao's mother chimed in.

Luo Jiahao's father added, "The child is young and doesn't understand. Besides, it didn't cause any serious consequences. Why would we need to compensate?"

Well, your child was the one who gave the drinks to the others, wasn't he? The other children ended up in the hospital. Do you think this is just going to be ignored? The child may be underage, but don't you, as parents, understand? Even if a dog hits someone, the owner has to pay compensation, let alone something this serious.

After being scolded by Rao Shishi, the Luo family fell silent and obediently moved to a private ward. The main reason, of course, was their fear of having to pay.

Finally settling the hospital matters, Rao Shishi was nearly bursting with anger. She continued to rant as they left the hospital, "That family is truly something else. Their own child caused such a big issue, yet they act like nothing happened. I’m really at a loss."

Little Wang's attitude was far more relaxed than hers. "That's why, in our line of work, we must avoid personal emotions. You can't expect everyone you help to be saints. That's why our oath is to serve the people, uphold justice in law enforcement, and maintain strict discipline. It doesn't say anything about saving the world. This is what we have to learn from Director Zhong. He always handles cases according to the law, completely detached, like a robot."

"Ah, being like Director Zhong would be so boring. He never participates in any extracurricular activities, and it seems like he has no hobbies. I’ve hardly ever seen him smile. Do you think there’s anything in his life that makes him truly happy?"

As they got into the official car, Little Wang started the engine. "Well, I've seen him smile, especially when he's with Little Tong."

"So Little Tong is the angel who saved her father. There’s no doubt about it."

Little Wang interjected, "You’re a bit too spoiling with Little Tong, aren't you? Overindulging children isn't good."

Rao Shishi, sitting in the backseat, patted Little Wang’s shoulder. "Hey, there’s a great Tapioca Treasure store up ahead. Let’s go there."

"You eat so much sweet stuff. Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight? I’m not going." Little Wang didn’t like sweet foods, and he knew the place Rao Shishi mentioned was in a notoriously congested area, so he didn’t want to go.

Rao Shishi said, "Come on, we can also get a takeout for Little Tong."

"Alright then." Little Wang agreed quickly this time and drove out smoothly.

Little Tong woke up from her nap, climbed off the couch, and sniffed the air. Her father’s scent was faint in the office, so he must not have been there.

She ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‍was used to this kind of waiting.

Little Tong got up, turned around, and with a few kicks of her short legs, she climbed down from the sofa. She stuck her feet into her big patent leather shoes, bending down laboriously to put them on. She pulled hard on the back of the shoes with her small hands, but after several attempts, her feet still didn’t fit completely.

Little Tong muttered, "My feet are too fat."

So she just stepped on the heels of the shoes and turned around to pick up her gift, then walked out of the office with a patter of footsteps.

She met Gu Le in the corridor, who immediately ran over and pinched her soft, chubby cheek.

Lately, Gu Le had an inexplicable habit of wanting to pinch Little Tong’s cheeks whenever he saw her. The soft, squishy feeling was incredibly satisfying, and he suddenly understood why some young people got hooked on squishing things.

Seeing Little Tong with her shoes on the wrong feet, Gu Le crouched down, lifted her onto his knee, and helped her switch the shoes around. This time, the shoes fit, but they felt a bit tight.

"Does your foot hurt?" Gu Le pressed on the area around her big toes, which were already poking at the front of the shoes.

"No pain."

Little Tong handed her gift box to Gu Le. "This is me."

"Oh? What is it? Let me see."

Gu Le opened the box and took out the framed photo inside. "It really is Little Tong, with wings. So cute. Can you give it to me?"

Little Tong took the frame back and hugged it close to her chest. She jumped down from Gu Le’s knee and walked away without looking back.

Peeping into Mao Feixue’s office, Little Tong saw Mao Feixue smiling and waving at her. "Come in, Little Tong."

So Little Tong strutted in, placing the frame on Mao Feixue’s desk. "This is me."

"Oh, how beautiful," Mao Feixue praised. "Who drew this for you?"

“It was Sister Painting,” Little Tong replied, then took the frame back and left after showing it off.

By the time Rao Shishi and Little Wang returned with desserts, Little Tong had already shown off her gift to several on-duty police officers, doing so three times in total.

Some of the officers teased her for showing off, but Little Tong, munching on sweet tapioca balls, raised a small finger and asked them pointedly, "Do you have one?"

Around 6 p.m., Zhong Jin returned. Little Tong was having dinner with the duty officers, her lunchbox piled high with various meats. The officers around her, on the other hand, had only plain rice and side dishes left in their bowls.

Little Wang noticed Zhong Jin standing nearby, thinking that Little Tong might get scolded, and helpfully interjected, "Director, we volunteered to give her the food."

Instead, Zhong Jin scolded them, "Giving a child so much meat can cause indigestion. Don’t do that next time."

He then gave Little Tong’s head a few gentle strokes and didn’t say anything more.

The police station had already started a thorough investigation of all daycare operations in the jurisdiction the previous day, but there was still no movement at Golden Sun Kindergarten. Gu Le patiently monitored the surveillance without letting up, even eating in front of the computer to make sure he didn’t miss any crucial information.

After taking a bite of beef fried rice, Gu Le continued to stare at the monitor, his expression changing slightly. He suddenly put down his food box and bolted out.

He directly pushed open Zhong Jin’s office door.

"What is it? Did something happen at Golden Sun?" Zhong Jin asked.

Gu Le stood blankly at the door for a moment before saying, "No, I just wanted to remind you that Little Tong’s shoes seem a bit small. Remember to buy her a new pair. I meant to buy them for her, but I forgot to measure her foot size."

Zhong Jin replied, "...Okay."

Gu Le, who was usually a quiet and socially awkward tech-savvy man, continued bluntly, "Can you buy them today?"

Zhong Jin answered, "...I’ll go after work."

"Thanks."

Zhong Jin replied, "...You're welcome."

After Gu Le left, Zhong Jin was left puzzled by the strange exchange. He had just been pressured by his subordinate to buy his daughter shoes? It was a bit funny when he thought about it, though it made sense. After all, his daughter was so adorable; it was normal for her to be well-liked.

Later, Zhong Jin checked Little Tong’s shoes and found they were indeed a bit tight. Not only were her big toes pressed against the front, but the edge of the shoes had left a mark on her plump little feet.

"Why didn't you say anything when your shoes got too small?" Zhong Jin felt like an inadequate father, realizing that someone else had to point out that Little Tong's shoes were too tight.

Little Tong crouched down, poking at her feet with her tiny hands, trying to push back the flesh that had overflowed the shoe opening, murmuring, "My feet are too fat."

Kids grow so fast. This pair of big-toed leather shoes was a gift from Zhong Jin when she first arrived, back when he didn't know she was his daughter.

He remembered buying two pairs of shoes then—one was a pair of plastic sandals from a street stall, which turned out too big. The little round toes of the child kept slipping out, making clicking noises as she walked.

The second pair, these big-toed shoes, were chosen carefully by a shop assistant, fitting her feet perfectly. Little Tong loved wearing them because she said she liked shoes with flowers, showing that even a kid this young had her own taste in fashion.

After parking in the basement of the mall, compared to the unfamiliarity and discomfort Zhong Jin had felt the first time he brought Little Tong to a mall in the city, he now felt much more at ease. Carrying Little Tong, he followed the signs and found his way confidently to the children’s shoe section on the third floor.

Though only a little over a month had passed, it felt like a long time. Zhong Jin felt he had reached the next level in parenting. In his circle, most people married late, some didn't marry at all, or married without having kids. He seemed to be the first dad among them. Yu Feiyang, for example, was still goofing around all day long, while Zhong Jin already had a child.

Thinking about this, Zhong Jin felt a strange sense of superiority. He was the only one with such a lovely child—it felt pretty satisfying, honestly.

Little Tong spotted a pair of orange and green soft-soled leather shoes in a shop window and pointed to them, saying to her father,

"I want this, the one with the carrot and the little bunny."

Children have rich imaginations. The colors of this shoe really matched the description—an orange and green color scheme, looking like a carrot and its leafy top, complete with a small three-dimensional bunny on the shoe lace. Like her current pair, these were also big-toed shoes, adorably cute.

Zhong Jin asked the shop assistant to bring the shoes out so he could feel the softness of the material. He inquired, "Are they breathable? She loves running around."

"This shoe is made of first-layer goat leather, very breathable and lightweight. What size does your child wear? I can find the right size for her to try on."

"Please measure her foot length." Zhong Jin knew Little Tong's previous foot length was 16 cm, wearing size 22, but now she had grown a bit, so they needed to measure again.

The shop assistant measured Little Tong's foot and told her dad, "Now her foot is 16.5 cm long, and she can wear size 23 or 24. Size 23 would be a snug fit, but I recommend size 24 since kids grow so quickly. Size 24 will last longer."

"Get two pairs, one size 23 and one size 24."

Zhong Jin couldn't accept Little Tong wearing ill-fitting shoes nor shoes that were too tight for her. So he decided to buy two sizes of shoes each time—once the size 23 became too tight and she started wearing size 24, he would buy a new pair. This way, the buying cycle would be maintained perfectly in rotation.

The shop assistant smiled warmly, saying, "Dad is so considerate—generally, it's the mom who is this attentive."

Little Tong ran around the fountain plaza in front of the mall wearing her new shoes, carelessly tossing her old beloved floral shoes into the trash can, then discovered a small hole on the ground and bent down to stare at it.

"That's the water outlet of the fountain. Come back quickly, or you might get sprayed." Zhong Jin stood outside the fountain pool, calling to her with his hands in his pockets.

Kids naturally tend to "selective hearing" when faced with something interesting. Little Tong was really captivated by that hole and inadvertently ignored her dad’s voice.

After gazing intently at the hole for a while, Little Tong crouched down, poking at the water outlet, "There’s no water."

Zhong Jin stepped into the fountain pool and bent down to look as well, "Maybe it's broken?"

The moment he said that, water suddenly spurted out of the water outlet, drenching Zhong Jin’s face. Water droplets trickled down his black hair, and his shirt was also soaked around his chest.

Little Tong crouched beside him with a giggle, teasing, "Oh no, you’re in trouble now."