Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Spirit Cleansing Apple_I

Ace sat down on a small stone in the garden, patting the spot beside him.

“Come sit with me.”

Liu Mei didn’t need to be told twice. She plopped down beside him, swinging her legs happily.

Shan Yifeng, on the other hand, hesitated. He was still dusting himself off, trying to regain a shred of dignity after being dragged across the ground like a sack of rice. He shot a look at Liu Mei—who was beaming like she hadn’t just committed an act of sheer brutality—and sighed.

Slowly, cautiously, he walked over and sat down, keeping a small gap between himself and Liu Mei. Just in case.

Ace glanced at him. “Comfortable?”

Shan Yifeng mumbled something under his breath, but Liu Mei nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! This is nice.”

Ace chuckled. “Glad to hear it.”

There was a brief silence before Liu Mei turned to Shan Yifeng, eyes sparkling. “You’re really bad at running away.”

Shan Yifeng scowled. “I wasn’t running away. I was… strategically retreating.”

Liu Mei tilted her head. “But I caught you.”

“…That was an accident.”

“You always say that.”

Ace smirked as he watched their back-and-forth. He had expected Shan Yifeng to be sulking after what happened, but the way he was still arguing with Liu Mei was a good sign—kids bounced back quickly.

Shan Yifeng huffed and turned to Ace. “Teacher, are you not mad at us?”

Ace blinked. “Why should I be?”

“I dunno, maybe because I told her to throw the rock?” Shan Yifeng muttered, rubbing his sore arm. “She’s usually way too strong, like a bear.”

Liu Mei gasped dramatically. “I am not a bear!”

“You kinda are.”

“No, I’m not!”

“You dragged me like one.”

Liu Mei crossed her arms, puffing up her cheeks. “If I was a bear, I’d eat you.”

Shan Yifeng scooted back an inch. “…Okay, fine, not a bear.”

Ace leaned back slightly, crossing his arms as he eyed the two kids. “Alright, Shan Yifeng—what brings you two here?”

Shan Yifeng hesitated, glancing at Liu Mei, who was still happily munching on a fruit like she hadn’t just dragged him across half the garden. Finally, he muttered, “Uh… I thought Liu Mei was lying.”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“She told me you didn’t hit her when she met you, so I decided to come see for myself.”

Ace stared at him. “You came all the way here just to check if I was still violent?”

Shan Yifeng nodded. “Well, yeah. You used to be—”

Ace sighed. “Got it.”

The innocence of these kids. Ace shook his head, feeling an odd mix of amusement and guilt.

He decided to mess with them a little.

“Hm… actually, now that you mention it—” He rubbed his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “I did hit my head really hard, and I think I lost some memories. Maybe if I beat you two up a little, they’ll come back?”

“NO!” Shan Yifeng yelped, scrambling backward. Then, as if realizing he might’ve overreacted, he cleared his throat and asked hesitantly, “T-Teacher… does that mean you forgot your cultivation techniques too?”

Ace shrugged. “Maybe.”

Shan Yifeng’s eyes lit up. “You can beat me up then! Just to test if you remember them! I want to learn!”

Ace blinked. Then, he burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, Liu Mei—completely unbothered—had already made herself at home. She’d wandered back inside, grabbed the basket of fruits she’d gifted Ace earlier, and was now happily munching away.

With her mouth still full, she casually added, “Teacher, you can beat me too.”

Ace nearly choked on air.

“Don’t worry, I’m strong,” she continued, completely serious. “I won’t cry.”

Ace pinched the bridge of his nose. “You two… you’re something else.”

He let out a dramatic sigh before straightening up. “Fine. Listen up, both of you. Who do you think I am? I won’t beat you anymore.”

Shan Yifeng squinted. “Anymore?”

“Exactly. I’ve turned over a new leaf.” Ace patted himself on the chest. “From now on, I’m a kind and patient teacher.”

Liu Mei swallowed her bite. “What’s ‘patient’ mean?”

“It means I won’t throw you over the fence even when you’re being annoying.”

“Ohhh.” She nodded. “That’s nice.”

Shan Yifeng still looked a little skeptical, but before he could say anything, Ace glanced up at the sky. It was already dark.

“Alright, that’s enough for today.” He clapped his hands together, then motioned for them to follow. “Come on, I’ll walk you two out.”

Once they reached the edge of the garden, Ace crouched down to their level. “Now, listen up. Classes start in three days.”

Shan Yifeng frowned. “Three days? Why not tomorrow?”

Ace smirked. “Because I need time to prepare… and because I said so.”

“Oh.”

“Also, we’re not meeting at the school.”

Liu Mei tilted her head. “Then where?”

Ace gestured around them. “Right here. We’ll have our classes at my place.”

The two kids exchanged glances before simply nodding in agreement.

Then, without another word, they turned and took off, racing each other back home like nothing had happened.

Ace watched them go, shaking his head in amusement.

“Well,” he muttered to himself, stretching his arms, “at least they’re just kids. Shouldn’t take too long to fix my image, huh?”

…Hopefully.

___________________________________________________________

The next two days passed in a blur of endless farming. Ace barely rested, completely immersed in the cycle of planting and harvesting within the system.

[Your Moonstone Flower is ripe for picking.]

[You have harvested 16 moonstone flower, keep cultivating host.]

[Your Moonstone Seeds have been planted. Ripens in four hours.]

[Your Moonstone Flower is ripe for picking.]

[You have harvested 16 moonstone flower, keep cultivating host.]

[Your Moonstone Seeds have been planted. Ripens in four hours.]

….

….

The notifications popped up over and over, so often that Ace could practically hear them in his sleep.

It was exhausting, but also strangely satisfying.

And today—finally—he had saved up enough to make his first major purchase.

A small notification popped up in front of him.

[-1,000 Gold Credits deducted. You have obtained: Spirit Cleansing Apple Seed.]

Ace exhaled, staring at the tiny, seemingly ordinary seed in his palm.

After two days of relentless farming, was this really worth it?

…Guess he was about to find out.