My Manor

"Boss, are you wondering why I agreed to let the girl from Clive's family come to our manor?" Edward said to Jiang Hai as he got in the car, started the engine, and drove out.

In fact, he had noticed that Jiang Hai seemed puzzled just now, but Jiang Hai didn't ask directly. Now, Edward could explain.

"Why?" Jiang Hai asked, looking at Edward. Although they had only been together for a few months, Jiang Hai trusted the people in his manor, especially Robbins and Edward, whom he had personally appointed to manage the other cowboys and fishermen.

Jiang Hai had only recently arrived in the United States. Without a few trusted people around him, dealing with things would be difficult. These two old men were his confidants. That's why Jiang Hai hadn't asked about it earlier.

"It seems that you, boss, don't care much about the recent news!" Edward Anderson smiled and glanced at Jiang Hai while driving.

"Don't you know that Boston suffered a snowstorm this year?" Edward Anderson asked, his expression puzzled.

"I know. I heard that merchants in the city made a fortune from it," Jiang Hai replied. He had seen reports about it. Boston, located near the Atlantic Ocean, experiences a lot of rain in the summer and heavy snowfall in the winter. This winter was no different, with snow accumulation surpassing previous years, affecting traffic. Since November, the snowstorm warning in Boston hadn't been lifted.

However, for Jiang Hai, snowstorms weren't a big deal. His house was solid, and they always cleared the snow when it piled up. Although the snow along the roadside had accumulated to nearly one and a half meters, it hadn't caused problems for his daily life.

"Oh, that's in Boston. Winthrop wasn't so lucky. Several classrooms and gymnasiums at the town's primary school collapsed under the snow this year. The mayor and the principal have been raising funds, but the results haven't been very good. In about ten days, school will start. They're probably the most anxious right now..." Edward Anderson shrugged as he spoke.

Jiang Hai vaguely remembered hearing about this a few days ago but had forgotten about it quickly. In his past life, he had only cared about his own doorstep and not the problems of others. After moving to the United States, his attitude remained the same. As long as it didn't affect him, he wasn't concerned about others.

The collapse likely happened in mid-December. Fortunately, the school was on vacation at the time, so only a few rooms collapsed, and there were no casualties. However, for the people in the town, this was still bad news.

In the United States, fundraising was more active and generous than in many other countries. Besides people's goodwill, this was also due to U.S. policies that allowed donations to be tax-deductible, with some deductions being as high as one dollar for every dollar and fifteen cents donated. This system led many wealthy individuals in the U.S. to be known as philanthropists because it not only helped their public image but also provided financial rewards.

Logically, there were many wealthy people in Boston, but they weren't particularly concerned about Winthrop's elementary school. Winthrop itself didn't have many rich people, and the economic situation was tough. The ordinary townsfolk could only contribute a dollar or two, raising only a few thousand dollars, which wouldn't even be enough to build a single classroom, let alone a gymnasium.

This demonstrated the generosity of Americans. Jiang Hai remembered his own experience. When he was in elementary school, the school was very shabby, with no heating in the winter and broken windows covered with plastic sheets. It wasn't until the third grade that the school was renovated. Even then, students had to seal the window gaps with cloth strips and paste. It wasn't until junior high that plastic steel windows were installed. For Jiang Hai, going to school wasn't a big deal.

But it seemed that the people in the United States didn't view it the same way. No matter how hard it got, children shouldn't suffer. This was their educational policy: if you're going to build, build the best, with no room for compromise.

"Then what do you mean by asking her to come now? Do you want me to donate?" Jiang Hai asked in surprise. He had a rough idea of what Edward was suggesting—he probably wanted him to donate.

"Whether or not you donate and how much is entirely up to you, boss. But if you don't at least give them a chance to convince you, it will hurt your reputation in the town. To be honest, boss, your reputation in the town isn't great right now..." Edward shrugged, looking at Jiang Hai.

Jiang Hai paused for a moment, then chuckled at himself. It seemed Edward was right.

Other rich people, upon arriving in a town, often contributed to its development. However, Jiang Hai hadn't done much for Winthrop. He mostly stayed in his manor and had little interaction with the townspeople. The only time he had been involved was when he sent a group of troublemakers to jail, almost destroying the local police station. Although that wasn't his fault, the townspeople didn't think kindly of him.

Building good relationships with the locals was important, even for businessmen in China, where bosses also need to befriend villagers when building factories. Otherwise, trouble could arise.

Since Jiang Hai arrived, he hadn't done much to benefit the people of Winthrop. The tax revenue from his manor went to the government, not the town, and his way of dealing with people wasn't the best. As a result, Robbins and Edward found themselves stuck between Jiang Hai and the residents, making things difficult.

Fortunately, despite not doing anything particularly good, Jiang Hai hadn't done anything bad either. If the favorability scale ranged from 0 to 100, with 100 being full favorability, Jiang Hai's relationship with the townspeople was at 49—essentially neutral, with a few bad reactions, mostly from the families of the men he had sent to jail.

"You mean I should do something to improve my image with the townspeople?" Jiang Hai asked after thinking for a while. Hearing this, Edward shrugged. It was just a suggestion, and Jiang Hai could decide what to do. If Jiang Hai insisted on continuing his stance, Edward and Robbins would still stand by him. However, if Jiang Hai truly became an enemy of the townspeople, they might choose to support their families and hometowns instead.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do when the time comes," Jiang Hai said after thinking about it. Building a few classrooms would cost very little. A single classroom in the U.S. could cost only about $10,000. A few classrooms and a basketball court would amount to $100,000. However, Jiang Hai was still thinking like an ordinary person.

Even $10 wasn't easy for him to part with without feeling uneasy. What was his was his, and even if he didn't want it and destroyed it, it was still his. No one else had the right to take it.

But if donating that money would help him build a better relationship with the townspeople, improve his reputation with the government, and even offset some of his taxes, Jiang Hai seemed willing to go ahead with it.

With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Hai soon returned home.

The next day, after walking his dog and checking on his horse, Jiang Hai drove into town with Edward. Today was the day to sign the contract with the fishermen, and Jiang Hai had made some decisions the previous night.

So, instead of going in Edward's car, he drove his F650 into town.

"Hi, boss!" In front of the law firm, Jiang Hai saw a row of cars parked. When he and Edward's car drove over, the people in these cars jumped out. They were the fishermen Jiang Hai had seen the day before, along with their families. Jiang Hai had offered them the opportunity to live in the manor, which was a perk. Fishermen spend a lot of time at sea, but their income was high, often matching or exceeding that of white-collar workers. While they didn't have the same stable family life as Robbins and his crew, most of the fishermen came with their families, although some were hesitant to bring their children.