Chapter 7
Mao Feixue's reaction was similar to Xiao Wang's; she was stunned for a while before uncertainly asking again, “What did you just say?”
Xiao Wang recounted the details of the identification report to Mao Feixue, including Zhong Jin's reaction, “Director Zhong seemed quite calm at the time.”
Although Mao Feixue was shocked, she knew Xiao Wang wouldn’t joke about something like this. There was only one possibility, “Could it be that the identification center made a mistake?”
“That’s possible. The staff at the identification center said that if you’re not sure, you can collect blood samples from both the father and daughter for another test.”
After saying this, Xiao Wang looked a bit confused, “Sister Mao... could this involve personal conduct issues?”
At this point, Mao Feixue had quickly regained her composure and lowered her voice, “It might not be what you think. Zhong Jin was previously married, and this child is about the same age as when he was married, so there may be other circumstances... In any case, until the truth comes out, don’t mention this to anyone. This matter may be more complicated than we imagine. Even Rao Shishi cannot know.”
Mao Feixue knew that Xiao Wang had a good relationship with Rao Shishi, so she emphasized this.
“Don’t worry, Sister Mao, I won’t say anything.”
Just as they were speaking, there was a knock at the door, followed by Zhong Jin’s voice, “Deputy Director Mao, are you there?”
Mao Feixue responded, “Yes,” and quickly walked to the door to unlock it.
Xiao Wang’s face turned bright red, feeling as if he had been caught gossiping about someone by the person involved, and that person was his superior, which was quite awkward.
Feeling embarrassed, Xiao Wang hurriedly greeted Zhong Jin and then rushed away.
Zhong Jin calmly watched Xiao Wang leave and turned back to Mao Feixue, “You know what’s going on, right?”
“Yes.”
Zhong Jin nodded, “Tomorrow is the weekend. I’ll take her back to Beijing City for a visit and return before Monday. If there’s anything at the station, call me.”
Mao Feixue understood; Zhong Jin had only transferred to Haishi last year and had lived in Beijing City before that, so the child could only have been born there. To uncover the truth, they naturally needed to return to Beijing City.
When Zhong Jin was buying the plane tickets, he suddenly remembered that Zhong Yuntong didn’t have any identification; she had no household registration or birth certificate, making it impossible for her to board a plane or high-speed train. He contacted Mao Feixue to have the station issue a temporary identification, which allowed them to pass through airport security smoothly.
Zhong Yuntong stood by the window in the waiting hall, her big eyes wide open. Outside was the runway, and she watched a plane taxi and take off. Excitedly, she looked at Zhong Jin, “Are we going to ride the big bird?”
“Mm, that’s called an airplane.” Zhong Jin followed the direction of Zhong Yuntong’s finger, watching the sunset over Haishi cast a warm glow on the airplane’s wings, making the heavy wings appear light.
On the surface, Zhong Jin seemed calm, but inside, he was a chaotic mess. After losing all his family, he thought he would spend his life alone, but suddenly a child with a blood connection appeared. Zhong Jin didn’t know whether this was a blessing or a curse.
He sat there with his legs bent, slightly hunched over, his mind in disarray. Meanwhile, human emotions don’t connect; Zhong Yuntong’s little face was rosy, her mind solely focused on flying.
She ran back to Zhong Jin, holding onto his knee, and asked, “Father, where are we flying to? Are we going to another world?”
The faces of an elderly couple sitting across from them instantly darkened.
Zhong Jin explained, “Not another world; we’re flying to Beijing City.”
He glanced at the couple with dark expressions, “From now on, keep your voice down. You can’t disturb others, and you can’t speak loudly or cry. If you need something, tell me quietly, understood?”
Zhong Yuntong stood on her tiptoes, leaned close to Zhong Jin’s ear, and whispered, “Okay, okay.” Although she didn’t know the reason, she understood that her father had his reasons for wanting her to be quiet.
Once on the plane and seated, Zhong Yuntong’s excitement about flying didn’t last long before she started to feel something was off.
She tugged at Zhong Jin’s shirt sleeve, covering her ears and quietly saying, “My ears hurt a lot.”
Zhong Jin suggested she try yawning to relieve the pressure. Zhong Yuntong covered her ears and opened her mouth wide, trying to yawn. The pain made her want to cry, but remembering her father said not to cry, she comforted herself quietly while yawning,
“I can’t cry, I mustn’t cry. Tongtong has to be strong.”
But the pain in her ears only grew worse.
She pouted and whispered, “I’m sorry, Father, I might cry.”
Zhong Jin gently pressed on her ears and asked, “Can you hold on a bit longer?”
The flight attendant noticed what was happening and brought over some milk for Zhong Yuntong, squatting down to say, “Let your dad feed you the milk; it can help relieve the ear pain.”
Zhong Jin opened the milk, and Zhong Yuntong eagerly hugged the bottle, gulping it down. The swallowing motion indeed helped alleviate the pain in her ears.
After finishing the milk, Zhong Yuntong sprawled back in her seat, rubbing her little hands on her belly and burping. She turned to look out the window at the clouds, which were fluffy and white, resembling the cotton candy Rao Shishi had treated her to. Zhong Yuntong opened her mouth and pretended to take a bite, chewing as if she had tasted the sweet cotton candy.
**
Zhong Jin owned a house in Beijing City, but he didn’t go back there. Instead, he booked a room at a budget hotel, placing his simple luggage on the floor before stepping out onto the balcony to make a phone call.
When he returned to the room after the call, he found Zhong Yuntong lying flat on the floor with her limbs stretched out, her posture quite strange, resembling a flat duck. Zhong Jin had never seen a child lie like that; it reminded him of the dog that basked in the sun at the police station entrance. Rao Shishi often said that dog lay like a flat duck, and Zhong Yuntong looked like a larger version of that flat duck.
Zhong Yuntong rested her chin on the floor and lifted her eyelids, weakly saying, “Father, I’m starving.”
Although Zhong Jin was still confused, he couldn’t help but chuckle at her.
There was a McDonald's downstairs, so Zhong Jin took the child out to find something to eat, ordering two meals: one adult meal and one children’s meal.
The children’s meal included juice, a hamburger, mashed potatoes, and a mini pair of crocs as a toy. Zhong Yuntong was genuinely hungry, and as Zhong Jin wiped her hands with a wet wipe, her eyes were glued to the hamburger, urging him in a whisper, “Hurry up.”
Once her hands were clean, Zhong Jin said, “You can eat now.”
Zhong Yuntong immediately grabbed the hamburger and took a big bite, her cheeks puffing up instantly.
Zhong Jin wiped the salad dressing that spilled from the corner of her mouth with a napkin, “Take small bites.” He then inserted a straw into the juice bottle and held it to her mouth for her to drink.
After a couple of bites of the hamburger, Zhong Yuntong lowered her head to sip the juice, her little fluffy hair swaying with her movements. As she ate, she occasionally glanced behind Zhong Jin.
Zhong Jin turned around in confusion and saw a family of three sitting behind them, their table piled high with food.
A little girl, about the same age as Zhong Yuntong, sat between her parents, squinting her eyes as she waited for her mother to feed her. The little girl was dressed beautifully in a sparkling princess dress and little leather shoes, with a shiny rhinestone crown on her head.
Zhong Jin glanced a couple of times before turning back. Zhong Yuntong’s gaze was still fixed on the girl in the princess dress, her dark pupils reflecting the light from the crown.
Was she envious of the other girl’s princess dress and crown?
She probably was, right?
Zhong Yuntong was wearing a discounted T-shirt and shorts, which had become wrinkled after getting off the plane. Zhong Jin now understood that they were likely discounted because they wrinkled easily. She had also taken a nap on the plane, and her braids were a bit messy.
Despite her delicate, porcelain-like beauty, she had been living a carefree, ragged life for the past few days, yet she was still well-behaved. Aside from crying the first day she met Zhong Jin, she had never cried again, proving to be a sweet and considerate child.
In that moment, Zhong Jin forgot his own dire situation; he even felt a pang of heartache for the little child before him.
“What are you looking at?” Zhong Jin asked. No matter if Zhong Yuntong mentioned the princess dress or the shiny crown, he had decided to buy them for her.
Zhong Yuntong’s big eyes looked over, her long, thick eyelashes fluttering as she covered her mouth and whispered, “Chicken leg.” Her deliberate whisper made her actions seem sneaky.
Zhong Jin, “What? Speak up.”
Zhong Yuntong still spoke very softly, “Can I speak loudly now?”
Zhong Jin suddenly remembered that before boarding the plane, he had told her not to speak loudly so as not to disturb others. She had truly listened and remembered it until now.
“You can speak normally, but don’t be too loud.”
“Okay.” Zhong Yuntong immediately pointed to the table behind them, her eyes filled with longing, “Why is that little chicken wearing crispy clothes?”
Zhong Jin, “......”
Zhong Yuntong happily biting into the crispy chicken leg, hugging it with both hands and munching away, her cheeks getting greasy. Zhong Jin finished his meal and sat beside her, helping her wipe her hands and face to prevent the grease from staining her clothes.
When they exited the restaurant, it was already dark outside. The CBD buildings behind them were still brightly lit, and cars with red taillights formed a long line that seemed endless. Delivery riders zipped through the stagnant traffic on their electric bikes. Although it was a familiar scene, returning after a year with a child by his side made everything feel strange.
Zhong Jin carried Zhong Yuntong across the crosswalk toward the shopping mall on the opposite side.
Seeing that they weren’t heading back to the hotel, Zhong Yuntong kicked her legs in protest, “I want to sleep.”
“First, we need to buy clothes.”
Zhong Yuntong bumped her forehead against Zhong Jin’s shoulder, “I don’t want to buy clothes; I want to sleep.”
Zhong Jin ignored her.
Zhong Yuntong whined, “Ahhh, my eyes are going to close!”
Zhong Jin replied, “Then just close them for a bit.”
