Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

He ran after happiness all his life. 

He chased and he chased and he chased. But every single time, he'd end up exhausted, out of breath, and with an empty hand that could never get a hold of it.

But he didn't give up. As someone born and raised in poverty with barely any experience of being loved, perseverance was his only redeeming quality.

So, he worked hard, hard enough to pay off the debt that his absent father left him.

While others his age were busy enjoying their youth, he toiled away at factories. He gave up on college and spent all his time running from one job to another, all for the dream of one day making something out of himself.

For almost a decade, he put his hands on any work he could get. It didn't matter if it was demanding.

It didn't matter if it was hard.

It didn't matter if the pay was horrible.

If he could do it, then he would do it.

And in all those years, he never complained, not even once.

Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that he didn't have anyone to complain to. After all, he didn't have a single friend.

If he scrolled through his call log, the only numbers you'd be able to see would be the ones he rang to inquire about work.

That wasn't entirely true. If he scrolled down far enough, you'd be able to find calls from a girl. Someone who he thought would keep him company for all his life.

But that was a long time ago. From a phase in life where he was naïve enough to believe happiness was just within arm's reach.

It was a beautiful dream. It was fun while it lasted. But he had to wake up eventually.

No! He was woken up from the dream, by the harsh reality that he didn't deserve her love because he had no money.

His feelings alone weren't enough to pay for her company or her attention.

But all of that isn't important. Not anymore. What mattered to him right now was what was in front of him – a strawberry.

Not just any strawberry. It might look like any other strawberry, but he could swear on his life that it was the most beautiful strawberry he had ever laid his eyes on.

Strawberry pink, a color he never thought of as anything special, now looked more vibrant than ever. So full of life and so very pretty.

Even the pores and the white seeds peeking out of them looked endearing. After all, this was the very first strawberry that had ripened from the batch of fruits he had planted and raised with his own hands.

He suppressed the strange feeling blooming in his heart and held the fruit gently. Putting a little force, he plucked it from the stem.

As he felt the weight of the strawberry in his hand, he couldn't hold back the emotions in his heart anymore. All the bitterness that he had suppressed over the years of struggles poured out all at once.

The floodgates had been opened and a warm stream of tears flowed out of his eyes.

'I've finally done it.'

'10 years…. After 10 years of living like a zombie, I've finally made something of myself.'

'I don't have any loan sharks chasing after me and I even own a small farm in this remote village.'

'For the first time, I have something to my name.'

'For the first time, I have some worth.'

He had done it. All his hard work had paid off. And nothing proved it more than the little berry in his hand.

He wiped his tears away and took a bite.

'I am so happy.'

As the juices of the fruit crashed onto his tongue, his senses were overwhelmed by a divine sweetness. He couldn't help but he happy.

His chest felt full and even more tears spilled out of him.

'How can anything taste so good?'

He couldn't remember the last time he thought food tasted delicious. For the longest time, food was nothing more than something he put in his mouth so he could keep his body moving to earn money.

Thinking about how much he missed out all this time and how foolish he had been, he took another bite.

'Delicious. So delicious. I can't stop myself.'

He picked one strawberry after another and stuffed them all into his mouth.

Even as tears poured out of his eyes, he couldn't stop his hands from moving. And as the sweet taste of his hard work paying off exploded in his mouth, a satisfied smile adorned his face. He couldn't stop himself from smiling.

It was a strange scene. A man with a wide smile gorging on strawberries as tears ran down his face.

'I am happy. I am finally happy.'

'I am so happy I could die.'

Unfortunately, his state of euphoria came to an abrupt end as he felt pieces of half chewed strawberries get lodged in his throat. His airway was blocked and he had difficulty breathing. 

He was choking.

'Help! I can't breathe.'

He tried shouting but no sound made its way out.

Overtaken by panic, he waved his arms in the air, hoping someone would notice him. But as he looked around, it dawned on him how bad his situation was.

The closest house from his farm was at least two minutes' walk away. To make matters worse, there was barely anyone who'd walk the streets aside from farmers on their way to the farm and back.

'My phone. I must call for help.'

He took out his phone in a hurry and dialed the emergency hotline.

'Damn it! How come there's no signal the one time I need it.'

His vision was starting to blur and his thinking was slowing down.

'To think I'd be like this as soon as I tasted happiness for the first time.'

'If by some miracle I wake up once again, I am going to grow and eat the most delicious fruit in the world.'

Making a promise to himself, he lost consciousness. And as his eyes shut down, the pain from his throat slowly vanished and his tears stopped flowing.