Eating Melons in the Police Station

Chapter 6

Not long after the child had gone missing, Mao Feixue and the others decided not to alert the local police station. Instead, they split up to search along the streets. Since the child had short legs and couldn’t walk fast, they thought they could intercept her quickly.

Rao Shishi sent Zhong Yuntong’s photo to everyone, and the three of them each held up their phones, stopping passersby to ask if they had seen her. Mao Feixue managed to find someone who had spotted Zhong Yuntong. The passerby pointed in a direction, “She went that way. I saw her walking alone and asked if she was lost. She said she was going to find her dad.”

Zhong Jin had just returned from the police station. He sat on the shoe rack bench in the entryway, changing into slippers. As soon as he stood up, his phone on the shoe rack vibrated abruptly.

Answering the call, Mao Feixue’s voice crackled through, “Director Zhong, Yuntong got separated from us. She’s probably heading toward your place. Keep an eye out.”

Zhong Jin glanced down at the slippers he had just put on, expressionless. He resignedly switched back to his leather shoes and headed out.

Not far from the residential complex, Zhong Jin spotted Zhong Yuntong. Her hair was tied into two little buns, and she was striding confidently with her short legs, though it was unclear what she was so proud of.

Zhong Jin stood in the shadow of the wall, pulled out his phone, and called Mao Feixue, “I found her. She’ll stay with me tonight. Don’t worry about it. Alright, bye.”

“Zhong Yuntong,” Zhong Jin called, his hands in his pockets, his tall figure illuminated by the warm yellow streetlight.

Zhong Yuntong turned at the sound of his voice and immediately spotted her dad under the streetlight, towering like a giant. Her face lit up with joy, “Dad!”

“Where did you go?” Zhong Jin’s voice was calm but carried a hint of anger.

Zhong Yuntong wobbled over to him, “I went to eat.” She patted the little bag slung across her body and proudly lifted her chin, “I brought you some pastries!”

Zhong Jin looked at her, her big eyes shining brightly, like a child seeking praise. The anger he felt earlier for her running off dissipated, but he still deliberately kept a stern face and spoke harshly, “You ran off without saying a word. Do you know how many people are looking for you?”

Zhong Yuntong reached out with her soft little hand and grabbed one of his fingers, speaking earnestly, “Don’t be mean.”

She dragged Zhong Jin’s hand as they walked home, chattering away, “You’re so mean that your friends won’t play with you, and they won’t invite you to eat either.”

Zhong Jin ignored her, but she didn’t mind, continuing to babble, “I brought you pastries, so you should say thank you.”

Zhong Jin, “...” He scooped her up and started walking in the opposite direction of home.

Zhong Yuntong’s eyes widened as she realized where her dad was taking her. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and shouted, “I don’t want to take a bath! I won’t!”

In this sweltering heat, not bathing would make her stink. Zhong Jin wasn’t about to indulge her and took her straight to the bathhouse.

The bathhouse attendant was already well-practiced. She quickly called for help, and the two of them carried the screaming child into the bathhouse.

About ten minutes later, one of the attendants came out and handed Zhong Jin a cold piece of glutinous rice cake, “The child insisted I bring this out to you. Eat it while it’s still cool.”

The rice cake had lost its original shape, squished into an irregular lump with some unknown crumbs stuck to it. Zhong Jin brought it to his nose and sniffed. It had been in the little bag for a while and now smelled of stale peanuts.

He casually tossed it into the trash can.

After staring at the trash can for a couple of seconds, he grabbed a few leaves and covered it up. He didn’t want the little troublemaker to find it later and throw a fit.

Today’s routine was exactly the same as yesterday. Zhong Jin took Zhong Yuntong to a children’s clothing store after her bath and picked out another set of clothes from the discount rack. It felt like déjà vu to Zhong Jin.

The only difference was that when they passed a children’s shoe store, Zhong Jin carried her in and handed her over to the staff, asking them to find her a pair of well-fitting shoes.

Zhong Jin sat on a soft bench to wait. Zhong Yuntong came running over in her new sky-blue round-toe shoes, “Look, there’s a little flower here too!” She used her tiny fingers to pick at the small 3D flower on the strap.

“Do they fit well?” Zhong Jin asked.

Zhong Yuntong nodded exaggeratedly, “They fit super well!”

Zhong Jin couldn’t help but smile, “Good, as long as they fit.”

The staff packed her old sandals into a paper bag. Zhong Yuntong took the initiative to carry it herself, unusually well-behaved, unlike yesterday when she had refused to carry her own clothes.

Once they were back on the street, Zhong Yuntong tossed the ugly sandals to the side and turned to Zhong Jin, holding out her arms, “Carry me.”

Zhong Jin, “...” He walked over, picked up the shoes, thought for a moment, and then tossed them into the trash can. He bent down, picked up the child, and headed home.

*

The weather in Haishan had been unusually pleasant lately. The morning sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, scattering shimmering spots of light on the ground.

In this golden morning light, Yuntong sat quietly on a small stool at the breakfast shop, her eyes fixed on the serving window not far away. When she saw her dad walking toward her with a tray of steamed buns, she cupped her face in her hands and immediately broke into a wide smile.

Zhong Jin placed two baskets of pork dumplings on the low table and turned to get some soy milk.

Yuntong poured a lethal amount of sugar into her bowl of soy milk. Zhong Jin glanced at it but didn’t say anything, only urging her to eat faster.

When they arrived at the station, they ran into Rao Shishi and Little Wang carrying breakfast into the building. Zhong Jin called out to Rao Shishi, “I need to go to the city bureau. Take her inside.”

Rao Shishi hurried over, opened the back door, and lifted Zhong Yuntong out.

Zhong Jin turned the car around but suddenly stopped, leaning out the window, “The results from the forensics lab should be out today, right?”

Little Wang replied, “They’re out. I got a text last night. There’s a DNA match. I’ll go get the results in a bit.”

Zhong Jin glanced at the driver’s seat, “Get in. I’ll take you.”

As the SUV disappeared from view, Rao Shishi took Zhong Yuntong’s hand, “Let’s go. We’ll probably find your parents today.”

Her gaze fell on the child’s head, and she sighed, “Is that hair or a bird’s nest?”

By the time Mao Feixue arrived at the station, Yuntong’s hair had been combed. Today, it was braided into two little pigtails, each tied with a green fluffy ball.

“Yuntong, look what I brought you!” Mao Feixue waved a paper bag.

Yuntong hopped over, “What is it?”

Mao Feixue took out a box from the bag and opened it to reveal a pair of pink running shoes, “These are running shoes. When you wear them, you can run and jump without hurting your feet.”

“Oh, Yuntong, you’re wearing new shoes today too?” Mao Feixue finally noticed the new round-toe shoes on the child’s feet.

Yuntong immediately showed off her new shoes, crouching down and pointing at the flower on the strap, “Look, there’s a little flower.”

“They’re so pretty! Did Director Zhong buy them for you?” Mao Feixue put the running shoes back into the paper bag, “You can alternate between the two pairs.”

Yuntong tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then pushed the bag away seriously, “I don’t want them.”

“Why not?”

Yuntong’s little eyebrows furrowed in distress, “Because if I wear running shoes, I’ll have to run all the time, and that’s too tiring.”

Mao Feixue and Rao Shishi exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. The officers nearby joined in, filling He'an District Police Station with cheerful laughter early in the morning.

Rao Shishi pinched Yuntong’s smooth cheek, “You little rascal, I’ll miss you when you’re gone.”

Little Wang retrieved the DNA comparison results from the forensics lab and opened the file on the spot. When he saw the information matching Zhong Yuntong’s blood sample, his eyes widened in shock.

“Could there be a mistake with this data?” Little Wang found it hard to believe and double-checked with the lab technician.

The technician, wearing a mask, looked at him curiously from behind his glasses, “There’s usually no error. The database has an automatic comparison function, and we’ve also manually verified it. If you have doubts, you can collect blood samples from both parties again for a final comparison.”

Little Wang walked out of the identification center, squinting at the sun-bleached ground, feeling dazed and almost unable to believe the results he had just seen.

Is Zhong Yuntong's father really Zhong Jin?

How could Zhong Jin himself not know about it?

Who was it that left Zhong Yuntong at the police station?

Why hadn’t any surveillance footage captured someone like her?

He walked over to the flowerbed near the entrance of the municipal bureau and sat down, right where he had hidden with Yuntong two days ago to eat grilled sausages. Even though only two days had passed, it felt like an eternity, as if everything was unreal.

Zhong Jin, holding a file bag, hurried down the steps of the municipal bureau. Spotting Little Wang sitting on the flowerbed, he walked over.

"Did you get the results?"

Little Wang numbly handed over the report. "Yes, I did."

Zhong Jin took it, opened it, and glanced through it. His face rarely showed exaggerated expressions, and even now, faced with such a bizarre result, he only tightened the corners of his lips slightly, his expression barely changing.

He snapped the report shut. "Let's head back first."

Little Wang quickly stood up and followed behind him. "Captain Zhong, let me drive." Given the current situation, he was genuinely worried Zhong Jin might drive the car into a ditch.

Zhong Jin tossed him the car keys.

On the drive back to He'an, Little Wang was restless. He kept glancing sideways at Zhong Jin, who had his elbow resting on the window frame, his gaze fixed outside, lost in thought.

After a few more glances, Zhong Jin's eyes swept over coldly. "Focus on driving."

Back at the station, Zhong Jin went about his duties as usual, handling paperwork and even going out on a call to arrest a group running a scam.

Little Wang, on the other hand, couldn’t sit still. As he worked at his desk, he kept stealing glances at Zhong Yuntong, who was sitting on the bench, engrossed in her tablet. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Little Wang noticed that when Yuntong pursed her lips, the curve of her mouth and chin bore a striking resemblance to Zhong Jin’s.

Finally, when Mao Feixue returned from her field assignment, Little Wang rushed into her office. "Sister Mao, something’s happened."

Mao Feixue immediately tensed, thinking it was a serious police matter.

But then Little Wang said, "Yuntong really is Captain Zhong’s daughter."

Mao Feixue was stunned. "...What?"