Torch of Hope

Children are amazing things.

How amazing is it?

The people who ask this question probably haven't seen those amazing children. What's amazing about children is their fearlessness.

The saying "ignorance is bliss" is most evident in children; they dare to catch all sorts of insects in their hands and show them to you.

They dare to do things that adults wouldn't dare to do or wouldn't want to do, including rolling around in the mud—it's worth mentioning that the water used to make the mud comes from the children's own excretory system.

The children in Nagaril were much the same; every child in the Orphanage was a little mud ball.

The Director of the Orphanage was a woman who looked to be in her fifties and was wearing a faded white dress.

She stood somewhat timidly with the children, facing the foreigners who got out of the car.

Yesterday evening, the local Police Chief approached her and told her that a prominent figure from abroad would be visiting the children and donating some supplies, so she should prepare in advance.

She had done her best to prepare, even taking out clothes she usually wouldn't wear, but she still made a careless mistake.

In the blink of an eye, those clean children turned into little mud balls again, and she was a little scared.

In front of reporters, the public, and cameras, Lin Qi walked up to the somewhat timid Director, extended his hand, and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Director Madam."

The female Director stretched out her hand to look at it. Actually, her hand was very clean; at least, there was no dust visible to the naked eye. But she was still worried, so she put her hand behind her back and rubbed it vigorously before loosely grasping Lin Qi's hand. "Me too, sir."

Her voice is very gentle, but she can also be explosive, especially when those disobedient children leave her exhausted.

Lin Qi sensed her unease and quickly let go of her hand. Then he looked at the people around him and began to introduce them, "I learned about this place before I came. I know a story that really touched me."

The people around Lin Qi — the Police Chief, some local officials, Sergeant, and some people from his company—all showed expressions of attentive listening.

The reporters were also writing furiously, but fortunately Lin Qi's pronunciation was fairly standard, and they knew very well that they wouldn't run out of time to write.

The crowd gathered outside the door, and those riding on the wall, were all watching Lin Qi Lin Qi, curious about what this foreigner was going to say.

"The Director Madam has remained unmarried to this day in order to take care of these children, which is admirable and touching, so I came here today."

"In today's society, whether it is the Bayer Federation or the Nagaril United Kingdom, there will always be some people who, in places we cannot see, silently give their all to this society."

"They don't want to impress anyone, including themselves, with their silent dedication; they only see it as their responsibility and obligation."

"They are like torches, illuminating our darkest corners and bringing warmth to the abyss of despair."

"Their actions made me realize my own insignificance. They are giants in the spiritual world, while I am just a 'little person'."

"I can't do what they do, but I respect them, their attitude, their actions, and their sense of responsibility."

"I can only help them in my own way, including those who need my help!"

Lin Qi wasn't saying these words to the Director Madam, nor to the Ruling Class around him; he was addressing reporters and ordinary people, explaining how he differed from other foreigners.

"I want to donate a lot of things to the Orphanage, including daily necessities and food. I hope these things can help them."

Trucks were unloading goods not far away, and the workers were moving very slowly, as if afraid that others wouldn't see them.

As box after box of items was brought out, people exclaimed in surprise, especially when food and meat were brought out; a chorus of swallowing sounds even echoed around the Orphanage.

Many people may only eat meat a few times a year. If we don't count insects, rats, wild dogs, and the like as "meat," then they may only eat it once or twice a year.

And those bags of wheat kernels, those grayish-white flours—these things are all so tempting.

After showcasing his "generosity" for a while, Lin Qi's voice brought people's attention back.

"In addition to these, I will also build no fewer than twenty Hope School in the local area and in all cities within the province."

"These schools will provide free education for school-age children, without them having to pay a single penny."

If Lin Qi's previous statement about donating things to the Orphanage only elicited a slight, subtle emotional response, then this statement immediately changed the emotions of the people outside.

The reporters were also stunned by the news, knowing that Nagaril's ruling class was notoriously stingy.

They hoard the wealth of this society and pocket it, but never think of giving back to this society. They never provide any valuable and effective medical or educational services.

Even some of the public facilities they built became places used to distinguish social classes.

Only the ruling class and privileged class were allowed access to public facilities to enjoy "public" services and equipment.

No one has ever mentioned free education. If the number of schools hadn't become a performance evaluation criterion, the management of some underdeveloped areas wouldn't have wanted to build schools.

If Lin Qi wasn't lying, people should be celebrating this news.

People loudly questioned Lin Qi about whether he meant what he said, when he would build the school, or if he was just talking...

The idea that knowledge changes destiny is never a lie, whether in the Federal or in Nagaril, although people sometimes misunderstand its meaning.

At that moment, Lin Qi suddenly lowered his head, and everyone else followed his movement, looking down at his lower body.

A child, probably two or three years old, or three or four years old, was dirty and it was impossible to tell whether he was a boy or a girl. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of shorts that had obviously been altered.

He wasn't wearing shoes; shoes are a luxury for children. His left foot was on Lin Qi's shiny leather shoes.

A dark, dirty little foot—even an ordinary person wouldn't consider it clean or cute—had dirtied Mr. Lin Qi's shoes.

What's even more terrifying is that one of his dirty little hands was grabbing Lin Qi's pants.

Will he suffer? Watching the Police Chief's rapidly changing expression and the drastically different expressions on the faces of those around Lin Qi, everyone was worried about the child.

Lin Qi's hand was already reaching for the child, and people could almost imagine him picking the child up and throwing him away! This was their perception of foreigners: they loved cleanliness, hated dirty children, and got easily angered over trivial matters.

People prayed that nothing bad would happen, and the Director Madam tried to explain something but was stopped.

But... the frightening scene didn't happen. Lin Qi touched the child's head, then squatted down and picked up the child amidst the astonished gazes of the people! He didn't push him away, he didn't hit him, he didn't scold him or tell him to get lost. He just squatted down and picked up the child.

He calmly looked at the people who had lost their composure, including the Director Madam, and chuckled softly, "I didn't have time to say it just now, but the reason I named these schools 'Hope' is because they will become the hope for us, for Nagaril, for a nation."

"Children can learn advanced knowledge more systematically from a young age. They understand the world more clearly than we do, and they have the opportunity to change their destiny."

"It will not only change the fate of one person, but also the fate of their family, the entire nation and country, and the fate of everyone will change little by little."

"That's why I call them Hope School; they are Torch of Hope, carrying the flame of hope for this nation."

Lin Qi touched the child's dirty face, covered in a layer of mud and ash, in his arms. "This is the spark, this is the future..."

His words were thought-provoking and moving. The Director Madam was even thanking the gods for sending people to save her and the children. The reporters were also moved. Apart from those around Lin Qi, everyone seemed to be deeply touched.

Of course, even in such a touching moment, there were still people who found fault.

"Mr. Lin Qi, I noticed that you only donated some worthless items. Don't you, a wealthy man like yourself, intend to donate any money?"

The tone was laced with biting sarcasm and mockery. Food and daily necessities are indeed very important and expensive for ordinary people, but for the rich, these things are really not worth much.

The Sergeant stepped forward, ready to have the man searched, but Lin Qi stopped him.

He was still holding the child, and turned to face the gate and the ordinary people on the walls on both sides of the gate, who were also watching him.

He showed no fear, his eyes were open and honest, "That's a good question, and I'm willing to answer it."

There's a saying in my hometown, "Wealth can not only inspire people to strive for progress, but it can also corrupt them."

"Donating money to the Director Madam and these children to Orphanage without men or security guards is a stupid thing to do; it will only become an incentive for some people to turn to crime."

"But food and daily necessities won't!"

"Some of you wouldn't kill someone for stealing a bite of food, but stealing money would make some of you do it!"

"It's not that I'm stingy with that little bit of money; I just don't want to get hurt or even lose my life because of money."

A reporter standing nearby could hardly contain himself and exclaimed, "You are truly a kind gentleman!"