Stardew Valley’s Farming Master

Chapter 293 Rome Stories February 17 New Share

It was fine to give Haley something she liked, but showing up to a birthday party with just a coconut felt a little shabby.

So Leon dug into his treasure chest for a proper gift and finally settled on two options.

One was a sunflower he’d bought from the traveling merchant Aigle, the other was a pearl he still hadn’t sold.

Both were gifts Haley would like, but compared to the sunflower, the pearl was far more valuable.

Leon struggled a bit over which to give. But he wasn’t the type to dither, so in the end, he decided to bring both. He’d buy a gift box, put them inside separately, and let Haley pick for herself.

Whether she ended up with the pearl or the sunflower would depend on her own choice—no more indecision on his part.

As for the pearl’s value? Leon didn’t care. He wasn’t short on money these days, and he figured there’d be more pearls coming his way soon enough.

After all, the merfolk still hadn’t repaid him for warning them ahead of time about the Shadow People’s revenge. With how wealthy and generous those ocean dwellers were, he couldn’t imagine they’d be stingy about showing their gratitude.

Besides, he’d set this batch of pearls aside specifically for gifting purposes. Pearls were a universal present—nobody disliked them. Perfect for avoiding awkward gift mistakes.

After choosing his gifts, Leon took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and rode his bike to Joja Mart in Pelican Town with the sunflower and pearl.Joja Mart had everything, including gift boxes. Pierre’s General Store didn’t carry those.

Not that Leon would have gone to Pierre’s anyway. What if he ran into Abigail, and Abigail hadn’t been invited to Haley’s party? That would’ve been awkward.

He picked out a long gift box and a palm-sized one, then headed to the checkout. That’s when he noticed the cashier was the tired-looking girl he’d met during the Egg Festival. If he remembered correctly, her name was Claire.

“Hello, Mr. Leon. Would you like me to wrap these for you? It’s a free service,” Claire asked, recognizing him and glancing at the two boxes he’d chosen.

“No thanks, I’ll do it myself.” Leon had no qualms about pulling items from his System Backpack in front of other townsfolk, but in front of a Joja Mart employee like Claire, he wasn’t about to risk it.

“Alright. Here’s some ribbon for the boxes.” Claire didn’t press the issue. She handed him the ribbon and stopped paying him much attention.

Leon glanced at her again and saw her leaning wearily against the counter, stifling yawns. He was about to leave when he spotted Morris heading toward them from a nearby aisle.

“Ahem.” Leon cleared his throat loudly enough to draw Claire’s attention. She looked at him in puzzlement.

“Is there something else I can help you with?”

Leon didn’t answer, just tilted his head slightly toward the approaching Morris. Claire instinctively looked over, spotted Morris, and immediately realized Leon was warning her.

“Thanks,” she whispered, straightening up quickly.

Leon just smiled, said nothing more, and walked out with his boxes. They barely knew each other, but giving her a heads-up about her boss felt like a small good deed.

Finding an empty corner, he pulled out the sunflower and pearl, tucked them into their respective boxes, tied the ribbons into neat bows, and stored them back in his backpack.

Then he hopped on his bike and headed for 2 Willow Lane.

The front door of Emily and Haley’s large house was wide open, welcoming guests for Haley’s birthday.

Leon parked his bike and stepped inside, spotting Haley, Emily, and Jodi chatting in the living room.

“Looks like I’m here early. Hello, Jodi, Emily.”

After greeting the two, he turned to Haley. “Happy birthday, Haley.”

“Thank you, Leon.” Haley smiled, standing to thank him, though her eyes couldn’t help flicking over him searchingly.

“What are you looking for?” Leon asked, knowing exactly what was on her mind but teasing her anyway.

“Nothing,” Haley replied, a little disappointed she didn’t see what she expected.

“Ha, here it is.” Leon grinned and pulled the two gift boxes from his System Backpack, holding one in each hand.

“Huh? Two?” Haley covered her mouth in surprise. “Are you delivering someone else’s gift too?”

“No. I just couldn’t decide what to get you, so I prepared two. You pick one.” Leon explained with a smile, noticing Jodi and Emily’s curious looks.

“Pick one, then take it to your room and open it. Tell me later if you like it,” Leon reminded her. If she chose the pearl and opened it in front of the others, the gift’s value might make Jodi feel awkward.

Haley didn’t think about that, but she didn’t mind his suggestion. After staring at the big and small boxes for a moment, she chose the small one.

She figured a small box probably held something interesting but inexpensive—maybe that would make the money-loving Leon feel better.

“Looks like you’re pretty lucky,” Leon remarked when she unknowingly picked the pearl.

“Oh? What’s inside?” Haley asked curiously.

“Go open it in your room,” Leon told her.

Haley nodded, then said goodbye to Emily and Jodi before hurrying to her room. Closing the door, she eagerly opened the box.

“Ah!”

Inside was a round, lustrous white pearl. Haley’s breath caught in surprise.

As a member of a family with a jewelry background, she instantly recognized its value and rarity. This gift had truly shocked her.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider subscribing to me on (www./RomayStories) so I can keep bringing you more smooth and polished translations without delays! Your support helps me dedicate more time to crafting each scene faithfully.

Next Chapter >>>