Eating Melons in the Police Station-Chapter 90

The police station was busier than usual at the end of the year. Zhong Jin brought Little Tong inside and left her in the lobby before hurrying off to work.

Little Tong rode her scooter around, surveying the place, but found nothing particularly interesting to watch. So she went to find Gu Le, who helped her unwrap a lollipop.

Crossing her little feet as she leaned against the glass window of the service hall, she licked her lollipop lazily while gazing outside.

Seeing that the kindergarten gate was empty, as if it were about to shut down, Little Tong felt inexplicably delighted.

Before long, a police car pulled in, and Little Wang stepped out, holding a child in his arms.

Little Tong’s big eyes lit up, and she quickly scooted to the door to greet them.

With the lollipop still in her mouth, she trailed behind Little Wang, her curiosity piqued by the child in his arms.

Little Wang set the little boy down. The kid was at least a head shorter than Little Tong, still stumbling over his words—probably no older than two.

Little Tong stood in front of him, puffing out her belly, and pulled the lollipop from her mouth. “Little Wang, who’s this?”

“No idea. He got lost near the New Year’s market,” Little Wang replied.

Little Tong reached out and patted the boy’s head, tilting hers. “What’s your name?”

The boy was skinny and small, with disproportionately large black eyes. Instead of answering, he stared at the lollipop in Little Tong’s hand and drooled.

She hid the candy behind her back. “This is mine.”

Then she dashed back to the office, rummaged through a drawer for another lollipop, had a random officer unwrap it, and returned to stuff it into the boy’s mouth.

“What’s your name?” she asked again.

The boy sucked on the lollipop, drool dribbling as he spoke. “Yangyang.”

“Okay, Yangyang. Where’s your mom and dad?”

“Don’t have.”

“Okay.” Little Tong grabbed his little hand. “Then can I be your mom?”

Yangyang shook his head firmly. “No.”

Unfazed, Little Tong led him to the chief’s office to show off her snack stash.

Little Wang called after her, “Little Tong, don’t kidnap him! His parents are coming soon.”

The troublemaker pretended not to hear, dragging Yangyang to the desk. She crouched down, pulled open a drawer, and pointed at the pile of snacks inside. “Call me Mom.”

Yangyang drooled, then blurted without hesitation, “Mom.”

She pointed at Zhong Jin. “This is Grandpa.”

Yangyang blinked his enormous black eyes and obediently parroted, “Grandpa.”

Zhong Jin glanced up from his computer. “...The father of one’s mother is called *grandfather* or *grandpa*.”

Little Tong kept digging through the snacks without looking up. “Then call me Dad.” She pointed at Zhong Jin again. “He’s Grandpa.”

Zhong Jin: “...What kind of nonsense is this? Stop messing with the kid and take him back.”

Little Tong stuffed snacks into her pockets and Yangyang’s, then took him outside to play.

She hopped into her Ferrari toy car, let Yangyang climb in behind her, and drove loops around the courtyard.

The weather was nice, and the sun warmed the yard, but the wind hit their faces when the car moved. So Little Tong took off her aviator cap and plopped it onto Yangyang’s head.

Her head was much bigger, so the cap swallowed Yangyang whole, covering his eyes and nose entirely.

Little Tong burst into laughter, covering her mouth. “You look so silly!”

Yangyang lifted the cap with tiny hands and giggled along.

With her hair loose, Little Tong continued driving her newly adopted son around. When she heard someone call her name from the far end of the courtyard, she expertly turned the Ferrari around and headed toward the gate.

Qiu Zhengrui and Tao Siyuan stood at the entrance, with Secretary Dong holding their suitcases.

Seeing the kids playing unsupervised, Qiu Zhengrui frowned. “Zhong Jin’s a cop, yet he has no sense of safety. What if someone snatched them?”

Tao Siyuan waved. “Little Tong, come to Grandma.”

Before the car reached them, Hu De strode out of the station, eyeing them warily. “Who are you?”

Secretary Dong quickly explained, “Hello, these are Little Tong’s grandparents. They’re returning to Jing City and came to say goodbye.”

Hu De had heard about the visit—Zhong Jin had even skipped the team dinner yesterday to pick them up.

Still, he remained cautious. He held the door curtain aside and called inside, “Shishi, go get Chief Zhong.”

Moments later, Zhong Jin emerged. “What’s up?”

Qiu Zhengrui had been ready to complain about the lax supervision, but seeing the tight security, he swallowed his words.

Tao Siyuan smiled at Zhong Jin. “We don’t have much left to do here. The child doesn’t know us well—we thought we’d help with childcare, but she won’t leave with us. So we’ve decided to head back to Jing City.”

Zhong Jin offered polite words. “So soon? Stay for dinner. I’ve been too busy to host properly.”

“We won’t trouble you further. We’ll see you in Jing City next week.” Tao Siyuan’s smile was gentle, much like Qiu Sheng’s.

Zhong Jin nodded. “Next week, then.”

Tao Siyuan bent down to Little Tong. “Sweetheart, Grandma’s leaving. Give me a kiss?”

Little Tong clutched the steering wheel and glanced at Zhong Jin, who nodded. “Kiss Grandma.”

She climbed out of the car, hugged Tao Siyuan’s arm, and stood on tiptoe to peck her cheek.

Qiu Zhengrui leaned down expectantly.

Little Tong checked Zhong Jin again. When he stayed silent, she took two steps back and waved. “Bye-bye.”

After they left, Zhong Jin studied his disheveled daughter and the lost child struggling with the oversized cap. “Two more laps, then come inside. It’s windy.”

Little Tong climbed back into the car and zoomed off.

Standing under the eaves, Zhong Jin soon overheard her lecturing Yangyang with utmost seriousness:

“Those two people earlier? They’re your *roll mom* and *roll dad*.”

Zhong Jin: “...”

*Roll mom* and *roll dad*?

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...*Grandmother* and *grandfather*?

Zhong Jin began to seriously consider whether he should let the child do their homework on their own from now on.

Little Tong had only driven her toy car around once when she ran into Rao Shishi returning from an errand, carrying a takeout box of braised pork ribs with rice cakes. Before Rao Shishi could even call her over, Little Tong’s keen nose caught the delicious scent from afar. She quickly parked the car, hopped out of the electric vehicle, and scurried over.

Yangyang, still not done playing, clutched his oversized hat and protested, "I want to play more!"

Little Tong dragged him out of the car. "Play what? If we wait any longer, the ribs will be gone!"

The lost child was having the time of his life at the police station—gaining a new dad, pockets stuffed with snacks, riding in a Ferrari, and now feasting on braised ribs and rice cakes.

When his real parents arrived to pick him up, Yangyang calmly waved at them. "Bye-bye, Uncle and Auntie!"

Naturally, this earned him a scolding (and perhaps a light spanking) from both parents.

Little Tong, her face smeared with rice cake sauce, quickly distanced herself. "I didn’t teach him that, I swear!"

*

Though swamped with work lately, Zhong Jin still made time to take Little Tong to the aquarium. After all, she’d missed the trip because of him, and he owed her this much.

Since he couldn’t go during the day, they visited the evening session, where only a few exhibits were open. They also missed out on the giant grilled sausage Little Tong had been eagerly anticipating, settling for burgers instead.

That night, when Zhong Jin called Qiu Sheng, he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.

"She was looking forward to that sausage the whole way there, and she didn’t even get to have it. I feel like I let her down."

Qiu Sheng, applying nail polish to her toes while wearing a face mask, didn’t even glance up.

"You feel bad about the sausage, but you don’t say a word about working all day and still taking her to the aquarium at night. You spoil her, but I’m the one who’s worried about—"

She paused mid-sentence, then abruptly changed the subject. "Once you book your flight, send me the details. I’ll pick you up from the airport."

"Got ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‍it," Zhong Jin replied with a smile.

The call left him in such a good mood that even when Sang Biao perched on his head and aggressively pawed at his hair, he didn’t scold the cat.

On the day of their departure from Haishan, Zhong Jin arranged for Aunt Liang to take care of Sang Biao for the week. He even gave her a Lunar New Year red envelope as thanks.

Their trip to Jing City would last about a week. Before leaving, Zhong Jin double-checked the gas, water, and electricity at home and informed the property management that the house would be empty during the holiday.

Then, with Little Tong in his arms and luggage in tow, he boarded the flight to Jing City.

Zhong Jin no longer had family in Jing City. Even if he met up with friends, it’d just be for a quick meal—most of the time, he’d be on his own.

This trip was mainly about introducing Little Tong to Qiu Sheng’s side of the family.

As Qiu Sheng’s ex-husband, though, Zhong Jin’s position was awkward. He was an outsider to the Qiu family, and staying at their home was out of the question.

Staying at a hotel, on the other hand, would leave him alone while Qiu Sheng took Little Tong to her parents’ house.

Spending the Lunar New Year alone in a hotel sounded bleak, but it was only for a week. He could tough it out.

By the time they landed in Jing City, night had fallen. After a brief reunion with Qiu Sheng in the terminal, she reminded Zhong Jin, "It’s snowing outside—it’s freezing. Keep Little Tong close to you."

Zhong Jin was well aware of how brutal northern winters could be. He bundled Little Tong tightly against his chest, wrapping his coat around her.

Outside, heavy snowflakes swirled in the air, blanketing everything in white. Even the salted roads were quickly dusted with a thin layer of frost.

The biting wind stung their cheeks.

Zhong Jin squinted against the wind. "Where’d you park?"

Qiu Sheng pointed ahead. "The outdoor lot up front. About a 10-minute walk."

"Why so far?"

Qiu Sheng tightened her scarf until only her eyes were visible. "It’s the New Year—finding *any* parking spot is a miracle. Stop complaining. If it weren’t for Little Tong, I wouldn’t even be here for you."

Zhong Jin wisely kept his mouth shut after that, too cold to argue.

Little Tong peeked out from Zhong Jin’s coat, her round eyes wide with wonder at the snow-covered trees and rooftops.

"Did the heavens spill their rice while eating? What a waste!"

Zhong Jin nudged her back under his coat. "Calling the heavens ‘kid’? You’ve got some nerve."

But like a whack-a-mole, she popped right back out, too fascinated by her first snow to care about the cold.

Once they finally reached the car, Qiu Sheng started the engine and cranked up the heat. Warm air quickly filled the cabin.

Zhong Jin wiped the melted snow from Little Tong’s forehead and eyebrows with a handkerchief.

As Qiu Sheng pulled out of the lot, Zhong Jin spoke up from the backseat. "Drop me off at Qilu Hotel. I’ve booked a room there. Little Tong can stay with me tonight, and you can pick her up tomorrow."

"What hotel? You’re in Jing City—you’re staying at home."

Zhong Jin hesitated. "We’re divorced. Staying at your place isn’t appropriate."

Qiu Sheng cut him off. "Stop overthinking it. Everything’s already arranged."

The idea of staying at Qiu Sheng’s family home made Zhong Jin uneasy. Even when they were married, he’d never felt entirely comfortable there. Now, as the ex-son-in-law, it’d be downright awkward.

He turned to the window, searching for an excuse to insist on the hotel.

The snow obscured most landmarks, but he could still make out enough to realize—this wasn’t the way to the Qiu family villa. His pulse quickened.

The car entered a familiar neighborhood, parked in a familiar spot. Even the scratch on the elevator button was the same. This was the apartment they’d shared as a married couple.

When the door swung open, warm air rushed out to greet them.

Zhong Jin’s tension melted away. He smiled. "So *this* is the home you meant."

Qiu Sheng pulled out a pair of brown plaid slippers—his old pair—from the shoe cabinet and set them on the floor.

As she helped Little Tong change shoes, Qiu Sheng listed their itinerary for the next few days:

"We’ll stay here while we’re in Jing City. On New Year’s Eve, we’ll have dinner at my parents’ place. On the first day of the New Year, we’ll visit my uncle’s family. The rest of the time, we can take Little Tong ice skating or try some local snacks..."

She continued rattling off plans.

When she finally paused, Zhong Jin asked, "So... I’m included in all this?" He’d mentally prepared himself to be alone for the holidays.

Qiu Sheng shot him a look. "What, you have objections to the arrangement?"

Little Tong was highly perceptive of moods, fearing that Zhong Jin might act imprudently and upset Qiu Sheng, leading to him being kicked out. Such incidents had happened frequently back in the Demon Palace.

Besides, it was bitterly cold outside—no way could they let Dad freeze to death.

Quickly grabbing her mother’s hand, Little Tong obediently chimed in with sweet words: "He’ll obey, Mom. He’s *super* obedient."

While pleading on his behalf, she even shot Zhong Jin a meaningful look, widening her eyes in silent urging.