“Is Pelican Town’s budget really that tight?” Leon sighed when he heard the news.
“Yes. Besides maintaining community facilities and roads, Lewis has to pay for children’s education subsidies, pensions for the elderly, dical assistance, and other programs. He’s complained more than once about the money running out.”
Robin explained patiently.
“I can understand the education subsidies. But what’s the deal with pensions for the elderly? And what about dical assistance?”
Leon looked stunned, then asked curiously.
“Not every elder lives in a big villa like George and Evelyn. Over in the retirent ho on the east side of town, most of the residents are families of victims from the mining accident in the northern foothills. Pelican Town owes them too much. So, to let them enjoy their twilight years in peace, the pension program for the elderly was created.”
Robin went on. “As for dical assistance, that’s another policy Lewis pushed for the sake of the townspeople’s health. dical services and treatnts are expensive, and the prices of dicine—jacked up by the pharmaceutical industry—are even worse. Many people avoid going to the doctor altogether. With Lewis’s subsidy, at least people can afford to get treated when they fall ill.”
“Harvey is in charge of the dical assistance program. Lewis put a lot of effort into recruiting him. Harvey himself is a good man—he keeps his prices as low as possible and doesn’t care much about profit.”
“I see.”
Now Leon finally understood where Pelican Town’s money was going—and why Lewis couldn’t afford to fix the bus.
“Actually, I’m pretty grateful to you, Leon. Fixing the bus ans more tourists and opportunities. That’s good news for us locals. You’ve done a great job.”
Robin gave him a thumbs-up.
“Don’t just say it. Show it with action.”
Leon grinned, teasing her.
“Oh? Is that so?” Robin’s brow arched, a sly smile curling her lips. In a playful, sultry tone, she asked, “Then, our dear farr, Mr. Leon, how exactly would you like
to show my gratitude?”
“Give
a discount when you install my phone?”
Leon wasn’t fazed by her teasing. He knew she was just ssing with him, not being serious. No way was he going to let her win.
“Tsk, tsk. Fine. I’ll give you 20% off—how about 800G for installation? After subtracting material costs, I’m only making 100G. That’s my biggest concession.”
Robin, seeing that Leon wasn’t taking the bait, dropped the act and returned to her usual serious tone.
“Two hundred gold’s worth of gratitude?”
Leon gave her a deadpan look.
“What else did you expect? I’m a carpenter, not a restaurant owner. The only things tourists buy from
are wooden furniture. They don’t need my carpentry services.”
Robin shot back.
“All right, 200 it is. Let’s go check out the coop.”
Leon didn’t haggle further and quickly changed the subject. No need to push his luck.
…
Robin led Leon into the coop. The layout was much like in the ga, except along the edges there was a designated waste area—a dry latrine.
“The waste from the poultry is great fertilizer for your farm. Using a sewer system to flush it away would just be a waste of resources.”
Robin explained when she saw Leon’s skeptical look.
“But it takes ti for soil to absorb manure. If it piles up, won’t the coop stink?”
Leon asked.
“How little do you think of Stardew Valley’s soil? I didn’t build you a toilet, yet have you ever seen your own waste sitting around for more than a day?”
Robin’s blunt words made him pause.
That’s when Leon realized—he always relieved himself in a corner of the farm, but never saw any traces the next day. He had assud so wild animal dragged it off, but apparently, the soil absorbed it.
Stardew Valley truly was full of hidden wonders. Even the land was wild. He loved it.
…
“So, satisfied with this starter coop?”
Robin asked, seeing him lost in thought.
“No problem for now. But does it co with a warranty?”
Leon replied.
“If it’s damaged by a natural disaster, I’ll fix it for free, but you cover the materials. If it’s man-made damage, you’re on your own.”
Robin answered.
“That works.”
Leon pushed Robin toward the exit. “All right, Ms. Robin, your work here is done. Ti to go prepare for the phone installation. See you tomorrow.”
“Not even staying for dinner? I’ve been working here all day.”
Robin teased.
“I’m skipping dinner. On a diet.”
Leon lied without batting an eye.
“Cheapskate.”
Robin rolled her eyes, then strode off from Red Star Farm.
…
After she left, Leon planted the acorns Linus had given him—exactly thirty.
He looked at the patch of land he called his mini forest and smiled with satisfaction. Once the oak trees matured, he’d have a steady supply of oak resin. Once he leveled up his Farming Skill and unlocked kegs, he could start brewing before sumr.
When the planting was done, Leon returned to his cabin and tossed all the loot from the mines into a chest.
This mining trip had been quite fruitful: 220 copper ore, 400 stone, 63 coal, 2 yellow crystals, 4 athysts (he’d had five, but gave one to Abigail), 16 crystal orbs (from mining and Stone Golem drops), 3 earth crystals, 3 quartz, 8 bat wings, and 6 iron ore from Stone Golems. That was all the loot.
After organizing his bag, Leon grabbed copper ore and coal for slting into copper bars. If he wanted to mass-produce kegs, he’d need a lot of copper for resin tappers. More copper bars could only help.
Once the furnace was burning, Leon stepped away from the heat and went to collect a shipnt of glass containers from a small cart.
He counted them—exactly one hundred, as ordered. They resembled milk bottles, each sealed with a cork. A quick tap with his knuckles gave a muffled sound—the glass was thick and sturdy.
Fortunately, they stacked in his backpack. That was a relief; otherwise, storage would’ve been a nightmare.
As for the now-empty cart, Leon wasn’t sure if it was a freebie or just forgotten. Since he didn’t need it right now, he shoved it into a corner of the kitchen. If the Traveling rchant’s Guild ca asking, he’d return it. If not, well… then the cart had just joined the Leon family.
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