Eating Melons in the Police Station

Zhong Jin, dressed in a full set of black athletic gear, carried Little Tong in one arm and a brand-new toddler bike in the other hand as they returned from their morning jog. Passing by the bus stop, Little Tong pointed to the breakfast stand behind the station, cheerfully demanding, "Buy breakfast."

Zhong Jin dismissed her request, "Aunt Liang is coming over today to prepare breakfast for us. We don't need to buy anything."

Undeterred, Little Tong pointed toward the grandfather selling steamed buns and said, "Buy a bun."

"Alright," Zhong Jin agreed, carrying her over. "Let's buy a bun."

As soon as Little Tong held the warm, puffy bun, she added, "Let's fry it."

"Alright, we'll fry it," Zhong Jin assented.

Ever since her last illness when she had tried fried bun slices, Little Tong had developed a fondness for the crunchy texture. Zhong Jin felt this was far better than the random junk food she usually munched on. So, he occasionally fried some slices for her, storing them in her snack jar to take to the office.

He had no idea how she promoted this at the office, but one day, Zhong Jin noticed fried bun slices appearing on the staff canteen menu. Soon, almost every day brought a platter of fried bun slices.@@novelbin@@

However, perhaps due to the difference in buns, Zhong Jin found the canteen's version less delicious. Little Tong felt the same way; after trying it twice, she lost interest in the canteen's fried bun slices. Eventually, they disappeared from the menu.

Walking back home with the bun, Zhong Jin swiped his card to enter their residential complex. He reminded Little Tong, "Today, you'll stay home with Aunt Liang. Be a good girl, alright? I'll watch you through the surveillance cameras. If anything happens, just call me, okay?"

"Okay," Little Tong agreed softly, hugging the bun tightly.

Though this child looked mischievous, she rarely threw tantrums. Even at just three years old, if Zhong Jin explained things to her calmly, she would listen.

Zhong Jin patted her head, "Good girl."

As they approached their apartment building, Little Tong suddenly wrapped her arms around Zhong Jin's neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. She discreetly wiped away tears with the back of her hand.

Zhong Jin understood that she was crying; his heart ached too.

But there was no escaping it—partings were inevitable. In the future, she would attend kindergarten, elementary school, university, and possibly study and work in other cities or even countries. The bond between parent and child would inevitably weaken over time. They both needed to adapt to each farewell.

With the help of a nanny, the home felt entirely different upon their arrival. Their morning pajamas had already been washed and hung out to dry on the balcony. A delicious aroma of meat filled the air.

Aunt Liang emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands. She bent down and warmly greeted, "Are you Little Tong? I'm Aunt Liang."

Little Tong stood obediently at the door and returned the greeting, "Hello, I am Zhong Yun Tong."

Zhong Jin, who was in the middle of changing his shoes, paused upon hearing this. "Who taught you to say it like that? Just say 'I am Zhong Yun Tong'; you don't need to say 'a'."

"But the painter says it like that," Little Tong explained earnestly.

Zhong Jin queried, "How do you even know about the painter? His way of saying it is wrong."

Aunt Liang, smiling, chimed in, "I think Little Tong is referring to the nursery rhyme." She then sang along, "I am a painter, I am great at painting."

Little Tong also sang along in her quirky voice, "I'll paint the new house, making it super beautiful."

Zhong Jin watched the two suddenly burst into song, feeling a newfound admiration. Indeed, Aunt Liang was no ordinary nanny with 15 years of experience—her knowledge was vast. She could even pick up on this.

When Zhong Jin brought out the fried bun slices, a lavish breakfast already adorned the dining table. A pot of richly fragrant yam and pork rib soup, steamed small corn, pumpkin, and egg custard, accompanied by blanched baby bok choy.

A child who had been accustomed to scrounging through various fast-food breakfast stands for every meal was utterly awestruck by this feast, exclaiming, "Wow!"

Little Tong sat in her child seat, happily devouring her favorite mixed rice, combining pork ribs, yams, corn, and pumpkin together. She ate enthusiastically, and even though Aunt Liang occasionally added some greens to her plate, she ate them too. When she occasionally spilled food on the table, Aunt Liang quickly cleaned it up.

Zhong Jin, now free from childcare duties, enjoyed the most relaxed meal he had had in a long time.

Before leaving, Zhong Jin, worried that Little Tong might throw a fit, intended to sneak out while she was in her room. However, Aunt Liang stopped him.

"Mr. Zhong, it's better to say goodbye to your baby before leaving. While she may not be used to it at first, she'll get accustomed to it over time. If you always leave without notice, the child may become increasingly insecure and start watching you even more closely."

Zhong Jin recalled his childhood when his parents first started their business. His mother was the boss, and his father was the accountant; they had to leave home before dawn. Later, Zhong Jin and his sister would fear their parents leaving again and even set their alarms for 5 a.m., just to make sure they stayed.

Back then, he wished that, at least, his parents would say goodbye before leaving.

Feeling Aunt Liang's words made sense, Zhong Jin went to Little Tong's room and said his goodbyes. Little Tong, in the midst of "applying lipstick" to her lips, turned around, waving at Zhong Jin with her red-painted mouth, "Bye-bye, I'm off to work now."

She slung a little purse over her arm, mimicking an adult ready for work.

Zhong Jin playfully responded, "Alright, drive safely on your way."

*

Arriving at the police substation, Zhong Jin first visited Gu Le's office. Gu Le was noisily slurping a bowl of noodles, and upon seeing Zhong Jin enter, he choked, the chili oil burning his throat, tears streaming down his face.

Zhong Jin quickly fetched a glass of water and handed it to him, "Drink some water."

"Thanks," Gu Le said, gulping down half the glass before finally feeling some relief.

"Got something for me, boss?" Gu Le asked.

Zhong Jin glanced at the dozen or so surveillance screens on Gu Le's desk before pulling out a tablet computer and charger from behind him, handing them to Gu Le.

Gu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍Le was puzzled, "What's this?"

Zhong Jin explained, "This is the surveillance footage from my home. Place it next to you. Since you spend all day staring at surveillance footage anyway, one more screen won't hurt. By the way, Little Tong won't be coming to the substation anymore starting today; she's staying home with the nanny. If you want to see her, you can watch her through this.

Gu Le stared blankly, then muttered, "Figures you'd become the director..."

What a move.

Meanwhile, Little Tong remained oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. As Aunt Liang washed her little clothes on the balcony, she pressed her face against the sliding glass door, wide-eyed with curiosity.

Aunt Liang, noticing her, chuckled, "Oh, who's this little one here?"

"It's me, Little Tong."

Aunt Liang asked again, "Hey, Little Tong, would you like to try washing clothes?"

Little Tong eagerly nodded; she wasn't particularly interested in washing clothes but loved playing with water.

Aunt Liang brought over a step stool for Little Tong to stand on and patiently taught her how to lather soap onto the clothes and use both hands to rub them back and forth until they became clean.

Little Tong rubbed her hands full of bubbles and asked, "Why not use the washing machine?"

Aunt Liang, meanwhile, was scrubbing her little shoes, "You mean the washing machine? There isn't much laundry at your home, so Auntie prefers to handwash your clothes. Clothes washed with soap by hand are the cleanest and feel the best to wear."

After the clothes were washed and hung on the balcony in the sunlight, a colorful array of little skirts and T-shirts, Little Tong ran into the bedroom and dragged out her father's sports jacket. She plopped it in front of Aunt Liang, commanding, "Wash this too."

Aunt Liang, still smiling, put Zhong Jin's jacket into the washing machine, "Your dad's clothes can be washed with the washing machine."

With the washing done, Aunt Liang went to prepare lunch, leaving Little Tong seated on the carpet, leaning against her big bunny watching cartoons.

Zhong Jin had agreed that Little Tong could only watch cartoons for half an hour a day, so Aunt Liang set a timer for an hour and a half and hung it on the refrigerator.

Soon, Aunt Liang emerged from the kitchen with a small bowl of cherries, placing them on the round table in front of Little Tong, "Tong Tong, eat some fruit by yourself."

She handed Little Tong a small bowl, instructing, "Don’t swallow the fruit pits; put them in this little bowl."

Little Tong's eyes were fixed on the TV. She reached out, picked up a cherry, popped it into her mouth, chewed, and continued to stare at the TV screen. After finishing the fruit, she spat the pit into a small bowl. Her actions were incredibly smooth, and her gaze never left the television the entire time.

Seeing that she knew how to spit out the pit, Aunt Liang turned around and went back into the kitchen.

The police officers at the station soon learned about Little Tong and the nanny being monitored at home, and one after another, they came into the office to take a look at the surveillance.

Rao Shishi and Little Wang had just returned from a patrol, bringing grapes for Little Tong. Upon arriving at the station, they were devastated to hear that Little Tong wouldn't be visiting the police station today.

Despite their disappointment, they hurried into Gu Le's office. "Have you found any evidence that the nanny is mistreating Little Tong?" they asked.

Gu Le pointed to a tablet standing upright, plugged in on the side. "She's pretty good, living like a pampered rich kid," he said.

On the surveillance screen, the little girl leaned against a large rabbit, her short legs crossed in a "pretend big-kid" way. Beside her were cherries that looked to be at least 3J in size, and she even had a special little bowl for her pits.

Their station's beloved "little princess" was now truly living the life of luxury. Rao Shishi took out the affordable grapes she had brought back, washed them, and shared them with everyone.

While chatting and munching on grapes, they kept an eye on the surveillance. Suddenly, the timer rang. The nanny rushed out of the kitchen and told Little Tong that her time was up and she could no longer watch cartoons. She turned off the TV.

Little Tong lay on the big rabbit for a while longer, feeling bored, and kicked her little legs as she sat up.

She sat on the rug, lost in thought for a moment, then crawled to the floor-to-ceiling window. Kneeling there, she propped her hands on the glass and gazed sadly outside.

"She must be missing her dad," Rao Shishi said.

Little Wang added, "She’ll probably get tired and come back inside after a while since she can’t see him."

But even after they finished a whole bowl of grapes, Little Tong remained kneeling by the floor-to-ceiling window, her small frame looking incredibly lonely against the vast expanse of glass.

"Wow, I can't take it anymore. I need to get Chief Zhong to come see this. The kid looks so pitiful," Rao Shishi said, though she didn't make a move. She didn’t yet have the courage to approach Zhong Jin.

Gu Le, however, quietly slipped out without a word. A while later, Zhong Jin followed him into the office.

"She's really so pitiful," Gu Le pointed at the surveillance for Zhong Jin to see. "Let's pick her up this afternoon. Even if she needs to stay home alone, she needs time to adjust."

To stir Zhong Jin's conscience, Little Wang quickly added, "She's been kneeling there for half the day, not moving an inch."

Zhong Jin calmly watched the surveillance, his deep black eyes revealing no emotion. After a long pause, he stretched out a finger and pointed at a spot on the glass. "Zoom in on this area."

Following Zhong Jin's instructions, Gu Le locked onto that point and steadily zoomed in until the originally blurry spot on the glass became clear for everyone to see.

"What is that?" Little Wang asked.

Gu Le adjusted his glasses. "SpongeBob. It’s an anime."

Rao Shishi let out a couple of awkward chuckles. "That must be the TV from the building across the way. The kid was, ha-ha, you know. Tee-hee. She was actually watching cartoons."

Zhong Jin folded his arms and asked expressionlessly, "Are you all very free today?"

The police officers quickly made themselves scarce. Who could have guessed that the poor kid was kneeling there stealthily watching SpongeBob on a neighbor's TV? They were all severely duped.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of the chaos she had caused, the "poor kid" chuckled with delight as she watched SpongeBob and Patrick blow two big paint bubbles.