Hearing that Clara was hungry, Amy instinctively reached into her backpack to take out a bottle of maple syrup for her. Just as she was about to move, she remembered that Clara didn’t like sweets and silently pulled her hand back.
What a pity—why didn’t Clara like maple syrup? It was the perfect tool for replenishing stamina.
She asked Clara, “Then should we go back to the Seagull Restaurant?”
“I don’t want to. It’s too far.” Clara raised her hand to shield her forehead and glanced up at the blazing midday sun. “The sun is strongest at noon. Walking all the way there will definitely tan me, and I don’t want that.”
To make her point even stronger, Clara used Amy as a real-life example.
“Look at you. You’re outside all the time, and you’ve tanned already.”
Amy let out a delayed “Ah,” thought about what she’d been doing these past days, and answered, “I’ve gone fishing at the beach almost every day.”
“You didn’t wear sunscreen?”
Amy nodded. “That’s right.” Where would she get the money for such a luxury?
“My god!” Clara covered her mouth in shock, as if someone who went to the beach daily without sunscreen was utterly insane.
After a long while, Clara concluded, “You’ll turn into a lump of charcoal sooner or later.”
Amy replied flatly, “Thanks for the blessing.”
Fishing was her path to fortune. If she could become a millionaire, she’d gladly turn into ten lumps of charcoal.
Standing under the sun, the two of them argued over sunscreen for so long that Amy lost 5 points of stamina.
Finally, she brought the topic back to eating: “You don’t want to go to the Seagull Restaurant, so where are we going for lunch? Leslie told me Gabriel runs the only restaurant in town.”
Could Clara be inviting her to eat at her house? That wouldn’t be bad—after all, Leslie’s desserts were delicious.
At her words, Clara’s expression brightened with pride, the kind of joy that came from being proud of someone else’s accomplishment.
“Do you know why there’s only one restaurant in town?” she asked smugly.
Amy answered truthfully, “Because Gabriel’s cooking is so good that no other restaurant can compete—that’s what your mother told me.”
“For once, she actually said something sensible,” Clara muttered under her breath.
Though quiet, Amy still caught it. She was about to ask more when Clara continued: “That’s right. Just one taste and you’ll know no one can match Gabriel’s cooking. No one in town would dare challenge him… but there are still a few exceptions.”
Amy’s attention was immediately caught by that last part.
Exceptions—meaning restaurants?
Which ones?
She asked, “So where are we going to eat?” completely forgetting what she had wanted to ask Clara a moment before.
Forgive her—she was genuinely hungry. She didn’t dare pull out the maple syrup Clara hated; it might ruin the goodwill she had just gained.
Clara said simply, “Come with me.”
Hunger was the greatest motivation. Amy followed without complaint.
Soon, they arrived at a not-so-busy street.
Amy had imagined countless possibilities in her head, but she hadn’t expected Clara’s destination to be—
A food truck.
To be fair, Amy wasn’t unfamiliar with food trucks. In fact, she was quite used to them. In her previous life, when she was slaving away for her boss at the company, she had eaten countless breakfasts and dinners from food trucks. (Not lunches, since those she had at the company cafeteria.)
But that was in her past life. Since crossing over, this was the first time she had seen a food truck.
She had to admit—the game designers had really captured real life.
“Let’s eat here. What do you think?” Clara asked.
Amy shook her head—of course she had no objections.
First, she was truly hungry and wanted to eat immediately. Second, from her real-life experience, the prices here would likely be affordable—a blessing for her wallet.
She liked it here.
What surprised her was that Clara, who always seemed proud, aloof, and tsundere, apparently came to places like this often.
That was unexpected.
“Let’s be clear. I only promised to buy you clothes, not to treat you to a meal. So you’ll have to pay for this yourself—you can’t spend my money.”
Clara spoke so seriously that Amy almost laughed. “Of course I know. Don’t worry, I can afford my own meal.”
Clara nodded with satisfaction.
Thinking that different food trucks might have different kinds of food, Amy decided to wait and see what Clara ordered before making her choice.
She watched Clara head straight for a healthy food truck.
On a street lined with greasy fried chicken, hot dogs, and hamburgers, the healthiest option otherwise being seaweed rice balls, a health food truck looked entirely out of place.
But Clara’s steps were firm.
Soon, she returned carrying a food box.
Amy peeked inside: avocado, arugula, carrots, diced purple sweet potatoes, and pale, overcooked boiled eggs. Not even a drop of sauce.
Her stamina was down to 33 points. Normally she should’ve been starving, but looking at that overly healthy box, she felt no appetite at all—only regret.
If those vegetables had souls, they’d probably die of bitterness.
“…At least ask them to add some salad dressing,” Amy suggested.
Clara was already crunching on a carrot, her chewing loud and crisp. Between bites she said, “Salad dressing? That stuff is full of calories. One bite and you’ll gain ten pounds.”
Thinking of all the lettuce salads she ate with salad dressing, Amy said, “I don’t think it makes you fat.”
With her mouth full of avocado, Clara mumbled, “That’s because you work all day. You burn all the calories.”
Seeing persuasion was pointless, Amy gave up, waved her hand, and walked off toward another food truck.
Most of the food trucks sold simple things—sushi, burgers, fried chicken, and desserts. Customers were few, scattered in twos and threes.
Amy guessed most people still went to the Seagull Restaurant.
In the end, she chose the pizza truck.
For two reasons: first, she hadn’t unlocked the pizza recipe yet; second, pizza was cheap and filling.
She only had 50 gold left—she had to save where she could.
Though there weren’t many customers, the vendor seemed very busy. He never even looked up the entire time Amy ordered, so she couldn’t tell his gender. Maybe the developers had been lazy and hadn’t designed a face for this NPC?
Not that it mattered. What mattered was that in a few minutes, she would have lunch. Once full, she could continue her money-making plans.
Money was her top priority.
Five minutes later, her pizza arrived.
It was topped with tomatoes, green beans, and corn kernels. The vegetables looked fresh, but the crust was only slightly bigger than her hand. Some kind of unidentified meat chunks and cheese were sprinkled on top, both scarce. The bottom was riddled with burnt spots.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a satisfying pizza. But since it only cost 30 gold, Amy generously forgave it and took a big bite.
It tasted better than expected. The vegetables were nothing special, but the unknown meat was fragrant and balanced out the overly tough crust. The sweet sauce was also well made.
[You have unlocked the recipe: “Pizza.”]
With the pizza down, Amy gained both the recipe and stamina.
Those 30 gold weren’t wasted.
…Still, unless something unexpected happened, she probably wouldn’t come here again.
Clara clearly thought differently. She looked very satisfied and said, “Every time I eat this, I lose weight.”
Amy tugged at the corner of her mouth.
After their less-than-perfect meal, the two headed home together.
Since Clara’s house was on the way, she was the first to arrive. Amy waved her goodbye at the door. “I had a good time today, Clara. Thank you for buying me clothes.”
Clara pursed her lips, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then ran over and whispered, “You’re not mad anymore? Then you won’t tell Gabriel about that, right?”
“So that’s what you were worried about,” Amy laughed, realizing Clara was still a child at heart. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Clara clearly relaxed and smiled. “Then I’m relieved. See you, Amy!” With that, she ran happily into her house.
[Clara’s favorability toward you has increased.]
Amy checked her game panel and saw her favorability with Clara had risen to over one full heart.
It wasn’t much, but compared to less than half a heart before, it was definite progress.
Amy was someone who was easily satisfied.
Back at the farm, she tried on the new dress Clara had bought her.
The sundress fit well, the lines elegant and flattering, perfectly shaping her figure. In the dim light of her cabin, the rhinestones at the neckline reflected a soft glow, making her skin look smooth and delicate.
The hem fell at just the right length—proper, yet playful.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Amy thought of Leon’s words: “The most dazzling farmer in Hot Springs Town,” and couldn’t help but laugh.
Still, she hadn’t yet found the right occasion to wear it.
That afternoon, she changed back into her usual shirt and trousers, grabbed her tackle box, and returned to her old trade—fishing at the beach.