My Manor

"Let's go!" After enjoying a delicious lunch at Patrick's house, Jiang Hai waved his hand. Robbins and Bell, who had nothing to do today, followed him, driving the snow quad bike that Robbins planned to modify tomorrow, heading toward the distant forest.

Due to the snow, the entire grassland was now covered in more than ten centimeters of snow. Even if the cows were let out to graze, the energy they would expend finding grass would be more than the energy they took in.

Of course, Jiang Hai's grassland wasn't like that, but Robbins and the others didn't know, and Jiang Hai had no intention of pointing it out.

Fattening the cattle in the cowshed during winter was a good choice. Keeping the cattle inside reduced the need for cowboys. Their daily tasks now consisted of ventilating the cowshed, cleaning up dung, feeding, providing water, and occasionally brushing the cattle. Originally, the five cowboys were very busy every day, but after winter set in, they could take turns to rest. Of course, rest didn't mean doing nothing; instead, it involved other tasks unrelated to the cowshed, like patrolling the manor's perimeter to check for broken fences, repairing equipment, or maintaining the house. At least they got a break from dealing with the cattle.

Compared to the cowboys, Edward Anderson, who only had one other sailor to help him, had it much worse. He still had to go out to sea every day. The harsh sea breeze slashing across his face wasn't much better than a blade. Jiang Hai couldn't endure it.

Today, however, Robbins and Bell, who were off-duty, had already patrolled the manor in the morning. Manors like Jiang Hai's needed daily patrols, especially in winter. Wild animals from the mountains would come down in search of food. If they broke through the fences and entered the manor to hunt cattle or sheep, it would be a big problem. And, of course, there was always the issue of guarding against intruders.

Patrolling the perimeter was essential, but house and equipment maintenance wasn't as pressing. The manor houses had been built solidly from the start. There were no shortcuts taken during construction. Every villa was made of reinforced concrete, even the roofs. Apart from shoveling snow in spring to prevent water seepage, the houses were problem-free.

Most of the equipment had been bought by Jiang Hai earlier that year, so there were no issues there either.

When the cowboys rotated shifts, they only had a half-day of work before they could handle personal matters in the afternoon. But this afternoon, they had to accompany their boss on a hunting trip.

The sound of engines roared as three snowmobiles sped toward the distant woods.

Before winter came, Robbins had already modified three of Jiang Hai's four-wheeled motorcycles. The process was straightforward—remove some parts and swap the four tires for snow-friendly components.

Cowboys like Robbins were quite handy. This kind of transformation wasn't difficult for them. The motorcycle's front wheels were replaced with two snow sleds, and the rear wheels were swapped for tracks, allowing the vehicle to float over snow while still being usable on land. Although it wasn't as fast as regular tires on solid ground, it could move effortlessly over snow.

Jiang Hai was already familiar with riding these modified snowmobiles. He wasn't particularly skilled, but he could manage.

After riding across the snow-covered landscape, Jiang Hai and his companions parked their snowmobiles outside the woods.

They put on snow boots, grabbed their weapons, and walked into the forest. Of course, Jiang Hai's two loyal dogs, Xiao Huang and Xiao Bai, eagerly followed. Upon hearing they were going into the woods, the two dogs got excited.

The forest had been planted by the manor's previous owner, who originally intended to use it as a windbreak against the sea breeze. The trees could also be harvested for lumber if needed, or sold for additional income. However, the owner went bankrupt before the trees matured and had to auction off the manor.

Over the years, the forest had grown dense. The types of trees in the U.S. were somewhat different from those in China. In northern China, birch, willow, pine, and cypress were common. These trees were present here too, though not in large numbers.

According to Robbins, there were about 5,000 trees in Jiang Hai's forest. Of those, 2,000 were oak trees, also known as "red oaks," which could grow over 30 meters tall. While oak trees also existed in China, they weren't widely used there because their wood was too soft for building houses or making furniture. However, in Europe and America, oak trees were highly valued as the best material for making wine barrels.

In addition to oak trees, about 1,800 of the remaining trees were maple trees. This iconic Canadian tree was also common in the United States and was prized for producing maple syrup. Maple syrup sold for a high price in China. Jiang Hai could have collected maple sap that year, but he had been more focused on raising cattle. He decided to leave syrup production for the following year.

Besides oaks and maples, the forest also contained a mix of other trees. Some were intentionally planted, while others were naturally spread by birds and animals, creating a somewhat chaotic mix of species. There were willows, pines, cypresses, birches, and even some cherry wood and black walnut trees scattered around. Jiang Hai didn't know much about these trees, but Robbins had mentioned them to him in passing.

As they ventured deeper into the woods, Jiang Hai spotted a squirrel perched on an oak branch, curiously watching the group.

Squirrels were naturally curious creatures. This one seemed intrigued, as it probably hadn't seen humans for a while.

Robbins and Bell paid it no mind. Jiang Hai glanced at it briefly before continuing on, but Xiao Bai was fascinated. It might have been the dog's first time seeing a squirrel. He crouched under the tree, staring intently at the little creature.

In human culture, maintaining eye contact is polite, but in the animal kingdom, it's seen as a challenge. The squirrel took Xiao Bai's gaze as a provocation.

"Squeak!" The squirrel let out a sharp call before grabbing an acorn from a nearby hole and hurling it at Xiao Bai with all its might.

Whoosh! Bang! The acorn flew more than ten meters and hit Xiao Bai squarely on the head. The squirrel seemed quite pleased with itself. In its experience, most animals in the forest would be scared off by such an attack.

But Xiao Bai wasn't like other animals.

Enraged, Xiao Bai let out a loud bark. The noise startled Jiang Hai and the others, who turned to see what was happening.

They couldn't help but laugh at the absurd scene—a dog and a squirrel locked in a standoff. Bell gave Jiang Hai a look, silently urging him to quiet Xiao Bai. The noise would scare off any potential prey.

Jiang Hai understood the importance of silence during a hunt. He was a rookie, but he knew they wouldn't catch anything if Xiao Bai kept barking. Just as Jiang Hai was about to intervene, the squirrel decided one acorn wasn't enough. It grabbed another and threw it.

This time, Xiao Bai tried to dodge but was still hit on his back. Although it didn't hurt, the dog was furious. The little squirrel dared to mock him? He couldn't let that slide!

With a growl, Xiao Bai charged at the tree. But he forgot one crucial detail—he couldn't climb trees!

Instead, he crashed into the oak with a loud thud. The impact left him momentarily dazed, but his weight was enough to make the tree shake.

The squirrel clung to the branches, startled by the sudden movement. Just as it prepared to throw another acorn, a clump of snow dislodged from the top of the tree and fell straight down.