When the patriarch returned home, he wielded both authority and kindness. Each servant at the Leclair residence received an expensive gift, their joy evident. As for Stone Leclair, he wasn't even given a chance to explain himself before being berated by the patriarch, then made to kneel for two hours in front of the late Mrs. Leclair's memorial altar.
By the time the servants timidly came to summon Stone Leclair and Mrs. Carter for dinner, Stone was unable to stand.
A man over fifty, holding a high position—when had he ever endured such hardship?
As for Mrs. Carter, she was so terrified her complexion turned pale. In this household, it was still the patriarch who had the final say.
For the patriarch's welcome-home banquet, Ignatius Leclair had the butler reopen the long-sealed main hall and served a table full of mild medicinal dishes and Cantonese cuisine, bringing the family together for a simple dinner.
