Chapter 23: Chapter 23: New Task: Digging Potatoes

[OMG, I’m starting to ship this couple!]

[Just as I thought, Naomi Kenway was just putting on an act this morning. Annie can’t even recite the multiplication tables, so how could he possibly understand those classic science books?]

[I don’t think everyone should be so focused on whether a child is smart or not. Annie has so many wonderful qualities. He’s really good at picking up on other people’s emotions. He was the one who noticed Carina was upset and comforted her, and even gave her his own egg. Why do you all insist on finding fault with such a considerate kid?]

[But he’s just not as smart as the other kids. Are we not allowed to say that?]

…

The sun was unusually scorching today. Chelsea Raines hadn’t brought a parasol, and sweat trickled down her cheeks, causing her makeup to smudge slightly. She instantly grew irritable.

“What kind of task could we possibly do in this heat?”

The tour guide pretended not to hear her complaining tone. “Everyone, please turn around and look.”

Naomi Kenway turned to look. A boundless field stretched out before her, full of crops. She suddenly had a bad feeling.

Just as she expected.

“Today’s task is related to the field behind you. Your job is to help the villagers dig up potatoes. Each of you will be assigned a plot of land. Don’t worry, every potato plot is the same size. At the end, the villagers will score your performance, and you’ll receive rewards based on your score—”

“The rewards are your tickets for the trip home, corresponding to a private car service, a plane ticket, a train ticket, a bus ticket, and a donkey cart. The private car is an all-inclusive service, so you won’t have to worry about crowds at all. You’ll have to work hard, everyone!”

All the guests, whether on set or at home, were used to a life of comfort. Hearing that they had to dig potatoes, they all, without exception, frowned in silent agreement.

Chelsea Raines looked down at her stilettos and felt like dying. “Are you serious? We have to dig potatoes? And the reward is tied to our return tickets? If you come in last and have to take the donkey cart, won’t it take days and nights to get home?…”

Now, it was impossible to just half-ass the task. After all, nobody wanted to ride a donkey cart home.

Even Renee Jennings, who rarely frowned, knitted her brows. “A donkey cart seems a bit unreasonable, doesn’t it? It’s dozens of kilometers; that’s not close.” As she spoke, she glanced worriedly in Naomi Kenway’s direction. “Nina has never endured hardship. A donkey cart is just too… ”

Naomi Kenway cut her off with a smile. “I didn’t realize Miss Jennings was a judge in addition to being a guest. The competition hasn’t even started, and you’ve already decided I’m going to lose.”

Her voice was tinged with amusement, but her eyes were ice-cold.

Renee Jennings covered her mouth. “I’m sorry, Nina. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just worried about you. How could you possibly manage to dig potatoes…?”

“So you’re saying you want to help me dig my potatoes? It seems I’ve misunderstood you, then.”

Renee Jennings was at a loss for words. When had she ever said she would help Naomi Kenway? She found the work tiring enough for herself. “Nina, you may have misunderstood. I have my own potatoes to dig.”

“Is that so?” Naomi Kenway smiled. “And here I thought you were going to help me. I guess it was just all talk.”

“I…”

[Why is Naomi Kenway so harsh? Rachel was just being nice.]

[Am I the only one who thinks Renee Jennings is acting weird? The competition hasn’t even started, and she’s already pegged Naomi Kenway for last place. Is she a prophet or something?]

[Is it just me, or is Renee Jennings being a bit of a ’green tea’? She’s always ’worried’ about this or that, but you never see her do anything. Is it all just for show?]

[Is it really that hard to guess Naomi Kenway will be last? She’s always lived a pampered life. I bet she doesn’t even know what a potato field looks like!]

[Not necessarily. Naomi Kenway has given us so many surprises already. Maybe she’ll successfully complete this task too.]

[This task is scored by the villagers? What are the scoring criteria? Why isn’t the production team being clear about it? Is it just about who digs the fastest?]

…

Naomi Kenway followed a staff member to her assigned potato plot. The area was much larger than she had imagined. This task was indeed a formidable one.

In the field, there was an older woman holding a spade, likely there to instruct them on how to dig potatoes.

“Hello, ma’am,” Naomi Kenway said with a nod.

“Digging potatoes isn’t hard at all. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find it’s very simple.”

The woman then rolled up her sleeves and began to demonstrate.

After the woman left, Naomi Kenway gazed at the sizable potato plot and sighed softly. When she turned her head, she saw her son had already squatted down and was yanking at a potato plant. “Mom, come help me!”

“That’s not how you pull it.”

Naomi Kenway walked over, squatted down, and took the spade. She dug gently around the potato stem, then easily lifted the entire plant with one hand, revealing plump, round potatoes.

Ian Shaw’s eyes sparkled. “Mom, you’re amazing! So that’s how you dig up potatoes!”

Naomi Kenway smiled. “Annie, want to try again?”

Ian Shaw was a smart kid; after two or three tries, he had more or less mastered it. With her son by her side, digging potatoes didn’t seem so unbearable. Thinking about the reward for this task, Naomi Kenway wiped the sweat from her brow. ’I have to work hard. I can handle riding a donkey cart myself, but I can’t let my son suffer along with me.’

*

Renee Jennings arrived at her own potato plot, a flicker of annoyance on her face that she quickly concealed.

’What are the villagers’ scoring criteria? Since everyone has the same size plot, the fastest digger will surely be the villagers’ favorite.’

“Just lift it gently like this. Since you can’t be sure how deep the potatoes are, you have to be careful with the spade not to scrape them. If they don’t look good, they’ll be hard to sell,” the villager explained carefully, reminding her several times.

Renee Jennings smiled. “That looks quite interesting. Thank you for your trouble.”

After the demonstration, the villager left.

Thinking of Naomi Kenway’s performance in the previous challenges, Renee Jennings felt a sudden sense of unease.

’Naomi Kenway was used to being lazy and pampered. It was one thing for her to be prepared for the previous competitions, but digging potatoes was pure manual labor. She was bound to lose.’

But it was better to be safe than sorry. To eliminate any risk, Renee Jennings lowered her head and started digging with all her might.

“Mama…” Nathan Lynch came skipping over.

“Teach me, too. I want to help you.”

Renee Jennings’s eyes lit up. An extra person was an extra pair of hands. She patted Nathan Lynch’s shoulder affectionately. “You’re such a good son to your mama.”

Nathan Lynch was overjoyed by Renee Jennings’s affection. “Nathan wants to help lighten Mama’s load!”

This sort of monotonous, repetitive work was simple for an adult, but somewhat difficult for a child. After a few tries, Nathan Lynch was still a bit clumsy, and Renee Jennings started to feel anxious and irritable.

’If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have bothered teaching him. It’s wasted so much of my time.’

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