Chapter 13: A Father’s Unique Joy

Having a little goal in life made him work even harder. After working at the ranch for another half month, the results were significant—he had cleared more than an acre of land. This efficiency was much higher than when he first arrived in the United States.

This morning, he decided to do something big: start seedlings for the vegetable seeds he bought. The weather was much warmer now, so he planned to grow the seedlings indoors for a few days before transplanting them to the outdoor field.

He learned this seedling method by calling his mom; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how to do it.

According to his mom, making seeds sprout was quite simple: keep the temperature and humidity about right, and put some cotton on top. But he couldn’t find any cotton here, so he had to use tissue paper instead.

He didn’t dare to try too many seeds, as it was his first attempt, and it would be a waste if it didn’t work out. Cucumber, Tomato, Green Bean, Eggplant, and Chili Pepper were his top choices. In the future, he might plant some Potatoes and Soybeans, but that could wait.

He had soaked the seeds in water before going to bed last night. He placed them in separate trays, carefully covered them with a thick layer of tissue paper, and then sprayed some water on top. That was all he could do. The rest was up to the local God or the heavens back home; he had done his part.

“You all need to sprout nicely. Buying fruit is too expensive, and I need to supplement my nutrition—I’m counting on you,” Liu Heming said softly as he looked at the five trays.

“As long as you sprout well, I’ll take good care of you, fertilizing and watering you. When we have money in the future, I’ll build a fancy glass Greenhouse so your sisters can live well in winter too.”

This was a little habit he had developed recently—muttering to himself while working.

It was really lonely here; there was no one to talk to. The only company he had was the howling of wolves at night, and he didn’t dare to chat with them.

The United States was vast and sparsely populated, and Xiangshui Town was even emptier. It was so run-down that there were hardly any people around. Plus, he still didn’t know how to complete the System’s task; it hadn’t been finished yet. Almost a month had passed, and he was worried.

So while working, he often encouraged the lake on the ranch, which he named “Wild Lake,” and also encouraged the land he had cleared, promising to take good care of it in the future.

Maintaining the land wasn’t easy either. Using too much chemical fertilizer was bad, as it could harden the soil. The best options were rural manure or organic fertilizer. But he didn’t have the materials to make manure, and organic fertilizer here was very expensive. It seemed he would have to look for piglets to raise—they could provide meat and materials for making manure later on.

He once again felt that being a Farmer wasn’t easy, especially since the land on this ranch was so poor. Restoring the soil’s fertility required a systematic process.

There was a rural saying: pig manure enriches, sheep manure strengthens, and horse or cow manure makes roots thrive. Pig manure was best for sunny slopes, and sheep manure for shady areas. Each type of manure had its benefits, but Liu Heming had none of them at the moment.

Sitting in front of the trays, he indulged in a brief fantasy of future happiness, holding a Cucumber in one hand and a Tomato in the other, and Liu Heming chuckled foolishly. People always needed some hope in their hearts to keep life meaningful.

While still savoring the thought of Cucumbers and Tomatoes, his phone rang.

He pulled it out and nearly threw it away. The caller was none other than his soon-to-be ex-wife, Sasha.

“Sasha, hello. Is there something you need?” After a slight hesitation, Liu Heming answered the phone.

“Hello, Dexter.” After a silence of over twenty seconds, Sasha’s voice finally came through.

“Alex just asked about you. You have the right to talk to her anytime. But if you want to take Alex to live with you, you must provide a good living environment.”

Sasha had paused partly because she felt awkward and partly because she was surprised at how quickly Liu Heming had become so fluent in English.

“You can rest assured, I definitely won’t bring Alex over in the short term. You surely know the conditions here better than I do,” Liu Heming said bluntly.

The phone fell silent again. Although she had no emotional connection with Liu Heming, he was her daughter’s biological father. This time, she had hoped he would back down and agree to a quick divorce, but he had persisted and held on for so long.

She hadn’t wanted to make this call today, but her daughter had asked about Liu Heming. She couldn’t deprive her daughter of that right, even if the little one was still very young.

“Let’s talk about our matters another time. Can you put Alex on the phone?” After waiting a while and seeing that Sasha still hadn’t spoken, Liu Heming took the initiative.

There was a rustling sound, and the clear, bright voice of the little one came through. “Is that Dexter? When are you coming to play with me?”

Hearing his daughter’s voice, Liu Heming’s tears fell despite his efforts to hold them back. “I’m preparing a little gift for Alex right now. Once it’s ready, I’ll come over to play with you.”

“Okay, Mommy said Dexter is very busy and must prepare a fun gift for me,” Alex’s voice came through again.

“I definitely will. Alex, you need to eat well and make sure not to get sick,” Liu Heming said, his voice choked with emotion.

“Dexter, are you sick?” the little one asked curiously.

“No, I’m very healthy. I ate a big steak yesterday,” Liu Heming quickly controlled his emotions.

“Wow, Dexter is so amazing! I can only eat a little bit. Dexter, I have to go play with Mommy now. You need to prepare my gift,” the little one’s voice became much lighter.

“Alright, I need to take Alex for her regular check-up. Do you have anything else?” Sasha’s voice came through before Liu Heming could respond.

“No, wait—could you send a photo of Alex to my Mobile Phone?” Liu Heming quickly asked.

“Okay.” After a moment of hesitation, Sasha hung up.

“Hohoho, my daughter misses me! La la la la, my daughter misses me! Ha ha ha ha ha…” Liu Heming gripped his phone, so excited he was almost incoherent.

Even though the little one didn’t fully understand that he was her Dad, at least she remembered him, and that made him very satisfied and happy.

Hearing his daughter’s voice made him feel truly happy—perhaps this was the unique joy of being a father.