Ste looked at him. "However what?"


    Joshua exined, "For Marvin Connolly to be taken away by his mother''s family, Quincy must have paid a steep price."


    Ste asked, "What do you mean?"


    "The Gardners tend to die young," Joshua continued, "so as a rule, no one with Gardner blood is ever allowed to be taken from the family. Even so, the birth rate doesn''t keep up with the death rate. So, one of the family''s main rules is that upon reaching adulthood, every member must preserve their gic material and select a spouse. They can choose their own partner-there are no requirements regarding social standing—but the person must be in excellent health, exceptionally attractive, and pass the Gardner family''s rigorous physical examinations. If a Gardner dies, to prevent their line from ending, in vitro fertilization is performed. If the man had children before his death, it''s up to his widow whether she wants to undergo the procedure again."


    A faint trace of mockery appeared in Joshua''s eyes.


    "But most of them are willing. After all, another child means another contender for the position of family head. That''s why, despite their short lifespans, the Gardners are numerous. And one of the most basic requirements to even be considered for the position of head of the family is that you must be married. Otherwise, you''re not even in the running. Isn''t it ironic?"


    Ste didn''t know which was better: the traditional demand for marriage between social equals or the Gardners'' bizarre requirements.


    Perhaps for an ordinary person, marrying into the Gardner family was a dreame true.


    It was a rare opportunity to transcend social sses. And after their husbands died, the widows could remain with the family and, if they chose, continue to bear Gardner children.


    For someone


    ne who had tasted such


    wealth and luxury, returning to a


    normal life would be unthinkable. To secure theirvish lifestyle and a chance at the massive family. fortune, the women who macied into the Gardner family would eagerly have children without any coercion.


    Ste didn''t need Joshua to tell her; she could already imagine how fierce the internalpetition within the Gardner family must be.


    Ste sighed softly and asked, "But surely there must be some members of the family who are...pletely normal?" She figured that with so many children, not all of them could have inherited the Gardner genes.


    "Of course, there are," Joshua said. "But they''re mostly unremarkable, nothing special. In terms of intellect and ability, they stand no chance ofpeting for the headship."


    Ste understood what he meant. The Gardner genes might be wed, but they produced geniuses. The "normal" ones simply couldn''tpete intellectually.


    Thinking of this, she couldn''t help


    Qu


    but nce at Joshua. He was so intelligent, the Gardner genes must be dominant in him. Then she remembered the time he''d suffered from that severe headache. Perhaps that was what Grandma Connolly meant by... emotional instability?


    Based on what happened then, although he had lost some control, it didn''t seem as severe as Grandma Connolly had described. Besides, Joshua didn''t seem like a madman at all. Since he wasn''t a cote member, his condition probably wasn''t that serious. The thought brought her a sense of relief.


    "Alright, Joshua, let''s go up and get some rest," Ste said. "I saw online that this


    hotel has excellent reviews. We should experience it for ourselves."


    Joshua noted that her expression was unchanged. She didn''t seem disgusted or frightened by what she''d learned about his family.