“You successfully captured the fugitive and received a reward—10,000 pure gold mooncakes!”
Wow, this reward is quite fitting for the occasion...
After receiving this reward, Xu Mo thought to himself, those so-called overpriced mooncakes on the market were nothing compared to the 10,000 pure gold mooncakes he had just gotten!
By the time he finished all his work, it was already 11:57 PM. In just three minutes, the Mid-Autumn Festival would be over.
Three minutes wasn’t enough for the officers to rush home and reunite with their families. In the end, they didn’t get to celebrate the festival with their loved ones.
“Sigh, it’s already the 16th. My parents said they’d wait for me to come home for Mid-Autumn Festival, but now… there are only a few minutes left. It’s too late to go back now,” Wang Dachuan shrugged. Though his words sounded like a complaint, his face was lit with an irrepressible smile.
For him, even though he didn’t get to spend the festival with his family, this Mid-Autumn Festival was still incredibly meaningful.
After all, thanks to the efforts of him and his colleagues at the police station, over twenty families were reunited, and the child traffickers had been brought to justice.
Sacrificing the small family for the greater good—this was the mindset every officer should have. Missing one festival wasn’t a big deal.
“The moon is fuller on the 16th day. Who says the Mid-Autumn Festival is over after the 15th? The moon is even rounder today, don’t you think?” Han Fei said with a smile.
“Exactly! And the Mid-Autumn Festival comes once a year. It’s fine if we miss it this time; there’s always next year. Besides, we did something so meaningful today. Isn’t that more fulfilling than just eating mooncakes at home?”
“Yeah, seeing the grateful looks on those parents’ faces made today feel so worthwhile. It’s much better than staying at home eating mooncakes!”
“Speaking of mooncakes, I still have that box the station gave out a couple of days ago. It’s not midnight yet. How about I grab it and we all share it?” Li Chen suggested.
The proposal was met with unanimous agreement.
“Sure, sure! Even if we can’t make it home before midnight, celebrating with everyone at the station while eating mooncakes and admiring the moon sounds like a great alternative,” Han Fei nodded.
As they spoke, Li Chen brought out the box of mooncakes he hadn’t taken home yet and shared them with everyone.
At 11:59 PM, the officers held their mooncakes, gathered together, and looked up at the full moon hanging in the sky. Amid laughter, they began eating the mooncakes.
This Mid-Autumn Festival, though not spent with their families, was still extraordinary as they celebrated it with their colleagues who they spent every day with.
After finishing the mooncakes, everyone headed home.
**Qingyuan Residential Complex.**
After parking his car, Han Fei didn’t rush upstairs. Instead, he lit a cigarette and gazed at the residential building in front of him, where only a few lights were still on.
He was hesitant to go up because, once again, he had stood up his family.
After finishing the cigarette, he instinctively reached for another, only to find the pack empty.
Crumpling the empty pack, he opened the car door, tossed it into the trash bin, and walked into the building.
**8th Floor, Unit 802.**
“I’m back. Why are you still up?” Han Fei asked guiltily as he entered and saw his wife waiting for him on the couch.
“What do you think? Do you even know what time it is?”
“There was a special situation today… something came up at the station,” Han Fei explained.
“It’s always a special situation with you. Three hundred sixty-five days a year, and every single day there’s something ‘special.’ I told you two weeks ago that our daughter was performing at her school’s Mid-Autumn Festival event. You promised you’d be there… and yet, once again, you didn’t show up. How many times has this happened now? Our daughter cried her eyes out. I barely managed to calm her down and get her to sleep.”
“I know your job is demanding, and I understand that. But could you at least call and explain? You need to make our daughter feel like she’s important to you.”
Faced with his wife’s scolding, Han Fei didn’t show any impatience or try to defend himself. He just listened silently, occasionally nodding.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Due to the nature of his job, Han Fei often failed to fulfill his duties as a father and husband. He had missed many important moments in his daughter’s life.
Seeing her husband listening quietly without arguing, Han Fei’s wife softened.
“Have you eaten? If not, there’s still some food in the kitchen. It’s still warm. I’ll go heat it up for you.”
“I haven’t eaten. I’ll get it myself. It’s late; you should go rest,” Han Fei replied honestly.
He had only eaten breakfast and one mooncake the entire day.
Ignoring him, Han Fei’s wife went straight to the kitchen and soon brought out a few dishes she had reheated multiple times.
After quickly eating a few bites, Han Fei washed the dishes and then went to check on his daughter before bed.
“Daddy is a big meanie…” As soon as he entered, Han Fei heard his daughter’s sleepy murmur. Her little face was still stained with tears, and her eyes were red from crying.
Feeling a pang of guilt, Han Fei kissed his daughter’s cheek and gently tucked her in to keep her warm before quietly leaving the room.
…
The situations the other officers faced when they returned home were similar to Han Fei’s.
For those who were married, their wives complained. For those who weren’t, their parents did.
Missing a family-centered festival like Mid-Autumn naturally led to some grumbling at home.
However, Xu Mo, who was also an officer and had missed the festival due to work, didn’t face the same issues.
He didn’t have to deal with such complaints because the four women in his life had already seen the news. They knew Xu Mo had missed the festival because of important work.
They also knew that what he had done today was incredibly meaningful. He was a hero—thanks to him, over twenty families were reunited.
Xu Mo had sacrificed his own celebration to bring others together.
“You’re back! We waited to eat with you.”
“We prepared crabs and mooncakes for you, along with some of your favorite dishes. Come and eat!”
“Let me interview our hero. How does it feel to help over twenty families reunite on a day meant for family gatherings?”
“Wait, wait! I haven’t started recording yet. Ask again after I hit record.”
Yang Jingxuan held up her phone, aiming the camera at Xu Mo and Zhou Qiaoqiao, who was interviewing him.
“I don’t have much to say. Right now, I only have one thought… I’m starving. Where are the crabs? Bring them out so I can dig in.”
“No, no! You have to say something! Share your thoughts after helping so many people. I’m recording!”
“I want to eat crabs.”
“No, you have to share your thoughts first, then you can eat.”
“I want to eat crabs.”
“Can’t you eat later? Just say a few words first.”
“I want to eat crabs.”
Zhou Qiaoqiao: “…”
Unable to argue with Xu Mo, she finally brought out the pot of crabs.
Just as Xu Mo picked up his chopsticks, lifted the lid, and reached into the pot to start eating, he froze.
The crab in the pot had clamped onto his chopsticks…
Xu Mo: “???”
“What kind of new dish is this? Air-marinated crab?”
Seeing this, the four women were also stunned.
Oh no, they forgot to steam the crabs!
“Uh… no, no,” Zhou Qiaoqiao blushed and stuck out her tongue. “These are just regular steamed crabs, but we forgot to steam them… We wanted to steam them right before you got home so they’d be fresh. We called you a few times to ask when you’d be back, but you didn’t answer…”