Letting go of the idea of breaking the arcade record, Abigail stopped dragging Leon into a stubborn attempt to beat Prairie King’s Big Adventure. Instead, the two of them tried out a few other games, and after playing for a while, they left the Starfruit Saloon together.
Leon walked Abigail to her doorstep. After she went inside, she soon came back out with a small paper bag wrapped in brown kraft paper and handed it to him.
“Mom prepared this for you.”
Leon took the bag and weighed it in his hand—about three taels. If he rationed it carefully, it would definitely last until summer.
“Thank Caroline for me. I’ll head back now—see you tomorrow.”
After saying goodbye to Abigail, Leon took the bag of tea leaves, fetched his bicycle, and rode back to the farm to rest.
The night passed quietly. The next morning, as usual, Leon woke up early and saw the gloomy sky outside, rain falling in endless sheets.
Unfortunately, his pickaxe was still with Clint for an upgrade, and he had already promised Abigail they would go fishing today. The trip to the mines was out of the question.
Still, there were chores to be done. Rain meant no need for watering, but the chickens still needed to be fed—especially since on rainy days they stayed in the coop. Without the extra bugs they’d normally peck from the ground, he needed to give them more feed.
Wearing his sailor’s cap, Leon washed up and stepped out into the rain. Not a single raindrop landed on him—apart from his boots splashing in puddles, it was no different from a dry day.
After feeding the chickens, he went to the Fruit Bat–Mushroom Cave to check the crops and found a pleasant surprise—among the mushrooms were a bright red-capped, white-stemmed red mushroom, and a plump yellow chanterelle with a broad, flat cap.
“Red Mushroom (Forage): This spotted mushroom sometimes grows in caves. Poisonous.”
“Chanterelle (Forage): A delicious mushroom with a fruity, slightly peppery flavor.”
“Ah, a red mushroom. Brings back memories.”
Leon stored the chanterelle in his backpack but held the red mushroom in his hand, inspecting it closely.
He remembered how, in the game, one of his favorite things to do was endlessly reload save files just to throw all sorts of random items into the Governor’s soup at the banquet, just to see his different reactions.
The most amusing was probably Lewis’s purple shorts. The most direct were things like pufferfish or red mushrooms. Anything poisonous would knock the Governor out cold, but no matter how strong the toxin, he’d only faint—never in real danger. He was famously hard to kill.
The red mushroom might be poisonous, but it wasn’t useless. It was an essential ingredient for making Life Potion. Beyond that and certain offerings, its only other fate was to be tossed into the shipping bin for sale.
Putting away the red mushroom, Leon glanced at the clean rock floor of the cave one more time before leaving.
As for the Fruit Bats’ fruit, Leon had learned to let it go. If there was fruit, great; if not, so be it.
When his morning chores were done, Leon went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He had just finished making a large serving of noodle dumplings when Abigail, holding an umbrella, walked into the kitchen.
“I was actually planning to call Pierre and have him tell you to cancel today’s trip because of the rain, and wait until it’s sunny again.”
Seeing her damp pant legs, Leon spoke up.
“You should’ve called earlier.” Abigail set down her umbrella and casually leaned over to look into the pot. “Yellow dough? That looks awful.”
“The yellow’s from the eggs I added to the flour. I’m not sure if you’re used to that flavor.” Leon divided the noodle dumplings into two large bowls, set them on the table, took chopsticks for himself, and handed Abigail a spoon. They began eating and chatting.
“You still planning to fish in this weather?”
“No way. Holding an umbrella in one hand and a fishing rod in the other… by the time I catch a fish, I’d be soaked.”
“So you’re heading home after breakfast?”
“Nope. I’ve got other plans.”
“Let’s hear them.”
“Haley’s photography won an award. She’s hosting a party at her place and invited me. Since you and Haley seem to get along, I figured you’d be invited too, so I thought we could go together.”
“Invited? No, I… wait, let me check my mailbox.”
Hearing this, Leon pulled his sailor’s cap back on, left the kitchen, and walked to his mailbox. Inside, aside from a payment from the Traveling Merchant’s Guild, there was indeed a letter from Haley.
“To Leon:
If you’re free today, come by my place for a little gathering. No special reason—just something I want to give you. It’s related to the photos I took of you fishing in the rain last time.
—Haley”
After reading it, Leon returned to the kitchen, picked up his chopsticks, and resumed chatting with Abigail.
“Turns out I was invited—I just forgot to check the mailbox this morning.”
“You should give them your phone number. Otherwise, if they need to reach you, it’s not very convenient,” Abigail suggested.
“Yeah.” Leon agreed. He rarely checked his mailbox unless he happened to remember—it stood safely beside his cabin, and he never worried about anyone sneaking in to steal letters.
After breakfast, Leon and Abigail set out for Haley’s house.
Before they left, Abigail noticed Leon wasn’t carrying an umbrella and thought he might be planning to share hers. But to her surprise, he simply adjusted his sailor’s cap and stepped into the open, rain falling all around him yet never touching him—like the space around him belonged to another layer of reality. It was eerily strange.
“A magic hat that keeps the rain off. If you want one, you could try visiting that rundown hut in the southwest corner of Coal Forest now and then. Whether the Hat Mouse is willing to see you… well, that depends on your charm.”
Catching her curious gaze, Leon tapped the brim of his cap and explained.
“I’ve lived in Stardew Valley for ages, and I’ve been to Coal Forest plenty of times. I know the place you mean, but it’s empty. I’ve never seen a hat seller there,” Abigail replied, puzzled.
“Maybe he didn’t want to see you before. Try again sometime,” Leon said with a smile.
After all, Leon didn’t know whether Abigail still counted as an ordinary person now—or whether the Hat Mouse would dare appear before her.
“Mm. I’ll check it out.”
Abigail made a mental note, then opened her umbrella, and the two of them walked together toward 2 Willow Lane.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoy this story, please consider supporting me on (www./RomayStories)—your support helps me dedicate more time to translating and ensures faster chapter releases.
Next Chapter >>>