Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

The lid of the lunchbox was opened, and the stir-fried pork with green peppers and rice felt warm. There wasn't even a wisp of steaming white smoke, as if it were leftovers from the shop.

There were many eateries near the office building, but few offered good quality at a reasonable price. Lungmen didn't have a food delivery industry; ordering food required calling ahead to make a reservation.

Wang Ju chewed twice and found the taste off, spitting out the meat. There were chunks of lymphatic tissue on the slices, which looked disgusting.

She frowned deeply, cursing the unscrupulous merchant countless times in her heart. But you get what you pay for; this kind of large-portion, filling fast food couldn't possibly use lean meat. Even if it tasted bad, she had to drink some water and force it down.

To afford a place in the Upper District, Wang Ju had been saving money with all her might. She usually only drank water from the company's water dispenser, charged her phone only at the company, and even used the company's restrooms. Only when she was absolutely swamped did she order this kind of cheap fast food.

Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bridge the invisible gap, and she still hadn't saved enough for a down payment.

Watching her colleagues dress fashionably every day and occasionally buy an expensive bag, Wang Ju often wondered, why could they live such easy lives?

Her close friends all suggested she find an honest man and get married. But the men in the Upper District were shrewd and valued matching social status. Once they knew she lived in the slums and had a lame father, they lost interest immediately.

Occasionally, there were men who remained interested even after learning about her family background. But most of them were just looking for a fleeting pleasure and wanted a casual relationship. It was precisely because they wanted to play around that they didn't mind the woman's family circumstances.

"What are you doing?!"

A furious roar interrupted Wang Ju's thoughts:

"It's working hours, how can you eat? Have you finished the drafts required for the project deadline? How can you eat with a clear conscience? Have you got any ambition? If you're this lazy, why even come to work? If you don't do it, plenty of people will!"

The manager was like a firecracker, speaking incredibly harshly. Without even guessing, she knew he must have just been scolded by his superior, which was why he was venting his negativity onto his employees.

Wang Ju repeatedly apologized, like a buried ostrich, her eyes fixed on her toes:

"I'm sorry, Manager, I'm truly sorry. I haven't eaten all day, I was just too hungry."

"What does it matter to me if you've eaten or not? Don't eat at your workstation; it affects others' work!"

"Yes, I won't do it again, Manager."

Wang Ju's attitude was humble as she packed up her lunchbox and headed for the break room.

At the same time, her phone rang. When she answered, Shi Lei's voice came through.

"Ms. Wang, we are employees of Penguin Logistics. We have a package that requires your signature, but we didn't see you when we arrived at the complex. Are you at work?"

"Yes, I'm still working overtime."

"Could you please provide your company address? We'll be heading home after delivering your order."

"Okay, may I ask what's being delivered?"

"Sausages."

Wang Ju hadn't eaten sausages in two or three years. The thought of that taste made her mouth water.

How nostalgic, she thought, the taste of home.

"Building C, 11th floor, right across from the complex. I'm on a break now, please come quickly."

"Understood, Penguin Logistics, mission accomplished!"

After hanging up, Wang Ju felt a pang of loss. She stared at the lunchbox in her hand and suddenly felt it wasn't as appealing anymore.

The day after tomorrow would be December, and January meant the Lunar New Year. As expected, she probably wouldn't be going back this year. It would be the same as in previous years, staying in her rented room and watching TV.

It wasn't that Wang Ju didn't want to go back, but she felt too ashamed to.

She remembered when she received her first paycheck, feeling capable, she bought her father a dark green plush coat. She heard he bragged to everyone that his precious daughter had bought it for him. But after that, she never bought him anything again.

The memories were like an onion being peeled silently, making her eyes water without her realizing it.

Considering this was the break room with colleagues from various departments present, Wang Ju sighed and quickly pulled herself out of her emotions. She took out a tissue to wipe her eyes and opened her makeup case to touch up her makeup.

A few minutes later, the phone rang again.

Wang Ju arrived at the elevator on the eleventh floor and met the two Penguin Logistics employees who had delivered the package that afternoon.

Shi Lei handed her a crumpled plastic bag containing bundles of sausages. The woman handed her a beautifully framed painting that looked quite high-class.

"Your father usually likes to paint chrysanthemums at home, so he picked one for us to deliver."

Wang Ju had initially reached out for the sausages, but her hand stopped in mid-air when she saw the painting. She changed her mind, taking the painting first, then taking the sausages and hiding them under the frame, so as not to be seen by colleagues.

She used to have no vanity, but after starting work, she realized she did.

Those beautiful clothes, exquisite cosmetics, and expensive bags were like thorns in her heart. If you didn't use money to remove them, they would remain there, digging deeper and deeper.

"Thank you so much, I'll be going in now."

"Ms. Wang, please wait a moment." Shi Lei called out to her. "Your father asked us to give you a message. He wants to know when you'll be coming back for the New Year."

Wang Ju's expression turned a little unnatural. As she spoke, her eyes darted towards the office area, avoiding eye contact, and she mumbled, "I have a project to follow up on, so I probably won't have time to come back for the New Year. Thank you for delivering this, goodbye."

As she turned to leave, she suddenly heard a voice:

"Your dad is dying."

Wang Ju's lips twitched. She turned back in surprise, looking at the speaker, hardly believing her ears:

"Excuse me, what, what did you just say?!"

"I'm telling you, your dad is dying."

In the span of a few seconds, Wang Ju's expression shifted from surprise to shock, then disbelief, and finally to anger:

"What is wrong with you? Who curses someone's parents like that? I'm reporting you!"

To make his words sound more credible, Shi Lei adopted an impatient and slightly dismissive tone:

"You're hilarious. How long has it been since you last visited him? Don't you have any idea? If I didn't feel sorry for the old man, I wouldn't waste my breath on a disloyal daughter like you. He only paints chrysanthemums at home every day, don't you understand what that means? Chrysanthemums, 'ju', your name even has 'ju' in it. Honestly, how did you end up being such an unlucky daughter."

Wang Ju's aggressive stance faltered, her mind buzzing and going blank.

Her father had been lame and stayed home for years, and she hadn't visited in a long time:

"No, if something happened to my dad, he would have told me. You're lying, right? I'm calling him right now to confirm."

"Forget it, your dad's voice is too hoarse to speak. What's the point of calling? He's living day by day now, and it's hard for him even to see his ungrateful daughter. A journey of half an hour feels like a lifetime. If you really cared about him, wouldn't you go see him yourself?"

With that, Shi Lei entered the elevator with Croissant without looking back, ignoring her shouts.

Wang Ju took out her phone to send a text, but her father wasn't very literate. Should she really go back now?

Staring at the chrysanthemum painting beside her, Wang Ju's eyes reddened, and her mind raced. She remembered when she was little, her father would always put the best food on her plate. When she asked him to eat too, he would say he had already eaten.

If her father was bedridden, perhaps he would hide it out of fear of her worrying.

In an instant, a strong sense of guilt washed over her.

"Xiao Ju, what's wrong? Did the manager say something harsh? Hey, don't mind that idiot."

Seeing her tear-reddened eyes, her colleague quickly offered comfort, asking what had happened.

Wang Ju opened her mouth, but the words seemed stuck in her throat. She choked back her sobs as she packed her things, offering no explanation. She slung her bag over her shoulder, hugged the painting, and left the company, hailing a taxi to the slums.

It was only a thirty to forty-minute journey, but it felt exceptionally long. Looking at the beautifully framed chrysanthemum painting in her hands, Wang Ju truly regretted it. She regretted neglecting her father, regretted only sharing good news and hiding bad, regretted lying for vanity, and most of all, regretted not going back sooner.

She used to think her father was an indomitable man who could handle anything himself. Only now did Wang Ju finally realize. He was also a fragile person, who simply chose to bear it all alone.

People only truly cherish things when they are about to lose them.

She deeply regretted all the times she had brushed off her father's calls with excuses over the years. It was a father's love that she was too embarrassed to express, like fallen leaves in autumn. Unheard, but always present.

It was her own youthful folly, unable to understand the meaning behind his words. She only wanted to dive headfirst into the melting pot of society, to prove herself to her father through her actions.

But what was the point of all that proving?

If she saved enough money to buy a house, her father would be very happy. But the reason for his happiness would be her secure future, not his desire for the house.

They say home is a harbor in life; even if you don't catch any fish at sea, you should still go home and visit.

"Plink..."

Tears fell onto the painting's frame, tracing paths down the glass. Wang Ju reached out a finger to gently stroke the chrysanthemum, feeling its coolness.

The driver didn't know what was wrong with his passenger. He tried to comfort her a few times, but received no response. He quickly accelerated, wanting to reach their destination sooner, but failed to notice the orange pickup truck that had been tailing them from a distance behind.

The thirty-minute journey felt like a fleeting dream.

It made Wang Ju relive all the happy memories she had with her father, intensifying her emotional breakdown.

"We're here."

Hearing the driver's words, Wang Ju suddenly looked up. She grabbed a handful of cash from her wallet and shoved it into his hand:

"Keep the change."

With that, Wang Ju got out of the car, clutching the painting. She stared at the home she had lived in for nearly twenty years, her expression complex.

When did the orange tree by the door grow so tall? It seemed like her father hadn't pruned its branches since he injured his leg.

She took out her key from her bag and trembled as she inserted it into the lock. Opening the door, she ran inside with the painting:

"Dad, where are you?!"

Wang Ju hurried through the narrow hallway and small living room, finding her father painting in the storage room. He had converted it into a studio, and the room was filled with paintings, all of them, without exception, depicting chrysanthemums.

"Dad!"

The old man seemed a little dazed. He turned his head at the sound of her voice. Seeing his daughter, whom he had missed day and night, his wrinkles crinkled as he grinned.

Before the old man could speak, Wang Ju put down the framed painting and suddenly rushed forward to hug him tightly. Tears streamed down her face like a bursting dam as she cried and apologized:

"Dad, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Her sobbing broke the old man's heart. He didn't know what his daughter had gone through? Had she been bullied by a wicked boss? Or abandoned by a scumbag?

The old man's gaze fell upon the chrysanthemum painting placed at the entrance of the studio, and his heart skipped a beat. This was one of the paintings he had given to Penguin Logistics employees to offset shipping costs, but now it was framed and in Xiao Ju's hands. It could only mean that her sudden return was related to those two people.

The old man, guessing the truth, forced a bitter smile. He had been strong since he was young, and after his wife died, he never remarried, raising his daughter alone. Since his leg injury, he had received help from many people, so he disliked owing favors. Although this method was a bit... unconventional, his daughter had indeed returned:

"Oh, my dear daughter, stop crying. There's sausage in the fridge, I'll make you something delicious tonight."

Wang Ju immediately stopped crying upon hearing this. She looked up in surprise at the old man's face, full of concern:

"Dad, you can talk?"

"Ah, what's wrong?"

Wang Ju's expression turned strange. Feeling like she'd been tricked, she immediately clenched her fists and cursed fiercely:

"I knew it, that Penguin Logistics employee had bad intentions! How dare he lie to me, saying you were dying? I think he's the one who's going to die. That damn guy, I'm going to report him!!!"

The old man was a reasonable person. He already owed them a favor. If Wang Ju succeeded in reporting them, his debt would only grow.

Seeing his daughter muttering curses as she dialed Penguin Logistics, he hesitated for a moment before stopping her:

"Xiao Ju, don't report them. They're good people, they probably just exaggerated."

"Exaggeration is still unacceptable! They made me run over here without finishing my overtime. I'm not done with them!"

"Xiao Ju, don't report them. I... I really am dying."

Wang Ju froze upon hearing this. She looked at her father with confusion and disbelief:

"Dad, don't lie to me."

The old man now had only two choices. Either he lied, and the two Penguin Logistics employees would face punishment, perhaps even losing their jobs. Or he didn't lie, maintaining this well-intentioned deception. This way, he could also get Xiao Ju to visit him a little more often.

He recalled the days when he was a child, giving his daughter food with meat and vegetables, while he hid in the kitchen eating plain white rice.

Even if he had to choose again, he wouldn't regret it, feeling all his efforts were worthwhile:

"Silly child, why would I lie to you?"

The heated sausage emitted wisps of steam.

Its mouth-watering aroma spread to the chrysanthemums on the windowsill, and to the many unframed paintings.

The moment the wind picked up, the chrysanthemums felt warmth.