The carpenter offered to help Naomi Kenway build a stove and some furniture, but she thought it would be too much of a bother for the elderly gentleman and insisted on doing it herself.
Naomi Kenway sat on a small stool in the courtyard, observing the carpenter's every move. Each action was embedded in her mind like a scene in slow motion.
After the carpenter finished his demonstration, Naomi Kenway picked up a wooden plank.
Her memory had improved significantly, but putting it into practice was another story. With one careless slip, she cut her thumb. She quickly pressed down on it, but fresh blood still seeped out.
The carpenter hurriedly stood up and went to get a bandage.
[Naomi Kenway didn't scream? Doesn't she usually wail for ages over a tiny scrape?]
[Did she see Renee getting attention for her DIY rug and decide to jump on the bandwagon? She wanted to steal the spotlight, but ended up hurting herself instead. Naomi Kenway, you're such a joke!]
[This must be her real goal. Now that her finger is hurt, she doesn't have to struggle with making the stool anymore. The carpenter is so nice, he'll definitely just give her the furniture for free. Then her team can push the "hard-working" persona. Killing three birds with one stone, huh!]
[Pfft, and here I thought Naomi Kenway had actually changed. Looks like she's back to playing the victim.]
[Naomi Kenway has a million tricks up her sleeve, and they're all for cutting corners. I'm going back to Renee's stream. It's so wholesome over there, and she's showing everyone how to put together a rug.]]
...
Naomi Kenway was completely unaware of the comments on her livestream, not that she would have cared. All she wanted was to do her best to provide a good living environment for her son.
After applying the bandage, Naomi Kenway flexed her finger. It stung a little, but it was completely bearable.
The carpenter said, "It's common for beginners to get hurt. I know you celebrities don't often do this kind of manual labor. Don't be too hard on yourself, young lady. Besides, this isn't something you can learn in a day. In my warehouse..."
Naomi Kenway interrupted him. "Thank you, sir, but I've always been very interested in woodworking. Could you please show me again?"
The carpenter couldn't bring himself to refuse her again. He sighed, "Not many young people are interested in woodworking these days. Since you want to learn, miss, I'll certainly teach you. But your hand..."
"It's fine."
Ian Shaw, who had been sitting quietly on a small stool, heard the commotion and trotted over on his short legs. When he saw the bandage on Naomi Kenway's finger, his eyes instantly welled up, but he didn't dare get too close. "Mommy, owie..."
Naomi Kenway smiled. "It doesn't hurt at all. This is a new ring Mommy designed. Do you like it?"
Ian Shaw nodded hesitantly, his tightly clenched fists relaxing slightly.
Naomi Kenway took Ian Shaw's hand and put a bandage on his thumb too. "Do you like it?" she asked softly.
Ian Shaw looked from Naomi Kenway's finger to his own, his big, grape-like eyes sparkling. "Just like Mommy's!"
"That's right, we're matching."
Naomi Kenway picked up a small wooden sword from nearby. She had just finished making it, and "Ian" was carved into it.
Ian Shaw took it, his face lighting up with surprise. He couldn't believe his mother would give him a toy—a handmade one, at that.
Naomi Kenway told him, "Go on and play, but be careful not to hurt yourself or anyone else, okay?"
Ian Shaw nodded obediently and ran off to play happily in an open area.
Naomi Kenway picked up her board and got back to work.
Selecting and cutting the wood, shaping it, piecing it together, adding the finishing touches...
Every time she failed, she started over, tirelessly repeating the same motions.
Finally...
Naomi Kenway wiped the sweat from her forehead. She looked at the proper little stool she was holding and finally broke into a smile.
The carpenter, watching from the side, clicked his tongue in amazement. "Good heavens! Miss, you have real perseverance and talent. Ian is truly blessed to have a mother like you."
Naomi Kenway paused for a moment, then smiled. "Actually, I'm the one who's blessed to have a child like Ian."
In the background, Ian Shaw, who had been waving his small wooden sword, froze.
Naomi Kenway's livestream chat erupted.
[No way, did she actually make it?!]
[Oh my god, it's almost dark. Naomi Kenway is really going all out. If I had to repeat those same few motions for so long, I would have lost my mind by now!]
[Naomi Kenway is really trying so hard for Ian. And she's someone who's clearly not used to physical work...]
[Learning to make a stool in one afternoon? I don't buy it. Naomi Kenway must have secretly practiced at home! This is scripted! It has to be scripted!!!]
After the small stool, Naomi Kenway went on to make a table and other items, leaving the online viewers slack-jawed and screaming that it was impossible.
Viewership in Naomi Kenway's stream skyrocketed. Viewers from the other contestants' streams heard what was happening and rushed over to watch Naomi's epic DIY session.
*
Since they hadn't received their next task yet, the cast of "My Super Mom" were all gathered at Renee Jennings's villa, chatting about everything from family to child-rearing.
Ruby Preston glanced around, but still saw no sign of Naomi Kenway. She couldn't help but ask, "Where's Naomi? Didn't she come?"
Chelsea Raines scoffed. "Iris, you must not have heard. Renee went all the way to Naomi's dilapidated little hut to get her, but no one was there. We asked the crew and found out she'd gone off to find a carpenter to learn furniture-making. I have no idea what got into her. With that slow brain of hers, she couldn't learn it in a few months, let alone one afternoon."
Ruby Preston and Margaret Jennings didn't say anything, but they too thought Naomi Kenway's actions were rather absurd. Making furniture wasn't something you could learn overnight.
"Fruit's here!" Renee Jennings came over holding a platter laden with sliced fruit from the villa's refrigerator.
Chelsea Raines took the platter and set it on the table, not forgetting to add a compliment. "You cut this fruit so beautifully. Oh, right, Renee, you made this rug yourself, didn't you? It's incredible."
Renee Jennings smiled humbly. "Oh, it's not that impressive. I just found some scrap fabric and stitched them together. That child of mine, Mona, likes to roughhouse indoors, and I was worried he'd bump himself without a rug."
Margaret Jennings made a sound of surprise. "Mona seems so quiet. I never would have thought he's a handful like my Carina."
Carina Sanders put down her apple, her cheeks puffed out. "Carina is not a handful! Carina is a good girl!"
"Yes, yes, Carina is the best girl. Mommy misspoke." Margaret Jennings quickly pulled Carina into a hug, smiling.
Nathan Lynch sat beside Renee Jennings, working on math problems he despised. When he heard what she said, he wanted to argue. 'I never roughhouse in my room,' he thought, but decided against it and remained silent.
As if remembering something amusing, Chelsea Raines couldn't suppress a smile. "Renee, do you think Naomi decided to go make furniture just because she saw you make that rug? She's always been a copycat, hasn't she?"
Renee Jennings listened, inwardly thinking that Naomi Kenway was completely overestimating her own abilities. 'Just embroidering one flower on the rug took me ages of practice in private. Could it be that Naomi secretly practiced at home too?'
She dismissed the thought as soon as it arose. 'A person as lazy as Naomi would never spend her own time learning something. The more she embarrasses herself, the better. How else will my own talents shine in comparison?'
Renee Jennings sighed. "I'm still so worried about Ian. I wonder how that poor child is doing. House No. 5 is completely uninhabitable, and Naomi is so..."
She cut herself off at the perfect moment and sighed again. "If only I'd been more insistent, Ian wouldn't be suffering with Naomi right now. It's all my fault..."
Chelsea Raines consoled her. "What can we do if Naomi insists on making her child suffer? Just you wait. It won't be long before she comes crying to us for help. I've known her for years; I know her inside and out. She can't keep up this 'good mom' act for long."
Renee Jennings nodded, feeling slightly reassured.
*
In a single afternoon, Naomi Kenway had transformed the dilapidated earthen hut. While it wasn't exactly exquisite, it was now clean and tidy. Wildflowers grew in the yard, so Naomi picked a few to decorate the room, making it look much cozier.
Ian Shaw loved the red dates growing in the yard, so Naomi Kenway used a pole to knock some down for the table. However, she didn't let him eat too many, lest he get a stomachache.
Their dinner was delivered by the production team, which saved them the trouble of cooking.
Just as Naomi Kenway placed a piece of egg into Ian Shaw's bowl, she heard faint, mocking laughter from outside.
"I wonder how her furniture turned out. The nerve of her, even trying."
The wooden door was pushed open, and Renee Jennings and Chelsea Raines walked in.
Chelsea Raines's eyes swept over the decorations in the room, then landed on the brand-new stove, table, and chairs. The smile on her face froze instantly.
"Naomi Kenway! The rules say we can't ask the production team for help. How is this any different from cheating!"