ASFTB 20: A Lesson in Ideals for the Kids

Jian Chengxi knew Grandma Li meant well. He was just about to speak when, following her gaze, he turned his head and saw two children standing not far away, watching him from a distance. They were close enough that he couldn’t tell how much they had overheard.

“Suisui.” Worried about the child, Jian Chengxi quickly said, “Don’t go outside, stay in the house.”

Li Chen pulled Li Suisui back inside.

Jian Chengxi let out a sigh of relief, then turned to Grandma Li. “Thank you for telling me all this. I’ll think it over carefully. My kids are still at home, so I’d better get back.”

Grandma Li nodded. “Alright, alright, go on. Chengxi, your two children are wonderful and exceptional. They’ll achieve great things one day. As long as they can get into the Inspection Office or the Security Department in the future, no one will dare bully your family again.”

Jian Chengxi gave a small smile and quickly walked away.

He strode the last few steps to the door, brought the two children inside, then turned and locked the door securely.

Li Suisui and Li Chen stood to the side, watching him.

Jian Chengxi looked around at the mess the house had been turned into, let out a soft sigh, and walked over to take the children’s slightly cold hands. “Were you scared?” he asked.

The children shook their heads.

Li Chen said, “We’re used to it.”

“This happened often before. Suisui hasn’t been afraid for a long time.” Thanks to Jian Chengxi’s careful care over the past two months, Li Suisui’s cheeks had filled out a little, no longer the sallow thinness of malnutrition. The little girl had completely inherited Jian Chengxi’s big eyes, and her delicate, pretty face was now set in seriousness. “Then no one can go outside, and we’ll have to stay shut in for many, many days.”

For people living in chaotic times, fear and fearlessness had long since lost their meaning.

Unease and restlessness had already become the norm.

Jian Chengxi’s heart was heavy, but his hand was still gentle as he ruffled the child’s hair. “Good girl.”

The room was still a bit of a mess. Jian Chengxi stood up, ready to tidy things. He didn’t have OCD, but he also disliked the house being in constant disarray. Just looking at it puts him in a bad mood.

Walking over to the cupboard, Jian Chengxi said, “There are still a few baskets of fruit here. I’ll take them over to Grandma Li later. She’s old and lives alone, it can’t be easy for her.”

Li Chen and Li Suisui didn’t respond.

Puzzled, Jian Chengxi turned to look at them. Seeing both children staring at him, he asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

In the end—

It was Li Chen who spoke first. “When I grow up, I might not be able to get into the Inspection Office. My leg is disabled.”

Jian Chengxi froze.

Li Suisui also nodded. “Suisui can’t get in either. Suisui is a girl.”

It felt as if a muffled drum inside Jian Chengxi’s chest had been struck hard. He walked over in small steps and asked patiently, “Why do you have to join the Inspection Office?”

The two children stayed silent. They stood in the rundown little house, surrounded by the furniture that the Inspection Office men had shoved over. Outside, the sky was a dark red, and their small shadows stretched long across the floor. They were clearly still so young, yet it was as if an endless weight rested on their shoulders. The room was deathly silent, heavy with oppression.

After a long pause—

Li Suisui spoke cautiously. “Because Grandma Li said that when we grow up, getting into the Inspection Office means you’ve made something of yourself and only then can the family have a good life.”

Jian Chengxi was stunned. He never imagined the two children were upset because of that one sentence.

They were only three years old.

An age when other children were still carefree, lost in play and joy.

They should have been growing up in a happy family, free from worry. Yet now, they were already thinking about the family’s future.

What had made them this way?

Was it the chaos of the times?

Or was it the parents who had failed to hold up that protective umbrella?

A surge of turbulent thoughts welled up in Jian Chengxi’s heart, a fog that refused to clear and made it hard to breathe. He met the children’s eyes and, in their gaze, saw his own reflection—small, fragile, and uneasy figures standing before him. But he still smiled, and said earnestly, “What are you thinking about? Making sure the family has a good life isn’t your job.”

“Your job is to grow tall and healthy,” Jian Chengxi said gently. “Giving you a good life is your Daddy’s job.”

Li Chen and Li Suisui looked at the man before them with a trace of surprise.

Jian Chengxi asked, “Let me ask you, do you like the idea of being soldiers in the Inspection Office?”

The two children hesitated, then shook their heads, only to nod again.

“Why?” Jian Chengxi prompted patiently.

After all, in a child’s world, that was supposed to be the best job and mission. In the entire underground city, the people from the Inspection Office were the ones who could walk around as if they owned the place.

Li Chen spoke first. “They look powerful. They can make sure our family isn’t bullied.”

“And they can protect our family!” Li Suisui added, a little excited. “It’s really cool.”

Jian Chengxi sat down beside them, picked up a blanket from the floor, folded it, and smiled. “There are many ways to protect your family. You don’t necessarily have to be in the Inspection Office.”

He only wanted to encourage the children not to lose heart.

“Even if you can’t get in someday, it doesn’t matter. Daddy believes that as long as we use our brains and work hard, we can still live a good life.” Jian Chengxi looked at his children intently, reaching out to ruffle their hair. “Being a soldier is indeed impressive and respectable, but our family has already lost its father. Daddy can’t be without Suisui and Xiao Chen anymore. No matter how prestigious the Inspection Office is, I don’t care. I only want you to be safe and sound.”

Li Suisui and Li Chen looked into Jian Chengxi’s eyes.

For a moment, they saw nothing but sincerity.

Jian Chengxi’s words were like a warm current flowing into their hearts, sweeping away the long chill of winter nights.

For the first time, their Daddy wasn’t looking at them with disgust, wasn’t calling them useless, wasn’t saying they brought him shame.

Daddy said… he was afraid of losing them.

Li Suisui asked softly, “So it’s okay even if we don’t become successful kids?”

She thought her Daddy would comfort her, but instead—

“Being in the Inspection Office doesn’t necessarily make you the most successful!” Jian Chengxi took the child’s hand, revealing his true, money-loving nature. “Look, each of their families can only collect twenty. But if Daddy does business selling fruit, and sells a lot, each household could earn more than twenty. Once we make more and more money, we can buy a big house. Wouldn’t that be even more impressive than them?”

Li Chen and Li Suisui: “…”

Heh.

Daddy really hasn’t changed a bit.

Still, they felt he was much better than before.

Li Suisui gathered her courage and finally asked, “If Suisui and gege become successful in the future, will Daddy remarry?”

Jian Chengxi was taken aback. “Where did you hear that?”

Li Suisui said softly, “When Grandma Li was talking to Daddy, I heard it.”

“…”

Damn, he hadn’t expected their hearing to be this good.

Seeing the faint fear in both children’s eyes, Jian Chengxi took a deep breath. “No, Daddy doesn’t have that idea.”

Li Suisui’s face lit up, though she still sounded a little doubtful. “Really?”

Jian Chengxi nodded firmly, then asked in puzzlement, “Why would you think Daddy would want to remarry?”

Because you’re always thinking about running away with your lover.

Li Suisui and Li Chen thought the exact same thing.

But saying that out loud might make Daddy blow up in embarrassment, so after a moment’s hesitation, Li Suisui quietly said, “Because if you remarried, Daddy wouldn’t have to work so hard, and we would have more money.”

Jian Chengxi choked up a little. Was it really that obvious he loved money?

But…

He took a deep breath and looked at the two children seriously. “Daddy does love money, but a gentleman earns it the right way. The money I want, I’ll work hard to earn myself. Even without relying on others, I can still do it. Whatever we want, we don’t always have to depend on someone else. We should fight for it with our own hands.”

The two children were stunned. It was the first time anyone had told them something like this in such a chaotic world.

“Maybe we’re not wealthy now, but I believe everything will get better.” Jian Chengxi glanced at the child’s injured leg, feeling a pang of pain, but still encouraged them. “There’s more than one path to success. Who says only joining the Inspection Office makes you accomplished? Daddy hopes you can stick to your own dreams, and I’ll always support you.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

At that moment, Jian Chengxi had no idea just how deeply his words would influence the children’s future.

Li Suisui’s eyes sparkled as she threw herself into his arms. The little girl’s voice carried a hint of cheerful laughter. “Daddy, I understand now!”

A sudden sense of foreboding hit Jian Chengxi. “You really understand?”

Standing in Jian Chengxi’s arms, Li Suisui’s fair, adorable little face was lit with a smile. Brimming with energy and excitement, she said, “Stick to my own dream—keep working to become a powerful woman like a queen, who knows how to use combs and poisoned apples!”

Li Chen nodded along, his small face deadly serious. “Build the most powerful mecha and destroy the underground city.”

Jian Chengxi: “…”

??

That… might not be the kind of persistence we need.