Chapter 15

The differences between people can sometimes be vast.

The cave was perhaps too comfortable, and everyone quickly adjusted to it.

Drowsiness is contagious, especially in such a peaceful cave. The children had their small beds, while the adults lay directly on the ground.

By 4 PM, no one had woken up yet, and the director was getting anxious. If this continued, the livestream audience would leave.

Moreover, as long as Ruan Xizhi was around, it seemed impossible to make the guests suffer even a little. Frustrated, he made a sudden decision—this deserted island shoot was over!

He woke up the four mothers and announced, “Get ready, everyone. We’re heading to the deserted village.”

Before arriving, they had all seen the itinerary, and the deserted village was their next destination.

Ruan Xizhi glanced at the pile of fruits in the corner of the cave, the half-eaten fish in the water pit, and the soft tree bed.

This enjoyable life was just beginning!

She protested, “Isn’t there still one more day?”

The director replied, “It’s a two-day, one-night trip. You’ve already spent one night here, so we leave today.”

Ruan Xizhi: “……” She had no argument against that.

The deserted island wasn’t far from the deserted village since the route had been planned in advance.

They boarded a helicopter, and as they looked down, they saw an endless blue ocean—like a paradise.

The entire internet was buzzing.

【Is this the deserted village I think it is?】

【The deserted village, also known as the Fairy Village, is said to be nearly impossible to find.】

【Ahhh, I’ve wanted to visit the deserted village for so long, but it’s just too far!】

The village was indeed far away. Even the helicopter couldn’t land directly; they had to climb half a mountain to reach it.

As soon as they heard they had to hike, everyone groaned. It was already exhausting to climb alone, but now they had to bring the little ones along—torture!

Luckily, the path was relatively smooth and not as difficult as expected. The scenery along the way made the journey feel more like an adventure.

In her past life, Ruan Xizhi was always either stuck in an office or rushing to meetings—she never had the time to appreciate nature. Now, she took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, earthy scent.

As they walked, Xing Xiaochi noticed that Su Tongtong and Gu Chengcheng had already climbed ahead. Seeing himself falling behind, he wanted to catch up but felt too tired.

Plopping down on the ground, he started crying, “I won’t walk anymore! You carry me!”

Here it comes—the little troublemaker was throwing a tantrum again.

Ruan Xizhi was almost immune to his antics by now, but she was still puzzled.

Was she handling this wrong? Why did Xing Xiaochi keep using the same trick, even though it never worked?

Since that was the case, it was time to teach him a lesson.

Seeing Ruan Xizhi staring at him, Xing Xiaochi doubled down, shaking his little shoulders, “Hurry up and carry me! Tongtong and the others are so far ahead already!”

“If you know they’re far ahead, go chase them yourself,” Ruan Xizhi retorted.

“No! I want you to carry me!” This time, Xing Xiaochi even squeezed out real tears. “You run fast! Carry me and catch up to them.”

What wishful thinking.

Ruan Xizhi decided to go all in. She sat down on the ground too, crying even louder than Xing Xiaochi, “I’m your elder! Why should I carry you? You should carry me instead! Hurry up and carry me, or I’m not moving!”

Xing Xiaochi was dumbfounded. He had expected Ruan Xizhi to ignore him at most, but she… she was crying?!

And even louder than him!

Caught off guard, Xing Xiaochi’s sobbing weakened. He tried to justify himself, “But… but I’m just a kid.”

Ruan Xizhi had often used fake crying to get her brothers into trouble when she was younger, so crying came naturally to her. With a simple blink, tears rolled down her face.

She played her role convincingly, her eyes turning red as glistening tears streamed down. “So what if you’re a kid? I was a kid too! Why do I have to carry you just because it’s your turn to be a kid?”

【Exactly!】

【I’ve used this trick before! Works like a charm. Now my kid never dares to throw tantrums because I throw an even bigger one!】

Xing Xiaochi was so startled by the shout that he forgot to cry, nodding blankly. “Oh, right.”

“Exactly.” Ruan Xizhi’s eyes were tinged with a peachy red, looking pitiful. She squeezed out a couple more tears. “So, logically, you should carry me first. Otherwise, I’m not moving.”

Xing Xiaochi was completely bamboozled by her reasoning. He quivered and said, “But you’re so big, I can’t carry you.”

Ruan Xizhi imitated his tantrum, “I don’t care, I don’t care! You have to carry me!”

Xing Xiaochi: “……” How could an adult be even more unreasonable than him?

Ruan Xizhi reached out to tug at him. “I don’t care, just carry me already.”

Xing Xiaochi was genuinely terrified.

He quickly patted his butt, scrambled up, dodged her grasp, and dashed up the mountain as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Ruan Xizhi watched the little guy’s retreating figure, curled her lips into a smile, and dusted off her clothes. “Trying to outplay me? You’re still too green for that.”

Xing Xiaochi glanced back just in time to meet Ruan Xizhi’s gaze.

His expression was strangely complex, as if he were saying, Finally, I got rid of this troublesome woman.

【Hahahaha, Ruan Xizhi was definitely sent by the heavens to deal with Xing Xiaochi. She’s spot on every time.】

【Their mother-son dynamic is too hilarious. My stomach hurts from laughing.】

【Modern parenting: use their own tactics against them.】

Realizing that throwing a tantrum wouldn’t work, Xing Xiaochi picked up his pace, running up the mountain without hesitation. After all, he was terrified that his stepmother would actually force him to carry her.

She was so big—how could he possibly carry her?

If she crushed him, he’d be a little pancake!

Xing Xiaochi behaved himself, but now Lu Fei’er started acting up.

She insisted on being carried, or else she’d cry so loudly the entire valley would echo with her wails.

Unlike Ruan Xizhi, Zhong Qianwen only had this one daughter and spoiled her endlessly, giving her whatever she wanted.

Even though the road was entirely uphill, Zhong Qianwen still coddled Lu Feier.

Song Sangyue tried to persuade her, “How about we just walk this stretch first?”

Lu Feier turned her head away and huffed, “No.”

Zhong Qianwen smiled at Song Sangyue and said, “It’s fine, this path is really tiring. It’s understandable that such a young child wouldn’t want to walk.”

【Wow, wow, wow. Then shouldn’t Su Tongtong just be carried like a koala? She only just turned three.】

【Go ahead, keep spoiling her. Sooner or later, it’ll backfire.】

【In the end, it’s the adults who’ll suffer.】

Meanwhile, the recently praised Su Tongtong pouted and told Xing Xiaochi, “Fei’er is so spoiled. Auntie Zhong is already so tired, sweating so much, and she still wants to be carried.”

Even the usually shy Gu Chengcheng chimed in, “That’s not good. My mom always tells me to be considerate of others. Everyone is equal.”

Hearing his two friends complain, Xing Xiaochi suddenly felt lucky that Ruan Xizhi hadn’t actually made him carry her. Otherwise, he’d be the one getting judged.

He quickly agreed, “Yeah! You should walk your own path. How can you ask someone else to carry you?”

Feeling quite proud of his reasoning, he suddenly remembered how unreasonable Ruan Xizhi had been earlier and felt a headache coming on.

He hurriedly grabbed Ruan Xizhi’s hand and told her, “You have to walk your own path, understand? You can’t make others carry you.”

Ruan Xizhi was amused by him and thought this strategy was quite effective. She should use it more often. “That’s right, we all have to walk our own paths.”

Xing Xiaochi nodded firmly. “Yes! Walk on our own!”

【Hahahahaha, Xiaochi, do you even realize you just trapped yourself?】

【Congrats, you dug your own grave.】

【This mother-son duo is absolutely killing me with laughter.】

【Ruan Xizhi: Excellent, my stepson has successfully brainwashed himself.】