Enrique noticed the two little ones staring at him and gave them a silly smile.
The two children saw his bright and innocent smile. Maybe it was the sunlight dazzling their eyes, but they felt that being friends with Enrique might not be so bad after all.
"Alright, since our mommy wants us to play with you, we'll accept you for now. But to be our friend, you can't be too dumb."
"That's right, we don't play with dumb people," Chloe echoed her brother's words.
Seeing that they were finally willing to play with him, Enrique said happily, "Gregory, Chloe, I'm not dumb. I ranked 48th in my class last semester!"
Hearing this, Jessie suddenly felt the urge to cover her face. She knew that there were only fifty students in their kindergarten class. Her son had ranked third from the bottom and still had the nerve to boast about it.
The two children also twitched their mouths, speechless at Enrique's words. They thought he might be a bit dense.
Despite their inner complaints, they still accepted this not-so-smart friend. Just then, they heard the teacher calling for assembly.
After everyone gathered, the lead teacher stood on a large rock and announced to the parents, "As you can see, this is where we will be staying for the next three days and two nights. We have arranged accommodations at a guesthouse. Please come to me to get your room keys. Now, let me explain the activities we have planned for these three days."
"On the first day, I know many of you want to explore, so we have organized a mountain hike. According to locals, there is an open-air hot spring on the mountain that we can visit."
"On the second day, we will experience rice planting in the fields. Our school has arranged this with the local villagers. Once the rice we plant matures, it will be sent to our school. By the second half of the year, we will be able to eat the rice we planted ourselves."
This activity was very meaningful, but some pampered parents were unhappy about working in the fields.
"Didn't they say we were here to have fun? Why do we have to work? If I had known, we wouldn't have participated."
"Exactly, we came here to play. How can we be expected to work like farmers? If word gets out, we'd be a laughingstock."
"If we have to work, we're not playing anymore," several well-dressed parents said arrogantly.
One woman with a mole on her lip saw Deanna standing not far away and decided to play a trick. She smiled insincerely at Deanna and said, "Mrs. Mercer, don't you think the school's arrangement is too much? None of our children have done such hard work before. If something happens, it will be us mothers who feel heartbroken."
Hearing this pointed remark, Deanna frowned. She understood what this woman meant; she wanted Deanna to influence the school to change its plans. After all, Mercer Group had shares in the school, and one word from them could change everything.
But Deanna wouldn't do that. "I trust the school leadership. They must have their reasons for this arrangement. Besides, letting the children experience farm work is a good idea. It will help them understand that the food they eat every day doesn't come easily and teach them that hard work pays off."
Deanna's cold response clearly showed she supported the school. This left the woman who had spoken earlier feeling awkward and embarrassed.
Realizing her mistake, she glanced angrily at Deanna but was met with a pair of cold, unfeeling eyes. Even from two or three meters away, she could feel the danger in those eyes. Her anger quickly turned into unease and regret.
She wondered why she had been so foolish as to scheme against Deanna in front of Mr. Mercer. She worried she might cause trouble for her husband.
As these thoughts raced through her mind, she grew more anxious. She considered apologizing but saw that Deanna was already walking towards the teacher to get their room keys with her children.
In fact, Deanna didn't give this small incident any thought. After receiving the guesthouse keys from the teacher, she left with her children and Enrique's mother.
Yes, at Enrique's strong request, he got a room key for the same guesthouse as Deanna and her family.
After arriving at the guesthouse and quickly settling in, they went out in search of food. As soon as they stepped outside, they saw the woman who had schemed against Deanna standing there.
When she saw Deanna, she quickly put on a smile and approached them apologetically. "Mr. Mercer, Mrs. Mercer, I want to apologize for my rude behavior earlier. I was just worried about the children having to work in such cold weather."
Her words seemed like an apology but were actually another trap.