Stardew Valley’s Farming Master

Chapter 296 Rome Stories February 19 New Share

After chatting with Abigail for a while longer, Leon parted ways with her and headed to the kitchen to find Gus.

“Leon, what brings you to the kitchen?” Gus, already wearing an apron, was busy frying prepared anchovies. He looked up in surprise at Leon’s sudden appearance.

“I’m here to help—and maybe pick up a few of your cooking tricks while I’m at it.” Leon stated his intentions directly.

“Hahaha, no need to talk about ‘picking up tricks.’ If you want to learn, just come find me anytime. I’ll teach you hands-on.” Gus laughed warmly.

“Still, right now, you should really be out in the living room chatting with everyone, not holed up in the kitchen with an old man like me learning how to cook.”

“I have social anxiety,” Leon said with a straight face, completely making it up.

Gus gave him a surprised look. No matter how he saw it, Leon didn’t seem like someone with social anxiety. The claim startled him so much he forgot to flip the anchovies in the pan.

Fortunately, Leon had been keeping an eye on the food and reminded Gus before one side got charred. Still, Gus claimed Leon was interfering with the kitchen workflow and promptly pushed him out.

Failing to sneak into Gus’s “open class,” Leon could only return to the living room and join the ongoing chatter.

Vincent and Jas were off in their own corner, working on a puzzle Emily had prepared for them. The rest were adults, lounging on the sofas in small groups.The seating was quite deliberate—Marnie sat with Lewis, Jodi with Caroline and Robin, Emily with Haley, while Abigail occupied a single armchair alone. Leon wasn’t sure where to sit.

Luckily, Emily noticed him standing awkwardly and pulled Abigail over to sit beside her and Haley, leaving Leon the now-vacant single armchair.

As soon as Leon sat down, he became the center of attention.

“Leon, how’s your chicken coop coming along?” Marnie was the first to start a conversation.

“It’s doing great. The chicks are growing fast,” Leon replied.

“No problems with the coop, right?” Robin asked, checking on her handiwork.

“No problems. It’s saved me a lot of work,” Leon answered.

“Then I guess we’ll be seeing fresh eggs from you in the shipping box soon. But don’t slack off on your crops either, Leon. Your high-quality produce has already made quite a name for Red Star Farm. Keep it up,” Lewis chimed in encouragingly.

“Of course. Crop cultivation is still my main focus,” Leon nodded.

“Seems you’re quite popular, Leon. I think this might be our first proper conversation,” Caroline added from the side.

“Yes. Hello, Mrs. Caroline. Just call me Leon,” he said with a smile to the elegant green-haired woman.

“Mm. I should thank you for supporting Pierre’s business. He’s been quite happy since you came, what with the large orders of seeds you buy. We’ve even talked about inviting you over for dinner sometime, when you’re free,” Caroline said.

“I’ll be sure to visit when I have the chance,” Leon replied politely, though he wasn’t too sure if he actually wanted to.

The questions and banter soon had Leon comfortably folded into the conversation. Everyone seemed familiar with one another, making for a light, relaxed atmosphere.

As the birthday girl, Haley was easily the busiest person there—most topics somehow led back to her.

At one point, Abigail suddenly asked, “Haley, whose gift surprised you the most today?”

The question brought the room to a halt. Everyone looked at Haley curiously—except for Caroline, who gave Abigail a mildly exasperated look. With so many people around, she couldn’t exactly tell Abigail the question was a bit ill-timed.

Haley was momentarily caught off guard but instinctively answered, “I think it would be Leon’s gift.”

“What was it?” Abigail pressed.

“Ahem.” Before Haley could reply, Leon cleared his throat meaningfully.

Catching the hint, Haley smiled and said, “It’s a secret. Maybe you’ll find out on your birthday.”

“Oh.” Abigail glanced at Leon, who was pretending to be nonchalant, then at Haley, but said nothing more.

“Sounds like Leon’s gift must’ve been impressive,” Lewis said, smoothly steering the conversation back into lighter waters. “But gifts aren’t about price or extravagance—what matters is the thought behind them. Young people really do understand each other best.”

He quickly shifted the topic, and the lively mood returned. The chat lasted until Gus called everyone over for lunch.

As always, Gus’s cooking was superb, with a hearty variety of dishes that left everyone full.

Afterward came the usual birthday ritual—singing the birthday song and blowing out candles. Emily even drew the curtains to make the room dimmer for effect.

Once Haley blew out the candles, the cake-cutting began. Haley, as the birthday star, took charge. When it came Leon’s turn to get his slice, Haley said, “Don’t leave right after. I have something for you.”

“The Easter photos?” Leon guessed immediately.

“Mm. They’re developed already. I even got you an album,” Haley nodded.

“Thanks,” Leon said with a smile. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

“Thanks.” She handed him his slice.

While everyone enjoyed their cake, they also played some party games in Emily and Haley’s spacious living room—musical chairs and bingo, for example.

Leon joined musical chairs, but when it came down to a match against Jas and Vincent, he deliberately went easy, letting the two kids make it to the finals.

For bingo, Leon stayed on the sidelines—he wasn’t good at it anyway. Haley, on the other hand, dominated the game, much to Abigail’s playful frustration.

By the time all the games wrapped up, it was about three in the afternoon. Guests began leaving one by one, until only Leon and Jodi remained.

Jodi stayed to help Emily clean up, while Leon lingered because Haley still had to give him the Easter photos.

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