Chapter 22

Upon reaching the new pasture, Ryan began to enthusiastically explain the advantages of the new forage to Ye Fang as if he had found a confidant.

"Ye, look, this is the new forage, and over there is the old pasture. Just from the appearance, you can see many advantages! As you can see, the new forage plants are taller, the leaves are larger and thicker. Feel it with your hand, it's very tender, right? Yes, that's right, this means the new forage is more nutritious! And most importantly, the cows really love it!"

Ye Fang smiled and touched the new forage, showing great interest. If he really settled down in the future, he would get some forage seeds from Xiao Yizi!

Ryan laughed heartily, and Qin Yi couldn't help but chuckle. Whenever the new forage was mentioned, Ryan lost his usual composure and became passionate and spirited. Qin Yi was very pleased with Ryan's enthusiasm, as it showed that Ryan had a deep sense of belonging to the ranch!

After laughing, Ryan began to envision the future, "Imagine, once the new forage is stable, using this more nutritious forage for grazing will reduce the workload of the cowboys, and the quality of the beef cattle will be better. We can raise more cattle, which will increase the profit margin of the ranch. Not only will I earn more money, but the cowboys will also become more prosperous!" The thought of such a life made Ryan himself intoxicated!

Qin Yi said at the right moment, "Of course, Ryan, when I bought the ranch, I had an idea. I plan to take a percentage of the ranch's profits as a bonus for the cowboys. However, as you know, I just took over the ranch, and many things need to be done gradually!"

Qin Yi wasn't making a spur-of-the-moment decision; he had this idea long ago. In fact, at the last ranch barbecue, Qin Yi had planned to mention it, but after raising the cowboys' salaries, he thought it was better to wait. Good things shouldn't be said all at once; it's better to say one thing at a time to better motivate the employees' enthusiasm!

This was Qin Yi's own business strategy!

"God, is this true? Yi, you're such a good person!" Ryan gave Qin Yi a hug. He had only thought that his salary would increase a bit in the future, but he didn't expect Qin Yi to be so generous!

After looking at the forage, Qin Yi invited Ryan to go back for lunch, and Ryan nodded happily. The three rode their horses home, and Qin Yi poured coffee, letting Ryan and Ye Fang sit and chat while he went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Americans don't like to make lunch too complicated; they usually just eat a simple hamburger to fill their stomachs, with dinner being the main meal of the day. Therefore, Qin Yi didn't plan to make lunch too formal, as it might make Ryan feel uncomfortable. In America, if you formally invite someone to dinner, you usually call them a day or half a day in advance to give both parties time to prepare, so as not to appear impolite.

In the kitchen, Qin Yi had already decided to make homemade beef noodles, letting Ryan taste Chinese cuisine!

However, he wasn't sure if Ryan would like it, so to be safe, Qin Yi made only two large bowls of beef noodles and also grilled two steaks. If Ryan didn't like the noodles, he could eat the steak, and the noodles would be left to the two Chinese men!

After a while, the food was ready!

"Yi, is this Chinese noodles? I once ate them at a Chinese restaurant in Niagara Falls, and they were a bit like spaghetti, but with more soup." Seeing the beef noodles served, Ryan was very interested.

"These are authentic Chinese noodles. Try them and see if you like them. I also prepared steak and salad!" Since Ryan didn't know how to use chopsticks, Qin Yi gave him a fork and taught him how to mix the noodles.

Actually, the taste wasn't particularly good yet, as Qin Yi didn't have bone broth prepared. In the future, if he made beef or mutton broth, using it as the base for the noodles would make them even better.

Thinking about it made him drool. Yes, he would do it in a while!

Ryan took a bite and carefully savored it, "Very special! It's different from what I had at the Chinese restaurant." He took another bite and then sipped the soup, "This flavor is really unique! But I think it's pretty good, better than the Chinese restaurant!"

As long as he didn't hate it! Qin Yi didn't dwell on it and invited everyone to start eating. In the end, Ryan ate a large bowl of noodles, while Qin Yi and Ye Fang each had a small bowl plus a steak. Neither of them liked the salad much, so most of it ended up in Ryan's stomach!

After lunch, Ryan had a cup of coffee, rested for a while, and then left. Qin Yi cleaned up the dishes and took Ye Fang to the warehouse to prepare fishing gear.

The rivers and small lakes on the ranch were home to many wild trout. Trout are not only tender and delicious, making them a delicacy on the table, but also, due to their suspicious nature, fishing for them is a very particular and interesting activity, popular in Europe and America.

Since the ranch had such conditions, Qin Yi had specifically learned some knowledge about it. In the future, when inviting American friends to the ranch, it would be a great opportunity to get closer to them!

This time, taking Ye Fang fishing would not only be a fun activity but also provide a delicious meal in the evening. Additionally, it would be a chance to practice his trout fishing skills. When fishing for trout, it often requires casting the bait hook outward, and the fishing rods are usually 4 to 5 meters long. Therefore, Qin Yi chose two sturdy, lightweight, and elastic fishing rods, making them easy to handle. As for the bait, there are also specific requirements. In America, artificial bait is generally used for trout fishing, and the artificial insects must be very realistic, with fine details and movements that mimic real ones, making it easier to catch trout.

Of course, using live bait is also possible, and Qin Yi preferred live bait. Thus, Ye Fang had a task: digging for red earthworms!

Having Ye Fang dig for earthworms was purely Qin Yi's mischief, wanting to see how a well-dressed young master would handle it!

Ye Fang accepted the task with enthusiasm, as he had never experienced digging for earthworms before!

"Where are they? What do I use to dig?"

Qin Yi handed him a small spade and a bait box, pointing to the pine trees outside. The ranch was never short of earthworms, as the cow manure was all broken down by them!

Ye Fang took them and went off happily!

Qin Yi didn't idle either. He drove the pickup truck, loaded the fishing rods and bucket into the truck bed, and then went back to the house to grab a few cans of beer and a basket of fruit. When he was about to leave, Lai Pi followed, and Qin Yi didn't stop him, thinking it would be good for him to get out of the house and not be cooped up all day!

Unfortunately, there was no sheepdog to keep watch while fishing by the Sun River. The sheepdogs on the ranch were not to Qin Yi's liking, with their long fur and pointed snouts, making them look too ugly. He didn't keep any near the main house. In a while, he would go home and get a few puppies from the neighbors, preferably farm dogs, which would be more comfortable to look at and get used to. He also planned to buy some chickens, ducks, and geese to free-range near the small stream in front of the main house, ensuring a steady supply of eggs and meat, which should taste great!

He slapped his head, thinking too far ahead!

Since there was no sheepdog to keep watch, they would go fishing by boat. The small boat was docked at a small pier north of the living area, easily visible from the road. Actually, there was a motorboat in the warehouse, but trout are very suspicious, and any noise or movement would scare them away. So, they would use the rowboat.

After preparing everything, Qin Yi looked over and saw Ye Fang still digging for earthworms, the ground under the pine trees pitted and uneven!

Qin Yi laughed heartily, imagining the well-dressed young master digging for earthworms, it was quite amusing! It was Qin Yi's mischief!

"How many have you dug?"

Ye Fang wasn't sure if it was enough: "Half a bait box, is that enough?"

"Enough, enough, go wash your hands, and we'll head to the small pier to row the boat!" Qin Yi took the bait box, covered it, and put it in the small bucket.

"Great, I've never rowed a boat before!" Ye Fang happily threw the spade aside, rowing a boat was a new and exciting activity!

At the pier, they could see the flat-bottomed boat from a distance, painted in two colors, red on top and white on the bottom, with two wooden oars on the sides.

They parked the car and moved everything onto the three-meter-long boat, pushed it into the river, and Qin Yi took the fishing rod while Ye Fang rowed.

Although there were two oars, the direction wasn't a problem, but since Ye Fang had no experience, the boat moved very slowly. Ye Fang didn't mind, rowing enthusiastically while watching Qin Yi cast the line to catch trout.

The water in the area where they were fishing was slow-moving, and Qin Yi used the deep-water fishing method. He threaded the earthworm onto the hook, cast it out, and let the bait sink quickly. He then occasionally moved the bait to make it look alive, attracting the trout to bite.

Ye Fang stopped rowing and stood at the other end of the boat, imitating Qin Yi's movements to start fishing.

"Old Three, when the fishing line suddenly tightens, quickly lift the rod to hook the fish. You have to be fast; if you're slow, the fish will escape!" Qin Yi whispered a reminder.

Ye Fang nodded in understanding. They didn't talk much, as trout are very suspicious, and too much talking would scare them away!

Fishing is a leisure activity that tests patience, so they weren't in a hurry. They enjoyed the scenery on both banks of the river, occasionally moving the bait and pointing out the scenery, enjoying a leisurely time!

"Hey?"

Ye Fang was admiring two beautiful white water birds in the distance when he suddenly felt the fishing rod sink. He was stunned for a moment, then realized a fish had bitten the hook and quickly lifted the rod, but it was too late.

"Ah, it got away!" Ye Fang looked at Qin Yi with a pained expression, being a first-time trout fisher, he was too slow!

"Ha, if it got away, let's try another spot." This time, Qin Yi rowed the boat, much faster than Ye Fang. Qin Yi had some experience from fishing in rivers as a child!

Since a fish had escaped and Ye Fang had lifted the rod, the trout in this area might be more cautious. Trout fishing can be troublesome, but that's also what makes it appealing. This time, Qin Yi rowed for about ten minutes, turning into a tributary of the main river, which was more like a small stream. The river bottom was rocky, and the water hitting the rocks created small waves.

This was an excellent spot for trout fishing!

"Let's fish here. This is a good spot!"

Qin Yi rowed to a large rock, took out a rope, and tied the boat to it!

"This time, you have to be faster!" Ye Fang nodded, determined to do better, as the previous escape had left him frustrated!

If he could catch that fish, he could proudly show off to Qin Yi, "Look, I don't know anything, but I can catch a fish first!"

Ah, he missed a chance to show off in front of his friend! He muttered to himself, lowering the bait into the water.

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