I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 53

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I thought this was supposed to be a Healing Farming Game.
Chapter 53

Click.
“Come in.”
“Happy birthday, Priam! We came!”
I greeted him warmly the moment we stepped inside.
Priam broke into a wide smile and welcomed us both.
“Thanks for coming, Miel. You too, Kaies.”
Now that I thought about it, this was my first time visiting Priam’s house in person.
The colorful furniture I’d seen countless times in the game looked magical when I saw it in reality.
“Make yourself comfortable, Miel.”
Even after I sat down in the chair Priam offered, I kept glancing around the room.
“Did you prepare all this by yourself? You must have been exhausted.”
“Yeah. I was expecting quite a few people to show up.”
The moment Priam finished speaking, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock knock knock.
Priam, dutiful host that he was, rushed to answer it first.
“Hey there. You made it.”
“Hi.”
I could tell who it was just from that small, delicate voice.
Delighted, I leaned sideways in my seat to peek toward the doorway.
Once Priam stepped aside, the Twins appeared behind him. Eun-yu spotted me first.
“Miel.”
Hearing Eun-yu’s voice, Yu-eun also poked her head out to the side.
“Miel?”
“Hey, you two! I’m here too.”
At my cheerful greeting, the Twins toddled over to me.
“We’re seeing each other again?”
Instead of answering, they spread their arms and suddenly wrapped them around my waist.
“Oof!”
Warmed by their snug embrace, I let out a happy squeal and gently stroked their hair.
“Since when did you two get so attached to her?”
Kaies, lounging against the sofa armrest, glanced over at us.
“Jealous, are we?”
“Not a chance.”
He turned his face away as though the notion were absurd.
Even as I continued fussing over the Twins, the stream of guests kept flowing in.
“Miel. Running into you here too, I see.”
“Oh, Day! And Mel too — wonderful to see you!”
So many familiar faces. The elder woman smiled kindly and patted my shoulder.
“How could I not come to the birthday of a child as dear as my own grandchild?”
Not only those I knew well, but residents I’d only seen a few times before had all gathered in one place.
‘……There are more people here than at the village meetings.’
True to form — Priam was by far the most charismatic person in the village.
Just as I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by what seemed like a neighborhood-wide celebration, Kaies thrust a firecracker into my hand.
“What, we’re setting these off?”
“He’s childish and loves firecrackers. It’s Priam, after all.”
“Want to count down and light them together?”
Reluctant though he acted, Kaies went along with it as if it were obvious, and we counted: one, two, three.
Bang!
“Happy birthday, Priam!”
The voices of countless residents rang out through the house.
As colorful confetti scattered across Priam’s hair and nose, he looked exactly like a puppy who’d had sprinkles dumped on his head.
“He’s adorable.”
I murmured the thought to myself and clapped my hands together.
“Thank you all so much.”
Priam beamed as he expressed his gratitude, then picked up a bread knife to cut into the enormous cake.
By tradition, he took the first slice for himself, and the rest was distributed to the guests one piece at a time.
As the house filled with a festive buzz, Siard arrived late.
“My apologies for the delay. I got held up with patients.”
Standing off to the side, I waved brightly the moment our eyes met.
“Miel.”
Upon spotting me, his lips curved into an angelic smile.
I hurried over and pressed a glass of water into his hands.
“You must have been terribly busy. Here, drink.”
“Thank you.”
Siard tilted his arm and took a long drink.
When the Bracelet on his wrist clinked and slipped into view below his sleeve, someone caught sight of it and their eyes lit up.
“That’s a bracelet I haven’t seen before. Did you buy it recently?”
“No. It was a gift.”
“A bracelet? From whom?”
“From Miel.”
“Really? My goodness…… Miel’s more generous than I thought!”
At the mention that it was my gift, people’s attention turned to Siard’s bracelet.
“Something this precious would only be available on the Trading Ship.”
“I’m not sure what jewels are set in it, but the color is absolutely beautiful.”
As compliments poured in from every direction, the ranch hands’ eyes also carried a hint of interrogation—surely I hadn’t spent my entire wages on this?
“He’s been letting me stay at his place for so long, so I wanted to give him something in return.”
I offered an awkward smile by way of smoothing things over, when suddenly a head landed on top of mine.
“What about me? Don’t I get a gift, landlady? That’s depressing.”
Kaies asked in a playful tone.
“Oh. You want a gift too? I’ll look for something suitable when the next Trading Ship comes.”
“I’m joking. I don’t like being in anyone’s debt.”
The cheek resting on my head pulled away. I protested his remark in exasperation.
“What are you talking about? A gift isn’t a debt—it’s a gesture of goodwill!”
“Is that so? Well, when you put it that way……”
“When I put it what way……?”
“It makes me want to exploit that kindness to the bone.”
“Eek!”
At his ominous words, I bolted away from Kaies and plastered myself against Siard’s back.
He then soothed me with a gentle tone.
“He’s only speaking in jest. He wouldn’t actually do such a thing, so please don’t worry.”
“Yes…… that’s, that’s right……?”
“Exactly. You can’t extract what isn’t there. Even if you pick through a flea, there’s nothing to find.”
“That’s cruel……”
Since he spoke the truth, the words struck even deeper.
As I groaned and let my shoulders sag, a slice of strawberry cake was suddenly thrust in front of me.
“Miel. Cake.”
It was a fresh cream cake generously filled with strawberries.
“Wow. Thanks!”
“You recover fast.”
Ignoring Kaies’s jab, I immediately picked up a fork and took a bite of the cake Priam had given me.
The layers of sponge cake and fresh cream melted softly on my tongue, along with the strawberry flesh.
“It’s incredibly soft!”
“Good?”
“Mmhm!”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was the best cake I’d ever tasted.
Once everyone had taken a slice, the two-tiered cake vanished without a trace.
Priam had bought it from the Village Bakery, and the pastry chef’s skill was clearly remarkable.
‘I’ve only stopped by once while delivering milk. Next time, I really should get a proper look around.’
After the cake was distributed, dinner began right away.
Fresh salad, tender sausages, roasted corn, ratatouille, and more.
Watching the endless stream of dishes, I was astonished.
“You prepared all of this by yourself……?”
“Of course not. The villagers helped out a bit.”
Priam’s words came with an easy smile, and only then did I relax enough to begin eating.
As I ate with quiet focus, the villagers’ conversation drifted into earshot.
“Did you plant tomatoes?”
“Just today, actually. I’m not sure when we’ll make the sauce, though.”
“The Village Community Center is posting the schedule next week.”
“Really? My batch from last year finally ran out, so the timing’s perfect.”
I pretended to focus on my meal while my ears pricked up attentively.
A Summer Event where everyone gathered to make tomato sauce together.
I’d already planned to take part, naturally.
‘When should I plant them? In two days? Tomatoes grow fast, so I’ll need to harvest them while they’re fresh to make the sauce. And once the tomatoes are done, what comes next….’
As I was turning these thoughts over, my eyes landed on the grilled corn sitting in the bowl before me.
A bolt of lightning struck through my mind.
‘That’s it—the Corn Merchant!’
In summer, around the Rainy Season, the Corn Merchant would appear.
They showed up every Tuesday and Thursday, between two and six in the afternoon.
The Corn Merchant sold rare and valuable items, but peculiarly, they could only be purchased with corn.
‘Corn. Plant corn. Absolutely corn.’
Even if there was nothing I wanted to buy, there’d be no loss in growing it.
Corn was a popular crop, so even just planting the field full and selling the harvest would be profit enough.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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