It was winter solstice celebration at the Smiths' residence in Channing.
Everyone was gathered at the Smith family home for the holiday as they prepared for dinner together.
Nathan, Penny, and her family also arrived at the Smith family home to spend the holiday with Sean.
At the moment, Sean was receiving a very important guest with his sons Samuel, Benson, and Paul.
It was his family friend, Keith Johnson.
Their families had been close since their grandparents' generation, and Sean and Keith even grew up together.
The only thing that had changed was that the Smiths opted to stay in the small town of Channing while the Johnsons had scaled the social ladder rapidly over the past 20 years.
Keith had been working in Brimmopolis's Industry and Commerce Bureau ever since he graduated from university. From then on, he slowly climbed up the social ladder and finally became the director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau.
The Johnsons then moved to Brimmopolis and made a fortune there.
After the Johnsons rose to the top, they rarely communicated with the Smiths anymore. They also rarely invite the Smiths over for dinner.
This time, Keith had retired and decided to return home. He heard about Penny's outstanding achievements in the business world and decided to seize this opportunity to pay Sean a visit.
Sean was surprised and happy about Keith's visit. He gave Keith a warm welcome together with his three sons.
Keith was a high-ranking official from Brimmopolis in Sean's eyes. Although he had retired, he still had connections, so Keith was a bigshot to whom Sean felt he must butter up.
Sean asked with a wide smile, "Keith, what plans do you have now after retiring?"
Keith replied, "I may have retired, but my connections are still around and I still have some say at the Bureau. I'm back in Channing because I wanted to contribute to my hometown's economy."
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