Sophia looked at the boy rolling on the ground and was scared out of her wits. Oh no, I’ve messed up big time! She hurriedly put away the lollipops next to the cash register.
Upon hearing the kids’ wailing, Michael felt his head aching. The director and the film crew were also unsure of what to do, while the several other young fathers were completely stumped as they tried their hardest to calm the kids down.
Harry and Ashton had followed Michael to buy exactly the same ingredients. Therefore, they had only arrived when Ashton began to cry. Although he was crying, his hands remained tightly clutched around the handles of the basket with the potatoes inside.
Hearing Ashton’s wails, Harry, who was carrying a large cabbage, was so terrified that he put down the cabbage and started comforting the boy. But when four kids were crying together, it was a terrifying situation that nobody, not even the staff or the fathers, could do to assuage.
Carmen was so scared that she didn’t dare to eat the lollipop and instead hid behind Michael, gazing at everyone with a pair of large, unblinking eyes.
Several fathers had no choice but to grit their teeth and shell out money to buy the lollipops in order to comfort their own kids. However, they did not expect that not only did the little kids want lollipops, but they also wanted jellies, cookies, and ice creams. If they didn’t get what they wanted, they would throw tantrums and cry.
The filming could not go on under this circumstance! Thus, the crew that consisted of more than a hundred people came to a complete halt.
Sophia did not expect a lollipop to cause such a big commotion. She was so petrified that she shrank into the corner of the shop. In her heart, she blamed herself for not remembering to put away all the snacks in advance.
Several fathers anxiously got together to discuss what to do, since the crew was unable to intervene and would not pay for them to buy any snacks.
After all, one of the reasons why ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ was so popular to the extent of earning a billion at the box office was the great production and strict adherence to principles. All unexpected situations required the fathers to personally solve them. To produce the most realistic reality show, the crew would not easily lend a helping hand. Therefore, the challenge for the fathers to comfort and teach the kids was one of the main attractions of the show. Viewers wanted to know how celebrity fathers would deal with the common problems with kids that occurred in life.
The four fathers were in a flummox as they put their heads together and brainstormed for ideas. Michael, too, was actively involved in the discussion, and the videographers came close to make sure they captured the fathers at their most harrowing moments of the show.
On the other hand, Sophia hid herself among the crowd to eavesdrop on their discussion.
“The snacks are so expensive. I can’t afford to buy them!”
“If we buy snacks, we won’t be able to eat anything tomorrow.”
“Perhaps they’ll be fine after crying for a while.”
Michael was also nervous. Glancing at Carmen, who was standing to the side and holding the lollipop she was still afraid to eat, he found her to be such an understanding angel compared to other kids.
But unexpectedly, Carmen suddenly led a tiny piglet out of nowhere toward Michael. She was so ecstatic about it that she didn’t even want the lollipop anymore. “Daddy, can I take the piggy home with me?”
Michael was already panicking about the whole filming situation, and when he saw that piglet, he almost exploded. He hurriedly said to Carmen, “Quickly put it back from where you found it! Our house has too many animals, so we cannot raise a pig.” The thought of raising a pig sent shivers down his spine.
But in the next moment, Carmen’s face fell. She flattened her mouth and started bawling. “Boo hoo… I want the piggy!”
Michael was speechless. Now, even Carmen is crying. The rest of the kids wanted snacks, while Carmen wanted a pig.
Touching the piglet, Ashton licked the lollipop again and finally stopped crying. Relieved, Harry hurried over to carry Ashton away.
Following that, Carmen led the piglet toward the second kid. Holding out the lollipop, she did the same trick. Without a word, she stuffed the lollipop into the kid’s mouth first, and whenever the kid cried, she would stuff him over and over again. Finally, the kid was allowed to touch the piglet, and then Carmen promised he was the second-best ever. In this way, all was right with the world again.
In the end, Carmen’s lollipop was licked by all four other kids, and she even let them touch her piglet. The kids were comforted and happily followed her and her piglet around.
Now that the deafening cries were finally gone, the fathers and the filming crew were all relieved that the situation was brought under control. All of them were exhausted, as if they had fought a massive battle, but they still had to take their baskets of food and continue to buy ingredients to make lunch for the kids.
The fathers bought the condiments they needed as fast as they could, then hurriedly left this horrific site. Holding Carmen and the piglet that came from nowhere, Michael also left the grocery store.
Upon leaving, he took a look at Sophia, who was peeking at them from the corner of the grocery store, and thought to himself that it was highly likely that she would never appear again.
…
While passing by the watermelon field on the way back, Michael decided to bring Carmen to buy a small watermelon for dessert. To his shock, as soon as they walked into the pergola, Sophia was coming out from it to sell them watermelons.
Michael was struck speechless. Is she ever gonna stop?
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