Margaret Jennings froze for a moment, recalling that her daughter seemed to have taken a liking to Ian Shaw from the very first day.
"Carina, do you like Ian a lot?"
"He's very pretty, and I want him to be my little brother!"
Margaret Jennings's heart stirred. She had already been thirty-two when she gave birth to Carina, and she never had any intention of having a second child. But Carina always seemed lonely and often mentioned wanting a little brother.
"Mommy, can Carina go play with Ian?"
Margaret Jennings hesitated.
If it were anyone else's child, it would have been fine, but it just had to be Naomi Kenway's. Because of the rumors, Margaret Jennings didn't want Carina Sanders getting involved with Naomi for the time being.
"Be a good girl, Carina. Why don't you finish telling Mommy your story first, and then you can go? Where were you? You dreamed that the mermaid swam to the shore, and then what? What happened after that?"
Carina Sanders's attention was diverted, and she began to chatter on and on about her fantastical dream.
Ruby Preston and Renee Jennings arrived one after another. They had come from the same direction, but what was most surprising was that the two, who seemed to be on good terms, didn't exchange a single word. Renee Jennings's expression was a little strange.
Not expecting Naomi Kenway to have arrived before her, Renee Jennings shot her a surprised glance. Then, as if recalling something, her expression turned ugly.
Chelsea Raines was the last guest to arrive. As usual, she and her son, Jared Woods, were dressed in fashionable, eye-catching outfits.
Once she got close enough to see what Naomi Kenway was doing, Chelsea Raines couldn't help but laugh out loud. "On the way here, I was teaching my son math. You're something else, Naomi. Squatting by the roadside teaching your son about wildflowers. How ridiculous!"
Naomi Kenway felt a surge of irritation at the sound of her voice. She glanced at her casually. "You seem pretty busy lately. It's been a while since I've seen you running over to my earthen hut."
Remembering the humiliation she'd suffered at Naomi's earthen hut, Chelsea Raines gritted her teeth, her face turning livid. "Who would want to go to that dump!"
Then, she stormed off in a huff.
In stark contrast to Chelsea Raines, Naomi Kenway was now in an excellent mood. 'Serves her right for always looking for trouble.'
[Naomi's tongue is so sharp. She really pissed Chelsea off. Forget Chelsea, I'm embarrassed for her. She ran over so aggressively to confront her, only to end up having to kneel and apologize.]
[I was thinking, Naomi was just minding her own business looking at flowers by the road. She wasn't bothering Chelsea at all. Is this the first time I'm realizing Chelsea is kind of asking for it?]
[Naomi has done all sorts of horrible things, so we can't let our Chelsea clap back a little?]
[The poster above must be a Chelsea stan, right? I'm not a fan of either of them, but Chelsea was definitely the one looking for trouble.]
...
Not long after all the guests had arrived, the tour guide, Dalton, made his appearance. His styling today was less exaggerated and grand than before; he was simply wearing a shirt and jeans.
"Long time no see, everyone! I wonder how you all slept last night?" he said, holding a megaphone.
He directed this question specifically at Naomi Kenway. "Naomi, how did you sleep?"
"It was fine. There was mosquito repellent in the room. The production team was well-prepared."
The guide couldn't help but laugh. "Is that so? I didn't expect you to be so optimistic." He then bent down to ask Ian Shaw, "Ian, how did you sleep?"
As the microphone was extended toward him, Ian Shaw took a step back, unaccustomed to strangers getting so close. "...Very well."
"He seems a little shy with strangers." The guide took a few steps back, giving Ian Shaw a sense of security.
He was holding a script. "I'm sure everyone is looking forward to this next task, right? First, we're going to play a little game." He spread his arms, gesturing for everyone to look behind him. "Look over here. We have a wooden box. Each guest will draw a card from it, and the card you draw will affect the difficulty of your task."
"Stop being so mysterious. What exactly is the task?" Chelsea Raines asked directly.
The guide smiled. "Let's have everyone draw a card first. After that, I'll explain the next step."
Naomi Kenway followed the other guests and drew a card. She opened it as soon as she got it. On it was written: Knife-cut noodles.
"Mommy, what does it say?" Ian Shaw asked curiously.
"Knife-cut noodles."
Ian Shaw's eyes lit up. "Daddy often takes me to a restaurant where the knife-cut noodles are delicious. Ian likes knife-cut noodles."
'Ian likes knife-cut noodles,' Naomi Kenway silently noted.
The other guests announced their cards one by one. Ruby Preston got "Egg Fried Rice," Margaret Jennings got "Steamed Buns," Chelsea Raines got "Scrambled Eggs with Tomato," and Renee Jennings got "Steamed Bread."
They were all very common homemade dishes and staples.
"What do these things we drew represent?" Chelsea Raines asked impatiently.
Margaret Jennings ventured a guess. "Is it the dinner we get to have? Are we getting our dinner by drawing cards this time?"
Chelsea Raines frowned. "Scrambled eggs with tomato... Can a single dish be filling enough?"
The guide chuckled. "It's not that simple. You'll have to prepare your own dinner tonight. During this evening's dinner party, each guest must make the dish on their card. The children will then act as judges, tasting everything and voting for today's Best Chef."
"The guest who wins Best Chef will receive a special gift from the production team. As for what that gift is, we'll keep it a secret for now."
After hearing the guide's explanation, Renee Jennings's expression grew heavy. She hadn't expected they'd have to cook the food on the cards. How was she supposed to win over the other children's taste buds with something as plain as "Steamed Bread"?
An idea suddenly struck her. She remembered that Naomi Kenway had drawn "Knife-cut Noodles." Making them was an extreme test of knife skills, a perfect opportunity to show off. And as it happened, knife-cut noodles were what Renee Jennings did best.
Staring at the card in Naomi Kenway's hand, Renee Jennings walked right over. "Nina, you've probably never cooked before, have you? Knife-cut noodles are far too difficult for a beginner. My steamed bread is much simpler. Why don't we trade cards?"
One look at Renee Jennings was all it took for Naomi Kenway to see right through her scheme.
'Always acting out of self-interest while pretending it's for someone else's good. This woman is quite the schemer.'
Naomi Kenway refused without hesitation. "No, thank you. Ian really wants to eat knife-cut noodles, and I'd like to give it a try."
Renee Jennings couldn't tell if Naomi Kenway was telling the truth or not, but the current situation was indeed difficult to handle. "Nina, you may not know this, but I'm an expert at knife-cut noodles. I guarantee Ian will love the ones I make. How about we trade cards? What do you think?"
"I only want to eat the ones Mommy makes," Ian Shaw piped up.
Renee Jennings froze. 'I can't believe this mother and son are such a handful.'
Hearing the conversation, Chelsea Raines, who had always been Renee Jennings's staunch ally, rushed over. "Knife-cut noodles aren't something just anyone can make. If I remember correctly, Naomi, you've barely even set foot in a kitchen, right? If the noodles you make tonight are terrible, you'll just embarrass yourself again. In my opinion, you should just trade with Renee. It's an easy way out for you."