At this point, Peter looked at Kate and then at the two obviously inexperienced female students. He thought about how Kate had to go to school with them anyway, so he didn’t want to make their relationship awkward. He smiled and said, "Alright, we haven’t eaten yet, so tell us where you’re treating us to a meal?"
Zhou Ying quickly replied, "I’m familiar with Kingston, so how about this: since we’re all just meeting each other today, why don’t we all go eat together? I’ll treat."
Maurren glanced at Peter.
Peter understood that Zhou Ying wanted to ease the tension and build a closer relationship. He smiled and said, "Sounds good."
Having gained Peter’s agreement, Maurren said, "Alright then, let’s all go together." She now felt relieved, as their respective families had connections, and her family had a good relationship with Zhou’s. It was important to smooth things over if possible.
Now more curious about Peter’s background, Zhou Ying wondered why Maurren seemed to be so attentive to his feelings even though he didn’t seem particularly remarkable. What was really going on here?
"Olive, take your child with you," Zhou Ying signaled to the woman with the surname Lu.
The woman with the surname Lu was also a woman of the officialdom. She understood the meaning of Zhou Ying’s signal and started to worry that she may have offended someone important.
Now, the woman with the surname Lu thought of a joke that circulated in Kingston, where a brick could fall from the sky and potentially hit someone important. She had a feeling that she might have really encountered someone significant.
The woman with surname Lu looked at Peter and asked, "Can we join you?"
Peter smiled faintly and said, "Let’s go. I’ve been driving all day and I’m hungry."
"You drove here?" asked Maurren in a puzzled tone.
"Yes, I drove all the way from the village."
Maurren laughed, "I didn’t expect you to come here on your own. Jackson and the others said they wanted to visit you. I’ll call them up and tell them to come over."
Looking at Zhou Ying, she asked, "Red Wall Club?"
Zhou Ying nodded and said, "I’ll make the arrangements."
When they got out, Peter took Kate and got into the car Maurren was driving.
After sitting down, Maurren smiled and said, "So, did those two girls give you a hard time?"
"It’s not a big deal. Some people just look down on farmers," replied Peter.
Maurren laughed, "That’s because they’re short-sighted. But the Zhou Family is still one of the big families in Kingston."
"It’s fine. Kate and their daughter are classmates after all."
Maurren laughed again, "Wait till Jackson and the others arrive, they’re in for a shock!"
Rachel had been silent, constantly staring at Maurren. She couldn’t figure out how her brother had become friends with such a stunning girl from Kingston. She started to worry about the girls in the village who were connected to her brother.
As they were talking, Olive and her daughter got into Zhou Ying’s car.
As soon as they entered the car, Zhou Ying sighed, "Olive, you never change. You still look down on people. Do you know how dangerous this situation is for you today?"
Now feeling anxious and completely unaware of the situation, Olive asked, "What’s the deal with that woman?"
"What woman? She’s not even married yet. You know Kingston has many hidden families, right? Our Zhou Family is one of them. But let me tell you, the Zhou Family is nothing. Hidden families have hierarchies too, so if we’re talking seriously, our Zhou Family can only be considered the lowest level, while the Greenwood Clan is one level above us. And there are even higher families above that."
"I didn’t know that!" Olive was astonished.
"Just now, I heard Maurren calling a few people to join them for dinner. Only those on par with the Greenwood Clan have that kind of qualification. I heard her mention someone with the surname Harrison, if I’m not mistaken, there is a family in Kingston with the surname Harrison, and they are ranked higher than the Greenwood Clan."
Hearing this, Olive felt bitter and thought about how her disdain for a farmer caused so many problems.
Sensing Olive’s anxiety, Zhou Ying said, "I saw that the young man was quite composed and didn’t seem to mind this issue. Later, try your best to improve the relationship."
At this point, Zhou Ying suddenly asked, "Which province did his sister say they’re from?"
"Sunshine Province, Forestville, Rivertown County," Evelyn provided, remembering the location that Rachel introduced earlier.
The two women, both familiar with the officialdom, looked at each other when they heard the name of the province.
"Did she really say they’re from Sunshine Province?" Olive couldn’t keep calm any longer.
Zhou Ying’s daughter, Aris, chimed in, "So many people heard her say ’Sunshine Province.’"
Zhou Ying sighed, "Olive, do you remember the incident in Sunshine Province a few days ago?"
"You suspect...?" Olive frowned.
"We talked about it on the phone yesterday. Many people still don’t know what kind of connections Henry Martin had. But now, I think I know!"
"Is it possible? Does he have that much influence?"
"If it were just the Greenwood Clan, they probably wouldn’t have that much influence. But if we’re talking about the Harrison family, then it’s a different story."
"We’ll find out at dinner," said Olive, still somewhat in disbelief.
"Don’t say it’s not possible. Do you know what the Red Wall Club is?"
"I’ve heard about it. It’s said to be a special place with no sign. You can’t get in without a certain level of qualification, not even if you have money. Is that right?" Olive said, her face full of envy.
"Now you know. I only have access because of the Zhou Family. If Maurren is inviting us there for dinner, do you think it’s going to be an ordinary gathering?"
As they talked, their cars arrived at the Red Wall Club.
When Olive and the others arrived, Maurren was already there. Zhou Ying, who was still sitting in the car, was dumbfounded to see the people coming to greet them.
"Adonis Harrison of the Harrison family!"
"Andrew Baxter of the Cooper family!"
"And people from the Zhang and Zhao families!"
Zhou Ying was astonished at the sight of so many powerful families in one place. What kind of background did these farmer siblings have?
Olive asked, "Are they the people you mentioned from those families?"
Zhou Ying replied, "Olive, remember to apologize later when you have to and don’t offend those powerful people. They can ruin you with just a single sentence!"
Now Olive was truly terrified.