The children in Class 3 of the nursery school were well-known in the whole community for being hardworking and united.

Cleaning was never a problem for them because they all grew up doing household chores.

Even the most pampered child had done chores for at least two years.

To fit into Class 3, knowing how to do housework and farming was essential.

Since it was summer, the children enjoyed playing with water.

They found cleaning while playing with water quite fun.

However, there was one problem: the kids didn’t know how to conserve water.

Whenever their cleaning cloths got a bit dirty, they would immediately wash them, using up a bucket of water in no time.

One day, they ran out of water before finishing cleaning a room.

The kids decided to find Wang Yuhong.

“Auntie, we’re out of water,” a few children said as they ran up to her.

Wang Yuhong was napping on a table that the children had moved outside.

The table, covered with Wang Yuhong’s clothes, hadn’t been cleaned yet, but she was so tired she fell asleep there anyway.

The dust inside made her prefer the table outside.

She wasn’t sleeping comfortably, so she wasn’t in a deep sleep.

When she heard the children calling, she woke up but pretended to stay asleep, not wanting to deal with the water issue.

She thought the kids could figure it out themselves by fetching more water.

“Auntie, there’s no more water.”

“Auntie, wake up.”

“Auntie, please wake up.”

The children kept calling her.

Their voices, already loud, were even louder together, but no matter how much they called, Wang Yuhong didn’t respond.

“She can really sleep,” He Jiaxing remarked.

“Yeah, my Da Mao and Tie Dan don’t sleep this soundly,” added Er Bao.

He Jiaxing and Lin Erbao didn’t know a saying from the future: you can never wake a person who is pretending to sleep.

“So what should we do?” Yang Wenjie asked. “Without water, we can’t clean.”

Cheng Yingyong suggested, “How about we go to the well to get water?”

“No way,” Yi Bao quickly rejected, looking serious. “My mom said that without adults around, we can’t go near water, like wells or the sea. She would be very angry if she found out.”

San Bao added playfully, “When my mom gets mad, it’s serious.”

Hearing that Ning Shu would be angry, Cheng Yingyong immediately stopped suggesting it.

They were good friends with the three brothers and often played at their house, where Ning Shu would give them snacks.

They feared that if she got angry, she might also get mad at them and stop giving them treats.

“What happens if Auntie gets angry?” Yang Wenjie asked curiously. “Does she make bamboo shoots stir-fry?”

Er Bao shook his head vigorously: “We have to eat sweet potatoes every day for three days.”

He was an experienced kid, the only one in the family with this experience.

Just thinking about those days still scared him.

Hearing that they would have to eat sweet potatoes every day, the children were all scared.

Although they were obedient and capable of doing housework and farming, they were also quite pampered at home.

All of them were boys from relatively well-off families.

While they might not eat meat every day, their families certainly wouldn’t make them eat sweet potatoes daily.

They were used to being “well-fed.”

If they were made to eat sweet potatoes every day, they would definitely throw tantrums.

“So what should we do?” Yang Wenjie looked at Yi Bao, who was their leader in times of trouble.

Yi Bao didn’t speak; he was thinking.

Wang Yuhong overheard their conversation and became frustrated.

How could these kids be so clueless? Why didn’t they just go and ask someone else for help?

Er Bao’s eyes lit up: “We can pinch Auntie’s nose. She’ll definitely wake up.”

Pinching someone’s nose to wake them up was a common game among the kids.

“That could work,” He Jiaxing agreed.

“But who will pinch it?” Cheng Yingyong asked.

“Not me,” Yang Wenjie said.

He didn’t pinch people he didn’t know well.

Hearing Er Bao’s suggestion, Wang Yuhong got scared.

More importantly, the other kids agreed with him.

These kids were quite bold, unlike the village children.

Afraid that they might actually pinch her nose, she quickly turned her face downward, burying it in her hands.

No way they could pinch her nose now.

Just then, San Bao exclaimed, “I saw Auntie move!”

Wang Yuhong was so startled that she almost lost her nerve.

What kind of children were these?

“Really?”

Immediately, all the kids looked at Wang Yuhong.

Wang Yuhong was fuming inside.

If only she knew how to curse plants, she would be doing it right now.

Even without that, she was internally grumbling.

What’s wrong with these kids? They’re so different from the village kids who are much more straightforward.

Pinching noses… noticing her movements… are these normal things for children to say?

“Let’s leave since there’s no water. We can come back later when there’s more,” Yi Bao suddenly said and winked at the other kids.

Hearing this, the kids chimed in:

“Let’s go.”

“Where should we play later?”

“Let’s go to the twins’ house to read comics.”

As they walked away, they chatted about their next adventure.

Wang Yuhong thought to herself.

“…” Really?

Just like that, they’re leaving?

What about the cleaning?

Are they just going to leave it half-done?

Do these kids have any sense at all?”

Even though she was grumbling internally, Wang Yuhong kept a straight face.

She didn’t open her eyes until she could no longer hear the children’s voices.

When she did, she was faced with a chaotic scene: buckets of water left untouched, a wooden ladle inside one of them, cleaning cloths strewn on the ground.

Thankfully, the water for rinsing the cloths had been poured neatly in a corner, not all over the yard, avoiding the risk of slipping.

This was thanks to the diligent habit that San Bao had developed, guided by his mother Ning Shu, who taught him to pour water in a corner to prevent slippery mud.

“Really, what a mess! These kids have no manners, leaving the place in such disarray,” Wang Yuhong muttered to herself.

“A bunch of naughty kids… How were they even raised? They’re so annoying. What should I do now? Who should I ask for help?”

What she didn’t realize was that a few children were peeking through the door, overhearing her complaints.

They covered their mouths in shock.

They couldn’t believe that Wang Yuhong was badmouthing them after they had tried to help her.

Even three-year-olds knew it was wrong to talk behind someone’s back.

How could she do that?

“Brother, this auntie is so bad, talking behind our backs,” Er Bao couldn’t help but whisper.

“What should we do now?” Yang Wenjie asked, confused.

It was their first time encountering an adult who badmouthed them.

“Should we still clean?” Cheng Yingyong asked, although he didn’t really want to.

He Jiaxing, who had a quick temper, spoke up. “I’m not going back. I’ll tell my mom she badmouthed us.”

For kids, telling their mom was the go-to solution, especially when they hadn’t done anything wrong.

Yi Bao was also upset. “Let’s go tell our moms.”

So, the kids decided to go home and tell their parents.

Normally, they wouldn’t tattle, but since it was an adult badmouthing them, they had no other option but to inform their parents.

The first to reach home were Yibao, Erbao and Sanbao.

“Mom! Mom!” they shouted as they ran into the yard.

Not finding Ning Shu in the yard, they went into the house, where they found her sleeping.

Seeing this, they quieted down.

Yi Bao said, “Shh… Mom is sleeping. Let’s wait until she wakes up.”

Er Bao agreed, “Okay. Should we go find Yang Wenjie and He Jiaxing?”

San Bao suggested, “Let’s go find Dad.”

Er Bao was puzzled, “Huh?”

Yi Bao patted San Bao’s head. “Yes, let’s go to the guardhouse and wait for Dad. He went to the Moon Bay Production Team. We can wait for him at the guardhouse.”

So, the three brothers headed to the guardhouse.

Meanwhile, He Jiaxing and the other kids had also reached their homes.

He Jiaxing, as soon as he got home, shouted, “Mom, someone badmouthed us… Mom… Mom…”

His mother, who was taking an afternoon nap, was startled awake.

She was still groggy when she saw He Jiaxing running into the house.

She asked, “Weren’t you helping clean the community with the twins?”

He Jiaxing’s mom used to spoil him, reluctant to let him do any housework.

But eventually, she had to give in.

Now, she was used to her son doing chores, even though he still had a bit of a temper.

For a child like He Jiaxing, He Jiaxing’s mother was still very pleased.

Only when comparing the immature and the mature, do we truly understand the value of maturity.

He Jiaxing said angrily, “We went to help clean up, but that auntie said bad things about us. She said we were rude, bad children, and that we were annoying.” He Jiaxing’s eyes were becoming red with anger.