Chapter 15

Maddox saw Jamar’s team coming in, looking a bit worn out. He glanced at them and saw them carrying eggs and vegetables. “Is that all you got?” Maddox questioned.

Jamar raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “From the way you’re talking, it sounds like you got a bunch of stuff in return!”

It was impossible. They went to so many houses in the village that afternoon but didn’t run into anyone from Maddox’s team. While they were chatting, they also mentioned in the livestream that Maddox’s team was probably just hanging out in the yard and not going out. Turns out, that was exactly what happened.

Maddox smirked and said, “We didn’t get anything in return, but we’ve already got dinner sorted for tonight.”

Jamar looked skeptical. “You didn’t get anything, so how did you manage to get dinner?”

Maddox gestured towards Phoebe and grinned. “We didn’t have to do anything because Phoebe was on our team.”

After that, Jamar and his teammates were even more confused. Sienna was taken aback. “Wait, you won because of Phoebe’s help?”

“How did that even happen?” Sienna thought. She had to admit that it kinda stung seeing Maddox being so chummy with Phoebe.

Maddox proudly announced, “Phoebe managed to fix the police station’s tractor, so Sheriff Barnes invited us to his house for dinner tonight.”

Sienna was surprised and asked, “Can Phoebe really fix a tractor?”

Jamar also seemed shocked and inquired, “When did you learn to repair tractors!” It was surprising that they didn’t know about this.

Phoebe looked up at Jamar and said, “I’ve always been able to fix it. Didn’t you know!” Jamar was left speechless.

He figured out that he couldn’t relate to Phoebe anymore. He was also feeling down because Phoebe was keeping something from them. So he couldn’t help but sarcastically say, “Wow, you’re amazing.”

Phoebe took it in stride and replied with a smile, “Thanks for the compliment. I think I’m pretty great too.”

Maddox was cracking up at the sight of Jamar getting choked by Phoebe. Jamar’s fans were quick to call out Phoebe for being bold and rude to her senior. But some of Phoebe’s fans and a few viewers thought her straightforwardness was kind of cool. After all, Jamar was the one who made the snarky comment first. Phoebe just didn’t put up with it.

Reece noticed Phoebe’s bold response to Jamar and saw a noticeable change in her attitude. In the past, she would have been more focused on keeping family connections. Now, it was like Jamar was seen as a stranger or someone not worth associating with.

“What about me then? What am I to her now?” Reece wondered. He didn’t know why, but it was really getting on his nerves.

It wasn’t like he could talk to Phoebe about it in the live broadcast, so Reece suggested, “We should go back to the room to take a break.” He also said it to help Jamar out.

Jamar agreed and said, “Sure.” But instead of following Reece back to his room, Jamar went to Sienna’s room. He asked her, “Hey, Sienna, is your foot still bothering you?”

Sienna replied, sounding pitiful, “Yes, it still hurts.”

Before they came here, Leon told her and Lamar to use their close bond as siblings to get more fans. She showed the audience how she hung out with her brothers at home.

“Then let me give you a massage.” Jamar crouched down, looking distressed, and took off her shoes to give her feet a massage.

Sienna leaned in and gave him a nice hug. She even nuzzled her head against his shoulder and said, “My brother is awesome!”

Erika, feeling sore all over, couldn’t help but feel a tad jealous. “I’ve always got this weird feeling when I look at them. Is this really appropriate?” she thought.

In the stream, Jamar and Sienna’s fans all referred to them as the warm-hearted big brother and the sweet little sister, mentioning that they were really sweet and nice.

But some people thought they seemed a bit too close. However, since they were siblings, they didn’t pay much attention to it.

Phoebe had got skills – she was weaving a neat straw storage basket like a boss.

Lexie was amazed. “Theebs, I had no idea you could weave baskets. They all tried before, but they were just too clumsy.”

Phoebe grinned. “I practiced for a while.” She plopped the woven basket on the table. “This is gonna hold all our stuff.”

Lexie checked it out. “Nice! I was wondering where to stash all my skincare goodies. It’ll be perfect for us when we freshen up.” Choosing Phoebe as a roommate was a great call.

Phoebe nodded. “I thought so, too. I’ll whip up some straw hats for us to rock tomorrow while we’re peach-picking, and then I’ll make some baskets for our clothes.”

Maddox, with a smirk, asked, “What about me and James?”

Phoebe looked up. “Of course! We’re a team, so everyone’s covered.”

Maddox laughed. “Well, we won’t say no to that.” He didn’t want to cram all his stuff into a suitcase for a week.

James chimed in, too, “Thanks, Pheebs, you’re awesome!”

Phoebe smiled back. “No worries.” And then she went back to weaving those reeds.

The three guests and the folks watching the livestream saw her hands move like lightning, and soon enough, she had a straw hat in her hands. They knew Phoebe had got some serious skills.

After making a straw hat, Charles’s young son popped in and asked them to come over for dinner.

When they got to Charles’s place, Phoebe and her friends offered to help with the vegetables out of politeness. However, Charles’s family didn’t ask for their help, so they didn’t insist.

The four of them sat down and chatted with Charles, who talked a lot about the village. Charles’s mother and wife prepared six dishes and a stew. Although the dishes looked plain, they were hearty and smelled fantastic.

Despite being hungry, the four of them didn’t show any displeasure and started eating with enthusiasm. They kept complimenting the food, genuinely enjoying the meal. Charles’s family was thrilled, and the vibe during the meal was fantastic.

After dinner, Phoebe and her friends went back to their living quarters with four hot dishes. They swapped dishes and bedding with Sebastian’s crew.

The other team was still in the kitchen, busy cooking. Sienna did most of the cooking, with the other three helping out by washing the vegetables and keeping her company.

Sienna wasn’t a fan of the shabby kitchen, so she accidentally burned the first dish. Then, while making the second dish, she got some oil on her hand, which turned it red and made her eyes water.

Jamar looked concerned. “Sienna, your hand is injured. Let’s stop cooking.”

Sienna didn’t want to keep going, but because it was a live broadcast, she felt she had to maintain the image of a strong and caring woman. Plus, she learned to cook specifically for this show and wanted to show off her skills.

She smiled and said, “It’s fine. I can handle it. If I don’t finish all the dishes, we won’t get our bedding.”

She pretended she could persevere, even though her hands hurt. Reece was moved by her determination, while Erika thought it seemed fake but kept her thoughts to herself.

Jamar shook his head and said, “Sienna, you should go and apply medicine to your injured hand.”

Just then, the voices of Phoebe and her teammates could be heard coming back. Lamar instinctively went out and ordered, “Phoebe, come and help…”