The heavy double doors of the Provincial Grand Ballroom swung open.
A wave of warm, perfumed air greeted Lin Mo and Principal Zhang Guilan.
Under dozens of glittering crystal chandeliers, hundreds of wealthy guests gathered around gilded tables.
Men wore tailored Italian tuxedos, and women glittered with emerald chokers and diamond bracelets.
In the exact center of the vast ballroom sat Table Number One.
It was the premier table of the entire gala, situated directly under the grand crystal chandelier.
Sitting there already were Grandma Chen and six-year-old Little Guo’er.
Beside them sat ten elderly rural women, led by seventy-year-old Grandma Sun.
