Chapter 33: Penny
It was clear that Willy was immune to Leon’s personal jabs. After all, it was true he was an old bachelor, so the teasing didn’t really sting. In fact, Willy liked Leon and saw him as a friend. Coming from a friend, such words felt more like exasperated banter than any real insult.
Faced with Willy’s smile, Leon couldn’t bring himself to keep making jokes at his expense. As the saying goes, you can’t hit someone who’s smiling at you.
He began to wonder if he’d overlooked something. He wasn’t inexperienced in romance and knew that a girl’s emotions often showed through small details. Thinking back to Emily’s behavior earlier, Leon realized she did seem to have some interest in him. It wasn’t strong, but if he pressed forward now, he might achieve good results.
And that was exactly what Leon didn’t want. The memory of his conversation with Emily when he gave her a daffodil came back to him.
Because of some old social habits and a streak of mischief, his words and gestures then had been the same techniques he used to flirt in the past. These methods could even charm modern, well-traveled city girls, let alone someone like Emily, a small-town girl—it was practically an unfair advantage.
But honestly, he had only been teasing out of habit. In Stardew Valley, farmers giving gifts was second nature. And it wasn’t even an expensive gift—just a common daffodil.
Still, he had to admit it might have sent the wrong signal.
Now he wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. But when he saw Willy already digging into his Dish o’ The Sea, Leon decided to just let things unfold naturally. There were bigger things in life—like eating.
The Dish o’ The Sea was made mainly with sardines and hash browns, a high-calorie feast. The hash browns were cut into chunks, crispy and fragrant, with the natural sweetness of potatoes that reminded him of potato chips.