Eating Melons in the Police Station

Today, two additional rows of plastic chairs were placed at the back of the classroom in the Ginkgo Class. The children sat at their desks in the front, while their parents sat on the chairs behind them.

The children took turns going up to the stage to introduce themselves. After each child finished their introduction, the corresponding parent would stand up to claim their child and briefly introduce themselves.

Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng sat in the corner at the back, watching their chubby little one being called up by the teacher. They immediately stood up from their seats.

Unlike her usual cheerful self, the child looked very serious, walking with determination on her short little legs to the stage. Just as they had practiced at home the day before, she placed her hands on her little belly, bowed politely, and said loudly,

"Hello everyone, I am... no, I’m not just 'a.' I am Zhong Yuntong. I’m three years and two months old. I like riding my scooter, and I love eating fried chicken, grilled sausages, ice cream, and rainbow candy. I’m very happy to meet new friends."

After the child finished her introduction, the teacher led the applause and praised her, "Zhong Yuntong did a great job. Now, let’s hear from Zhong Yuntong’s parents."

Zhong Jin glanced at Qiu Sheng. This woman, who was usually unruly at home, was now tactfully tilting her head toward the wall, probably afraid of being recognized as Qiu Danhua.

Zhong Jin stood up, his tall and lean figure particularly striking.

"I am Zhong Yuntong’s father, Zhong Jin. I’m a police officer. The person next to me is Zhong Yuntong’s mother, Qiu Sheng. The teacher said the introduction should last at least a minute, so with the two of us, we have two minutes. Since that’s the case, I’ll take this opportunity to educate everyone on how to prevent scams."

Zhong Jin then effortlessly began explaining various anti-scam techniques. However, he went on for so long that the teacher, feeling he was taking up too much time, politely asked him to sit down and quickly called the next student to speak.

After all the students had introduced themselves, Teacher Luo gave a speech filled with official-sounding words about looking forward to the future. The children stayed at school to continue their lessons, while the parents were finally free to leave.

As soon as the parents were about to leave, the previously cheerful little ones began to realize that going to kindergarten meant being separated from their mom and dad.

It started with one unlucky child crying, and soon more and more children joined in.

Zhong Yuntong also stood up from her little chair, her small hands gripping the edge of the table, her lips quivering as she looked at her parents. Her little face scrunched up, trying hard not to cry.

It was heartbreaking to watch.

Zhong Jin was about to step forward to comfort her, but the child covered her eyes with the back of her hand and shouted, "You guys go now, or I’m going to cry!"

Qiu Sheng tugged at Zhong Jin’s arm and whispered, "Let’s go."

As they walked toward the back door, Zhong Jin noticed Miao Chong still sitting on the bench and called out to him, "Miao Chong, aren’t you leaving?"

"I’m staying. Yueyue has special circumstances, and the school has allowed me to accompany her for a while until she adjusts to the group. You guys go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on Yuntong and let you know if there’s any issue, Chief Zhong."

"Thanks," Zhong Jin waved at him.

Once outside the kindergarten, a few parents were clinging to the gate’s railings, peering inside. One young mother was even quietly sobbing. Inside the kindergarten, the crying was even louder.

Zhong Jin said to Qiu Sheng, "The last time I saw a scene like this was when I was sending someone to detention."

"That’s an exaggeration," Qiu Sheng replied. "It’s not that bad. They’re just going to kindergarten. We’ll pick them up in the afternoon."

Zhong Jin tossed the car keys to Qiu Sheng. "I’m working just across the street, so I’ll walk. You take the car back and pick me up when you come to get Yuntong this afternoon."

"Sure."

Qiu Sheng took a couple of steps toward the car, then paused, thought for a moment, and turned back to say, "Thanks for handling the introduction earlier."

Zhong Jin, with his hands in his pockets, didn’t turn around. "A hundred bucks per introduction. Don’t forget to transfer the money."

In truth, Qiu Sheng wasn’t a socially anxious person. In fact, she was often quite the opposite.

Zhong Jin remembered how, during New Year celebrations, the kids in their circle would take turns visiting each other’s homes. Back then, there were two things everyone dreaded: publicly reporting their grades and performing a talent.

Reporting grades wasn’t too bad for Zhong Jin. He had always been a top student, never falling out of the top ten in his class, no matter which school he attended.

Talent performances, however, were his worst nightmare. He had no notable skills to show off.

So whenever Yuntong sang off-key at home, Zhong Jin was always certain she was his biological child.

Qiu Sheng, on the other hand, was different. She could sing, dance, play the piano, and even the cello. During talent shows, everyone begged her to perform multiple acts so the adults would get bored and let the other kids off the hook.

Qiu Sheng would keep performing until the adults got tired and sent the kids off to play on their own.

Then, she would privately collect a performance fee from the group—a hundred bucks per act, which they willingly split among themselves.

Her fear of public speaking, however, started after she entered the entertainment industry.

She had joined the industry while still in college, barely in her twenties. Not having studied acting professionally, her performances were understandably rough.

During that time, she mostly played villainous roles, which were already unpopular, and her lack of experience led to her being heavily criticized. It got to the point where hearing the name "Qiu Danhua" would trigger her.

At first, she thought it would get better with time, but even now, years later, her anxiety seemed to have worsened. She couldn’t leave the house without sunglasses, or she’d feel completely exposed.

Zhong Jin stepped out of his memories and into the bustling morning at the police station.

Gu Le was by the water dispenser, filling his cup. When he saw Zhong Jin walk in, he glanced behind him and asked, "Where’s Yuntong?"

"She’s at kindergarten," Zhong Jin replied.

Gu Le pressed, "Which kindergarten?"

Zhong Jin turned around and pointed at the district experimental kindergarten across the street. "Right there, the Ginkgo Class at the An District Experimental Kindergarten. Don’t worry, her mom didn’t take her away."

"Good," Gu Le said, holding his massive water bottle as he walked off.

Zhong Jin stared at the oversized bottle, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. It was bigger than Gu Le’s head, something called a "ton-ton bucket." He had no idea why Gu Le needed to drink so much water—it was like his brain was filled with it.

As soon as Zhong Jin entered his office, Hu De knocked on the door and placed a stack of documents on his desk.

"Chief Zhong, someone reported two days ago that her husband had committed suicide by jumping into the sea due to debt. We worked with the coast guard and recovered a body in the area she indicated. It’s confirmed to be her husband. Here’s the investigation report from the past couple of days. I think we can rule out foul play, but please review it again."

Zhong Jin spent the entire morning reviewing the documents in his office. It wasn’t until someone called him to the cafeteria for lunch that he finally put the papers down and stepped out.

While eating, Zhong Jin checked his phone. The Ginkgo Class group chat was quiet, and the teacher hadn’t posted any updates about the kids.

He sent a message to Miao Chong: [Are you still at the school? How are they doing?]

Miao Chong replied with two words: [Doing fine.]

And that was it.

No elaboration, no photos or videos—completely missing the point of Zhong Jin’s message.

This Miao Chong, no wonder his wife called him a block of wood.

Zhong Jin didn’t want to keep pestering Miao Chong, so he quickly finished his meal, set his bowl aside, and headed out. He crossed the street to see if he could catch a glimpse of Yuntong at the kindergarten.

It might be nap time now. Looking through the fence at the school, everything was quiet, and not a single child could be seen on the playground.

Zhong Jin walked along the fence, thinking he might circle around to the windows to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside the classrooms.

Just as he turned the corner, he saw at least a dozen parents clinging to the railings, stretching their necks like monkeys in a zoo, trying to peek inside. None of them dared to make a sound, afraid the teachers might chase them away. The scene looked bizarre.

And among those "monkeys," Zhong Jin spotted a familiar figure.

He walked over with his hands in his pockets, took a long stride, and hopped onto the stone base beneath the railing. "Can you see anything?"

Qiu Sheng turned around, and Zhong Jin noticed her eyes were red.

"You're crying? Really?"

Zhong Jin pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief from his coat pocket and handed it to her.

Qiu Sheng took the handkerchief, blew her nose, put on her sunglasses, and handed it back to Zhong Jin. She sighed softly, "I just hope she eats well during lunch."

Hearing this, Zhong Jin felt a pang of discomfort but still reassured her, "She’ll eat just fine. She’s been good at eating on her own since she started daycare."

The two sat by the railing for a while. Zhong Jin glanced at his watch. "Let’s go back. We can pick her up in three hours."

Qiu Sheng nodded and stood up.

As they walked back together, Zhong Jin suggested, "Why don’t you wait at the station? Didn’t you used to love watching gossip? The local police station is always lively. Xiao Tong watches it all the time."

Zhong Jin remembered when they first got together. One day, Qiu Sheng was scrolling through a live stream and stumbled upon a nearby broadcast of someone catching a mistress. She was glued to her phone, completely absorbed. When Zhong Jin came out of the shower, he found the couch empty.

He checked his phone and, sure enough, saw Qiu Sheng at the scene, jumping around excitedly as the drama unfolded.

But now, Qiu Sheng shook her head. "I don’t like crowded places anymore. I’ll wait in the car."

Zhong Jin watched her get into the SUV and let out a barely audible sigh before heading toward the police station.

With just a few minutes left until kindergarten dismissal, Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng joined the crowd of parents waiting.

When it was time, the security guard opened the gate with a spring-loaded dog pattern, and a line of children, like little ducklings, walked out in an orderly fashion, led by their teacher.

Xiao Tong was tall, and Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng immediately spotted the little ponytail on top of her head.

After a day at kindergarten, the children seemed to have matured suddenly. Seeing their parents didn’t excite them as much, and they walked steadily in line.

When the teacher called out "Zhong Yuntong," she broke away from the line and dashed into Zhong Jin’s arms like a little cannonball, shouting, "We’re finally reunited!"

On the way home, Xiao Tong eagerly shared, "Today we learned a song about a chick."

Then, pinching her little hands and widening her big, black-bean-like eyes, she sang in a funny voice, "Chick, chick, my little chick, chick, chick, cute little chick, your fluffy body will grow into a big hen someday."

Qiu Sheng clapped enthusiastically. "Wow, that’s... quite a unique song."

Zhong ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍Jin gripped the steering wheel, his lips tight, and suddenly turned to look out the window, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Qiu Sheng pinched his thigh, and Zhong Jin swallowed his laughter.

Clearing his throat, Zhong Jin changed the subject. "Did you listen to the teacher today?"

"I was very good. Miao Yueyue wasn’t, and the teacher scolded her."

"Really? What did the teacher say?"

Xiao Tong sat in her car seat, puffing out her little belly and imitating the teacher’s stern tone. "Miao Qingyue, don’t keep chatting like Zhong Yuntong does."