Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Rowing a Boat with a Little Spoon

[Nathan, don’t be discouraged! Everyone makes mistakes. Renee Jennings is such an unreliable mom, she shouldn’t always put so much pressure on her kid.]

…

Nathan Lynch cried nonstop, and Renee Jennings was growing annoyed. She pulled out her handkerchief and did her best to rein in her temper. “Nathan, stop crying. Look, everyone’s watching you. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Nathan Lynch just kept sobbing.

“Nathan, Mommy believes you can definitely get first place next time. Please stop crying, okay?” Renee Jennings coaxed gently.

“What if… what if I can’t get first place again?”

“As long as you work hard, you can definitely get first place. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! You’ve memorized so many classical poems. How could you not remember them just now?”

Nathan Lynch looked dazed. “I… I was too nervous. My mind went blank.”

Renee Jennings felt a little relieved. This meant Nathan wasn’t less skilled than the others. She glanced in Ian Shaw’s direction, then shut her eyes in frustration. ’It’s just reciting a classical poem, that doesn’t prove anything. Nathan’s real strengths are in science and math. Besides, he knows several foreign languages.’

Naomi Kenway watched in surprise as her son picked a few pretty little flowers from the side of the road and then walked toward Renee Jennings.

Although Naomi Kenway didn’t know what her son was up to, she didn’t think to stop him.

Ian Shaw stopped in front of Nathan Lynch and, meeting the other boy’s confused gaze, held out the small pink flowers. Then, Annie rummaged in his pocket for a moment and pulled out a beautiful stone—it was one of Annie’s “magical discoveries” from their journey.

A child’s way of thinking is simple. They have no concept of monetary value; a flower or a stone is enough to express their kindness.

“Nathan, you’re amazing. These flowers are for you, and my jewel, too.”

Nathan Lynch’s sobs suddenly stopped. “Am I really amazing?”

Annie nodded vigorously.

Nathan Lynch’s eyes flickered. Just as he was about to reach out, Renee Jennings tugged him back. Her movement was subtle, something only Nathan could feel.

Renee Jennings stared at Ian Shaw, her expression full of suspicion. ’A little kid couldn’t come up with this on his own. Naomi Kenway must have put him up to this.’

The thought made Renee Jennings grit her teeth in anger.

’That Naomi Kenway is so scheming! She’s trying all these tricks to drive a wedge between me and my son, deliberately trying to make my life miserable!’

Nathan Lynch also seemed to suddenly realize something.

’Mommy said I’m not allowed to play with stupid kids. Playing with stupid kids will make me stupid too. I don’t want to be a stupid kid. If I get any stupider, I won’t be able to recite poems or solve math problems. I don’t want to be a bad kid that everyone hates.’

Nathan Lynch snatched his hand back as if he’d been shocked. For some reason, he didn’t dare to look directly into Ian Shaw’s sincere eyes. “…I don’t want them.”

Renee Jennings smiled. “Annie, you should take these wildflowers and this rock back. Our Nathan has never liked these little trinkets. At home, he only likes to play with building blocks and robots.”

Ian Shaw couldn’t hide his disappointment and ran back to Naomi Kenway’s side.

Though Ian Shaw’s friendly gesture was rejected, Naomi Kenway made sure to first affirm his actions and praise him. She didn’t want this setback to make her son doubt or change himself.

“Annie, you did a wonderful thing. Whether other people accept it or not, that’s their choice, right? We can’t interfere with that.” Naomi Kenway knelt down and stroked Ian Shaw’s cheek.

Ian Shaw nodded, though he only seemed to half-understand.

[Annie is such a sweetheart! Even though he’s the youngest, he’s always looking out for everyone’s feelings. I absolutely love this darling kid!]

[The first thing Annie did after winning wasn’t to show off, but to comfort Nathan. The world of children is so pure and beautiful!]

[My heart aches watching this. I just want to hug Annie. Why is Nathan like that? He’s always so willful and self-centered, it makes him hard to like!]

[There’s no need to criticize the kid. What does a six-year-old know? This is all taught by the parents. Renee Jennings’s parenting style is the problem. She only teaches her kid to cram from books and never teaches him how to get along with people.]

[What’s Renee Jennings’s deal? She gets a superiority complex from playing with building blocks and robots?]

…

Next was the lot-drawing phase. Since Annie had won first place, he and Naomi Kenway had the chance to draw first.

Naomi Kenway frowned. “Drawing lots is still really unpredictable.”

Ian Shaw was still a little traumatized from drawing House No. 5, so he didn’t want to do it. Naomi Kenway had no choice but to go herself. She casually pulled a slip from the bamboo tube. “It’s number one.”

The village chief smiled brightly. “Congratulations, Naomi.”

He took a delicate spoon out of a box behind him. This was Naomi Kenway’s tool for rowing the boat.

It just went to show, no matter who did the drawing, their luck was equally bad.

The camera zoomed in for a close-up on Naomi Kenway’s shocked expression. She took the small spoon, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The faint sound of the other guests’ laughter could be heard from behind her.

Seeing this, Renee Jennings breathed a sigh of relief. ’Good thing Naomi and her son have such unbelievably bad luck,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, it would be hard to say who’d win this competition.’

The rowing tools were numbered one to five in order of increasing size, from a small spoon to a proper oar. Renee Jennings drew number three, a wooden ladle about the size of a bowl. A smile appeared on her face; while it wasn’t the best, at least it wasn’t as terrible as Naomi Kenway’s.

Over the past few episodes, Renee Jennings’s initial disdain for Naomi Kenway had vanished, replaced by a growing wariness. Now that Naomi had drawn a poor tool, it was naturally to her own advantage.

The final results of the draw were announced: Naomi Kenway and her son, Tool #1; Renee Jennings and her son, Tool #3; Ruby Preston and her son, Tool #4; Margaret Jennings and her daughter, Tool #2; and Chelsea Raines and her son, Tool #5.

Having inexplicably gotten the best tool, the oar, Chelsea Raines’s joy was written all over her face.

[OMG, how can Naomi and her son be so unlucky!]

[How are you supposed to row a boat with a tiny spoon? Is the production team kidding? I suspect this show is deliberately messing with Naomi and her son.]

[The production team probably can’t rig it, it’s just that Nina’s luck isn’t very good.]

[The first-place winners, Naomi and her son, got the worst tool, while the last-place team, Chelsea Raines and her son, got the oar. Wow, the irony…]

[Looking forward to Renee’s performance!]

…

*

The so-called “boats” hardly looked like boats at all; they were more like large wooden tubs. One end of each tub was tied to the shore. With the help of the staff, all the mothers got into their boats, while the children stayed on the bank to watch their parents’ performance.

Jared Woods stood with his hands on his hips, declaring triumphantly, “My mom’s definitely going to be first! She’ll make dumplings for me when she gets back. I love the ones with mackerel filling!”

Nathan Lynch retorted, “My mom is the best! My mom is a superhero, she can do anything!”

Carina Sanders and Simon Sawyer also joined the argument, debating which mom was the most amazing.

Ian Shaw didn’t join in, his gaze fixed on Naomi Kenway.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep