The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 273: A Huge Loss of Face

Chelsea Raines glanced up at the scorching sun, which was so blinding she had to shut her eyes. "Three hours," she sighed. "We’re going to be baked alive out here."

A tall, lean man in a felt hat and traditional ethnic attire approached them from the direction of the watermelon patch. He looked as if he had been working there for quite some time.

"Hello, everyone. I’m Nigati. Welcome to Xylia." His Mandarin wasn’t very fluent, but he had a constant, beaming smile on his face.

Two more men and a woman, also in traditional clothing and appearing to be in their twenties or thirties, came over. They greeted the group first in the local dialect, then again in Mandarin.

Nigati introduced them. "These are my son and daughter."

The guests all shook their hands and exchanged greetings.

Nigati’s young daughter ran over, carrying a large watermelon. She had a healthy, rosy complexion, and a smile revealed her neat, white teeth.

Nigati took the watermelon, patting it a few times before pressing his ear against the rind to listen. A satisfied smile spread across his face. "This is a good one!"

He turned and said a few words to his young daughter in their local dialect. A moment later, she brought over another watermelon, just as round and shiny, looking utterly irresistible.

Nigati tapped this watermelon as well, then took the knife his eldest son handed him.

Ruby Preston realized what he was about to do and quickly interjected, "Oh, please don’t go to the trouble, Nigati! We brought water. You worked so hard to grow these; you should save them to sell."

"It’s alright, they’re not expensive. The wholesale buyers only pay a few cents a pound. Sales aren’t great this year; not as many buyers have come as last year." He sighed.

Jared Woods tugged on the hem of Chelsea Raines’s shirt. "How much is a few cents? Is that a lot?"

Chelsea Raines felt a pang of complex emotions and, for a moment, forgot to answer him.

[How does Jared Woods not even know basic things like that? Chelsea Raines really needs to give him a little reality check.]

[Aren’t all rich kids like that? They have no concept of money.]

[That watermelon looks so sweet! And it’s huge. Now I’m craving some.]

...

With a few swift, practiced motions, Nigati had already sliced the watermelon into uniform chunks and was enthusiastically urging all the guests to have some.

Naomi Kenway said her thanks, handed a piece to Ian Shaw, and took a bite of her own slice.

’It’s very sweet,’ she thought. ’The texture is crisp, just how I like it.’

"Ian, is it sweet?" Naomi Kenway asked, looking down at him.

Ian Shaw nodded while munching on his watermelon. "Sweet."

Ten minutes later, the tour guide reminded everyone it was time to head to the watermelon patch to complete their tasks. The children would be separating from the adults to do a fruit-juicing task.

Naomi Kenway first went to inspect the equipment at the juicing station. Besides various bottles and jars, there was cheesecloth and a large bowl. The watermelon was already peeled and sliced.

Naomi Kenway relaxed after confirming that nothing posed a danger to the children.

’There’s no juicer,’ she noted. ’They’ll probably have to squeeze the juice out using the cheesecloth.’

The guests followed Nigati and his family into the watermelon patch.

Jared Woods, however, was proving to be a handful. He was still eating watermelon, refusing to let go no matter who tried to pull him away. His tan cheeks were smeared with red juice, and a single black seed stuck to the tip of his nose gave him a comical look.

Simon Sawyer pulled out a tissue and wiped Jared Woods’s face. "Jared, we have to go. The task has already started."

Jared Woods was unfazed. "I don’t want to do the task. I want to eat watermelon."

"If you don’t finish the task, you and Aunt Raines won’t get a full meal," Simon Sawyer said. "Come on, get up. Let’s go with everyone else."

"I said no," Jared Woods whined, continuing to munch on his watermelon. He tried to reason with him. "Look, there’s so much watermelon on the table. If nobody eats it, it’ll go to waste, right? My mom told me not to waste food."

Simon Sawyer glanced at the table. There were, indeed, three slices of watermelon left. He was at a bit of a loss.

The tour guide came over and told the other children to go ahead and start the task, then continued trying to persuade Jared Woods.

The director, who was listening in, chuckled and remarked that Jared Woods was giving the watermelons some great free publicity.

*

The process for harvesting watermelons was simple. However, because of Renee Jennings’s track record, a staff member took her aside before the task began. "Quantity is important," they reminded her, "but quality is more important. Don’t be too hasty."

Renee Jennings was mortified. The memory of how she had ruined the potatoes came flooding back. She nodded hastily and turned to leave, her cheeks burning red.

[What’s the production team’s problem? Why are they deliberately trying to embarrass our Rachel? That’s in the past, isn’t it? Everyone makes mistakes. Why dredge it up again?]

[But it’s a fact that Renee Jennings ruined the potatoes. She destroyed the fruits of their labor. The villagers toiled for days, only to have their harvest ruined. The show definitely had to compensate them. It makes sense they’d be a little cautious. What if she gets all worked up and smashes one of the watermelons? Who’s going to be responsible for that?]

[So cringe. I’m embarrassed for her. You really have to be more careful.]

[If she messes up again, there’s no excuse. I hope Renee Jennings just does the work properly this time and doesn’t try any funny business.]

...

Naomi Kenway had memorized the technique for picking watermelons. She harvested them and piled them in one spot, then used Nigati’s wheelbarrow to move them to the large cart.

The watermelons were heavy, and moving them was incredibly taxing.

Naomi Kenway rotated her aching wrists. ’I’ve been so busy with auditions lately that I’ve neglected my workouts,’ she thought. ’I need to get back into my fitness routine as soon as I get home.’

A loud THUD came from nearby. It was Renee Jennings, trying to load a watermelon onto the cart. The cart bed was a bit high, forcing her to lift her arms. Her strength wavered, and she nearly dropped the watermelon. Fortunately, she steadied her hands at the last second and managed to get it into the cart. Renee Jennings’s heart pounded in her chest. She quickly lifted the watermelon to inspect it, breathing a sigh of relief only when she confirmed there were no cracks.

She was drenched in a cold sweat. Seeing Naomi Kenway looking so calm and unbothered nearby, she felt a surge of annoyance.

"Nina, I almost fell just now. Why didn’t you give me a hand?"

"You’re the one who almost fell, not me. What’s it got to do with me?"

With that, Naomi Kenway sauntered off.

Renee Jennings huffed to herself, determined to complete the task perfectly—or at least, better than Naomi Kenway.

Over an hour passed. The guests were drenched in sweat. None of them had ever labored for so long under the hot sun, and hauling watermelons was especially grueling work.

Nigati’s young daughter, Aymira, came over and led them to a basin of water by the roadside to wash their faces. Afterward, she cut another watermelon for them.

A commotion broke out as Jared Woods came running over anxiously. His face was flushed from the sun, and sweat was pouring down his back. A staff member had brought him over; while the other children were fine, Jared Woods was showing signs of heatstroke.

The staff member quickly ushered him over to wash his face and cool off in the shade.

There were only two basins. The water had just been refreshed when Jared Woods, unable to wait, plunged his face in. He thrashed about, sending droplets of water flying everywhere.