Wednesday, Day 3.
Today was different.
It was Charlie’s first rainy day in Stardew Valley.
Rain had one clear advantage: he didn’t have to water the crops.
But looking at the heavy downpour outside, he wasn’t sure whether he should go out at all.
While thinking it over, he turned on the TV.
There were only two channels.
Weather Report and Fortune Teller.
“Fortune Teller?” Charlie grew interested.
“Ah…
yes, I can hear the spirits whispering to me…”
“The spirits are very happy today!
They’ll do their best to shower everyone with good fortune.”
Charlie frowned at the forecast.
“Great luck today, but…
it’s raining!”
He couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t get soaked and catch a cold.
Then he checked the Introductions quest.
It was currently at 16/28, which meant there were still twelve people he hadn’t met.
“Why don’t I go door-to-door?”
“It’s raining anyway, so they’ll all be home!”
Charlie suddenly felt like he had come up with an excellent plan.
Once he decided, he acted on it.
He pushed open the door and hurried toward town.
By the time he arrived, it was already nine o’clock.
Charlie pushed open the door to Harvey’s Clinic.
Inside was a tall man with glasses and slightly tousled hair.
He walked up to the front desk, and the man greeted him first.
“Hi, I’m Harvey, the doctor here.”
“What can I help you with?”
“Um, hello.
I’m Charlie, the new farmer here.”
After they exchanged a few simple greetings, Charlie looked at the medicine Harvey had for sale.
[Energy Tonic: 1,000g]
[Muscle Remedy: 1,000g]
“Oof…
that’s expensive…”
Charlie had only 1,315 gold to his name, and even that was partly thanks to the 250g reward he had claimed from the Archaeology quest that morning.
With prices that high, he could only quietly leave.
He went next door and was just about to open it when he saw the sign.
Closed on Wednesdays.
Charlie had nothing to say.
He quietly left.
After that, he headed down and entered a house.
There were three people inside, and two of them were new faces.
The other was the old woman he had met once before, Evelyn.
After he came in, the young man walked over.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, wait, I remember.
You’re the new guy, right?”
“I’m Alex.”
He answered with a quick smile.
“My name’s Charlie.”
While the two of them were talking, the old woman pushed a wheelchair over.
“It’s you, young man.
We met the other night,” Evelyn said kindly.
He nodded right away.
“Yes, ma’am.
Good to see you again.”
Then his eyes moved to the wheelchair.
Sitting in it was an old man, a little bald, wearing a green sweater.
When the old man saw himself being ignored, his face immediately soured.
“Hey.
I don’t like dealing with new faces.”
Charlie felt a little awkward.
“Um, sir.
I’m Charlie.”
The old man’s tone didn’t soften at all.
“I heard you the first time.
I’m not deaf.
I’m George.
Now could you leave?”
Charlie got the message.
Once outside, he stopped by the trailer nearby.
“An RV?”
That caught his interest.
Aside from Linus, this was the only other home that seemed a little unusual.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
There was only one person in there, someone with a cute face.
“Penny?” Charlie was surprised.
“Charlie?” Penny looked surprised, too.
“Huh?
Isn’t it raining today?” she asked, puzzled.
Then she saw his soaked clothes and confirmed that it was, in fact, raining.
Penny immediately closed her book, picked up a pink towel, and walked over lightly to wipe the rain from his face.
“Ah…
sorry.
I just thought that since it was raining and everyone would be home, I’d take the chance to say hello to everyone.”
Charlie explained his plan.
“I see.
But you should’ve brought an umbrella!” Penny said, worried.
He didn’t answer right away, because the scent on the towel had completely caught his attention.
It smells so good.
Is this Penny’s towel?
Just as his thoughts started drifting, Penny’s voice pulled him back.
“You should’ve brought an umbrella,” she said, still looking worried.
Charlie blinked, then gave an awkward little laugh.
“Ah, right…
an umbrella.
I don’t have one, but it’s fine.
I’m only making a few quick stops, then I’ll head home.”
Hearing that, Penny didn’t press him further.
Once he had warmed up a little, Charlie looked around her home.
“Penny, do you live here by yourself?”
She shook her head.
“I live with my mom.”
“Your mom?
Then where is she?” he asked, confused.
Where could someone go in this rain?
“Mom’s probably drinking at Gus’s again,” Penny said, clearly a little down.
Charlie could tell she disliked that habit of her mother’s.
So he changed the subject.
“What about you, Penny?
What do you usually do at home?”
Penny sat back down on the sofa and picked up her book again.
“I like curling up at home with a good book on days like this,” she said with a smile.
That smile hit Charlie hard.
Then he remembered he still had a few things in his backpack.
They would be perfect for gifts.
He took out one of the Dandelions and offered it to her.
“A little gift for you.
I hope you like it.”
Then he asked what kinds of things she liked.
Penny carefully accepted the flower.
“Thank you.
Things I like?”
“Hmm…
Poppies, I suppose.
I like those a lot.”
“But I like this Dandelion, too.”
“Poppies, huh.”
Charlie quietly made a note of it.
By the time he left Penny’s house, it was already 4:00 p.m.
He headed to The Stardrop Saloon.
After going inside, Charlie realized this was the bar.
At a glance, he saw four people.
All of them were new faces.
He went to the counter.
Behind it stood a middle-aged man.
“Hello, my name is Charlie.
I’m the new farmer here,” he said.
The man answered him.
“Welcome to The Stardrop Saloon.
I’m Gus, the owner and chef.”
Charlie had heard that name from Penny.
So Penny’s mother is here too?
Just then, a young woman with blue hair and a red skirt leaned over from behind Gus.
“Hey, what’ll you have, new farmer?”
Her voice was warm and bright, and she had the kind of lively energy that made it hard not to look at her.
Charlie didn’t really know how to drink, but the girl made an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“If you order a drink, I’ll tell you a secret about myself!”
His eyes immediately lit up.
“Give me a beer.
You have that, right?”
The girl looked very pleased and patted Gus on the shoulder.
“Gus, one beer!”
Gus smiled.
“Sure thing.
One beer!”
Before long, he handed it to Charlie.
“400g, thanks!”
“400?
That’s so expensive!” Charlie complained inwardly.
He only had a little over 1,000 gold in total.
Still, at least he would get the girl’s secret.
“So, can you tell me that secret now?” he asked.
The blue-haired girl nodded, of course.
Then she leaned close to his ear.
“My name is Emily!”
Charlie: “…”
He was speechless.
Of course he would have learned that anyway.
Fine.
He had spent 400 gold and bought nothing useful.
Looking around, Charlie noticed a girl sitting in the corner.
She had delicate features and gave him the feeling of a younger Jodi, since her hair was also tied back and draped over one shoulder.
“Hi there.”
“My name is Charlie.”
She had been drinking beer, and when he spoke, she immediately gulped down a big mouthful.
Her cheeks puffed out adorably.
“Haah.”
The girl set down the beer and let out a breath.
Then she looked at him.
“Hello, hello!”
“I’m Leah.
Nice to meet you.”
“You know, Charlie!”
“You picked a good time to move here.
Spring is lovely, and it’s perfect for scenery.”
After greeting her, Charlie noticed more people coming in, though most of them were familiar faces now: Sam, Willy, and Shane.
Shane still had that gloomy look.
Even beer didn’t seem to change much.
While Charlie was watching him, a customer nearby suddenly shouted.
“Gus, another one.”
Gus hurried over.
“Pam, you’ve had too much today.”
The woman wasn’t having it.
“It’s fine.
I’m still awake.
I can keep going.”
Gus looked helpless.
Pam?
Hearing the name, Charlie immediately thought of Penny.
This must be Penny’s mom.
He walked over.
Pam was still asking Gus for a drink when a glass was placed in front of her.
“Finish this one, then go home and spend more time with your daughter.”
“Drinking is bad for your health.”
Charlie had handed her his own beer.
Pam was delighted to see it.
She picked it up and drank, already looking drunk.
He didn’t bother with her any further.
Instead, he returned to the counter.
“Hey, Emily, give me another beer.”