Chapter 389: The Tudor Mansion

Chapter 389: The Tudor Mansion

April arrived quickly. There was a custom in Aquilonia where people needed to return to their hometowns in early April to sweep the graves of their deceased relatives.

Preston went back home to sweep graves. Last time Leopold left without saying goodbye, which upset everyone in the Wipere family, and Matthew was so angry he was hospitalized for a week.

This time for the grave sweeping, none of them contacted Leopold. But Caroline's parents were going back to their hometown to sweep graves, so Caroline tentatively asked Leopold, "My parents are going back tomorrow to sweep graves. Are you going back to your family's place?"

Leopold was looking through photos Maddox had sent, and said, "No need. What time are Mom and Dad leaving tomorrow morning?"

Caroline said, "Tomorrow morning at seven, we'll first go to the Hayes family cemetery, then to Suncrest City. We'll stay overnight there and come back the day after."

Elysia was from Seaside City, but Elijah's hometown was Suncrest City, so they couldn't make it back in one day.

Leopold said, "That works, I have time."

Early in the morning, Leopold drove and parked downstairs at Elijah's building.

Caroline called, and soon Elijah came out carrying two bags, with Elysia following behind him.

Elijah said, "It's a long trip today, thanks for doing this."

"Not that far. I checked the GPS - it's almost five hours to Suncrest City. It's a long time, but the roads are good." Leopold took what Elijah was carrying and put it in the trunk.

Elysia said, "If you get tired on the road, rest at a service area. We're not in a rush."

After paying respects to the deceased ancestors of the Hayes family, the car got on the highway.

It was supposed to be a holiday break, but except for Elysia, the other three's phones kept ringing with work matters.

Elysia said from the side, "You three really are family - can't even rest on holidays. I'm tired just watching you. If anyone says you don't work hard, I'll be the first to vouch for you."

Caroline laughed, "Mom, you can only say that because you're retired. Otherwise all four of us would be the same."

Elysia thought about that scene, "That would really be something."

They arrived in Suncrest City in the afternoon. Elijah only came back here once a year.

The Tudor Mansion was in the suburbs, next to a scenic area. Elijah's distant relatives helped look after and clean the Tudor Mansion.

Leopold parked the car at the gate. "This courtyard is pretty impressive."

Elijah said, "It was rebuilt ten years ago. Later when my parents got older, my brothers and I weren't comfortable with them living here, so we had them buy a place in the city. But we didn't sell this house - kept it as a keepsake. If we want to come back and visit, we have a place to stay."

Opening the gate, Leopold drove the car straight into the courtyard.

The ground was paved with stone tiles. It must have rained a few days ago, washing the stones back to their original color.

The activity in the courtyard seemed to catch the attention of the caretaker, Miles Sullivan.

As soon as Elijah got out of the car, he saw the seventy-something Miles walking in. He said, "Miles, it's me."

Miles squinted his eyes, "Elijah's back. I saw a car I didn't recognize and thought it might not be the owner."

Elijah smiled and introduced, "This is Miles Sullivan, the caretaker. This is my son-in-law, Leopold Wipere."

Leopold called out, "Mr. Sullivan."

Miles nodded and looked Leopold up and down. "Your son-in-law... he's a big boss, right?"

Leopold smiled, "I'm not any kind of boss, just doing a little business."

Elijah, who was used to keeping a low profile, was very satisfied with his answer.

Caroline walked over with Elysia and greeted Mr. Sullivan. After chatting for a while, they went inside.

The current Tudor Mansion had all the modern facilities. Leopold followed Caroline into her room.

He could tell at a glance that this house hadn't been lived in for a long time.

Caroline's room had a TV cabinet, a wardrobe next to it, one set of bedding, and nothing more.

Leopold said, "This house is close to the scenic area. If no one's living here, it could work as a bed and breakfast."

Caroline said, "When my grandparents moved out, someone came asking about it. He wanted to rent it to run a bed and breakfast, but my dad absolutely refused. He said if we sold this house and came back to visit, we wouldn't even have a place to stay."

Leopold laughed, "Of course a stranger wouldn't work, but what if I talk to Dad about it?"

Caroline turned her head, "Stop joking around."

Leopold sat on the edge of the bed, hands behind him for support. "I'm not joking, I'm serious. I just looked around - it's got its own gate and courtyard, enough rooms. The interior decoration is a bit old, but since hardly anyone's lived here, it's actually very clean. The courtyard outside could fit an outdoor grill in summer, and it's only a ten-minute walk to the scenic area. If I rented it, I could renovate it."

Caroline saw he wasn't joking. "You've really thought this through?"

Leopold nodded seriously, "Let's talk to him about it later."

Caroline knew Leopold's startup phase was pretty tough. If this could really help him, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

They found a nearby restaurant for lunch and arranged to sweep graves early the next morning.

With free time in the afternoon, Caroline went with Leopold to check out the scenic area.

This scenic area was famous for its mountains, especially after a travel blogger recently filmed the sea of clouds and sunrise, attracting many tourists to come take photos.

The mountain had many unusual sights that wouldn't lose their appeal even after the initial buzz died down.

The winding mountain road from the base to the entrance created a huge elevation difference. Caroline got tired from walking and rested against a roadside rock.

Leopold's forehead was also slightly sweaty. He squatted in front of Caroline and massaged her calves. "You tired?"

Caroline was breathing a bit heavily, "A little. I haven't been to the gym in a while, my stamina's not what it used to be."

Leopold smiled, "It's a bit off."

She gave him a playful glare.

Leopold said, "This place is great, but I'm worried Dad won't agree."

Caroline said, "If he doesn't agree, we'll keep trying to convince him, get him to support his son-in-law's business."

Leopold's lips curved slightly, "Seems like ever since you married me, I've been getting taken care of by you and your family."

"No, we take care of each other." Caroline pulled his hand. "We're husband and wife - nobody owes anybody. Okay, it's getting dark, let's head back."

Leopold had just pulled her hand to leave when Caroline cried out in pain behind him. He turned back and asked, "What's wrong?"

Caroline said, "My calf hurts."

Leopold squatted down, "Come on, I'll carry you down."

Caroline bent over and said quietly, "So many people are watching."

Leopold said, "I don't care. Don't think about it so much, just get on."

In front of everyone, Leopold carried her on his back, walking down against the flow of people.

Leopold asked, "They're still going up the mountain at night?"

Caroline said, "At night from the mountain entrance you can photograph the houses built into the mountainside across the way. The architectural style is really unique. Look, doesn't it look like a scene from an animated movie?"

Leopold looked in the direction she pointed. The sky wasn't completely dark yet, but the landscape lights outside the houses were already lit. A long stone bridge floated on the shimmering water - beautiful as a landscape painting, a very artistic little town. "Nice scenery."

Back at the Tudor Mansion, they went straight to Elijah's room.

"Dad, I need to talk to you about something." Caroline walked up to Elijah.

Leopold said, "Let me tell him."

Elijah looked at them both. "What is it?"

Leopold said, "Dad, I'd like to rent this house to run as a bed and breakfast. Would that be okay?"