Chapter 124: The Fairy Tale World

Southern Ming City.

Lu Kun was feeling a bit troubled. After moving to a new home, naturally, his two daughters, the elder and the younger, had to transfer schools.

He took the girls to register at their new school. The elder daughter obediently held her younger sister’s hand, worried she might wander off.

“Daddy, why do we have to wear thicker clothes today even though the weather is warmer?” the younger one tugged at her clothes, tilting her head with a hint of discontent.

“That’s because spring has just arrived. The weather hasn’t fully warmed up yet. It’s still chilly in the mornings and evenings,” Lu Kun explained patiently.

“Then why do those older boys and girls put on summer clothes as soon as it gets warm?” the younger one asked, pointing at a group of young people passing by.

“Everyone has their own reasons for what they wear, but we need to know what’s appropriate for the weather. There’s a saying: ‘Keep warm in spring, endure the cold in autumn.’ The main function of clothing is to keep us warm. We must learn to take care of our bodies. Our bodies come from our parents, and it’s not right to sacrifice warmth for style,” Lu Kun said with a smile, explaining to his little girl.

Since their new home was close to the school, Lu Kun didn’t drive them but walked with them.

...

“Wait a moment,” Lu Kun pulled the younger girl back as she had already stepped forward.

“Daddy, are we waiting for the traffic light?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Yes, we wait until the green light comes on before crossing,” Lu Kun pressed his thumb gently into her palm and said softly.

“But why do so many people cross before the red light finishes its countdown and turns green?” she whispered, watching the hurried crowd crossing the street, biting her lip.

Lu Kun’s expression faltered but quickly recovered.

“Maybe they’re in a hurry,” he answered calmly, though he felt uncertain inside.

After all, that was just an excuse.

“But we’re in a hurry to get to school too. Why can’t we be like them and cross early? Why must we wait for the green light?” The younger girl’s tone showed clear defiance, her face filled with frustration.

“Let me ask you—doesn’t the traffic rule say stop at red and go at green?” Lu Kun rolled his eyes at her stubbornness.

“Yes,” she admitted softly.

Her big, sparkling eyes darted around nervously, as if afraid a police officer might suddenly appear and scold her.

Fortunately, no officer was around. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“But if they don’t follow the rules and we do, aren’t we just putting ourselves at a disadvantage?” the little girl muttered, still reluctant despite conceding.

“There are no rules, no order,” Lu Kun said, ruffling her hair with a smile, though his eyes darkened for a moment.

Honestly, Lu Kun himself wasn’t sure if this way of teaching his children was right or wrong for their future.

The lessons were sound, but once she stepped into the great melting pot of society, she might find that what they called “right” often turned out to be “wrong.”

In modern China, education and reality are like two sides of a mirror—one reflecting heaven, the other hell.

Sanmao once said that a person with good manners cannot survive in a country without manners.

Lu Kun didn’t fully agree, but the reality often proved it true.

Those who follow the rules often suffer disadvantages.

Though Lu Kun wanted to adapt his teachings to the society around them, his daughters were still too young to fully grasp life’s complexities.

So let the children live in a fairy tale world, woven from dreams:

In the forest, Cinderella and the candy house.

In the fairy-tale town, a rainbow-colored river flows.

On the cliff grows the tree of eternal life.

Across the sea lies chests filled with jewels.

The ugly duckling will one day become a white swan.

...

“Daddy, do you think I’ll be successful when I grow up?” the younger girl asked as they walked, holding his hand.

Lu Kun smiled knowingly. “Why do you ask?”

“The teachers say I’m a troublemaker, don’t like doing homework, and even draw little pigs in my workbook,” she said, sticking out her tongue shyly.

Lu Kun’s brow twitched. Good thing he didn’t blurt out something harsh.

“To judge a person, you have to look at many aspects...” he answered solemnly, though even he wasn’t sure what he was saying.

What made Lu Kun almost choke with frustration was that the younger girl nodded earnestly, a look of relief spreading across her face.

Lu Kun: “...”

What on earth did I say? And why did you agree with it?

I’m going to tell your mother about those pig drawings and have her deal with you!

...

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“Get the hell out of my way! I don’t care if I hit you or not!”

A Volkswagen Passat roared toward the crowd, blaring its horn incessantly, cursing at passersby.

Parents hurriedly pulled their children aside to the roadside.

This was far from the era when luxury car drivers in later generations feared pedestrians.

Even in big cities, many blind spots in surveillance cameras existed then.

If an accident occurred, the driver escaping was almost guaranteed—over ninety percent of the time.

Cases often went unsolved, or authorities hesitated to investigate. The victims had no recourse but to accept their misfortune.

Thus, parents treated moving vehicles as if they were venomous snakes—and that was entirely understandable.

The younger girl’s mouth twitched, and she leaned closer to Lu Kun, whispering, “Daddy, does having more money mean a person is more important?”

“Not necessarily,” Lu Kun answered, eyes narrowing as he watched the car, his mind drifting before he came back to himself, speaking calmly.

“Then why do so many people envy the rich? Doesn’t having money let you do whatever you want?”

“Whether a person is great doesn’t depend on how much wealth they have, but on how many people they influence and what contributions they make to humanity,” Lu Kun said, stroking his daughter’s hair gently.

“But I think many people really like money. Money can do a lot of things. I like money too,” she replied, pursing her lips and frowning.

“Money can satisfy many selfish desires. After all, humans are a society, and we can’t expect everyone to be selfless.

Liking money isn’t necessarily bad, but money alone can’t measure a person. We can only understand someone by how they desire and use money.”

The younger girl looked half-understanding, while the elder one, silent beside them, seemed deep in thought.

“Let’s go find your homeroom teacher first,” Lu Kun said, glancing around as he took the girls by the hand and walked toward the school, though his gaze lingered a moment longer on the Volkswagen Passat.