Eating Melons in the Police Station

Chapter 15

At 6:30 in the morning, Zhong Jin changed into a black tracksuit, put on his running shoes, and went to the room to wake up Little Tong. "Do you want to go for a run with me, or stay home and sleep?"

Little Tong, who had been half-asleep, immediately perked up at the mention of going out. She scrambled out of bed, her messy hair sticking out in all directions, and declared, "I want to go out!"

She crawled to the edge of the bed, her bottom hanging over the side, and after a few kicks in the air, she slid down to the floor and wobbled off to the bathroom.

Zhong Jin, standing at the bedroom door, silently picked up his phone and ordered a small bedside ladder online.

Little Tong brushed her teeth, got dressed, and rummaged through the shoe cabinet to find the pink sneakers Mao Feixue had bought for her. She climbed onto the shoe-changing stool and struggled to put on her shoes. Because the stool was too high, her legs couldn't reach the ground, so she had to bring the shoes up onto the stool with her. She bent over, huffing and puffing as she tried to put them on.

Zhong Jin, watching from the hallway, picked up his phone again and ordered a small children's stool.

Before putting his phone down, he remembered that Little Tong often had trouble reaching the dining table, so he also ordered a high chair for her.

Little Tong currently used a temporary chair to stand on when brushing her teeth at the sink, but it didn't feel very safe, as there was a risk of slipping. So, Zhong Jin bought a children's step stool with handrails.

And what about a special children's toilet seat and a step stool? He added those to the cart too.

Did children need special body wash? Zhong Jin felt a bit guilty realizing that Little Tong had been using a bar of soap for her entire body all this time. He quickly ordered the most expensive set of children's bath products on the website, which came with a free pink duck-shaped bubble bottle.

Zhong Jin sat down on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Toys? He glanced around the empty room. It seemed Little Tong didn't have any toys yet.

So he ordered some of the best-selling children's toys: a scooter, puzzles, building blocks, and more.

Finally, Little Tong finished putting on her shoes and came running over, holding onto Zhong Jin's knees. She shouted at her dad, who was engrossed in shopping, "Let's go!"

Zhong Jin glanced at the payment page. The total came to 4,896.7 yuan. He vaguely remembered hearing somewhere that children were like "money-swallowing beasts." Now he understood how accurate that description was.

"Let's go," Zhong Jin said, standing up. There were still many things left to buy, but they could be added later.

Little Tong charged ahead, her short legs moving quickly. She was too short to reach the elevator button, even on tiptoe, so she ran back to Zhong Jin, darting back and forth in the hallway.

"Don't run around in the hallway," Zhong Jin called out to her.

"But I'm wearing running shoes," she said, zooming past him. "I can't stop!"

"Running shoes are for running outside, not inside," Zhong Jin said as he walked over and pressed the elevator button.

Little Tong returned to her dad's side and held out her arms. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'm tired now. Carry me."

Zhong Jin, without a word, bent down and picked her up. His long legs, clad in black sweatpants, carried them into the elevator.

He adjusted the weight of the child in his arms. Had she gotten heavier? She felt like a solid sandbag.

He definitely needed to exercise more.

About 500 meters from the Fuding Residential Complex was the entrance to the coastal promenade. The wide, clean asphalt road was divided by a rainbow-colored line. On one side was a high wall covered in green vines, and on the other was the calm, blue sea. The scenery and air were both refreshing.

Since there was no place to hang the bun, Little Tong handed it to her dad to carry. Zhong Jin explained, "These are also called mantou."

"So this little guy has two names?" Little Tong asked.

Zhong Jin nodded. "Yes, they're called both buns and mantou, but we usually call them mantou."

Little Tong walked ahead, swaying her head. "So he's called both a little bun and a little mantou."

Zhong Jin guessed that the term "little guy" must have come from some cartoon she had watched.

*

The advantage of waking up early was that they could get a lot done while it was still early in the day. After breakfast, Little Tong changed into a black-and-white polka-dot dress with a matching mini bag. By the time Zhong Jin dropped her off at daycare, it was only a little past 8 a.m.

Little Tong wasn't as resistant to going to school today. Like a puppy with separation anxiety, once she understood that her dad wasn't abandoning her and would come back to pick her up later, the idea of separation became much easier to accept.

Zhong Jin stood at the school gate, fastening the small cartoon water bottle onto Little Tong's shoulder. Compared to Little Tong's calm demeanor, he seemed a bit more anxious, repeatedly reminding her, "Don't lie on the floor, and go play with the other kids, okay?"

"Okay, okay... Brother," Little Tong replied, her gaze shifting behind Zhong Jin as she waved her little hand cheerfully.

Xiang Zimo, Mao Feixue's son, jumped out of the car and greeted them politely, "Hello, Uncle Zhong. Hello, Little Tong."

Zhong Jin raised an eyebrow, looking at Mao Feixue with confusion.

Mao Feixue smiled and explained, "Zimo's grandparents signed up for a senior citizens' tour group and will be traveling for a week. Since there's no one at home to take care of him, we decided to have him stay at the daycare for a few days."

As Mao Feixue spoke, Xiang Zimo kept nervously watching his mother, relieved when he confirmed she hadn't accidentally revealed the truth.

In reality, it wasn't because his grandparents were going on a trip that he was sent to the daycare. He had heard that Little Tong wasn't used to being at the daycare, so he had begged his mother to let him come and keep her company.

However, the little gentleman felt a bit embarrassed about his intentions, so he had asked his mother to keep it a secret.

Little Tong, with her clear, wide eyes, raised her hand and exclaimed, "Yay!"

Zhong Jin, a seasoned investigator, saw right through the situation, but he didn't expose the children's little secret. Instead, he spoke kindly, "Then, Zimo, please take good care of Little Tong and make sure she doesn't lie on the floor."

Although Zhong Jin tried his best to appear friendly, Xiang Zimo still found him quite stern and intimidating. The boy, now entrusted with this responsibility, stammered nervously, "O-okay... Uncle."

As they watched the two children walk hand in hand into the daycare, Zhong Jin and Mao Feixue turned and got into their respective cars to leave.

Xiang Zimo glanced back at the car that had just driven off outside the iron gate, shrugged, and said with a hint of lingering fear, "Little Tong, is your dad always that strict?"

Little Tong immediately shook her head firmly. "No, he's not strict. Daddy is really good."

Xiang Zimo didn't believe her. "Really?"

"Really! When I got hurt once, Daddy held me and cried. His tears and snot even got on my hair. He loves me so much," Little Tong said earnestly, never one to lie. She was referring to something that had happened in her past life.

Xiang Zimo was utterly shocked. "Adults cry and have snot too?"