The next morning, Ximing woke up with one thought firmly planted in his mind.
He wanted chickens.
He sat up on Kael's bed and stared at the wooden ceiling.
"Yes," he murmured. "A chicken coop."
After everything he had experienced in his previous life, this felt strangely wonderful.
No office.
No deadlines.
No annoying coworkers.
No one telling him what to do.
Just a quiet home, farmland, good food...
And eventually, a family.
Ximing smiled.
That thought had been sitting quietly in his heart since he met the goddess.
He didn't only want wealth.
He didn't only want peace.
He wanted people he could come home to.
People who would genuinely love him.
Perhaps a partner.
Perhaps children.
A warm house filled with laughter.
He had never really experienced that before.
"One step at a time," he told himself.
A Visit to the Village
After breakfast, Kael led Ximing around the village.
The village was larger than Ximing had first thought.
There were wooden houses, small farms, animal pens, workshops, and a marketplace near the center.
Beastfolk of many kinds walked around.
Some had horns.
Some had tails.
Some had ears resembling wolves, foxes, rabbits, or cats.
Ximing quietly observed everything.
Thanks to his second wish, information came naturally to him.
He could understand the language.
He recognized different plants.
He could remember the names of animals and understand basic customs.
But one thing still surprised him.
He noticed that several families had children running around.
A young wolf beastman carried a little child on his shoulders while the child laughed.
Ximing watched them for a moment.
His expression softened.
A family.
That was what he wanted.
Not immediately.
Not desperately.
But someday.
Kael noticed him staring.
"You like children?"
Ximing blinked.
"Hmm?"
"The children."
"Oh."
Ximing smiled.
"Yes. I think they're cute."
Kael nodded.
"You could have your own someday." Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Ximing almost choked on his drink.
"That's... a little direct."
Kael looked confused.
"Why?"
Ximing laughed.
"Never mind."
He remembered what the goddess had explained about this world's biology.
Males and females had different biological roles from the world he had known before.
And males were capable of carrying and giving birth to children.
That included him.
The thought was still strange.
Very strange.
He wasn't frightened by it, though.
If he eventually found someone he truly trusted and built a family with them, having children could be part of that future.
But there was absolutely no need to rush.
First...
Chicken coop.
Then vegetables.
Then a bigger house.
Then perhaps—
Ximing stopped himself.
"Why am I planning ten years ahead?"
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Are you talking to yourself again?"
"No."
"You definitely were."
"I was thinking."
"Out loud."
"That doesn't count."
Kael laughed.
Back to the Forest
Later that afternoon, Ximing returned to his personal space.
The moment he stepped inside, the peacefulness of the place washed over him.
The house stood quietly in the distance.
The farmland stretched beyond it.
There were storage rooms filled with supplies.
Clean water flowed through the small channels he had designed.
Everything he could possibly need was there.
Ximing walked toward an empty patch of land.
"This is where the chickens will live."
He looked around.
"Actually..."
He placed his hands on his hips.
"Maybe I'll need a vegetable garden too."
He looked farther.
"Fruit trees."
Another glance.
"Rice field."
He turned around.
"Maybe some goats."
He paused.
"And definitely a pond."
Ximing stared at the enormous amount of empty space.
He sighed.
"Fine."
He smiled.
"I suppose retirement can have hobbies."
He spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the land.
For the first time in years, he worked because he wanted to.
There was no boss.
No salary.
No pressure.
No one waiting for him to finish.
When he became tired, he stopped.
When he wanted food, he ate.
When he wanted to rest, he rested.
It was wonderfully simple.
A Future Family
That evening, Ximing sat on the porch of his house inside the space.
The sunset painted the sky orange and gold.
He leaned back in his chair.
His long black curls moved gently in the breeze.
He thought about his previous life.
He had spent so much time surviving.
Working.
Saving.
Trying to become independent.
He had wanted freedom so badly that he had forgotten something else.
He wanted to belong somewhere.
He wanted people who would choose him.
A family that wasn't built on obligation or fear.
A home where nobody had to wonder whether they were loved.
Ximing quietly smiled.
"Maybe someday."
He imagined coming home after working in the garden.
Maybe there would be someone waiting for him.
Maybe children would run toward him.
Maybe the house would be noisy.
Maybe someone would complain that he had brought mud inside.
He chuckled.
"That sounds exhausting."
He paused.
"But..."
His smile grew.
"I think I'd like it."
For now, though, he was happy.
He had a home.
He had food.
He had freedom.
He had met a kind orc named Kael.
And he had an entire future ahead of him.
Ximing stood.
"Tomorrow..."
He looked toward the empty farmland.
"...we build the chicken coop."
He nodded seriously.
"Then I'll figure out the rest of my retirement."
And somewhere in the quiet forest beyond the village, his new life continued—slowly, peacefully, and entirely on his own terms.