NABC Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Zhong Jin bought some milk, fruits, and snacks from a 24-hour supermarket before driving to Mao Feixue's residential area. Parking was tight in the neighborhood, so Zhong Jin had to leave his car on a roadside spot outside the community.
After dialing the phone, he waited downstairs for a while. Xiang Ruicheng came down wearing slippers, carrying Little Tong who was fast asleep. He spoke softly, "Mr. Zhong, thanks for making the trip so late. Just let the kid stay here; she's pretty well-behaved."
Zhong Jin walked over, took the child with one arm, and held her in his embrace. Little Tong nestled her head against his shoulder and continued sleeping. He handed over the bag of groceries with his other hand, "Thanks for taking care of her tonight. I got some snacks for Zimo."
"Oh, no need, no need. You’re making this too formal."
After a few polite refusals, Xiang Ruicheng accepted the gift and added, "Let's have dinner at my place sometime. I genuinely like Little Tong; she’s so quiet and doesn’t need supervision while eating or playing. What a blessing."
Zhong Jin turned around with the child in his arms and walked out. The moonlight was bright that night, casting a serene glow over Little Tong. Carrying the weighty child through the dappled shadows of the trees, the world seemed utterly silent, yet Zhong Jin felt an unprecedented sense of peace.
Two winters ago, Zhong Jin lost his parents and sister in a car accident, leaving him without any closer blood relatives in an instant. Since then, he had developed an emotional numbness, showing indifference and apathy towards everything and everyone, losing interest in anything. His psychologist explained that this was a manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder. Although he received treatment for a period, there was no improvement.
Afterward, Zhong Jin initiated the divorce, and Qiu Sheng did not attempt to stop him. They amicably settled the divorce proceedings.
From that point on, he no longer had any relatives in the world.
His emotional numbness did not hinder his ability to handle cases. Zhong Jin became even sharper than before, venturing into dark and dangerous territories with no regard for life or death, as if he was already in the abyss, uncaring if he lived or died.
The turning point came when Zhong Jin discovered that he could no longer hold a gun; his hand would tremble, and he lacked the strength to pull the trigger.
Later, Zhong Jin requested a transfer to He'an, far from the capital city to regroup, intending to return to the municipal bureau after adjusting his state.
And then, Little Tong appeared.
Sometimes Zhong Jin wondered if his departed loved ones had arranged for Little Tong to keep him company, but he dismissed the thought. Such a vivid and lively child couldn’t be some prearranged surrogate; she could only be herself.
Regardless of her origins, what was undeniable was that she had given up her privileged life of luxury and, like a little street urchin with nothing, had come to his side. Her small acts of love made Zhong Jin feel the taste of being cared for once again.
As he opened the car door, Zhong Jin noticed that Little Tong had awoken, her big dark eyes staring at him.
Seeing her obedient expression, Zhong Jin felt a warm sensation in his heart. "When did you wake up?"
Little Tong blinked, "I need to pee."
Zhong Jin, "......"
Little Tong, "I can’t hold it."
"You better hold it; I'll take you to the bathroom right away."
That early morning, the usually stoic Zhong Jin's tender feelings dissipated in an instant. Holding the child, he sprinted down an empty street, searching frantically for a bathroom, only saved by the reliable McDonald's.
After Little Tong finished her business, she also conveniently devoured a Happy Meal, receiving a small flying elephant toy, which she immediately had her dad attach to her backpack, happily heading home.
*
Finally, Friday arrived. Little Tong had already confirmed with her dad in the morning that it would be her last day at the daycare, and she could spend tomorrow with him.
Early in the morning, Little Tong chewed on a rainbow-colored candy, sitting under a tree's shade, sharing the news with Xiang Zimo and the others,
"Today is a Fridee-ay, and tomorrow I won’t come to the daycare."
Xiang Zimo corrected her precisely, "Little Tong, it’s daycare, with an 'r'."
"Sure, sure, Bun, I want to drink the cola."
Luo Jiahao, "...... forget it, I'll open it now."
Xiang Zimo pulled Little Tong back, looking serious as he told her, "Little Tong, we can't betray our friends."
Little Tong, "I'll just take a sip, I won't tell anyone." She couldn't pronounce the word "betray" and didn't understand what it meant. Even Little Tong didn't grasp what Luo Jiahao was saying. All she could think about was drinking cola.
Xiang Zimo lifted Little Tong off the ground, dragging her away while half-carrying her. He shouted to Luo Jiahao, "We don't want your stuff. We'll always be best friends with Miao Qingyue."
Little Tong struggled in Xiang Zimo's arms, "He doesn't want it, but I do."
Xiang Zimo quickly covered her mouth, "No, you don't want it either."
The three kids sat back under the big tree. Little Tong stared at the wall, watching other kids run in to drink soda, licking her lips in envy.
Miao Qingyue felt uncomfortable but pretended not to care. "You guys can go drink soda if you want. Don't worry about me."
Little Tong immediately jumped off the bench, "Okay, okay, bye!"
Xiang Zimo grabbed the hood of her hoodie, pulling her back just in time. "Listen to me, Little Tong. It's just a bottle of cola. I'll buy you one after school."
"Do you have money?" Little Tong asked, hitting him with the ultimate question.
Xiang Zimo, "......my dad has money. He loves me. He'll definitely agree."
"Okay."
Though they managed to keep Little Tong under control for the moment, the three kids still felt something was off. Little Tong gazed longingly at Luo Jiahao and the others, Miao Qingyue fiddled with the flower on her clothes, and no one spoke.
A rift formed between the three for the first time. Although the kids didn’t understand what a rift was, Miao Qingyue felt like she didn’t want to play with Little Tong anymore. She thought Little Tong didn’t see her as her best friend.
To ease the awkwardness, Xiang Zimo suggested proactively, "Why don’t we go back to delivering vegetables? If we complete the task, we’ll get cake."
Little Tong thought about it. Cake was good, even if there was no cola. So she jumped off the chair, gripped the wheelchair handles, and shouted, "Let’s go!"
Miao Qingyue hesitated with a big bag of pomegranates, her lips pressed white. Finally, she asked, "Little Tong, will you still play with me?"
Little Tong, with her short legs and sweaty bangs sticking to her forehead, looked more than ever like a big, watery-eyed doll as she nodded firmly, "Yes."
"And you didn't get to drink cola, you don't blame me?"
Little Tong turned around and grinned at Miao Qingyue, "SpongeBob, you're my best friend."
Miao Qingyue smiled too. "I'm not SpongeBob."
Seeing them make up, Xiang Zimo breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, that's a line from Patrick. Little Tong, you should say, Miao Qingyue, you're my best friend."
Little Tong skipped ahead, humming a weird tune she’d just made up, "Miao Qingyue and Xiang Zimo are Zhong Jin’s best friends, we’re number one in the world."
The three best friends sat under the tree, sharing a cake. Other kids scattered across the playground, playing in groups of three and two. The after-school care center returned to its usual peace.
Suddenly, one kid started vomiting loudly, sobbing uncontrollably as if in severe pain.
As if setting off some trigger, another child complained of a headache, and soon more kids began to say they felt unwell. By the time Teacher Zhuang and the other teachers rushed into the playground, Luo Jiahao had collapsed into the sandpit.