A farming master in Stardew Valley

Chapter 167 I'm a Coward
Fortunately, when Emily brought the juice glass, no such embarrassing situation occurred. The peach juice was still sweet and refreshing, with a slight sour taste, and tasted no different from usual.

Maru also likes this kind of fresh fruit juice drink. While drinking it in small sips, she does not forget to chat with Leon. The content of the chat is basically about Leon's farm life. She seems to be very interested in this aspect.

After Guts brought the food, the conversation ended. Maru seemed to have the habit of not talking while eating, and Leon was also taught by his parents not to talk while eating or sleeping since he was a child.

Although he would consciously forget this sentence occasionally in social situations such as the dinner table when he grew up, if his dining companions did not speak, he would naturally remember this ancient saying from the Analects of Confucius.

After they finished their meal, Maru asked, "Would it be boring to eat with me? Sorry, when I was a kid I almost choked on my food because I was talking while eating, so I have some psychological trauma about talking while eating."

"It's not boring. The food is delicious, and you're here with me. It's a double enjoyment for both the eyes and the taste. It doesn't matter whether we chat or not." Leon comforted Maru.

"Huh?" Maru was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously covered his face and stammered, "Leon, you...you're exaggerating."

"Have confidence in yourself." Leon encouraged Maru with a smile, "You're already pretty. Hasn't anyone told you that?"

"Uh, not really." Maru looked a little embarrassed when talking about this topic. After all, she and her father were the only black people in the whole Pelican Town. Here, most people didn't look at her strangely, and Maru felt that everyone was very friendly.

"Then I'll be the first one. Now that you're full, it's time to take you home. Otherwise, I'm afraid your father will cause trouble for me." Leon said to Maru, then stood up and went to the front desk to pay the bill.
Unfortunately, it was Emily instead of Guts who came to collect the payment this time, so Leon did not enjoy the special discount. However, Leon did not care about this. After paying for the meal, he said goodbye to Emily and left the Stardrop with Maru.

"I'm sorry for the expense." After leaving the house, Maru kept his head down, but he still did not forget to thank Leon.

"What's the big deal? Just tell me whether dinner is delicious or not?" Lyon asked back.

"Great dinner," Maru commented seriously.

"That's right, as long as it tastes good, don't worry about the price. After all, if you make money, you should live a good life." Leon nodded and joked to Maru, "Do you know what the most painful thing in life is?"

"I don't know." Maru shook her head.

“The most painful thing in life is dying without having spent all the money you earned,” Leon explained.

"Hahaha, is that so?" Maru realized that Leon was joking with her. She had just thought that Leon would say something else tragic.

Perhaps because of this joke, Maru raised his head again and walked with Leon towards the northern foothills where their home was.

On the way, Maru suddenly asked, "By the way, Leon, nothing special happened after the meteorite on your farm, right?"

"No, what's wrong? Have you made any breakthrough in your research on the meteorite fragment sample?" Lyon asked curiously.

"Well, there are some. When I was studying this meteorite, I discovered some special genetic material inside. I consulted some of Dr. R.J. Cutler's papers and found research reports on this type of meteorite. It seems to have many similarities with the Star Fruit. If we extract a large amount of this genetic material, perhaps we can create a Star Fruit." Maru explained. "An artificial Star Fruit?" Leon was stunned when he heard this. He had never thought that there was such a way to obtain the Star Fruit. He immediately became interested: "Is it feasible?"

"I don't know either. This theory was proposed by my father. He once obtained a star fruit for research, but the genetic genes of that mysterious fruit are too complex, and the substance that makes up this fruit does not exist on our planet, so this idea remains at the theoretical level." Maru explained.

"So, your father has a star fruit?" Leon only heard this key piece of information.

"Yes, but the research on the Star Fruit has reached a bottleneck and no breakthrough can be found, so my father sealed the Star Fruit." Maru replied: "Are you very interested in the Star Fruit?"

"Of course." Leon nodded. "If I ask your father to buy this Star Fruit, will he agree?"

"I shouldn't. After all, the Star Fruit is too rare. He is a geologist and natural researcher. The Star Fruit is an important research sample. He won't sell it easily." Maru shook his head.

"Is that so?" Lyon was not surprised to hear this, but began to think about it in his mind.

But before he could finish his thoughts, Maru said, "Leon, what would you do if you got the Star Fruit?"

"Just eat it. It's a fruit after all. Even if it's mysterious, it's still a fruit. There's no other value in keeping it if you don't eat it." Lyon said affirmatively.

"Well, I've read in relevant research that the Star Fruit isn't suitable for consumption. Although it's rumored to be delicious, there have been cases of death among those who have consumed it. You'd better not take risks with this unknown fruit. After all, the special genetic material contained in the Star Fruit may change the structure of the human gene chain. If you can withstand it, you may be able to gain some special abilities, but if you can't accept it, the consequences of the collapsed gene chain may be irreversible."

Maru reminded Leon with a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry, I know my limits. I value my life the most and I'm a very timid person." Leon comforted Maru.

"I don't think so. After all, when the giant slime appeared, you immediately took out your weapon and chose to fight it. This doesn't seem like something a coward would do." Maru said, and couldn't help but think of Leon's handsome battle scene at that time, and his eyes were a little vague.

"It's because I'm timid that I'm worried about the impact that slime will cause and I took the initiative to kill it." Leon explained.

"Hahaha, your way of thinking is really interesting. You are not teasing me on purpose, are you?" Maru asked Leon with a big laugh.

"These days, no one believes the truth." Lyon shrugged helplessly, looking very aggrieved, but Maru didn't fall for it. She still kept smiling and nodded perfunctorily at Lyon.

"Yes, yes, I believe you."

(End of this chapter)