Claire looked at the thick stack of cash in her hands, her winnings from the games that evening.
She had originally planned to return the money to Dewitt.
But Dewitt just waved her off. "Keep it. Money is just a number to me."
Claire suddenly remembered Dewitt's status. He was a massive big shot doing incredibly well in Kaston.
He could pull in millions of dollars just by moving a single piece of premium jade.
Why would he care about this pocket change?
"Alright, I won't be polite then."
"I'll treat you all to a nice dinner in the city sometime!"
Out here in the country, it wasn't her turn to treat anyone. After all, the provisions at
the James estate were brought over by the villagers in a steady rotation.
As the Clan Leader, the old lady distributed funds to the villagers, and the villagers in turn made sure her pantry was fully stocked.
Pandora was still living like a grand matriarch from a bygone era.
But absolutely no one resented Pandora for her wealth or status.
Even the neighboring villages couldn't help but sigh in admiration at The James Family's generosity!
It was exactly because of this wonderful atmosphere in The James Village that the old lady could enjoy her peaceful corner of the world.
Claire went to wash up, then returned to her room to sleep.
The old lady had already fallen asleep. Claire went back to her own room, rested her head on the Agarwood pillow, and quickly drifted off.
The next day was New Year's Eve.
The village was bustling with life. Every household was busy preparing the holiday pastries they would eat the following morning, and a large crowd of men, women, and children had gathered early by the village's fish pond.
Claire had just gotten up. She was still groggy and brushing her teeth when she heard a kid shout from the front gate, "Pandora, Claire, come watch The Lake Harvest!"
"Okay."
Claire didn't even know whose kid it was, but she answered anyway, planning to head out shortly.
"Are you going to watch The Lake Harvest, Pandora?"
"I'm not going. You go ahead on your own," Pandora replied, completely uninterested in the event.
"Watch your step. Don't get too close to the water, and be careful not to fall in."
It was the dead of winter, and The James Village was already freezing. Falling into the water would definitely result in a severe illness.
Claire was still a young woman, and taking an icy plunge would inevitably cause health issues.
"I know," Claire agreed obediently.
She wasn't a little kid anymore, so naturally, she wouldn't fool around.
Jenny also set out from Edison's house.
"Edison already left to help out. I wanted to sleep in, but I was just too curious about The Lake Harvest."
Jenny linked her arm affectionately through Claire's.
"Slow down. I'm honestly worried about you going over there. It'll be packed, and it's not safe."
Claire adjusted her pace to match Jenny's.
She was genuinely terrified Jenny might trip and fall.
"Alright, I'll slow down."
How could she not?
If she took a tumble, who knew what Edison would do, but his grandmother would
definitely be frightened to death.
Ever since Edison's grandmother
found out Jenny was pregnant, she
had been beaming from ear to ear
every single day
She spent her time praying at home, begging the heavens to keep the baby in Jenny's belly safe.
It was obvious just how much the old woman valued this child.
Edison was the sole heir of his bloodline, so how could she not prioritize his baby?
His grandmother had been waiting for him to settle down for who knew how many years.
For a long time, the old lady had resigned herself to the belief that she would never live to see her grandson get married. .net>
Let alone see his child born into the world.
Who could have guessed that a granddaughter-in-law and a great-grandchild would
arrive at the exact same time?
The elderly woman was so overjoyed that she couldn't stop smiling all day long.
"His grandmother is just too
enthusiastic.
When we went home
yesterday, she kept staring at my stomach. It gave me the creeps."
Truthfully, the old lady was quite nice, completely lacking the nightmare mother-in-
law drama so common in Solenia.
But the intense way she stared at her belly still made Jenny incredibly
uncomfortable.
It was just extremely awkward.
"Then why don't you tell Edison?"
"Let him step up and drop a hint to her."
"Great idea!" Jenny really didn't know how to broach the subject with the elderly
woman herself.