Chapter 21

"Guys, good morning." Seeing the guests getting up one by one, Qiping greeted them, "How did you sleep last night? I hope you didn't oversleep."

"The environment here is great. If it weren't for my preference for lively places, I would definitely be willing to stay here. Of course, I think it's fine to come here occasionally, but if it were always like this, I might go crazy. I still prefer lively parties." As a playboy, Cary actually preferred bustling big cities, which most young people liked.

"I feel the same. Although enjoying a weekend here feels very comfortable, I don't want to live here all the time. It's too quiet. I haven't reached the age where I want to stroll with my lover; that's something for decades from now." Wearing her pajamas and without makeup, Ailina nodded. She admitted that it was comfortable here, but living here all the time would drive her crazy.

Qiping suddenly felt that it was better not to say anything for now. Originally, Qiping thought that when his career made some progress, he could consider matters of the heart. But now it seemed he hadn't met his true love yet. He thought Ailina was quite beautiful and felt there might be a chance to develop something; but now, forget it, it was unrealistic.

Although Qiping wouldn't just live in Lamona's forest in the future, one thing was certain: he would spend more time there. If his girlfriend or future wife didn't like such a peaceful life, there would definitely be conflicts, as living in a bustling big city was also something to aspire to.

Now, he wouldn't think about these things. He just thought Ailina was pretty, and he was slightly attracted to her. But it wasn't like they were familiar or had fallen in love at first sight. Although she seemed to be the first beautiful woman he had seen since coming to America, Qiping wasn't affected by it. He was very rational, and Ailina wasn't his type.

"Do you all have hunting experience? I hope we can have a smooth trip this time." After a simple breakfast, everyone started preparing to go hunting, which was the highlight of this weekend getaway. "Don't assume I know a lot about the forest. Actually, my outdoor experience is quite limited."

"Guys, we're not trying to hunt bears or wild boars. We're just looking for some interesting prey, maybe some rabbits or wild chickens. We're not professional hunters, and our equipment is quite amateur." Steve laughed. The people he brought were all close friends and wealthy second-generation heirs. Hunting wasn't unfamiliar to them, but they were definitely not experts.

"Unfortunately, my hunting dogs are still young and not in good condition. Our task today is to enjoy the scenery at the edge of the forest, and we might even find some mushrooms. But guys, we need to earn our dinner ourselves. I won't provide any food. Whatever we catch today will be our dinner." Qiping thought about it; this was just a group of people killing time in the mountains, but they still needed some motivation and encouragement.

Qiping's words were met with unanimous approval. Although hunting was a novelty for these people, it needed a bit of excitement. So this was a good idea, and there was no reason to object. Everyone was enthusiastic; they thought the prey they caught themselves would taste even better.

The four little guys, Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei, definitely wouldn't be brought up the mountain. Although they were growing quickly under the nourishment of abundant qi, they were still just two-month-old puppies. So now, Qiping had to comfort these little guys, or they might cause trouble at home.

Although this was a relatively inexperienced hunting team, it couldn't be denied that these guys had some capabilities, at least in terms of equipment. Although they didn't plan to camp in the mountains, they had compasses and even signal flares. These wealthy heirs were well-prepared, which made Qiping feel more at ease. He didn't want any accidents to happen on his forest.

"My forest is a bit disappointing. There are no California state trees here. I really want to see the tallest and oldest plants in the world. Of course, I've heard that the wood of redwoods is quite good, and I want a good set of furniture." Qiping was quite looking forward to it. He thought his forest was already great, but it could be even better.

"I think this place is already great. Poplars, yellow pines, and yellow cedars are also excellent building materials. The most exciting thing is the wildlife here. The national forest park is right next to us, so there must be a lot of wildlife. You could even run a hunting forest." Steve found it quite interesting. Stepping on the soft leaves, he felt the forest was becoming more interesting.

"I have the data. There are quite a few large predators in this forest, including black bears, grizzly bears, and brown bears. It's not an easy task. They live very comfortably here, and there are many animals. I don't oppose hunting as long as it's legal, but I don't want to run a hunting forest. That doesn't fit my vision for the forest." Qiping smiled. For him, hunting wasn't a big deal; since American law allowed it, he had no problem with it.

Although this place could be developed into a good hunting forest, Qiping didn't like that idea. Running his own forest was better. The qi here was abundant, and there was no need to worry about these small matters, which would be counterproductive. Qiping hoped his forest would remain more primitive.

The group didn't blindly venture deep into the forest. The trees were very dense, and apart from Qiping, the other members weren't very experienced. So they did find some animals, but they weren't suitable targets.

Large animals rarely appeared at the edge of the forest, so they could be at ease. But when it came to rabbits and wild chickens, this was where their skills came into play.

The sports bows they brought were useless because no one could hit the target steadily. As for the hunting rifles, they didn't care about the restrictions now. This was Qiping's forest, so they didn't need to worry about many rules. Although they used rifles to hunt rabbits and wild chickens, they weren't embarrassed, having missed their targets countless times.

"Qi, are you interested in running a forest? I heard your forest is considered very promising, and it might make you a fortune." A large group was indeed more likely to scare away prey, so they split into smaller teams. Qiping, Steve, and Ailina formed one team, while Cary and his girlfriend formed another.

"Maybe. I'm a person who is easily satisfied. I think my current life is good, and I enjoy it. As for the future, who knows what will happen." Qiping answered while aiming at a spruce grouse. He had missed at least five shots in a row and needed to regain his dignity.

A gunshot rang out, and the spruce grouse strolling in the forest couldn't escape. Qiping was completely immersed in the joy of catching his prey, and everything else was irrelevant to him!