Chapter 270: Chapter 270: I Won’t Spoil You

“I’m just giving you a heads-up,” Naomi Kenway said. “If you try to cause trouble again, don’t blame me for taking direct action.”

Naomi Kenway never planned on going out to find ingredients. The sun was scorching, and the temperature difference between day and night here was drastic. It would likely get cold again after sunset. The extreme shifts from hot to cold were miserable, so she naturally didn’t want to leave if she could rest comfortably at home.

But to avoid the kind of trouble they’d had last time, Naomi Kenway decided to give Chelsea Raines a preemptive warning. She didn’t want Chelsea getting duped again and lashing out like a mad dog.

Naomi Kenway’s passive-aggressive tone made Chelsea Raines uncomfortable, but in this situation, she could only nod in agreement. After all, Naomi had something on her. For one, she knew she was in the wrong about what happened last time. For another, Jared Woods’ incessant whining alone was enough to drive her crazy. She just wanted to resolve the issue quickly and move on.

Margaret Jennings added, “You really are too impulsive. I heard what happened this time. You can’t act like that again; you have to be reasonable.”

In the end, the guests finalized their plan. Naomi Kenway would stay home with the children, while the others took out back-baskets from the kitchen and prepared to go search for ingredients.

Renee Jennings reluctantly shouldered her basket, listening as Ruby Preston, beside her, gave instructions to the group. “Let’s split up. Besides vegetables and rice, we also need to find some seasonings.”

Then, they discussed a more detailed division of labor, with each person responsible for finding different ingredients.

Ruby Preston and Chelsea Raines were in charge of finding fruits and vegetables, Margaret Jennings was responsible for rice and flour, and Renee Jennings was tasked with getting seasonings.

Naomi Kenway watched their figures recede into the distance, then took the children upstairs. Room Four was the most spacious, so she opened the door and led them inside.

She turned on the television, and the children sat together, watching with rapt attention.

Before long, Jared Woods started complaining that he was hungry. The kitchen was bare, so Naomi Kenway just rummaged around the room, found a few apples and pears, and sliced them up for the children to eat.

A cartoon was playing on the TV, and Naomi Kenway found herself watching it intently as well. A moment later, she heard the sound of arguing.

The children had been playing with their toys, which were from the blind boxes they’d gotten inside the chocolates from the production team.

Jared Woods suddenly burst into tears. He pointed a short, chubby finger at Nathan Lynch and sobbed, “You’re mean! You’re the big brother and I’m the little brother, you have to give in to me!”

Nathan Lynch looked completely unfazed, tightly clutching his “gold ingot” toy.

Jared Woods cried even louder, plopped down on the carpet, and began to roll around, wailing that Nathan Lynch was bullying him.

Nathan Lynch seemed stunned, clearly at a loss for what to do.

Naomi Kenway was taken aback by the sudden commotion. She hurried over to help Jared Woods up, but the boy was surprisingly strong. He kicked and flailed, making it impossible for her to get near him.

Naomi Kenway had no choice but to raise her voice. “What is going on here?”

As if seeing his savior, Jared Woods stopped crying for a moment, pointed an accusatory finger at Nathan Lynch, and whined, “I like the gold ingot, I don’t like the building.” As he spoke, he threw the toy in his own hands aside, his voice choked and pitiful. “I wanted to trade with Nathan for a little while, but he said no!”

Nathan Lynch said, “You said the same thing last time, and you never gave it back.”

Jared Woods threw a fit. “I don’t care! I want it! I just want it! You’re the big brother, so you have to give in to the little brother!”

Nathan Lynch wavered for a moment but still shook his head.

Naomi Kenway watched the little brat squirming on the carpet and had to fight the urge to give him a sound thrashing.

[Yikes, kids always fight over the silliest things.]

[Jared is so annoying. Poor Nathan, stop bullying him!]

[Maybe Nathan should just give it to Jared. Listening to a kid cry is so irritating! It’s just a small toy.]

[The big brother should just give in to the little one. Why is Nathan being so difficult?]

[This is a tough situation. Jared is such a handful.]

…

Simon Sawyer watched everything unfold. He could see Naomi Kenway’s dilemma, so he took out his own “motorcycle” toy and offered, “Jared, how about you trade for my motorcycle?”

Jared Woods stopped crying and stared, his eyes fixed on the motorcycle toy in Simon’s hand.

The cameraman breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone thought this was the best solution.

“No,” Naomi Kenway interjected. She asked, “Simon, do you want to trade because you like the building toy, or because you don’t want to make things awkward for everyone?”

Simon Sawyer didn’t answer right away, and Naomi Kenway instantly knew the truth. A pang of sympathy went through her. She knew that Ruby Preston often taught Simon that as a big brother, he had to take care of the younger kids. He often neglected his own feelings to accommodate others.

Simon Sawyer might seem aloof and quiet, but Naomi Kenway knew he was an incredibly soft-hearted child.

“Simon, I don’t want you to sacrifice your own feelings. While it’s good to care for others, the first person you need to take care of is yourself.”

Simon Sawyer froze. His parents always taught him to be responsible, to be a good big brother to the younger kids, and to actively help those around him with their problems.

This was the first time anyone had ever told him to take care of himself first.

Simon Sawyer lowered his head slightly, feeling his eyes begin to sting.

He’d never thought much of it; in fact, he was used to it. But Aunt Kenway’s words made him suddenly realize that someone could see the sacrifices he was making.

Jared Woods, not expecting Naomi Kenway to side against him, continued his tantrum. “I want Nathan’s gold ingot! I want it, I want it!”

“You said it yourself—it’s Nathan’s gold ingot. Why should he have to give it to you?”

Jared Woods froze. “He’s the big brother, so he has to give in to the little brother! That’s what Aunt Rachel said! Nathan isn’t listening!”

“That’s Nathan’s gold ingot. Do you know what ’ownership’ means? Since it’s his toy, what he does with it is his business. Throwing a tantrum won’t change that.”

Jared Woods went back to crying and rolling on the floor.

Naomi Kenway watched him coldly. “I’m not your mom, and I’m not your Aunt Rachel. I’m telling you right now, I’m not going to spoil you.”

Simon Sawyer moved to help Jared Woods up, but Naomi Kenway stopped him. “Don’t. If he wants to cry, let him cry his heart out.”

When he realized no one was coming to comfort him, Jared Woods put on a show of crying even louder.

One minute passed, then two, then five. Jared Woods was still on the floor wailing, but no one paid him any mind. Seeing that nobody was going to coddle him and that his tears were having no effect, he sat up, returned to his stool, and quieted down to a few soft sobs.

Seemingly remembering that he still had to rely on Naomi Kenway for his meals, he dusted himself off and walked over to sweet-talk her.

Naomi Kenway sat on her stool, looking down at him with a calm expression.

“Done crying?”

Jared Woods nodded.

“Done with your tantrum?”

“Uh-huh.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep