Enrique wobbled behind Deanna and the others. His slightly chubby figure made each step heavy and difficult. At one point, he lost his balance and fell into the paddy field, splashing water everywhere and covering his face and hair with mud, looking quite comical.
The two little ones couldn't help but laugh.
"Enrique, your face is dirty."
"Enrique looks like a muddy cat."
Seeing the two kids laughing at him, Enrique frowned, feeling a bit upset. He pouted and looked at Deanna, calling out pitifully, "Pretty lady."
To be honest, his expression was quite heart-melting.
Deanna gently tapped the back of the two little rascals' heads, admonishing them, "Don't laugh at others like that. You are friends; you should help and care for each other. Go help Enrique up."
"I haven't admitted he's my friend yet!" Gregory retorted, wrinkling his nose, but he went forward to help Enrique. Chloe had a similar reaction, complaining but moving just as quickly as her brother.
Deanna couldn't help but laugh at their contradictory behavior. Jessie, standing nearby, also smiled faintly.
Soon, the two little ones pulled Enrique up. Deanna then had them hold hands and support each other while working in the field. The three kids had the lightest task: handing over seedlings allocated by the teacher to their parents.
Although it was Deanna and Lance's first time doing farm work, they were serious about it. Compared to others, their actions were quite methodical. In no time, they had planted a large area of seedlings, feeling a great sense of accomplishment despite being exhausted.
Deanna hadn't done such work in a long time and her back was aching terribly. Lance noticed her stretching and massaging her back frequently and said with concern, "You should rest for a while. I'll handle the rest."
"No, I can still manage," Deanna shook her head, refusing.
Lance felt sorry for her, but she felt the same for him. If she rested, all the remaining work would fall on him. Seeing Deanna's determination, Lance frowned, unsure how to persuade her.
Fortunately, Deanna came up with a compromise, "How about we rest together?"
Hearing this, Lance looked at her bright smile and finally nodded in agreement.
When the three kids learned they could rest, they cheered, put down the seedlings, and followed Deanna to the edge of the field. They didn't care about getting dirty and sat down on the ridge, feeling utterly exhausted.
"Farming is really hard work," Gregory and Chloe remarked quietly as they looked at the seedlings they had planted.
Deanna heard them and gently guided them, "That's why we shouldn't waste food. Every grain is hard-earned."
"We know, Mommy taught us not to waste food," the two little ones nodded obediently.
Enrique chimed in from the side, "Pretty lady, I never waste food. I eat two bowls of rice every day and finish everything."
"You only finish everything because you're still hungry!" Jessie teased her son.
The little guy didn't mind and complained to Deanna, "Pretty lady, you don't know how strict my mommy is. She only lets me eat two bowls of rice each meal and no more, even when I'm still hungry."
Hearing this, Deanna recalled how Enrique would watch them eat after finishing his two bowls of rice. No matter how much she invited him to eat more, he wouldn't.
Curious, she asked Jessie, "What's going on?"
"Enrique gains weight easily but has a good appetite. To keep him from getting too fat and affecting his health, I made a deal with him: he can only have two bowls of rice per meal and two snacks in the afternoon. If he breaks the deal, he loses snacks for two days. Since we made this agreement, he's been very disciplined," Jessie explained with a mix of frustration and amusement.
Deanna couldn't help but laugh after hearing this. She hadn't expected such a reason.
After resting for a while, the family, along with Jessie and Enrique, resumed their work. After about an hour, they finally finished planting their acre of rice paddies. They were exhausted but felt a great sense of achievement seeing the lush green seedlings.
The two little ones tugged at Deanna's sleeve excitedly, "Mommy, let's take some photos so we can show Grandma and Grandpa when we get back."
"Sure, how do you want to pose?" Deanna asked with a smile.
Hearing this, the two little ones struck poses on the ridge.