That was a lot to take in. Adrian Hawthorne was a little stunned. He hadn’t expected Phoenix Golding to have had such a scandalous past with the big and burly Felix Thorne. No wonder Phoebe Huxley and the Thorne brothers spoke so ill of her.

But Phoenix Golding clearly wasn’t innocent herself. She had been carrying on with Felix Thorne, which was why he gave her meat.

"You’re overthinking it," Adrian Hawthorne teased playfully. "If she had married your dad, his daughter would be Jacqueline Spann, and you wouldn’t have been born."

Tang Xiaonan froze, staring blankly. ’That’s true. Logically, that makes sense. Jacqueline Spann would have been her dad’s daughter, and *she* would have been Felix Thorne’s precious darling.’

An unpleasant feeling washed over her. Tang Xiaonan pouted and said unhappily, "I’m my dad’s precious darling, not her."

Adrian Hawthorne couldn’t help but laugh. He gently tugged one of her little pigtails. "Yes, you’re your dad’s plump little treasure. Since you’re not going to school, go practice your writing with Grandpa Tate."

Tang Xiaonan shot him an annoyed glare and shouted in protest, "Don’t you call me plump!"

Rosalind Green stifled a laugh and soothed her, "You’re not plump at all, Tang Xiaonan. You look adorable just like this. Have some candy."

A few pieces of nougat found their way into Tang Xiaonan’s pocket. ’These are much fancier than fruit drops,’ she thought. ’Looks like Adrian Hawthorne is making a lot of money.’

"Don’t eat too many, or all your teeth will fall out."

Adrian Hawthorne confiscated the candy, leaving her with just one piece. Tang Xiaonan could only watch helplessly, not daring to protest. ’I really love nougat, but what he said makes sense. My teeth... ugh, I’d better eat less.’

Adrian Hawthorne was quite pleased that Tang Xiaonan didn’t cry or throw a tantrum. He gave her little pigtail another gentle tug, then went to his room to change, getting ready to head into town.

"Mr. Hawthorne, are you walking there?"

"Mhm."

Adrian Hawthorne placed the photos in his bag. There were nearly a thousand of them. He’d give six hundred to those punks and sell the rest himself. He should be able to sell them all in a day. In a little while, the cinema would be showing another movie, *Qu Yuan*, a historical film directed by and starring Frank Bauer.

The film had been released last year to an excellent reception and was now being shown again. Adrian Hawthorne had already gotten his hands on the movie posters and planned to sell them once the re-release began.

"We have a bicycle at my house. I’ll take you to get it."

Tang Xiaonan led Adrian Hawthorne by the hand to her house. Her father, Felix Thorne, had put his pig-butchering business on hold recently, so the bicycle was just sitting there unused. It was better to let Adrian Hawthorne ride it.

"I probably shouldn’t." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Adrian Hawthorne was reluctant. The round trip to town was nearly twenty-five miles, and the road conditions were poor. It didn’t feel right to always be borrowing someone else’s bicycle. He planned to buy his own once he saved enough money, but unfortunately, the required purchasing voucher was hard to come by.

"Just give my mom one yuan. I’m sure she’ll be happy to let you."

Tang Xiaonan sensed Adrian Hawthorne’s hesitation and suggested with a grin, "The one yuan can be a rental fee. The bike’s just sitting there anyway, so Phoebe Huxley would definitely be willing to rent it out."

Adrian Hawthorne’s eyes lit up. That was a great idea. The round trip took three or four hours on foot; a bike would cut that time by more than half. One yuan was a bargain. ’This plump little girl is getting more and more clever,’ he thought.

He hoisted Tang Xiaonan onto his back and went to the fields to find Phoebe Huxley. Today, she wasn’t hauling manure but was tending to the rice seedlings. Tang Xiaonan called out to her mother and stuffed one yuan into her hand. "Mr. Hawthorne wants to ride the bike into town. The one yuan is for rent."

Phoebe Huxley’s eyes lit up. One yuan was no small sum. A chance to earn money from an idle bicycle? Only a fool would refuse.

"Go on, take it."

Phoebe Huxley gleefully pocketed the one yuan. Her impression of Adrian Hawthorne improved immensely. ’I haven’t called him a jinx in a while now,’ she mused. ’The boy knows how to conduct himself. He’s surprisingly likable.’