Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 51: A Different Style
It was chubby and soft. Adrian Hawthorne didn’t dare squeeze too hard, afraid he might snap the chubby girl’s bones. A strange feeling stirred within him—it wasn’t dislike, but it probably wasn’t fondness, either. He didn’t know what it was, only that he no longer disliked the chubby Tang girl as much as he used to.
"Jim, you heading up the mountain to clear some land?"
A man carrying a large bundle of firewood on his back was coming down the mountain. He saw Jim Thorne carrying a hoe and was quite surprised. The Thorne family had the most private land in the whole village, so why would they need to clear more?
The man grew even more surprised when he saw Adrian Hawthorne and Tang Xiaonan trailing behind them, holding hands affectionately.
He couldn’t quite wrap his head around the sudden change in dynamics. ’When did the Thorne kids and that Hawthorne boy get so friendly?’
’Every time I’d seen them before, they were fighting. It was either Jim, Howard, or Patrick—or all three brothers at once. The chubby girl would be on the sidelines, shouting and cheering them on, and the Hawthorne boy would get beaten black and blue every single time. Poor kid.’
Jim Thorne called out, "Seventh Uncle."
"Hello, Seventh Uncle," Tang Xiaonan piped up.
The man smiled and patted Tang Xiaonan’s head, his gaze turning to Adrian Hawthorne with a curious, meaningful look.
"This guy’s too stupid, doesn’t even know how to farm. I’m teaching him," Jim Thorne said brazenly.
Adrian Hawthorne’s chest tightened, but he didn’t say a word.
The man couldn’t help but laugh. A half-grown boy wanting to teach someone how to farm. He didn’t say anything, though. It was just kids playing around, and as an adult, he couldn’t be bothered to get involved. After a few more pleasantries, the man shouldered his firewood and continued down the mountain.
But he made a mental note to tell his own children not to give the Hawthorne boy any more trouble, lest they offend the three Thorne family tyrants.
Jim Thorne stopped on a flat stretch of hillside. The slope here was relatively gentle and covered a large area. One side was sun-facing, while the other was backed by the mountain.
"This is the spot. Watch carefully."
Jim Thorne spat on his hands, grunted with effort, and struck the ground a few times with the hoe. He was strong, and each swing turned up a large clod of earth.
"Plant potatoes and sweet potatoes on this plot, and I guarantee you’ll have enough to eat for a year. On that other plot, once you clear out the bamboo rhizomes, plant some corn and sorghum. You won’t starve!"
Jim Thorne tossed the hoe aside, a smug look on his face.
’If it weren’t for my sister’s sake, I wouldn’t have bothered teaching him.’
Although Adrian Hawthorne wasn’t an expert at farm work, he had at least farmed for a few years. One look at the soil Jim Thorne had turned over was enough to tell him that this plot was indeed fertile, and he felt a flicker of gratitude toward him. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"Thank you."
The words came from Adrian Hawthorne after a moment’s hesitation.
Jim Thorne was stunned, looking a bit dumbfounded. But he quickly recovered, waved his hand magnanimously, and said in his usual brusque way, "You’re welcome!"
He felt pretty awkward, too. Every other time he’d met the Hawthorne kid, they were either fighting or on their way to a fight. This was the first time they’d ever spoken so politely. It felt weird.
The atmosphere grew a little awkward. The mountain wind blew past, and a few small birds flew by. The two boys just stood there, stunned into silence, neither one speaking.
"Third Brother, if we plant potatoes here, will other people complain?" Tang Xiaonan asked, breaking the silence.
’Wasteland could be reclaimed by anyone, but the right was limited to the villagers of Millstone Peak. Adrian Hawthorne was an outsider, so she was afraid there might be trouble later on.’
Jim Thorne’s eyes widened. "Who’d dare to say a thing? I’ll beat ’em to death!"
’This is land I’m clearing. Not even the Jade Emperor himself would dare to say a thing. Hmph!’
Tang Xiaonan was relieved now. She smiled sweetly at Adrian Hawthorne and said, "My third brother is super capable. You can plant whatever you want, Mr. Hawthorne."
Jim Thorne puffed out his chest and said in a gruff voice, "Just go ahead and plant. Let’s see which son of a bitch dares to complain. I’ll smash his family’s door in!"
