My Manor

"Don't you think there's nothing else to talk about between us besides money? I remember when you were a kid, you loved coming to the ranch where I worked. Back then, you could ride horses and catch sheep..." Hearing the woman's words, Burke-Daler laughed at himself, then muttered as if talking to the woman.

"Don't say it. You know, that was when we were kids. Now I'm grown up. I want my own life. To live, the most basic thing is money. I don't want to end up like you, living in poverty all my life, unable to even pay alimony after the divorce." The girl was even more determined now. She didn't give Burke-Daler the chance to finish his words. She waved her hand and shouted loudly. Hearing her words, Burke-Daler on the opposite side couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then the self-deprecating expression on his face grew more serious.

"Who said he would always be poor? The people working on my estate might not earn less than Moses Adams sitting at home." Hearing this, Jiang Hai couldn't help himself. Although he didn't want to meddle in other people's business, he felt this was the time for him as the boss to take action. Yes, Burke-Daler's current income wasn't much.

Seven hundred and fifty dollars a week, a year-round income of thirty-nine thousand dollars—less than the middle class in the U.S. Don't forget, Jiang Hai's welfare wasn't counted, including free water, electricity, internet, food, and housing, which added up to about ten thousand dollars.

The most important thing is that the thirty-nine thousand dollars is a fixed salary. When Jiang Hai's cows start making money, according to the situation in the United States, they will naturally share dividends. The amount of dividends will be divided according to the mood of the manor owner. However, if they truly make over one billion, Jiang Hai won't be stingy, and one or more million could be shared. At that time, it would be no problem for each person to share more than 100,000 dollars. Adding this to the basic salary, earning 200,000 dollars a year wouldn't be a big deal.

The most important thing is that this money can be saved. It is precisely because of such prospects that these people work so hard. Even when Jiang Hai isn't watching, they still work diligently. Why? Naturally, it's for this real money! So now, Jiang Hai stood up right away to refute the woman.

But after standing, Jiang Hai regretted it. He was embarrassed at that moment.

"I'm sorry." Seeing Jiang Hai standing there, the father and daughter were stunned for a moment, then the girl, Penelope, lowered her head and walked past him. As for Burke-Daler, he sighed and walked to Jiang Hai's side. The two exchanged a glance and walked toward the gate of the villa.

Sitting there, blowing the cold wind, Burke-Daler told Jiang Hai a story... or rather, his real story.

Burke-Daler is an old cowboy. This has been mentioned before, but he learned the cowboy trade when he was very young and began his career. At the end of the 20th century, the cowboy industry was actually quite popular.

Especially in the East, he made some money in those years. Later, like most ranchers, he acquired a piece of land and built a ranch, but because of poor investments, he went bankrupt in 2003.

That was also the year his wife divorced him, taking their daughter with her. He lived as a bachelor, paying off debts.

It took him five years to clear his debts, but then came the financial crisis. It became hard to support himself with his cowboy job, let alone do anything else. At that time, his daughter went to college, but sadly, as a father, he couldn't contribute a single penny to her education.

Since then, his wife and daughter, who were already somewhat distant from him, grew even further apart.

They thought Burke-Daler's life had no future. His wife's materialism and his daughter's disappointment pushed them further away from him. However, his ex-wife had always told their daughter that being a cowboy wasn't profitable, which made the daughter even colder toward her father.

Listening to Burke-Daler's words, although there was a one-sided view, Jiang Hai still stroked his chin.

Burke-Daler didn't hate his ex-wife because he knew everyone has the right to pursue their happiness.

Since she thought she couldn't find happiness with him, he let her go. He heard she's now in New York, married to a financier, living a good life—at least much better materialistically than when she was with him.

So Burke-Daler didn't say much, but his daughter's words hurt him.

"Don't worry, I don't know if being a cowboy has a future, but I know that as long as you follow me, you won't have to worry about making money." After Burke-Daler finished speaking, Jiang Hai remained silent for a while, then got up, went inside, quietly took out two bottles of beer, walked out, handed one to Burke-Daler, then took a big gulp, sighed, and said, "I'm not confident in myself, but I believe in my blood!"

"Then I'll bet on you, boss." Hearing Jiang Hai's words, perhaps encouraged by the success of the cow slaughter earlier, Burke-Daler smiled and replied.

As they spoke, they couldn't help but smile at each other, then resumed drinking...

Overall, the dinner party that night was enjoyable for both the host and the guests. Around 10 p.m., the party officially ended. The driver took Morris Smith, who was grateful, back to Winthrop before returning to Boston. Before he left, Jiang Hai had a word with Moses Adams about his tax payment.

However, Moses Adams, a professional lawyer, wasn't an accountant, but lawyers and accountants are closely linked, so he had a way to contact an accountant to figure out the taxes Jiang Hai needed to pay.

The tax return wasn't due until April, and it was only November, so there was plenty of time to prepare. It would be in time to handle the tax return in March next year.

Jiang Hai mentioned it just to stay ahead, as these things were crucial.

After tonight's dinner, life at Jiang Hai's manor returned to peaceful normalcy. Of course, this so-called peace was only on the surface. Everyone's daily life was simple but fulfilling.

Jiang Hai's routine was simple. He woke up every morning, ran laps, had breakfast, then practiced the fighting skills Bell taught him. He went to lunch, and in the afternoon, he either watched basketball games at home, played games, or lay on the second-floor balcony reading novels, surfing the internet, and then had dinner. Later in the evening, he used the extra blood in his body to transform the grassland in the manor. Slowly, the grassland began to change, and the work felt satisfying.

Edward Anderson's daily task was to drive the open boat out to the open sea to check if anyone was stealing Jiang Hai's fish. They sometimes went out to catch fish, but these weren't for sale—just for eating, as the beef cattle weren't ready to sell yet.

At the same time, Edward also prepared for fish farming next year, checking for areas without coral that would be suitable for fish. Jiang Hai didn't know much about it, so he relied on Edward.

Sometimes Philemon or Bell would help, and Jiang Hai joined in. Going out to sea was much easier with company. As for the lobsters Jiang Hai wanted to eat, the weather was too cold, and he didn't want to expose his ability in front of others, so he never caught any. Beef, fish, shrimp, and crabs were fine for now.

The cowboys, like Robbins, had the most work, but they were happy. They drove the cattle and sheep out of the cowshed, took a walk, and returned before dark. As the weather got colder, the cattle on nearby farms were starting to fatten up.

However, Robbins and the others still drove the cattle every day, with the help of cattle dogs. The grass in Jiang Hai's manor didn't die off during winter, which surprised them but also made them happy. Dry grass isn't as nutritious as fresh grass, but the grass nourished by Jiang Hai's blood was the most nutritious in the world. These cattle didn't need much concentrated feed to grow stronger. Robbins and the others were pleased with this.

Every day, they thought if the cattle grew like the special one they slaughtered today, the manor would make a lot of money, and based on Jiang Hai's generosity, they wouldn't be disappointed.

No one resisted the green, fresh US dollars, at least not in Jiang Hai's manor. Slowly, time passed, and the transformation of the manor was complete. Not only the pastures but also the vegetable garden had been transformed. The vegetables tasted much better than before. Jiang Hai estimated next year's harvest would taste even better, which gave him confidence in his blood.

In this leisurely life, the first heavy snow of the year quietly arrived.