Eating Melons in the Police Station

Chapter 9

In a small barbershop tucked away in an alley, the decor was reminiscent of the 80s and 90s, back when they used heated tongs to curl hair. The barber was an old man with white hair, his hands trembling as he held the scissors.

Yu Feiyang cheerfully pushed Zhong Yuntong into the barber’s chair. "Grandpa Wang, give this kid a haircut."

Grandpa Wang, also known as Tony, put on his reading glasses and walked over to inspect Zhong Yuntong’s hair. He turned his head and asked, "How short should I cut it?"

Yu Feiyang, sitting on a small stool with his legs tucked in, was scrolling through his phone. "Just trim it a bit. As long as it doesn’t look like she’s been struck by lightning, it’s fine."

"Got it."

Half an hour later, Yu Feiyang heard a loud wail. He looked up and saw in the mirror that Zhong Yuntong had been transformed into a child with a bowl cut.

Her shiny black hair lay flat against her forehead, the edges neatly trimmed as if someone had placed a bowl over her head and cut around it. It looked like she was wearing a shiny black melon rind on her head.

Yu Feiyang was stunned. "Good heavens, what happened?"

Grandpa Wang, with the confidence typical of a seasoned barber, said, "This child has such beautiful hair, so dark and shiny. Look how lively she looks now!"

Yu Feiyang was at a loss. Not only did he have to figure out how to explain this to Zhong Jin, but he also had to deal with the inconsolable child who was crying over her lost hair.

After carrying Zhong Yuntong back to the car, Yu Feiyang tried to comfort her.

"Listen, kid, here’s the thing. A barber who charges 10 yuan for a haircut usually doesn’t understand human language. You’re unlucky because I was trying to save money. But I’m willing to make it up to you. I’ll use the money I saved on your haircut to buy you a hat. How does that sound?"

Zhong Yuntong wasn’t having any of it. She just kept crying.

Her hair was precious to her. Every day, she washed it with flower-infused water and applied essential oils extracted from tree nuts to keep it glossy and smooth. Her mother would adorn her hair with all kinds of gemstones, and when she ran under the sun, her hair would shimmer and shine.

Now, all of that was ruined. She looked like a mushroom.

"Waaaaah!" Zhong Yuntong cried even harder, regretting falling asleep during the haircut.

Yu Feiyang scratched his head. "How about this? I’ll buy you the prettiest hat and throw in an ice cream. Deal?"

Tears welled up in Zhong Yuntong’s big eyes as she sniffled. "No, I don’t want that. I want to eat the chicken with crispy clothes."

Who was this "chicken with crispy clothes"? Yu Feiyang had no idea, but he wasn’t in a position to question her.

So, without hesitation, he agreed. "Alright, let’s do that. Let’s go find this chicken with crispy clothes."

While Yu Feiyang was wandering the streets with Zhong Yuntong in search of this mysterious chicken, Zhong Jin arrived at a café and headed straight to a private room on the second floor.

The room was elegantly decorated, with good soundproofing and privacy. Zhong Jin ordered an iced Americano and sat for a while before someone entered.

The woman was wearing a black fitted T-shirt and loose, ripped jeans that revealed a glimpse of her toned waist. She had a tall, athletic figure, but her face was completely covered with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask.

Once inside the room, the woman removed her sunglasses and mask, revealing striking features.

She glanced at Zhong Jin and coldly sat down across from him.

This was their first meeting since their divorce, and the atmosphere was awkward. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Zhong Jin rubbed his nose and asked, "What would you like to drink?" At the same time, Qiu Sheng, as cold as an iceberg, asked, "Why did you ask to meet?"

Another silence followed. Qiu Sheng said, "I don’t want anything. Just get to the point."

Zhong Jin ran a hand through his hair, his handsome face clouded with a hint of confusion.

Back in the day, Qiu Sheng had been captivated by his handsome yet melancholic demeanor. Now, in his late 20s, Zhong Jin had lost the boyish charm of his youth, but his mature and calm aura was even more appealing.

However, after the divorce, Qiu Sheng’s feelings for him had changed. Zhong Jin was still as handsome as ever, but she no longer felt the same fluttering in her heart when she saw him.

She leaned back on the sofa, her peach-blossom eyes fixed on him, curious about why he had asked to meet.

Zhong Jin took a large sip of his coffee and set the frosty glass back on the table. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Qiu Sheng, I have a daughter."

Qiu Sheng’s mind went blank for a moment, and then it felt like a sledgehammer had struck her heart. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over, rolling down her cheeks to her chin.

Zhong Jin handed her a tissue from the table and continued, "A child suddenly showed up, claiming to be my daughter. The DNA test confirmed it. I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about this. After all..."

His voice grew even hoarser. "After all, you’re the only one I’ve ever been with."

Qiu Sheng bit her lower lip hard, finally managing to speak after a long pause. "We were together for 10 years, married for 4. Do you really think I could have a child without you knowing? Zhong Jin, are you out of your mind? Did you call me here just to brag about having a child? I can’t believe this. I must have been blind to ever fall for someone as shameless as you."

After a few more angry words, Qiu Sheng’s tears started falling again.

Zhong Jin reached out his hand, hesitated, and then pulled it back. "Don’t be like this. This whole thing is so bizarre. The child just appeared out of nowhere, and I’m just as shocked as you are. That’s why I wanted to talk to you."

Qiu Sheng grabbed a tissue and pressed it to her eyes, gritting her teeth. "I don’t believe you did nothing. How else could a child just appear?"

"The child really did just appear." The words slipped out before Zhong Jin could stop himself.

Qiu Sheng stopped crying, her light brown eyes icy as she stared at him. "Zhong Jin, do I look like an idiot to you?"

With that, Qiu Sheng stood up.

As she reached for her coffee cup, Zhong Jin closed his eyes and leaned forward, bracing himself for the inevitable.

The cold coffee dripped down his forehead, staining his white shirt with brown splotches.

After Qiu Sheng left, Zhong Jin sat alone in the café for a long time. The child wasn’t Qiu Sheng’s, and he couldn’t think of any other possibilities. He truly hadn’t been with anyone else. The whole situation was like a tangled mess of threads, and he felt more lost than ever. All his investigative skills were useless here.

When his phone rang, Zhong Jin answered to find Yu Feiyang on the line, asking if he was done.

Zhong Jin sent Yu Feiyang the café’s address.

Yu Feiyang and Zhong Yuntong were at a nearby KFC. After finishing their fried chicken, Zhong Yuntong insisted on packing a meal for Zhong Jin, and Yu Feiyang drove her to the café.

Zhong Yuntong was wearing a chocolate-colored bucket hat that hid her bowl cut, with a Peppa Pig backpack on her back. She wriggled out of the car seat and stood by the door, her gaze fixed on the half-open window of a nearby car.

She blinked. "Huh? Mom?"

The woman drove off, and Zhong Yuntong sniffed the air, unsure if it was really her mother’s scent.

Yu Feiyang got out of the driver’s seat and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Zhong Yuntong pointed to where the car had been parked. "Mom."

Yu Feiyang followed her finger and saw a big yellow dog lounging in the shade.

"That’s a dog, not your mom," Yu Feiyang said, scooping her up and carrying her on his shoulders to find Zhong Jin.

"Hey, what happened to your shirt?" Yu Feiyang asked as soon as they entered the private room, noticing the coffee stains.

"Nothing, just spilled some coffee," Zhong Jin deflected. "What were you two up to?"

Yu Feiyang replied, "I spent half the day looking for this 'chicken with crispy clothes' with the kid."

Zhong Jin corrected him, "Crispy fried chicken."

Yu Feiyang looked at Zhong Jin's smug expression and rolled his eyes at her from across the room. "Now you decide to speak up? When I messaged you earlier, you were playing dead."

Zhong Jin picked up her phone, unlocked it, and sure enough, there were several messages from Yu Feiyang on the social app:

?Emergency, bro! What’s this thing about a chick in crispy clothes??

?Is it a toy??

?Are you going to reply? My feet are about to burn a hole in the ground from pacing.?

?This kid looks tiny, but carrying her is exhausting.?

"Sorry, I didn’t see your messages," Zhong Jin said, placing her phone face down on the coffee table.

Xiao Tong handed Zhong Jin the KFC takeout bag she was holding. "You’ve got one too—the chick in crispy clothes."

Zhong Jin took the bag. "Thanks." Noticing the little hat on the child’s head, she asked, "Why are you wearing a hat in this heat?"

Zhong Yuntong immediately reached up with both hands to tightly hold onto her fisherman’s hat. "It’s nothing, nothing." But her flustered expression clearly suggested otherwise.

"What’s going on?" Zhong Jin looked up at Yu Feiyang.

"Well, uh, here’s the thing. Earlier, when we split up, didn’t you tell me to take her for a haircut? So I took her to that barbershop we used to go to back in the day—the one run by Grandpa Wang. Remember him?"

Zhong Jin cut in, "Get to the point."

Yu Feiyang closed his eyes, reached over, and yanked the hat off the child’s head. "And then this happened."

Zhong Jin stared at the little girl with a bowl cut for a moment, completely baffled. What? She had sent out a cute little angel this morning, and now she was getting back what looked like a slightly confused potato?

"Who told you to cut her hair?" Zhong Jin demanded.

Yu Feiyang, knowing he was in the wrong, forced an awkward smile. "Wasn’t it you? You said to take her for a haircut."

"I said to take her to wash her hair. And that was only because you taught her to put noodles on her head."

"Ah, so that’s what you meant. Oops, my bad."

Zhong Jin shot to her feet and started swatting at Yu Feiyang. "You cut her hair, and you took her to Grandpa Wang’s place? You know all he can do is boy’s cuts, and he had a stroke two years ago—he can barely hold the scissors steady anymore. Are you out of your mind?"

Yu Feiyang ducked and dodged, scrambling to avoid her blows.

The small coffee shop room descended into chaos. Xiao Tong stood by the coffee table, pulling a piece of fried chicken from the takeout bag and munching on it with her crispy chick toy. Every now and then, she cheered loudly, "Good hit!"