Eating Melons in the Police Station

Zhong Jin played with Little Tong for a while, and the lingering frustration in his heart finally eased a bit. He exchanged greetings with several people at the police station: Mao Feixue, Rao Shishi, Hu De, Gu Le, and Little Wang. He told them he was going home to retrieve some things and asked them to keep an eye on Little Tong in the meantime.

Everyone readily agreed. Little Tong was an easy child to look after. She was well-behaved at the police station, never wandering off on her own, and got along well with everyone. Once, Little Wang brought her a dogtail grass, and she happily played with it all afternoon. Such a child was always a joy to be around.

Normally, the bustling city, now deserted due to a power outage, plunged into an endless darkness, with only a few flickering lights like fireflies illuminating the way.

Zhong Jin drove alone on the road. The storm outside was still fierce, and the accumulated water on the streets hadn’t drained yet. Some puddles were deep enough to just barely submerge the car tires. As the car passed through, it splashed water everywhere.

When driving past the neighborhood security booth, the guard came out to greet Zhong Jin, "Mr. Zhong, back already? Is the child okay?"

The entire property management knew about Little Tong being left alone at home. The staff had just been discussing how fortunate it was that nothing had happened, or else they might have been held responsible.

Zhong Jin nodded from inside the car, "It's fine."

The guard continued to prattle, "I heard an auntie was supposed to be looking after the child, right? How negligent can these aunts be? How could they do something so despicable?"

"As long as no one got hurt," Zhong Jin interrupted his ramblings and drove straight in.

The hallway was pitch black. Zhong Jin climbed the stairs with a flashlight, pausing occasionally to check the floor indicator on the wall. It felt like an eternity before he finally reached the 20th floor, entered the apartment after inputting the code.

Though he had been mentally prepared, the sight of his shattered home illuminated by the flashlight still left a lingering sense of melancholy.

Zhong Jin walked inside with his flashlight. Probably to prevent water from seeping downstairs, the property management had already cleaned up the standing water, though the soaked wooden floors creaked underfoot.

In the corridor, the small mat, mattress, and plush toys, all soaked with rainwater, had been temporarily moved into the bathroom bathtub.

The newly bought tablet had been damaged by water and was carelessly tossed on the floor. The ten power banks, however, had been placed on a shelf, sparing them from the same fate.

Zhong Jin walked to the window and looked outside. To prevent further rainwater from coming in, the broken window had been boarded up with a wooden panel.

What was once a warm and clean home, after the typhoon, had turned into something halfway between a shell and a bare room. Expensive items were the least of Zhong Jin’s concerns. What truly pained him was his child, his precious Little Tong, who had endured nearly an hour alone in the storm.

Thinking of this, his nose began to sting.

Zhong Jin walked to the dining area, opened a cabinet beside the dining table, and took out some cigarettes and a lighter from one of the drawers.

He didn’t have much of a smoking habit, only indulging when his emotions troubled him. Since the arrival of Little Tong, Zhong Jin hadn’t lit up, partly due to not wanting his child to inhale secondhand smoke, and partly because there hadn’t been many opportunities. At times when he was just getting upset, his child would quickly create a new mess, forcing him to hold his emotions in check while attending to the situation.

He pushed open a window of the sliding door, stood by the window, and finished a cigarette. With his mood lifted, he turned around and started packing.

Little Tong’s clothes and socks, her thermos, snacks and drinks, and the ten power banks all went into a travel bag.

As he carried the bulging bag to the entrance, he spotted several packages on the floor. Zhong Jin remembered one of them should be Little Tong’s raincoat and boots, which he had ordered ahead of the typhoon, expecting an eventual downpour afterward. He added the rain gear to the bag as well.

Back at the station, the duty officers were gathered around the canteen cooking hot pot on a small camping stove. There was no hot pot base available, so Hu De and Little Wang had gone out on an electric scooter to pick up a few coconuts, planning to make coconut chicken hot pot.

The scent of food made Zhong Jin realize how hungry he was—he hadn’t eaten a proper meal all day.

Without a high chair, Little Tong was perched on Gu Le’s lap, while Rao Shishi and Little Wang on either side kept feeding her with bits of meat.

Normally, Zhong Jin would have scolded them by now—Zhong Yuntong was as plump as a sandbag, and they were still feeding her?

But today, Zhong Yuntong had unchallenged immunity from her father, so she happily ate her fill of meat without a single vegetable in sight.

It was Hu De who silently moved all the meat from Little Tong’s bowl into his own.

The others at the table looked puzzled, to which Hu De barked, “Stop feeding the kid so much meat.”

Rao Shishi placed another chunk of chicken in Little Tong’s bowl, defiantly saying, “We will.” She added boldly, “It’s not like she eats this way every day. Just today, why not? The child had enough misery today, didn’t she?”

In fact, much of Rao Shishi’s irritation was directed at Zhong Jin.

Zhong Jin rarely lost his temper, often polite and well-spoken, frequently thanking Rao Shishi and the others with courteous remarks like, “Thank you,” or “Sorry for the trouble.” Nonetheless, Rao Shishi felt a certain aloofness from him, an almost intimidating sense of disconnection. On the other hand, Hu De, loud-mouthed and hot-headed, never intimidated Rao Shishi. She often clashed with Hu De but would make up with him soon after.

Today, after braving the storm to fetch Little Tong, Rao Shishi had bottled resentment that she wanted to unleash by yelling at someone. She thought about berating Zhong Jin a bit, like she had jokingly mentioned on the road, to vent her frustrations. But she knew Zhong Jin was on a mission, and the situation wasn’t his fault. Besides her, Rao Shishi didn’t dare actually curse at the station chief. So when Hu De stepped into her line of fire, she let loose on him.

Hu De didn’t mind Rao Shishi’s temper and, mischievous as ever, said, “Keep eating like that and she’ll turn into a little piglet.”

Rao Shishi glared at him fiercely, but this time she was overprotective of Little Tong.

Little Tong, however, seemed unfazed, quickly finishing the rice in her bowl. She hopped down from Gu Le’s lap and ran over to Zhong Jin, leaning on his knee to ask, “Can I watch cartoons now?”

Zhong Jin had brought back the power banks which were now charging the computer in the office, having just begun charging shortly before.

Zhong Jin said to her, “You can play for a bit longer, wait for the battery to charge up.”

Little Tong nodded, “Okay, okay. Can I play ghost now?”

“Sure, go ahead,” replied Zhong Jin.

With a flashlight in hand, Little Tong happily trotted off.

Watching her go, Hu De suddenly said, “Chief Zhong, haven’t you noticed that Little Tong never really gets mad?”

His comment resonated with everyone at the table, as none of them had ever seen Little Tong genuinely angry. The child might huff and puff from time to time, bellowing in frustration, but over the next moment, she would be happily playing with everyone again.

Before, the matter hadn’t crossed anyone’s mind. They merely thought the child had a good temper, was easygoing, and always in high spirits.

However, Hu De’s agitation was deliberate, first taking her meat, then taunting her about being fat. Yet, she appeared entirely unperturbed, already happily pretending to be a ghost.

Zhong Jin, however, had witnessed Little Tong’s outburst before—the time she stayed behind with Aunt Liang, scolding Zhong Jin not to be her daddy again, but she quickly forgot and chided herself for having seven-second memory, just a fish.

Hu De said, "I reckon this kid has had such a sheltered upbringing, everyone being nice to her, no one ever bullying her, which is why she's turned out so carefree. Her good-natured personality is a good thing, but it might not always be a good thing. Let's not even talk about stepping into society, just starting kindergarten in a few days, she'll have to face all kinds of kids, what then? Be a pushover?"

"That won't do," Zhong Jin replied. "How can she just let herself be bullied?"

"That's exactly what I mean," Hu De said, slapping his thigh. "Let's do a rehearsal in advance. We'll find someone to act as the bad guy, simulate the various situations she'll encounter in the future, and teach her how to handle being offended properly."

Gu Le nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea."

Hu De tapped the table. "So, who's going to be the bad guy?"

Everyone fell silent and looked at him.

Hu De, "...Me? Do I look like a bad guy?"

The group nodded in unison, even real bad guys wouldn't look as bad as you.

Zhong Jin stretched out his hand and lightly patted Hu De's shoulder. "Thanks, old Hu."

Hu De rubbed his bald head, only realizing afterward, and shouted towards Zhong Jin's retreating figure, "Hey, Little Tong won't hate me, will she?"@@novelbin@@

*

The first night after the typhoon passed, the entire city was in chaos, with new emergency calls coming in continuously. Except for those with special circumstances at home, most of the police officers didn't go back, opting to catch a few winks by assembling a few office chairs together.

At around 9 PM, Zhong Jin boiled a basin of hot water with a bottled gas stove in the kitchen, letting Little Tong wash her feet before sleeping.

Little Tong sat on the couch, dipping her feet into the warm water, bending down as far as she could to rub her chubby feet with her hands. Due to the height of the couch, the poor girl nearly bent into a folding screen.

"Let me help you wash," Zhong Jin said, hitching up his trousers and crouching down.

But the child shook her head. "Aunt Liang says, 'Do your own things.'” Then she earnestly rubbed her feet, giggling, "My feet are so fat."

Zhong Jin replied, "And you still have the nerve to laugh? It's thanks to you stuffing your face every bite."

The child washed her feet herself, dried them with a towel, changed into the SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas Zhong Jin had brought, and snuggled obediently into the couch, pulling the blanket over her belly before looking up and asking, "Can I watch cartoons?"

Zhong Jin handed her the laptop. "Watch for half an hour, keep your eyes far enough away."

"Yes, Auntie," Little Tong responded, hugging the tablet and leaning her head on the pillow to start watching cartoons.

For some time now, Aunt Liang had been taking care of her, and unknowingly, the child had learned to wash her feet and change clothes by herself.

Aunt Liang called again that evening, saying her mother's condition had stabilized. Since her mother had a heart condition and was deaf and mute, her health had always been poor, making her very sensitive to her mother's condition, fearing she might suddenly disappear one day without a sound.

Regarding leaving Little Tong home alone, Aunt Liang felt especially guilty and offered, if Zhong Jin was willing, she could take care of Little Tong for free until the child started kindergarten.

Zhong ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍Jin refused.

It wasn't because he was angry with Aunt Liang and didn't want her to continue taking care of the child. Truthfully, until that day, Zhong Jin thought Aunt Liang was the most conscientious and responsible nanny he had ever met. She not only looked after Little Tong but also consciously cultivated good habits in the child. But even such a good person, when faced with danger to her close relatives and in that moment of losing her composure, would instinctively choose her family.

Zhong Jin couldn't demand that for a monthly wage of 9000 yuan, she would disregard her own mother. And although Aunt Liang had panicked at the time, she had tried to make up for it afterward, preventing an even worse outcome. So, he didn't hold too much resentment.

However, he couldn't take the risk anymore. If something unexpected happened, Little Tong was the first person he would protect, his first choice at any time. He didn't dare leave the child in the hands of someone who would rank her second or third.

Zhong Jin was thinking about how to handle the period before Little Tong started kindergarten when there was a knock at the door of the office.

He pulled himself back to the present. "Come in."

Hu De pushed the door in, not even looking at Zhong Jin, and with his face even more sinister under the white light of the emergency lamp, he walked straight over to Little Tong, lightly tapped her head, and said, "Little Tong, lend me the computer for a bit."

The child, who had been so engrossed in watching cartoons, immediately handed over the computer obediently when she heard him.

Hu De took Little Tong's computer directly, not even bothering to say thank you, being extremely impolite. His performance was spot-on, just like those unruly kids you might meet on the street who would kick dogs.

Zhong Jin glanced at the child, a bit forlorn after having her computer taken away, and deliberately guided her. "They took your computer?"

"Mhmm," the child nodded, pulling the little blanket over herself. "Let's sleep."

Zhong Jin checked the time. "I promised you half an hour, and only 15 minutes have passed. Why don't you go get the computer back and watch for another 15 minutes?"

Little Tong closed her eyes thoughtfully, then opened them. "But maybe Uncle Hu also wants to watch cartoons."

"Don't worry about others, that's your computer, if you want to watch, we'll go get it back. If you don't want to watch, just go to sleep."

Little Tong thought again, then got up and sat straight. "I want to watch cartoons. Can you come with me to get it back?"

Zhong Jin helped her put on her little slippers, and the father-daughter duo left the office together. Zhong Jin taught her, "If he doesn't give it back, then be fierce."

The child's gaze was as determined as if she were joining the Party. "I'm super fierce."

Little Tong walked in front, her loose SpongeBob pajamas making her shadow on the ground an irregular square, really looking like a sponge from the cartoon.

The square-shaped kid found Hu De, who was chatting with Rao Shishi and the others, and reached out to tug on Hu De's trousers.

Hu De looked down. "What is it, Little Tong?"

"I want my computer to watch cartoons."

"No, I'm going to watch a movie later," Hu De refused again.

Everyone stopped chatting, all waiting to see Little Tong's reaction.

Sure enough, as Zhong Jin had taught her, Little Tong puffed up her cheeks fiercely, glared with her eyes wide, put her hands on her hips, and shouted loudly, "Okay, bye-bye."

Then she stormed back to the stationmaster's office with her short angry strides.