Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 49: The Goading Tactic

"You’re growing potatoes here?"

Having received some praise, Jim Thorne didn’t find Adrian Hawthorne quite so annoying anymore. He stopped urging his sister to go home and instead wandered around the hillside. When he saw the patch of wasteland Adrian had cleared, he couldn’t help but ask, a mocking look on his face.

"You’re so smart, Jim! That’s right, he’s growing potatoes!" Tansy seized the opportunity to praise him.

Jim Thorne puffed out his chest, practically wagging his tail with delight. Tansy had said more nice things to him today than ever before. ’She really does like me best,’ he thought.

"Mr. Hawthorne is amazing too, he knows how to grow potatoes!"

’I can’t play favorites,’ Tansy thought. ’Jim needs praise, but the future mogul needs it even more. I can’t leave either of them out.’ She licked her lips. All that talking had made her thirsty.

A smile touched Old Master Tate’s eyes. ’This little girl is really going to great lengths,’ he thought.

Although Adrian Hawthorne still wore a stoic expression, his features had visibly softened. His wariness toward Tansy had faded somewhat, and his eyes kept darting to the stack of newspapers on the ground. He desperately wanted to read the news, but he was too proud to ask.

Jim Thorne, however, wasn’t pleased. ’It’s only right for my sister to praise me,’ he thought, ’so why does she always have to bring that Hawthorne kid into it?’ He didn’t like it one bit.

"What’s so great about growing potatoes? I’ve known how to do that for ages. Besides, he picked a bad spot for it. Any potatoes he grows here will be small and scrawny for sure."

Jim Thorne started picking holes in his work, glaring defiantly at Adrian Hawthorne.

Adrian Hawthorne was about to get angry, but when he heard Jim Thorne say the potatoes would be "small and scrawny," his anger vanished. The truth was, his potatoes were malnourished. The biggest ones were only the size of a chicken’s egg, and some were as small as a pigeon’s.

He had assumed it was a problem with the seed potatoes, but other people using the same kind grew fist-sized potatoes, almost as big as sweet potatoes. His, however, always came out small and scrawny. Adrian had copied the others, fertilizing and weeding just as they did, but to little effect.

Although Old Master Tate was a man of immense learning and talent, he was a complete novice when it came to agriculture—he knew even less than Adrian. He was no help at all in this matter, and Rosalind Green was even less to be counted on.

From Jim Thorne’s tone, Adrian could tell he was an expert at farm work. A cunning glint appeared in his eyes as an idea formed, so he deliberately provoked him.

"Who the hell needs to brag? When I was working the fields, you were still on the teat!"

Jim Thorne’s face and neck flushed crimson. He pointed at Adrian Hawthorne’s nose and cursed.

Adrian’s expression turned cold. He hated it when anyone brought up his mother.

Tansy was exasperated. ’We were just talking about potatoes,’ she thought. ’How did they end up fighting again?’

"Jim!" Tansy glared at him angrily. ’He has to stop this swearing habit,’ she thought. ’It’s so annoying.’

Jim Thorne snorted resentfully. Pointing at Adrian Hawthorne, he said in a gruff voice, "He said I was bragging. Tansy, why aren’t you telling him off?"

Tansy had no choice but to turn to Adrian Hawthorne. Her tone softened as she said, "Mr. Hawthorne, Jim wasn’t bragging. He’s really amazing at farming."

Everyone in the Thorne family was a hard worker, with the sole exception of Goldie Thorne. That clumsy carpenter was useless at everything except eating his fill.

Jim Thorne was practically wagging his tail again, a wave of satisfaction washing over him. He shot a sidelong glance at Adrian Hawthorne, his expression smugly declaring, ’I’m the best there is.’

Tansy’s mind began to race. ’In the book, Adrian really was a terrible farmer,’ she recalled. ’Maybe...’

"Jim, Mr. Hawthorne doesn’t believe you," she declared. "You should show him how it’s done. Hmph! Let him see what you’re really capable of!"