There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

...family disputes?

Then they heard Jeff's timid voice, "I...I forgot..."

The voices inside grew even angrier, "What about the money for Karen's schooling in the city! Why is there only half left?!"

Jeff was even more apprehensive. "I had stockpiled food... who knew Zack would send more goods later, driving down the price and causing me to lose money..."

You, Jeff, are a business genius who sells high and buys low. You're even making a fortune off your fellow villagers. Do you think you're living too comfortably and want to try the brutal beating of the proletariat's iron fist?

The strong, resonant female voice inside the room sounded somewhat unfamiliar. Her voice was somewhat similar to Karen's assertiveness, but her tone was louder, and every word was firm and unequivocal.

I looked around the room and couldn't help but ask, "Boss! Where are your goods? Why are the shelves all empty?"

Hearing my voice, the argument in the kitchen came to an end. With a flurry of footsteps, a middle-aged woman with a woman's hairstyle, wearing a blue coat, walked out of the house first. She was tall and slender, and the way she looked at people was exactly the same as Karen's.

"Hello, are you Karen's mother?"

I quickly greeted them.

I'd heard long ago that the woman holds the highest position of power in Jeff's family. It's best to be careful around someone who can dominate that household.

The woman raised her eyebrows, making her expression even more like Karen's.

"Hello, I'm Sasha, Karen's mother. You must be Marcus, whom Karen often mentions? You're quite the spirited young man."

As one of the town's top ten outstanding young and middle-aged people (it really takes ten people to make up the total), it's perfectly normal for me to be recognized at a glance. But Karen's mother's attitude seems a bit off.

I said, "You're too kind, just call me Xiao Ma."

Sasha: "..."

Karen's mother was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Have you seen Rod recently?"

I heard that the families who moved to Mineral Town earlier all got along well, and I didn't expect that someone would actually care about Mr. Rhodes, who has been out of the public eye for so long. But your husband is right here, is it really appropriate to show concern so openly?

Jeff, stay strong! And make sure you put your hat on properly!

With a strange expression, I mumbled, "Yes, but we only met once, and we were too far apart to talk..."

Ms. Sasha glanced at me and said disdainfully, "I can't believe that guy is still alive. I thought he was long dead somewhere... He's clearly alive, so why hasn't he come back to see Lilia after all these years?"

Jeff, the owner, who came out of the kitchen, perhaps out of a sense of brotherly friendship, mustered his courage and said, "Don't say that, Sasha. Rod must have had his reasons for all these years of hard work. Knowing his feelings for Lilia, he certainly won't abandon her..."

But this explanation only earned her a sneer from Ms. Sasha. "Difficulties? So he has a reason to leave his son and daughter in town and ignore them for so long?"

Jeff, startled, quickly lowered his head, noticing his wife's stern gaze fixed on him once more. "I'm warning you one last time, Jeff! If our daughter can't get a college education because of your stupidity, I'll throw you onto a cargo ship to do hard labor and earn money!"

I said gloatingly from the side, "Ms. Sasha, isn't this inappropriate? Jeff's physique isn't enough for Zack to eat in one meal."

Karen's mother said, "Hmph, he used to be passionate about seafaring and exploration. Isn't that the life he longed for?"

After saying that, he stormed past us and went back upstairs. But as he passed me, he said, "Don't be like that bastard Rod."

I was completely confused—what does this have to do with me? Can you really make sweeping generalizations like this? Even if I wanted to learn, where would I go to learn it? Are there any crash courses on quantum fluctuations?

Only after Ms. Sasha had completely disappeared from the lobby on the first floor did Mr. Jeff breathe a sigh of relief, as if he had escaped death.

I looked at this man with pity. He was indeed as henpecked as Sebala's alcoholism and Boss Dick's obsession with saving face. This kind of man was beyond saving and should be recycled.

But when Jeff saw my gaze, he just sighed softly, and the two of them seemed to have a tacit understanding as if they were on the same side. "Don't worry, Karen won't do that."

I'm still completely confused—what does this have to do with Karen?

Boss Jeff said, "It's all my fault for being so reckless when I was young. I spent all the family's money and ended up with a huge debt, which made Sasha and Karen suffer with me in this rural area..."

"You're owing a huge debt? Then why don't you just sell it off?" I asked.

Boss Jeff rolled his eyes and said, "It means debt! If you owe money, you have to pay it back. Selling your ass won't do!"

I suddenly realized, "Debt? I'll fight debt forever!"

"...What exactly are you here for?"

I quickly made my request, "I almost forgot, I'm here to buy seeds. Boss, please bring out the summer seeds right away, I'm about to go on a killing spree!"

Upon hearing my request, Jeff's eyes immediately lit up, and he rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Haha, great! My bottom-stock inventory... oh no, my curated selection of goods is finally going to find a buyer!"

"...You just mentioned the bottom of the warehouse, right? I didn't mishear you, did I!"

"No, sir! Let me tell you, the spirit of the former owner has been lingering in this old house. You must have heard the ghost's whispers!"

...Apologize to old Yorkson! That old man is having a great time exploring space. Who would bother you for no reason?

"Let's look at the seeds first. If you try anything funny, I won't buy them..." I said.

Boss Jeff slammed his hand on the table with an air of generosity, "No problem! Everything here is prepared just for you!"

Isn't that obvious? I'm the only one in the whole town who grows crops. Who else can you sell these seeds to besides me?

Wait a minute, if the customer base is so fixed and the demand is so stable, then am I destined to be the sucker?

Boss Jeff dragged a large bag of goods out of the warehouse, struggling to pull it to the middle of the hall, untied the tightly tied ropes, and took out a packet of seeds with a red pattern on it.

"These are tomato seeds. The crop value is very stable, the growth rate is rapid, and the price paid by the federal government has always been very stable. This is a product that I, the store manager, recommend five stars!"

"The manager's recommendation right off the bat? Something doesn't seem right..."

I took the seeds and looked at them. "Why is this label all yellowed? How long have you stored it?"

Jeff snatched the seeds from my hand, tore off the label, crumpled them into a ball, and threw them away.

"These are aged tomatoes! The older the seeds, the better the crop grows!"

"Old Tomato? Does the tomato you grew have a very long chin and come with a Fudan University degree?"

I made a comment, and then I saw him pull out another bag of crops with a yellow pattern on it. Just as Jeff was about to introduce it, I snatched it from him.

"No need for introductions, these are pineapple seeds. I bought some here last time. They just look quite old. You wouldn't call them 'King Pineapple' because they can grow into the shape of a hippopotamus, would you...?"

Having grown agave so often, I have a real fondness for this spiky ball with its flower at the top. After all, it's the plant that saved my life in the wilderness, so I have to grow it.

After looking at it for a while, Jeff took out a packet of seeds with purple patterns and pushed it in front of me.

I laughed as soon as I saw it, "I recognize this! I'll buy it!"

"Marcus, I didn't expect you to have such a good eye!" Jeff exclaimed in surprise.

I said matter-of-factly, "Liu Peiqie, of course I know it, I can even imitate its bark—WDNMD!"

Chapter 560 Attempting to Draw Things That Don't Exist in Reality

"Boss, why are all the seeds here like they're just playing around?" I asked.

Boss Jeff retorted angrily, "You're the one spouting nonsense! All the goods here are top-quality, genuine products!"

I looked at the dusty, old bag with some disdain. "Ten years ago, it might have been genuine merchandise, but now it's probably more like 'The First Snow of 2002'..."

"I have a feeling your description is a bit malicious..."

Boss Jeff stroked his mustache, which resembled that of Lu Xiaofeng (a famous Chinese comedian), and said, "The development of genetically modified crops in the Federation has indeed been rapid in recent years. I've even heard of a high-yield variety that can produce three different crops from a single tree. But the exclusive rights to these crop seeds are tightly controlled. How could a small shop like mine possibly buy them..."

I couldn't explain to Jeff that the seeds were completely meaningless to me.

No matter what kind of trash plants I buy, as long as they are recognized by the colonizer system, they can be transformed into fast-growing, high-yield crops in my hands, completely ignoring the laws of nature.

Last time, this unscrupulous merchant gave me a bag of potato seeds that looked like they had been boiled in hot water, and I grew them into super grains. Therefore, what I need most is variety, not the quality of these seeds.

But shouldn't I take this opportunity to negotiate a better price?

Otherwise, judging from the shrewd businessman's gleaming eyes and eager expression, I felt he was already calculating how much money he could sell my organs for...

"Let me see what other seeds there are..."

I deliberately picked and chose, "Corn seeds... Corn! Xiaofu is ecstatic! I can almost picture the bald man with a simple, honest smile saying, 'Kennedy, I'm coming in...'"

Of course, I'm talking about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the one where Khrushchev wanted to deploy the massive Ivan IV in America's backyard. Don't get the wrong idea.

"And onions too..."

I picked up another bag of seeds, and the sight of me bursting into tears left Jeff speechless.

"The smell is a bit pungent, it made my eyes water..."

"Marcus, what are you doing? It's just a bag of seeds, not a whole onion! Why are your eyes watering from the smell?!"

Holding the onion seeds, I wiped away my tears and couldn't help but say, "It's nothing, boss, I just got onion in my eyes. I'm not crying, this is probably the sorrow of King Yhorm the Giant."

Jeff, unusually, showed a sentimental side, "Is Wang Youm your friend? You two must be very close, right?"

...Luffy, the Thief King from Shanghai, is furious.

I put down the onion seeds, bowed my head, and clasped my hands to my chest, mourning a great and upright knight and a noble friendship.

“Jack Baldo, the knight of Catari, has come to fulfill his promise.”

Seeing me bow my head and remain silent, this time it was Boss Jeff who burst into tears. "Marcus, I think you have quite a talent for art. These ordinary plant seeds can evoke so many associations in you. With such abundant emotions, would you be interested in learning to cook with me... oops, oops, oops, would you be interested in learning to paint with me?"

I flatly refused, saying, "Boss, you don't understand that only storms and sharp words can bring down a big tree. My boundless imagination can't be contained by a mere canvas!"

Boss Jeff stroked his mustache and chuckled, “Your arrogance has quite the air of an art master… I’ve met many people when I was hanging out in art salons, but not many dare to be as confident as you.”

I put my hands on my hips smugly and said, "You misunderstood. What I meant was that I can't afford it! You can teach me, but don't expect to get a penny of tuition from me!"

"...Do you know how shameless you are? You're just like a piece of scum."

After a moment of silence, Jeff pulled over an easel and said, "Since I've decided to teach you, it'll definitely be free. Like when I was learning to paint, my teacher never charged me a penny..."

I exclaimed in surprise, "Everyone says the art world is a place of fame, fortune, and gossip, but I never imagined there were so many people of such high moral character here!"

Jeff couldn't help but say proudly, "Of course! Back then, countless young female painters wanted to teach me for free, but none of them ever mentioned tuition—they just kept asking me when I was going to marry them after I finished teaching them..."

...This person clearly isn't going to learn to paint; he's going to be a sucker, isn't he?

Do they often ask you to sponsor their solo art exhibitions?

"How did you know!" Jeff exclaimed in surprise.

What are you so surprised about!

You deserve to be controlled by your wife so much. Jeff was like that when he was young. Any other woman would have killed him first.

I mentally gave a thumbs up to the two women in Jeff's family.

A marriage transformed a brainless playboy into a recluse who was indifferent to fame and fortune.

A father who, through his birth, transformed a life of wantlessness and idleness into a model father who works diligently at home.