Jenny continued with a smile. “Don’t Lionel and Mindy live in a big villa? We could arrange for all the relatives from the countryside to stay at their place! It has multiple floors, luxurious decor, and all the amenities like central heating and air ventilation. No one would complain even if they had to sleep on the floor mats! There’s plenty of space to accommodate more people, let alone just a dozen of them.

Plus, their backdoor at Lakeview Villa is so close to the hotel where we’re having the banquet. There’s no need to arrange for transport since it’s just a stone’s throw away!”

As Jenny spoke, she nodded vigorously, feeling increasingly convinced of her suggestion. She conveniently forgot that her own house was also in that neighborhood and was equally suitable.

At this point, Lionel finally found the chance to speak. He had wanted to speak up several times, but either he couldn’t get a word in, or he was interrupted just as he was about to speak.

“I was actually thinking the same thing,” he said. “Since it’s inconvenient for Leonard and Harold, Mindy and I have discussed it and decided that we can have the relatives stay with us.”

After all, it was only for three days.

Now that Anna had made her stance clear, Mindy had no choice but to agree—even if she felt reluctant—given Jenny’s devious tactics. It wasn’t that she looked down on the relatives from the countryside, but she had recently been working on her new book. Mindy had already discussed the outline with Warren, and she was still in the revision phase. She was used to working in a quiet environment, so having so many guests around would definitely be an inconvenience. Still, it wasn’t too unbearable.

Mindy reassured them, “Mom, don’t worry. We’ll take good care of our guests.”

As Mindy drove, she explained, “So, our relatives from the countryside are already staying at our place. Your dad is busy hosting them, so he couldn’t come along to pick you up. That’s why I came instead.”

Miranda nodded. “Mom, I don’t usually see you driving, but you’re pretty good at it.”

At this point, she still hadn’t realized how serious the situation was. Mindy raised her chin proudly. “Of course! I pick things up quickly!”

At the Lakeview Villa:

“Lionel, is this place yours? My goodness, it’s so grand!” Penelope Grayson, the elderly woman speaking, had a face full of wrinkles and snow-white hair. She looked about the same age as Anna. However, Penelope was considered Lionel’s great-aunt in terms of seniority in the family.

She continued, “Oh, is this a lamp? Why does it have a circle of feathers around it? Did you pluck them from a goose? I must say, it looks quite novel! Where’s the switch? Let me turn it on and have a look…”

“Huh? It’s just an ordinary lamp! I thought that it’s shine even brighter with the feathers!”

Lionel had already started sweating. “No… the feathers are just for decoration. They don’t serve any real purpose…”

“Then why stick a circle of feathers on it if it’s not useful?”

Lionel didn’t know what to reply.

“Oh, look at this vase… It looks really nice. I remember your grandfather used to like to display calendars and vases around the home, but nothing as fancy as this. It must be quite expensive, right?”

Penelope had lost all her teeth, so she spoke with a lisp. However, it didn’t stop her from inspecting everything around her. After handling them, she had to add a comment or two about it.

“Come here, Walter! There are some snacks here. Weren’t you just saying you were hungry? Help yourself. Since Lionel here lives in such a big house, he definitely won’t be stingy over small things like this…” Penelope turned and called out to her grandson before smiling at Lionel, “Right, Lionel?”

“Yes, yes, don’t worry. Please make yourself at home.”

Penelope usually lived in the countryside. She came a few days earlier for the banquet and brought her entire family along for the ride. After all, there was free food and accommodation plus a chance to enjoy the city. Only a fool would turn down such an offer!

Leonard had gotten lucky years ago after starting his own company and made lots of money. He brought his parents to live in the city and took care of them.

The second son, Harold, wasn’t doing too badly either. He had a stable job at the power plant that was cushy and respectable. Moreover, he even married his superior’s daughter.