The night of the Lantern Festival.
The lantern fair in the ancient city stretched and flourished.
Countless Kongming lanterns, carrying the wishes of countless households, ascended to the heavens with their tiny flames.
Hui Feng had already prepared the tangyuan for tonight. Now, he was accompanying his daughter, waiting for his wife to return so they could have dinner together.
Bored, Hui Feng scrolled through his phone. When he grew tired of it, he glanced at his daughter.
It was only then that Hui Feng noticed the expression on Miri Dreamwell’s face—it was utterly lifeless and unsettling.
“Miri, is something troubling you recently?”
Hui Feng felt a faint unease. This was clearly a sign that something was bothering her.
If it were just a minor worry, that would be manageable.
But if she were suffering from something deeper, that would be dangerous.
Hui Feng understood his daughter’s age. She was at a stage where her values were taking shape.
If she were to experience some kind of shock during this time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Hearing her father’s question, Miri Dreamwell lifted her head, which had been staring blankly at the dining table.
“Dad…”
Miri’s voice trembled slightly.
“I saw a question in my winter vacation homework: If a high-speed train is moving forward and, due to its speed, needs 200 meters to stop completely…”
“But 50 meters ahead, the driver suddenly sees that the only two available tracks ahead have one with a live person tied to it and the other with a barrel of explosives.”
“If the driver chooses to run over the person, at least the lives of everyone on the train will be saved. But if the driver chooses the track with the explosives to avoid killing the person, then everyone on the train will die. In this situation, what should the driver choose?”
Upon hearing his daughter’s question, Hui Feng was momentarily speechless.
What kind of shameless person came up with such a terrible question?
Hui Feng immediately realized that this must be one of those so-called “intelligence test” questions.
He didn’t need to ask why—he had been through similar questions when he was young.
Those self-proclaimed clever people would casually throw out a difficult problem without providing a real answer. And when you finally figured something out, they would say, “You’re wrong. That’s not the answer. Think again.”
Back then, Hui Feng had simply thought, “Think my ass! There’s no damn answer to begin with!”
“Sigh…”
Hui Feng sighed. He now had a pretty good idea why his daughter looked so distressed.
She had probably been driven to despair by this question.
Hui Feng opened a bottle of beer, took a couple of gulps, and, feeling the alcohol kick in, he patted his chest and declared, “Forget about this question! If your teacher asks why you didn’t do it, just tell them to come to me! Miri, remember, people who come up with questions like this are just trying to mess with you. Stay far away from them!”
“Dad…”
Miri Dreamwell looked at her slightly tipsy father with a hint of envy.
“If you faced a dilemma like this in real life, what would you do?”
Not getting the answer she wanted, Miri decided to ask the question again.
Hearing his daughter’s question, Hui Feng didn’t hesitate and immediately gave his solution.
“If it were me, I’d slam on the brakes as hard as possible, close my eyes, and let the train make its own choice.”
“I’d do what I can, and the rest is beyond my control. Why should I force myself to do something I can’t? I’m human, not the Divine. We’re not omnipotent.”
As Hui Feng spoke, he was becoming more animated, his gaze fixed on his daughter, urging her to pay attention.
“Miri, I want you to remember that admitting your limitations isn’t something to fear. In fact, it’s a truly great thing.”
“Do you know what kind of people live the longest in this world?”
“What kind, Dad?”
Miri was curious. This was a question she had never considered before, but now she felt that it might somehow explain her own struggles.
“It’s not the ones with absolute intelligence or immense power, but those who can laugh no matter what happens—the mediocre ones.”
“The smarter you are, the more likely you are to worry. The more power you have, the more likely you are to lose yourself. So, it’s the simple-minded who live the longest.”
Hui Feng took another swig of beer and continued.
“When I was young, I never understood why your grandpa loved drinking so much. I couldn’t figure out why he liked something that tasted so bad, especially since the country always says drinking is harmful to your health!”
“Now I get it. If he hadn’t had those drinks, he would’ve died even sooner. The true purpose of alcohol is to forget your worries. There’s no poison more deadly than anxiety.”
After hearing her father’s words, Miri Dreamwell felt even more confused.
So, the only way was to ignore the inevitable outcome?
“Dad… how many things in this world are beyond our control?”
“Oh, you’ve stumped me there.”
Hui Feng slumped back in his chair. This question was quite complex. As a science student, delving into philosophical questions like this was a bit out of his depth.
Seriously, which shameless teacher came up with such a terrible question? If I ever find out who you are, I’ll take you to court and settle this!
“Let me think.”
Hui Feng rubbed his temples, trying to sober up a bit.
“How should I put it? I guess I’m getting old. If I were around 15, I’d probably say something naive like, ‘There’s nothing I can’t do!’ But I’m not as spirited as I used to be.”
As he spoke, Hui Feng sat up straight and reached out to pat Miri Dreamwell’s head.
“That’s why the future of the country belongs to you. Only you, the dream-filled children, are the future of the nation and humanity.”
“As for us, half our lives are already behind us. We’ll just leave the rest to fate.”
“The thing I’m most proud of now is watching you grow into an exceptional adult. When the world needs you, you’ll be able to hold up a small piece of the sky for a few people.”
After finishing, Hui Feng withdrew his hand from his daughter’s head.
Miri Dreamwell looked up at this man—this seemingly forever silent man who only cared about scrolling through his phone and ignoring everything around him.
His heart, it turned out, held so much more.
“Dad, have you never thought about me saving everyone?”
“Isn’t that what a Magical Girl is supposed to do?”
Hearing his daughter’s words, Hui Feng was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat. Thankfully, he managed to control himself so his trembling wasn’t too obvious, preventing his daughter from noticing.
Hui Feng shook the half-empty bottle of beer in his hand and chuckled.
“Who can do all that? Protecting yourself is already a person’s limit. Being able to protect another person’s life makes someone truly great. Saving the whole world? That’d be exhausting.”
Click!
“Hubby, Miri, I’m home!”
At that moment, Jade Xiang returned.
