Chapter 31

Janet had been sent away.

In the kitchen, Rebecca turned to look at the stove. Jayden came over and asked, "Um... Can I pitch in with you guys? I can do anything but cook. Just let me know what you need."

Daphne, standing nearby, burst out laughing. "My dad is such a klutz! His cooking is terrible."

Rebecca chuckled. She turned to Daphne and asked with a smile, "Really?"

Daphne answered seriously, "Really! Last time, for Mom's birthday, Dad wanted to surprise her with breakfast. He got up early to cook but ended up setting our kitchen on fire! The food was burnt to a crisp, and we all nearly had a disaster on our hands!"

Jayden face-palmed, looking at his daughter helplessly. Meanwhile, countless fans in the livestream were laughing hysterically.

"What do you want to eat? I can cook for you," Charlie quickly offered. His sister had just finished her postpartum period; she shouldn't overwork herself. She needed rest.

Jayden was taken aback and glanced at Charlie. The two men stared at each other, eyes locking in a silent, intense showdown. Jayden quickly came to his senses, realizing that Rebecca had just had babies and was still recovering. Asking her to cook was definitely too much. But he really couldn't cook.

"Thank you?" Jayden looked at Charlie and cautiously ventured.

Charlie nodded. "Sure."

"Then could you just whip up something simple for us? As long as it fills us up, we're not picky," Jayden said sheepishly. "Oh, do you know how to make chicken soup? I can help with killing the chicken," he quickly added.

"Chicken soup is delicious!" Daphne immediately chimed in.

Charlie chuckled. "Alright, you go kill the chicken."

"I can cook, too! Let me join you," Phoebe shouted, having just finished washing her hands. She eagerly ran over. "There are so many of us to feed. It would be exhausting for just Charlie and Becky to do all the cooking. Let's all pitch in and make it easier," Phoebe said happily.

"Sounds good," Rebecca agreed with a smile.

"We can help wash the vegetables," Angie quickly chimed in, rushing over. Both she and her sister couldn't cook, and with all the guests already pitching in, they didn't want to feel out of place.

Charlie looked at Angie and nodded. "Alright." Then he urged, "Okay, everyone knows their task now. Let's get to work and do it quickly."

The show's crew finished discussing, and everyone began their assigned tasks.

Outside the village, Theodore sat in the car, watching the crew film inside and outside the house. His expression was grim. He stayed in the car, not making a move to get out.

Wyatt hesitated, then cautiously said, "Theodore?"

There was no response. Wyatt looked at him, feeling conflicted. "Once they finish lunch, there should be a break. I'll speak with the director and arrange for you to visit the set during that break," Wyatt carefully explained. Theodore didn't say a word, but Wyatt knew he had silently agreed.

Although Janet eagerly volunteered to gather ingredients, she made a fool of herself in the field because she couldn't recognize the vegetables. Thanks to the fans' tips in the comment section, she finally picked the right ones.

It's worth mentioning that the garden had bugs. While picking vegetables, Karen accidentally had a thumb-sized green caterpillar crawl onto her hand, causing her to scream and run around wildly. She ended up trampling many vegetables, leaving many viewers stunned. Once they realized what had happened, some scolded her for wasting food.

Having suppressed her frustration since yesterday, Karen finally reached her breaking point. Ignoring Janet's reminder, she directly confronted the viewers, arguing with them in front of the livestream camera. The viewers, now being yelled at, were even more upset. The comments exploded, with many criticizing Karen for destroying the villagers' hard-earned vegetables.

Despite the commotion, filming continued. Annoyed, Janet hastily gathered some vegetables and returned.

Everyone was busy with their tasks inside the house. When Janet and Karen came back with the vegetables, Phoebe warmly welcomed them. She took the vegetables and went straight to the faucet to wash them.

Rebecca and Charlie were preparing lunch in the kitchen. Contrary to what was previously mentioned, Charlie firmly refused to let Rebecca do any work, especially anything involving cold water. He wouldn't let her touch it, instead pushing her to the stove to fuel the fire.

Unable to refuse her brother's kindness, Rebecca sat by the warm stove, slowly adding wood to the fire while warming herself. Charlie began cooking as various ingredients were gradually prepared and brought to the kitchen.

Rebecca, tending the fire, chatted with Charlie, occasionally reminding him to add certain seasonings, especially garlic, which she insisted must not be left out. Janet was allergic to garlic. The chicken soup and fish definitely needed some.

Garlic was such a common kitchen ingredient that even Phoebe, who had been helping in the kitchen the entire time, didn't notice anything unusual. Janet rarely cooked, so until lunch was served, she never suspected that Rebecca would add something to which she was allergic. It wasn't until she saw the garlic in the chicken soup and the fish that she remembered her allergy. She couldn't eat any of it.

As everyone else enjoyed the delicious meal, Janet could only eat her salad, holding her bowl resignedly. Rebecca observed Janet's reaction and felt a wave of satisfaction. Of all the people to provoke, why choose her brother?

After everyone had eaten, it was time for a break, and the production crew temporarily turned off the livestream. However, just as the livestream was cut, someone walked in. It was Theodore.

The moment Rebecca saw Theodore, her hands and feet froze. She was stunned and stared at him in disbelief. Janet also saw Theodore and was thrilled. She immediately ran over to him. "Theodore, what are you doing here?"

The other guests and crew members turned to look at them. Holding Theodore's arm with a blissful expression, Janet said, "Theodore, did you come to see the baby? He's right over there with the nanny and doing great."