Chapter 24

"Ha ha, let's wait until you officially start. There will be plenty of time for that later."

In response to Miss Philip's desire to gauge his capabilities, John could only give a false smile, laugh heartily, and inwardly grumble about his grandfather's arrangements.

To cultivate John, Old Hunterlar spared no effort.

It was normal for a wealthy family to hire one tutor, and having two would already be considered a luxury. However, Old Hunterlar hired four tutors at once, each responsible for teaching John different subjects. This was extremely rare even in the wealthy city of New York. This made John even more certain that Old Hunterlar's annual income was definitely more than four or five thousand dollars!

However, John found it a bit hard to bear such attention.

Among the four tutors, one taught science, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, and so on, at a level no higher than that of a junior high school student. John felt no pressure about this and could easily get by for a few years. The second tutor taught literature, mainly British literature. Although this was somewhat challenging, with the foundation laid by his mother Elizabeth, John wasn't too intimidated.

However, the subjects taught by the other two tutors gave him a headache.

One taught theology, including traditional philosophical ideas, and the other taught art, including painting, music, and sculpture. How was a 21st-century science student supposed to cope with these?

Seemingly noticing John's change in mood, Miss Philip's face again showed that peculiar smile. She nodded and said, "Ha ha, that's fine. We'll talk about it when you officially start."

Miss Philip did not press further. Although she had her pride and principles, she was not unaware of human nature. She knew that continuing might anger this seemingly tough young man. There were not many employers as generous as Mr. Hunterlar, and Miss Philip did not want to lose her job on the first day.

With both of them having their concerns, the atmosphere became quiet.

At this moment, the butler Hans played the role of a lubricant, chatting casually about various topics to prevent the atmosphere from becoming too dull.

Soon, Old Hunterlar returned.

Upon seeing Miss Philip, Old Hunterlar seemed very pleased. He quickly instructed the chef to prepare a meal and invited Miss Philip to join him for dinner.

The dinner was a pleasant affair.

Although she was just a tutor, Miss Philip's performance at the table was impeccable. Her dining etiquette and conversation were even more elegant than Old Hunterlar's, giving John the impression that she was more refined.

Old Hunterlar's behavior today was also somewhat unusual. Normally, he wouldn't be so enthusiastic towards others, but he made an exception for Miss Philip. He spoke more than usual and frequently raised his glass to toast with her, which made John feel quite puzzled and increasingly curious about Miss Philip's background.

As they chatted, Old Hunterlar suddenly smiled and said, "Miss Philip, I just had an idea. Besides art, could you also teach John French?"

"Learn French?"

Miss Philip was momentarily taken aback.

"Cough! Cough!..."

Just as Miss Philip was puzzled, John suddenly started coughing. He had been drinking water when Old Hunterlar spoke and accidentally choked. However, he was no longer concerned about his grandfather's disapproving gaze. His face darkened, and his eyes filled with resentment as he looked at Old Hunterlar.

Learn French?

Is this a joke?

As a "language genius" proficient in Chinese, English, German, and Latin, John Hunterlar was very clear about the immense effort required to master a new language!

In this life, John had suffered enough from learning languages.

He didn't need to learn Chinese, as he was already more proficient than most people of this era. English was relatively easier, given his years of study in his previous life and the effort he put into reading foreign medical literature. However, German and Latin were completely new to him.

The Hunterlar family was of German descent, so German was a must. Latin, being the dominant language in the upper echelons of European and American society, known as the language of communication with God, could not be ignored. Therefore, under his mother Elizabeth's strict insistence, John spent almost all his time in the first ten years of his life learning these languages.

"Now I have to learn French? Is this to turn me into a universal translator?"

With a dark face, John ranted inwardly.

Of course, Old Hunterlar didn't care about his grandson's feelings. After giving John a stern look, he turned and said gently, "Of course, if you're willing to teach John French, I'll increase your salary by 50%... let's say twelve dollars a week, how about that?"

"Twelve dollars a week?!"

Upon hearing this figure, the usually calm Miss Philip finally showed a look of surprise.

She had been introduced to Old Hunterlar by someone else. She agreed to come here because he was very generous, offering her eight dollars a week, and she only needed to stay for five days a week, with no other responsibilities besides teaching John. For a female tutor, this was a high-paying and easy job. In this era, women's status was very low, and female tutors were often just slightly higher-status servants. Miss Philip was already quite satisfied with this arrangement.

But she didn't expect that on their first meeting, he would suddenly offer a 50% raise!

"Are you sure?"

Miss Philip narrowed her eyes and asked in surprise.

"I'm sure."

Old Hunterlar smiled faintly and said softly, "Since I'm asking you to do more, you should be compensated more. And I believe, Miss Philip, that you will make these four dollars worth it, won't you?"

Miss Philip frowned in thought.

Teaching John French seemed like an additional task, but upon reflection, it was still only five days a week, without increasing her working hours. The content had just changed, and for her, there was no loss, only an additional 50% income!

"No problem, I'll teach him French seriously."

Miss Philip quickly made her decision.

"Then it seems we have an agreement?"

Raising his glass, Old Hunterlar asked cheerfully.

"Of course."

Miss Philip also raised her glass. Although her expression was calm, the pleasure in her eyes was clearly visible to everyone.

"Excellent!"

Old Hunterlar nodded in satisfaction, took a sip after a mutual nod, and then smiled, "So, starting next Monday, no problem?"

"No problem!"

Putting down her glass, Miss Philip answered straightforwardly.

With an agreement reached, both sides were very satisfied, and the only dissatisfied one, John, was ignored. After chatting for a while, Old Hunterlar, seeing it was getting late, sent Miss Philip back with Henry.

"Sir, Miss Philip is not an ordinary person, right?"

Standing at the door, watching the carriage drive away, John asked curiously. Although he was about to be forced to learn another language, he quickly recovered from his brief dejection. Old Hunterlar was a stubborn old man, and he had no choice, so he might as well accept it.

"You noticed?"

Looking at John with some surprise, Old Hunterlar nodded and said, "Yes, you have a good eye. However, I'm not very clear about the specifics. I only heard from the person who introduced her that Miss Philip was originally a descendant of a French noble family. She came to America a few years ago for some reason and started working as a tutor."

"A French noble?"

John was taken aback.

Nodding, Old Hunterlar sighed lightly, "Yes, although I don't know what happened to her, falling from a noble to a tutor must be quite hard for a woman. But..."

"But what?"

John asked instinctively.

Old Hunterlar suddenly winked at him and said with a light laugh, "But precisely because of this, we have the opportunity to hire such an excellent tutor for you, don't we?"

...

I feel the pace is a bit slow. How do you all feel?

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