“Hello, teachers! The journey must have been tiring, right?”

    “Quick, set your bags down and get ready for dinner.”

    “All the vegetables are homegrown-fresh and organic, no chemicals here!”

    “That’s right! And the meat? My husband and the mayor went down to the market first thing this morning to pick out the best cuts. It doesn’t get fresher than this.”

    “You must be hungry. We weren’t sure what you all liked, or if you had any allergies, so we just made a little bit of everything.”

    The vigers crowded around, their voices tumbling over one another, their warmth as overwhelming and relentless as the tide. The visiting group, flustered by such enthusiastic hospitality, waved their hands in protest, fumbling through polite refusals and reassurances.

    “No, no, we’re easy to please-really, we eat anything.”

    “We’re the ones bothering you, staying here for so long. Thank you for all this trouble.”

    “These homegrown vegetables? You can’t get this quality in the city.”

    Alessia, anticipating themotion, had drifted to the back of the group, quietly distancing herself from the noisy center.

    Susannah Holt nced up at her. “Ms. Morton, why aren’t you joining them?”

    “Everyone’s different,” Alessia replied, her tone genuine. “Take Mr. Forrest-he loves chatting with people. But me? I don’t really like big crowds. I’m morefortable back here.”

    Susannah’s eyes lit up, as if she’d found a kindred spirit. “I don’t like noise either.” She grinned, her ears turning pink.

    “My little sister’s the outgoing one. She’s not here-she lives in the city

    with my parents. They say that once they’ve saved up enough, they’ll bring me to the city too. But for now, I’m the oldest at home, so I help take care of my grandparents.”

    Alessia said nothing, just reached out to gently ruffle Susannah’s hair.

    The meal turned out to be far more borate than anyone expected. The long table wasden with roasted chicken, duck, goose, fresh fish, and an array of meats. The children eyed the spread hungrily, but hesitated to take more than a nce-it was clear this was the kind of feast they might see only once a year, if that.

    Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over the visitors. For these vigers, tonight’s spread was a rare celebration. But for the city kids, such a meal-four dishes and a soup-was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, they often picked at their food,ining that the meat was too tough, or too fatty, and eventually pushed their tes away with a careless, “I’m done.”

    The tes and cutlery were brand new. It wasn’t hard to tell-just one look at the vigers’ own well-worn, mismatched dishes made it obvious. Still, while the vigers’ old tes showed their age, they were spotless, none of the grime or stains you might expect from TV documentaries about rural poverty.

    Yet, despite the cost, the vigers had gone out of their way to buy new tableware for their guests from the city-money painstakingly saved from months of frugal living.

    And their thoughtfulness didn’t stop there.

    When word came that the city kids were arriving, Mayor Warren called an urgent vige meeting. He briefed everyone on the dos and don’ts, worried that their usual habits might scare off these pampered children. He’d even heard that city folks always used serving utensils during meals, so he made sure everyone was reminded-during the wee dinner, use the serving spoons. If anyone forgot in the excitement, others would quietly nudge them to remember.

    Everyone understood: these young people might just be the ones to

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    change their grandchildren’s futures. And they knew that life in the countryside would be an adjustment for the city kids, so they truly

    wanted to make their stay asfortable as possible over the next three

    months.

    Kindness and respect go both ways. The vigers’ care and hospitality did not go unnoticed by their guests.