Eating Melons in the Police Station

Chapter 19

The children quickly became close friends. After just two days, Little Tong, Xiang Zimo, and Miao Qingyue were already inseparable.

Today, Little Tong discovered a new way to use her wheelchair.

Behind the big tree, there was a small door that was usually locked and only opened when the cafeteria needed to transport ingredients.

Seeing the cafeteria aunts carrying vegetables by hand, Little Tong waved her small hand to call Xiang Zimo over. She hooked one arm around Xiang Zimo's shoulder and the other around Miao Qingyue's shoulder. Both of them, being taller, had to bend down to listen to her.

"Let's use the wheelchair to transport pumpkins, okay?" Little Tong whispered mischievously, like a little schemer.

Xiang Zimo immediately shook his head in objection. "No, the teacher will scold us."

Miao Qingyue pursed her lips and asked softly, "How would we do it?"

"Can you carry a pumpkin?" Little Tong covered her mouth, her big eyes darting around.

Xiang Zimo replied, "I don't think it's a good idea. The pumpkin is too heavy."

Miao Qingyue said, "I can try."

Little Tong said, "Then I'll go ask the teacher."

She first went to ask Teacher Zhuang, who then took her to see the life teacher in the kitchen. After some discussion, the life teacher and Teacher Zhuang decided to let the children transport some of the ingredients.

And so, Little Tong and her wheelchair transport team successfully received their first order: a small pumpkin, a pack of sealed shiitake mushrooms, a box of green beans, and a box of okra.

Since Miao Qingyue could only carry a limited amount, they decided to make three trips. While transporting the okra, Little Tong suggested, "I don't like this. Let's throw it in the ditch."

The responsible Xiang Zimo objected again. "No, we can't waste food." Seeing Little Tong still eager to try, Xiang Zimo played his trump card. "I'll tell the teacher."

Little Tong held onto the wheelchair handles and said, "Okay, okay, we won't throw it. Don't tell on me."

After delivering all the ingredients to the cafeteria, as a reward, the life teacher gave each of them a homemade mini mung bean popsicle.

The three children held their popsicles and sat side by side on a bench under the big tree, savoring the treats they had earned through their labor. The food tasted especially sweet.

Little Tong raised her wrist, which had a children's watch on it, and extended it toward Xiang Zimo. "I want to send a picture of the popsicle to Dad. Help me."

Xiang Zimo slid off the bench, walked over to Little Tong, handed his popsicle to Miao Qingyue to hold, and patiently taught Little Tong how to take photos and send voice messages using the watch.

Miao Qingyue's popsicle was starting to melt, and the juice was about to drip onto her hand. In a panic, she shoved the popsicle into Xiang Zimo's mouth. Xiang Zimo was startled but then started eating it while Miao Qingyue held it.

One child taught, one learned, and one fed the popsicle, creating a harmonious little circle.

When Zhong Jin received Little Tong's first message, he was sitting in an interrogation room questioning a suspect.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. The drunk driver who had caused an injury the day before was being questioned for the last time at the police station. After the records were completed, he would be sent to detention.

The driver, now completely sober and wearing handcuffs, was trembling with fear as he faced the two uniformed officers.

Before the formal interrogation began, Zhong Jin's phone buzzed.

He picked up his phone from the table and was slightly surprised to see a voice message from Little Tong. He played it, and a sweet little voice came through: "We helped move vegetables today and got popsicles as a reward!"

Zhong Jin then opened the photo Little Tong had sent. In the picture, a chubby little hand held a mini popsicle. The photo was slightly tilted, and the sunlight in the background looked like gold foil sprinkled on the grass.

Seeing the photo, his heart softened, just like the grass in the picture.

Little Wang, who hadn't seen Little Tong in a few days, couldn't help but lean closer to Zhong Jin, craning his neck to look at the screen.

Noticing Little Wang's curiosity, Zhong Jin handed him the phone. "I bought this children's watch yesterday. I didn't expect a three-year-old to know how to use it."

The comment, seemingly casual, was actually quite boastful. The subtext was clear: his daughter, Little Tong, was only three but already knew how to take photos and send voice messages with a watch. Truly his daughter.

Little Wang glanced at the photo and smiled honestly. "Little Tong is really smart."

Zhong Jin held the phone to his mouth and spoke gently, "I saw it. I'm at work now. Bye-bye."

Little Wang, busy preparing the interrogation materials, was secretly amazed. It was the first time he had heard Zhong Jin speak so softly.

Little Tong sent another voice message, a loud and clear "Bye-bye!"

At that moment, the suspect in the interrogation chair suddenly let out a wail, like a wounded animal. Tears streamed down his face as he cried, "If I go to jail, my daughter is finished. My family is finished."

Zhong Jin's expression turned cold, and his voice, sharp and authoritative, echoed in the empty room.

"You're crying now? Did you think about your child when you were drinking? If you had thought about her even once, you wouldn't have driven drunk. Do you know that the person you sent to the ICU was also working late at night to support his child? What you did destroyed two families."

Little Wang added, "It's not just about going to jail. You're also facing a huge compensation fee. Your wife has fainted from crying several times. Have you thought about what she'll do? Instead of crying, you should be thinking about how to help her and your child."

*

That day, both Zhong Jin and Mao Feixue had to work overtime. Zhong Jin had initially planned to call the teacher and have Little Tong stay at the daycare center overnight. However, Xiang Ruicheng, Xiang Zimo's father, happened to be home, so Mao Feixue asked him to pick up the two children.

Xiang Ruicheng was a businessman who dealt in hotel supplies. His work kept him busy, and social engagements often kept him away from home for days at a time.

When Mao Feixue asked him to pick up her colleague's daughter, Xiang Ruicheng complained, "I finally get a day off, and you're giving me more work."

Mao Feixue's tone immediately turned sharp. "Xiang Ruicheng, just tell me if you'll do it or not. Stop making excuses."

"Fine, fine, I'll do it. I'm almost at the daycare center anyway."

Xiang Ruicheng both respected and feared Mao Feixue. He had seen her in action during cases—decisive, fearless, and even willing to take on armed criminals head-on. He knew how dangerous and demanding her job was, so he never argued with her about household matters. At home, he followed her lead without question, not wanting to add to her burdens.

So, although he wasn't thrilled about taking care of another child he didn't know, he decided to do it for Mao Feixue's sake.

Kids were easy to handle, he thought. Just feed them and dump them in a play area at the mall.

Xiang Zimo and Little Tong sat on the swings, waiting for the adults to pick them up. As usual, the children of the police station staff were among the last to leave.

A man in a suit appeared outside the gate. Xiang Zimo called out "Dad!" and ran over. Little Tong also jumped off the swing and followed. She already knew her father couldn't pick her up today, so she would have to go with Xiang Zimo's dad.

Once inside the Mercedes parked by the roadside, Xiang Ruicheng shared his plan with the kids. "First, we'll go to McDonald's, and then we'll play in the ball pit and on the trampoline. How does that sound?"

Xiang Zimo raised his hands in excitement. "Dad, you're the best!"

Little Tong, however, seemed less enthusiastic. She missed her dad. Children don't have a clear sense of time, so to her, it felt like an eternity since she had last seen him.

Instead of responding to Xiang Ruicheng, she lifted her watch, pressed a button, and whispered a voice message to her dad.

Little Tong went with Xiang Ruicheng and Xiang Zimo to McDonald's and then to an indoor playground she had never been to before. There were tall slides, ball pits, trampolines, climbing walls, and go-karts. Xiang Zimo was very considerate, sticking with Little Tong and playing the games suitable for a three-year-old.

Eventually, tired from playing, Little Tong fell asleep on Xiang Ruicheng's shoulder.

The police station was unusually busy tonight, with cases coming in one after another. For the officers, the station was like a second home, and sleeping there was a common occurrence. They took turns eating boxed meals, splashed cold water on their faces, and then dove back into their work.

Mao Feixue had informed Zhong Jin that Little Tong would be staying at her house for the night, adding, "Xiang Zimo's grandmother will take care of her, so don't worry."

Zhong Jin nodded and turned back into the mediation room. It was still the drunk driving case, where the victim had died. Both the perpetrator and the victim's family were at the station, along with the station's lawyer, who was explaining the next steps to the grieving family.

The process wasn't going smoothly. After all, a life had been lost, and the family was still in mourning, their emotions raw and volatile. Rational conversation was difficult, and at one point, the bereaved family broke down completely, forcing the mediation to pause and reschedule for another time.

When Zhong Jin stepped out of the mediation room, he checked his phone. It was a little past one in the morning. To his surprise, he found over a dozen voice messages from Little Tong.

["I'm going to eat the crispy little chicken now."]

["I saw a dress with little flowers on it. Buy it for me."]

["There are so many balls here. I want to come with you."]

["I'm standing in the cold wind. It feels nice."]

["Daddy, I miss you a little."]

["My eyes are closing now."]

["Bye-bye."]

Over an hour later, Little Tong sent one last message, her voice drowsy: ["Daddy, I love you so much."]

Zhong Jin listened to the messages as he walked to the station's parking lot. He stood in the night breeze for a moment, then turned and strode back inside.

He found Mao Feixue and said, "I'm sorry, but I need to go pick up Little Tong. Can you help me arrange that?"

Mao Feixue blinked. "...Right now?"

Zhong Jin rarely asked for favors, and he knew it was past one in the morning—hardly an appropriate time. But he couldn't help it. It felt like something was missing in his heart, and he needed to see his daughter immediately.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I need to go get Little Tong now," Zhong Jin repeated.

Mao Feixue smiled knowingly. "Missing your kid, huh?"

Zhong Jin had always maintained a tough-guy persona in front of others, and now that Mao Feixue had seen through to his softer side, he felt a little embarrassed. But he wasn't the type to joke or brush things off casually. He simply repeated mechanically, "I'm sorry for disturbing your family."

"It's fine. My husband is definitely watching a game at this hour," Mao Feixue waved her hand dismissively. "I'll let him know. I'll send you our address and his number. You can head over directly."

As she watched Zhong Jin's retreating figure, Deputy Director Mao couldn't help but reflect on how much the child had changed him. Little Tong's arrival had been like a small lamp lit in the midst of a dense fog.

It wasn't so much that he was taking care of the child; rather, her presence had given him the strength to keep moving forward.