Stardew Valley’s Farming Master

Chapter 208: The Embarrassed Farmer and the Fishing Tycoon

“You were married before and even had a child? And then divorced?”

Leon wasn’t too interested in the whole story. What caught his attention was the fact that Willy had once been married and even had a child.

“Yeah, quite a few of the older folks in town know about it,” Willy replied helplessly.

“Has your kid never come to see you?” Leon pressed.

“My ex-wife has already formed a new family. As for my child, he comes by occasionally, but I’d rather he didn’t. I don’t want to disturb the life they have now,” Willy explained.

“Sigh.” Leon patted Willy on the shoulder and simply let out a sigh, not adding anything else.

Willy, on the other hand, didn’t seem too bothered. After all, it had been so many years. He turned to Leon and asked, “If my kid doesn’t plan on taking over my fish shop in the future, Leon, would you be willing to take it over?”

“Uh… I don’t know.” Leon froze at the question. After thinking for a while, he still couldn’t give a definite answer. He had his own Red Star Farm to worry about.

“True. You’re a farmer—you have your own work.” Willy sighed. Thinking of Leon’s status, a farmer adored by everyone, he couldn’t imagine Leon giving up his farm to run a small-town fish shop.

“Maybe you could find a trustworthy apprentice?” Leon suggested when he saw Willy looking a bit down.“Not everyone can handle smelling like fish every day,” Willy shook his head.

“Have you asked your son?” Leon pressed. Compared to struggling in a big city, inheriting a father’s fish business sounded like a pretty good deal. By logic, Willy’s son shouldn’t refuse.

“Stan? No, he’s still in college. We’ve never talked about it. Honestly, I want him to have a better life than I did. His mother was right—being a fisherman in a small town has no future,” Willy said, shaking his head again.

“Mind if I ask—how much do you make in a year?” Leon thought for a moment, then asked.

“Hmm… pure profit, around 60,000 to 80,000G a year. If the market’s good, maybe around 100,000G,” Willy said after a quick calculation.

“…”

Hearing this, Leon was dying to make a snarky remark, but he held it in and simply said, “If you told your son this number, I think he’d make the right choice.”

“Why?” Willy asked, puzzled.

“Because I used to work for Joja Corporation, and my monthly salary was only 2,000G,” Leon said by way of example.

“That little?” Willy was stunned. “Isn’t the pay supposed to be high in the city?”

“I don’t know, but as far as I know, even Joja’s department managers—aside from the shareholders—only make around 4,000G a month. And that’s after dedicating most of their life to Joja,” Leon said with a hint of disdain.

“Even if we go by your lowest yearly income, that’s still 5,000G a month. That’s enough to crush ninety-five percent of the people in Zuzu City. Just tell your son the truth about your earnings, and I’m sure he’ll make the right decision.”

“Really?” Willy’s eyes lit up for a moment, but quickly dimmed again. “But big cities will always be more attractive than little towns like this. I don’t think he’d choose to come to Pelican Town.”

“Who knows? You should at least give it a try,” Leon said with a smirk.

“Yeah, I will. Thanks, Leon. Talking to you gave me some new ideas.” Willy nodded gratefully.

“We’re friends, after all,” Leon reassured him.

Willy chuckled. “I was actually planning on giving you this mermaid pendant when I got old. But now, after what you said, I’ve got some new hopes for the future. If my kid does take over the shop, I’ll give it to him instead. Don’t regret it when that happens.”

“Heh.” Leon gave an awkward laugh, then pulled out the Spiral Conch. “This can summon merfolk, you know. It can even call mermaids to help.”

“!!!”

Willy’s eyes went wide at the sight of the conch, and he swallowed hard. “Seriously?”

“Why would I lie?” Leon said, rolling his eyes.

Willy glanced again at the conch in Leon’s hand, then exclaimed in awe, “Alright, I admit it—I was overthinking. Leon, you never fail to surprise me. Good lord, we’re talking about mermaids! And you’re on such good terms with them.”

Then something occurred to him, and he quickly asked, “Wait… you’re not in a relationship with a mermaid, are you?”

“No, just good friends. Romance? No thanks. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life underwater,” Leon said quickly.

“Good. I was about to warn you about that. As pretty as mermaids are, being with one comes at too high a cost. Honestly, the young women in town aren’t much worse. I’d much rather be drinking and fishing with you out at sea in the future,” Willy said with relief.

“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Leon reassured him.

“You two have been chatting for ages—aren’t you hungry?”

From the other side, Gus called out weakly, “Dinner’s ready.”

“Coming!”

Willy and Leon quickly stood up and walked over to him.

By now, Gus had already set the table, with three portions of pan-fried cod fillets and some heated canned goods.

“This is all I had on hand. Just a simple meal. Once our trip’s over, I’ll cook you a real feast back at the Stardrop Saloon,” Gus said, looking a little embarrassed.

“This is way better than what I usually eat at sea,” Willy said quickly.

“Yeah, better than my farm meals too,” Leon agreed sincerely. On the farm, his meals were mostly just about filling his stomach.

“Let’s eat.”

Gus assumed they were just trying to make him feel better, but when he saw how much they were enjoying the food, he started to believe they meant it.

It left him speechless—a farmer and Pelican Town’s fishing tycoon, two of the town’s wealthiest men, now eating like a pair of starving drifters. The contrast was almost too much.

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