novelraw Chapter 29: A Bountiful Harvest!
Chapter 29: A Bountiful Harvest!
With Willy’s announcement, Leon climbed aboard the boat. Willy skillfully steered the fishing vessel toward the vast Gem Sea.
The salty dampness carried by the sea breeze was a little uncomfortable at first, but Leon soon got used to it. Before long, he was enjoying the feeling of the endless blue, where sky and sea merged into one.
Willy didn’t go far before stopping at a seemingly featureless stretch of water.
“There are often large schools of anchovies and sardines here. We can give it a try.”
After dropping anchor, Willy explained the spot to Leon.
“How do we get the bugs out of the green onions?”
“Like this.” Leon opened the foam box, took out the green onions, and demonstrated for Willy. Once the bugs inside were revealed, he carried them to the side of the boat, filled an empty container with seawater, and rinsed the roots in it.
Seawater was far more effective than fresh water. The moment those tiny bugs touched seawater, they instantly let go of the onion roots and fell away completely, without any need for a second rinse.
“Let me help.”
Relieved by the simple method, Willy immediately joined Leon in cleaning the bugs off the green onions.“Wow, there’s a lot. Are these wild green onions? Where’d you find them?”
While helping, Willy naturally struck up a conversation.
“Southern Forest,” Leon replied, unconcerned about giving away the location. Their work didn’t overlap—Willy would much rather spend a day casting lines in a river than trudge through the forest looking for green onions.
“Didn’t expect you to get so good at foraging after just a few days in Stardew Valley. I think you’ve got some talent for fishing too. We should team up sometime.” Willy’s eyes lit up at the thought, his words drifting back to his true passion.
“Of course. I was thinking the same. There’s a lot I want to learn from you about fishing,” Leon agreed with a nod. “I don’t want to just stand by the water all day with nothing to show for it.”
“Hahaha, no problem.”
With Leon’s easygoing responses, Willy became even more talkative. As they cleaned the onions, he shared all kinds of fishing knowledge—little tricks, bait choices, how to scout fishing spots.
Just from listening, Leon gained a whole new perspective on fishing. His theoretical knowledge was growing fast.
When half the box was filled with cleaned onions, Willy signaled Leon to stop.
“We should test whether sea fish are even interested in these little guys. If we use them all here, we won’t have bait left to try for the smallmouth bass in the river—the ones we already know respond well.”
Leon nodded, appreciating Willy’s foresight. The man wasn’t just passionate—he was careful too.
Willy glanced at the box they’d used for rinsing bugs. The water inside was now full of tiny bug carcasses. He pressed his hands together solemnly and muttered, “May the mermaids bless us with a good catch.”
He carried the box to the bow, set up the rack, and began arranging the fishing net.
Leon helped where he could, though when it came to the finer points he had no clue. Thankfully, Willy was a master at this, and had the net ready in moments.
Then Willy dumped the entire box—water and bugs—into the sea where the net was set, and the two of them stood at the bow in silence.
Compared to the ocean, the bugs were nothing. They vanished into the waves in moments. Leon couldn’t help feeling nervous. The sea was deeper and wider than any river—would these bugs even make a difference out here?
But Willy stood calm, his sharp eyes fixed on the blue expanse as if he could see through the water itself.
They waited for what felt like forever. Then Willy suddenly called out, “You take the left, I’ll take the right. On my count, we haul the net together.”
“Got it.”
Leon obeyed without hesitation, taking position at the railing where the net’s hinge mechanism was mounted.
“Three, two, one—pull!”
With Willy’s shout, Leon threw all his strength into turning the winch, cranking it counterclockwise to haul the net from the seabed.
The closer the net came to the surface, the heavier it felt, and the harder Leon had to work.
Even a novice like him knew what that meant—there was a lot in that net. Their haul was almost certainly going to be huge. There was no way Leon would slack off now.
Working in perfect sync, they finally lifted the net from the water. The moment it broke the surface, Leon was stunned.
Inside the five-by-five net, fish were flipping and thrashing—every one of them at least the size of an adult’s palm. The density was so high, he could barely see the mesh at all.
“Hahaha, it worked! Look at this! I haven’t caught this many anchovies and sardines in ages. This really is the mermaids’ blessing!”
Willy laughed in delight, clapping Leon on the shoulder.
“This is a brand-new discovery—a new kind of fish bait. I have to write this down when we get back.”
Leon grinned as well. He didn’t care if his share was small—this was still his first real income since inheriting the farm.
At first, he’d thought it would come from selling green onions. Technically, he hadn’t been wrong—just not for the reason he expected. The real value wasn’t in the onions themselves, but in the bugs clinging to their roots. Who would’ve guessed?
“Come on, let’s get these fish stored. After that, we’ll see if the leftover bugs can bring in some flounder.”
Willy, still riding his excitement, called Leon over to help transfer the fish into the holding boxes in the cabin.