"Boss, are these the new glasses you bought?"
Seeing Jiang Hai take out a stack of boxes from the Google store, Burkdale—sitting in the driver's seat—couldn't help but ask with a smile.
"Yeah," Jiang Hai replied, grinning as he tried on his new glasses.
"Give it a try and see if it works. If it's good, I'll get one for Penelope too," Burkdale said with a chuckle. Jiang Hai caught a flicker of fatherly affection in his eyes.
Thanks to the increasing income—primarily from Jiang Hai's business—Burkdale had been doing well. Jiang Hai wasn't stingy with his earnings. While the base salary for his staff remained standard, the bonuses he gave out were incredibly generous. Burkdale's current annual income easily surpassed that of the average doctor.
The financial stability had significantly improved his relationship with his daughter. Gone were the days when he mentioned her with bitterness and regret. Now, there was warmth and a hint of pride in his voice.
Jiang Hai was genuinely pleased with this change. Even though he suspected Penelope might have a dominant personality, it wasn't his place to interfere—especially since such dynamics were not uncommon in the U.S.
"Alright," Burkdale responded casually. Jiang Hai tossed the boxes onto the seat beside him and buckled his seatbelt. Once Jiang Hai was settled, Burkdale stepped on the accelerator, and they headed toward their destination.
It had been four days since Jiang Hai and Bernice went shopping together. Since then, she had been pestering him to go out every evening. Of course, they couldn't spend every night going to the movies or shopping—once was enough for that.
On the second night, she claimed she wanted to learn horseback riding, so Jiang Hai gave her a lesson. The third evening, she wanted to go to the beach, so they had a barbecue by the shore. On the fourth night, just yesterday, she insisted on playing chess, and Jiang Hai obliged.
Despite these distractions, Jiang Hai still managed to keep up with his other obligations. On the night of the movie, Sheila Rodney had been waiting in his room. True to her bold and carefree nature, she had taken the initiative. The night of horseback riding, it was Oshilia Clive. After the beach barbecue, Bridget Nelson. And after the chess match, Janice Joy. One by one, these women—including Afra—had become inexplicably entangled with Jiang Hai.
During the day, Jiang Hai and his friends kept busy helping out at the winery. After a few days of support, there wasn't much left to do. With the crisp autumn weather settling in, Robbins Garcia approached Jiang Hai—it was time to buy cattle.
So, early that morning, they set out. But just as they were about to leave, Jiang Hai got a call from Google—his new glasses had arrived. So he made a quick detour to pick them up before continuing on.
Once that was done, the group headed out of town in two F750s with flatbeds attached, driving toward the cattle market. Technically, cattle markets operate year-round, but the real golden seasons for buying and selling are spring and autumn.
Spring purchases are ideal because you don't need to spend much on feed, and by autumn, the cattle have gained significant weight. A cow bought for $2,000 in spring could fetch around $4,000 by fall. Some people opt to raise cattle through the winter and sell them the following spring for as much as $5,000. However, raising cattle beyond that point is rarely done.
Why? Because U.S. beef is graded. Grade A beef comes from cattle aged between 9 and 30 months. A cow that lives longer than that drops to Grade B, and its market value plummets—by as much as two-thirds.
So, ranchers typically choose between two strategies:
Sell calves after raising them for half a year.
Raise cattle to slaughter weight—like Jiang Hai did his first year—buy calves in the fall, raise them through winter, and sell them in April after tax season.
Each April and September, small livestock towns across America come alive with the hustle and bustle of cattle trading. While Jiang Hai didn't participate in the spring sales this year—he had no trouble selling his beef—he wasn't going to miss out on the autumn buy.
The nearest livestock market to his estate near Winthrop was serviceable, and they had bought cattle there last year. But honestly, Robbins Garcia and the others weren't fans—it was too small and limited. They had only gone because Jiang Hai arrived late in the season and missed the larger markets.
This year, with plenty of time on their hands, they aimed bigger.
According to the U.S. livestock trading map, the largest beef cattle markets are in Texas and Montana. Boston, by comparison, isn't a major cattle hub—Canada might even have more ranchers.
Their destination this time was a small town under Manchester's jurisdiction: Ma'ang Town, home to the largest livestock trading market in the region. Although Jiang Hai had been in the area for nearly a year, he had never truly explored it. This trip was a good excuse to take in the local scenery.
As the two F750s rolled into Ma'ang Town, a wave of noise and the pungent smell of livestock hit them. It took Jiang Hai a while to get used to it.
After parking, the team—Jiang Hai, Burkdale, Robbins Garcia, and Philemon—got out. These three had been with Jiang Hai since the early days of the manor and weren't about to miss something as important as cattle-buying.
They gathered and made their way toward the main square.
The difference from last year was immediately apparent. The entire town was packed with people and animals. Shouts, bargaining, and the calls of livestock filled the air. Compared to the previous market, this one was massive. In addition to cows, people were selling sheep, horses, and various other animals—even pets like dogs and cats.
It was like an enormous animal supermarket. If it walked on four legs and wasn't exotic, you could probably find it here.
Despite his curiosity, Jiang Hai decided to handle business first. They headed straight for the cattle section.
As they walked, Robbins Garcia turned to Jiang Hai.
"Jiang, are we focusing on Angus cattle again this year?"
"What do you think?" Jiang Hai asked, genuinely interested in his opinion.
"My suggestion is still Angus," Robbins replied thoughtfully. "They're docile and easy to manage. We've got over 10,000 head already—it wouldn't be smart to mix breeds. But... I admit I'm tempted. Simmental cattle are much heavier. Each one could yield an extra 300 kilograms of beef."
Last year, Robbins wasn't convinced. Simmental cattle are big, but they eat more and are harder to manage. While they work as both beef and dairy cows, Angus cattle seemed more efficient overall. One Angus could generate more profit despite its smaller size.
But this year had changed his mind.
When Jiang Hai's cattle were slaughtered, the results stunned him. All of the beef was top-grade A. A 750-kg Angus cow yielded 450 kg of beef, nearly 100 kg of which was premium A-grade. If a Simmental cow weighed 1,200 kg and had a similar 60% yield, that would be 720 kg of meat—and potentially over 50 kg of premium beef.
At current prices, one cow could be worth over $200,000.
Plus, their cattle grazed on the open pasture—feed costs were nearly zero. Jiang Hai even made money selling grass.
Still, Robbins had been hesitant. He felt he hadn't helped Jiang Hai maximize profits and had been dodging the topic. But now, with Jiang Hai directly asking, he had to be honest.
Switching to Simmental meant selling off all the Angus cows and calves first. The two breeds couldn't be mixed easily.
"Let's stick with Angus. No need to stress," Jiang Hai said with a calm smile.
He understood the math too. Sure, a cow worth $200,000 sounded great. But the key question was: Can Simmental cattle be marbled enough to qualify as premium A-grade beef? That was the real gamble.
To be continued...