Eating Melons in the Police Station

Aunt Liang's heart plummeted upon hearing the words on the other end of the phone, as if it had fallen into a deep abyss, leaving her feeling both numb and cold to the core. Her limbs felt detached, like they no longer belonged to her.

"Why all of a sudden? She was fine this morning when I left." She panicked, reaching out in the air as if to grasp something, but futilely catching nothing.

"She slipped and fell in the bathroom. I carried her to the couch, but she just... stopped."

"Did you call 120?" Aunt Liang tried to steady her nerves.

"Yes, yes, I did. They said they'll come, but with the typhoon, it might take a while. You better hurry back, Aunt Liang. I'm afraid if you're late, you might not get to see your mom one last time."

Aunt Liang's mind was in chaos, repeating softly, "I can't leave now, I can't go back. Let me see Mom first."

The camera shifted to a fabric sofa covered with a small floral patterned throw. An emaciated, white-haired old woman lay there, her eyes tightly shut. She seemed to be sleeping, and no matter how many times Aunt Liang called out to her through the screen, there was no response.

Hearing this devastating news, Aunt Liang was completely stunned. She repeatedly called out "Mom," completely forgetting that her mother was deaf and mute and couldn't hear her.

Aunt Liang hung up the phone and immediately dialed Zhong Jin's number.

She anxiously waited for the call to connect, but Zhong Jin's phone was lodged in the crack of the passenger seat in his car, vibrating uselessly on the open ground below his building.@@novelbin@@

Aunt Liang tried dialing three times, but the call never went through.

She hung up the phone, her expression numb as she looked outside. A massive expanse of rolling clouds had suddenly appeared in the previously lifeless sky. The dark clouds at the horizon seemed so low, it felt as if one could touch them.

Little Tong, observing all this with wide eyes, noticed Aunt Liang's distraught expression, her face scrunched up as if on the verge of tears. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Aunt Liang's mind was in turmoil, and she could no longer attend to the child.

"Is your mom not feeling well? You should go home and check on her," Little Tong gently nudged Aunt Liang's arm. "Go on, huh?"

Aunt Liang finally snapped back to reality, her expression dazed and confused. "Little Tong, can you stay at home by yourself for a bit? Auntie needs to go check on something and will be right back."

Little Tong hopped out of Aunt Liang's lap and climbed to the farthest corner of her dog bed, grabbing a toy eggplant and hugging it tightly. "I'll stay right here, just like this."

Aunt Liang reached over and patted her head. "Good girl, Auntie will only be gone for a little while and will be right back to be with you."

Little Tong hugged the toy eggplant, her sparkling eyes watching Aunt Liang leave. She heard the door close with a click. Glancing at the toy eggplant, which also had big staring eyes, she scolded it in a cute but stern voice, "What are you looking at? You want to go out? No way!"

The child gathered her favorite toys around her, sitting in the middle of them and turning on her tablet to watch cartoons.

While her eyes were glued to the screen, her mouth kept reminding herself, "Little Tong, you can't go out, okay?"

"You have to be good."

"Little Tong, this isn't a joke."

As Aunt Liang rode her electric bike out of the community, it had already started raining, and the wind had picked up, nearly tipping her bike over. She encountered a traffic police officer maintaining order, shouting at pedestrians to hurry home.

Seeing the officer, Aunt Liang suddenly remembered that she should have called 110 instead of repeatedly trying to reach Zhong Jin. Her mind had been in a daze, unable to think clearly. Only now, after regaining a bit of composure, did she recall she could call the police or ask the property management for help.

She quickly pulled over the electric bike, shielding herself from the wind and rain, and dialed the property management's number. But no one answered. Earlier, as she left, she had vaguely seen several people in raincoats heading toward the underground parking lot, likely the property management team dealing with an emergency repair.

Aunt Liang then dialed 110. This time, the call was picked up quickly.

The calm voice of a female police officer came through the line. "Hello, Haishan City 110, please go ahead."

Finally, someone was there to help her. Aunt Liang felt a bit more at ease. Struggling against the gale and torrential rain, while barely holding back her emotions, she managed to explain Little Tong's situation clearly.

"There's ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍a three-year-old child alone in apartment 2030, Building B9, Fuding Residential Complex."

"We will immediately coordinate with the local police station. Please keep your phone on, and with the typhoon approaching, please move to a safe area to ensure your personal safety."

The storm was already fierce. Several large leaves had been blown off the oil palm trees in front of He'an Police Station.

Rao Shishi received a call, her expression anxious. She rushed into Mao Feixue's office. "Sister, I just got a call from the 110 central dispatch. There's a three-year-old child alone at home in Fuding Residential Complex. The property management isn't answering."

"Fuding Residential Complex? Isn't that where Chief Zhong lives?"

Rao Shishi was puzzled. "Huh? A three-year-old child? Could it be our Little Tong?"

Mao Feixue shook her head. "Shouldn't be. Chief Zhong mentioned arranging Aunt Liang to stay with Little Tong." She immediately stood up. "I'll drive over myself."

Most of the male officers were already out. Two had been temporarily assigned by the community, and the traffic police had loaned some others. Zhong Jin had taken a few to handle a suspected drug ring, and a few more had been sent to the local nursing home.

Only a few young female officers remained at the station. With such inclement weather, unexpected situations could arise at any moment. Rao Shishi grabbed Mao Feixue's arm. "I'll go. You stay and hold the fort."

Mao Feixue considered it and agreed. If even she left, there would be no one to make decisions in case of an emergency.

She handed Rao Shishi the car keys. "Drive carefully. Take Luan Yun with you."

Rao Shishi gripped the steering wheel tightly, the howling wind and rain making it difficult to see ahead. The visibility was so poor that it was hard to distinguish between sky and earth. The entire Haishan City seemed to be swallowed by a massive white whirlpool, with everything around them rapidly disappearing.

Growing up inland, Rao Shishi had never seen such a scene. Her heart felt as if it was being squeezed by a giant hand, her legs trembling with fear, her breathing becoming labored.

She cursed under her breath. "Whoever let a three-year-old stay home alone in this weather is an absolute idiot. Once this is over, I'll personally haul the parents in and give them a good lecture."

"Right? I couldn't believe it when I heard it. Step-parents, probably." Luan Yun agreed.

A loud crash sounded ahead. Rao Shishi blinked hard, trying to see through the heavy rain, only to find a fairly sturdy tree had fallen, its branches spiraling upward as the wind instantly swept them into the air.

Rao Shishi cursed again. "Damn, it's like the apocalypse."

While Rao Shishi and Luan Yun were racing toward Fuding Residential Complex in a dangerous storm, Little Tong was comfortably curled up in her dog bed, leaning against a big rabbit toy, her legs leisurely kicking back and forth as she watched cartoons on her tablet. The roaring wind outside, which seemed to be tearing the world apart, had no effect on her. After all, she was once a Heavenly Cloud Demon Dog, and the noises from the battles between demon generals were far louder.

Until, suddenly, the outdoor unit of someone's air conditioner fell with a "bang," shattering the glass on the window and creating a large hole. The fierce wind and rain poured into the room. Fortunately, Aunt Liang had pushed a large sofa in front of the window, which blocked some of the storm. The wind barrier was broken, significantly weakening the destructive power. Luckily, Little Tong was in the corridor, which was completely wind-protected, so the wind didn't reach her.

The unfortunate child, hearing the commotion, finally put down her computer and crawled forward a couple of steps, stretching her neck to look outside.

After a moment, she retracted her neck and told her toys, "I'll tell you something, a kid from the typhoon has finally arrived."

Then, the child calmly shoved the straw forcefully into the yogurt, taking a couple of gulps to calm her non-existent fright. Oblivious to any real panic, she returned to her computer in a composed manner.

No matter the rain or wind, her heart remained rock-solid in her quest to watch cartoons.

After a bit of leg-swinging while watching cartoons, Little Tong suddenly felt a chill beneath her. She reached out to touch the mattress under her and found herself with a hand full of cold water.

The child froze, then her pale, round face turned a shade of red, her ears even showing a pink tint, as disbelief filled her voice, "I wet myself."

Her embarrassment didn't last three seconds before she realized the entire room was filled with rainwater. The dog bed was drenched, and even her pants were soaked, making it look as if she had really wet herself.

The typhoon hadn't scared the unlucky child, but the seeming accident of wetting her pants made her feel uneasy, fearing someone might barge in and think she had actually wet herself.

She sat on the soggy mat, letting it sink in, then solemnly told her equally soaked toys, "I think I'll head back to the Demon God Palace for now. I'll return once my pants are dry, okay?"

As Little Tong's figure became semi-transparent, the sound of someone entering a password at the door outside reached her ears.

Preparing to leave, Little Tong heard the noise at the door and wondered if it might be her dad returning. If it were her dad, she could be saved.

So, she

Iridium

returned, her big eyes staring intently at the entrance.

The storm inside the house had now subsided a bit, and the door was rattling noisily, as if someone was pushing it. A voice said, "The door is pretty tight. It must be because the glass inside the house is broken, and the wind is pushing against the door."

The voice wasn't her dad's. Little Tong, flustered, snapped back to reality and decided it was better to leave before someone found out about her accident.

Just as her figure was about to become semi-transparent again, the door was pushed open a crack, and Rao Shishi's voice came through, "Can we get in now? Or will we be swept away by the wind?"

The flickering child, hearing the familiar voice, flickered back into visibility, her small hands nervously clenching together. Should she let Shishi know about her situation? Shishi had always been kind to her... maybe she should tell her.

"It's calm outside now. Must be the eye of the typhoon," someone shouted. "Go in."

The front door was suddenly pushed wide open, and several people rushed in, among them uniformed Rao Shishi and Luan Yun, along with property management staff they had contacted later. The elevator was out of service, and they had climbed up twenty floors to get there.

"The child is over there," someone spotted Little Tong sitting on the floor.

Rao Shishi then erupted in a series of screams, "Tongbao, why are you here? Tongbao! Where's Aunt Liang taking care of you?"

Rao Shishi rushed forward to pick up Little Tong, but Little Tong silently turned and moved deeper into the room, avoiding her.

"Scared, huh? It's just me, Shishi. Come here, little sister, we need to take you away from here right now," Rao Shishi crouched down, stretching out her arms to Little Tong.

Little Tong looked at Rao Shishi, then at the people behind her, big tears welling up in her eyes as she looked pitiful. Oh no, what if all these people found out about her accident?

"The kid must be scared out of her wits. With such a big storm and the glass broken, even an adult would freak out, let alone a child this young," someone commented.

"Sweetie, are you hurt? Don't be afraid; we'll take you to a safe place," another comforted.

"Come on, little one, let's go back to the police station with me," Rao Shishi reached out to grab Little Tong's arm.

Then, the teary-eyed child pointed to her pants and loudly complained, "The typhoon brat broke into my house and even peed in my pants!"