Summer 10
With hops harvest approaching, Ron had been busy crafting Kegs and preparing for the brewery since assigning mining duties to Abigail.
Unlike in the game, the cabin didn't have extradimensional space—so floor area equaled actual footprint.
Thus, Ron needed racks to store Kegs vertically and save space.
While he could scatter them across the farm, zoning limited processing areas. Best solution? Commission Robin to build a dedicated brewery, then install multi-tiered Keg racks to maximize vertical space.
"What're you making?" Pam asked, joining him after loading ore into the furnace.
"Racks—for brewing," Ron pointed to the hops. "Harvest's soon, so I'm rushing."
"Pale Ale, right?" Pam's eyes lit up—but remembering her sobriety pact with Penny, she suppressed her craving. "Let me help!"
She grabbed lumber and began sawing to Ron's specifications.
This woodworking set was ordered from Clint. Since the tool kit blueprints were limited, Ron had bought extra tools during his last machine order.
Thanks to the self-mined iron, the metal components were cheap.
Ron planned to assign brewing to Rattata, so he also needed ladders for them to climb the racks and space to load ingredients into Kegs.
Good news: the Keg mechanics weren't identical to real brewing, so Rattata could handle it solo.
With Pam's help (her furnace duty required no constant supervision), they quickly built over ten racks.
Indeedee floated over with two iced drinks. Pam, sweating heavily, thanked it and gulped hers down with a sigh of relief.
"Indee~"
Ron patted Indeedee's head, returned his cup, and headed out—time to visit the carpenter's for the brewery.
At the gate, he glanced at the bulletin board's calendar: Today was Maru's birthday.
He paused, returned to the furnace, and grabbed some metal bars.
Maru's interests were unconventional for a girl—she adored machinery, especially metal bars and batteries.
Gift in hand, Ron left the farm.
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Meanwhile, at the Carpenter's Shop…
It was Wednesday—Maru's day off (she worked Tuesdays/Thursdays).
Robin was cooking a special birthday dinner, leaving Maru to mind the shop.
Leaning on the counter, Maru called out, "Unfair! It's my birthday!"
"If you want your favorite Cauliflower Cheese and Pepper Poppers tonight, you've got to pitch in, dear!" Robin yelled back, clattering pans.
"Here, let me," Demetrius said, taking the spatula from coughing Robin.
Maru laughed—then Robin burst into violent coughing, fled the kitchen, and glared at Maru's teasing smirk. Her flushed face turned crimson.
"You have no idea what you missed," Robin wheezed. "My cooking's better than you think!"
Maru just smiled, leaving an awkward silence—
—until Ron pushed open the door.
"Saved!" Robin exclaimed. "What do you need, Ron?"
"I want a brewery. When can it be ready?"
"Hmm… Tomorrow's the Luau. Probably start the day after." Robin thought. "If urgent, we could rush it—finish by the morning after tomorrow."
"The day after?" Ron blinked.
"Is it urgent?" Robin hesitated, reading his expression.
"Yes." He'd forgotten about holidays. The Luau meant a communal potluck stew on the Beach tomorrow—no work would get done.
"Then let's go now, Maru! Help me?" Robin turned. "If you come, we'll finish by tonight."
Though it was her birthday, Maru agreed. She grabbed Robin's tools and stepped out.
"Thank you, dear," Robin said, ruffling her hair.
"Better than minding the shop," Maru replied, heading for the door. "Let's go!"
She preferred doing anything over waiting—it felt like wasted time.
Ron thanked them both, then remembered Maru's gift. He hurried forward and handed her the package.
"What's this? A birthday present?" Maru unwrapped it to find three bars: Copper, Iron, and Gold.
Since this wasn't a game, gifts weren't limited to one item. Sending just one bar felt stingy, so Ron included one of each.
"Thank you!" Maru beamed, clutching the bars. "How'd you know I love these? I needed them!"
She dashed to stash them in her room, then led the way down the path to the farm, her mood lifted by the thoughtful gift.
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