The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 72: Renee Jennings, You Are Too Irresponsible
Carina Sanders was firm, so there was nothing Margaret Jennings could do. In the end, Jared Woods trudged back to his seat, his eyes still a little red.
He was just a child, after all. The tour guide went over to comfort him. "Jared, don’t cry. We’ll be eating dumplings soon."
Jared instantly stopped crying and grinned. "What’s the filling?"
The guide was amused by his abrupt change in mood. "All sorts of kinds."
Jared’s tears turned to smiles. "Okay, dumplings."
Chelsea Raines also breathed a sigh of relief from the side. If he kept making a scene, she wouldn’t be able to control him either.
Ruby Preston hesitated nearby, then decided to speak up. "This might sound a bit offensive, but Chelsea Raines, you spoil that child way too much. You can’t just give him whatever he wants. Sooner or later, this is going to cause a major problem."
Chelsea Raines let out a small sound. "But Jared is my only son. Before I became an actress, I had three younger brothers at home, and our life was very hard growing up. Now that I have money, of course I want my son to have a better life."
"I understand, but spoiling him and providing for him are two different things." Ruby Preston sighed. "Ultimately, it’s your family matter. Just think about it."
Chelsea Raines stood rooted to the spot, feeling inexplicably lost.
The final results for the house selection were announced: Naomi Kenway and her son chose the small bamboo house, number four. Renee Jennings and her son picked the clean and tidy stone house, number one. Margaret Jennings and her daughter selected house number two, which came with chickens and ducks. Chelsea Raines and her son ended up with house number three, which was a bit far away, and Ruby Preston and her son were forced to take the thatched cottage, number five.
The guide picked up the megaphone again. "Before we move on to the next activity, everyone needs to hand over their electronic devices and snacks."
Jared Woods, who had just been all smiles, once again burst into world-shaking sobs.
After collecting the contraband, the guide shouted, "Alright, everyone, the dumplings we just wrapped have all been cooked at the village chief’s house! Follow me, let’s go eat!"
Naomi Kenway carried her suitcase. She hadn’t packed much this time, but it was still a bit heavy, forcing her to hold Ian Shaw’s hand with one hand as she walked.
"Ian, what kind of filling do you like in your dumplings?"
Ian thought for a moment. "Mushroom, egg..."
The village chief’s house was nearby, and they arrived after about a five-minute walk.
The guests left their luggage in the courtyard and then went inside.
The village chief, a kind man in his fifties, greeted them. "Welcome, everyone, to Lyrish Village. The dumplings are ready. You can take as much as you can eat, but please don’t let any go to waste."
The guests thanked him one after another.
Several large basins held different kinds of dumplings, and the guide thoughtfully explained each type.
The dumplings were steaming hot. Worried her son might burn himself, Naomi helped him get his food. She scooped up whichever dumplings Ian pointed to.
Once the bowl was full, Naomi seriously considered her son’s appetite. "Ian, can you finish a bowl this big? Remember, we can’t waste food."
Ian thought for a moment before shaking his head.
It wouldn’t be proper to put the dumplings back, so Naomi Kenway transferred the excess ones to her own bowl.
A little more than half a bowl remained. Naomi put the bowl down and then lifted Ian Shaw onto a high stool. "Sweetie, start with these. If you’re still hungry, we can always get more."
Ian nodded.
CLATTER! A noise sounded from the next table. It was Jared Woods, carrying a bowl piled high with dumplings.
Margaret Jennings stared in astonishment. "I’m not even sure I could finish a bowl that big. Can Jared really eat all that?"
Chelsea Raines said nonchalantly, "Jared has a big appetite; he can finish it. He wanted to try one of each kind, and I can hardly stop him from eating, can I?"
Margaret Jennings didn’t say anything else.
The flower-shaped dumplings Naomi Kenway had made became a hot commodity. The adults didn’t get any, but each child received two.
Nathan Lynch picked up a flower dumpling with his chopsticks, his face full of amazement, and asked Renee Jennings beside him, "Mom, did you make this?"
Renee Jennings’s hand froze around her chopsticks. "No."
"Then who made them?"
Annoyed, Renee Jennings slammed her chopsticks onto her bowl. "Nathan, no talking while you eat. How many times have I taught you that rule? Have you forgotten already?"
Nathan lowered his head and stopped talking.
"Aunt Kenway made them," Simon Sawyer answered in Renee Jennings’s stead. He then turned to Ruby Preston. "Mom, do you know how to make dumplings that look like flowers?"
"I’m not very good at it."
"Oh." It seemed he was just asking a simple question.
Ruby Preston looked over at Naomi Kenway. "Naomi, when you have a moment, I’ll have to get you to teach me your dumpling-making method."
Naomi Kenway smiled. "Anytime." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
"Naomi is usually quite busy, Ruby. I know how to make dumplings, too," Renee Jennings interjected.
Ruby Preston politely declined with a smile. "Simon likes his dumplings to be pretty and unique."
Renee Jennings said nothing more.
Soon, all the guests had finished eating. Only Jared Woods’s bowl still had quite a bit of food left. Chelsea Raines was on a diet and couldn’t eat any more.
The village chief came over. "You should really finish those dumplings. It’d be a shame to waste them."
Chelsea Raines was unmoved. "It’s just a few dumplings, isn’t it? If they’re left over, they’re left over. My son doesn’t really like dumplings that much anyway."
Ruby Preston, unhappy with her attitude, said, "Didn’t you just say Jared has a big appetite?"
"Well... no matter how delicious the dumplings are, I can’t let Jared eat until he’s sick!"
"Then why did you give him so much?"
"I..." Chelsea Raines wrung her hands. "I didn’t think he wouldn’t be able to finish it all."
Margaret Jennings chimed in, "Wasting food isn’t a good habit. You should eat the leftover dumplings. The village chief and his family worked hard cooking for us, and they probably prepared the fillings, too."
The guide walked over. "It really is best not to waste food."
Jared Woods insisted he couldn’t eat another bite, even if it killed him. In the end, Chelsea Raines had to force herself to finish the leftovers.
Naomi Kenway averted her assessing gaze.
Suddenly, Nathan Lynch started scratching his neck, a pained expression on his face. "Mom, it’s kind of itchy."
"Why would it be itchy?"
Renee Jennings slowly went over to look and was shocked to see a red rash breaking out on the back of Nathan’s neck.
Naomi Kenway was the closest and rushed over to see, only to be pushed away by Renee Jennings.
Renee Jennings stared at her warily.
Naomi Kenway laughed in exasperation. "With all these cameras on us, what do you think I’m going to do, eat him?" Then, Naomi shoved Renee Jennings aside and stepped forward to examine the boy.
Naomi Kenway’s expression grew grim. "It looks like an allergic reaction. We need to get a doctor over here, quickly."
The show’s on-site medical team arrived quickly and confirmed it was an allergic reaction to seafood. Thankfully, the reaction was mild, and Nathan felt much better after taking some medicine.
Naomi Kenway stood to the side, her arms crossed. "If you knew Nathan was allergic to seafood, why did you let him eat shrimp-filled dumplings?"
Renee Jennings was flustered. "I-I didn’t know."
Ruby Preston frowned. "You’re his mother, and you don’t even know what he’s allergic to?"
"I..." Renee Jennings looked at Nathan and started blaming him. "Nathan, why didn’t you tell Mommy you can’t eat seafood?"
"I... I forgot..."
The corner of Naomi Kenway’s mouth twitched. "You should pay a little more attention to Nathan. You brought him here to have a good time, not to go through an ordeal."
’How dare Naomi Kenway lecture me?!’
Renee Jennings gritted her teeth, but her expression turned sincere. "It was all my fault for being so careless." She then hugged Nathan and cried, "Nathan, it’s all Mommy’s fault that this happened to you. Please forgive Mommy, okay?"
