The next morning, Lu Ximing woke up with one goal.
Do absolutely nothing stressful.
He stretched lazily beneath the blankets.
"No work."
He smiled.
"No boss."
He rolled over.
"No annoying relatives."
He pulled the blanket over his head.
"...Heaven."
Unfortunately, his stomach disagreed.
Growl.
Ximing slowly sat up.
"Fine. Breakfast."
He walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboards.
There was plenty of food inside, thanks to his personal space.
But something bothered him.
"If everything is already provided for me, I'll eventually run out of things to do."
He looked through the window at the enormous farmland.
Then an idea occurred to him.
"I'll grow my own food."
Ximing changed into comfortable clothes and went outside.
He stood at the edge of the farmland, staring at the untouched soil.
"This should be easy."
He crouched down and picked up a handful of dirt.
It was soft and rich.
"Good."
He opened the knowledge granted by the goddess in his mind.
Suddenly, information about farming came rushing forward.
Crop rotation.
Soil preparation.
Irrigation.
Seed spacing.
Composting.
Ximing blinked.
"...Okay. This power is ridiculously useful."
He spent the morning preparing a small section of land.
He planted vegetables, herbs, beans, and several unfamiliar crops he'd learned about from his memories.
By noon, he was exhausted.
Ximing dropped onto the grass.
"I thought retirement was supposed to involve less work."
A voice came from behind him.
"You're doing it wrong."
Kael was standing there.
"...Excuse me?"
Kael pointed at the field.
"You planted those too close together."
Ximing looked at the plants.
"According to my knowledge, the spacing is correct."
Kael crouched down.
"Your knowledge might be correct, but the soil here behaves differently."
Ximing stared at him.
"Are you a farmer?"
"My family farms."
"Oh."
Kael picked up one of the seeds.
"Come here."
For the next hour, Kael showed Ximing how the local farmers planted their crops.
Ximing listened carefully.
"So you're saying the soil absorbs water differently depending on the season?"
"Yes."
"And this plant grows better beside that one?"
"Exactly."
Ximing nodded.
"Interesting."
Kael looked at him.
"You actually listen."
"I like learning."
"I thought you wanted to retire."
"I do."
"Then why are you working?"
Ximing smiled.
"Because this isn't work."
Kael looked confused.
"What is it?"
"Something I choose to do."
Kael became quiet.
Ximing returned his attention to the field.
There was a difference.
In his previous life, work had always been something he had to do.
Here, he could choose.
That alone made everything feel different.
By evening, they had finished planting.
Ximing stood and stretched.
"I'm exhausted."
Kael laughed.
"You planted vegetables."
"Exactly. Retirement is difficult."
"You complain a lot."
"I prefer the term 'expressing my feelings.'"
Kael laughed again.
Ximing couldn't help smiling.
They walked back toward the house together.
Then Kael stopped.
"Ximing."
"Hm?"
Kael pointed toward the field.
"Look."
Tiny green leaves were already beginning to emerge from the soil.
Ximing stared.
"Already?"
Kael nodded.
"The soil here is unusually fertile."
Ximing smiled.
"Good."
He looked at the little plants.
"Maybe I'll actually become a farmer."
Kael looked at him.
"Then you'll need help."
Ximing turned.
"Are you volunteering?"
Kael paused.
"...Maybe."
Ximing smiled.
"Then you're hired."
"Hired?"
"Your salary is food."
Kael stared at him.
"That's terrible."
"You get free meals."
"...Fine."
Ximing laughed.
As the sun disappeared behind the trees, the two of them walked back toward the house.
For once, Lu Ximing wasn't thinking about his old life.
He wasn't thinking about his family's rejection.
He wasn't thinking about his career.
He wasn't thinking about money.
He was simply thinking about tomorrow.
And tomorrow, he decided...
He was going to build a chicken coop.
Because retirement apparently required chickens.