Chapter 23
Hearing Sebastian, the Haynes brothers remembered that Phoebe and her companion were celebrities, here to film a show. Afraid of affecting their filming, they agreed.
“Alright, guys, come to my brother’s place for lunch then, and come to me for dinner,” David said. “You’ve had a scare and a tiring day today, so I need to work in the orchard. Just have a good rest.”
Knowing that James and Lexie were on Phoebe’s team, they also warmly invited the two to dinner and freed them from having to work in the orchard, not giving them a chance to recline. Swamped in the hospitality, the four had no choice but to agree.
After the Haynes brothers left, Lexie and James stayed in the courtyard. James smiled at Phoebe. “We won again today because of you.” He genuinely admired Phoebe and Maddox for their actions in rescuing the kids. If it were him, he likely wouldn’t have had the courage to jump into the reservoir during the water release. Because of this incident, he held a great opinion of them. Rescuing children at the risk of their own lives, the two were worth learning from. Moreover, both of them were quite straightforward. Being around such people was not tiring, and he didn’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back.
Lexie had a similar opinion. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Phoebe. “Pheebs, you’re amazing!” Not only was Phoebe skilled in fortune-telling, but she was also brave. Although Lexie herself could swim, she might not have had the courage to jump in. Yet, during that most dangerous wave, Phoebe chose to abandon her rescue to save Maddox. Luckily, it was a successful rescue. If both had been swept away together, there was a high chance they would have both perished. As she couldn’t do such things herself, Lexie admired those who could even more.
“We don’t have to go to the orchard today,” Phoebe smiled and suggested. “We can take on some tasks to do in the courtyard! We can continue with those tasks later.” As she changed the subject, the people present admired her even more. If it were someone else, they would have kept talking about the rescue on the livestream.
Maddox didn’t want to keep bringing up the topic of saving the kids. They simply followed their hearts in doing so instead of seeking credit for it. “Alright, so what work should we take on?” he said.
Phoebe thought for a moment before replying. “What are you…”
“Does being good at gaming count?” Maddox smiled.
Phoebe replied with a chuckle, “You’re an… are you good at… I can take on repairing electrical appliances.”
She shrugged. “But it won’t be of much use on… a champion who brought honor to the country. Being good at gaming definitely counts.”
After being rescued by Phoebe earlier, Maddox felt the distance between him and Phoebe had suddenly shortened. He spoke more casually. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“What are you guys good at?” Phoebe asked, adding, “Or what do you usually enjoy doing?”
“I’m good at gaming, singing, and dancing,” Maddox was straightforward. “Oh, and I’m also good with musical instruments.”
“What I’m best at is acting; my hobbies include oil painting and charcoal painting,” James chimed in.
“My strongest suit is singing, but I can also dance,” Lexie said. “I usually enjoy gaming and shopping.”
Upon hearing these, their fans chimed in with various playful comments on the livestream, creating a lively atmosphere. They found the group…
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Chapter 23
…to be genuine. Phoebe thought for a moment and suggested, “Let’s open up a few classes here based on your talents and hobbies.”
None of the three understood, asking in a puzzled tone, “Classes?”
“Yes,” Phoebe nodded. “Charles said most of the villagers are elderly people and children. It just so happens to be summer vacation now, and the children are all at home, so we can take on jobs targeting them. For example, Maddox, you can teach children to sing, dance, or play musical instruments. James can teach them watercolor painting and oil painting. Lexie can teach them to sing and dance. I can repair electrical appliances or tutor their homework. They don’t need to pay you. Some meals will do.”
The program crew could provide supplementary items, such as musical instruments. This way, not only could they gain food, but it would also make their team’s livestream more interesting. If they were always picking peaches in the orchard like today, the audience would soon find it boring.
The smiles in the eyes of the three deepened at Phoebe’s words. The idea was great; not only was it easier than picking fruit, but it also had much more appeal. Everyone agreed unanimously. “This can work!”
Lexie thought for a moment and proposed, “Why don’t we get ready for it today and start classes tomorrow?” The other three agreed. They also wanted to make good preparations lest they embarrass themselves on the livestream by failing to teach the kids well.
Phoebe smiled. “Then let’s go find Charles later and have him inform the villagers.” The three agreed.
But before they could, Charles came to their door first. He first thanked Phoebe and Maddox for saving the kids. Then he mentioned the reservoir’s gate being suddenly opened earlier. It turned out that the person on duty at the reservoir today went to the bathroom, and his mischievous son ran over to play with the switch. Accidentally, he opened the reservoir’s gate, nearly causing a major disaster. If it weren’t for Phoebe, the two Haynes kids would likely have drowned. There would certainly be no forgiveness for the family guarding the reservoir. A feud would be brewing, and the village would never be in peace. Charles still felt a chill of fear when he recalled it.
After some polite conversation with him, Phoebe and the group mentioned what they had just discussed. Upon hearing this, Charles said with a smile, “This is good. Go ahead and start your classes. Leave the rest to me.” This village was very poor and backward, and he hoped that these celebrities could bring some changes to the children and help them know more about the outside world.
Charles was very familiar with the village, so he took them to the homes of those with children to talk about this. The incident of Phoebe and Maddox rescuing the kids was also promoted in the village. The Haynes brothers mentioned it whenever they met villagers on the way, thus transforming the villagers’ indifference toward Phoebe and the group into favor.
Hearing that these celebrities could teach children to sing, dance, paint, or help with their studies, many elderly villagers and parents were tempted. When they learned that Phoebe could repair electrical appliances and had fixed the broken tractor in the village, those with malfunctioning home appliances brought them out to the courtyard to ask Phoebe for help.
Phoebe was the first to get a job. After borrowing tools from the police station and asking the program team for some materials, she started repairing broken TVs, washing machines, radios, and more for the villagers. Excelling in her work with meticulous attention to detail, she completed tasks both swiftly and proficiently. Apart from the broken appliances that required parts replacement, she fixed all of them.
(Our girl is amazing: it turns out she can fix more than just tractors!)
3:15 PM
Chapter 23
(Even if Pheebs didn’t stay in the entertainment industry, she could make a living with her repair skills.)
(Such a clever little thing. She even came up with the great idea of starting a class.)
(I’m suddenly looking forward to seeing what the four of them will teach the children.)
(My Pheebs is like a hidden treasure, always surprising us.)
In addition to young fans, Phoebe gained many older fans. They kept showering her with praise in the comments, but it didn’t feel overbearing.
At noon, after having a sumptuous lunch at Matthew’s house, the four of them returned to the courtyard. Phoebe continued to repair electrical appliances while the other three prepared the content for their classes. Every time Phoebe fixed an appliance, she would receive offerings of wheat, meat, and vegetables from the villagers.
By the afternoon, after the villagers happily left with their repaired items, the tables in the courtyard were piled high with food, leaving the other team, who had spent most of the day picking fruits outside, utterly in awe. Phoebe’s ability to fix so many appliances was a big surprise to them. And they noticed that Maddox and his two companions were benefiting from her as well, which made them even more envious.