Eating Melons in the Police Station

City Hospital Emergency Room.

Zhong Jin had just finished drawing blood, and Qiu Sheng was sitting with him outside the emergency room, waiting for the results.

A little girl walked past them, holding her mother's hand. The child seemed to find Qiu Sheng very pretty and kept staring at her.

Qiu Sheng smiled at the child.

After the girl had walked away, Qiu Sheng turned to Zhong Jin and said, "I wonder how Little Tong is doing at the police station. Do you think she misses her parents?"

Zhong Jin leaned weakly against a nearby pillar, his voice hoarse as he replied, "Don't worry about her. She's living it up at the station. Worry about me instead—I'm in so much pain I could die."

Qiu Sheng's tone suddenly softened. "It's okay, don't worry. If you die, I'll just watch a 120-second ad to revive you."

Zhong Jin, "..."

Little Tong was indeed living it up at the police station, currently being treated to a bowl of rice noodles by the officers.

Rao Shishi taught her how to slurp the noodles: "Bite one end, close your eyes, and suck hard—the noodles will go right into your mouth."

The child didn't quite get the hang of it, so she just bit the noodles and wiggled her mouth rapidly, like a little hamster, her cheeks puffing in and out as the noodles slipped into her mouth.

Gu Le picked out all the untouched beef from his own bowl and placed it into Little Tong's bowl, asking her, "What did you learn at kindergarten today?"

The child immediately stood up from her seat, her feet turned inward, and with her hands clasped, she wiggled her bottom and performed a little chicken dance for them.

Hu De smiled with satisfaction. "See? I told you kids learn things at kindergarten."

Little Tong raised a finger, her little face serious. "I'll tell you this, but it's not free. You have to give me more meat."

The smiles faded from the officers' faces. Even at the police station, they couldn't escape this kind of forced transaction. Sometimes, they felt like calling the police themselves.

However, after the last time they overfed her meat and she ended up with indigestion, they didn't indulge her this time. She only got the beef from Gu Le's bowl.

After finishing the noodles, Little Tong eagerly showed off her "child's watch" to everyone.

The officers teased her by closing their eyes. "We can't look—we don't have any money to pay."

The child pried their eyelids open one by one, forcing them to admire it. "This one's free. Just look, okay?"

Qiu Sheng arrived at the police station at 10 p.m. to pick up Little Tong. When she entered, Little Tong was sitting in the lap of a bald officer, her hands propped on the table, her face cupped in her palms, listening intently to a case being mediated.

Her head kept nodding as she fought off sleep, but whenever something interesting was said, she would instantly perk up, her big eyes wide with curiosity.

Earlier at the hospital, Zhong Jin had said that Little Tong's three favorite things at the police station were snacks, cartoons, and gossip.

Now, seeing it for herself, Qiu Sheng realized that Zhong Jin truly understood his daughter.

Hu De noticed Qiu Sheng standing at the door and carried Little Tong over to her. "Sister-in-law, is Zhong Jin okay?"

Out of respect, everyone at the police station called Qiu Sheng "sister-in-law," regardless of whether they were older or younger than Zhong Jin.

Moreover, Qiu Sheng wasn't wearing any disguise today, yet as she walked through the station, no one made a fuss. They simply greeted her naturally and went about their business.

The atmosphere at the police station gave Qiu Sheng an inexplicable sense of comfort.

No wonder Little Tong liked it here so much—even Qiu Sheng felt a sense of home.

Qiu Sheng took Little Tong into her arms. "Zhong Jin's fine. He's on an IV drip, and a nurse is watching over him. Thank you for taking care of Little Tong."

"She's one of our own kids here—no need to be so polite."

Hu De pointed toward the mediation room. "I still have work to do, sister-in-law. Take care on your way home, and call us if you need anything."

While Qiu Sheng and Hu De were talking, Little Tong had already wrapped her arms around Qiu Sheng's neck and fallen asleep, her head nestled against her shoulder.

Little Tong had been sweating all day from playing, so when they got home, Qiu Sheng woke her up to take a bath before going back to sleep.

The child leaned on Qiu Sheng's shoulder, her eyes closed, motionless.

Qiu Sheng used the trick Zhong Jin had taught her. "There's a bubble gun shaped like a pink duck. Want to play with it?"

Sure enough, the child rubbed her eyes and sat up, saying obediently, "Mom, I want to take a bath."

"Your dad really can predict everything."

Qiu Sheng carried Little Tong into the bathroom, first undressing her and then letting her sit in the bathtub. She adjusted the showerhead to a gentle setting, cradling the child's round head as she rinsed her hair from back to front.

While Qiu Sheng massaged shampoo into her hair, Little Tong held the bubble gun and sprayed bubbles all over the bathroom floor.

Soon, a large puddle of foam had formed on the ground. The child bent over to look at it, then turned to Qiu Sheng and said, "These bubbles don't smell like strawberries."

"Yeah, but you can still play with them."

Qiu Sheng hadn't added any shower gel to the bubble gun. Even though they weren't short on money, she didn't want to waste it. She had mixed in a bit of soapy water instead, which still produced bubbles.

Little Tong looked down at the watch drawn on her wrist and said to Qiu Sheng, "Don't wash off my child's watch."

"Then keep your hand raised, or the water might wash it off."

The chubby child quickly raised her hand high.

When it came time to rinse off the shampoo and water, Qiu Sheng made sure to avoid Little Tong's wrist. By the time she carried the clean, sweet-smelling child to the big bed, the watch on her wrist was still intact.

After Qiu Sheng finished her own shower, she thought the child would already be asleep.

But as soon as she lay down, the little one crawled over, her small hands wrapping around Qiu Sheng's arm, her chubby little legs resting on Qiu Sheng's stomach, and her chin propped on Qiu Sheng's shoulder as she whispered,

"Is Daddy sick?"

No one had told her that Zhong Jin was sick, but she must have overheard Qiu Sheng and Hu De talking earlier.

"Yes, he's sick, but it's not serious. Go to sleep, and you'll see him tomorrow when you wake up."

The child then whispered into Qiu Sheng's ear, "I'll tell you, just buy a bun and fry it, and he'll be fine."

Qiu Sheng didn't quite understand what she meant, but it was late, and she didn't want to keep chatting, so she just agreed, "Okay, we'll buy one tomorrow."

The child wasn't satisfied. She clung to Qiu Sheng's face and said, "I know where to buy it. I'll take you there tomorrow."

"Okay," Qiu Sheng said, turning over and pulling the child into her arms. "Sweetie, it's time to sleep. It's really late."

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‍child closed her eyes for a while, then opened them again, her long eyelashes fluttering against Qiu Sheng's neck.

She whispered, "I still want to call Daddy."

Qiu Sheng had planned to ignore her and let her fall asleep on her own, but then she felt a warm wetness on her skin—the child was quietly crying into her neck.

"Baby, what's wrong? Daddy's fine," Qiu Sheng said, sitting up to grab the phone from the nightstand. "Don't cry. We'll call him now, but if he's asleep and doesn't answer, then we'll go to sleep too, okay?"

The video call went through after just two rings.

Zhong Jin's unusually haggard face appeared on the screen, his voice hoarse as he called out, "Little Tong, aren't you asleep yet?"

The child clutched the phone, seeing her father's face looking so different from usual and hearing his strange voice. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

"Daddy," she whimpered, her lips trembling. She couldn't say anything else, just opening her mouth silently as tears streamed down her face.

Seeing his child like this, Zhong Jin felt heartbroken too, his eyes reddening instantly.

Father and daughter were separated by the screen, the daughter crying inconsolably on one side, the father watching with teary eyes on the other. If it weren't for the fact that there were other people around, he might have cried too.

In the end, Qiu Sheng took the phone. "You'll see each other tomorrow. Don't act like it's some huge tragedy. Both of you, go to sleep now."

Then she hung up the call.

Zhong Jin returned home in the early hours of the morning. He peeked into the master bedroom and saw the mother and daughter wrapped in the blanket, sleeping soundly, each leaning to one side like two cashew nuts.

He had sweated a lot during the IV drip, so he took a hot shower before heading to the guest room to sleep.

When people are sick, their spirits are low, and they tend to fall asleep easily, but always feel as if they are in a daze, sometimes floating on clouds, other times plummeting into an abyss. Even after waking up, they feel light-headed.

I don’t know how long I slept, but when I woke up, my throat felt dry and sore.

Zhong Jin lifted the blanket, wanting to get out of bed to find some water. As soon as he sat up, he felt dizzy, as if the world was spinning.

He quickly lay back down.

After the dizziness subsided a little, he propped himself up with two pillows, leaning halfway against the headboard.

It was then that Zhong Jin noticed an extra stool by the bed, though he had no idea when it had been brought in.

On the stool were neatly arranged snacks—milk tablets, hawthorn cakes, rainbow candies, a few pieces of fruit, and a bottle of yogurt with a straw stuck in it.

Though it was thoughtful, it also looked oddly like an offering.

Zhong Jin silently chuckled to himself, the corners of his lips curling up.

The bedroom door creaked open, and a round little head peeked in. “Daddy, are you awake?”

Zhong Jin’s fever was caused by staying up late and wasn’t contagious. He waved for the child to come in.

The little one shuffled in, her messy hair sticking out in all directions.

She was wearing a snug, one-piece bear pajama suit, and her voluminous, fluffy hair made her look like a little mushroom cloud floating over.

The “mushroom cloud” leaned against the edge of the bed and asked, “Are you feeling bad?”

“Not bad,” Zhong Jin replied, his voice even hoarser than yesterday, barely more than a whisper.

“Oh no, why does your voice sound like Donald Duck?” The child buried her face in his palm, her tone filled with sorrow.

The handsome daddy’s voice turning into Donald Duck’s was truly hard to accept.

Zhong Jin used his other hand to ruffle her messy hair and continued speaking in his Donald Duck voice, “Can you ask Mommy to bring me some water?”

“I can.”

The child straightened up and scampered out of the room.

A moment later, she returned, carefully holding Zhong Jin’s cup with both hands. She wobbled over and handed it to him. “Here, drink it.”

Zhong Jin looked down and saw that the cup contained barely 10 milliliters of water.

At this age, kids have no concept of size or quantity. Zhong Jin once played hide-and-seek with her, hiding behind the curtains. He watched as she pulled out every shoebox in the house, opening each one and searching earnestly for him.

Under the child’s expectant gaze, Zhong Jin tilted his head back and drank the two drops of water at the bottom of the cup.

He handed the cup back to her and repeated, “Can you call Mommy for me?”

The child hugged the cup and walked out.

Zhong Jin could hear her fiddling with the cup by the coffee table. He realized that the two drops of water she had given him were probably what she had managed to shake out of her own sippy cup.

Suddenly, he understood why there were only two drops. It was a sippy cup, and she must have been shaking it furiously to get even a few drops out.

He could picture the little one in her tight bear pajamas, clutching the cup and shaking it with all her might, every bit of her chubby little body jiggling in the process.

Touched as he was, Zhong Jin was still dying of thirst. He had no choice but to croak out,

“Qiu Sheng, Qiu Sheng, I need water. Qiu Sheng!”

Hearing his voice, Qiu Sheng rushed in, standing by the doorway and laughing. “What do you want?”

The raspy, quacking sound of his voice was hard to take seriously, and she couldn’t help but laugh, finding him both pitiful and hilarious.

Zhong Jin tried again, “I need water.”

He had done his best to enunciate, but to Qiu Sheng, it still sounded like, “Quack, quack, quack.” She had no idea what he was saying.

She leaned her head against the doorframe, trying not to laugh. “I can’t understand what you’re quacking. Maybe you should text me instead.”

Just then, Little Tong came back, holding the cup with a few more drops of water shaken out. She calmly translated, “He wants water.”

Then, standing on her tiptoes, she handed the nearly empty cup to Zhong Jin, saying,

“Here, drink slowly. Don’t choke, okay?”