The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 43 - 44: Selling Watermelons

Naomi Kenway carried her son through nearly the entire market. She knew very little about the local prices and knew she had to browse and compare to make the best choices.

"Ma’am, are these a dollar a pound?"

A familiar voice drifted over. Naomi Kenway looked toward the source and saw Margaret Jennings and her child at a vegetable stall.

Carina Sanders spotted them and waved her arms, shouting, "Aunt Kenway! Annie! We’re over here!"

Margaret Jennings turned and greeted them as well.

Naomi Kenway walked over. "Buying tomatoes?"

"Yes." Margaret Jennings stared at the tomatoes, a troubled expression on her face. She was running low on money, but she was terrible at haggling. She was used to being respected in her daily life and simply couldn’t bring herself to ask for a lower price.

Naomi Kenway sensed her predicament and picked up a tomato. "Ma’am, could you give us a little discount?"

"This is the going rate everywhere. Ours are already the cheapest around here. I really can’t go any lower, miss."

"We’re running out of money. Please, ma’am, just help us out," Naomi Kenway said earnestly. Then she turned to Ian Shaw. "Annie, how about you ask the nice grandma to help us?"

Ian Shaw blinked his big, adorable eyes. His cheeks were chubby, fair, and incredibly cute. His voice was soft, but sweet as could be. "Grandma, please help us!"

The stall owner let out a cry of delight. "Oh, what a beautiful child! He’s about the same age as my little grandson at home. Miss, has your son started school yet?"

"He’s in preschool."

"Oh, so he’s a little younger than my grandson. Alright, how about eighty cents a pound? I really can’t go any lower than that. We need to make a living, too."

Naomi Kenway was delighted. She said to Ian Shaw, "Quick, thank the nice grandma."

"Thank you, Grandma."

"What a good boy, so well-behaved," the owner praised.

Carrying the bag of tomatoes, Margaret Jennings said gratefully, "Thank you so, so much. I’m so awkward with words, I didn’t know what to say. I really owe you one."

"It was nothing. Just a small thing."

"Oh, right." Margaret Jennings glanced at Naomi Kenway’s empty hands. She took a deep breath, as if she’d just made a momentous decision. "I see you haven’t bought any food. You can’t go three days without eating. Forget the kids, even we adults might not handle it. There are plenty of plants in the rainforest, but it’s really hard to tell which ones are poisonous."

As she spoke, she separated a portion of her own food and offered it to Naomi Kenway. "I’m out of money now, so you take this to eat. If it’s not enough... we’ll figure something out once we get in there."

Margaret Jennings’s gesture was completely unexpected. A wave of warmth washed over Naomi Kenway, but she didn’t reach out to take the food. "This is supposed to be for you and Carina, isn’t it? If you give this to me, you’ll both go hungry. Please, take it back."

"Then what will you do? Are you really planning to spend three days in there with nothing to eat or drink?"

"The production team only said we couldn’t use our own bank cards or cash from before the show. They never said we couldn’t earn money here at the market, right? That would still be money we earned during the show." She glanced at the cameraman for confirmation. "There’s no rule against that, is there?"

The cameraman’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t expected her to find a loophole. "No... there isn’t."

Margaret Jennings checked the time. "But there’s only an hour left. How are you going to earn any money? Washing dishes or moving boxes won’t get you more than a few dollars, will it?"

"Not like that. I’m going to earn money by helping someone sell their goods. Pearl, want to join me?"

’The production team was so stingy with the money. If we want to live comfortably for the next few days, we have to find another way.’

"I..." Margaret Jennings trailed off. ’She couldn’t imagine herself hawking wares to passersby. She couldn’t even bring herself to haggle; how could she possibly sell anything?’

"I have almost enough food, so I think I’ll pass."

Naomi Kenway didn’t press her. "Alright. See you at the meeting point later, then."

"Carina, say goodbye to Aunt Kenway and Annie."

Carina Sanders looked reluctantly at Ian Shaw. "Annie, Aunt Kenway, we’ll get going then."

"Annie, say bye to Sister Carina."

Ian Shaw waved. "Bye-bye."

[Naomi Kenway is so smart! None of the other guests thought of that. They only said you can’t use your own money, not that you can’t earn it on the spot. The production team really isn’t very thorough.]

[With only one hour, how much money can Naomi Kenway really make? The time is too short. She won’t earn much no matter what she does.] 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

[Naomi Kenway is so clever. I can’t wait to see what she does!]

...

Naomi Kenway soon set her sights on a watermelon stand.

Behind the stall owner was a cart piled high with watermelons. He was sitting on a small stool, fanning himself. When he noticed Naomi Kenway, he asked, "Buying a watermelon, miss?"

"Sir." Naomi Kenway’s gaze shifted from the cart of watermelons behind him. "I can help you sell your watermelons. All you have to do is give me a small commission."

The owner looked at her skeptically. "You should try somewhere else, miss. I can handle this little stand by myself. I can’t afford to pay anyone wages." He glanced at Naomi Kenway and Ian Shaw again. "You two don’t look like you’re hurting for money. Are you just out here for the experience? The sun is brutal, miss. You should take your kid and go home! Stop playing around here!"

"Sir, we’re filming a show, and I really need the money. Please, just let me try. I guarantee I’ll make your business boom. If I don’t sell any watermelons, I won’t ask for a single cent."

"Well..." The owner finally relented. "Alright, you can give it a shot. But let’s be clear: if you don’t sell them, I can’t pay you."

Naomi Kenway sat Ian Shaw down on a little stool in front of the watermelon stand. ’Her son is so adorable,’ she thought, ’he’s sure to attract a lot of customers.’

Grabbing the owner’s megaphone, Naomi Kenway started hawking immediately. "Watermelons for sale! Come and try our big, crisp, sweet watermelons~"

But simply shouting wasn’t enough to draw a crowd, so Naomi Kenway started singing a few songs a cappella.

Her singing wasn’t great, of course, but it achieved its purpose: it got people’s attention.

A few customers recognized her. "Are you Naomi Kenway? Are you guys recording a show? I really like Annie, he’s so cute!"

"If you buy one of our watermelons, you can get a photo with the two of us!"

Thanks to the celebrity effect, a steady stream of customers came to buy watermelons. The entire cart was sold out in no time.

Since the last episode, Naomi Kenway had gained some dedicated fans. A few of them came over but weren’t able to get a watermelon. Still, Naomi Kenway took photos with them anyway.

The owner hadn’t even finished his cigarette. He stared at his empty cart and the cash box overflowing with money, almost thinking he was dreaming.

"So you’re celebrities! That’s incredible!"

The owner took two hundred dollars out of the box. "Here, you’ve earned this. Thank you for all your hard work."

He then ducked back into his truck and pulled out a huge watermelon. It was perfectly round and plump, looking incredibly sweet. "I was saving this one to take home, but I don’t have any other way to thank you. Please, take this watermelon to quench your thirst."