novelraw Chapter 27: Goodbye, Willy
Chapter 27: Goodbye, Willy
Fishing had always been Leon’s weak spot. His skills were barely above beginner level—bait the hook, cast the line, wait for a bite, then yank it straight out of the water. Without an experienced fisherman to guide him, he’d put the idea of fishing aside for now.
But while trimming green onions, Leon had noticed something interesting: the tiny bugs clinging to the bulbs seemed irresistible to fish.
Fishing required waiting for a bite. But chumming? That didn’t require waiting at all.
If he could set a net in the water, toss in those bugs from the green onions to attract fish, then pull up the whole catch in one go… wouldn’t that bring in far more fish than fiddling with a rod?
Live fish had to be worth more than green onions. Instead of worrying about how to push the onions’ price fivefold, maybe it was more practical to see if these bugs could be used as bait for a big haul.
The more Leon thought about it, the more likely it seemed to work. Without wasting a moment, he set off for the beach where Willy lived.
After all, he’d only just arrived in Stardew Valley. The only fishing tool he had was the bamboo rod Willy had given him the first time they met—and that rod was sitting in his cabin, untouched. If he wanted a net big enough for real harvesting, he’d have to borrow it from a professional.
Though this was Leon’s first time in the valley, he knew this area like the back of his hand from the game. Instead of taking the long way through the farm, he headed toward Marnie’s Ranch. If the real-life map wasn’t too different, the road in front of Marnie’s place would lead straight to Pelican Town.
Twenty minutes later, he stepped onto the main road. Following it eastward, he soon passed Marnie’s Ranch and caught sight of Pelican Town’s buildings.
Relieved, he quickened his pace. Without stopping in town, he made straight for the little path leading to the beach.Pedestrians glanced curiously at the hurried stranger, but no one greeted him—they didn’t know him. They only wondered why visitors here were in such a rush. Wasn’t the whole point of coming to Pelican Town to slow down, relax, and enjoy the countryside?
An hour after he’d set out, Leon finally reached the beach. A few tourists and locals milled about in small groups. He scanned for anything worth a second look—sadly, not many bikini-clad women in this weather—and lost interest quickly. He headed straight for Willy’s shack on the pier.
The door was open. Willy was inside, cleaning algae from the shop’s fish tank. When he saw Leon rushing in, he paused in surprise.
“Leon, what’s the matter? You came all the way here in such a hurry—did something happen?”
“I’m fine, Mister Willy. I just wanted to ask if you have a fishing net. The big kind.” Leon caught his breath before asking.
“I do. The kind for sea fishing. Planning to go out to sea?” Willy asked curiously.
“No, I want to fish in the river,” Leon explained.
“I see… but why a net? Isn’t rod fishing easier? River fish aren’t stupid. And the riverbed’s tricky—nets snag easily and tear. If you really want to fish in a river, I’d recommend crab pots instead,” Willy said patiently.
Then he added with a chuckle, “Or is this because you’re mad about not catching anything with the rod? I was like that when I started. But if you just give it some patience and keep trying, you’ll get the hang of it. The feeling when a fish bites, the tug-of-war to bring it in, and dropping it into the tank—it’s addictive.”
“That’s not it. I haven’t even had time to fish yet. The farm keeps me busy. I wanted to borrow a net because I found a special bait that seems to attract smallmouth bass in the river.”
Leon shook his head, then explained about the bugs he’d found on the green onions and how strongly they attracted river fish.
Willy listened, then immediately went behind the counter, pulled out a small notebook, and jotted something down. “Sorry, I just had to record that. Never heard of this trick before. Thanks for the tip—so I’m happy to help you try it out.”
Then Willy’s eyes lit with another idea. “By the way, do you have any untrimmed green onions with you? If we do, maybe we could test those bugs on sea fish. If they work there too, we could cut down the risk of net damage.”
“No. Want me to go get some?” Leon asked. The onions were in his system backpack, but pulling them out of thin air might raise more questions than answers.
“Sure. But it’s a long walk there and back. Want to use my bike?” Willy offered.
“You have a bike?” Leon blinked. In his memory, only Mayor Lewis had a pickup truck and Sebastian had a motorcycle—everyone else in town walked. In the game, even the pickup was just a background prop. If Lewis hadn’t given him a ride once, Leon would never have known it worked.
“Haha, strange, right? I may be a fisherman, but I still live on land. A man needs transport,” Willy said. He locked up the shop and led Leon across the beach toward the forest’s edge.
They stopped at a small stone-brick shed. Willy unlocked the rolling door and pulled it up, revealing a prize hidden inside.
It was a silver-painted motorcycle—an old model with a big exhaust pipe, similar to a Honda CBT125, but bulkier, with broader wheels.
Thank you for reading!