Ice Cream Killer

On a sweltering summer evening, the lingering heat of the sun made the air thick and humid, offering little relief from the heat even after sunset. The cicadas' desperate chirping, mingling with the hum of air conditioner units, created a typical summer twilight symphony.

However, this symphony came to an abrupt end in the Qi family.

Around 7 p.m., Qi Shuo was still at the factory dealing with a temporary equipment debugging problem. Only Tan Huaiyu and Qing Ran, who had just returned from the park, were at home. One of them was in the study looking at case files, and the other was drawing in the living room, both relying on the air conditioning to stay awake.

Sudden--

"Smack."

A very faint sound, like something breaking, was heard.

Immediately afterwards, the lights in the study and living room went out simultaneously, and the reassuring hum of the air conditioner's outdoor unit vanished instantly. The computer screen went black, the TV screen went black, and even the router's indicator light went out.

The whole world seemed to have been muted and the lights turned off, leaving only the faint twilight filtering in from the window and the sudden, suffocating heat.

"Huh?" Tan Huaiyu looked up from the file, his vision completely dark. He paused, then instinctively pressed the desk lamp switch, but nothing happened. He pressed the computer power button, but still nothing. "Is there a power outage?"

"Brother Huaiyu! The lights are off! The air conditioner isn't blowing either!" Qingran's slightly panicked voice came from the living room.

"It's alright, Ranran, don't be afraid. It's probably just a tripped circuit breaker, or a temporary power outage in the neighborhood." Tan Huaiyu stood up, groped his way to the door, checked the circuit breaker, and tried to turn it on, but nothing happened. It seemed to be a power outage in the area.

Using the last glimmer of daylight streaming through the window, he found his phone and turned on the flashlight. A beam of light pierced the darkness, bringing a sense of security. He went to the living room, where Qingran was sitting on the sofa, clutching her rabbit doll, looking somewhat uneasy.

"The power really went out," Qingran whispered, fine beads of sweat already forming on her forehead. "It's so hot..."

On a sweltering summer night, without air conditioning or a fan, the indoor temperature rose rapidly, and the air seemed to stagnate, carrying a stifling heatwave. Tan Huaiyu himself felt a little breathless, and a small patch of his shirt on the back was quickly soaked with sweat.

"It's a bit hot," Tan Huaiyu tried to sound relaxed, "but it's okay, the power outage won't last too long. Let's... find a cooler place to stay."

He held his phone and walked around the house. The balcony was breezy, but teeming with mosquitoes. The bathroom? Even more stuffy. Finally, his gaze settled on the large, double-door refrigerator standing quietly in the kitchen.

The refrigerator… even though the power's out, there should still be some cold air left inside, right? And, most importantly—

Tan Huaiyu's eyes lit up briefly in the flashlight beam.

He led Qingran to the refrigerator and carefully opened the door a crack.

A cool breeze, much colder than the room temperature and carrying the fresh aroma of food, instantly hit me, like a spring of fresh air in the desert, instantly invigorating me.

"Wow! It's so cool!" Qingran exclaimed in surprise, pressing her face close to the crack in the door and greedily inhaling the precious cool air.

Tan Huaiyu also comfortably squinted his eyes. But he quickly realized that leaving the refrigerator door open to dissipate cold air wasn't a long-term solution. Moreover, the things in the refrigerator, especially those that needed to be frozen…

His gaze fell on the cryo-layer.

There, Qi Shuo had just bought various flavors of ice cream and popsicles yesterday. Because he was afraid that he and Qing Ran would overindulge, Qi Shuo had deliberately hidden them in a more secluded spot.

Tan Huaiyu's throat bobbed slightly. A "brilliant" idea, along with his craving for ice cream and his "hatred" of the high temperature, took shape in his mind.

"Ranran," he lowered his voice, with a secret excitement like that of an accomplice, "Do you think the ice cream inside will melt if the power goes out in this hot weather?"

Upon hearing this, Qingran immediately looked at the freezer compartment with concern: "Will it thaw? What should we do then? If it thaws, we can't eat it!"

“Yes, it’s such a waste to let them melt.” Tan Huaiyu nodded seriously, the beam of his flashlight sweeping over the beautifully packaged ice cream boxes. “Especially the ones your brother bought, they were so expensive. It would be a waste if they melted.”

"Then...then let's eat it quickly?" Qingran's eyes lit up, and she suggested softly, with a childlike, simple "problem-solving" logic.

“Yes, that makes sense.” Tan Huaiyu agreed wholeheartedly. “We’re trying to salvage food and avoid waste. Your brother will definitely praise us for being clever when he gets back.”

Thus, under the dual "legitimate reasons" of "avoiding waste" and "being too hot to stand," Tan Huaiyu and Qing Ran began their "ice cream rescue operation."

Tan Huaiyu took the storage box containing various ice creams out of the freezer. Under the flashlight beam, the colorful wrappers looked especially tempting. There was classic vanilla chocolate coating, sweet and sour strawberry yogurt, rich matcha, and Qingran's favorite grape flavor.

"Come on, Ranran, pick one you like. We need to save them quickly." Tan Huaiyu put the box on the ground, sat down cross-legged, and together with Qingran, they began to "carefully" select one by the light of the flashlight.

The two quickly made their choices. Tan Huaiyu picked a matcha flavor, and Qing Ran picked a strawberry flavor. They tore open the wrappers and, in the stuffy, dark kitchen, ate the remaining cool air leaking from the refrigerator door, taking small bites at a time.

The cool, sweet ice cream melted in her mouth, instantly dispelling the thirst in her throat and the heat in her heart. Tan Huaiyu sighed contentedly, feeling that the night without power wasn't so unbearable after all. Qing Ran, her eyes crinkling with delight, had long forgotten her fear of the power outage.

One was finished very quickly.

"It seems... there are other flavors that need 'rescuing'?" Tan Huaiyu licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, looking at the remaining ice cream in the box with a "worried" expression.

"Mmm! That chocolate looks like it's about to melt!" Qingran nodded vigorously, pointing to the vanilla chocolate crust.

So, the second ice cream met its demise.

The sweltering heat caused the ice cream to melt faster than usual. The two had to speed up their efforts to salvage it, ending up with melted cream and chocolate on their lips and fingers.

The cold air in the refrigerator was dwindling, and the temperature in the kitchen was slowly rising, but they were so engrossed in the brief coolness brought by the ice cream and their sense of mission to save the food that they were completely unaware of it.

One, two, three...

When Qi Shuo finally finished dealing with things at the factory and returned home, drenched in the summer heat, he unlocked the door, only to be greeted not by the expected cool air conditioning and lights, but by pitch blackness, stifling heat, and…

The faint, rustling sounds and chewing noises were coming from the direction of the kitchen.

Qi Shuo's heart sank. The power was out?

He changed his shoes in the dark and, using the light from his phone screen, walked toward the kitchen where he could hear the noise.

The closer you get to the kitchen, the clearer the subtle, almost animalistic, rustling sounds become. And... a faint, sweet, creamy aroma?

A sense of foreboding rose in Qi Shuo's heart. He strode to the kitchen doorway, raised his phone, and the beam of the flashlight instantly illuminated the scene inside—

There, his two children, one big and one small, were squatting side by side in front of the open refrigerator door. The refrigerator light was off, of course; only the light from his phone illuminated their figures.

Tan Huaiyu sat cross-legged on the floor, his pajamas stained with suspicious, melted, pinkish-green stains on the chest and knees. He held a half-eaten popsicle stick, now deformed and dripping with cream, and had chocolate smeared around his mouth. He looked as focused as if he were conducting a precise experiment.

In his amber eyes, there was a kind of innocent yet satisfied light, as if he had done something bad but felt good about it.

Qingran squatted next to him, her little face a picture of excitement. Mango-yellow ice cream smeared half her cheek and a little on the tip of her nose. She held a bare ice cream stick in her hand and was imitating Tan Huaiyu, trying hard to nibble on the last bit of ice cream left on the stick. Her big eyes blinked as she looked at Tan Huaiyu and then at the storage box on the ground, which was half empty and covered with several ice cream wrappers.

At their feet lay several ice cream wrappers of different colors, crumpled and mangled. The refrigerator door was wide open, and the once neatly arranged food inside appeared somewhat messy. The freezer compartment was completely empty, with only a few bags of frozen dumplings and a few packets of frozen glutinous rice balls remaining, standing alone as witnesses to what had just happened.

The air was filled with a rich, sweet aroma of various ice creams mixed together, as well as the scent of some "crime" being exposed.

Qi Shuo: "..."

He stood at the kitchen doorway, holding his phone, staring at the "tragic" yet "comical" scene before him, stunned for a full three seconds.

An unnamed anger, mixed with amusement, helplessness, and a deep sense of powerlessness towards the two "treasures" in his family, instantly surged to the top of Qi Shuo's head.

He knew it! He knew that when the power went out, those two getting together meant trouble!

Tan Huaiyu is such an unreliable person! He not only cheated on his own, but he also dragged Ranran along with him.

Eating while squatting by the refrigerator door! And eating so much! Eating so much cold food so late at night, can her stomach handle it?!

Qi Shuo's face darkened visibly.

At this moment, Tan Huaiyu and Qing Ran, who were still immersed in the end of "rescuing the ice cream", finally belatedly noticed the light at the door and... that extremely oppressive gaze.

Almost simultaneously, the two of them froze, and very slowly, with a sense of "we're doomed, we've been caught," they turned their heads and looked towards the door.

The beam of the flashlight shone directly on Qi Shuo's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot and seemed to say, "You'd better give me an explanation."

Tan Huaiyu: "..."

Qingran: "...Brother?"

The air froze again.

Only the melted cream from the ice cream dripped onto the floor tiles, making a very faint "plop" sound.

Qi Shuo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. He strode over to the two of them, his tall figure blocking most of the light from the phone and casting a shadow over the two people squatting on the ground, who seemed to be frozen in place.

He first snatched the still-dripping popsicle stick from Tan Huaiyu's hand, and without even looking, accurately tossed it into the nearby trash can. Then he took the bare stick from Qing Ran's hand and disposed of it in the same way.

Then, he bent down, stretched out both hands, grabbed Tan Huaiyu's collar with one hand and lifted Qing Ran's arm with the other, like lifting two disobedient kittens who had stolen fish and made a mess everywhere, and with a little force, pulled the two of them up from the ground.

"Qi Shuo, what are you doing! Let go of me!" Tan Huaiyu was pulled so hard that he stumbled and tried to steady himself, his face showing the embarrassment of being caught red-handed and the bluff of "I only ate a few ice creams from you."

"Brother..." Qingran called out softly, a little scared, as Qi Shuo steadily lifted her to stand still.

Qi Shuo ignored Tan Huaiyu's struggles, simply carrying the two of them to the living room. Then he released them, crossed his arms, and looked down at them, his gaze sweeping over their faces and clothes covered in ice cream before finally settling on Tan Huaiyu's face. His voice was calm as if a storm was brewing:

"explain."

Tan Huaiyu steadied himself, straightened his disheveled collar, and tried to maintain his dignity as an adult. He cleared his throat and began to explain "reasonably": "A-Shuo, listen to me, it's like this. The power went out, it was really hot at home, and the refrigerator stopped working. We were worried that the ice cream inside would melt and go to waste, so... so we came up with a way to help them. You see, we're avoiding food waste, we're... we're being thrifty!"

He spoke with an air of righteous indignation, if one ignored the chocolate on his lips and the stains on his chest.

Qingran nodded quickly and chimed in softly, "Yes, yes! It's such a waste that the ice cream can't be eaten once it melts! Brother Huaiyu and I are trying to save it!"

Qi Shuo looked at the two faces, one big and one small, both covered in ice cream but equally "righteous," and almost laughed out of anger.

"Frugal and hardworking? Rescuing her?" Qi Shuo's voice rose eight octaves as he pointed towards the kitchen. "Tan Huaiyu! I just bought these yesterday! Eight in a box! All kinds of flavors! How many did you rescue? Huh? Especially you, Tan Huaiyu! How old are you? Huh? You didn't even call me when the power went out? You didn't even take Ranran downstairs to the convenience store to enjoy the air conditioning? You were just squatting by the refrigerator eating ice cream?! And you even made Ranran eat so much ice cream with you! Can her stomach handle it?! Can your stomach handle it?!"

A barrage of questions left Tan Huaiyu somewhat bewildered, and also shattered his pitiful "righteousness."

Only then did he belatedly realize that... he might have eaten a bit too much? And, it seemed... he really shouldn't have let Ranran eat so much...

Seeing Qi Shuo's eyes slightly reddened with worry and anger, Tan Huaiyu's guilt and remorse finally overwhelmed his "righteous indignation." He lowered his head, like a child who had done something wrong, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes, muttering softly, "...I...I didn't eat much...just three...Ranran ate two..."

"Five!" Qi Shuo facepalmed. "Eight in a box! You ate five! And you call that not a lot?! Tan Huaiyu! You!"

He was so angry he could barely speak, his chest heaving violently. He simply couldn't do anything with this person! The usually shrewd and composed Attorney Tan's IQ plummeted the moment he encountered sweets! And he even dragged Qingran into his antics!

Seeing that Qi Shuo was really angry, Qing Ran shrank behind Tan Huaiyu in fright and whispered, "Brother, don't be angry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have eaten so much ice cream..."

Seeing Qingran's frightened expression, Qi Shuo's heart softened again.

He sighed, rubbed his aching temples, and softened his tone, but remained serious: "It's good that you know you were wrong. Don't do it again next time, understand?"

"I understand..." Tan Huaiyu replied sullenly.

"Go, you two, hurry up and wash your hands and faces! Look at yourselves, what kind of behavior is this!" Qi Shuo pointed to the bathroom and added, "After you wash, come out and drink some warm water to warm your stomachs. I'll go check if the power is back on."

Tan Huaiyu and Qing Ran felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly ran to the bathroom to clean up the "evidence".

Qi Shuo watched the two figures flee in a disheveled state, feeling both annoyed and amused. He walked to the kitchen, looked at the mess on the floor, shook his head helplessly, and resignedly began to clean up.

I had just finished taking out the trash and closed the refrigerator door when the living room light suddenly "snap" on.

The outdoor unit of the air conditioner started humming again.

The electricity is back.

A cool breeze blew out from the air vents again, quickly dispelling the stuffiness in the room.

Qi Shuo stood under the bright lights, looking at his home restored to normal, and listening to the sound of running water and the two people talking in hushed tones coming from the bathroom.

"Brother Huaiyu, is brother very angry?"

"It's alright, he'll be fine in a bit. We'll be more careful next time..."

Qi Shuo finally couldn't help but let a helpless yet indulgent smile curve his lips upwards.

never mind.

Getting angry with these two clowns will only make you angry yourself.

As long as everyone is alright, the ice cream... well, it's fine as it is.

Next time, I'll have to hide the sweets more carefully.

Qi Shuo thought for a moment, then turned around and poured warm water for the two "ice cream thieves".

Outside the window, the summer night sky gradually becomes clearer.

Inside, the lights were warm and the air conditioning was cool.