Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Tuition Fee

The members of the Thorne family all shook their heads. Having spent their entire lives on Millstone Peak, they had no idea what a “comprador” was. They did, however, know about Western-style houses and cars—things only the wealthy could afford.

Therefore, the Thorne family’s interpretation of Shane Thorne’s words was simple: learning English meant getting rich.

“She’ll learn! Have Xiaonan learn this ’English’ from Germain Tate, and she can become a comprador in the future, too.”

The thought of Western-style houses and cars spurred Byron Thorne into action. His hesitation vanished, and he made up his mind, settling the matter once and for all.

Tang Xiaonan quietly sighed in relief. ’My first little plan is a success.’ As long as Old Master Tate was teaching her and her three older brothers, she could openly help Adrian Hawthorne and Grandpa Tate without anyone raising an eyebrow.

’Gifts of food from a student to their teacher are considered tuition—a perfectly legitimate fee. Who would dare to gossip about that?’

Besides, she had worked in foreign trade in her past life, which was a type of comprador work in a way. She had earned a lot of money, but she’d spent every last cent of it, not wanting to leave anything for her parents.

’I missed the golden age of foreign trade before, but now I’ve caught it. By the time I grow up, foreign trade will be booming. The pioneers I knew from my past life all made their fortunes during this period, easily affording several Western-style houses in Tristone. I will definitely seize this golden opportunity. I’ll make sure the Thorne family gets to live in a nice house and drive a car, bringing glory to our ancestors for once.’

“Since she’ll be studying with Germain Tate, you must provide proper tuition. He doesn’t need money, so just send some meat and grain. Look after him a little more in your daily life. I don’t think Germain Tate has a simple background. He’s fallen on hard times now, so if you help him out, it will pay off in the future,” Shane Thorne advised.

Byron Thorne nodded. “Of course we’ll provide tuition, and it’s right to help him out. I plan to have a word with my second brother and get the Hawthorne boy the cattle herding job. That way, he’ll have more free time to look after Mr. Tate.”

As soon as the matter was decided, Byron Thorne changed his tune, now referring to him respectfully as “Mr. Tate.”

Old Master Tate’s job was already a light one: herding cattle for the production brigade. Cutting grass for fodder was originally his responsibility too, but they had brought in a few more head of cattle last year, and he could no longer manage it all by himself. Now, the brigade members took turns cutting the grass, but this wasn’t a long-term solution. They still needed to assign another person to help with the herding.

A lot of people were vying for the position. Herding cattle was light work, yet it earned full work points, so the villagers were practically fighting to the death for it. A decision had been delayed for some time, but with the spring planting about to begin, the matter had to be settled.

The leader of the Millstone Peak production brigade was Byron Thorne’s fourth cousin, and his house had seen a constant stream of visitors these days, all trying to pull strings.

Shane Thorne nodded slightly. “Good idea. I’ll go with you to talk to our fourth cousin. Jonah Golding is making the biggest fuss; he wants to get the spot for his son-in-law, Vernon Spann. We’d better be quick about it.”

Tang Xiaonan’s mind raced. ’Isn’t Vernon Spann the father of Jacqueline Spann?’

’It seems this cattle herding job is the village equivalent of a government post. Everyone’s fighting for it. But this job has to go to Adrian Hawthorne. How shameless of a grown man like Vernon Spann to fight a child for it! Hmph!’

“Vernon Spann can’t even earn full work points at his regular job! He just wants to slack off, that’s why he’s after the herding position. Dad, you should take a few pounds of meat and some snacks over to Fourth Uncle’s place later. Make sure that little disas… I mean, make sure the Hawthorne kid gets the job!”

Phoebe Huxley came over with another bowl of food. She had just overheard Vernon Spann’s name and was instantly furious. She didn’t actually care whether Adrian Hawthorne got to herd cattle or not, but she absolutely would not let Phoenix Spann’s husband get the upper hand. That cattle herding job had to be snatched away from him.

Shane Thorne nodded in satisfaction. Phoebe Huxley’s change in attitude was quite welcome. First, she had taken the initiative to give meat to her parents-in-law, and now she was proactive about paying tuition for the children’s education. ’She’s actually very reasonable when it comes to important matters.’

What’s more, the Thorne family even had the good custom of washing hands before meals and waiting for the elders to eat before the younger generation picked up their chopsticks. The three brothers moved in perfect sync, their manners respectful and proper, which came as a great surprise to Shane Thorne. ’I really misjudged them before,’ he thought. After just one meal, his opinion of them had completely changed. ’If these three grandnephews are nurtured well, they might just amount to something.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep