"How should we eat this shrimp?" Qi Ya scratched her head as she looked at the large shrimp flailing in the basin, then quietly asked Jiang Hai, who was sitting next to her. Hearing her question, Jiang Hai smacked his lips, admitting he didn't really know either.
The shrimp in front of him seemed... a bit too big.
"If you ask me, we should just boil them," Qi Jie said carelessly, seeing that Jiang Hai and Qi Jie looked troubled. Hearing her suggestion, many people who felt the task was too bothersome nodded in agreement.
"But it would be a bit of a waste if we just boiled them!" However, not everyone agreed. At least Ai Xiaoxi thought for a moment before replying. Hearing Ai Xiaoxi's words, Jiang Hai nodded. Boiling them would indeed be a bit wasteful.
"How about this: we boil two, steam two with minced garlic, and grill two," Qi Ya suggested with a smile after considering the differing opinions. Since they couldn't decide on one method, they might as well try them all.
"Hey, that sounds reliable!" Feng Yunchen exclaimed, slapping her palm and smiling widely when she heard Qi Ya's suggestion.
"Alright, let's do it then!" Once a consensus was reached, Afra smiled, picked up the basin in front of her, and walked toward the kitchen. Jiang Hai and the others followed, wanting to see how difficult it would be to prepare this creature.
What Jiang Hai had brought back was none other than shrimp—huge shrimp. If you asked how big they were, they measured forty centimeters long excluding the claws. Indeed, this was a terrifyingly large shrimp; when straightened out, it was not much shorter than a person's forearm.
This type of shrimp is called Macrobrachium Rosenbergii Prawn, known to be the largest shrimp species that can grow. Antoine knew Jiang Hai liked shrimp, so when he was sourcing seafood, he found these. He happened to see this species and brought some over.
Another monster was a giant Mantis Shrimp, which came from the same place as the Macrobrachium Rosenbergii Prawn. However, Jiang Hai wasn't interested in the Mantis Shrimp, but he took back over a dozen of the large prawns. Of course, since Jiang Hai gave Antoine such a massive business deal, Antoine wouldn't charge Jiang Hai for a dozen shrimp; they were a free gift. However, if Jiang Hai wanted breeding prawns and shrimp fry, then he would have to pay. According to Antoine, these shrimp came from Thailand, but in fact, they could be found in all the surrounding countries as well.
The Indian Ocean is a very mysterious place. Of the world's seven continents and four oceans, let's not mention the Arctic Ocean, as almost no one lives there. But not many people truly understand the Indian Ocean.
But true gourmands know that if you want to eat seafood, you should eat what comes from the Indian Ocean.
The first reason is that the pollution in the Indian Ocean should be the lightest—though, of course, it's quite heavy now too.
But compared to the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, it is still considered light. Countries bordering the Pacific, such as the US West Coast, Huaxia, Soviet Russia, the Island Nation, and Australia, began polluting this sea area many, many years ago.
The Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile, was the starting point for Europeans. Nowadays, whenever people go abroad, they talk about how good the air and environment are, but you must realize that these countries all went through the Industrial Age. Just like Huaxia, when they vigorously developed their economy, infrastructure, and industry, pollution was unavoidable.
The Atlantic Ocean is the most severely polluted sea area, bar none. Many places in the Atlantic currently have underwater natural gas pipelines and oil drilling platforms being laid. It would be strange if the pollution were minor. It's just that they no longer need to vigorously develop these things, which is why they constantly talk about environmental protection. As for the Indian Ocean, frankly speaking, there are no major powers surrounding it.
The only major country is Ah San Country. The Ganges River is naturally heavily polluted, but relying on just that one country makes it difficult to pollute an entire sea area, especially since that country's heavy industry is not well-developed itself.
At the same time, most importantly, many countries along the Indian Ocean coast primarily rely on tourism.
Famous places like the Maldives are here, as is Sri Lanka, and so on. In terms of scenery, this place is no worse than the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, this entire ocean area lies almost entirely on the equator.
Everyone knows that the warmer the place, the faster seafood creatures grow, because they don't need to hibernate; they grow year-round.
Furthermore, there aren't too many predatory fish species here. And most, most, most importantly, the Indian Ocean is not peaceful. The reason, as everyone knows, is that many countries there are causing trouble; in some places, everyone is a pirate, and everywhere there are men who want to become the Pirate King.
What fishing boat would dare to show off over there? Fishing is basically done near the coast; few people dare to venture further in. Therefore, without human interference, the seafood in the Indian Ocean is exceptionally plump and delicious.
Thus, it is inevitable that true gourmands will choose Indian Ocean seafood when they eat.
Jiang Hai loves eating shrimp; it might be his favorite seafood. So if this shrimp tastes good, it wouldn't stop him from farming it. After all, this is a large shrimp over forty centimeters long. If he sold this back home, tsk tsk.
Speaking of Jiang Hai's love for shrimp, there's a story behind it. When Jiang Hai was young, his family wasn't particularly well off, so he hadn't eaten shrimp when he was very small. It wasn't until the third grade of primary school, during the New Year, that he finally ate shrimp at his grandfather's house. They were frozen shrimp back then, and he thought, "How can this thing be so delicious?"
Later, when the family's financial situation improved, his father would buy him shrimp during festivals. Initially, they were just boiled, but later they started frying them first and then spraying them with sweet and sour sauce, giving them the fancy name: Braised Shrimp.
Jiang Hai had always loved eating them, but after his parents passed away, he hadn't properly eaten shrimp for quite some time. Later, after acquiring his own territory, although Jiang Hai had eaten many mountain beasts, flying swallows, land cattle, sheep, and sea delicacies, he still had a special fondness for shrimp.
Before long, Qi Ya had finished preparing the large shrimp. Jiang Hai's favorite Braised Shrimp couldn't be made because the shrimp were simply too big. Instead, they had the boiled ones, the steamed ones with minced garlic, and the grilled ones.
Once the six large shrimp were placed on the table, everyone gathered around and shared them, as it wasn't official mealtime.
After tasting it, Jiang Hai nodded. The best thing about the shrimp meat was its refreshing texture; one bite and it was all shrimp meat, which was very satisfying. But regarding the flavor, well, it was only decent.
Since it was farmed in a temperate zone, the meat wasn't very sweet. Compared to Arctic Sweet Shrimp, the meat was slightly coarser, but finer than lobster meat. The overall eating experience was quite good. Nodding, Jiang Hai decided he could raise some of these shrimp.
Raising shrimp is unlike raising fish, where you have to buy fry and take care of them. Seaweed has long since covered Jiang Hai's fishing grounds, so young shrimp can find food and survive on their own once they enter the water. Most importantly, shrimp grow quickly. Common green shrimp and white shrimp bought outside can be ready for market in as little as sixty days, and at most a little over a hundred days.
Although Macrobrachium Rosenbergii Prawn cannot be marketed as quickly as those other shrimp, they are bought as two-month-old fry, and after three months of raising—five months total—they can reach thirty grams. After that, they grow rapidly, basically reaching maturity after about a year and a bit of raising. Moreover, Jiang Hai's waters are filled with spiritual energy.
So there's no need to worry about this. When Antoine comes to deliver the fish food, Jiang Hai can just ask him to help buy a few tons of shrimp fry.
Yes, since Jiang Hai bought so many fish this year, he definitely needs to provide bait, specifically baby cuttlefish and baby octopus. These things are much better than any commercial feed. Jiang Hai's fish eat these wild creatures.
What's more, these baits taste great once they grow up. Jiang Hai used to love eating grilled squid, and now he can eat it whenever he wants. Although the first batch of squid he raised was a small species, after being nourished by spiritual energy, the squid in Jiang Hais Manor are not much smaller than these shrimp. Even without straightening their tentacles, they hang down about forty centimeters long.
Just as Jiang Hai was eating and thinking, his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that the caller was none other than Moses Adams. It had been quite a while since this guy last appeared; the last time was in Washington. Calling him at this hour clearly meant it wasn't just to exchange pleasantries.
"Hello, Moses, what's up?" Given Jiang Hai's familiarity with him, there was naturally no need to use his full name, but Jiang Hai felt slightly awkward just calling him by his first name, as it sounded like how people from the Island Nation call each other.
"Hi, Jiang, I just received an invitation, so I'm calling to ask you about it," Moses Adams said with a chuckle when he heard Jiang Hai's voice. Hearing this, Jiang Hai was momentarily stunned. Why would his invitation involve him?
"You haven't lost your mind, have you? Why are you asking me about your invitation?" he asked skeptically into the phone.
"Oh, I didn't make myself clear. I received an invitation for you. The inviter is the San Antonio Municipal Government. They are inviting you to participate in their livestock show. Didn't you go and thoroughly embarrass them last year? Now that you've convinced these Texans, they are still holding the event this year and specifically asked if you would attend," Moses Adams explained after hearing Jiang Hai's response. (To be continued.)
A Gentleman Does Not Stand Under a Tottering Wall
"San Antonio, livestock show?" Hearing Moses Adams' words, Jiang Hai couldn't help but be stunned. Why would that livestock show want him to go? Jiang Hai's memory was that he went to the National Livestock Show in April last year, only to return after offending everyone, and it even ended unpleasantly. Now, the government is still looking for him? What the hell is going on?
"Yes, they're looking for you. Although you offended everyone last year, your cattle have become famous, which helped the exhibition gain renown. These people are just the organizers of the exhibition; they don't care who wins first place or who offends whom. They only care who can help them make more money," Moses Adams explained with a laugh when he heard Jiang Hai's words.
If there's any country's marketplace that's the most unsympathetic, it has to be America's.
American businessmen often call it a game, the alligator game. What is this alligator game?
Because in business, there are no tears, no friendships, only who is bigger.
Alligators shed tears when they hunt, which is known in the West as the most hypocritical tears. Westerners used to believe that alligators were moved by the people they were about to eat.
It was later confirmed that alligators don't actually cry; they shed tears only to lubricate their eyes and enter hunting mode. So if you see an alligator shedding tears, you should be careful, because it means it's preparing to hunt.
As cold-blooded animals, alligators are not smart and lack emotions. Like alligators and snakes, they cannot be tamed.
Because there are no emotions in their minds, they will not be moved, will not be afraid, will not be terrified, and certainly will not have things like friendship or camaraderie. In the Western marketplace, there is only one thing that matters: whether your net worth is substantial enough.
Jiang Hai offended a lot of people last year. Jiang Hai offended the local cowboy community last year. But what does that matter?
As long as Jiang Hai's cattle participate in the exhibition, after a year of fermentation, it goes without saying that it will attract a lot of attention.
People buying tickets to enter means money to be made. Foot traffic attracts advertisers, and the organizing unit makes money. It's that simple, which is why San Antonio sent an invitation to Jiang Hai again this year.
No one knows if the National Beef Cattle Show in April will invite Jiang Hai again, but the San Antonio Beef Cattle Show is very interested. Actually, if it were in April, Jiang Hai probably wouldn't be able to go.
Because Jiang Hai is very busy this April, not for anything else, but because the Yangtze River knife fish harvest is in.
At that time, his first batch of knife fish will also enter the Chinese market. As for how much he will rip off, ahem, sell to those rich people, that's another story. Whether in China or the United States, Jiang Hai has always been quite ruthless when selling things, because he knows that the people who eat his products are not ordinary folks. Few common people can afford it, and no one is willing to spend half a month or even several months' salary on a meal of Jiang Hai's seafood or beef, so Jiang Hai sells without any guilt or anything like that.
"Hmm, livestock show..." Jiang Hai mumbled, stroking his chin. To go or not to go? That is the question.
"Ahem, I feel, just my personal feeling, that if you don't have anything else to do, Jiang, you could go and have some fun," Moses Adams said to Jiang Hai over the phone, hearing his hesitant tone.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Hearing his words, Jiang Hai looked at him with some confusion.
"It's mainly like this: your main business is beef cattle and selling forage. Regularly attending beef cattle shows is naturally very troublesome, because I know you don't lack buyers, but attending once a year to make a name for yourself is also very necessary. You can't let your forage and beef cattle fade from people's sight. The thing most feared is habit, just like the Wagyu cattle from Japan. They swept all major livestock exhibitions as soon as they appeared. At first, everyone wasn't used to it, but after sweeping for a few years, everyone got used to it and knew that their beef was good, and expensive, and they would even list Wagyu as a separate grade. Although your ranch doesn't have unique beef cattle breeds, if you can get people into the habit, if you want to raise prices in the future, or if there are any accidents, the public's tolerance will also become stronger." Hearing Jiang Hai ask why, Moses Adams also said seriously. Of course, the above point is the main reason why he so eagerly recommended Jiang Hai to go. Secondly, he also received benefits from the organizers. Now he is the legal consultant for the San Antonio Livestock Show, and after these three weeks, he probably expects to make a million or so, which is typical of him.
"Well, I'll discuss it with Robbins Garcia and them first, and then I'll give you an answer." After thinking about it, what Moses Adams said made sense. He couldn't always remain mysterious, after all, he had already started selling grass.
However, he was still a bit hesitant about going just like that; he still needed to consult with professionals. And the most professional people for raising cattle on his ranch were naturally Robbins Garcia and Burke Daller and their team.
"Okay, I'll wait for your reply!" In fact, hearing Jiang Hai say this, Moses Adams already knew it was almost a done deal.
He had known Jiang Hai for over three years, and this guy was notoriously stubborn. If he was willing to consider something, it meant there was a 90% chance it would happen. If he didn't even want to hear about something, he wouldn't even look at it, even if you offered him money. As the old saying goes, 'listen to advice and you'll eat well,' but Jiang Hai was the kind of person who hated being advised.
"What? Going again?" Hanging up the phone, Qi Jie looked at Jiang Hai with some displeasure. Jiang Hai had only been back for a few days, and now he was leaving again? Although she and Jiang Hai weren't newlyweds, they were an old married couple.
But she still liked to be around Jiang Hai all day and didn't want him to travel often.
"Uh, haha, I'll look into it." Hearing Qi Jie's somewhat jealous words, Jiang Hai laughed awkwardly, and his initial idea of going instantly diminished quite a bit. They say a gentle embrace is a hero's tomb; Jiang Hai wasn't a hero, but he couldn't quite resist it either.
Indeed, going to a region that didn't particularly like him, he also had little interest.
Moses Adams indeed understood Jiang Hai very well. When Jiang Hai said he would look into it, he had already pretty much agreed in his heart. However, he hadn't considered the issue of Jiang Hai's woman. Hearing Jiang Hai say he would look into it, Qi Jie wrinkled her nose at him, then went to deal with the shrimp. Actually, to her, the shrimp tasted quite good.
And Jiang Hai thought for a moment, then, after washing his hands, went to find Robbins Garcia. Indeed, he wasn't too keen on going now, but as mentioned earlier, Jiang Hai's best quality was entrusting professional matters to professionals.
Since he believed this matter was beneficial to him, he had to ask Robbins Garcia's opinion. If he also strongly recommended going, Qi Jie wouldn't be able to stop him. Of course, she was just saying it earlier; she might not even want to stop him.
"Boss, are you looking for me?" After leaving the house, Jiang Hai walked along the path from his doorstep to the cattle shed, quickly reaching it. From a distance, he saw Robbins Garcia, Burke Daller, Philimon Turner, Harriman Fells, Bell Lester, Blake Hill, and Edith Lewis busy there, herding the cattle dogs Jiang Hai had bought back, running around everywhere, controlling the herd within a small area. Jiang Hai's Little Yellow and Little White were also there, but Little Yellow wasn't interested in herding cattle. In Jiang Hai's ranch, Little Yellow's status was transcendent, but Little White was quite keen on commanding the cattle dogs. From afar, Robbins Garcia, who was directing, saw Jiang Hai coming and waving at him, and rode his horse over.
"It's like this, San Antonio contacted Moses Adams and invited us to participate in the San Antonio Beef Cattle Show. What do you think?" Jiang Hai and Robbins Garcia were familiar enough, so there was no need for formalities; he directly asked him.
"San Antonio Beef Cattle Show? Why would they invite us?" Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Robbins Garcia looked at him with some confusion. Because, in his opinion, Jiang Hai had almost offended all the cowboys in San Antonio. These people now asking Jiang Hai to participate in the exhibition, isn't there some conspiracy? And Moses Adams was also involved in this?
"Heh heh, don't be so cautious. It's not these guys coming to cause trouble for me, but because our beef is now quite famous throughout America. So these guys want to use our reputation to swindle people. With our beef cattle there, it will definitely attract a lot of people to come and see, and then they can sell advertisements and make money. And there's something Moses Adams said that I think is right: we definitely have to attend a livestock show once a year, not to make a name for ourselves, but to let everyone know that the best beef cattle in the world are ours, to make them accustomed to our existence, just like Wagyu beef. We want our cattle, our brand, to stand there, and they'll know that it's not on the same level as theirs!" Looking at Robbins Garcia, Jiang Hai repeated Moses Adams' words, along with his own understanding, of course.
Hearing Jiang Hai say this, Robbins Garcia was stunned. He had never had such an idea before, but standing in a certain position changes how one sees things. His mind quickly turned, and what Jiang Hai said really wasn't without reason... (To be continued.)
Recent Developments at the Manor
"To be honest, that reason is very good, but I don't recommend you go. Instead, let me take a few people!" After thinking for a moment, Robbins Garcia looked at Jiang Hai and said. In his view, Jiang Hai leading the team would only serve as a figurehead; frankly, Jiang Hai himself wasn't of much use for the task.
He wasn't very good at looking after cattle, didn't know how to feed them, and generally didn't get along well with the organizers.
In truth, Robbins Garcia had initially invited Jiang Hai to go first so Jiang Hai could relax, and second because if there were any business deals or trades, Jiang Hai needed to be there to negotiate. He was the boss, after all; he had to be the one to make the final decisions.
Robbins Garcia and Edward Anderson were particularly good in this regard. They didn't try to boss Jiang Hai around just because they were experts in the field. They always just offered advice; whether to sell or buy something, and for how much, was always up to Jiang Hai.
Since they knew that Jiang Hai might run into trouble if he went, there was no need to make him go.
For them, Jiang Hai's safety was the top priority, bar none.
So now that Jiang Hai had spoken, Robbins shook his head and spoke seriously.
Hearing his words, Jiang Hai also considered it. It was true; he wouldn't be much help if he went. His main role was setting the general direction, but now, firstly, Jiang Hai and the others didn't need to make a name for themselves anymore, and secondly, they didn't need to sell beef. Sending Robbins Garcia would be fine, though Jiang Hai had never sent them alone before, so he was a bit hesitant.
"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. You forgot that Dulles Gerard and the others have been to Europe to sell wine." Seeing Jiang Hai's hesitant gaze, Robbins Garcia said with a smile. Hearing this, Jiang Hai nodded. It was true; he couldn't do everything personally in the future. One must remember that Jiang Hai was quite lazy.
"Fine, in that case, you personally lead the team. You pick the people and the cattle." After thinking it over, Jiang Hai said seriously. Hearing that Jiang Hai had decided to trust him, Robbins Garcia smiled. This was a good thing for him as well.
If he could handle things beautifully this time, it would undoubtedly earn him points with Jiang Hai.
A few days ago, after Edward Anderson returned, he mentioned Jiang Hai's purchase of fish fry. If all went well, in a few years, the total income on the Fishermen's side would break a hundred million. Of course, that didn't mean Jiang Hai's income, but the income of those Fishermen. So before that, he had to properly show his loyalty to Jiang Hai; the land side couldn't fall behind.
Of course, Jiang Hai had already told him that the money from selling the grass would count towards the Cowboys' commissions, but he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to show his loyalty. Hearing Jiang Hai give him permission to go, he patted his chest, signaling Jiang Hai not to worry.
Then he went to find Burke Daller and the others. Since he was leading the team alone this time, Burke Daller, the head Cowboy, would have to manage the remaining Cowboys after he left. There was some work that needed to be handed over now.
Watching him go off to get busy, Jiang Hai also headed toward the stables in the distance. His 'Little Xia' had now become 'Big Xia'.
Seeing Jiang Hai arrive, the giant horse happily reared up its front hooves. However, when its hooves came down, the sound was indeed a bit intimidating. Looking at the giant horse, Jiang Hai smiled, walked over, and patted its head.
"We just saw each other this morning, and you miss me already!" Seeing the horse snort and lower its head, Jiang Hai spoke with a smile.
"Come on, I'll take you out for some fun!" Seeing how attached Little Xia was to him, Jiang Hai smiled, opened the stall, and led the giant horse out. Then he grabbed the saddle and bridle nearby. Little Xia was very well-behaved, standing still while Jiang Hai fitted the gear. Once everything was ready, Jiang Hai boosted himself up and flipped onto the horse's back. With a squeeze of his legs, Little Xia trotted briskly across the pasture.
Thinking back, Jiang Hai first saw Little Xia about two years ago when he had just bought the cattle. At that time, Little Xia was just a crossbred foal, not much to look at, but with a large frame.
When Jiang Hai first bought it, it was still a bit temperamental, but as it was nourished by spiritual energy, its intelligence seemed to awaken.
With more than two years of growth, Little Xia's physique had now clearly reached the level of its ancestors.
With its massive stature, Jiang Hai felt it was a bit too high every time he rode it. Compared to it, the other horses were more than a head shorter. Little Xia was now clearly the king of the herd.
In the past, Shire Horses and their kind had a problem: because they were too heavy, their bones sometimes couldn't support their own weight. So a typical Shire Horse couldn't even manage a trot, let alone a fast run. However, Jiang Hai's Little Xia didn't have this problem. Its size was massive, but it could still run. Although its speed was much slower than other horses, it could at least run; a trot or even a small jump was no problem at all.
Perhaps because Jiang Hai kept it in the stable all day, the spiritual energy Jiang Hai provided it was quite substantial.
After riding Little Xia for a lap around the manor, Jiang Hai specifically went to the greenhouse he had built. He took out some carrots from inside, washed them, and fed them to Little Xia. The greenhouse Jiang Hai built was very convenient, allowing them to have fresh vegetables even in winter.
However, as everyone knows, greenhouse vegetables don't taste very good. But Jiang Hai had spiritual energy. When he soaked the vegetable seeds, he would infuse them with spiritual energy. Although it wasn't much, it allowed the vegetables to grow perfectly while also nourishing the soil. Additionally, Jiang Hai and his people didn't use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. For pest control, they just let chickens and Flying Dragons in. Although they would ruin some vegetables, Jiang Hai wouldn't use insecticides.
Once, Pula Walton came to Jiang Hai's place and tried the vegetables. She wanted to import Jiang Hai's vegetables, but Jiang Hai didn't agree. Are you kidding? How much did the beef from his pasture sell for, and how much would vegetables sell for?
Even though vegetables could be more expensive than average beef, no vegetable could sell for several hundred dollars a kilogram.
So under these circumstances, Jiang Hai was content to enjoy them himself. After feeding Little Xia, Jiang Hai put it back in the stable. Then, not in a hurry to go back and seeing that the vegetables were growing well, Jiang Hai went to check on his other things.
Entering the greenhouse, Jiang Hai looked toward the other side. When he returned from China, he had brought back quite a lot of things.
Not only Long-gilled Anchovy, Large Yellow Croaker, and Yellow Croaker, but also Nine-Jin Yellow chickens, Jiangxiang Pigs, Dezhou Donkeys, and Langshan Chickens—these were now staples on Jiang Hai's dining table.
Besides these, Jiang Hai had also brought back many other seeds, such as Shawo Radish, rice from the Northeast, and saffron from near Shanghai. Yes, you read that right, it was indeed from near Shanghai. Jiang Hai had probably explained before that saffron was actually just a translation issue; Tibet didn't actually produce it. Over ninety percent of China's saffron was produced near Shanghai, so the best corms were from there as well.
After more than a year of growth, these things had actually matured.
The chickens, donkeys, and pigs need no further mention. Jiang Hai and the others didn't plant the rice last year because they didn't know how... but the saffron corms and Shawo Radishes were planted. Shawo Radishes originate from Tianjin and are like a combination of a vegetable and a fruit.
They are very crisp and juicy, but there's a catch: the yield isn't very high, and they can't be used for cooking—like stir-frying or stewing. This kind of radish doesn't work for that; it can only be eaten raw or in a cold salad.
But currently, this kind of radish was quite popular with the people at Jiang Hai's manor. 'Eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer to stay healthy all year round.'
Although Jiang Hai didn't like eating ginger, radishes were quite good, so he ate a large radish almost every few days.
As for the saffron, that was a bit more troublesome. The people at Jiang Hai's manor were all rough men, none of them were very meticulous.
This included Afra and the others as well. They had never grown these things before. You can't just dig a hole, bury some dirt, and count to five to grow this stuff. It requires dividing the corms and the stems; it's very delicate.
Jiang Hai had originally gotten this because it was valuable and good for women's health.
As a result, it was now in a bit of an awkward state. In August of last year, they had directly planted all the corms Jiang Hai brought back. At least two-thirds died, but looking at it now, the effect of the spiritual energy was truly terrifying.
Even though Jiang Hai and the others had no idea how to plant them, the surviving third was now growing very well. They should be ready for harvest around May. If these grew well, Jiang Hai would consider whether to bring over some ginseng or something to plant. He used to read farming novels where hundred-year-old ginseng was a must-have. Now that his spiritual energy was getting stronger, growing hundred-year-old ginseng wasn't impossible anymore.
It wasn't impossible now. After growing it, he wouldn't sell it; keeping it for himself to eat would be quite nice!
Thinking about it, besides ginseng, he could also grow some Cordyceps, Dendrobium, and the like. There were quite a few!
At this thought, Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel delighted. These health-boosting things should be quite effective! (To be continued.)
The First Expedition of Jiang Hai's Subordinates
In the following days, everyone on Jiang Hai's side was busy preparing. Preparing for what? Naturally, it was for the 'expedition' of Robbins Garcia and his team. The day Jiang Hai discussed this with Robbins Garcia, he began making preparations for the trip to San Antonio. First was selecting the cattle and the personnel; these two tasks were the most important. The cattle were the contestants, and the people were the ones responsible.
Because this time, Jiang Hai and his team were just going to casually take a championship title—ahem, well, saying it like that is indeed quite asking for a beating.
However, this was the truth. So, even if they took first place, they had to leave second and third place for others, right? Otherwise, what would be the fun in that? Last year, when Jiang Hai participated, he took the top few spots, but this year, he didn't plan on doing that again.
Therefore, this time, the exhibition booth they booked was just a very small one, and they were only sending two cows over in total.
The first one was a heavy favorite to win the championship: Jiang Hai's Angus Cattle, aged one and a half years old, which was in its prime.
It wasn't as young as a nine-month-old calf, nor was it as old as a thirty-month-old A-grade beef cattle. Eighteen months was just right. Besides this cow, he also brought along a Shorthorn cow. However, this cow wasn't for the beef cattle competition, but for the dairy cattle competition. Yes, Shorthorn cows are dual-purpose for both meat and milk. Jiang Hai currently has five thousand such cows in his Tenglong Manor. The bulls are naturally slaughtered for meat, while the cows can raise calves and provide milk. This is much more suitable than Angus cows. To be honest, the milk from Angus cows doesn't taste very good, and their milk production isn't very high either.
The Shorthorn cow that Jiang Hai sent over this time was already pregnant when he bought it last year. Not long after he bought it, it gave birth to a calf on the manor. After giving birth, it started producing milk. It was hard to tell if it was because the pastures here at Jiang Hai's place were truly excellent, but the milk yield was huge, completely unlike the amount one would expect from a first-time dairy cow.
Moreover, the taste of the milk was also quite good. In Jiang Hai's opinion, it was even comparable to that of Dutch dairy cows. Even Robbins Garcia thought this milk was quite good, and since Jiang Hai was able to produce it, that was why he sent these two cows this time.
The Angus Cattle was there to win the championship, while this Shorthorn cow was there to see what level Jiang Hai's milk belonged to.
Two cows weren't much trouble, so this time, Robbins Garcia only planned to bring two people. One was Harriman Fells. Jiang Hai had introduced this subordinate before; Harriman Fells had suffered a trauma when he was young, so his mind didn't turn very quickly, but he had a good physique and was willing to work. If one were to ask who in the manor was most devoted to Jiang Hai, besides Jiang Hai's women, Harriman Fells and Connerson Peters were right behind them.
Because in their eyes, Jiang Hai was not only their benefactor who gave them jobs, money, and a place to live, but he also gave them dignity. Previously, when Harriman Fells was in the small town, although the adults all pitied him...
But pity is different from affection and respect. Pity is compassion, a kind of handout from people looking down on you. "I am taking care of you because I pity you," just like seeing a pitiful beggar and giving him some money.
Although Harriman Fells didn't say it, his self-esteem made him feel very uncomfortable. So, after he was able to work, he had always worked very hard. He didn't want others to pity him or have compassion for him; he hoped others would treat him as an equal.
And after entering Jiang Hai's manor, he had these things. Jiang Hai would order him around just like he ordered others.
This might seem a bit inhumane to others, but this was exactly what Harriman Fells wanted.
Of course, Jiang Hai wouldn't let him do any delicate work; it was mostly things like handling hay or cleaning. He was very willing to do these, and in the past few years, the money Jiang Hai had given him was enough to make American girls overlook the issue of his mind not turning quickly.
In addition to his good friend, Connerson Peters—this guy was nominally Jiang Hai's Bodyguard, but to tell the truth, Jiang Hai's real Bodyguards were Azalina and the others, so every day he really had nothing to do. The only things he could do were odd jobs and working out. As roommates, Connerson Peters and Harriman Fells got along quite well.
Now, Harriman Fells's build was already no smaller than Connerson Peters's. He was strong and bulky. Last year, when the new cattle arrived, he had subdued a panicked adult Limousin bull. You have to know that the bull was introduced as a breeding bull and was extremely large; in terms of weight, it was a full 1480 kilograms, one and a half tons. But he was able to subdue such a guy, and it was precisely because of that time that Robbins Garcia had a direct understanding of his strength.
Angus Cattle are small beef cattle, and the Shorthorn was a cow; with Harriman Fells in charge, there wouldn't be any problems.
The second person going with him was named Blake Hill. This was a newcomer. As for the people left behind at the manor, the nominal leader was Burke Daller, with Philemon Turner as the deputy. Bell Lester, Gladstone Nalga, and Edie Lewis were all staying at the manor. With these five people there, Robbins Garcia could be considered relatively at ease.
They separated these two cows and had them live alone for a few days to let them get used to life without the herd. Then, Jiang Hai contacted Zheng Jin, who had returned to work, to prepare a plane to transport them directly to San Antonio.
The livestock exhibition in San Antonio lasted for three weeks, but that didn't mean Robbins Garcia had to stay there for three weeks.
There were many activities during these three weeks, such as the street cattle drive, which seemed to be learned from Spain.
There were also competitions for the Cowboys, such as the Cowboy bull riding competition, bareback horse riding competition, steer wrestling, and so on.
There were also many bands that would hold concerts during this period, mainly singing country music and country rock.
This took up a lot of time, so it wasn't possible for Robbins Garcia and his team to stay that long. According to them, they should be back in about a week or so, ten days at most, which would be about right.
Everything was ready, and Jiang Hai personally sent them to the airport and watched them board the plane. This was the first expedition of Jiang Hai's Cowboy team. He hoped they would have a good result, although Jiang Hai didn't know what the result would be.
As the plane took off, Robbins Garcia, the two cows, and the two subordinates slowly flew off to San Antonio.
When they arrived in San Antonio, the people in San Antonio even specifically came to pick them up.
Robbins Garcia specifically spoke with Jiang Hai, and then he arranged for the two cows to go to their exhibition booth first.
Unlike last year, when they just treated Jiang Hai as a fat sheep, this year they truly took Jiang Hai's Tenglong Manor seriously. Although it was just a small exhibition booth, it was placed in a very important location, and the security there was also the best.
After Robbins Garcia settled the cows in, he left Harriman Fells there to watch over them, while he and Blake Hill went back to rest first, planning to come back to relieve him in the evening.
Harriman Fells naturally had no objections to this arrangement.
And when Jiang Hai's Tenglong Manor appeared here, it caused quite a bit of a commotion.
Because currently, in the entire United States, there were almost no Cowboys who didn't know about Jiang Hai's Tenglong Manor. Of course, one couldn't rule out some ranchers who didn't pay attention to these things at all, but anyone who came to participate in this livestock exhibition knew about Tenglong Manor and their cattle. Originally, when the organizers brought Harriman Fells and his team over, quite a few people came to watch.
These people were all here to participate in the exhibition. Although the exhibition booth would have security arranged, how many people could truly feel at ease?
Not to mention anything else, when Jiang Hai first participated in the beef cattle exhibition in New York, some people had come to cause trouble.
You couldn't even say if the security guards were reliable or not; you couldn't completely rely on others for something like safety.
Therefore, as long as there were cows in Jiang Hai's exhibition booth, there would be someone watching it twenty-four hours a day.
Other exhibition booths were the same; some booths left one person, and some left two. Now that they saw Tenglong Manor had arrived, these people all crowded over. To tell the truth, there were people who weren't curious, but there were really not many.
They also wanted to see why a single cow of Jiang Hai's could sell for such a high price, and they also heard that Jiang Hai made money selling hay. This world was truly unfair; for poor people like them, cattle weren't valuable, and hay was even less valuable.
But for rich people like Jiang Hai, cattle were valuable, and hay was even more valuable.
These people watched from the outside for a while, and many of those who knew their stuff gave a thumbs up. Looking at Jiang Hai's two cows with the eyes of someone purely looking to find fault, they couldn't find any faults; the cows' coats were quite good.
The fur was shiny, the hair was smooth, and the eyes were lively; there was absolutely no sense of listlessness. Compared to the cows carefully selected from their own homes, Jiang Hai's cows, just from their appearance, had all the advantages.
At the same time, after some people saw the rather difficult Robbins Garcia leave, they crowded over, wanting to pry some information out of Harriman Fells. However, unfortunately, there was a reason why Robbins Garcia left Harriman Fells here.
It was because this guy knew his mind didn't turn quickly, so he always kept his distance from people who didn't have good intentions. No matter what you said, he would just act like he didn't hear it. He played this hand very skillfully! (To be continued.)