Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Ian, Thank You

“Sold out so quickly? I feel like I barely got to do anything…” Chelsea Raines muttered under her breath. She’d secretly watched Naomi Kenway sell fruit before, but seeing it again was still just as shocking.

All the fruit was sold, and the cash box was stuffed full of bills.

Naomi Kenway set down the megaphone, picked up the cash box, and began to count the money.

“How much is there?” Chelsea Raines asked curiously from beside her.

“Seventeen hundred.”

Hearing this amount, all the guests let out a collective sigh of relief. Based on the distance, it was enough to charter a bus from Jovant back to Veridia.

Ruby Preston said, “How about I hold on to the money? You all can head back first. I’ll get a cab to a nearby bus station and see about chartering a ride. There are a lot of us, so a big bus would be best. What do you think?”

The original plan was to sell cherries again tomorrow, but since things had gone so surprisingly fast, they could move up their schedule.

No one had any objections.

“Thanks for taking this on, Hazel Preston,” Naomi Kenway said.

“It’s no trouble at all. If we’re talking about hard work, you’re the one who did the most, Nicole! Make sure you drink plenty of water when you get back. Your throat must be sore after all that singing.”

“I will.”

Chelsea Raines hesitated for a moment before speaking up. “It’s probably hard to get a cab around here, since it’s all villages. How about I give you a ride on the tricycle, Hazel Preston?”

“The tricycle’s almost out of battery, isn’t it? You should take the others back first. I just saw a bunch of cars at the intersection. I’m sure I can hitch a ride.”

Once they had a plan, Ruby Preston took charge of chartering the bus, while Chelsea Raines was responsible for taking the other guests back.

Renee Jennings sat in the back of the tricycle, sullen. She crouched down, hugging her arms as the wind blew her long hair across her face, hiding her expression.

’I can’t believe Naomi Kenway can actually sing. She’s really perfected the whole ’playing dumb to get the upper hand’ act.’

Renee Jennings bit her lip. ’I have to learn how to rap,’ she vowed to herself.

Naomi Kenway’s thoughts were a jumble. Her mind was completely occupied with what her son was doing right now. ’He should be eating by now, right? I wonder what he had. Is he okay? Is he unhappy…?’

*

「Ford Warren’s House」

Nathan Lynch sat on the sofa, anxiously clutching his small basket. He had been counting the contents over and over. His mother needed ten ingredients to cook dinner, and she had told him he absolutely had to get all of them.

But…

One, two, three… eight…

He was two short.

’Where am I supposed to find chicken legs and cilantro?’

Nathan Lynch pressed his lips together. He suddenly stood up and walked straight toward the door, but the cameraman stopped him. “Mona, where are you going? You should be resting here. Don’t run off, or your mom won’t be able to find you.”

“No, I have to go find the ingredients.”

“Find ingredients? But you’ve already finished your task. Your basket is full of vegetables.”

Nathan Lynch just shook his head. “I haven’t finished my task. I need cilantro and chicken legs.”

The cameraman crouched down to comfort him. “Mona, the ingredients you found are more than enough for you and your mom’s dinner. You really don’t need to go out looking for more.”

Nathan Lynch kept his head down, stubbornly insisting, “I have to go find them.”

“Mona, you’re too much of a perfectionist. You don’t need to put so much pressure on yourself all the time.” The cameraman sighed, trying to placate him. “How about I get you a toy? Would you like that?”

Nathan Lynch just shook his head again.

Hearing the commotion, the other young guests came over. Simon Sawyer took his hand like a big brother. “Mona, you’ve been looking for a long time. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I have lots of vegetables in my basket. See if there’s anything you need.”

With that, Simon Sawyer brought his basket over and offered it to Nathan Lynch.

Nathan Lynch didn’t take it. “This isn’t what I want.”

Ian Shaw suddenly walked over and held out a bunch of cilantro. “I only have this. I don’t have any chicken legs.”

Nathan Lynch snapped his head up, his expression one of disbelief. “You… Why are you giving this to me?”

The words came out with difficulty. He and Ian Shaw weren’t even that close, so why would Ian Shaw help him?

’Mom said that anyone who’s nice to me, besides her, has an ulterior motive. But there’s nothing special about me, so why would Ian Shaw…’

“Because you were crying,” Ian Shaw said. “My mom told me that Ian is a little hero, and that heroes should learn to help people whenever they can!”

“What are you talking about…” Nathan Lynch wiped away his tears. After a moment’s hesitation, he took the cilantro. “…Thank you, Ian.”

Hearing the voices, Ford Warren hurried over. He got the full story from Simon Sawyer and patted his chest in relief. “And here I was thinking it was something serious. Turns out you just need some chicken legs.”

Ford Warren went to the kitchen and returned a moment later, placing a chicken leg in each of the young guests’ baskets. “Is this enough?”

Nathan Lynch’s expression finally brightened.

“Grandpa Ford, you’re so nice!” Carina exclaimed.

“Aw, such a sweet-talker!”

*

When the tricycle pulled up to Ford Warren’s house, Naomi Kenway eagerly hopped off.

She learned from a staff member that the young guests were all playing in the living room.

Pushing the door open, she was greeted by a heartwarming scene. Ian, Carina, and Sean were on the carpet building with blocks, while Mona was still at it with his homework. A faint snoring sound came from the sofa, where Jared Woods was fast asleep.

Naomi Kenway let out a sigh of relief.

Ian Shaw noticed Naomi Kenway the instant she walked in. He ran and threw himself into her arms, his childish voice full of affection. “Mommy!”

Naomi Kenway was sweaty and gently pushed him back a little. “Ian, Mommy’s all sweaty and gross.”

Ian Shaw shook his head, his expression serious. “Mommy smells nice!” He then hugged Naomi Kenway’s waist again. “Mommy, Ian missed you so, so much…”

The softest part of her heart melted. A smile spread across Naomi Kenway’s face as she ruffled his hair. “Seeing Ian playing so happily with the other children makes Mommy happy, too. Did you accomplish anything in your task today?”

“I did!” Ian Shaw pulled away from Naomi Kenway’s embrace and fetched the basket from the table. “Mommy, aren’t I amazing?”

Naomi Kenway felt its considerable weight. ’He must have interacted with the villagers quite a bit for his task,’ she thought.

She bent down and gave Ian Shaw a light kiss on the cheek. “Mommy’s baby is so amazing!”

The other guests filed in as well. The noise was enough to startle Jared Woods awake on the sofa.

Renee Jennings first went to check on Nathan Lynch’s homework, then smiled in satisfaction. “Not bad, not bad. It looks like Mona really worked hard.”

Nathan Lynch held out his basket to Renee Jennings. “Mom, look! I found all the ingredients you told me to get.”

Renee Jennings looked pleasantly surprised and took it with a happy smile. “Good job, Mona. Mommy knew you could finish the task.”

Nathan Lynch’s eyes filled with joy. More than anything, he loved being praised.

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