The sun crested the horizon, bringing warmth to the forest. It was a signal to the animals that another day had arrived, breathing life into the woods.
Bright light spilled into the cabin on the small farm.
"Uhm... Is it morning already?" Zion Chen felt the warmth on his skin. His room faced the sunrise, and the first rays of light struck his old, dusty window directly.
'So, today is the first day.' He sat up, pushing himself out of bed sleepily, and took in his new surroundings.
His room was small and bare, containing only a writing desk beside his bed. His suitcases were piled in the corner, taking up most of the remaining space.
He observed his surroundings for a minute, then stood and prepared to start his day. He went to the bathroom, splashed water on his face, and changed his clothes.
"Let's start with you." Seeing the four suitcases, he grabbed the largest one and left his room, heading for the kitchen.
In the kitchen, beyond the wooden counter and cabinets, he was met with a wood-fired stove. The house had electricity, but aside from the lights, it seemed there had never been a single appliance. It looked as if the previous owners had given up before they could even get properly settled.
"Unfortunately, I used everything I had to buy this place and hide away. I'll have to live the old-fashioned way for a while." Opening the kitchen's pantry door, he noted it was almost empty. Only a fishing rod and a wood-cutting axe lay tossed in a dusty corner.
"Good thing I prepared. At least I won't go hungry for a few weeks." Opening the large suitcase, he revealed that half of it was loaded with high-calorie-density military rations, enough to sustain him for two meals a day.
The other half held utensils, coffee, tea, and non-perishable foods that wouldn't spoil without a refrigerator. He began to remove and organize his things in the cabinets. In less than ten minutes, everything was put away, leaving him to reflect.
"I need to earn some money to at least be able to eat in the village, and buying some appliances is a must. For now, I'll try to gather some firewood so I can make coffee... Ugh..."
Suddenly, Zion Chen collapsed to the floor, given no time to react.
"This goddamn pain... Argh..." The sudden agony caused him to lose all strength in his leg. Frowning, beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he felt the sharp, throbbing pain. It felt as if someone were repeatedly stabbing his right leg.
"Dammit... Six months of this, and I still can't fully bear it." He quickly pulled a small paper packet from his pocket, shook out a white pill, and swallowed it dry.
Ten whole minutes passed as he lay on the ground, enduring the pain, unable to get up. Beneath him, the floor grew damp with the sweat pouring from his body.
"Huff... huff... I've spent five days lying in the mud evading an army. As if this could stop me." Feeling the worst of it pass, he staggered back to his feet.
"Water..." He quickly went out the kitchen's back door, which led to an artesian well.
Grabbing the metal bucket beside it, he swiftly drew some water and took a long gulp.
"Phew... Wow, I needed that." Feeling the water enter his body, now free from the agonizing crisis, Zion Chen felt light and relieved.
"That explosion really shredded my leg. Dammit, is this pain going to follow me for the rest of my life?" Leaning on the well, he squeezed his knee, looking down at his leg with resignation.
If anyone saw beneath his trousers, they would be horrified by the size of the scar that completely covered the side of his leg, extending all the way up to his knee.
Splash!
Suddenly, the sound of something hitting the water drew his attention back to the well. The water was crystalline. Of all the places he had visited, this was one of the most beautiful shades of blue he had ever seen. Through the water, several fish of different species swam happily.
The farm's layout flashed through his mind. This well was connected to one of the main rivers that fed the city of Verdana, the capital of the Jade nation.
"Looks like I'll be able to get food!" A smile spread across his face at the sight. He finally understood why there was a fishing rod in the pantry. A previous owner must have fished in their spare time—or, more likely, for survival.
"Back to the tasks." Composing himself, he left the well, returned to the pantry, grabbed the small axe, and went out of the cabin toward the forest behind it.
Nearby, there was a tree stump, perfect for chopping wood, and a large, neatly organized pile of logs under a small tarp that protected them from the rain and snow.
"I need to chop some wood to use the stove. I can't live without coffee and tea." Slowly and with difficulty, he picked up a log and positioned it for splitting.
The axe had an old wooden handle and a dull, rust-flecked steel blade.
"Tch... what a shame. A good axe like this, abandoned in that pantry." Feeling the axe's four-kilo weight in his hands, Zion Chen shook his head in pity. It was much heavier than a common axe.
Planting his feet in a comfortable stance, he raised the axe above his head and swung it down, concentrating on splitting the log in half.
THWACK!
As the axe descended, Zion Chen felt his arms waver, sending the blade off course and missing the log entirely.
"Looks like chopping wood is going to be complicated." He sighed, realizing his condition was more precarious than he had previously imagined. His fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination were severely impaired. And since he had stopped his rehabilitation halfway through the treatment, there was still a long way to go to minimize these problems.
...
The morning dragged on, and lunchtime was approaching. He had done nothing but stubbornly chop wood, missing the mark countless times before he finally began to land his hits.
"Huff... huff... One more, and I'll have enough wood for the whole week." Zion Chen was exhausted. He had lost count of the hundreds of times he'd had to swing the axe just to split about twelve logs into uneven, crooked pieces. He was forced to take small, five-minute breaks between attempts, which dragged out the task interminably.
His shirt was soaked through with sweat, which now dripped onto the ground. If it weren't for the years of disciplined physical training from his youth, he might not have even been able to lift the axe after the accident.
"Huff... Finally." Feeling his body hit its limit, he finally relaxed and sat on the ground, breathing heavily. Beside him, a pile of chopped wood showed the result of his efforts.
"In the old days, I'd have this pile done in 20 minutes." He frowned as he looked at the result of nearly four hours of effort, a bitter taste filling his mouth. But in this state, a memory from the past flashed through his mind.
'Zion, why don't you smile a little, man? Always with that grim face, even after we complete a mission. Missions are just little goals that move us forward in life. C'mere, you bastard, you're gonna celebrate whether you like it or not!' A bearded, heavyset man in military gear said indignantly, as he forcefully tried to stretch Zion's face into a strange smile.
"Hahaha! You're right, Jo. I should be happy. I completed the mission." A calm smile formed on Zion's face. He felt lighter. His old friend had taught him a lot, and he cherished every moment with him deep in his heart.
Getting up with difficulty, he gathered the firewood onto a leather sheet, tied the ends with a rope, and staggered back to the house, limping as he stored everything in the pantry.
"Now I can make my coffee, tea, and some real food this week. I refuse to eat only rations. I'm out of that life; I have to change."
KNOCK KNOCK.
Just as he was putting the wood away, someone knocked on the door.
"A visitor? At this hour?" Glancing at the digital clock on the living room table, he finally realized it was already noon.
Opening the door, Zion Chen found himself facing a woman with salt-and-pepper hair, who was holding a basket, and the little girl in the red dress who had interrogated him earlier.
"Good afternoon! You must be the Mr. Zion Chen the Village Chief told us about!" The woman smiled politely. The girl in the red dress, Mia Chen, was staring at the ground, pouting.
"My name is Maria Wattson. We came here to apologize for what happened. Chief Li said this little one was very rude." As she spoke, she pushed Mia forward with one hand.
She looked up at the protagonist with a sullen expression. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before she opened her mouth: "I'm not gonna apolo-!"
SMACK!
"Ow... Sorry for my shameful behavior." The little girl, her eyes red and holding back tears, managed to say with a deep pout, bowing slightly.
"Haha... You really didn't need to walk all this way just for something like this. She's just a child; it's normal for them to make mistakes." Zion replied, a bit embarrassed as he saw the girl exuding an aura that practically screamed 'revenge.'
"Of course we did. You have no idea what a troublemaker Mia is. To apologize, I decided to bring some lunch so we can eat while we talk!" Maria smiled, showing him the large basket she was holding.
"Oh, wow! Thank you so much! Please, come in. Don't mind the simple house." He accepted without a second thought. As he turned to let them in, he secretly wiped away the drool that was forming at the aroma wafting from the basket. It seemed his luck was turning around today.
Mia Chen stared at him, her eyes full of judgment.
Ignoring the girl's gaze, he closed the door, but paused for a second, staring intently into the forest for a brief moment.
"Mr. Zion?" Hearing Maria's voice, he closed his eyes for a moment, let out a heavy sigh, and finished closing the door. "Sorry, I got distracted, hahaha!"
...
The little girl entered the wooden cabin, looking around curiously. She had never been inside an all-wood cabin before, and everyone had always told her to stay away from the farm because it was cursed and she could get hurt.
Looking at the living room, which only had a table in the center and two sofas facing each other, she scanned for something and came to a conclusion.
"Grandma, he's definitely not an invader." Her eyes lit up with realization as she poked Maria, who was sitting on one of the sofas, taking food out of the basket and placing it on the small table.
"I've told you not to label people before you know them. I'm glad to see you're learning. Maybe I'll let you out of your punishment early." Hearing this, Maria smiled, nodding in satisfaction.
"But Grandma, it's 'cause he doesn't have a TV. He's too poor to be one of them. And he was drooling just from smelling the food!" Remembering how the man had salivated at the basket, the girl smiled, 100% certain and proud of her discovery.
Hearing this, Zion Chen felt his face flush with shame.
'It's not my fault! I'm a very wealthy boss, little girl!' He thought, opening his mouth to rebuke her, but he quickly swallowed his words.
'She's right. Even if I wanted to, I can't access my bank account.' Zion Chen hung his head in surrender.
A scowl formed on Maria's face as she pulled the last container from the basket.
...
"This is incredible! Your cooking is divine!" Zion sang its praises. His fork never stopped for a moment, methodically scooping up rice, beef stew, fried vegetables, and miso broth, stuffing his mouth to its limit. Small tears even streamed down his face as he ate with his eyes closed.
Not even the food from those 3-star Michelin restaurants could touch this.
It had been six months since he'd woken up. Six months since he'd eaten a real meal. Between his four months in rehab and the last two months he'd spent scraping together the little money he had to buy the farm and move, he'd lived on nothing but military rations and hospital food.
"Hohoho! It's not that big of a deal. Anytime you want, I can make more." For Maria, there was nothing better than hearing someone praise her cooking. She, too, ate her own food with gusto.
"Grandma, when can I eat?" Mia Chen asked, her eyes teary as she peeked out from her spot. She was kneeling in the corner of the room, being punished for her words.
"Another 15 minutes. And your one-month punishment is now two months without sweets or TV!" Maria replied, huffing in irritation.
The little girl looked desperate. She secretly shot a hopeful glance at Zion Chen, who was still eating.
"NOOOOOOOO!"
Being ignored, she slammed her tiny fist on the floor, utterly hopeless.