novelraw Chapter 71: Jared Woods Royally Screws His Mom Over
Chapter 71: Jared Woods Royally Screws His Mom Over
When Ian Shaw returned, he happily high-fived Naomi Kenway. "Mommy, we get to live in the little bamboo house!"
Naomi Kenway was beaming. "Son, I didn’t expect our tastes to be so similar! We really are mother and son!" she said, then asked, "Annie, why do you like the little bamboo house?"
Naomi wanted to understand every single one of her son’s preferences.
To her surprise, Ian Shaw answered, "Because Mommy likes it!"
Naomi Kenway was stunned. "Because I like it?"
Ian Shaw nodded vigorously, his eyes full of anticipation. As if seeking praise, he asked, "Does Mommy like it?"
"I do." Naomi Kenway bent down and pulled Ian Shaw into a hug. "You silly boy. Mommy sent you to choose so you could pick a house that *you* like. Why did you just go with Mommy’s preference?"
"If Mommy likes it, Annie likes it!"
Naomi Kenway smiled. ’But I don’t remember saying I liked House Number Four,’ she thought. ’So how did Annie sense it?’
"Annie, how could you tell that Mommy liked House Number Four?"
Ian Shaw thought for a moment. "I could feel it. When they mentioned House Number Four, Mommy, your hand moved up a little."
’He could sense such a subtle movement?’ Naomi Kenway said, gratified, "Annie, you’re such a comfort to Mommy."
[Who was it that called Annie dumb? Seriously, his level of awareness is incredible. What four-year-old thinks that deeply?]
[I don’t think the OP is right. Being emotionally perceptive and being smart aren’t the same thing, are they?]
[Ahhhh, Naomi and Annie, I’m crying... They’re both so considerate of each other. Their bond is so wholesome, I’m totally invested!]
[Annie is so thoughtful. He’s always thinking of others and never throws a tantrum. But Annie, you’re still just a little kid. This auntie hopes you can be a little more selfish sometimes. I feel like he sometimes unconsciously tries to please others. I just hope he can be happy and go after what he really wants!]
[The commenter above is totally right! But Annie has come out of his shell so much since he first arrived. Maybe that’s the whole point of filming *Super Mom*! I hope our sweet Annie continues to do better and better!]
...
The house selection continued. Jared Woods watched with longing eyes. When he learned that Carina Sanders had drawn the number two red-tiled house, the one with the rice cakes, he instantly became upset. He grabbed Chelsea Raines’s clothes and wouldn’t let go. "I want Number Two! Mommy, buy me Number Two!"
Chelsea Raines pried his hand away. "Jared, the houses are chosen by drawing lots, we can’t buy them."
"I don’t care! I want Number Two!" Tears streamed from the corners of Jared Woods’s eyes as he wailed, "I want Number Two, I want Number Two..."
Renee Jennings looked over. "What’s wrong with Jared?"
"He’s insisting on throwing a fit here. I don’t know what to do with him." Chelsea Raines was at her wits’ end with Jared pestering her. On a normal day, she would have plucked the stars from the sky for him if he’d asked, but this situation wasn’t nearly as simple.
Renee Jennings tried to reason with him. "Jared, you need to behave. Why are you being so naughty? Look at Mona, she never fusses." As she said the last part, a look of unconscious pride appeared on her face.
Jared Woods wiped away his tears. "Mona’s a dummy. I’m not..."
Renee Jennings’s expression immediately soured.
Chelsea Raines clapped a hand over Jared Woods’s mouth, scrambling to explain. "No, no, Rachel, I really didn’t teach him that! He’s just making things up..."
Jared Woods pushed her hand away. "My mommy said Ian Shaw is a dummy, that he’s slow and doesn’t react! So Mona is a dummy too because she doesn’t cry or make a fuss! And Sean..."
Mortified, Chelsea Raines clamped her hand over Jared Woods’s mouth again, this time determined not to let him say another word. ’He can’t draw a simple conclusion from a math problem, so how is he suddenly putting all this together now?’ she thought in despair.
The corner of Naomi Kenway’s mouth twitched, and her eyes turned to ice. "Chelsea Raines, it looks like you give your son plenty of ’special tutoring’ at home, don’t you?"
Ruby Preston also looked on with disapproval. "Children are supposed to be innocent. What on earth are you teaching him all day? You should at least avoid using that kind of language in front of a child, shouldn’t you?"
Chelsea Raines was utterly mortified. She had just offended Renee Jennings as well, and now there was no one left to come to her defense.
"Kids say the darndest things, he must have misheard! Our Jared has a terrible memory, so please, don’t take him seriously, haha, really, don’t..."
Of course, no one believed her excuse. Chelsea Raines knew she had managed to offend almost everyone present.
She loved to run her mouth at home and had often bad-mouthed the other guests in front of Jared. She never thought her own words would come back to bite her like this.
[Is this some kind of live-action drama? Jared is an expert at throwing his mom under the bus, lmao.]
[I knew Chelsea Raines had a sharp tongue, but I didn’t realize she was this vile. Forget everything else, shouldn’t she at least tone it down in front of the kids? I was wondering where Jared learned all those insults. Turns out he got them all from her!]
[Wait, our Annie is so adorable. How could anyone call him a dummy?]
[I’m officially no longer a fan of Chelsea Raines. Someone who insults a child... I can only imagine what a garbage person she is in private.]
...
Jared Woods, completely oblivious to the trouble he’d caused, was still whining, "Mommy, I want House Number Two! I want the yummy cakes! If you don’t get it for me, you don’t love me anymore!"
Exasperated, but still not having the heart to scold him, Chelsea Raines said, "You... if you want the house, go ask for it yourself."
Jared Woods actually did it, scampering over to Margaret Jennings. "Aunt Jennings, I want House Number Two!"
Margaret Jennings looked troubled. "Jared, Carina was the one who chose that house. It’s not my decision to make."
Jared Woods immediately switched targets, but Carina Sanders just huffed. "I’m not trading houses with a meanie!"
"I’m not a meanie! My mommy says I’m the cutest kid in the whole world!"
"You are not cute! You snatched Annie’s flowers, and you hit him and called him names!"
"I... I..." Unable to win the argument, Jared Woods threw himself on the ground and started rolling around. "AHHHH, you’re bullying me! You’re bullying me! I don’t want to play with you anymore!"
Carina Sanders took a step back. "Who’d want to play with a meanie anyway?"
Chelsea Raines hurried over and pulled him up. "You little troublemaker! How many times have I told you not to get your clothes dirty! This outfit is from the new season’s collection!"
Tears and snot streamed down Jared Woods’s face. He sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. The sight almost made Chelsea Raines faint from anger.
Margaret Jennings’s heart softened. "Carina, maybe we could..."
"No!" Carina Sanders said firmly. "Mommy, Jared is doing this on purpose! He’s just trying to look pitiful!"
[Carina might be wearing a princess dress, but she’s a total queen!]
[I absolutely love Carina! She’s so level-headed and independent. Best Actress Jennings did an amazing job raising her!]
[Um... I heard Best Actress Jennings is always busy with work and Carina was raised by her grandmother. You can actually tell their personalities aren’t that similar.]
[A brat like Jared Woods is such a handful. He’s even throwing himself on the floor? I seriously want to reach through the screen and kick his butt!]