The following morning, Ximing woke up to a strange sound.
Cluck.
He opened one eye.
Cluck-cluck.
Ximing pulled the blanket over his head.
"Five more minutes."
CLUCK!
He sat upright.
"Who is making that much noise at this hour?"
He walked outside and immediately discovered the culprit.
General, his rooster, was standing proudly on top of the chicken coop.
Ximing stared at him.
General stared back.
"You."
The rooster crowed.
Ximing pointed at him.
"We are going to have a conversation about appropriate waking hours."
General crowed again.
"...Never mind."
A New Project
After breakfast, Ximing looked around his property.
The house was comfortable.
The garden was growing.
The chickens were doing well.
But something was missing.
He wanted the place to feel more like a real home.
He walked around, thinking.
"I need a bigger kitchen."
He looked toward the house.
"And a dining room."
He continued.
"A proper library."
His eyes brightened.
"And a sitting room."
He paused.
Then smiled.
"Maybe a guest room too."
He immediately remembered something.
Family.
If he eventually had a partner and children, he would need more space.
Ximing placed his hands on his hips.
"All right. I'm building this properly."
Kael Gets Dragged Into Construction
That afternoon, Kael arrived carrying several pieces of wood.
"I brought what you asked for."
Ximing smiled.
Kael looked at the half-finished extension beside the house.
"You've already started?"
"Of course."
"You said you wanted a quiet retirement."
"I do."
Kael pointed at the construction.
"This doesn't look quiet."
"It's peaceful construction."
"That's not a thing."
"It is now."
Kael shook his head, but he helped anyway.
Together they worked on the extension.
Ximing handled the planning while Kael did much of the heavier work.
Because of Ximing's exceptional knowledge, he quickly figured out the measurements and structure.
He even designed a proper storage system for food and tools.
Kael stared at the plans.
"Where did you learn all this?"
Ximing paused.
"My previous life."
Kael nodded slowly.
"You really were unusual before coming here."
Ximing smiled.
"You have no idea."
The Village Notices
Over the next several days, people began noticing how quickly Ximing's little property was developing.
One neighbor came to see the garden.
Another wanted to know what crops he was growing.
A child came to look at the chickens.
Soon, Ximing found himself answering questions every afternoon.
"How did you grow those tomatoes?"
"Why are your vegetables so large?"
"Can I see the chickens?"
"What's that?"
"Can you teach me how to make bread?"
Ximing blinked.
"One question at a time!"
The children laughed.
He found himself enjoying it.
He had always thought retirement meant being completely alone.
But perhaps that wasn't what he truly wanted.
He wanted peace, not loneliness.
There was a difference.
A Little Visitor
One afternoon, a small fox beast-child came running into the yard.
He stopped when he saw Ximing.
"Are you Ximing?"
"Yes."
"Can I see General?"
"General?"
The little fox nodded enthusiastically.
Ximing opened the chicken enclosure.
The child immediately crouched down.
"He's so big!"
"Don't let him fool you."
The rooster strutted past them.
"He thinks he owns the place."
The child giggled.
Ximing watched him.
Something warm settled in his chest.
He could imagine having children of his own someday.
Teaching them.
Cooking for them.
Listening to their stories.
Watching them grow.
The thought didn't frighten him.
Instead, it felt peaceful.
Kael's Question
That evening, Kael sat beside Ximing on the porch.
"You like children."
Ximing smiled.
"I do."
"You want some?"
Ximing looked at him.
"Someday."
Kael nodded.
"Then you'll need a bigger house."
Ximing laughed.
"That's exactly why I'm building one."
Kael smiled.
Neither of them said anything else.
The evening breeze moved through Ximing's long curls.
The chickens settled into their coop.
The garden rustled softly.
And the house, which had once been nothing more than a place to sleep, was slowly becoming something different.
A place where people could gather.
A place where laughter could live.
A place where Ximing could eventually build the family he'd always wanted.
He looked at the unfinished house.
"Maybe this really can be home."
Kael glanced at him.
"It already is."
Ximing smiled.
For the first time, he believed it.