The meaning of life is to go to the pier and get some sardines.

As soon as these words were spoken, the livestream chat naturally erupted with wild laughter:

"Hahahaha Cousin has turned into a seagull."

"Good thing there are no fries at this pier, otherwise Cousin would definitely get some!"

"See? This is what a real fishing enthusiast looks like - the only thing that makes me feel emotional is going home empty-handed today!"

Cousin: "If you really have nothing to do, go cast some bait over there. I don't have time to discuss life's truths with you."

"I'm fucking dying of laughter, Cousin is really here to fish."

"Mastering one trade and loving one trade is the main theme."

......

Ayin was left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:

"You damn... I really can't with you... illiterate! Can't discuss any life philosophy with you at all!"

The viewers laughed and joked while Ayin and Cousin also burst into hearty laughter.

For a time, the livestream chat was filled with lighthearted joy.

After laughing, Ayin shook his head and muttered self-mockingly, "Life would be peaceful if not for fools disturbing it."

That's right.

Where does life have so much lamenting over spring's passing?

Perhaps this is the meaning of this game.

Although on the surface it appears to be a game that lets players escape the burdens of heavy daily life, allowing them to find life's truths and understand life's principles within this small world.

But in reality, what truths does life have, and what principles does existence hold?

Everyone is experiencing this world for the first time, making their way through this complex world once.

And whose life principles are absolute truth?

Some may be born into a path paved with flowers, while others may be born into muddy difficulties.

You can resent the unfairness of fate, but you must constantly remind yourself - this is my life.

Being born into hardship is undoubtedly difficult, but the beauty of the rainbow after the rain clears is something that cannot be adequately described to others.

A path of flowers may appear glamorous, but the bloodstains from thorns scratched while passing through rose bushes are unknown to others.

Perhaps this is the philosophy of Stardew Valley.

It's not teaching players how to escape life's responsibilities, but rather teaching players to make peace with life, to try and discover those beautiful moments in life they never noticed before, to find the other side beneath their own life's rainbow bridge.

Every Friday at 8 PM, the Stardew Saloon in Stardew Valley opens.

Pushing open the saloon door, you'll meet the town's neighbors with their diverse personalities here.

And the game's scattered yet sincere storylines also begin to unfold from here.

Life is like a chessboard, and these vivid, lively NPCs represent each move on this simulated board.

They are so agile and vibrant, each with unique characteristics.

The saloon owner is named Gus. Recently, Gus has been somewhat troubled because Aunt Pam, who often comes to drink, frequently runs up tabs, causing the saloon's financial situation to be less than ideal.

But everyone are neighbors, and besides, as the only town resident without a proper house, living solely in a trailer with very difficult circumstances, Gus finds it hard to directly ask Pam for payment.

So you volunteer to subtly bring up the matter of payment with Pam. Fortunately, Pam isn't someone who dodges debts and even feels deeply uneasy about owing money.

To understand why Pam is so impoverished, you decide to visit her home.

However, when you arrive at Pam's place, you don't find Aunt Pam. In that old, stuffy little trailer, a young, efficient girl is busy with household chores.

Though it's early spring, fine beads of sweat already cover the girl's forehead, looking particularly crystalline under the gentle spring sunlight.

The diligent girl is named Penny, Aunt Pam's daughter. After simple self-introductions, you help Penny with the household cleaning.

However, just as the cleaning is about to be completed, Aunt Pam returns home. Instead of expressing gratitude, she reddens with anger, scolds Penny, and asks you to leave.

Because unsolicited help makes Aunt Pam feel uneasy and embarrassed, even somewhat damaging her already fragile self-esteem.

There was a time when Aunt Pam was the town's best bus driver. But as the bus broke down and the route was abolished, the jobless Aunt Pam became depressed. Without income sources, she grew insecure and emotionally unstable.

During this time, you also earn enough money to hire carpenter Robin to anonymously build a house for Pam and her daughter.

After all.

Through repeated visits and growing familiarity, you find yourself gradually falling in love with that sweaty yet bright, diligent girl you first met in the old trailer - Aunt Pam's daughter, Penny.

She is so adorable and simple, hardworking and brave. You go on outings together, play with children, visit the hot springs together, spending year after year together.

Finally, in a grand wedding presided over by the mayor himself, you and Penny officially become husband and wife. Not long after, you have the fruit of your love, living happily ever after in freedom and diligence.

She's an artist living alone in the town outskirts, who enjoys sculpting art, quiet and peaceful, a girl full of romantic sentiment and creativity.

"He wanted me to live a constrained, conventional life and deny my artistic dreams?"

You empathize deeply, and so two souls seeking freedom gradually come together. You suggest Leah hold an art exhibition and put her works up for sale on websites.

Good news soon arrived - Leah's artworks gain increasing popularity. She often hugs you, sharing the 'our' artwork sales good news, and she gradually becomes a somewhat famous sculpture artist.

However, bad news also followed. As Leah gains fame, that persistently harassing ex-boyfriend comes to Stardew Valley, wanting to reconcile with the current Leah.

Unsurprisingly, Leah retreats behind you, and your fist makes close contact with the annoying ex-boyfriend's face.

Even your gaze doesn't have to remain within this saloon.

If you frequently visit the town's general store, you can hardly avoid noticing the store owner's daughter, Abigail.

This girl with stunning purple soft long hair is so special. She's eccentric yet romantic, bold and passionate. She hates conventional living and refuses to obey her father's life arrangements for her.

Perhaps general store owner Pierre truly hopes his daughter will succeed, but the generation gap becomes a major barrier between father and daughter.

In Abigail's words, she truly dislikes her parents' rigid arrangements. She yearns to try more different things and explore entirely new ways of living.

So you play games together, adventure together, play with Ouija boards together. On the Ouija board, you see Abigail's inner thoughts.

Finally, during a mine exploration, when you give Abigail her favorite amethyst as usual, the response is no longer just verbal thanks and "I really love this."

But instead a warm embrace, and a long, passionate kiss.

You kiss in the dangerous, dim mine shafts, hold your wedding in the town, and promise to spend your surprise-filled remaining lives together.

And there are many, many more such warm and romantic stories.

You can be the you in the game.

But simultaneously, those NPC shadows seem to reflect yourself to some extent.

In the rolling torrent of our era, we might not be able to choose our origins or determine our final destinations.

But the reason life's path is called a path is because the experiences along this journey are so precious.

That is the meaning of our lives - the meaning of making peace with ourselves, making peace with the world during decades of life's journey, wholeheartedly experiencing this precious and only once colorful experience.

Perhaps many years later, you'll forget the details experienced in this dreamlike place called Stardew Valley.

But you'll still remember how your weary heart and soul were once healed and restored here.

In those pixel-art warm color blocks, you feel the ocean breeze, stroke soft warm sheep, personally set up grape trellises, swing your pickaxe to create the pleasant symphony that belongs to miners.

This seems like another segment of our lives, or perhaps another extension of our existence.

Of course!

So many warm and romantic experiences can only be truly appreciated after deep immersion in gameplay before one can calm down to appreciate them.

For now, for two novice players like Ayin and Cousin.

"Why are the days so short every day ahhhhhh!!!"

After once again fainting in the wilderness in the early morning, Ayin finally voiced the soulful question of every worker!

Yes, from initially entering the game completely clueless, even completely without goals.

To now still being 'clueless' and 'without goals'.

This seemingly lack of progress actually demonstrates the game's incredibly vast playable space!

The former cluelessness was confusion, bewilderment, the disorientation of first arriving in Stardew Valley.

Seeds have different maturation and harvest times - the higher-priced crops require longer growth periods, need more frequent care, and naturally make the harvest joy more worth anticipating.

"Oh, hi, Ayin, you're here."

When coming to town, old Mayor Lewis was standing dazed in front of a somewhat rundown-looking large house covered in vines:

"This is Pelican Town's community center, or rather community center ruins."

"It was once the town's pride, often hosting various rich and interesting activities, but now... sigh..."

"Although the compensation would be a modest income for townsfolk, I feel I shouldn't just sell it like this. Maybe I'm too nostalgic - when people get old, they always become somewhat nostalgic..."

"But if more people join the KomiVendi membership, perhaps I shouldn't persist anymore."

With that!

Mayor Lewis takes Ayin and Cousin into the dilapidated community center.

And the game's main storyline is thus triggered.

Yes, the community now faces acquisition - KomiVendi from the east wants to purchase the community center and convert it into a cold storage warehouse.

This is a clash between urban capital and rustic Stardew Valley.

If players choose to join the supermarket membership, then Mayor Lewis will sell the community center. Afterwards, KomiVendi will establish itself in the town center, putting price tags on everything, making everything strictly follow operating hour rules and pricing for buying and selling.

Thus, players will start paying special attention to prices, engaging in petty schemes, racking their brains studying how to make money, thereby to some extent becoming pitiful playthings controlled by capital again, retreading old paths.

Complete the offerings of seasonal crops, receive the Junimos' blessing, allowing the community center to be properly repaired while also bringing more vitality to the town.

Ayin and Cousin naturally choose to repair the community center, and most players during their first playthrough would also choose to help Mayor Lewis, or rather help the entire Stardew Valley town, fight against the evil KomiVendi supermarket.

Ayin and Cousin become even busier!

Every day is practically busy from morning till night - sleep at 2 AM, wake at 6 AM, the King of Hell praises my good health.

Farming, watering, tree chopping, fishing, mining, chasing girls...

In short, in Stardew Valley you might not live, but you'll never be without work.

This 6 AM wakeup, 2 AM bedtime, 7-day workweek 627 lifestyle seems laborious, yet makes both feel incredibly fulfilling.

Until a viewer in the chat barrage suddenly realizes -

"Holy shit! It's almost midnight already?"

"Ah???"

"Damn this game really kills time! Shocked! They started at 8 PM and didn't seem to do much... over three hours just passed?"

"First time truly understanding the meaning of 'time is money' - clearly did nothing, yet it's just gone..."

"Hahahaha damn, that hits hard..."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com