The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 70: I’m Young, but I’m Not Stupid

Naomi Kenway stepped out of the wooden boat and pulled her son into her arms. "Ian, Mommy got first place! Now we can live in a big house!"

"Mommy worked so hard. Ian doesn’t want to live in a big house anymore! No big house!" Ian Shaw looked at Naomi Kenway’s reddened palms, and his eyes welled up with tears.

"It doesn’t hurt, Ian. It just looks a little scary, but I really can’t feel a thing." Naomi Kenway didn’t have a handkerchief, so she reached out to wipe the tears from the corner of Ian Shaw’s eyes. "Oh, you little crybaby. It breaks Mommy’s heart to see you cry. Don’t cry, sweetie."

Ian Shaw suddenly pulled Naomi Kenway’s hand toward him and blew on it gently. "PUFF... PUFF... Pain, pain, fly away... fly away..."

Naomi Kenway was deeply moved. She put on a spirited look and flexed her hand. "Does Ian know magic? Mommy’s hand doesn’t hurt at all now."

Ian looked skeptical. "Really?"

"Really!" Naomi Kenway reached out and wiped away his tears again. "It’s windy out here, so don’t cry. What will Mommy do if you ruin that handsome face of yours? Ian is a handsome little guy."

Ian Shaw broke into a smile through his tears.

The other guests also came ashore one after another, and the children ran over to greet them.

Nathan Lynch affectionately put his arms around Renee Jennings’ waist. "Mom, did you get first place?"

Renee Jennings looked embarrassed. "Nathan, Mom’s not a superhero. It’s impossible to get first place every time. You have to be more understanding."

"But..." Nathan Lynch tilted his head and asked earnestly, "but you always want me to get first place, and you get angry when I don’t. If I fail, will you be understanding of me, too?"

"That..." Renee Jennings said angrily, "How can you compare those two things? I want you to get first place for your own good. If you don’t work hard now, you’ll end up crying on a construction site when you’re older!"

"Oh..." Nathan Lynch said, as if he understood. "So, it’s okay for a mom to want what’s best for her kid, but not for a kid to want what’s best for his mom? Is that it?"

Renee Jennings was speechless for a long moment. She almost got tangled up in Nathan’s logic.

Chelsea Raines, standing nearby, had heard enough. "Nathan, why do you talk so much? Kids should just listen to their parents. Renee is your mother; she would never harm you. Stop talking back to your mom."

Nathan Lynch fell silent. He felt like countless questions were tangled up inside him, contradictory and conflicting, and he couldn’t find an answer to any of them. He was still too young to understand such complex problems.

The tour guide blew a whistle. "Everyone, gather over here to choose your houses."

All the guests gathered together.

The tour guide took out a few cards. "Alright, let me introduce the houses for this segment."

"Number One is a very unique stone house. It has a minimalist style, but it’s fully furnished inside..."

Margaret Jennings nodded. "This house isn’t bad. It looks quite clean, too." She looked down and asked Carina Sanders, "Carina, do you like this house?"

Carina Sanders shook her head. "I want a pink princess room! And it has to have a swing!"

"Where are we going to find a pink house, my darling..." Margaret Jennings said helplessly.

"Number Two is a red-tiled brick house. It has chickens and ducks, and the neighbors next door make rice cakes."

Jared Woods’s eyes lit up when he heard "rice cakes." He reached out and tugged on Chelsea Raines’s clothes. "Mommy, cakies..."

"All you think about is eating," Chelsea Raines said disdainfully. "With chickens and ducks, the yard must smell terrible. Besides... we came in fourth. We probably won’t get to pick it anyway..."

Jared Woods was instantly dejected. His stocky frame slumped as he squatted on the ground.

"It’s all your fault!"

"House Number Three is very spacious, has a separate yard, and is in a quiet location. The downside is that it’s a bit far, so you’ll have to do a bit of walking. House Number Four is a small bamboo house designed by a local villager. There’s a bamboo forest right in front. The house is two stories high, and from the balcony, you get a fantastic view of the green mountains and clear waters in the distance."

Naomi Kenway was captivated the moment she saw the little bamboo house. She’d never lived in such a unique house before, but she didn’t know what her son would like. She would let Ian choose the house in a bit.

When the beaming tour guide produced the photo for House Number Five, all the guests gasped.

Chelsea Raines said with utter disgust, "Why is House Number Five always the rundown one? Can’t the production team even switch up the order?"

The tour guide continued his beaming introduction, "As you can all see, House Number Five is a thatched-roof cottage. It’s over fifty years old and still standing tall."

The thatched-roof cottage was dilapidated, with a large, possibly unusable water vat out front. It wasn’t much different from the rundown earthen hut from the first episode.

Ruby Preston sighed. She already knew her fate.

Simon Sawyer said with the air of a tiny adult, "Don’t look so gloomy all the time. There are always more solutions than problems."

Although her son’s way of comforting her wasn’t exactly soft and cuddly, Ruby Preston still felt a little comforted. She put her arm around Simon Sawyer’s shoulder. "You have a point. As long as I can be with my son, any place we live is a mansion."

Simon Sawyer uncomfortably shrugged off Ruby Preston’s arm, his face turning a little red. "Mom, why are you being so mushy?"

"Oh? Getting embarrassed by your old mom now, are you, kiddo?"

Naomi Kenway had won first place and earned the right to choose a house first. She gave Ian Shaw a gentle push forward. "Son, go take a look. Pick whichever one you like! We’ve finally turned things around! No more rundown houses for us!"

But Ian Shaw didn’t move. Naomi Kenway remembered what he had said earlier and instantly understood why he was reluctant. "Son, Mommy knows you’re worried about me. But listen. If you don’t go choose a house, then all of Mommy’s hard work will have been for nothing. Don’t you think so?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Realization dawned on Ian Shaw. He took a step forward and gazed thoughtfully at the cards in the tour guide’s hand.

Jared Woods snuck up next to Ian Shaw and whispered in his ear, "Ian, House Number Five is the most fun. You can make mud pies and play house. Quick, pick Number Five."

Ian Shaw glanced at the card for House Number Five, then turned and gave Jared Woods a deadpan look.

Ian announced loudly, "I want House Number Four!"

"House Number Four? An excellent choice!" The tour guide pulled out the matching card and handed it to him.

"You..." Jared Woods pointed a finger at him. "You... how could you not listen to me!"

Ian Shaw walked straight past him and returned to Naomi Kenway’s side.

[I’m dying laughing at the look Ian just gave him. Ian must have been thinking, ’I may be young, but I’m not stupid.’]

[Jared Woods has, like, a million schemes, and every single one is written all over his face.]

[House Number Four is so nice. Just looking at it is relaxing. I wonder what it’s like to live in that little bamboo house. The person who built it must have had such elegant taste!]

[Why is Jared Woods so mean? Did Chelsea Raines put him up to it?]

[It’s just a bit of childish scheming, you can’t really call him a bad kid!]