Randa and the others finally arrived safely at his parents' house. The three of them began unloading their luggage.
While they were still busy, Siti came out of the house and greeted them warmly.
"Oh dear, I'm troubling you! Sorry if my kids are bothering you on your day off!"
"Hahaha, it's no problem, Auntie. We didn't have anything to do at home anyway."
"Yeah, Auntie, we thought we'd turn it into a little trip too!"
"Well then, take your time. No need to rush. Once you're done, we'll eat together with Randa. I'll cook something for you all!"
"Oh wow, thank you so much, Auntie!"
Siti then went back into the kitchen, while the three of them continued their work. After a while, they finally finished unloading everything, each of them looking exhausted.
Seeing that, Randa quickly handed them diluted Tirtha water. Agung, the plumpest of the three, looked the most drained. He lazily accepted the glass from Randa, while Rizky also grabbed one and was ready to gulp it down.
At first, they didn't pay much attention. It was just water, after all. But the moment they drank it, the refreshing sweetness instantly quenched their thirst. Before they knew it, both of them wanted more.
"Wow, Randa, your water is seriously refreshing!"
"Yeah, it's like drinking morning dew!"
"Hahaha, of course! My water comes from a mountain spring," Randa said proudly.
Agung snorted.
"Hmph! There aren't any mountains in Batam!"
Randa just smiled, letting them rest.
Once they had caught their breath, Agung and Rizky started to get bored. Lunch was still a long way off, so waiting around didn't sound appealing. That's when Randa had an idea.
"Hey, want to see my garden?"
"What? You have a garden?"
"Yeah, come on, I'll show you!"
Excited, Agung and Rizky immediately followed. Even though they were already in their twenties, their boyish curiosity was still alive and well.
Especially since Batam was known more as an industrial island, not a place where you'd expect to see farms.
When they finally reached the garden, their eyes lit up.
"Wow, Randa, is this really yours?"
"Hahaha, what do you think? Pretty cool, right? Don't worry, when it's harvest time, you'll get to try the fruits."
Agung's mouth instantly watered, while Rizky was more captivated by the garden's aesthetic charm. They strolled around, amazed at how vibrant and alive the garden felt—more so than the forests they had explored before.
It was all thanks to Randa's hard work tending the garden, enhanced by the effects of Tirtha water that made the plants grow healthier.
Still, behind his satisfaction, Randa couldn't help but wonder: what kind of results would he get once he tried using the special organic fertilizer he had just made with his new technique?
When they reached the banana grove with 25 fruiting trees, Rizky muttered,
"Wow, if my wife saw this place, she'd definitely get FOMO again and start wanting to plant everything under the sun."
Randa laughed.
"Hahaha, your wife has too much free time! Why doesn't she use it to learn cooking or something more useful?"
Rizky froze.
"Wait… why didn't I ever think of that?"
From that moment on, he started planning to send his wife viral cooking videos, hoping to redirect her FOMO energy into something more productive.
Meanwhile, Agung couldn't care less. He was too busy asking when the bananas would ripen.
"Don't worry, once they're ready, I'll give you some," Randa said.
"Seriously? I'll be waiting!" Agung replied eagerly.
After wandering around for a while, Rizky suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right, Randa, when did you learn to edit videos? Your work looks so professional. Are you planning to get into videography or photography?"
Randa looked surprised.
"Huh? What makes you say that?"
Rizky raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, isn't this your video?" he asked, showing something on his phone.
Randa paused, then realized—yes, he had made that video.
"Oh, right… I did make that one."
Rizky looked impressed.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a real commercial. Looks like an ad for poultry medicine or something!"
Randa grinned proudly.
"I was just experimenting. They say if you upload videos there, you can make money if they get a lot of views. Turns out, the response was pretty good."
Rizky scrolled through, seeing all the positive comments and over a thousand likes.
"You should take this seriously, Ran. Looks like you've got real talent."
Randa nodded, his mind already turning over the possibilities.
Time flew by, and soon it was noon. They headed back home.
When they arrived, they ran into Faisal.
"Hey, Uncle!"
"Oh, come on in! Auntie's already set the table."
"Wow, thank you, Uncle."
They were welcomed by a table full of dishes. Agung and Rizky swallowed hard at the sight, while Randa and Faisal, though calmer, were no less tempted.
"Wash your hands first, then let's eat," Siti said.
Agung rushed to wash his hands with lime-scented water, then grabbed rice and side dishes.
"Let's eat, Uncle, Auntie!" he said cheerfully.
They dug in. Agung took a piece of fried chicken, dipped it in sambal, and popped it into his mouth. The aroma of lemongrass, roasted coconut, and coconut milk instantly burst out.
"Auntie, this is delicious!" he said with his mouth full.
Siti smiled.
"I'm glad you like it. Have some more."
They all ate heartily. After the meal, Agung and Rizky waddled outside with full bellies.
"Randa, I never imagined your mom's cooking would be this good. I feel like I didn't eat enough," Agung groaned.
"Yeah, same here," Rizky added weakly.
Randa chuckled.
"So, where are you guys headed now?"
"We've got to head back. There are some things to move," Agung replied.
"And my wife called—she needs me to watch the kids," Rizky added.
"Alright, take care on the way! Come visit again when you have time," Randa said.
"Of course! Your place is cozy, the food's amazing—way better than a five-star hotel," Agung said.
"Yeah, you should just open a homestay, Ran! Hahaha," Rizky joked.
Randa just laughed along. After seeing them off, he returned to his garden to continue working.
...
A few days later, Randa and Faisal headed to the area near their cattle pen.
Father and son looked ready for work in their worn-out clothes, carrying tools like hoes.
"Alright, open up the tarp. The fertilizer should be ready today," Faisal said.
Randa nodded and followed his father's instructions.
The moment the tarp was lifted, a wave of heat burst out, stinging Randa's skin.
Noticing his son's reaction, Faisal frowned and quickly approached. He grabbed a handful of the compost, squeezed it, then sniffed it.
For a moment, his brow furrowed deeply. But then, slowly, the lines on his forehead eased. Faisal looked at Randa with an expression hard to describe.
He was stunned. The fertilizer in his hands was far superior to anything he had ever made in all his years of farming. A pang of inadequacy hit him, but he quickly brushed it aside. Randa is my son. Isn't it only natural for the child to surpass the parent?
Seeing his father fall silent, Randa grew worried.
"What's wrong, Dad? Did something go wrong? Is the fertilizer a failure?"
Faisal snapped out of it and quickly replied,"No, no—it's good. In fact, it's excellent." His voice now carried relief instead of doubt.
From that moment on, Faisal no longer cared about whether he was more skilled or not. Randa was his son. Wouldn't it be better if the son outshined the father?
They set the compost aside to cool, as it was still too hot to be used right away. In the meantime, they worked on other tasks. A few days later, the fertilizer was finally ready.
Randa began applying it across the garden, paying special attention to the 25 fruiting banana trees. He hoped this new fertilizer would yield a much better harvest.
...
Days passed, and soon the banana trees were ready to harvest.
Since there were only 25, Randa and his father managed on their own. Carefully, Randa cut down the bunches, most still green with just a hint of yellow. He also felled the trees afterward, as banana plants only bear fruit once.
When they brought the harvest home, Siti came out and was stunned at the sight of the bananas—more abundant than ever before.
"Wait… are these really ours? Why are there so many?" she asked in awe.
"Not really, just 25 bunches like usual. But for some reason, this harvest looks bigger than before," Faisal replied, puzzled, occasionally glancing at Randa as though lost in thought.
Randa didn't notice his father's gaze. He was busy hauling the bananas inside.
Suddenly, Nisa came out. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of the bananas.
"Wow, did our bananas ripen already?" she exclaimed, rushing to grab the ripest one.
She bit into it, and her eyes widened. A burst of tangy sweetness with a soft texture exploded in her mouth.
"Uhhh… this banana is amazing!"
At first, Randa's parents looked doubtful. To them, a banana was just a banana. But Nisa quickly handed each of them one.
Though hesitant, they gave in and took a bite. As soon as the flavor hit their tongues, they froze. Their eyes lit up.
This banana was unlike any they'd ever tasted. Not cloyingly sweet, but perfectly balanced—almost indescribable.
"Meong."
Jasmin, the family cat, meowed at Nisa's feet.
Nisa chuckled, already knowing what the cat wanted. She broke off a small piece and handed it over.
Jasmin devoured it eagerly, then clung to Nisa, as if confirming that she was indeed the kindest one who always spoiled her with treats.
Meanwhile, Randa also tasted the banana. His mouth was filled with a sweetness unlike any before. He couldn't help but feel a rush of hope.
Quickly, he pulled out his phone to check the market price of bananas, calculating the potential profit. But when the numbers appeared on the screen, Randa was utterly shocked.
"What?! They're this cheap?!"
His parents and sister immediately turned toward him, puzzled by his outburst.