To You, Unknown (6)

Act III・Lullaby Under the Stars On the seventh day of the voyage, an alarm blared in the early morning—a slight deviation in the engine's cooling system. Ji Yiheng and Lu Jiashu drifted into the equipment bay one after another. In the beam of their flashlights, the two fathers silently opened the inspection panel. "Our oxygen and fuel are still enough," Lu Jiashu said in a low voice, "but if the temperature keeps rising..." "I'll do it," Ji Yiheng rolled up his sleeves. "You go be with the kids, don't let them get scared." Outside the cabin was the vast darkness, and inside, the faint light. Ji Yiheng's fingers moved among the pipes, like mending a torn star chart. Sweat condensed into tiny beads in the zero gravity, circling his forehead. After an unknown amount of time, a soft song came from behind him. It was Bai Xiaofeng, leaning against the cabin door, singing a lullaby only the children could understand; while Xia Yucheng handed him a bag of warm water, transferring warmth to him through the metal. "Are the children asleep?" he asked. "They are," Xia Yucheng said. "But we have to let them know—tonight, their dads are guarding the whole ship, and when they wake up tomorrow, everything will be fine." At three in the morning, the cooling system resumed its steady hum. The four adults floated back to the main cabin and found Lele, who had woken up at some point, holding her younger siblings' hands, like a little bird with its wings spread. "Lele, why aren't you sleeping?" Bai Xiaofeng asked gently. "I'm standing guard for everyone," the girl said seriously. "Mom said that in a family, someone has to stay awake so the stars don't secretly run away." (To be continued)