Eating Melons in the Police Station-Chapter 130

Gu Le looked up, his wary gaze sharp behind his glasses. Recognizing Zhong Jin, he quickly approached.

"Chief Zhong, what brings you back?"

Zhong Jin bounced Little Tong again. "This is my daughter."

Gu Le adjusted his glasses and cautiously greeted her, "Hello, I’m Gu Le."

Little Tong, her arms looped around Zhong Jin’s neck, responded cheerfully, "Hi, I’m Zhong Yuntong."

Faced with a stranger, Gu Le’s eyes darted nervously. Mumbling something about needing to get back to work, he scurried off.

Watching him leave, Little Tong blinked and confidently declared, "He’s rushing to pee."

Zhong Jin chuckled. "No, he’s just socially awkward."

"What’s socially awkward?"

Zhong Jin explained plainly, "It means he doesn’t like talking to people."

Little Tong nodded, half-understanding. After a moment, she patted Zhong Jin’s head. "Put me down. I want to play."

He set her on the ground. "Don’t run off, and don’t leave the station."

"Okay!" she agreed brightly before scampering away with her little bag.

Hu De and the others emerged from the interrogation room, Qiu Sheng trailing behind. Zhong Jin called out to her and strode over.

The night before, Tao Siyuan had called Qiu Sheng to warn her that Zhong Jin knew they were in Haishan. Qiu Sheng had been annoyed, blaming Tao Siyuan for not keeping it a secret.

But Tao Siyuan said, "He was at home singing—one song after another, hitting high notes and everything."

Qiu Sheng couldn’t stay mad. Zhong Jin belting out high notes? Who could resist that?

She guessed he’d rush to Haishan to find them, so she unblocked his number, waiting for his call.

Instead, she ran into him at the police station.

Zhong Jin stepped close and asked quietly, "You okay?"

Qiu Sheng shook her head. "I’m fine."

Hu De glanced at them before turning back to Miao Chong and his wife.

"The school, parents, and police will work together to reprimand those kids, but the real solution is for Qingyue to stand up for herself. Only when she’s unafraid can others stop hurting her."

Hu De couldn’t say it outright, but if not for his position, he’d have loved to teach Miao Qingyue himself:

Those brats are curious? Swing your metal leg at them—see if they dare poke around after a few whacks.

But he couldn’t say that. A police chief encouraging violence? No. The parents would have to guide her.

Miao Qingyue walked out, holding her mother’s hand. Once they were gone, Miao Chong sighed.

"Qingyue is brilliant—top of her class. But because of her leg, she’s shy and insecure. How can she stand up for herself when she won’t even talk to people?"

Hu De thought for a moment. "Just encourage her. This is a critical time—she can’t keep enduring this. Talk to her teachers. There must be kind, outgoing kids willing to befriend her. Peer influence is powerful."

He remembered Chief Mao’s son attended the same school—a good kid. Maybe he could help.

After seeing Miao Chong off, Hu De turned to Zhong Jin. "What brings you back?"

Zhong Jin tucked his hands in his pockets. "Came to pick up my daughter." He glanced at Qiu Sheng. "And my child’s mother."

Hu De froze, then laughed. "So you’re a family?"

He clapped Zhong Jin’s shoulder, genuinely happy for him. Back when Zhong Jin worked in Haishan, he’d been so withdrawn Hu De worried he’d end up alone.

With Qiu Sheng’s business settled, she asked, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let’s find Little Tong. Who knows where she wandered off to." Zhong Jin headed out.

Little Tong was currently perched on tiptoe at Gu Le’s desk, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

Gu Le squirmed under her gaze. No matter where he moved, she followed.

Finally, he gave up and asked, "What do you want?"

Little Tong dug into her bag, pulled out a crumpled pack of rainbow candy, and tossed it onto his desk with flair.

"Let’s be friends. Deal?"

Gu Le eyed the wrinkled candy. Desperate to get rid of her, he reluctantly accepted.

"Fine. But can you leave? I’ve got work to do."

Little Tong nodded, then pointed at the candy in his hand. "Open it for me."

Gu Le: "...This wasn’t a gift?"

"I’ll give you one." She held up a finger.

He tore open the pack and handed it back. Little Tong plucked out a green piece and offered it to him.

"Here you go."

Little Tong watched as Gu Le popped an apple-flavored rainbow candy into his mouth. She then picked out a strawberry-flavored one for herself, chewing with her eyes squinted in delight.

Gu Le held the candy in his mouth, observing the chubby-cheeked child as she munched, her plump cheeks puffing up and down. He couldn’t help but think how satisfying it would be to pinch those cheeks. Almost without thinking, his hand reached out and gave one of her cheeks a gentle squeeze.

Little Tong tilted her head up, still chewing, her clear eyes fixed on Gu Le.

Gu Le nearly regretted it instantly. His hand had acted before his brain could stop him. Even though she was just a three-year-old, was this too forward?

Little Tong stared at him, chewing calmly, then pointed to her other cheek. "This side can be pinched too."

Gu Le: "..."

When Zhong Jin pushed open the office door, Little Tong was sitting in Gu Le’s lap, the two of them sharing a bag of rainbow candies—Gu Le eating the apple-flavored ones (Little Tong’s least favorite), while she played a game on his phone. Whenever she struggled, Gu Le would reach over and tap the screen for her.

They looked like the best of friends.

"Zhong Yuntong, it’s time to go," Zhong Jin said.

She told Little Tong to return the phone to Gu Le, then bent down to pick her up. Nestled in Zhong Jin’s arms, Little Tong waved at Gu Le.

"Bye-bye! Let’s play together again next time."

Gu Le waved back just as earnestly. "Bye-bye, Zhong Yuntong."

As Zhong Jin carried Little Tong out of the office, he couldn’t help but think to himself—wasn’t Gu Le supposed to be socially awkward?

Originally, Qiu Sheng and Little Tong had planned to go cycling by the seaside. After that little detour, they resumed their plans and rented a bicycle—a side-by-side two-seater with a sunshade. Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng sat on either side, steering and pedaling, while Little Tong sat between them, wearing Qiu Sheng’s scarf as a sunhat, cradling a fresh coconut in her arms. Sipping the sweet coconut water, feeling the gentle sea breeze, she was perfectly content.

But after riding for a while, Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng suddenly started arguing.

Zhong Jin: "If you were bringing Little Tong to Haishan, you should’ve at least told me. What kind of person just takes a child without saying anything? That’s practically kidnapping!"

Qiu Sheng: "If I’d told you beforehand, would you have let me take her?"

"No," Zhong Jin said flatly.

"Then you should reflect on your own attitude instead of blaming me. You made me do it this way."

"Even if I did, you still shouldn’t have done this."

Qiu Sheng glared at him. "There’s no reasoning with you."

Little Tong, completely unfazed by their bickering, pointed at a seaside swing set. "I want to go on that."

So the bicycle came to a stop. Zhong Jin lifted Little Tong onto the swing, giving her a few gentle pushes to set her swaying. Then he hurried back to the front, pulling out his phone to crouch down and take pictures of her.

Qiu Sheng stood nearby, offering advice. "You’re doing it wrong. Don’t include the swing’s frame—just the ropes and Little Tong. That’ll make it look like she’s floating in midair."

Zhong Jin adjusted his shot as she suggested, and sure enough, the photo turned out much better.

"Go stand over there. I’ll take one of you too," Zhong Jin said.

Qiu Sheng gathered her long skirt and darted over to the swing next to Little Tong. Holding hands with her daughter, her hair fluttering in the sea breeze, Little Tong turned to look at her mother and grinned widely.

Zhong Jin raised his phone and captured the moment.

They even asked a passerby to take a family photo. In the picture, Zhong Jin stood behind the swing, hands resting lightly on Qiu Sheng and Little Tong’s backs as he pushed them.

They looked like the picture-perfect, happy family.

But the moment they got back on the bicycle, the happy parents resumed their argument.

Zhong Jin: "Not only did you sneak off to Haishan without telling me, but you also blocked me. I’ve never been blocked by anyone before. This is a humiliation I’ll never get over."

"If I hadn’t blocked you, you would’ve kept calling nonstop. So annoying."

Little Tong pointed at a snack stall up ahead. "I want that grilled sausage."

So they stopped again. The family of three sat at the roadside stall, ordering grilled sausages, coconut pudding, glutinous rice cakes, and fried sesame balls.

Qiu Sheng took a bite of the sesame ball and frowned. "It’s exactly like a ma tuan—sweet red bean paste inside. Too sweet for me."

Zhong Jin opened his mouth. "Give it here."

Qiu Sheng tossed the ball into his mouth.

Little Tong quickly learned from this. When her stinky tofu turned out too spicy, she fed it to Zhong Jin. She even picked out the red dates from her coconut pudding and plopped them into his mouth.

Even the stall owner remarked in broken Mandarin, "What a harmonious family."

But the harmonious parents started arguing again the moment they got back on the bicycle.

Qiu Sheng gripped the handlebars, pedaling furiously as she scolded, "And then you had the nerve to sing at my house. Do you even realize how terrible your singing is? If my mom gets sick from it, I’ll never forgive you."

"If you hadn’t stolen Little Tong away without a word, I wouldn’t have been desperate enough to go sing at your place!"

Qiu Sheng scoffed. "At least you admit you were deranged."

Little Tong, hugging her now-empty coconut shell, raised a finger and declared solemnly, "This is a fighting bicycle."

On Zhong Jin’s second day in Haishan, it started raining. According to the forecast, the light drizzle would continue for the next week, with temperatures dropping sharply.

With little else to do in the rain, the family decided to book return flights for that evening.

They still had some time before their flight, so Qiu Sheng suggested taking Little Tong for hot pot. She asked Zhong Jin for recommendations, but he had none.

Though he’d lived in Haishan for nearly three years, those had been dark days—his family gone, his marriage ended, and his beloved career in criminal investigation cut short due to psychological strain. Standing at the edge of an abyss, he hadn’t been in any state to enjoy life.

So to him, Haishan was unfamiliar territory. Beyond the routes between home and the police station, everywhere else was just a place he’d visited on duty.

Qiu Sheng picked a highly-rated hot pot place from a review site. It wasn’t far from their hotel, so they walked there under umbrellas, Little Tong swinging between them.

When Little Tong tried brown sugar glutinous rice cakes for the first time, her eyes lit up at the crisp outer shell and soft, sweet center. She immediately gave a thumbs-up.

"This is yummy."

She used her child-sized chopsticks to place a piece on Qiu Sheng’s plate, then one on Zhong Jin’s. As they ate, she kept asking, "Is it good? Is it good?"

When both parents agreed, Little Tong sighed contentedly. "So good. We’re a team."

Qiu Sheng corrected her: "This is called having similar tastes, not being accomplices."

Through the rising steam, Zhong Jin watched them. Whether it was the spiciness of the red oil hotpot or something else, his eyes stung slightly.

He thought back to those years spent in Haishan, consumed by despair. Back then, he could never have imagined that upon returning to Haishan, he would be bringing his daughter and wife—well, ex-wife—along with him.

And yet, here they were, sitting together as a family, sharing a steaming hotpot on a damp, chilly day.

"Look, it's that sister from yesterday!" Little Tong suddenly pointed out the window.

Following her finger, Zhong Jin spotted the little girl from the day before—her surname was Miao, wasn’t it? Miao Yueyue or Miao Qingyue, something like that.

She was in her school uniform, backpack slung over her shoulders, walking out of the school alone after classes.

Soon after, Hu De, dressed in his police uniform, approached with an umbrella. He bent down and exchanged a few words with her before they stood together at the school gate, waiting. Hu De tilted the umbrella toward the girl, shielding her completely while half of his own body became damp with rain.

A little while later, a tall, lanky boy dashed out of the school, his backpack bouncing behind him.

Zhong Jin recognized him—Xiang Zimo, Mao Feixue’s son.

Hu De held the umbrella over the little girl with one hand and took Xiang Zimo’s hand with the other, talking to them both with his head slightly lowered.

The three of them soon disappeared from Zhong Jin’s view. The condensation on the window gathered into droplets, growing heavier until they slid down the glass, leaving faint trails behind.

Little Tong tugged at Zhong Jin’s sleeve and asked loudly, "Dad, what are they doing?"

"That bald man—you should call him Uncle Hu—is introducing a new friend to that little girl."

Little Tong pressed further, "If she has friends, then someone will protect her, right?"

"Yes, but not entirely. Friends are there to accompany and help her, but in the end, she has to learn to protect herself."

It was unclear whether Little Tong understood. She nodded vaguely before stuffing a big spoonful of rice mixed with meat and vegetables into her mouth.

The rain lasted the entire day, continuing even as they headed to the airport that evening.

Zhong Jin shielded Little Tong in his arms as they dashed into the terminal, while Qiu Sheng followed behind, dragging a suitcase and holding an umbrella. They hadn’t brought much luggage when they arrived—most of these things had been bought in Haishan.

Once inside, Qiu Sheng suddenly remembered something and hurried to catch up with Zhong Jin.

"Little Tong’s ears hurt during takeoff and landing. Last time, a passenger gave us a pair of silicone earplugs, and they worked really well. I can’t remember where I put them."

"Are they in the suitcase? Let’s look for them in the departure lounge," Zhong Jin suggested.

At the lounge, Qiu Sheng unzipped the luggage and crouched down to rummage through it. After a while, she looked up and said,

"They’re not here. Maybe I left them at the hotel. Should I check the airport boutique to see if they sell them?"

Zhong Jin checked the time—boarding was soon.

"There’s no time. We’ll have to ask the flight attendants on the plane."

"I guess that’s our only option."

Zhong Jin knelt to help Qiu Sheng repack the scattered items. As he picked up the makeup bag and started putting the spilled cosmetics back inside, he felt something beneath it. Reaching in, he pulled out a small transparent pouch of soft putty.

"Is this the silicone earplug you were talking about?" Zhong Jin asked.

When Qiu Sheng looked up, he noticed something different about her. On closer inspection, she seemed younger, her hair shorter.

Qiu Sheng had always kept her hair long and straight—except for one period when she cut it short. That was the year they left Haishan, after her hair, which had been shorn due to illness, grew back. She hadn’t bothered with extensions, letting it grow naturally from chin-length.

Zhong Jin froze, puzzled. Why was this memory surfacing now?

Qiu Sheng had had ovarian cancer, and a quarter of her ovary had been removed. His blood had healing properties, and he had cured her.

Little Tong had appeared in his life the second year he returned to Haishan. He had raised her alone for two months before Qiu Sheng reappeared. At first, they had agreed to co-parent, but eventually, they remarried.

His memories also included Aunt Liang, Sang Biao, and the massive terrarium on his balcony, home to hundreds of plants and animals.

Before leaving Haishan, the family had released all those creatures into the wetlands. Little Tong had bid each one farewell, including the fat frog named Kadong, who croaked twice before disappearing into the reeds.

He hadn’t taken over the family business, instead staying with the investigative unit. Now, he was about to start a new job in Jing City.

Qiu Sheng had become a renowned artisan, having just held a solo exhibition across Asia, with millions of followers on social media.

Zhong Jin glanced back at the suitcase on the floor and realized it was larger now, packed with more belongings. Tucked in one corner was a well-worn dog plush made of Xiangyunsha fabric.

Dazed, he lifted his head just as Qiu Sheng looked up from her phone, equally bewildered.

"Zhong Jin, it feels like time has reversed."

"More than that—it’s like we’ve entered a parallel universe."

They both turned to look at the child curled up against Zhong Jin’s coat, fast asleep with tiny fists clenched. She was no longer the chubby three-year-old from their memories but had grown taller and leaner, her features more defined, already carrying a hint of maturity.

By the time they boarded the plane, Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng had already accepted the idea of time travel. After all, suddenly being five years younger while still pursuing their passions was, by any measure, a blessing.

Little Tong, however, woke up mid-flight, went to the bathroom, and returned in a panic.

"Why do I feel like I’ve gotten smaller?"

Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng exchanged glances. "You’ve gotten bigger, not smaller."

When Little Tong saw Qiu Sheng, she nearly jumped. "Mom?! What are you doing here?"

Qiu Sheng reached out to feel her forehead, worried the child was experiencing some kind of memory lapse.

But Little Tong insisted, "I remember going back to Haishan with Dad. I played soccer with Xiang Zimo and the others, and Miao Qingyue was a cheerleader. I even visited Aunt Liang and saw Sang Biao. Oh, Dad, how’s your foot?"

Zhong Jin looked down at his foot, confused. "What’s wrong with my foot?"

Little Tong: "You fractured your toe, remember? I even went with you to the hospital. You broke your foot playing soccer with elementary school kids—how could you forget?"

"No," Zhong Jin answered firmly.

Little Tong collapsed against Zhong Jin’s chest, banging her head against him repeatedly. "Aaaah, what’s going on?!"

Zhong Jin coughed from the impact and held her head still. "Is your head made of steel or something?"

During the flight, the three of them carefully compared the details of their memories and finally concluded that Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng’s memories were from when they were 35 years old—and from a parallel universe.

Little Tong’s memories, however, were still from this universe, except she had traveled back one year. In other words, Little Tong had gone from being 7 years old to 6.

Once she grasped this logic, Little Tong became even more distraught. Covering her head, she asked, "Do I really have to repeat first grade?"

Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng exchanged a glance. "Seems like it."

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Little Tong fell silent for a few seconds before suddenly clinging to Zhong Jin’s arm and whining, "Dad, can I take a year off and skip straight to second grade next year? I already know all the first-grade stuff."

Zhong Jin thought for a moment, then nodded easily. "Sure."

Little Tong then turned her big, sparkling eyes to Qiu Sheng. "Mom, what do you think?"

Qiu Sheng: "I support you."

Before Little Tong could celebrate, Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng added in unison, "But you know it’s not up to us. Your education is your uncle’s department."

The mere thought of her overachieving uncle made Little Tong start banging her head against Zhong Jin again. Fortunately, the slightly younger Zhong Jin reacted quickly and stopped her.

While Little Tong wallowed in the misery of repeating a grade, her parents started discussing something she couldn’t understand.

Dad said, "I wonder when Qiu Chen and Du Xin will get together. How far along are they now?"

Mom replied, "Based on the original timeline, they didn’t meet until my brother turned 40. That’s still years away."

Slumped in her spacious seat, Little Tong listened to their incomprehensible conversation like it was a lullaby and soon drifted off to sleep.

When the plane prepared to land, Zhong Jin woke Little Tong up and gently inserted silicone earplugs into her ears. Leaning over, he massaged her earlobes to ease the discomfort.

At the airport, they immediately spotted Qiu Chen standing tall in the crowd, dressed in a sharp suit. He was on the phone but crouched down and opened his arms when he saw Little Tong.

Little Tong dashed over, backpack swinging, and threw herself into Qiu Chen’s embrace.

Without a word to Zhong Jin or the others, Qiu Chen carried Little Tong in one arm while continuing his call.

Once in the car, his phone automatically connected to the Bluetooth, and the speakers broadcast his conversation with Du Xin—they were reviewing Little Tong’s academic progress to determine the tutor’s payment.

Du Xin’s voice came through: "She already learned pinyin! Why are you docking my pay for that?"

"Learned? She forgot everything once she started writing, and now she’s mixing pinyin with English letters. You call that learned?"

After a pause, Du Xin countered, "At most, I’ll accept half the deduction. She forgot on her own—it’s not my fault."

"Two-thirds," Qiu Chen bargained.

Listening to them haggle over a few hundred bucks, Zhong Jin and Qiu Sheng exchanged worried glances about Qiu Chen’s future love life. With Little Tong meddling in this universe, who knew if Qiu Chen and Du Xin would ever make it work?

After hanging up, Qiu Chen was fuming over his niece’s academic shortcomings, shooting her disapproving looks in the rearview mirror.

Just to provoke him, Little Tong announced, "Uncle, I’m not doing first grade. I’m skipping straight to second grade next year. Just letting you know."

Qiu Chen: "...Not doing first grade? Then what exactly are you planning to do?"

Little Tong lounged on the leather seat, swinging her Crocs-clad feet, and declared, "This year, I’m going to be a happy little dog—playing in parks, amusement parks, traveling the world, coming home to Dad’s cooking, and making friends whenever I feel lonely."

Qiu Chen laughed in exasperation. "Fine. If you can master the entire first-grade curriculum in three days, I’ll let you skip it."

"You promise? Break your word, and may ghosts haunt you at midnight."

The thought of a whole year of pure fun made Little Tong giggle into her hands.

From the rearview mirror, Qiu Chen eyed the mischievous grin on his niece’s face and sensed trouble brewing.

Just then, the phone around Little Tong’s neck chimed repeatedly—like New Year’s greetings—as her friends from Haishan messaged to ask if she’d arrived safely in Jing City.

Little ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍Tong grinned, sending voice replies: "Don’t miss me too much! I’ll visit soon. Best part? No school for a whole year—haha!"